Chapter 9
Back at home, Cerys lay on the couch watching 'ER' on television. Nia hadn't returned yet and Cerys was bored. As if it read her mind, the phone rung. She picked up the extension, which was next to the sofa. "Hello?" "Cerys? Is that you? Hi, its Alex." Cerys rolled her eyes. "Hi Alex. All right?" Alex sighed. "Yeah, I'm ok. Just totally bored and tired. What have you been up to today? Anything nice?" "Adele and I went to the new shopping centre on James Street. Was pretty boring actually. Came home, ate. Nothing extremely exciting. What about you?" Alex laughed, a little nervously. "Wow, you must be he only girl I know who says that shopping is boring. I didn't do much either. Hung out here with Nicholas. Hey, have you heard that he and Adele almost split, again?" Cerys rolled her eyes again. "Yeah I heard. What you reckon? Adele and Nicholas, will they or wont they split?" Alex laughed again, a little too heartily, Cerys noticed. "Nah, Nicholas loves her no matter what he says. He just is a little confused about how he feels." "Listen, Alex, I gotta go, okay? I'll see you on Sunday." Alex sighed. "All right. See you." Cerys hung up the phone and ran her fingers through her hair. She flipped through the channels using the remote and stopped it on 'Friends'. Cerys was so restless she began drumming her fingers on the edge of the sofa. 'What on earth am I doing lying here?' she asked herself. Cerys sat up and gripped the Amulet in one hand. She concentrated hard on Nia appearing in front of her. There was a gust of wind and a tired-looking Nia popped out of the air. "Hi, Cerys. What is the matter? I was sleeping." Nia yawned widely and stretched. Cerys smiled. "Nia, I'm bored. Is there any way that I can go to Aranosia to see Mum?" Nia raised her eyebrow at Cerys. "Don't be silly. You know you can't go and see her. If you go to Aranosia, then you leave the mortal world and the house is vulnerable. Cerys, you have to stay here." Cerys slumped back into the couch, disappointed. "Why? Ive put the Charm on the house, everything should be okay shouldn't it?" "No, it won't. The Charm only works if you stay here. Sorry, Cerys." "Okay, so I cant see my mum, so then can I practise my powers how I want then?" Nia smiled and nodded. "Good. You can go now, I just wanted to know." Nia laughed and pulled out her little bag with powder in it. She sprinkled silver dust in the air and in another gust of wind she was gone. Cerys stretched her arms out and stood up. She looked around the living room and she decided to push the sofa back far against the wall. Cerys moved to the centre of the room. She held her hands out and focused on a small, crystal waterfall. As she thought on this, the middle of her palms seemed to grow cold. She opened her eyes and spouting from nowhere was a clear, cool waterfall. Cerys face broke into a broad smile and she closed her fist to make the waterfall disappear. She imagined a huge piece of blank canvas covering the wall opposite her. Using her finger and concentrating hard, she drew her name in large fiery letters on the canvas. A sudden idea came to her mind; she clapped her hands and everything vanished. Cerys raised her hands above her head and clicked her fingers. Her mind was filled with a picture of her Grandmothers' old kitchen. She imagined her Grandma bustling about by the sink, muttering away to the invisible someone that only she alone could ever see. She remembered how people would call her crazy because she was different. Cerys remembered that she admired her Grandma because she didn't care what other people thought. 'Mind you,' she thought to herself, 'Granny was deaf so that mightn't have been pride.' Cerys giggled to herself, then tried to focus again. She reminisced about how her Grandma used to always be talking and looking into space. Cerys opened her eyes and gasped. She was standing in what looked like her Grandma's kitchen, near the sink. She turned around and saw her Grandma by the table; she looked like she was chopping vegetables or something. Cerys watched in mild disbelief as a small Cerys wandered into the kitchen. Cerys realised she was looking at her own memory. She watched as the little Cerys stood by the table, her Grandma still muttering away. The real Cerys moved away from the sink and towards her younger self. She looked at her Grandma; a small yellow light was twinkling in front of her and Grandma was talking right to it. She realised it was Nia. Cerys shook her head and the kitchen, little Cerys and Grandma melted away. Cerys fell to the floor. Her living room materialised in front of her and she covered her face in her hands. She was shaking so much she felt like she was going to cry. Cerys scrambled to her feet and she began pacing up and down, going over everything that she had just seen. 'Okay, Cerys, be calm. Nia told you this, its not a shock, no its not. Nia told you that she guided the women in the family. You knew this, why are you shaking? You saw yourself as a six-year-old kid in your Nan's house! Then why am I so freaked out?!' She sat down and tapped her chin, knowing she wanted to continue the memory to see what happened next. Focusing on what she had seen, the room began to spin and she was back in the kitchen.
Back at home, Cerys lay on the couch watching 'ER' on television. Nia hadn't returned yet and Cerys was bored. As if it read her mind, the phone rung. She picked up the extension, which was next to the sofa. "Hello?" "Cerys? Is that you? Hi, its Alex." Cerys rolled her eyes. "Hi Alex. All right?" Alex sighed. "Yeah, I'm ok. Just totally bored and tired. What have you been up to today? Anything nice?" "Adele and I went to the new shopping centre on James Street. Was pretty boring actually. Came home, ate. Nothing extremely exciting. What about you?" Alex laughed, a little nervously. "Wow, you must be he only girl I know who says that shopping is boring. I didn't do much either. Hung out here with Nicholas. Hey, have you heard that he and Adele almost split, again?" Cerys rolled her eyes again. "Yeah I heard. What you reckon? Adele and Nicholas, will they or wont they split?" Alex laughed again, a little too heartily, Cerys noticed. "Nah, Nicholas loves her no matter what he says. He just is a little confused about how he feels." "Listen, Alex, I gotta go, okay? I'll see you on Sunday." Alex sighed. "All right. See you." Cerys hung up the phone and ran her fingers through her hair. She flipped through the channels using the remote and stopped it on 'Friends'. Cerys was so restless she began drumming her fingers on the edge of the sofa. 'What on earth am I doing lying here?' she asked herself. Cerys sat up and gripped the Amulet in one hand. She concentrated hard on Nia appearing in front of her. There was a gust of wind and a tired-looking Nia popped out of the air. "Hi, Cerys. What is the matter? I was sleeping." Nia yawned widely and stretched. Cerys smiled. "Nia, I'm bored. Is there any way that I can go to Aranosia to see Mum?" Nia raised her eyebrow at Cerys. "Don't be silly. You know you can't go and see her. If you go to Aranosia, then you leave the mortal world and the house is vulnerable. Cerys, you have to stay here." Cerys slumped back into the couch, disappointed. "Why? Ive put the Charm on the house, everything should be okay shouldn't it?" "No, it won't. The Charm only works if you stay here. Sorry, Cerys." "Okay, so I cant see my mum, so then can I practise my powers how I want then?" Nia smiled and nodded. "Good. You can go now, I just wanted to know." Nia laughed and pulled out her little bag with powder in it. She sprinkled silver dust in the air and in another gust of wind she was gone. Cerys stretched her arms out and stood up. She looked around the living room and she decided to push the sofa back far against the wall. Cerys moved to the centre of the room. She held her hands out and focused on a small, crystal waterfall. As she thought on this, the middle of her palms seemed to grow cold. She opened her eyes and spouting from nowhere was a clear, cool waterfall. Cerys face broke into a broad smile and she closed her fist to make the waterfall disappear. She imagined a huge piece of blank canvas covering the wall opposite her. Using her finger and concentrating hard, she drew her name in large fiery letters on the canvas. A sudden idea came to her mind; she clapped her hands and everything vanished. Cerys raised her hands above her head and clicked her fingers. Her mind was filled with a picture of her Grandmothers' old kitchen. She imagined her Grandma bustling about by the sink, muttering away to the invisible someone that only she alone could ever see. She remembered how people would call her crazy because she was different. Cerys remembered that she admired her Grandma because she didn't care what other people thought. 'Mind you,' she thought to herself, 'Granny was deaf so that mightn't have been pride.' Cerys giggled to herself, then tried to focus again. She reminisced about how her Grandma used to always be talking and looking into space. Cerys opened her eyes and gasped. She was standing in what looked like her Grandma's kitchen, near the sink. She turned around and saw her Grandma by the table; she looked like she was chopping vegetables or something. Cerys watched in mild disbelief as a small Cerys wandered into the kitchen. Cerys realised she was looking at her own memory. She watched as the little Cerys stood by the table, her Grandma still muttering away. The real Cerys moved away from the sink and towards her younger self. She looked at her Grandma; a small yellow light was twinkling in front of her and Grandma was talking right to it. She realised it was Nia. Cerys shook her head and the kitchen, little Cerys and Grandma melted away. Cerys fell to the floor. Her living room materialised in front of her and she covered her face in her hands. She was shaking so much she felt like she was going to cry. Cerys scrambled to her feet and she began pacing up and down, going over everything that she had just seen. 'Okay, Cerys, be calm. Nia told you this, its not a shock, no its not. Nia told you that she guided the women in the family. You knew this, why are you shaking? You saw yourself as a six-year-old kid in your Nan's house! Then why am I so freaked out?!' She sat down and tapped her chin, knowing she wanted to continue the memory to see what happened next. Focusing on what she had seen, the room began to spin and she was back in the kitchen.