Lina asked herself continuously why she was mowing the lawn of the same old man that used to throw sticks at her when she was seven years old. The only answer she could come up with was that he was a rich old coot and whatever money she could get besides her online internet business would be great. In the midst of the midday sun, unusually hot for that time of the year, she wiped the sweat from her brow and pushed and pulled the heavy outdated lawnmower around the 'estate', a really large yard that the man insisted be cut to perfection once a year. This meaning it was only cut ONCE a year.
"I'm done Mr. Stephon!" Lina shouted as she fell down tired on the freshly cut grass. Her face was just inches away from the blade on the mower, but she was so tired she could care less. The old man hobbled out of his rocking chair, grabbed his cane and very slowly made his way over to her.
She stared up at him. He looked down at her. He dropped the money on her face, and walked off.
"Grr.." Lina forced herself to sit up and she counted the bills, " $250.00. Not bad for pulling every muscle in my body." With intense concentration, because thats what it would take, she rose to her feet and shoved the money in her pocket. "Now I have the cash money to get some serious shopping done." She smacked the idea of new shoes and pigging out at the mall food court from her mind, and made her way to the car to make a real shopping list.
She fiddled through the glove compartment and dug out about five dollars and baseball tickets she won from a radio show. Next she pulled out the paper she needed to write on, but under that was an old slip of paper with an address written on it.
"No way! I can't believe...I have to go there right away and see if he is still there. Its not far from here either!"
Twenty minutes and a couple of detours later she drove into a broken down neighborhood with a lot of wire fences. All the way down at the end of the block was a fairly decent looking house compared to the rest, with blue shutters and a light blue paint job. After finding a place to park, she ran up to the old house and knocked for a while. No answer. She looked in the windows and she could see dust covered furniture. "This is the address. " Lina looked down at the slip of paper. "521 Harting just like it says, but its abandoned. Just like everywhere else I tried." Exhausted, she flopped herself down on the steps and tossed the slip into the wind. "He could've helped me make sense of all this. Maybe he could've even helped Dominic, I don't know. Why is it that psychotics and people you really need to see disappear into thin air when you need them?"
Shrugging at the whole situation, she strolled back over to her car and got inside. Digging her hand into some chili cheese fries, she sped off, making a sharp right turn onto the road that would lead her to the interstate.
"Things to do," she said aloud as she grabbed a chili stained to do list and held it up against the steering wheel."Go grocery shopping. Pick up new eyeglass cases, go to orthodontist, probably end up with a funky new retainer, side note right here to call Dominic on his cell right away if there is any necromancer sightings..." she paused and bit her lip, then continued reading, "Stop by the thrift store and look for any diaries that look like they came out of a space movie, also need to pick up cat food and a new scratching post for Spark, make sure its tuna-salmon flavored, Also make sure to get Dominic lots of s'mores cookies and tortilla chips. . Man that guy has weird tastes, Oh, and orange soda, plenty of that." She sat the list back down and began to speed, she was close to her exit and she was sure she saw a cop in the mirror she wanted to avoid.
Meanwhile, Dominic was busy with chores of his own. Trying to keep his mind focused on the tasks at hand and not on his brother, he lifted up the 'vacuum' and examined it. How did she say to use this thing. Put this in ..the wall. He put the plug in the socket. Uncoil the rope, I mean, the cord. He uncoils the cord from the vacuum and let it fall down to the ground. Flip the switch closest to your hand. He flipped the red switch on the handle, and it snapped out of the upright position. Press the pedal at the bottom of the vacuum with your foot. He pressed down on it and the vacuum started up.
"Easy enough. Now I run this over the dirty carpet, and it sucks the dirt from the floor." Confidently, he began to vacuum Lina's bedroom first. He went around the corners of the bed, under the small dresser, and into all other nooks and crannies. Spark trotted in and stared at the vacuum. After giving it warning growl, hopped up on Lina's bed and stared at Dominic with big, sad, eyes.
"MeoOowoWOooww!"
"What?"
"MeoOowoWOooww!"
Dominic continued to vacuum, ignoring the cat now. Normally I want my Spark to shut up and be a normal cat, but I wish this one could speak and tell me what he really wants. Too bad I don't have a spell handy for that.
Bored with Dominic, Spark hopped from the bed to the dresser and began playing with the scarf.
Must've left that here when I was talking to Lina. Before Dominic could react, Spark knocked the scarf onto the floor and VLLOOMMP! The scarf got sucked up by the vacuum. The cat, of course, prances off like nothing happened.
"W-w-wha..You have got to be kidding me.." Quickly, he snapped off the vacuum, unplugged it, and stared at its bottom to see if he could tug it out. He grabbed it, braced his foot against the vacuum. As soon as he heard a ripping sound he stopped, and sat down in defeat. I'll just wait for Lina to come home.
"MeoOowoWOooww!"
"Whatever." He went to the fridge and fished around for anything the cat could eat. He tore off a piece of meat from leftovers and some milk from the jug and gave him that. When the cat had shut up, he flopped on the couch, took off his glasses, and stared idly at the ceiling.
"Honey, I'm home!" Lina opens the door and walks in, huge bags covering her face, "Can someone help me?"
He got up from his seat and grabbed some of the bags from the kitchen. "How was your morning?"
"Fine. Yours?"
"Your vacuum ate my scarf."
"..."
"Let me put this stuff away and I'll take apart the vacuum and get it out.I'll even wash it for you."
With a cold glare at the now-full cat, Dominic began to put away all the groceries. He had been there long enough to know where everything was, but as he pondered on that, a longing for his home began to set in.
If what Belinda said is correct, I have to defeat Jacob if I ever want to go home. I don't know why I'm letting this girl slow me down.
Lina reached up to put the bread up on the shelf, but loses her grip and the loaf bops her on the head.
He smiled.
He frowned.
Before his eyes he saw Lina looking at a book of black magic. There was a darkness to her eyes, a determination that scared him. He tightly clenched his fist as soon as he realized what was going on.
"Hello. Hello psychic boy, wake up." Lina bopped him on the head with the bread.
Dominic shook her head and he again saw the present.
"Another vision?"
He nodded.
"What about?"
He just stared at her. How could she? How could she practice the magic of death and destruction? She says she wants to help me, but she is no different from Jacob! He opened his mouth but no words came out.
"Dominic?"
He walked off.
"What did I do this time?"
Frustrated, the seer opened Lina's bedroom door and shut himself in. Lina followed soon after, and knocked on the door a few times. "What did you see? Did Jacob kill someone else. I'm your friend, you have to trust me. Whatever it is you saw I'll help with it. Please...I care about you. I'm going to stand here and blast rap music throughout the house if you don't open the door."
The door immediately opens.
She walks in and sits beside her friend, putting an arm around him. "Now what is going on?"
Trying to control the intensity of his gaze, Dominic kept his eyes to the floor. "You have never messed with necromancy before, have you? I need you to answer me honestly. Have you ever known anyone to mess with it?"
"I...what did you see?"
"Answer my question."
"I can put your fears to rest, I have never messed with it but, my uncle did. He was a very strange man that the family thought to be crazy. When he heard me complain about being able to see ghosts, he told me something strange. He said that in our family was the strength of black magic, the potential of necromancy and all magics dealing with death. He did say, however, we could use it for good or for evil. According to him, while most people choose a field in which to study, to others it is a natural ability. In our family..."
"Necromancy is ALWAYS a choice" Dominic cut her off, his teeth pressed together.
"Not according to my uncle. He claims his grandfather was a powerful one, but his children thought it to be too dark and made sure the family forgot it. He sought out to awaken it, thinking it was a blessing and not a curse. My seeing ghosts was supposedly a sign that I would bring the family power back to the forefront. He taught me a few things, but I never had a chance to try because my mother thought him crazy and forbid me from seeing him."
Relaxing some, Dominic patted her hand but still didn't look her in the face. "Why didn't you tell me any of this?"
"Because I was afraid and I was doing a good job of forgetting everything. You said so yourself, you don't just bump into seers and soceresses on the way to the supermarket around here. I didn't know what I was so forgetting it was the only defense I had. I know you hate your brother, but please don't hate me for something I cannot control."
With a heavy sigh, the seer stood up and finally looked her in the eye. He cupped her cheek with his hand. "I don't hate you, but promise me you will never pursue this art."
"Actually, I am trying to figure out where my uncle moved to, now that my parents have passed on. Dominic I hate to say this, but maybe if we have to battle a necromancer we can use a necromancer to do it..."
"No."
"But Dominic?"
"We can do it another way."
"Maybe I was given this power for a reason."
"I said NO." He stormed out of the room and shut the door.
"What?!? Dominic you are not going to lock me in here now! Dominic!" She swung open the door and looked around for him, but he was nowhere to be found. The front door was left ajar, and she ran up to it, looking around the yard for him.
"You idiot. Why is he such a hot head?" Her eyes lowered sadly, "Talking about his brother or necromancy is just pressing his alarm buttons I guess. He has an hour before I search this city to find him."
Ten minutes later, Lina was pacing the living room nervously. "I just have this gut feeling, that maybe I can help somehow. Maybe my uncle was right, maybe the power of death and destruction and stuff can be used for good." She sat down and put her head on her knees. "Saying that aloud, I can understand why Dominic left. I just really really hope he comes back." She stared at the clock and tapped her fingers nervously against her thigh. "Now, he better come back right now!"
I just need to get some air. Maybe I'll get something to eat, and come back before she tracks me down. Luna would probably be yelling at me for yelling at her right now. She would say that she is not my brother and that I need to calm down. I wish I could, but its like running over an exposed nerve. I just wish I were home. With Luna in my arms, its impossible for me to be upset. I want to be there to protect her, but as usual, my idiot brother is messing things up.
He opened his wallet as he walked into a convenience store to pick up some food. Lets see, how much did Lina give me? I really should get a job, but I'm not sure how well my old shop would do around here. He remembered why he left his old job in the first place and shivered in fear. Was I just considering answering people's moronic questions again? I must be under a lot of stress.
"Italian sausage please," he told the guy at the counter, and recieved his food. He tossed up a bag of chips to add to the cost, and crossed his fingers.
I'm still not used to this monetary system, though I'm pretty sure I have enough.
"$3.89" the cashier told him.
Dominic handed him a five dollar bill.
"Out of Five, $1.11 is your change."
He took the change, stuffed it in his pocket and started back munching on his hot lunch. A man on a skateboard cut in front of him, and raised his hand for the seer to stop.
"So, you can tell the future, can't you?"
"Who are you?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Someone who knows a whole lot more about you, your brother, and everything that is going on. It's amazing really what can be done with magic these days, especially to an unsuspecting public. Jacob may not care for you much, but maybe if you were to help him..."
"I hate him. I would do nothing to help him."
"You are known for you immense mental power, Deegan. But sometimes seeking allies is helpful."
"You are telling me to trust a necromancer?"
"No. I'm telling you the greatest disguise ever is the dead dressing up as the living."
"What is that supposed to-" before the seer could finish his sentence, the man on the skateboard dissolved slowly before his very eyes, eventually becoming nothing more than a dust cloud to be carried off by the wind.
Damn you Jacob. He isn't the type to taunt me, though...maybe he has allies I have to worry about now. What in the hell is he trying to pull off now?
He took another bite of his sausage and chewed and swallowed quickly, but ended up getting some caught in his throat.
"Ac.." He holds his throat as he coughs, "I blame that on him too."