Chapter 2

Revelations

The three friends meandered among the throng of people outside of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Patches of green, navy blue and gold were scattered against the overwhelming wave of cardinal and gold of the home team. The smell of charcoal grills permeated the air. The excitement of anticipation for the greatest intersectional rivalry of college football was palpable.

'There are so many people. We're never going to find a secluded spot.' Jamal observed.

'We don't need seclusion, we just need unnoticed. And with so many people all focused on getting somewhere, no one is going to be paying attention to a few kids. We could probably pop in anywhere and no one would know.' Victor countered.

'Ok. Let's stand back here by this big tree. I'm going to take us into the tunnel right across the way. Nobody is in there right now, so we won't just appear right in front of somebody.' Cody reached out and grasped the forearms of his two friends, took one last glance at the tunnel he wanted to appear in and closed his eyes.

A moment later the spinning started and before they knew it they landed on the concrete with a little stumble, but nobody fell over this time; practice had paid off. They quickly exited the tunnel and entered the mass of fans on the concourse inside the stadium, huge grins plastered on all three of their faces.

'Where are we gonna sit, Victor? You didn't think that part through, did you? This is the biggest game of the year, it's probably sold out.' Jamal pointed out.

'Uh, no, I didn't. But we already did the hard part.'

'But we don't have any tickets.'

'So what. First of all, the worst thing that could happen is we get kicked out. While that would suck, it wouldn't be much different than any other Saturday for us.'

'Ok, but "don't get kicked out" isn't much of a plan.'

'There's gotta be some nose bleeds that people won't be sitting in.' Cody interjected.

'Yeah, we'll let the crowd fill in a bit.' Victor grasped the figurative lifeline thrown to him. 'Then we'll go up to the top rows and find some open seats. Look, all we have to do is act like we know where we are going. If we look like we know what we are doing no one will ask questions.'

'Where'd you get that from?' Cody asked incredulously.

'My primo told me.' Victor said a bit sheepishly.

'Your cousin that got out of juvi last year?' Jamal added accusingly.

'Uh, yeah. But that's not the point. The point is, if we look nervous, people are going to ask questions. Too many questions and we get found out. So we try to avoid questions by moving quickly and confidently.'

'And if someone does ask for our tickets, we can say our dads have them. That wouldn't be so hard for someone to believe.' Cody started seeing this point from Victor's view.

'That's great, send them on a wild goose chase for our nonexistent fathers, classic. We could always pretend that we accidentally ended up in the wrong section or something. Adults think kids are stupid, they eat that crap up.' Jamal was coming around to the idea as well.

'Alright, so we just act like we own the place, but politely move if someone with tickets comes to the seats we are sitting in.' Cody reasoned.

'Yeah, no one is going to call security on a few kids if we don't give them trouble.' Victor felt victorious.

'Sounds good. Let's get some food while we wait, I'm hungry.' The growl from Cody's stomach spoke louder than his actual words.

'Make sure to save a few bucks for bacon-wrapped hot dogs after the game.' Victor piped in.

'Duh, we aren't stupid.' Jamal took umbrage.

'I know some teachers at school that would vehemently disagree.'

'Vehemently? What's gotten into you, Vic?' Cody replied just barely containing his chuckle.

'I've been reading a thesaurus so I can sound smarter. Gets my mom off my back for some of my bad grades.' Victor responded with an air of superiority.

'So, instead of studying to get good grades, you study to balance out the consequences of bad grades? And you accused us of being stupid.' Jamal put his idiocy into words.

'Hey, a decent vocabulary is a life skill that will pay dividends in all walks of life. Not many people will care about my math skills. Someday we'll be carrying calculators with us all the time anyway. I don't care what our stupid math teacher says.' Victor again felt justified, even in the face of his friends' argument.

'Pay dividends? You're killing me, man.' Cody's were the last words before the three busted out in laughter again.

After the game, they made sure to locate one of the hot dog carts, before beginning their walk home.

'These bacon-wrapped dogs are soooo good.' Victor moaned in euphoria after swallowing the last bite. They had a rule to not speak while eating, so as to not interrupt one another's joy while eating.

'I always forget how good they are. The grilled onions and peppers really take it to the next level.'

'No way, I could eat it with just bacon, ketchup and mayo, and I wouldn't miss a thing.'

'Both wrong. It's the cilantro, everything's better with cilantro.'

'Just cause your mom puts cilantro on everything, your palate is messed up. You had cilantro in your baby bottles for heaven's sake.'

'No matter. At least something was good today, the game kinda sucked.'

'For real, I thought we were supposed to have a decent offense, six points. Ridiculous.'

'That was the eighth year in a row SC has lost to Notre Dame.'

'You guys realize none of us have a living memory of beating Notre Dame, our biggest rival.'

'That's depressing.'

'Yeah, well we could come back in a couple weeks and watch the Raiders.'

'We should, we could see Bo Jackson, you can't pass up a chance to see him.'

'I don't know if we should press our luck.' Cody was still a bit uneasy about using his skills so publicly.

'What if we never get a chance to see him play again?'

'He's freaking Bo Jackson, what's going to happen to him? You're just trying to guilt me into bringing you again.'

'So what if I am? And this is pro football we're talking about, anything can happen.'

'Yeah, well, I guess we didn't really even come close to getting caught tonight.'

'Not until now. Is that your mom, Cody?'

'Yep, shoot. We're busted.'

'And just where have you boys been? Do you have any idea how late it is?'

'Uh, sorry Mom. We went to the SC game. And by the looks of the moon, I'd say it's about-'

'Don't you get smart with me! And you went to the football game? I take it you walked? And how exactly did you get tickets to this game?'

'Yeah, we walked. There's tons of people around. It's not dangerous right now. And we kinda just snuck in.'

'You just snuck in, huh? Well, we will discuss some consequences inside. And, you two, don't think you are getting off so easy. I will be discussing this with your mothers and they can have their own conversations with you. I am glad you're home safe. You had me worried. I'm also disappointed that you didn't think to bring your mother a hot dog. Yeah, I can see and smell the remnants all over you.'

'Uhh, we're sorry, Mrs Langdon.'

'If it is so safe, I'm half tempted to send you back to get me one of those delicious atrocities.'

'Uhh, really? Umm.'

'No, not really! Now you two head on home. Cody, you head straight to your room, young man.'

'Yes, Mom. Later guys.'

The three mothers gathered for their semi-regular Sunday morning coffee. It didn't happen as often as they'd like so they relished the times they were actually able to get together.

'So, are you ladies interested to know where our three little hooligans were off to last night?'

'You're not going to be able to call them little for much longer, and do I really want to know?'

'Oh, it's not that bad. And it is actually quite impressive, though you'll never catch me admitting that to them.'

'Do tell.'

'They snuck into the SC-Notre Dame game yesterday.'

'They didn't.'

'Yes Nique, they did. Based on the hour they got home, and the scent of bacon-wrapped hot dogs I could detect on them, I am inclined to believe them.'

'Wow, like you said, impressive. Not something we want to encourage, but impressive nonetheless.'

'I told them I'd inform you, so they should be expecting some sort of reprimand.'

'I'll definitely have a chat with Victor. You know, all things considered, we have some pretty good boys.'

'Yeah, they really are good kids. But you know what they say, little kids little problems, big kids big problems.'

'And they are getting big fast.'

'So what do we do? If they have too much free time they are going to find trouble eventually, like real trouble.'

'Next year they go to middle school. They should have some after school programs that would take up some of their time, maybe some sports.'

'You know my nephew? The one who has been in and out of trouble for a while. Well, he started wrestling last year. I've seen quite a big change in him since then. Apparently, the coach is really good, like not just teaching them the sport, but getting the kids to take life seriously too.'

'But you know if we try to push them into it they will resist.'

'So how do we get the idea in their heads, while also having them think they came up with it themselves?'

'We don't. I'll have Victor's cousin talk to him, he looks up to him for some reason.'

'Probably because he is a boy, he needs some kind of male figure in his life. They all do.'

'Cody, what's up?'

'What's up, guys?'

'Nothing much. How's the Jedi training going?'

'Good! I practice moving stuff around the apartment whenever my mom isn't home. I just move different things until I start getting tired. My endurance is getting better, and I'm starting to lift bigger things. It's slow going, but I can feel the improvements.'

'Sweet dude. I wonder what other Jedi stuff you can do.'

'Yeah, have you tried to mind control anyone yet?'

'If you mean have I tried to make anybody do anything against their will, the answer is no.'

'Why not?'

'Come on, Vic, you know better than that. Cody is a Jedi, and Jedi are only supposed to use their powers for good.'

'Yeah, if I go cheating and stealing stuff I'll become like Vader.'

'I'm not talking about committing felonies or anything. Just stuff to make your life easier here and there.'

'Well, we seem to get in enough trouble at school. I don't need to add to it.'

'When did you all of a sudden grow a conscience?'

'With great power comes great responsibility.'

'You're a Jedi, not Spiderman, you idiot.'

'The point still stands.'

'Well, fine, don't go controlling people. I still think you should see if you can even do any Jedi mind tricks. You never know when they might come in handy, for a good cause.'

'Alright, I'll see what I can do. But I doubt it's going to work if you know it's coming.'

'So don't try to make us do anything, but maybe see if you can tell what we are thinking.' Jamal tried to help find some middle ground so they didn't break out into a fight over some simple disagreement again.

'Yeah, I'll think of a color and you tell me if you can guess it.'

'No, Vic, I'm not using you as my test dummy, you'll mess me around. Jamal, you think of a color.'

'Ok, I got it.' Jamal closed his eyes as he thought of his color. They sat there in near silence -only the sound of shallow breathing was to be heard- for what felt like an eternity.

'I got nothing man, you can open your eyes now- Blue.' The suddenness of his realization even caught him by surprise.

'Whoa, yeah. It was blue. You must need to have eye contact to do it. I'm gonna change color now.' Jamal expressed his disbelief.

'Yellow…. Green…. Orange.'

Jamal just nodded with each correct guess. Victor leaned over and whispered into Jamal's ear.

'Black... Black and yellow stripes... Pink with orange circles... Silver number 13, with a black background.'

'Dude, you got them all. Not even kidding.'

'Did that wear you out like the other stuff does?' Victor was already putting pieces together.

'Not too much, really. I'm gonna have to practice with people that don't know what I'm doing though.'

'That's true. If you can only read the mind of someone that is allowing it, you're never going to be able to get any useful information, let alone mind control someone.'

'Yup, that's why I'm gonna have to practice.'

'So, did you guys decide if you want to start wrestling next year?' Victor asked.

'I think I do. It could really help us deal with those bullies that keep bugging us.' Jamal pondered.

'Yeah, my cousin showed me his exercise routine. He has gotten a lot stronger in just his one year. He said I could make a copy and start doing most of the stuff now, and over the summer. He said the coach would be really impressed if we showed up in shape. And impressing the coach is really hard to do, best to get off on the right foot.' Victor sounded excited.

'We're not going to be able to goof off in wrestling, are we?' Cody realized.

'No, I don't think so. Did you ask your moms?' Victor had a wave of understanding hit him as well.

'Yeah, she said no. She was all worried I'd get hurt.' Jamal spat.

'Mine too. It's like she thinks I'm still a baby.' Cody added.

'That's great.' Victor couldn't contain his laughter. 'My mom was all excited, but I just think she wants me out of the apartment.'

'So we're doing it then. If we're all in they can't say no.' Cody said resolutely.

'Yup, all or nothing. I'm in.' Jamal regained his energy.

'Me too.'

'So am I.'

Over the coming weeks and months, Cody practiced his mind-reading skills. He found skimming the superficial thoughts of people not to be too difficult. He practiced on his friends when they weren't aware, and began to realize that as he prodded deeper into their consciousness they would start to get a headache. It wouldn't do for people to continually get headaches around him, so he was cautious about how often he practiced on others, and rarely practiced on the same person twice.

He was also very careful about practicing his other skills outside of his apartment. He had his friends support in this decision, as they were all very keen on keeping these abilities a secret. Well, Jamal was on board, Victor took a bit of convincing before he stopped pestering Cody. That meant his progress was slow, but he felt it was steady, so he was content with that. He knew his new life was by no means normal, but he had a routine, so it felt normal to him.

That was until July 31 —about a week after he celebrated his eleventh birthday— when there was a knock at the apartment door while he was eating dinner with his mom. The man at the door was about six feet tall, with dark brown hair parted to one side with a small wave at the front. He had soft blue eyes, and wore a dark navy suit, white collared shirt, with a tie striped cranberry and blue.

His mother cracked the door open but left the chain in place. She peered through the crack at the businesslike man at the door.

'Hello?'

'This is the Langdon residence I presume.'

'Yes.' She drew out the word with a hint of uncertainty.

'I am Professor Grant Detwiler of Ilvermorny Academy. We are a specialized school and we believe your son Cody would thrive in our learning environment. I would love to borrow a moment of your time to further explain this scholarship opportunity.'

'Umm, I don't know if now is a real good time.' Still skeptical of the man at the door.

'Perhaps I could just ask Cody a couple of questions, and see if that piques his interest.'

'Sure, I guess that would be ok. Cody, come to the door please.'

'Hello, Cody. I am Professor Grant Detwiler of Ilvermorny Academy. We have identified you as a student that might do well within our academic program. But before I tell you more about our institution, let me ask you something. Have you ever, maybe under extreme emotional duress, made miraculous things happen?'

Cody didn't respond verbally, but his eyes and eyebrows betrayed his desire to hide his shock.

'I see, and you do well to keep this private. I assure you, I will keep your secret. How would you like to be able to learn how to control, develop and enhance those skills?'

Cody just nodded.

'Cody, what is he talking about?' Jennifer asked her son incredulously.

'Ma'am, if I may, these things are best discussed in private. I would love to be able to explain more, if I might come in. And I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name.'

'I am Jennifer. Please, come in. Have a seat.'

'Nice to meet you, Jennifer. Cody, why don't you start by explaining some of the things you've been able to do. Apparently, your mother would like to know about them just as much as I do.'

'Yes, I would.' Her voice was laced with expectation.

'Yeah, well, I guess I'll just tell you the first story, and that'll make the most sense.' He related how he ended up in the tree, and then said that it has happened a couple other times. He decided not to mention that he can do it at will now, he wasn't ready to start giving away information just yet.

'What! Why didn't you tell me about this?' She was reeling with surprise from the information dump.

'Mom, I didn't even know what to believe myself, let alone how to explain it.'

'Very interesting. Accidental apparition, fascinating. Any other weird or miraculous occurrences?'

'Yeah, a few times, when I wanted something really bad, things would just fly across the room at me.'

'Accidental summoning, now that is much more common.'

'Common? That doesn't sound common at all.' Surprise still laced her voice.

'No, Mrs Langdon, you are right. These things are not common in the world as a whole, and I will explain further in just a moment. Cody, is there anything else that has happened that you couldn't explain?

'No, that's about it.' Cody responded looking down at the ground, feigning despondence.

'There's nothing to be ashamed of, Cody. I suppose I can dispense with the mysteriousness now, and get right to the point. Cody, you are a wizard, as in you are able to use magic. This is obviously quite a unique ability, though maybe not as unique as you might guess. There are thousands of wizards and witches all over the world. There was a time in the world when witches and wizards lived out in the open. Then there was a time when we were hunted. Since then, we have kept magic mostly a secret, except amongst ourselves obviously. I realize this is kind of a lot to take in, so take a minute, then we can discuss your questions. Mrs Langdon, do you know if you have any ancestors that were magical? Any stories from you or your husband's family?'

'No, none that I'm aware of.' Her surprise had shifted into a state of disbelief.

'Whoa, so that stuff was magic? I just didn't know I was using it?'

'Yes, magical children typically exhibit accidental magic. Summoning objects is fairly common in the magical world. Your popping from one place to another is called Apparition, and that is much less common to do accidentally. As far as I know, there is no rhyme or reason to how or what type of accidental magic a child performs.'

'So, I assume that you are a wizard also. How did you know Cody was a wizard?' She was finally coming to terms with the situation and was able to start thinking straight again.

'Yes, I am a wizard, and the answer to your question is magic itself. We don't understand how all of it works, but we have an admissions book that fills itself out with our prospective students for the coming year. We then come and visit with those families. Sometimes we have to explain about magic itself, like tonight. And then we invite the students to come learn how to harness and expand their magic at our school. That is why I am here today.'

'If you are a wizard, what can you do?'

'Very good. Don't take anyone at their word. I like the way you think, Cody. Let me show you a very basic spell, one you would learn your first week of school.' He flicked his oak wand into his hand and enchanted, 'Lumos.'

A bright light illuminated from the tip of his wand. Cody and Jennifer had to shield their eyes from the brilliance.

'Wow, you just say the word, twirl your wand, and you get light?'

'I'll give you your first magic lesson. The wand movement and the incantation only help you focus your intent and willpower to channel the magic. The most powerful wizards are so in tune with their magic they can do it without wands or incantations.'

'That is amazing. Please, tell us more about this school.' Now she was starting to get interested in knowing more.

Professor Detwiler went on to describe the school, subjects taught, extracurricular activities, expectations, requirements, and a bit about the statute of secrecy. By the end of the discussion Jennifer and Cody were exhausted; overwhelmed by the number of unknowns that had just been dropped on them.

'Well, it looks like Cody and I need to have a serious discussion about the future of his education.'

'Do you not want to attend Ilvermorny, Cody?'

'It sounds great. It really does. But like my mom said, I think we need to discuss it together first. This doesn't feel like a decision to just make a couple hours after receiving such life-altering information.'

'That is fair, again Cody, I am impressed with your wisdom.'

'Is there a way we can get in touch with you once we've come to a decision?'

'Hmm, how about we schedule my return visit? Is one week from today a good time to meet again? From there we could set up a time to visit the Magic District. You'll be shocked —and not shocked— when I tell you where it is. That's where you will get your wand and school supplies.'

'Hey, you can't drop that kind of hint and not say more.' Cody had been holding back a bit of his sarcastic nature, but he couldn't resist the bait here.

'All I can say is kids love this kingdom.' Professor Detwiler said with a Cheshire grin on his face.

'A magic kingdom? That kids love? Disneyland!'

'You are a bright one. Now I didn't say anything, ok? You figured that out on your own. Right?' He added with a wink.

'Right, right. Of course. Mum's the word.'

'Wonderful, I shall see you in a week. And forgive me for my bias, but I do hope your answer is a positive one. We could really use some wizards that have a knack for critical thinking. Good evening Cody, Mrs Langdon.'

'Good night.'

'So Cody, it looks like we need to have a talk.' She was serious, but she lacked the anger he had anticipated.

'I know, Mom. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I should have, but I just—'

'It's ok, honey. I wish you would've told me too, but I can't blame you. Believe me, I know how hard it can be to talk about something when you aren't sure how someone will react. That's part of what we have to talk about.' Now there was almost a hint of nervousness in her voice.

'What do you mean?'

'We'll get there. But first, tell me, how do you feel about this magic school?'

'Well, it sounds great. Sounds really exciting, learning magic and all that. But I really don't want to leave you, or my friends. Only seeing you on a few holidays, and for a couple months over the summer; that's hardly anything. My first instinct is to say no. But I got the feeling that guy thought me going to magic school was a forgone conclusion. He seemed surprised when you suggested we even think about it, and even more so when I agreed with you. I don't think he is used to rejection.'

'I think you are right, but I don't want you to decide yet. We have a week. You can sleep on it a few nights, and make sure you are comfortable with your decision. But there is something else I need to talk to you about, since we are revealing secrets. You deserve to know the truth.'

'What is it, Mom? Why do you look so worried?'

'Well, Cody. Ugh, why is this so hard? There's really no easy way to say it. But, I'm not— your fathers not— we aren't your biological parents.' Her eyes were sparkling as the moisture was building up.

'I'm adopted?'

'Yes, honey, you are. And it has been the biggest blessing of my life.'

'Holy cow. Um, wow. I don't know what to say. I mean I'm not mad, but why'd you decide to tell me now?'

'I don't think I have a real good answer to that question. I've always known I was going to tell you at some point, but part of me was scared that you would reject me for not being your real mom. I know it's a poor excuse, but those feelings were real. Anyways, with all this magic stuff happening, somehow I got the courage to tell you. Or maybe since you had your secret forced out of you I felt obligated to divulge mine. I don't know. What are you feeling, sweetie?'

'I don't really know how to describe it. Not mad, and not really sad, maybe kinda lost, or numb. I'm not sure, it's just weird. What do you know of my biological parents? Did they not want me?'

'I don't think they didn't want you. We have no information on who your birth parents were. The only thing we were told is that they had died in an accident, so you needed a home, and we desperately wanted a baby.'

'Wow, so they didn't just give me up. I guess that's a good thing.'

'So you aren't mad at me?'

She was projecting her emotions so strongly that it didn't take Cody any effort to access her thoughts. For a split second, he felt like he was invading her privacy but he quickly realized her thoughts were only clarifying the words she had just spoken to him. She was being completely sincere, and her greatest fear was that he would reject her as his mother. There was no way he could let her feel any worse than she already did, not after everything she had done for him.

'Mad? What would I be mad at you for?'

'For not telling you sooner.'

'Oh, yeah. I don't know, I mean, how can I be mad at you for that? I should be an orphan —I am an orphan— but I should have grown up alone, in an orphanage. You saved me from that, and gave me a family. I know you love me, and you say that Dad loves me.'

'He does. He made some bad decisions. Well, we both did, but his eventually caught up to him. But he wouldn't change a thing, because it was some of those decisions that led us to you. So neither of us regret anything.'

'I think I get that, and of course, there are things that I would want in my life. But I don't know that I would trade for those things if it meant I had to give up my friends, and you.'

'That means a lot to me, Cody, thank you.'

'I guess you're wondering whether my birth parents were magical then?'

'Yeah, I can't help but wonder that now. But I don't think there's any way of finding out. So, are you going to tell your friends about all of this?'

'Yeah, I think I will. They deserve to know the truth. And honestly, I don't know that I could hide it from them even if I wanted to. But before I tell them, I want to ask you, what do you think I should do?'

'Well, just like that professor I probably have bias, and if it was my decision I would keep you here. But, I really don't know what you would be missing out on, so if in the end, you decide you want to go, I will support you. I would guess that your friends will feel the same way if they are honest with themselves. Sometimes though, it's hard to be honest with your own feelings when you know you're losing something. So don't judge them too harshly if they try to convince you to stay.'

'I know what you mean, I think. There's no way I would voluntarily tell my friend to leave. No matter how good of an opportunity I thought it was for him.'

'Very good point. Well, you have had a lot dropped on you tonight, so I'll clean up dinner and you can go to bed. Take the next couple days to mull it over, and then we'll talk and come to a decision together.'

'Ok, thanks, Mom, good night.'

'Good night, Cody. I love you.'

'I love you too, Mom.' They hugged for much longer that night. Both grateful for the other in their life. Both grateful that this discussion hadn't ended in some knock down drag out.

Cody got ready for bed but he couldn't sleep. He laid there thinking through all the new things he learned today. His thoughts began to drift to the things the wizard told him, and he wondered if he could perform some of those spells, even without a wand. He began to dive into those feelings that he now realized were his magic. He pictured a light on the end of his finger, visualizing what he had seen in the movie ET. He focused on that image while trying to draw the magic out from inside him. He could feel his chest swelling with the sensation; a tingling began in his shoulder and ran down his right arm. He made a fist while extending his right index finger, and channelled the sensation to the tip of his finger.

When he opened his eyes he saw a small ball of soft light hovering just off the tip of his finger. It was not exactly what he had been picturing, and it was nowhere near the brightness of the light the wizard had shown him earlier in the day, but it was a start. After that, sleep was easy to come by that night. His mind was clear from focusing on the spell, and his body was drained. A perfect recipe for a good night's sleep.