Revolution, Chapter 4 by patricia51

(Sorry this took so long. Lighting strike on my computer and I just got it back from the shop. I did have my stories on a flash drive but no way to work on them or submit anything.)

(Learning Experience)

"Oh my God."

Alex swayed as the flood of memories pouring back threatened to overwhelm her. She clapped her hands over her head as though somehow they could steady her as she nearly fell. In fact she would have fallen had not her Father grabbed her.

"Alex, what is it?"

The young wizard tried to answer but she couldn't. Her mind was too busy trying to digest the images. Stevie. Of course, Stevie. Now she remembered.

Here was Stevie strolling into detention as if she owned it, flopping carelessly into a chair after evicting the former occupant with a look. Here was Stevie casually revealing her stash of Justin's campaign flyers that she had used to paper Mr. Laritate's office. And here they were together giggling over white beards and pointed hats and going to the Wizard County Fair. And then was Stevie revealing her plans to Alex and the two of them going off together only to have Alex lure her to the hall of transfer and freeze her.

Alex's stomach turned as she saw Max brush Stevie's frozen body and all of them watched as Stevie's body toppled and shattered into pieces. Her gorge rose as she watched her brothers, Stevie's brother Warren and herself all make light of the situation and leave without a backwards glance.

"No, no, no, no, no." Alex sank to her knees and buried her head in her hands. "I wouldn't do that, I wouldn't."

Jerry stood appalled for a moment before calling for Theresa and picking his daughter up bodily and carrying her to the nearby couch. He held her and shushed her.

"What happened to Alex?" Theresa cried as she rushed in the room. Usually she dealt with Jerry's "emergencies" by ignoring them but something in her husband's voice had convinced her that this time it was for real. Hastily sitting on the other side of Alex she wrapped an arm around her weeping daughter.

"What happened?"

"She did a memory spell about someone named Stevie."

"Stevie?" Theresa's eyes widened. "I had forgotten about her too. She was a friend of Alex's from school wasn't she?"

Jerry nodded. "I remember her now too. She came over a couple of times. A bit on the wild side maybe and Harper was jealous for a bit but that all worked out." He looked puzzled. "I can't imagine why we would all be placed under a forget spell. It doesn't seem like such a big deal. She wasn't here very long."

Rapid steps sounded, heralding Justin as the oldest Russo child burst into the room. He had a frantic look on his face.

"Oh my GOD."

"What is going on?" demanded Jerry, nearly as frantic as his two older children.

Alex looked up from between her parents. "You remember too don't you?"

"Yes," replied Justin with a stunned look on his face. He crossed the room and knelt in front of his sister.

"Alex, it wasn't your fault."

"What do you mean it wasn't my fault," cried Alex. "You remember too. I caused it."

"Caused what?" Jerry nearly screamed.

"Stevie's death," Alex replied numbly.

"No you didn't, I did." The foursome turned to see Max. "I didn't mean too though! It was an accident!"

"But I'M the one who froze her. When she thought that she was my friend."

"Okay, enough of all this. I want everyone to calm down," the Russo patriarch abandoned his often silly ways and assumed some of the stature that reminded the three children that their father had won the family competition and only was without powers because he had given them up for their Mother. "Theresa come over here. And I want the three of you to sit down on the couch and tell me what happened. Alex, you first."

Alex took a deep breath and started. She told about Stevie's mention of her brother and how they didn't talk and her decision to find him and arrange a reunion. Then had come the astounding revelation that Stevie had lost her wizard competition and was refusing to surrender her powers. More than that, she was organizing a group of young disaffected wizards who had lost or were likely to lose their own families' competitions in the hopes of creating a spell that would allow all wizards to keep their powers.

She faltered when she talked about Stevie's invitation to join with in the plan and her acceptance. Her voice grew very thin and she couldn't look at anyone when she whispered about coming to the Hall of Transfer with Stevie and how in what the other girl thought was her moment of triumph she had frozen her friend.

"And then... and then... " She stopped, unable to go on.

"And then I was showing off and tripped against Stevie." Max said. "She fell over and she split in thousands of pieces."

"What did you do then? Asked Jerry, the first words he had said since the story had started.

"We left." said Justin. "All three of us. And Stevie's brother Warren too."

"You didn't try to do anything for her?"

"No," cried Alex. "Daddy we made jokes about it instead of helping her."

"Let me think." Jerry stood silently for minute after minute. He walked up and down the room. A troubled look grew on his face, a troubled look that was even darker than the one Alex recalled when she first told him about their missing memories.

"What's going on?" whispered Justin. "All of a sudden I remembered Stevie. Before it was like she didn't exist." He paused. Now that I do recall her I'm not sure I like how I acted towards her at times."

Jerry stopped pacing. "Come with me." He led the family to the Magic Lair. Pointing at a watermelon he had put on a stool for some lesson or other her looked at Alex.

"Take your wand and freeze that."

Alex plucked her wand from her boot and pointed it. A look of confusion crossed her face.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know the spell."

"Are you sure? Justin cast it for her."

The oldest Russo boy thought. "I don't know it either."

Jerry folded his arms. "This is what I thought. The three of you have been used."

"Used?"

"Justin I want you to find your Uncle Kelbo and find him right now."

Justin fired up the Worldwide Wiz Web as Alex asked what they needed with Uncle Kelbo.

"He can cast a spell to see if you all have been under the influence of another wizard, which I'm pretty certain you have been."

"I could try casting it," remarked Justin just before he said "Here he is. He's back in the Viking days again."

"This spell should only be done by a full wizard and if as I suspect you have been affected by someone it won't work properly anyway. Alex, please go get your uncle. You're his favorite."

For the first time in hours Alex smiled. She waved her wand and disappeared, only to return moments later with Kelbo. For the first time the kids could remember Jerry's brother had a serious look on his face.

"Do you really believe this?"

"I'm afraid so."

"I hope you're wrong." Kelbo directed the three youngest Russo's to stand together. He took out his wand, absent mindedly setting down his Viking Shield and horned helmet. A few passes and muttered words and his look of worry deepened.

"Unfortunately you're right."

"Right about what?" cried Alex, at the end of her short amount of patience.

"Kids," Uncle Kelbo looked positively grim. "You have been under the influence of a 'Control Others' spell. Your Father is worried, as am I, for two reasons. First, the spell is absolutely positively forbidden to use on another wizard. In fact its use requires the approval of the Wizard Council. Second, it can only be cast by a very powerful and capable wizard. It's beyond me."

Absorbed as they all were at the implications at first no one heard the knocking on the door of the lair.

"That's probably Harper." noted Alex as she walked to the door and opened it. "Come on in."

"Thank you," came a voice that was definitely not Harper's.

"Jeremy? What are you doing here?"

"Well to be perfectly honest, spying on you."

"What?" at least three voices chimed in at the same time.

Alex at least was original. "Why?"

"Because," another new voice, this one female, said, "he's been trying to determine what you, and we too as well, just found out; whether you deliberately betrayed Stevie Nichols and caused her death or if you were used by someone else."

"And fortunately," yet one more figure came into view, this one a determined looking young man," it appears as if you were indeed used and used terribly."

Not just Alex but Justin and the visitors alike started as they each thought they heard a familiar voice whisper in their ear.

"I'm glad to learn that myself."

(To Be Continued)