The next morning it takes me an hour to get my new outfit on correctly. Granted, most of that was spent tying on my sandals, by hand. I guess Selene was right that knowing how to do stuff makes magic easier, as my first attempt at doing it with my powers was an absolute mess.
Walking out of the cave I'm met by Selene, who is holding a large leather pouch with a long shoulder strap. "Good morning Berenike. I have put your mortal clothes and your book on wood working in this bag. Thank you for leaving that with me, it has been a most interesting read."
I smile and duck my head, "You're welcome. Would you like me to bring some other books next time I visit?"
Selene nods, "I would appreciate it. When you next see your father, would you tell him that I treasure his company, however I am in the unenviable position of relying on him to visit."
"Why don't you just tell him?"
Selene smiles softly, "Because I wish for him to do it because he wants to, not because I have commanded him to. It is one of the reasons why I don't ask people to be my voice in the world. Though, if asked, I would normally say something like, 'I can speak for myself'. When you learn how to grant people your mark, you will find that you are linking yourselves on a deeper level than you can currently imagine. I suppose we should also talk about names too."
I cock my head to one side, "What do you mean?"
"You are starting to use your magic constantly, as just another part of you like your arm."
I nod, "That's what you wanted, isn't it?"
Selene nods, "It is, as it is the way that I use magic, as do other magical creatures. When you say your full name with magic in your voice it will forever be engraved in the minds of the listeners. Same as if someone else that has magic does the same. When those people then call your full name, you will know, the same as I do when you call mine. It is also possible to include a compulsion when you say your name. If you do, then those who hear your name will only be able to refer to you with your full name. It is how the monsters from the sea ensnare thralls."
I hold up my hand, "Wait, I have master abilities?"
"Indeed, if you so choose, you could learn to completely subsume the minds of mortals. I would be extremely displeased if you did, as I do not believe you are that sort of person. However, occasionally, it is necessary to nudge mortal minds in order to avoid a fight that would result in unnecessary bloodshed, usually theirs. Even so, I would caution you to use the ability exceedingly sparingly, as it is far too easy to unknowingly come to rely on it."
I sag to the floor, "I could make Heartbreaker look like he's not even trying, couldn't I."
Selene crouches down next to me, "Though I do not know who this Heartbreaker is, you could, but will you? You could also learn to undo such mental ensnarements cast by mortals and return them to their right minds. Though that is a skill that would take you many years to learn."
"Why does it sound like it's much easier to control people?"
"Because it is part of our base impulses. 'I want' is one of the most basic mortal impulses, and is the first one to develop as we grow up. When you add magic, that can translate to controlling people when your emotions are high. For those who are barely blessed with magic, this instinctive use can be easily shaken off by mortals with even a modicum of self control."
"But I'm practically gifted with magic."
"You are. But you are now as likely to control someone as you are to punch them impulsively."
I pause in my worrying and look up, "How do you mean?"
Selene sighs patiently, "Berenike, what do you think it means that you can now use your magic like another limb?"
"Oh…" As what she's suggesting filters through my head, I brighten up, "Oh! It's like the fact I never once punched the bitches three, even though I really really wanted to."
I don't give Selene a chance to answer before I grab her in a hug, "Thank you for teaching me."
A moment later I pull back as I realize what I just did, "Sorry, I was just so happy."
Selene laughs, "It gladdens my heart that you are able to display your emotions more openly. You have come a long way from the injured and hurting young woman that I first met."
I smile, "And it's all thanks to you."
Selene shakes her head, "I believe you do yourself a disservice. You started the healing process when you found your first camp. Now, while I love your company, I believe you were returning home."
I look around, "Can't I stay here?"
"Berenike, you are still mortal in mind, if not in body. Until that changes you need to live in the mortal world lest you lose the urgency that mortals need to achieve anything in their short lives. The idea that tomorrow might be too late, so things need to be done today."
I groan in disappointment as I stand up and sling the pouch over my shoulder.
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After a quick stop to break up the rabbit thing into small chunks for the kittens, I reappear back in my dad's house. As I walk down the stairs I try to work out when it stopped being my house.
I'm still thinking about it when I walk through the lounge and spot dad still going through paperwork. The only difference is that the box is now on this side of the table rather than his side.
"Hi dad. I'm sorry about jumping to conclusions earlier."
Dad continues to read his paperwork as he says, "Uh huh, what changed your mind."
"Selene asked me if you'd ever suddenly had lots of friends around, or we started going to other people's houses a lot. This used to happen a lot didn't it."
Dad nods as he makes a note on a pad, "It did. But you were too young to understand then."
I sigh, "Dad, I've had a lot of time to think about it, and I think," I swallow hard, "I think that part of the problem is that I'm still your 13 year old girl, and you're trying to treat me like I'm 15. Except I'm not, well I am, but I was never allowed to be 15, I don't think I really got to be 14 either. I mean, would you have told Catlin the same way you told me?"
I can tell that dad's stopped reading as his eyes have stopped moving, but he's still looking at the page while he thinks. After a long moment he grabs another sheet of paper and uses it to mark the line he's on before he looks up, "No, I probably wouldn't have done. Taylor, what are you wearing?"
I smile and do a twirl as he notices the clothes, "Selene made them for me, what do you think?"
Dad nods approvingly, "Very nice, what's the occasion?"
"They're for when I go out as Berenike, apprentice of Selene."
I can see the moment my name hits dad and his eyes unfocus for a second. A moment later understanding crosses his face and his eyes widen, "No, absolutely not, I forbid it."
I shake my head, "Dad, this is as much for our protection as the dockworkers are."
"Taylor, do you have any idea what happens to independent capes? Christ, your mum used to run with Lustrum, and got out before her followers went insane. Do you know just how many bodies we've found around the docks because one gang or another objected to them? I'd sooner sign you up for The Wards than allow you to patrol on your own."
I snatch up the box with my phone and start to teleport, "That would be worse dad, much much worse, I'm going out!"
A second later I appear outside Victoria's house, and I pause to take a couple of deep meditative breaths as I fumble open the box. As I do, I realize that this was the same thing as when I was trying to tell dad about my purse. And, I add, the same thing I did to dad when he was telling me about the security arrangements.
Reluctantly I teleport back to dad's house, and look around for him, as he's not sitting at the table. When I turn around he's looking at me with the phone to his ear.
Deliberately, I use my telekinesis to depress the receiver and take the handset from his hand, and return it to the cradle. At the same time I gather his paperwork, all of paperwork for The Wards, all of my journals, and the three medical books Victoria and I were reading yesterday. "Dad, I think we need to have a long talk about stuff. But not here, out there where we have all the time in the world."
"Taylor…"
I shake my head, "No dad. Last week, four months ago, you told me you were treating me like an adult because I was making decisions like one. Then Skidmark turned up and you're treating me like a child again. I think we need both the time and space to really talk without any time pressures, no work, no school, just you and me and my diaries."
As all of the bits and pieces come together, dad heads for the door and grabs his keys, "Taylor, I don't have time for this. I need to get the guys organized.."
I put my face in my hands at the same time as I drag us to the grassland, and then through the different cracks in the world until I can get to Selene's world. Though I don't teleport to her home. Instead I lean against my spear and I look around the lake shore we've arrived at while dad finishes ranting and recovers his composure.
When he tries to grab me, I teleport away to the nearby tree line behind him. Before burying my head in my hands to muffle my sobs.
When dad hasn't stopped stomping around and ranting loudly enough that I can still hear him shouting, "Taylor! Are you listening to me?" after several minutes. I whisper, "Selene, goddess of the moon. I need your help, I tried to talk to dad, but he wouldn't listen to me, and now he's ranting. And I don't know what to do."
A few seconds later Selene appears beside me and looks at me with concern on her face, "Berenike, when you called to me, I expected you to be in the mortal world, not here. What happened?"
"I apologized for jumping to conclusions about the bodyguards and we started to have a conversation about that. When he looked up from his paperwork he noticed these clothes and I told him you made them for me for when I'm going out as Berenike, and he told me point blank that he forbid me from doing it. Then he wouldn't listen when I tried to explain, so I just left. Once I calmed down a bit I came back and he was on the phone. I assumed he was going to try and sign me up to The Wards, so I hung up the phone and told him we needed to talk somewhere where we had plenty of time. But now he won't stop shouting."
Selene sighs, "I see. Return to the mortal world, I will speak to your father in the mean time, and I will call your name if I need you."
My eyes widen, "You can do that?"
Selene nods, "I can, I believe I told you that before you left."
I hold out the various piles of paperwork, journals, and the three books, "You probably did, but I didn't realize it meant that too. Thank you for talking to him. This pile is all of the paperwork he was working on, this is all of the paperwork for The Wards, including my hospital visit. This pile is all my journals going back to just after I started at Winslow. I wanted to go through them with dad. These are the books that Victoria and I were looking through yesterday. I'll try to bring some more entertaining books next time I come."
"I see, and what is your objection to these Wards?"
I look down, "I think a large part of it is that I'm afraid. The teachers at Winslow, they all knew about the bullying but they did nothing about it. The thing is, if I join The Wards, I'll need to make all sorts of promises, and one of them is to agree to the terms in the contract. I read through the contract, and one of the items says that I can only use PRT approved trainers. The other is about power testing. I know I'm unlikely to lose control of my powers, magic, and break all the electronics in the building, but…"
Selene continues, "You are no longer mortal, and no longer under mortal constraints. You are perhaps worried about their reaction to these other worlds?"
I nod sadly, "I don't want them to stop me from seeing you."
"That will not happen, now return to the mortal world while I speak to your father."
I nod and return to the kittens, before picking one up and heading to Kurt and Lacey's house.
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When I ring the front doorbell, it takes a couple of minutes for Lacey to answer the door in her bathrobe. "Taylor, come in! Give me a moment to get dressed, as Kurt and I were just doing our morning, exercise."
I wave her off, "Don't worry, I just wanted to give you a little bundle of joy," I hold out the kitten, "and let you know that dad's just talking to Selene at her home."
Lacey smiles as she takes the kitten, "Taylor, where did you find this little cutie?"
"Do you remember me taking you both to see Selene when dad got shot?"
Lacey nods, "That was a pretty heavy trip, but hey, if that's how your powers work that's great."
I narrow my eyes at Lacey, "Lacey, when my dad came around to talk to you about magic, what did he say?"
"When he came round, he seemed fine if that's what you're asking."
I sigh, "I think I better come in after all. Sorry to intrude."
Lacey smiles, "It's all good Taylor, we've looked after you often enough."
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Several minutes later, I've made a couple of mugs of coffee and taken a strip of bacon out of their fridge for the kitten to munch on.
When Lacey comes back in, I hold out a coffee, "Does Kurt still take his 'show it the milk and add as much sugar as you can'?"
Lacey nods, "He does, good memory."
I nod, "It's getting better."
"Right, well, I'll just take Kurt's coffee into the bedroom, as he's just jumped in the shower."
I call after her, "Sorry about ruining your morning activities."
When Lacey comes back for the second time, she looks me up and down, "So what's with the new clothes?"
I grimace, "That's part of the conversation. Short story, I'm going to be going out as a cape. Hi, I'm Berenike, apprentice of Selene."
Lacey's eyes unfocus for a second and then she says, "Yeah, that's going to be a conversation and a half. I'm surprised Danny's letting you do this."
I sigh, "Lacey, dad doesn't have a say in this, it's my decision. It's the only way to take advantage of the unwritten rules. Not that he let me explain that."
Lacey gestures to one of their armchairs, "You better sit down, as it seems like there's a story there."
I nod, "I suppose I got my powers in January after a thing at school."
"The one that left you dumped in the street, and in the hospital?"
I nod, "A week after that I started meditating using the instructions from a self-help book we had on the shelves at home…"
While I'm talking, Kurt comes in with his mug of coffee and sits down next to Lacey. The two of them listen to a summary of the last three months of my life on Earth Bet, and a very abbreviated summary of what I've done off of Earth Bet.
When I finish, Lacey looks at me strangely, "So you're saying that I have powers, and I need to meditate in order to control them. But before I can control them, I need to be in bed before midnight every night?"
I nod and raise my finger, "Yes, but midnight as in the middle of the night, not 12am. It was around 1:40 when we setup the permanent channel in our house."
Lacey simply says, "Prove it."
I sit back in surprise, "What?"
"Prove it. Extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence. So prove it."
"How do you expect me to do that, it's your power not mine. I just told you the safe way to learn how to use it."
"And Danny said it was all just your power."
I sit back in the chair with frustration and step into my inner world before snapping, "Selene, goddess of the moon."
Selene appears next to me with a look of concern, "What is the matter?"
I take a deep breath and force myself to calm down, "Sorry for snapping. I've just told Lacey about her magic, and she wants me to prove it."
Selene laughs, "Say my name with magic, and add a little compulsion to your voice. A desire that she remembers it. Then tell her to say my name. I will speak to her when she does."
I give her a quick hug, "Thank you, how's dad doing?"
Selene sighs, "Badly. Being shot and then being brought to me for healing affected him badly, and he was deeply in denial about the whole thing. I believe that he is also finally dealing with the loss of your mother."
I groan, "So he buried himself in his work again."
Selene kisses me on the cheek, "Go, I will let you know when I have news."
I step back out of my inner world and look both Kurt and Lacey in the eye as I concentrate on my voice. Once I think I've got it, I say, "My master's name is Selene, goddess of the moon. You wanted proof, say her name and you will have your proof."
Lacey huffs, "I ask for proof and all you want to do is talk about Selene, goddess of the moon."
Lacey's eyes widen comically, and she says, "I didn't mean to say that I wanted to say Selene, goddess of the moon. Why can't I stop saying Selene, goddess of the moon's name?"
Kurt snaps, "Taylor, stop that."
I shake my head, "I'm not doing anything…"
I trail off as Lacey sobs, "I don't want to die."
Kurt immediately puts his arms around Lacey and I gently ask, "What did Selene, goddess of the moon tell you?"
"She, oh I can say she again. She said that the only way Taylor could prove it was to kill me, and then she described in excruciating detail just how I'd blow up like a balloon until I popped."
As Lacey starts to cry, I look at Kurt, who currently has his own shell shocked expression, "I'm sorry about that Kurt, I'll grab the self help book and leave it in your mail box."
With that, I teleport to dad's house.