By the time I get back to Earth Bet Catlin has just about finished in the bathroom. Well, I can't hear the shower running and she's making baby noises at Connor.
As I'm putting my dirty clothes into the hamper I pause at the bathroom door, before knocking.
"Catlin, I'm going to make myself some French toast with bacon, would you or Connor like some?"
There's a pause for a few seconds, and I'm about to walk away when Catlin calls back, "Yes for me. Do you have any oatmeal?"
I have to think for a second before I answer, "I think so, yes."
"Would you be able to make a small bowl for Connor and do an extra slice of bacon?"
"Um, sure."
Catlin sounds relieved when she says, "Thank you. It's the only breakfast thing Connor's eating at the moment, and I refuse to cook chicken nuggets for breakfast."
I smile as I say, "I'll see what I can do."
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I'm sitting at the kitchen table absently reading one of my school books while I cook, when Catlin carries Connor down.
A couple of minutes after she's sat down I plate up her French toast and bacon and levitate the plate over to her with a knife and fork from the drawer.
As the plate lands in front of her, Catlin says, "How do you deal with this?"
I look back at her while I'm standing up to check the progress of the oatmeal, "Huh? What do you mean?"
Catlin waves her hand at the spatula and wooden spoon that I'm levitating to cook with, "That, having powers, magic, different worlds. All of it."
I glance at the oatmeal, and seeing that it's done, I grab a bowl from the cupboard and serve up as I sit back down. After I've put the bowl on the table, along with the bag of sugar, I stare at the ceiling as I think to the sound of Connor bouncing on Catlin's lap and clapping as he says, "'gain, 'gain"
"I didn't actually realize I got powers immediately, as I ended up in hospital with sepsis after I was shut in a locker at school. That's what I thought they were to start with, still do really. It was January and Winslow isn't well known for keeping the school warm."
Catlin winces, "I went there, is Blackwell still in charge?"
I nod, "She is. Honestly, I think she's part of the problem."
Catlin nods, "I was the sacrifice to the track team until I was old enough to do my GED and left nearly six years ago. I scraped a pass, but it got me out of the hell hole."
I nod morosely, "Yeah, that's Winslow for you. I don't think the locker would have been that bad if they hadn't added stuff to it. Anyway, I thought I'd hallucinated falling and seeing rivers in the sky. That was until I was so upset about the trio dumping ketchup in my bag that I accidentally cleaned the whole thing."
I demonstrate my cleaning power on the empty oatmeal saucepan. "That's when I started reading dad's self help book and practicing meditation. I also desperately started to try and reproduce the falling bit, as I didn't want to have gone through all of that only to get a crappy power that didn't do anything…"
I trail off and hug my knees to my chest as I begin to choke up as my memories of that time come back full force.
I'm a little surprised when Catlin stands up and walks around to put her free hand on my shoulder. Though not as surprised as I am when Connor reaches towards me and squirms around until Catlin gives in and dumps him in my lap. I wince as he grabs my hair and uses it to pull himself up to kiss me on the cheek, and then he sits down in my lap.
It's strange how hard it is to keep up a good pity party when you have a happy toddler in your lap. Especially when said toddler is insisting on eating every other bite of your French toast and bacon, and cries whenever you try to use your hands on the silverware.
Soon enough, I've managed to eat around half my breakfast. The other half is split between Connor, his face, and the floor. I think I even saw Spike pop in at one point to steal the extra slice of bacon.
As Catlin walks round the table with a baby wipe, I hold up my hand and move it round in a circle as I use my cleaning power on Connor. As I do, I softly say, "Catlin, don't forget about the cleaning power. You need to really want to use it to start with, but after a while you'll be able to just do it. The meditation helps."
Catlin laughs, "I guess it will save time if nothing else."
I shake my head, "Not to start with it won't. But you will be able to clean things that might otherwise be impossible to get clean."
"Like ketchup out of books?"
I look down at the table, "Yeah, like that."
Catlin gives me a quick hug, "At least let me clean up the floor."
I force a laugh, "Sure, I'd need to use my telekinesis for that anyway. Do you want to go and see Mr Persons now?"
Catlin nods as she crouches down to pick up the food debris, "Let me grab our coats first."
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The walk across the road to Mr Persons house takes at least 10 times longer than normal because Connor insists on walking himself while holding my hand. I mean fine, but his mother's right there.
Eventually, we make our way 6 doors down and across the street to his house. I lift up Connor so that he can press the doorbell. I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad that Catlin takes him away from me when he starts to cry, after I stop him from ringing the bell again. But I only have a few seconds to think about it before Mr Persons calls, "Coming!"
Though, coming is a relative term, as it takes another couple of minutes before I hear the rattling of the door chain, and he opens the door while leaning heavily on his walking stick.
As the door opens Mr Persons looks me up and down and says, "Hello, you're Danny's girl aren't you, Taya, Tanya, or something like that."
I smile brightly, "Taylor sir."
Mr Persons waves his hand, "Don't 'sir' me young lady. Anyway, I haven't seen you for a few years. What, since your mother passed?"
I shake my head, "No, things were difficult, and then High School."
Mr Persons nods, "I understand, and I heard rumors that you got into a spot of trouble at the beginning of the year. Something to do with a hospital, horrible places. I try to avoid them whenever possible. Anyway, enough about me, who's your friend?"
I gesture to Catlin, "This is Catlin, she returned the bank book that I lost in the robbery the other day."
Mr Persons nods, "Bad business that, and right in the city center too."
I nod, "You don't have to tell me, we were there. I ended up in hospital again because of it. Anyway, I remember once you said you had a spare bedroom."
"Two now, I can't manage the stairs any more, so young Danny brought a few mates round a few years ago and moved my bed into the lounge."
I smile at him, "Well, Catlin was kicked out because she couldn't withdraw her rent due to the damage to the bank. So, I was wondering if…"
Mr Persons looks Catlin up and down, "Does your dad know?"
I nod, "He let Catlin use out sofa last night."
Mr Persons nods, "Alright, if Danny trusts you I guess I can trust you. Mind you, you'll need to get out the old elbow grease, as nobody's been upstairs in years."
Catlin sways backwards and forwards a few times, so I reach out to steady her. Eventually she says, "But what about rent, how much do I owe you?"
Mr Persons waves her off, "Pish, I paid the mortgage off before you were born. If you want to contribute, then you can do the shopping and the odd errand for me, like picking up my heart medicine."
Catlin stares at Mr Persons for a few minutes until Connor starts struggling to get down.
Once he's on the floor, Connor runs past Mr Persons into the house, who laughs. "I guess that's a yes then. It will be nice to have children around again, what with Hayden dying in a clash between the teeth and the 88 before he could give us grand children. Come on, I'll show you around, though you'll have to forgive me for not showing you upstairs."
I pat Catlin on the arm, "Go on, I'll get your shopping cart."
Catlin looks between Mr Persons back and me a couple of times before she weakly says, "Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me."
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After I dropped the shopping cart off I feel inexplicably happy as I grab my backpack, with my sewing, notebook, and my staff, and head off to Selene's camp.
When I arrive I can smell that Selene is cooking some meat, so I make my way up to the camp, only to stop as I see her poke listlessly at the side of meat. Cautiously I approach the fire and ask, "Selene, are you alright?"
Selene shakes her head, "No child. I am not alright. While you and your father have been in the mortal world, I have been exploring the world of the Nymphs. The next one closer to the shore of magic, for it is they that were enslaved by the monster I sacrificed myself against. Yet nowhere in the world have I been able to find any sign of them or their kin. That is until yesterday."
I sit down next to her and ask, "What happened?"
"I ventured deep into the mountains where the Nymphs used to take sanctuary while the magic of the world runs wild, there I found some scattered tribes of humans. You would no longer recognize them as such, but none the less they are the descendants of the collared slaves that were offered to the Nymphs by villages in exchange for being spared their rampages."
I frown, "I'm sorry, I don't understand."
Selene looks up at me, "And it saddens me that I need to warn you about this. I told you before that the monsters seek iron. However, I did not tell you about the dangers that iron poses to mortals blessed with magic. Iron is an anathema to magic, and the more pure the iron the greater the effect as it forces magic into stillness and conformity. For a blessed that is in regular contact with iron, they first start to have trouble using their magic, and then they start to sicken as their magic congeals inside them. Once this happens, death is inevitable unless they are attended to by a healer that is sufficiently well traveled that they can force the magic to start moving again. Far worse is it for those who are bound in iron when they are brought into the dream. For they are doubly cursed, first because their magic forms still born in their chests, and they are forever denied the blessing of magic. But further their lives are divorced from Gaia, and they are cursed to a mortal life span, no matter where they are."
I shake my head, "I get the warning, and I'm glad we know now than before Connor does something stupid like swallowing a needle. But I don't see why meeting those humans has bothered you so much."
Selene looks at me with haunted eyes, "The curse of iron is passed on from mother to child as long as they would be born with magic. Those humans, they are living a mortal life span in a world for near immortals. In the mortal world a mere rotation of the moon would be the measure of a life time in their world. Yet Gaia travels around the sun at her own pace and on her own path. It is how we know that mortals are raised above animals, for while an animal can be brought closer to the sea, and it's lifespan will increase according to Gaia's will. Their offspring will live and die in their allotted time."
I scrunch my head as I try to work out what Selene is saying, "Wait, a mortal life span is normally around 70-80 years."
Selene nods, "Indeed."
"And a year is 365 days."
"It is not. A year is the length of time it takes for Gaia to pass around the sun once."
I nod, "That's 365 days."
Selene shakes her head, "It is only 365 days in the mortal world, and the two closest to it. Yet for those who are cursed with iron, their lifespan is divorced from the year. "
As I stare at her in incomprehension, she sighs, "Perhaps it is because you are unused to the idea of immortals and near immortals that you do not understand the gravity of what I am saying. Just remember that anyone you choose to gift with magic must be free of iron accouterments. Instead, we should move onto what I will be teaching you this seven day, which is the other reason I was exploring that world. You are to learn how to sense the world around you, to feel the flows of life and magic and know exactly where everything is regardless of the concealment they are attempting to use. At the same time I will be teaching you to conceal your own presence. To that end we will be going on the first of many hunts together. Should you prove suitably skilled with your spear, then I shall fashion you a spear tip from celestial bronze."
I can only nod in agreement as I swallow hard.
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Day 2
Ok, this is insane. Selene's idea of hunting is an insane cross between the most hardcore survival show Aleph has ever exported. Trying to keep up a meditation while walking so fast I might as well be jogging, and trying to put most of my magic into the deepest fucking winter I can without climbing the canyon.
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Day 3
I am exhausted, we didn't stop until sunset yesterday, and Selene just woke me up at dawn today. Fuck, she wants to leave already, and I haven't finished eating.
Oh god I ache, I have no idea how on earth Selene is keeping this up. She's not human.
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Day 4
We stopped early today, just so that she could drill me with my staff until the sun went down.
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Day 5
Selene said that we're near~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Day 6
Oh, hey, something's changed. I don't feel like I'm dying anymore.
Selene said "That's good, that means your body is starting to use magic to bolster itself. We'll start moving faster tomorrow." Oh, and I slept on my pen last night so I've been running around with an ink line on my face.
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Day 7
WTF, Selene just ran off into some undergrowth and pulled out a two headed deer thing. How did she even know it was there?
Ask a stupid question, get pelted with stones for the next two fucking hours. To cap it all, she had no clue what I was talking about when I said, "Use the force Luke."
Note - ask dad if we can watch the trilogy
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Day 8
Apparently, last night doesn't count towards my only a week at a time. Anyway, today has just been more running after prey, only this time I'm also dodging Selene throw~~~~~
Ow fuck I hurt, but damn was that satisfying. I finally managed to hit Selene with a fan of stones. On top of that, she congratulated me on finally fighting back. I guess we didn't really cover the concealment thing, but hey at least I can now run all day. Silver linings and all that.