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Part 1|Part 2|Part 3|Part 4|Part 5|Part 6|Part 7|Part 8|Part 9
“What? No questions today, Doc?” I ask, as I sit quietly on the hard chair. I’ve already decided I’m done with this therapy crap. I think the doc could use some himself, to be honest. He’s not exactly what I’d call people material.
He doesn’t even reply; must be in a shit mood today. I shrug and continue my story.
OOO
I make an executive decision in the night. I’m moving back to Dad’s. I guess I’m just not ready to be released into the wild just yet. Besides, they need me. Sophie takes the news almost too well.
By mid-morning, I’m standing in the middle of Sis and Dad’s living room, duffle tossed over my shoulder. It feels right.
My little niece and nephew (or step-brother and step-sister, depending on how you look at it) are frolicking on the floor laughing and playing. Snowy, Sis’ psycho yorkie, runs around them, barking loudly.
I’m startled out of my peaceful place by the doorbell chime. Without waiting for anyone to answer the door, Mo and Kaz, my grandparents, stroll in, bearing bags of pastries.
Sis runs down from upstairs and Dad appears from his den (where he keeps the good hooch) and soon we’re all munching on donuts and talking about the show, Kaz’s latest chopper, Mo’s new wardrobe and the twins.
Suddenly, Mo focuses her blazing green eyes upon me. “Your Mom misses you.”
“I’ll call her,” I say weakly. “I’ve been kind of busy.” I squirm under her scrutiny. She is truly intimidating. But just as fast, the attention is off me. Thank goodness for that!
“It’s going to take all of us to do this,” Kaz says. “Alexander is no one’s fool.”
“Not even Sophie’s?” I ask, with a smirk.
Kaz shoots me a look. “Especially Sophie’s.” I can’t help but wonder what the rest of that story is, but I know no one will tell me, so I accept his answer without comment.
Mo rips off a piece of her bear claw and says, “You want me to talk to him?”
“Wouldn’t do any good, Mo,” Kaz replies. “He’s as old as mold and stubborn as a mule. If he wants his daughter, I’m not sure there’s any way to get her back.”
At this point, you might say I’m less than impressed with our SWAT team. “So we what? Just give up? I didn’t think you guys were scared of anyone.”
Aubrey looks up from feeding the twins. “I think we should strike while we still have the element of surprise on our side.”
Kaz nods. “I agree but if we just take the girl and run, he’ll come after us. We need to incapacitate him long-term. Binding spells don’t work on him. I doubt any mind tricks will work. I’m just not sure what works on him.”
Aubrey laughs. “I bet a metal vault buried six feet in the ground would work!”
Dad nods. “Yep, I bet it would too, but I doubt we’ll be able to convince him to bury himself alive.”
“I pretty sure I could,” Mo snorts.
No one asks what she means by that. I sure as hell don’t want to know.
“Blue, Alexander trusts you,” Kaz says, taking a drink of the coffee Dad has brought over to wash down the dough bombs. Can we depend upon that trust when the time is right?”
Everyone’s eyes are upon me suddenly. I nod and say, “I hope so.”
We hear a knock at the door. “That’s Anya,” says Mo, getting up to let her in.
Anya! Alex’s Mom? I didn’t authorized this! She’s going to kill me and feed me to the dolphins or something! I stand up ready to run when Mo comes back with a beautiful blond woman who can’t be more than 30! I’d only seen her from a distance. Up close, she’s a looker.
She smiles and winks at me. “Thank you, young man, but I’m afraid I like my men just a tad more mature.” Crap, I forgot, witch. And, apparently, one that doesn’t abide the ‘no reading minds’ rule.
I feel the flush from my head to my feet. At least she’s not holding me responsible, although, of course, I am totally responsible.
Mo rescues me. “So, Anya, how did you ever get involved with Alexander? I figured you for smarter than that.”
This time it’s Anya’s turn to blush. “Well, Allie possess a certain charm, as I’m sure you’re aware.” Allie? The great wizard is nicknamed Allie!? Grandmo smiles knowingly. How well does she know this guy anyway?
Kaz gets us back on track. “Here’s what I suggest. Dmitri, can you secure for us a permanent structure of some kind, like a vault or a safe? Big, heavy, metal thing. Mo, get your old grimoire and see if it has any spells that might actually work on him. I’ll call our friends in low places and see if they have any new tricks in their old bags.”
“What do I do, Grands?” I ask, feeling somewhat left out of this scenario.
“You’re in charge of keeping Alex calm and making sure no harm comes to her. Do you think you can handle that?”
I nod. “Of course. She’s safe with me.”
A harsh voice inside my head that’s not my own snaps, “She’d better be or you’ll have me to answer to.” I shoot a look at Anya. Dang, she’s strong. I wouldn’t want to mess with her.
“So how do we get him in this vaultm, exactly?” Dad asks, obviously not very confident about the plan.
Kaz shrugs. “I haven’t quite figured that out yet.”
“So when do we do this hair-brained scheme?” Grandmo asks.
“Time is of the essence,” Kaz replies. “Tomorrow. Blue, when does he go to bed?”
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “But he spends most of the day with Alex, so I’m assuming he sleeps at night.”
Anya looks intently at me and the voice is in my head again. “So, tell me, Blue, how is he treating her?”
I telepathically respond. “He’s being good to her. She’s his daughter. He’s not going to hurt her.”
Anya smiles, still staring into my eyes. I take this as a chance to ask something I’ve been wondering. “So, Anya, why don’t you allow him access to his own daughter?”
I see a flash of anger in her eyes a split second before my chair tips backward, sending me sprawling on the floor. Damn. The others glance at me questioningly as I struggle to right myself. She glares at me and says, aloud this time, “Don’t be impertinent, boy. I won’t tolerate it.” She rises and heads for the door. The door swings open and slams behind her.
“Wow, she’s something, isn’t she?” says Pink. Yeah, Sis; understatement of the year.
“She’s a powerhouse, alright,” says Dad. I try to read him but his mind is snapped shut. Sis doesn’t even act as though she’s picking up something off in the way he talks about her. But, I suppose, she’s used to all the other women.
The next evening at dinner, Sis must notice that I’m a bit distracted. I’ve just returned from visiting Alex and tried to reassure her that I can be trusted. She likes me; I just don’t know if she trusts me.
“What’s up, little bro?” Pink asks, before shoving a piece of pizza into her mouth.
“To be honest, I’m a little concerned about the rescue effort in, well, an hour.” Dad has gone to fetch supplies, whatever that means. So it’s just Pink and me, sharing a pizza, like the old days.
Sis smiles. “Don’t you worry. Dimmy has it all under control. He has a vault company delivering their toughest model to Alexander’s place.”
“Won’t he be just a bit suspicious about that?” I deliver with a smirk.
She laughs. “They’re going to drop it at a specific time, after they render him unconscious. Mo says she has just the spell.”
“I hope she’s right,” I say, not relishing the idea of an angry Alexander. But my job is not to plan, my job is to keep Alex safe. The doorbell chimes and I know it’s showtime.
She wipes the pizza sauce from her face and opens the door. The gang is all here and dressed for, well, something.
Kaz is all business as we take seats in the living room for our final planning session. “Blue, all you need to do is get to Alex and levitate her to safety.
I wince. “Grands, there’s a wrinkle I’m a little concerned about. I don’t think her mother has ever told her she’s a witch. She doesn’t know I am, either. What if she freaks?”
“It’s a risk we have to take, Blue,” he says. “We need to get her away from the scene so the rest of us can take care of Alexander. Seeing us attack and imprison her father would be even more traumatic for the poor girl.”
I understand, sort of. I just hope she doesn’t hate me for it later. Deciding that Pink should stay home with the twins in case something bad happens, we hop in Dad’s car and head for the morbid castle.
There are four of us against one of him. What could go wrong? We park out of view and walk quietly to the house. I’ve never seen any surveillance system but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know we’re coming. He’ll be ready for us. I’m sure of it.
Mo has been designated as spokesperson. She’ll go in first and try to talk to him. I’m supposed to sneak in and whisk Alex down the back stairwell that I discovered during my earlier meanderings. Fortuitously, the entrance is right next to Alex’s room.
I make my way up the back staircase and open the door. I can hear Mo and Alexander talking downstairs. You’d think they were having a tea party, so civilized is their speech. The door unlocks with but a wave of my hand (a talent I inherited from Dad). Alex begins to squeal with delight upon seeing me but I put a finger to my lips. She quiets immediately. “I’m here to rescue you. Do you trust me?”
She grins, amused by my serious tone. “I’m not kidding, Alex,” I whisper. “It’s imperative that you trust me, no matter what happens. Can you do that?”
Looking puzzled, she nods again and reaches for my outstretched hand. I was planning to take her out the same way I got in, but just as we reach the bottom of the stairs, I see a strange sight. Alexander and Mo are both staring at us. What the hell?
Alexander claps his hands, as though he’s just seen a terrific play. “Blue, so glad you and Alex could join us. Mo was just telling me that I should let my daughter go. But she won’t be saying that anymore, will you, Mo?” My grandmother begins to turn beet red and appears to be choking.
Before I can react, the doors burst open and Kaz and Dad come rushing in, swords blazing. Swords? Really? Has no one ever heard of guns in this family?
Alexander laughs at them. Even I have to admit, they look pretty silly, standing there wielding their ancient weaponry. A voice in my head says “Go!” and I grab Alex and begin to levitate her, heading for the door. She clutches me tightly and screams in my ear. Ouch!
All of a sudden I realize that I’m on the wrong side. Alexander deserves to be with his daughter. Who are we to take that right away? I change direction and land beside him, pushing Alex toward him.
He smiles at me. For a moment, I’m confused. What the hell am I doing? And then my mind is clear. I’m on the winning side. I can hear Dad yelling at me. But I can’t make out what he’s saying. I want to tell him it’s okay. This is the way it should be. But I can’t. I can’t utter a word. What is wrong with me?
Suddenly, there’s a tremendous blast of energy and Dad, Kaz and Mo all get flung against the far wall, where they lay unconscious. A man I’ve never seen before walks into the hall and Alexander asks him to clean up the mess. Then he turns to me. “Take Alex back to her room, please.” And I’m doing it. Why am I doing it?! She’s crying and trying to break my grip on her, but she can’t. And I can’t stop. I levitate her back to the room, push her inside and slam the door. I’m screaming at myself to stop but I … just … can’t.
Everything fades to black.
When I come to, I have no idea where I am. It’s completely dark. I can’t see my hand in front of my face. I’m unharmed but what just happened?
I have vague memories of doing things I didn’t want to do, which could explain the pounding headache I have. Alex! She must hate me!
Damn, it’s dark in here. I feel around to see if there is anything in this room but me. Nope. The four walls of the tiny room are without decoration and the floor is wooden, but other than that, there is no clue as to where I am.
The only light is the outline of the door. Cautiously, I knock on a wall. Ouch. Hard. Must be an outer wall. I try another one. This one seems hollow. Then I hear a small knock coming from the other side.
My eyes are getting accustomed to the dark and I notice there’s a grate in the wall, probably a heating vent. Bending down, I say softly, “Who’s there?”
A small voice I recognize as Alex’s says, “It’s me. Alex. Is that you, Blue?”
“Yes, Alex, it’s me. I am so sorry about what happened. I don’t know what made me do that. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean to …”
“It’s okay, Blue. I heard him laughing about it with Miss Sophie. It wasn’t your fault. He has some kind of power over you. I couldn’t make out anything else.”
“I still want to get you out of here. Do you know if anyone is around right now?”
“I don’t hear anyone, but it’s so hard to tell in this place.”
I’m not happy to hear that Sophie is back. Truth to tell, I’m more afraid of her than him.
“I’m going to open the door and come get you, okay?”
“I don’t know if you should do that …”
“It’ll be fine. Trust me.” I move to the door and hear the clank of a dead bolt opening. Slowly I turn the knob and peek out the door. But as soon as I try to step out the door, my leg swings around and propels me back into the room. Dammit! What is going on?
The door shuts behind me as if by magic, leaving no doubt - that’s exactly what it is. I return to the vent. “Well, that didn’t work. Whatever hold he has on me is still in effect. I can’t leave the room. I guess we wait.
Just then I hear the sound of high heels clicking on the wooden floor outside the door. I lie on the floor and pretend to still be unconscious. When the door opens, the aroma of Sophie’s classic scent fills the small room.
“Wake up, sleepy head,” she purrs, kneeling down and shaking me. “I have some food for you. Can’t have you starving to death, can we?”
I pretend to wake up, yawning and squinting at the light flooding through the doorway. “Sophie, hi,” I say, smiling up at her. “Can you get me out of here?”
“Not yet, Sweetie, but soon. Alexander has something of a sensitive nature he needs to take care of and he can’t afford to have you ruining it.” She hands me the tray. I just look at her. “Alex gets some too, right?”
She feigns shock. “What’s this? You care about the little brat next door? Sophie is jealous. Sophie doesn’t share.”
I no longer find her sexual banter amusing. She leaves me with the food and a small lantern. At least I can see to eat. I wonder where everyone else is. I’m sure they’re here, but where? And I’m helpless to do anything because I can’t leave this stupid room. Grrrr … frustrating!
I hear Alex’s door open and a tray being pushed across the floor. Then a door slams. All quiet, again. I feel for my cell phone. It’s actually still in my pocket. How stupid of them to miss that!
Making sure no one is outside, I call Sis. She picks up. “Where the hell are you guys?”
“Obi-wan, you’re our only hope,” I whisper. “But seriously, Sis, listen. Alexander won. I’m being forced to do things I don’t want to do and I have no idea what happened to everyone else. Alex is fine though. She’s in the room next to me. Get help. And quick.”
I hide my phone in my underwear with the hope that Sophie won’t actually undress me here. And I wait. Because it’s all I can do. This is how it goes until the following day. At least they let me go to the bathroom. I can’t figure out what Alexander’s game plan is. It can’t be just to keep us here forever.
The next afternoon, I hear voices downstairs. Voices that don’t belong to Alexander and Sophie. I move to the door and put my ear against it. I can make out a couple of words now and again but not enough to piece together what’s going on.
I hear Alex tap on the vent. “I think that’s my Mom,” she tells me. “But I can’t make out who is with her.”
“This could be good, Alex. Hang tight.”
“How did you do that flying thing?” she whispers.
“Um, well, I shouldn’t be the one to tell you. Ask your mother when we get out, okay?”
“What would Mom know about it?”
I go back to listening at the door. Footsteps. And they are getting nearer. I decide to feign sleep. The bolt in the door clanks and the light blinds me as I try to open my eyes.
Sophie is standing over me, offering her hand. “Get up. It’s over.”
I jump to my feet without her assistance. “What do you mean, it’s over?”
“I mean that Alexander and Anya have worked it out. Anya is freeing her daughter as we speak.”
“So they just talked it out?” I am a bit incredulous at this news as witches and warlocks usually don’t exactly work like regular folks.
She nods. “Want to go back to my place and …”
“Thanks but no thanks. Where are my people?” My people?
“They were in other rooms. Alexander is freeing them. You’re all free to go. But,” she says, taking my hand, “Because I actually do like you, Blue, I’ll let you in on a secret. The talisman. That’s how he controlled you.”
“This?” I say, as I pull the cord over my head. I feel a fool. If something is too good to be true, it usually is. “Then take it. I don’t want it.” I place the warm, undulating stone into her hand.
She grins and folds her long, perfect fingers around it. “It’s probably for the best. Your Dad became quite addicted to its powers. You’ll do just fine without it.”
I look over the banister and see my Dad and grandparents milling around. I suppose they’re waiting for me. But I have something to do first. I walk into Alex’s room. Her mother is hugging her.
When she sees me, she breaks free and hugs me. “Thank you,” she says.
“For what?” I ask, knowing I failed horribly at the rescue attempt.
“Because I knew you were coming for me, I didn’t freak out. I stayed strong because of you.”
“I’m sorry we couldn’t have met under better circumstances. I think we could be good friends.”
“Perhaps, some day we will,” she says, walking out with her mother.
For a moment, Anya’s and my eyes meet. ‘Thank you’, she telegraphs. “Alex couldn’t have asked for a better friend.”
Smiling, I run down the stairs and hug on my people. “Who saved us then?” I ask.
“Well, your sister called her dad and Josh convinced her that perhaps they could work this out without violence, by talking,” Dad says, laughing. “Imagine that!”
“My dull, ‘I don’t want to be a warlock’ father, saved the day? Incredible!” I say, laughing with him.
OOO
“So, what do you think, Doc? Will you sign my release?”
“I’ll sign your release,” he says. “But I feel you must get a grip on this fantasy that you’re some kind of witch.”
“I prefer warlock but I’m not a danger to society or anything.”
“Sociopaths are an extreme danger to society, Mr. Turner. But I don’t think you are one. I think you just have an over-active imagination and like to shock people.”
“Sounds good to me,” I say, standing to accept the release form from him.
I could have just walked out the door, and he would have been none-the-wiser. But that’s not the way I roll.
Opening the door without touching it, I turn and wink at him. I follow this up by flicking my wrist and sending some of his heavy psych books tumbling off the shelf. Wish I’d taken a photo of the man’s face as I slowly closeA the door behind me.
I’m still chuckling as I make my way out to where Kayla is waiting for me in the car.
“Let’s go eat,” I say. “I’m starving.”
THE END