Shifting Read online

  “It is the least I can do,” replied Ivan, in a moment seeming almost human. “I am forever grateful for your hospitality.”

  Sheila patted his shoulder lovingly. Ivan caught Meghan watching him through the corner of her eye; she shifted away. Ivan darted outside, ordering them to hurry.

  “How exactly did Ivan come to live with you, again?” asked Meghan, as they walked. She wasn’t sure why she even cared.

  “It’s a scary and a sad story,” said Jae. “His mother died when he was about three years old I think, in some kind of freak accident that no one ever talks about. I guess even magic couldn’t fix what happened. He lived with his father after that.”

  “What happened to his father?” asked Colin.

  “He was killed in the first Scratcher attack, back when we still lived on our island. We didn’t even know they existed. I was a baby, then.”

  Thoughts of Scratchers surrounding their Uncle Arnon made their heads dizzy, and both twins were instantly sorry for Ivan, who was on his own, like them; of course, the twins were 78

  still holding out hope that Uncle Arnon was still alive. It was hard to feel sorry for Ivan for long, as a minute later he was yelling impatiently for them to catch up.

  “At this pace you won’t arrive until tomorrow!” he insisted.

  After arriving at the school, teacher Lindy advised them to line up with their class. Some students fought for front position while others vied for last. It took a minute for the twins to realize you went in for your exam depending on where you were in line. They were in the middle, behind Jae.

  “I don’t imagine it matters that much,” said Colin, hoping he had not screwed up by not being more on the ball.

  “It’s all myth really. Some think if they go in first the teachers might be in a better mood, or if you go in last, you have a chance of getting more points because the teachers are tired. None of this is true though. The teachers grade each student equally severely.” Colin took Jae’s word for it, and the twenty children lined up nervously in the corridor. One by one each student was called in; the twins had thought it would not take long for the line to move, but with only one teacher doing the elementary exam, and each student taking an average of fifteen minutes, time began to drag.

  “Okay, I guess there’s something to be said for going first,” added Jae, after two hours had passed, and the trio’s nerves were at their peak. “I forget how the longer you sit and think about it, the more nervous you get.” He looked apologetically at Meghan, whose anxiety was more apparent with every passing minute. Finally, it was Jae’s turn. He wanted to let Meghan go ahead of him, but once in line you couldn’t change places. It was an eternity before he came out, thankfully, smiling.

  “Good luck,” he mouthed to the twins as he escaped out of the school. Colin was next; he tensely entered the classroom. It was not Teacher Lindy as he had expected. Must and mothballs. The examiner was Viancourt member Tanzea Chase. Colin had a hard time not plugging his nose. She sat at a table with a stack of papers.

  “Name,” she asked, not looking up. Her wrinkled hands shook as she wrote. Colin wondered how many jobs she performed. So far, he knew she was a member of the Viancourt, worked at the hospital, and today was a school examiner.

  “Colin Jacoby, ma’am.”

  Her eyes glanced over her spectacles inquisitively.

  “Of course you are. All right then, task number one. Pick up that stack of pillows, hover them above the ground for one minute, without any of the pillows falling.” Her tone suggested she didn’t expect him to pass. Colin closed his eyes and gathered all the energy required, again, searching outward beyond the school and into Grimble.

  He lifted the pillows easily, but the minute was terribly long. Tanzea Mothball Chase scrutinized Colin’s every move. Not once did her eyes leave Colin and even look at the pillows.

  When finished, Tanzea did not reply on Colin’s magic, but simply went on to the next task.

  “Take the stack of pillows and move them to the square; mind you, if they fall or shift, you lose points.”

  Something strange happened during the test. Colin had the pillows moving in no time, but felt another magical energy in the room, trying to push his pillows out of alignment. He fought it 79

  and straightened them. Had Tanzea done it? He wondered. Why? Did she want him to fail, or was it part of the exam? Colin’s nerves calmed as he finished and received what he believed would be a perfect score.

  “Are you even winded, boy?” asked Tanzea frigidly.

  Colin answered truthfully.

  “No, ma’am.”

  “Hmm, okay, well number three, then.”

  He grew uneasy again. He had already done the exercise’s they had learned in class. Tanzea had her head down scribbling notes. Colin questioned whether there was even supposed to be a number three.

  “You see the chalk board that goes around the room? Without using your hands to write, I want you to use the chalk and write out the Svoda goals.”

  Colin started to panic, but not for himself. He knew the answers, plus, collecting the energy needed was easy, but could Meghan do the same? He collected himself, reached out for the magical energy and pictured himself picking up the chalk and writing. He spoke the answer in a whisper, while the chalk wrote.

  Colin finished and opened his eyes; the words were not only written, but in a perfect straight line. Colin knew he had passed this part of the test, too. Tanzea Chase grimaced at the still not winded Colin Jacoby with great interest, but eventually put her head down, scribbling more notes.

  “You may leave. Send in the next student,” she spoke harshly. Upon leaving, Colin sent Meghan a thought.

  “I’m on my way out, you’re next, okay.”

  “About time! You were in there longer than anyone,” she replied, her inner voice quivering.

  “I was!” he exclaimed, not realizing.

  “Thirty minutes, Colin! I’ve been going crazy, and if it took you that long, I’m doomed.”

  “Don’t think that way,” he pleaded as he passed her. “Remember to reach out and feel the energy flowing around you, and then focus it on the task.”

  Meghan did not answer, and Colin could sense an impromptu desire for her to plug her nose.

  “Musty Mothballs?” he sent her. “The examiner is Tanzea Chase, from the Viancourt.”

  “Name,” croaked Tanzea, again not looking up from her papers.

  “Meghan Jacoby,” she answered, as calmly as possible.

  Tanzea looked up.

  “Ah, yes, I have notes here, let’s see. Where are those?”

  Meghan, if possible, grew more anxious, thinking, What notes? Did Colin have notes?

  “Here we go, that’s right, the Firemancer,” Tanzea smiled with smug approval. “You may not be aware, Ms. Jacoby, but most seers do not thrive at hands on magic. I have been instructed to test you, but that you have already passed. Unusual, yes, but it has been decided that your studies will be aimed toward that of your talent. You will be informed of your course direction at a future, yet to be determined date.”

  80

  Was it possible to have such great luck? Meghan had not known that being a Firemancer meant she would not be as good at normal magic. “What a relief,” she whispered, and then wondered, Was it Juliska?

  “Your exam today,” interrupted Tanzea, “will consist of moving this pile of pillows to the square.” She pointed to a pile of pillows half the size of the other students, and to a square only two feet away. Meghan, feeling little pressure now, was able to get the pillows off the ground, only a few inches, but off the ground, and moved them into the square where they plunked down with a soft thud. She grinned, satisfied.

  “Okay, you’re finished, send in the next student.”

  Meghan nodded and hastily exited the school.

  “That was fast,” said both Jae and Colin, who had waited for her outside the school.

  “I did it though, moved the pillows up in the air an
d two feet into the square.”

  “Two feet, two whole feet,” mocked a voice from behind.

  Colin and Jae wanted to question her about this, too, but it would have to wait. Darcy Scraggs emerged from the school.

  “What. An. Accomplishment! Look everyone, Little Miss Two Feet.”

  “Ignore her,” insisted Jae, motioning for the twins to follow him out of the schoolyard. Taunts of “Little Miss Two Feet,” echoed as they departed.

  “Did they really only ask you to move it two feet?” asked Jae, after they had left the school grounds.

  “Yes,” said Meghan, horrified to realize how easy her test had been. “Plus there’s more,” she admitted, afraid to continue.

  “I should hope so!” said Colin angrily. “I had to move the pile around the room, hold it in the air for an entire minute, and then she asked me to write the Svoda goals on the dang chalk board, without using my hands.”

  “You did all that?” questioned Jae.

  “Yes, I think she was trying to tire me out.”

  “But, you weren’t tired at all when you came out,” exclaimed Jae.

  “No, I wasn’t.”

  “How do you do that? It would be incredibly draining to think of the answer and write on the board at the same time.” Jae spoke with a twinge of jealousy.

  Meghan felt humiliated. She had hardly done anything at all. Plus, she knew she had already passed.

  “So what exactly happened, Meghan?” breathed Colin.

  “The teacher said she had been instructed to pass me and that since I was a Firemancer, I needed to have my studies arranged as such, and that I couldn’t be expected to have the magical prowess of others.”

  “That makes sense, I guess,” said Colin, still a little confused. “It at least explains why you’re not making any progress.” It came out harsher than he’d meant it to, but Meghan ignored it.

  “Well, it’s over. For us, anyway,” said Jae, sounding exhausted. “Mireya still has one more day.”

  “So even though she knows she’s failed, she keeps going?” asked Colin.

  81

  “Practice,” was all Jae answered.

  The twins sent another leaf that evening to Uncle Eddy, telling him the tests were over. The rest of the week went by much faster and at the end, when all exams were finished, pass or fail, it was as if the entire village of Bedgewood Harbor let out a combined relieving sigh.

  It was Halloween, which meant that Thanksgiving and Christmas were not far behind. To the twins, this meant they did not have much time left with Uncle Eddy. However, with exams finished, they hoped to spend more time in Grimble. The perfect place to spend all hallows eve; the ghosts went all out to celebrate their favorite night of the year. It seemed that nearly all Svoda came out of the wagons to celebrate in Grimble, too. The twins hoped to see their uncle, or Timothy, but neither ever appeared.

  “I can’t believe your father missed this,” hiccuped Sheila Mochrie, slightly lit on brandy. “It’s so nice to have a little fun.”

  The twins and Jae agreed.

  “Why couldn’t your dad come, Jae?” asked Colin.

  “Behind at work I guess. Ivan’s not here either.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” huffed Meghan. “He doesn’t remind me of the type to appreciate fun.” The three laughed, listening to Sheila softly humming to herself. At the end of the night, as they neared the wagons, Sheila called out to a woman walking nearby.

  “See you tomorrow at the SLC, Verna. I’m thinking pies this year.” The woman named Verna waved in agreement and disappeared around a corner.

  “Pies for what?” asked Colin.

  “For Thanksgiving. The SLC, it’s an initiated Svoda thing, totally boring. They get together to plan the holiday’s feasts each year.”

  “Cool,” replied Colin, mostly thinking about eating the pies.

  “How could you possibly think of eating?” barked Meghan, her stomach sloshing with sugar.

  “I didn’t eat that much,” replied Colin.

  Having a sugar filled gut brought back memories of Sebastien; they would often pig out on junk food together. Meghan blocked her thoughts then, trying not to think about Sebastien, but weakened. She recalled the kiss she had snuck on him the very night she and Colin had come to live with the Gypsies.

  “I wonder what he’s doing right now,” she muttered to herself. “Most likely he’d be home. I’d probably be emailing him…” She missed him terribly.

  “Personally,” she then said, shaking off the pain, “I’m in no hurry for the holidays this year.”

  “No, me either,” agreed Colin. Neither twin was thinking of food at that moment, only of moving on, and leaving Uncle Eddy behind.

  Once again, harsh reality had dampened a moment of fun.

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  10

  The days leading up to Thanksgiving were much more relaxed around the Mochrie house, and a festive atmosphere enveloped the entire village. The day before the holiday, the twins received a leaf from Uncle Eddy, asking them to visit.

  “I didn’t realize the Svoda would celebrate Thanksgiving,” commented Meghan, as they stepped into Grimble.

  “It’s a part of history that in your world is a little, changed,” he said. “It had to be, in order to keep magic protected and secret. You’ll understand more tomorrow. It’s actually a big day for us.”

  Timothy appeared. “Hi guys.” They chorused hello back.

  Uncle Eddy decided that enough time had passed and it was safe to meet up at the old mill again. He was happy to see them and Jae, but still did not allow Colin to travel with the Magicante. Jae surprised the twins with ghost candy and they played with Timothy, high in the air. He laughed hysterically, unable to remember ever having so much fun.

  “I wish this day would never end!” said Colin, catching his breath.

  “I don’t suppose there’s a candy that can make this day repeat?” asked Meghan, agreeing.

  “No, wouldn’t that be a nice one though,” thought Jae, grinning happily. The twins thought he looked happier than he had in months.

  “Not to be the bearer of bad news,” said Uncle Eddy casually, “but like it or not, the day is ending.” The twins were about to protest, when a bush outside the mill rustled; someone was out there and it was not a ghost this time.

  “Show yourself!” demanded Jae, running out to investigate. The twins cautiously followed.

  They saw a hand letting go of a branch, hiding a face, and the trio jumped into the bush, attempting to catch the spy, but no one was there.

  “Where could they have gone?” questioned Jae. No one answered. Uncle Eddy and Timothy searched from the air. They found nothing.

  “When we first came out,” said Colin, “I swear there was a face in that bush.” Their uncle had the same concerned look as Jae.

  “I’m afraid too many eyes are upon us,” said Eddy. “Colin, keep that book safe.” Eddy then turned to Jae. “I want to personally thank you for helping Meghan and Colin, Jae. I realize this must be a burden. I know your rules are strict.”

  Jae shrugged, not appearing concerned. It was something the twins had forgotten, even though they had just taken exams reminding them of how strict the rules were. Could this be what was troubling Jae? Meghan felt confident this could not be the whole problem, not by the severity of her nightmare, but she would be sure to write it down.

  Their uncle vanished, and Timothy, as usual, escorted them to the wagons. The three walked in silence, having had their perfect day, again, ruined. Their brooding ended hastily as they 83

  found themselves being ambushed, again. It was the Three D’s, and in the same location as before.

  “Trouble is not even close to what you three are in,” sneered Darcy Scraggs.

  “Do you think it was them spying on us?” sent Meghan to Colin.

  “I can’t picture them spying and not getting caught,” he shot back.

  “Colin, this is the second time they have ambushed
us in the same spot. I don’t want to give them credit any more than you do; however, they might at least be smart enough to spy without getting caught.”

  “Touche,” he answered. “So how do we find out how much they know, then?”

  “Still working on that,” she replied.

  The twins and Jae stood back to back to back, watching the three girls circling them. Timothy fretted overhead. Jae looked sick. The twins could tell he was thinking that this time, they did know something. Colin was determined not to crash out of the picture again, and tried to calm his nerves.

  “So Darcy, going to let Miss Hadrian do all the talking for you again? Its always so much fun listening to her,” said Meghan.

  Dulcy reeled with anger and started to open her mouth, but Darcy motioned for her to shut it.

  “Why do you always need to make her more upset?” asked Colin.

  “I’m trying to keep her sidetracked while we think of a way out of this, and hopefully not make things worse for Jae in the process.”

  “What is it now that you think we’ve done, Darcy?” asked Meghan. “You claimed you knew something before. Far as I can tell, you’re full of crap.”

  What followed next was not what any of trio expected.

  An enormous blast of air swept Meghan off her feet; she flew backwards, her head barely missing a tree.

  “Darcy! You’ve done magic against someone,” shouted a stunned Jae. “What is wrong with you?” Jae was expecting the Balaton to show up any second. Being caught off guard, she hit him next, leaving Colin standing on his own.

  “I have every right to use magic on you three! You’re hiding something. I’ve had some very interesting conversations with a certain member of the Viancourt, and that certain member cast a spell, allowing me to do magic and not… get… caught,” she taunted. “I suggest you turn over what you’ve been hiding!” She aimed the demand at Colin, who was wide eyed with fear. “Oh, don’t worry. I know you don’t have it on you, but I expect you to deliver it to me by tomorrow!

  Then the authorities can deal with you, and you,” she spat at Jae, who assisted Meghan off the ground.

  “Why are you doing this, Darcy? Do you hate my family that much?”

  “It’s not a matter of hate, Jae. It’s a matter of survival. You and your family have gotten lazy.