Fateful Signs (Ballad of the Seer, Book Three)

Chapter 9 - Separated

The small apartment where Lily found herself was instantly recognizable. It was the home of her aunt and cousin, in California. Lily pushed herself up off the floor, wondering why she had been brought here. Then, her thoughts in the portal came back to her. She had stopped thinking about the beach, focusing instead on the memories she had of her cousin and aunt. Of her time here with them. The portal must have brought her to the people, rather than the place.

      "Hello," Lily called out. There was no answer, so she searched the two bedrooms and the tiny bathroom they shared. She grabbed a hair band off of Katie's dresser, to pull her hair back, before she returned to the main room; a combination living room, dining room, and kitchen. When she found no sign of them she wondered why the portal would bring her here. Had they only just left?

For a second, she wondered if something had happened to them. Had someone grabbed them? She didn't think so. The apartment was messy, but not in an alarming way. No one had ransacked the place, it was just a bit untidy with the day-to-day things: dishes in the sink; the throw pillows arranged on the floor, as Katie always did, to make a comfortable seat for watching television; magazines and catalogues were strewn across the glass coffee table, haphazardly, dog-eared to mark certain pages. There were no signs that anything was wrong here. But, then, where were Katie and Aunt Chelsea?

The knob on the front door, located through the small kitchen, jiggled. Someone was trying to open it. Simultaneously, the three locks on the door all opened, a feat which would be hard to accomplish, without the use of magic. Since Aunt Chelsea was no longer magical, and it was still unclear whether or not Katie possessed any power, Lily raised her hand defensively, in the event that it was a guardian come to take her back. She hoped, but did not know if Laura Howard would take her threat seriously.

        The door opened and Katie and Aunt Chelsea walked through, each holding a basket of folded laundry. They laughed as they entered, unaware of Lily's presence. Neither of them noticed her, at first, standing at the mouth of the hallway, trying to think of a plausible explanation as to why she had just appeared in their apartment, with no forewarning.

Katie shrieked, the first to spot Lily. She dropped her basket. The clean clothes spilled out onto the floor. Aunt Chelsea followed suit with a similar expression of shock. She sat her basket on the counter. She and Katie both rushed to give Lily hugs. "What are you doing here?" Katie asked. "It's not time for your spring break, yet. Is it?"

      "No," Lily answered, shaking her head. She moved to sit on the love seat. Katie took the spot beside her and Chelsea sat on the end of the sofa. Lily looked from Chelsea to Katie. Their dark hair and blue eyes matched hers perfectly. No one ever had to wonder if they were related. "It's a long story that I really don't have time for. All you need to know is that I'm a fugitive and the Council wants to strip my powers. Or worse." This last part was directed toward Chelsea, who would surely understand the gravity of her situation, more than Katie ever could.

  "So, you do know about magic, then?" Katie asked. At the same moment her mother asked, "Why is the Council after you?"

First, she answered Katie, with, "I do know," as that was the simpler question. Then she looked back at Aunt Chelsea. "This awful woman on the Council made up a bunch of stuff about me, in order to strip my powers. She's trying to take over, to take Gran's place." Lily explained. "To do that she has to--"

   "She has to end our family's claim to that seat." Aunt Chelsea interrupted, finishing the statement before Lily had the chance.

Lily nodded. "The ironic thing is, I actually did some of the things she's accusing me of. Except she doesn't know that."