The Gift of Chaos

Epilogue - When past and future collide

The atmosphere was at least ten times lighter than it had been a few hours ago. I couldn't help missing my father and brother as Scott and I watched the twins play with the neighbouring children, making snow angels, throwing snowballs and even making a snowman. Lucas loved snow. He'd hate not being able to play in it for a month, if not more...

"You all right?" Scott asked beside me. "If it's about what Mum said..."

"No, no... it's okay. I don't blame her, to be honest." I said, shaking my head. "I mean... you have changed so much in the last few years..."

"Yes, but they're good changes. I don't understand why she can't see that..."

I didn't answer. The way I saw it, his mother had probably gotten so used to consoling him when he was feeling insecure about his weight, his braces or anything else, that she was having a hard time accepting he no longer needed her. But I didn't want to either upset Scott or further drive a wedge between him and his mother.

"She's just being a mother," I said reasonably. "She's seeing you grow up and it's just... taking a little time for her to come to terms with."

"Yeah, I guess so..." he said.

I wrapped my arm around his, resting my head on his shoulder. We simply watched the children play in the snow, laughing and shrieking as they threw and received snowballs.

"What was it all about, then?" Scott finally asked. "Burning the book?"

"Precaution," I told him. "I think my family is the only one who could use it the way I did, but I didn't want to risk being wrong."

I didn't need to look at Scott to know he was frowning in confusion at me. I braced myself to explain. I had no idea what his reaction might be, and that was making my heart speed out of control, and my throat tighten so much I could barely breathe.

"... When I... when I went to get the book from my room earlier... I dropped it and when I picked it up, there was some ancient writing on it."

"Oh? Wasn't it there before?"

"No, every page was perfectly blank."

"Okay... and what did it say?"

I looked away, trying to gather the courage to say what I wanted to.

"... It was written by Lady Petunia Lane. My grandfather's I-don't-know-how-many great grandmother. She was born in Hollybridge too. Anyway... she said that she had died, and her spell had worked."

"... Wait, you... did you say spell?" Scott asked carefully.

"Yes." I said. "I... She said she was the last member of a family of witches. They lived in Edinburgh during the period when witches were relentlessly hunted and executed. She was to be executed too, but wanted her proudest achievement to live on, so she used a spell to send it to the next living heir that proved worthy."

"You mean the book was her achievement?"

I nodded.

"So you... you're saying you have witch blood in you?"

I looked hesitantly at him, waiting for the flicker of fear to appear in his eyes. But it didn't. He looked shocked, of course, but... I wouldn't have said scared.

"You... you're not running away screaming..."

"Of course not! Witch or not, you used your power to save us, risking your own life in the process. How could I be afraid of that? Besides, it explains that mess, doesn't it?"

I smiled, relief washing over me.

"True," I conceded. "I hated having to do that... but it's just too powerful to keep lying around... I mean, imagine if my brother drew a tyrannosaurs in it?"

"You think that would work?"

"No idea, but I'd rather not try it."

"Agreed," Scott chuckled.

There was a pause.

"So now what?" he asked.

"Well... we live several hours apart, so... it won't be easy commuting... but I promise I'll keep in touch, this time... And I'm sorry I didn't for these past three years... It wasn't you... I just... I don't even know... it wasn't fair to you."

"I know. I suppose I should have tried to reach out more, too."

He took my hands and looked at me.

"We both made mistakes," he said. "But we can work on them together."

I smiled, more out of relief that he wasn't running away than from his suggestion.

"That sounds perfect," I told him.

He drew me closer to him, wrapping his arms around me. I did the same, pressing my cold cheek against his chest, his steady heartbeat resonating within me, synchronising with my own. As we watched the children work together to build a huge snowman, I told myself that this was one Christmas I wouldn't soon forget.