The Unveiling - Modern Magic: Book 1

Chapter 11

-------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 11 – James

I got my tablet out of my bag and typed furiously as James began relating his story. He promised to get to why he was here, but he wanted to tell us the whole story so we could put everything into context.

Up until recently, James had no memory of his parents' deaths. Either due to his young age or the trauma of the accident – likely both – he had suppressed the memory. His first memories were of growing up with "Auntie A". When he was six years old, he asked her about his parents. She sat him down and told him that they had died. He remembered her appearing so warm, strong, and loving.

Looking back now, he was able to see cracks in his "Aunt's" façade. He never saw her cry, never found her crying in her room, never showing anything other than light sadness masked by reassurance when it came to talking about her "sister". He mused over how easy it is to delude yourself when the lie you're being shown is what you want.

James breezed through his childhood, commenting that it was as normal as possible given the circumstances. Things changed slightly when he was twelve. Every night, Auntie A was asking more and more probing questions about his day. Once when he was thirteen, he got so frustrated that he actually berated her, saying how he "knew all about puberty" so she didn't have to baby him. She scolded him for talking back, but the daily interrogations lessened.

That lasted until a few months after his fourteenth birthday. Like me, and thousands of other Magi before, his genes activated, and things in his room started flying. His "Aunt" was ecstatic. She praised him, telling him how happy she was that he inherited the ability from his parents.

James remembered sitting in awe as Auntie A told him about magic, and how he was so lucky to gain the ability. She hadn't but had learned all about it from his grandparents. Aki and I shared a look, both knowing that idea made no sense. Most Magi/Human couples tended to only have one child to specifically avoid the possibility of having children of different genetics. Having to hide a manifestation from one parent was hard enough, having to hide it from a sibling as well is vastly more difficult.

James echoed our thoughts, saying how he now knew how wrong her statement was, but at the time he had no clue. She told him about how more power and control would come along with practice and training. He started practicing every night after school, Aunt A having rearranged their basement to provide him the space he needed.

James taught himself by feel to harness the magical power inside himself, and he loved showing new milestones to her. Aunt A praised him with each one. In only a few years, James had figured out how to condense magic into bolts, form barriers, and expanded the power he could harness by leaps and bounds. James smiled and shook his head, saying how he knew that unlocking his memory would have taught him all of this and more in only a few seconds.

James's story caught up to more recent events. About 3 months ago, James had been thinking about his own magical development, especially how it might compare to his parents. He did the only logical thing; he asked his aunt. Aunt A told him how his parents were both skilled and powerful Magi. This gave James the courage to do the one thing he had never done: ask how his parents had died.

Aunt A had looked conflicted. At the time, James thought she was worried he wasn't ready for the truth. Now, he knew it was more likely she was trying to determine the best lie to tell him. She told him about how his parents and herself were involved with a group trying to reduce Magi oppression. They were trying to provide the chance for Magi to live normal lives where they wouldn't have to lie about who they were.

She told James about how they had tried convincing other Magi to join them in their cause. One of those other Magi must have felt threatened because the night after a meeting, his parents were dead. She had continued working with her friends and allies, but much slower and quieter, to protect him from the same fate as his parents.

James remembered being extremely angry. How could his parents be murdered just because they were hoping for a future where they could live normal lives? He redoubled his training and started paying close attention to his aunt's schedule. He would often be waiting outside of meetings when they ended, asking her how they went. He was 19, and he wanted to help. More than that... he wanted revenge.

One night about a month ago, he saw a man he didn't recognize leaving the house. James realized he had been having a strange feeling for the last several hours, and it had been coming from the man. That was the first time he realized he could sense other Magi. He double-checked this when his aunt had another meeting two days later. Sure enough, the feeling was the same – not completely, but very close.

James started spending evenings wandering the city, following those feelings. Sometimes it was hard, especially in crowds, or if there were more than one Magi in a group of people. He soon figured out that all Magi had vibrant eye colors, which led him to another question which he asked his aunt soon after. How could he know when a Magi he ran into was on their side? Aunt A stared him down, making him promise to never go looking for other Magi, but she relented when he wouldn't accept that as an answer.

She told him that any Magi who was going about an active life in the world was probably against them. Anyone who wasn't trying to change the way Magi were treated had either given up on that chance, or was actively attempting to keep the status quo. James took this to heart, but felt a little guilty when he promised not to go after other Magi.

He was about to go into the events of the past two weeks, but his voice was sounding raspy, and Aki asked for a short break. I had held back from deeply analyzing James's story in order to focus on writing as much down as I could, but Aki must have been in full gear drawing connections and understanding as she was listening. She stepped out of the hidden room, promising to come back with drinks.

I cracked my knuckles and looked at James. He was tired, maybe depressed. I don't know how I would react if I literally learned that everything I had ever been told was a lie. He was actually holding up pretty well. "You ok?"

He looked up at me, and I thought I saw a flicker of relief in his eyes. "Yeah... I guess. I... was actually worried you were still going to be mad at me. I mean, you have every right to."

I shook my head. "You were manipulated, and as far as you knew, you were doing the right thing. Well... maybe not the attempted murder bit, but I have no idea how I would react if I believed my parents had been murdered." I thought about that for a moment. "Probably about the same way." I admitted.

James nodded a little, though I could still some levels of shame in his eyes and posture. I knew he would probably get to this part eventually, but I still had to ask the question. "How did you get your memory unlocked?"

James opened his mouth, about to answer, when the door slid opened again. Aki walked in with a tray and three glasses of water. She slid the false wall back into place and sat down, passing the glasses to us and taking one for herself. "Shall we continue?"

I stretched my fingers outward as James nodded.

-------------------------------------------------------

A/N:  What do you think of the new James?  :D  And what does this do to our story as a whole?  Find out in the next chapter!