Normality, Thy Name is Lynette

Chapter Thirty-Five

We landed inside a dark building. Bigger than any checkpoints we had been to previously. I slowly got up off the floor. I don’t know why, I knew that other people had died in the Cloister due to this, but the young couple’s death hit me harder than any yet. I went over to Keegan and laced my hand in his as he stood up. I felt numb, and his warm hand in mine felt like the first comfort I had felt in a very long time.

          As the rest of us got up, Huey had run to the door and opened it. Light flooded in and people were walking up and down the street. Cars were driving past too. Huey turned back to us, the biggest smile I may have seen in my life on his face, and I could have sworn that there was a threat of tears in his eyes.

          “Welcome to Ireland!” he shouted. He laughed deeply in joy. He ran over to Thom, practically picking him up, and danced him around the room.

          “Will you stop that!” Thom shouted, pushing against Huey. Piper came over and laughingly pulled Huey away.

          “I think that’s enough ginger-boy.” Piper giggled. A tenderness passed between them for less than a second until Cassidy, wisely, broke it up.

          “Well, let’s close the door and then talk about what we do next.” She said, crossing the room and shutting the door.

          “I agree,” Ace commented, grabbing Piper by the arm and dragging her a little roughly next to him, “We can’t just go and gallivant into the public where people could see us. We need to find a way to blend until we can get a lead on where the Irish Cloister is.”

          “So how do we do that? Dye our hair red and get green contacts?” I asked.

          “Ha-ha very funny.” Huey said sarcastically.

          Suddenly, the shadows in the room began to move and all of the broken tables and chairs started to rearrange into a whole new room. It was a lobby of some kind. The same floor and furniture stood but it was new and different. I held even tighter to Keegan as the room began to spin. It stopped slowly, and a man with graying red hair came towards us. He looked to be around fifty and he wore a black suit with a forest green tie, as well as a Celtic cross around his neck.

          “Greetings, my name is Seamus O’Brian.”

          “Stereotypical.” Slade muttered under his breath.

          “I am leader of the Irish Cloister.” Seamus continued, “And I take it you are the fugitives of the Canadian cloister run by Ermine?”

          “Yes, we are.” Ace answered.

          “Ahhh, Ace Garret. I have heard good things about you. Your resume is practically glowing. I hope to see you in higher ranks one day.”

          “How did you…” Ace began to ask, but Seamus held up his hand for silence.

          “I am a mind reader, same as your friend Cassidy. However, I can also see into a person’s history on sight. Powers of mind reading rarely evolve like this, but it is possible and has happened, as you can see. Anyway, I know you have come here looking for aid from the corrupt Cloister you came from. As it just so happens I think that we already have a same goal. But you are hungry and tired. You may rest and have a change of clothes while I have the cooks prepare some food. We may discuss this over supper.”

          He walked out of the room, sending in maids to take us to our rooms. The young maid who took me was a short, pudgy maid named Gina. She had red, curly hair and brown eyes. She opened the door to my room with some sort of access card. The interior was a basic square with a bed to the right, a dresser to the left, and a door to a bathroom.