Lycan Pass

Lycan Pass - Chapter 16

      The next day passed by in a blur. It was the first day of out house arrest, but I didn't mind. I mostly followed John around as he gave me an interesting lecture on the laws and history of this village. I asked him about how the house arrest would effect my training, afraid he would keep me locked up and that I wouldn't be able to go. Luckily he said that I could go, but I had to go straight there and come straight back when I was finished.
      
      I slept fitfully that night, too excited to sleep. My eyes were already wide open when the Sun rose. Getting dressed took no time at all. I thought about eating, but I knew I couldn't keep much down on a nervous stomach. Mr.Jensen, an old man who ran the electronic repair store, hooted at me grouchily as I sprinted past him on my way to Marilynn's.I didn't stop when I turned to apologize, almost running into a pole in the process.
      
      Marilynn was up and waiting for me when I reached her front door. She greeted me and waived me in. I sat down across the table from her and fidgeted nervously. She wore hiking gear and a large sunhat. The smell of sunblock emanated from across the room.
      
      "Are we going for a walk?" I asked.
      "Of a sort. Follow me." She stood and waddled away without waiting for a response. I might have asked her more questions, but something told me that I would receive more answers if I waited. We walked for at least an hour before coming to a small oasis doused in sunlight. There were pink and white pond lilies floating atop the placid waters. Marilynn grabbed a blanket from the pack she was carrying and spread it out over the ground. She settled down slowly, her joints obviously not what they used to be.
      
      "Let's get straight to it, no dilly-dallying." I nodded eagerly. "Every Seer has a medium, a tool that allows the Seer to utilize their prophetic powers. My mentor's was fire, mine is blood."
      "So that's why you need blood. It's your medium!"
      "Yes, yes. What a wise girl you are!" she cooed. "What we are doing today is testing to find your medium. Now, the most common one it water, so we'll start there." She stood up and hobbled over to the pond. "Come here, child." I followed her quickly, twitching with excitement. When I knelt down beside her, she reached up and brushed back a strand of my hair. Her sleeve fell back, and what I witnessed made my stomach jump. Scars. Lots of horrible scars criss-crossing the inside of her forearm. I looked away, pretending not to have noticed them.
      
      "Now darling, this may hurt a bit." What? With a sudden strength I didn't know she had, she grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head down into the water. I thrashed around wildly. What's happening?! Why is she drowning me?! I heard her voice clearly in my head.
      
      "Calm down, youngling. Focus. What do you see?"
      
      I forced myself to stop struggling, my heartbeat to calm. I could see a slow movement before me. An almost-picture flickered into sight. It shimmered, almost, but not quite clear enough to make out. Marilynn gently pulled me up and I took in a deep breath of air. What's with me and almost drowning lately?
      
      "What did you see?"
      "I only saw very faint images. I couldn't make anything out." She made a face.
      "How odd. Seers usually only see anything at all with their specific medium, though I suppose it's possible to have a secondary medium." I quirked my head questioningly, but let her keep thinking to her self. "Alright, we need to keep testing. Come sit down." She patted a spot on the blanket. I might have argued with her, being upset with the whole "trying-to-kill-me" thing, but I was far too tired to put up a fight. I shuffled over and laid down, exhausted. Marilynn gathered pine needles, small twigs, and varying sizes of branches. She pulled out flint stones from her pack. "Help me start this fire, child."
      
      Soon the fire was roaring. I spread me hair out and let it dry. I soaked in the heat from the Sun and the fire. Frowning, I coughed up the last bit of pond water. Did she really have to try and drown me? Isn't dunking your head in enough? Marilynn interrupted my thoughts.
      
      "The next most common medium is fire." I blanched.
      "I don't have to grab a coal or anything, right?"
      "No, don't be silly. Just sit up straight and stare into the fire. Take deep breaths, and don't force it."
      
      Back straight, eyes watering from a sudden blast of smoke, I gazed into the snapping flames. On occasion it would make a loud "pop!" and send a hot ember flying my way. The fire lapped hungrily at the air, but no image formed.
      
      "It's no use, I cant see anything." I stood up and stretched. As I went to turn away, something caught my eye. "Wait." I looked back at the fire... and then at the smoke. Hazy, indistinct figures leaped about in the grayish air.
      
      "What is it? Have you found your medium?" My heart fell.
      "No, it's just as hard to make out as it was in the water."
      "Oh." I let my shoulders sag. "Don't worry, we'll find it."
      "Yeah, I suppose I shouldn't be so negative."
      "Besides," she said, winking, "this just means that you're special." I smiled.
      "Thanks, Ms.Everwaters."
      "Call me Granny, dear. We're going to become quite close over the years, and being called 'Ms.Everwaters' frustrates me."
      "Oh, right. Of course!" She smiled wistfully before squinting down at my necklace. She approached me slowly, her hand outstretched and reaching for it. A familiar warmth trickled into my chest as a soft glow ignited within the locket.
      
      "Where did you get this, my dear?" Marilynn lifted it away from my chest gingerly, as if it were a fragile thing. The light reflected in her eyes and made them flicker mysteriously. I stared into her steely-gray eyes and the dancing light came into focus. There was a clear image playing out a long past memory. Marilynn looked to be in her twenties and was laying down on a cot in the Care Unit of the Facility. Sweat rolled down her face as a nothing contraction rocked her body. There was a sharp cry afterward.
      
      "Congratulation, Mrs.Wolfsbane! It's a strong, healthy boy!" announced a doctor I hadn't noticed earlier. Another man stood beside her, holding her hand.
      "Look, Marilynn. It's our son." He handed her the newborn. That must be her husband...
      "Alexander," she said. "His name is Alexander." The man smiled lovingly at the two.
      "A handsome name for our handsome boy."
      
      "Diane? Diane, wake up." Granny snapped her fingers in front of my face. Her ancient lips curled into a smile. "We've found your medium, haven't we?" She let the necklace fall from her hand. I clasped onto it eagerly.
      
      "I can't believe it!" I said breathlessly. She stared down at me hungrily.
      "What did you see?" I was about to tell her, but a sudden, overwhelming sense of wrongness tied my tongue.
      "I, uh... saw your mentor." Granny gave me an odd look, but didn't challenge me.
      "Good, good," she muttered. My necklace cooled off quickly in my clammy hands, and the glow dimmed until it was nothing but an average locket again. I danced around excitedly, Granny laughing at me the entire time.
      
      "Now," she said suddenly, making me jump, "that is be enough for today. We should be heading back. If we hurry, we may make it in time for lunch." My stomach roared at the thought.
      "That sounds good to me." There was a small rustling from a nearby bush, a delicious scent drifting from it. "One moment." I took off on all fours and came back with my tail wagging, a fresh rabbit dangling from my mouth.
      "What is that for?" I dropped the animal and returned to my original two feet.
      "I figure that the cooks might appreciate another rabbit."
      "How thoughtful," she said, passionless. I shrugged and brought it along anyway.
      
      The trip took a lot less time than it took earlier. My mood was still soaring. Granny said that once I mastered my main medium (which may take years, she said), that we could work on strengthening my secondary mediums. I mean, it couldn't hurt to have another one in case my main medium wasn't available for use. As I turned away to walk back to the Facility, Granny grabbed me by the shoulder.
      
      "Diane, there's one more thing I must tell you. What we do or see in training is not to be shared with others."
      "Huh?" She sighed.
      "The business of the Seers has always been exactly that, the Seer's business. There are things that have always been our secrets to keep, and ours alone. Soem things are best kept away from the eyes and the ears of the public."
      "Like what?" Her eyes grew grave.
      "Say that you foresaw a woman die while birthing her child. That child is going to kill her, one way or another. That is fate. Would you rather let the couple live out their last days in tears and have the father grow to hate his own child for killing his wife, or would you rather let them live in happy oblivion and have the father think of the child as the legacy of his wife?" My stomach plummeted.
      "We really have to live with that kind of knowledge?" She grimaced.
      "No one said that this was going to be easy."
      
      I left her house feeling ill. I wasn't so sure I wanted this gift anymore. No, I told myself. There is always a bright side. You have a chance to save people from tragedies. Images of my own wreck flashed through my mind. I wouldn't let something like that happen to these people. My people. I took a deep breath and headed to the cafeteria. I quickly dropped the rabbit off and jogged down the hallways. There was only one person I wanted to see right now.
      
      I pounded on Trevor's bedroom door.
      
      "Come in," he rumbled lazily. I barged through the and closed it behind me. Trevor was stretched out on his bed. He barely glanced at me before he waived me over. I leaped from my standing point and belly-flopped heavily onto his stomach. He erupted with a loud "oof!" before tossing me off of him. I landed on the unoccupied side of the bed. We both sat up and I grinned widely.
      
      "What are you so happy about?"
      "I started my Seer training." He raised an eyebrow.
      "What did you get to do?" I hesitated, remembering Granny's warning. Maybe if I was just vague.
      "I started my Seeing today!"
      "Oh really?"
      "Mmhmm."
      "Let me guess, you want to try it out on me?" I nodded eagerly. Trevor looked nervous. "Maybe later."
      "Oh, come on! I don't have to take your blood or anything, I swear!" His eyes clouded with anger.
      "I said no." I frowned grumpily.
      "Fine, be that way!" I jumped up and stalked towards the door.
      "Where are you going?"
      "I'm going to go practice on my own!" Trevor growled.
      "Be careful, Diane. You may see something you don't like." I slammed the door on the way out. Doesn't he think I know any better?! I'm not a child! I stomped all the way to my room and stood in front of the mirror. I stared hard into my own eyes, gripping my necklace, but saw nothing. Fuming with frustration and inpatients, I was just about to turn away when I noticed something. There were small hinges on the side of the mirror. Thinking it was a medicine cabinet, I pried the rusted door open. It swung open much faster than expected and a hot gust of musty air blasted my face. Behind the mirror was a dark opening that widened into a tunnel that stretched deep into the murky blackness. Curiosity trumping caution, I clambered up on top of the wash basin and slipped into the passage.
      
      My hands skid clumsily across the walls. Something hard moved beneath my hand. A yellow glow lit the tunnel. I looked up at the ceiling and saw power lines that connecteed to light bulbs hang at even intervals. Turning back, I pulled the mirror closed, pleased to find handles conveniently placed on it. Without a second thought, I took off.
      
      The long abandoned spiderwebs that clung to the walls said that this hidden passageway hadn't been used in ages. Every sound seemed muffled by silence and secrets; it was suffocating. Even my heart seemed to be silenced by the unnatural hush. When I came to a door at the very end of the tunnel, I gave a hitched sigh of relief. I wonder what's on the other side? I pictured bursting through another mirror and scaring the poop out of some unsuspecting victim and gave a small laugh.
      
      The door opened easier than expected. It opened into a small, circular room with darkwood floors and off-white walls. It was furnished with a comfy looking red sofa, an old-fashioned record player, a regal desk and a large office chair. Half of the room's walls were windows that had sills big enough to sit comfortably on and were covered by large, red cushions and blankets. The window overlooked the river, and would be an amazing place to watch the Sun rise. I sat down on one of the cushions and a cloud of dust rose up to meet me.
      
      Warming contentedly above my heart, my necklace glowed happily, as if it were excited to be home. I grinned. I had just found a beautiful place to practice Seeing; my own little private study. Just then, a massive sneeze rocked my body. I glared accusingly at the offensive dust cloud hovering around me. Well, I'd need to clean it first.