The Family Circle

Chapter 4: An Alchemist? Alchemy? What's that?

Chapter 4

An Alchemist? Alchemy? What's that?

I opened my eyes to the sun in my face. It was morning. I slept in a bed that wasn't mine, I looked around, it wasn't my room either. Then I remembered all the things that happened yesterday. Aunt Kelly, Sarah, everything. I got up from the bed and looked out the window. I saw our school through Sarah's guest bedroom window. It was only about a kilometer away. While I was looking at the school I remembered. SCHOOL! Darn, I forgot, Sarah said we were gonna talk today, but last night I was so caught up with what she was saying that I forgot about the fact that there was school today! I quickly went out the room and to my suprise I saw Sarah in the kitchen making breakfast. "Good morning" she said as soon as she noticed me. "Morning. What time time is it?" I asked, trying to look around for a clock. "It's almost 10, you sure took your time sleeping" she said letting out a giggle. "What?! Ten?! We'll be late for school!" I said with a worried tone.

"Relax genius, there's no school today" Sarah said calmly. "What? How come?" I asked, sitting down on the leather sofa. "Because three people were killed inside the school yesterday. Two students and an adult" she explained, putting on a serious look on her face as she told me. No way. I thought Sarah was joking at first, but the look in her eyes gave it away. It was true. "A murder?" I asked her, trying to compose myself. "Apparently. C'mon over to the dining table will ya? Breakfast is ready." Sarah asked me to help set up the table, so I did. After we were done eating breakfast she brought back the topic. "Did you hear about the homicides going around here? Especially with the use of fire?" Sarah asked me. "Yeah, I've read about them on the news." I replied, finishing my water after. "Police suspect it's the same guy that killed the other 7, there were burn marks on the victims bodies." Sarah shifted on her chair like she was on to something.

"Who were the victims?" I asked her with curiosity. "The students were Dave Park and Thomas Hickey, the adult was the school nurse. Nurse Carsley." When I heard what Sarah said I thought I heard her wrong. "I'm sorry did you just say Thomas Hickey and Nurse Carsley?" I asked her with hope that it wasn't the people I knew. "Yes Kai, yes I did, you didn't hear me wrong. I know you're familiar with the nurse, but do you know the students?" Sarah asked. The name Thomas repeated in my head. Oh no, it's happening again. Why? Why Thomas of all people? What was he doing there at night? Nurse Carsley too?! This can't be! I hammered down the table with my fists, causing it to shake and shift the plates and glasses. "Woah there" Sarah said. "Calm down." I looked her in the eye with death in my eyes, "Heck yeah, I knew one of them. He was a good friend too" I murmered. Like I said, this is a cruel world, there's no escape from it. I lost my Aunt, now Thomas, and Nurse Carsley's dead too. Who was taking the lives of these good people? Why?

"I'm sorry to hear that." Sarah replied, fixing the plates and utensils. "I'll wash these plates real quick, you better calm down, then we'll talk." Sarah collected the plates and utensils on the table and brought them to the kitchen sink. She started washing them. I just sat there. I felt like my life was being torn apart. Too bad mom is in Hamilton. I have no one at the moment. I wonder how much longer I'll last. In what seemed to be 5 minutes Sarah was done doing the dishes. She sat at the table and put her hands together. "Now, I'll be blunt here Kai, you're not who you think you are." Sarah said narrowing her eyes and giving me a cold face. "The last thing I need is someone telling me I'm not Kai, so what the heck does that mean?" I asked her letting out a sigh. "I'm not in any way kidding Kai. you're father is one of the greatest alchemists of all time, in short, a legend." Sarah explained. "Say what now? A legend? What's an alchemist?" I poured these questions at her, she mentioned my dad after all, and a legend? Seriously?

I couldn't believe her at first, and I don't think I would have until she got up and decided that it's hard to explain, so she decided she would show it to me while she explained. Sarah went to her kitchen and took out a chalk from one of the drawers. "Follow me to the living room" she said holding the chalk in hand. She bent down and kneeled on the floor, and started drawing a circle. "Alchemy is the ancient metaphysical science or mystical art of manipulating and altering matter by using natural energy. This act is known as transmutation." She explained. "I don't understand so you change and alter the particles of an object?" I asked. "Something like that but not exactly, c'mon Mr. Arc, you're the smart one here not me, I'm not the one who got perfect scores in science and most of the subjects" she giggled. "Just continue" I said.

"Okay" she said, rolling up her sleeves. "In order to begin an alchemical transmutation, a symbol called a Transmutation Circle is necessary. A Transmutation Circle can either be drawn on the spot when a transmutation is necessary. It can be drawn in chalk, pencil, ink, paint, thread, blood or even traced in dirt, or permanently etched or inscribed beforehand, but without it, transmutation is supposedly impossible." she explained. I tried my best to keep up and understand. "Basically, it's doing the impossible with a chalk and your own hands" I said. "Well you could say that if you want, but alchemy is real" she said. "If alchemy is real, why didn't my dad ever tell me, or why doesn't any normal person know it?" I asked. "Alchemy is kept secret from the world, I don't know why but it is, and your dad probably did tell you but you just dont remember" she explained again. Great, now I'm accused of having amnesia.

"Go on then" I told her. She nodded, "Right, all transmutation circles are made up of two parts. The circle itself is a conduit which focuses and dictates the flow of power, tapping into the energies that already exist within the earth and matter. It represents the cyclical flow of the world's energies and phenomena and turns that power to manipulable ends." She went on. "I see, so a transmutation cannot be done without drawing a circle that represents the flow of energy or power?" I asked. "In short, yes that is correct." she replied. She looked me in the eyes, "Consider alchemy as a really hard subject, it's science just more harder and complicated, there are lots of thing you need to learn" she added. Great, just what I need. "Okay, continue" I said again.

"Okay, Inside the circle are specific alchemical runes. These runes vary widely based on ancient alchemical studies, texts and experimentation, but correspond to a different form of energy, allowing the energy that is focused within the circle to be released in the way most conducive to the alchemist's desired effect. In basic alchemy, these runes will often take the form of triangles. Which, when positioned differently, can represent the elements of either water, earth, fire or air." she explained. I was starting to get lost in this complicated explanation, but I managed. "Okay, so correct me if I'm wrong, but in summary there are a lot of different types of transmutation circles?" I asked her. "Yep, you got it, so the alchemy that is being performed depends on the alchemical rune" she explained.

"I have a lot of research material and I'm gonna need you to study it." Sarah said. Great. Studying. Yay. She went in her room and came out a minute later holding 4 thick books which I suspected, all about alchemy. "Here, read all these books in the guest room, I'll be going out for a while and I'm gonna quiz you when I get back. You can take a shower if you want too, I've picked up some clothes from your house this morning, so you've got a decent amount of clothes in the closet of the guest room. One more thing, don't try alchemy until I'm back. Well, I'll be off then. Cya." Sarah put on a coat, grabbed some keys from a shelf and went out. She left me with the 4 books in hand. Jeez. Well, might as well shower first. Then I'll start studying this alchemy thing.