Enchantment book 1 : The Moonstone

CHAPTER 5 (PART 3)

           

"Ok, I'm sorry", he says, standing up and tapping me on the back.

"It's just that Bethany explained the context of your arrival to me and I was really anxious to meet someone who understands me. You're like a mirror, Lou. You and I have experienced the same things, just from different sides. How about we start from scratch?"

He stands in front of me, offering me his hand.

I take it tentatively, not sure what to make of the walking paradox that is Zach.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Zach, human adopted by an enchanter and happy to be here. And you?"

"Lou Mills, enchanter adopted by humans and completely confused."

"Don't worry about it, you'll probably find all the answers to your questions here."

He answers as if he knows exactly why I've come.

"What else do you know about me?" I ask.

"You were adopted at the orphanage and you just discovered your powers. Nobody knows who your biological parents were and Charles discovered you by chance. That's pretty well it, I would say. I'll be your humble guide during the next two next weeks, if you like. I imagine it will be good to have someone with you who knows a little bit about where you've come from."

"It's a deal if you can stop with the sarcasm!"

He laughs out loud, offering me a blindingly white smile.

"Tell me, Zach, are there other humans living among the enchanters?"

"No, in fact, I'm the only one. Bethany had to go in front of the Council and I had to visit a sorceress who cast a non-divulging spell on me, which means I could never reveal the location of this place, or even talk about what I know of the enchanters' world to any human being. That way, they can be sure I'll keep their precious secrets. Anyways, for them, I'm nothing more than a pet, a simple lap dog to be trained...I hate the Council."

"I heard a little bit about them... Lord Black?"

"Lord Black is a dark and pretentious character. I hope you don't meet him tonight."

"Tonight?"

"The ball, it's at his Manor House. As Lord Black is the one who finances the Academy, it's traditional for the opening ball to be held at his place. But you probably won't run into him, he detests crowds and evening soirees."

The simple idea of finding myself near him chills my blood.

"Are you coming?" I ask, crossing my fingers, "I wouldn't want to be the only black sheep among the rest of the lambs."

"No, certainly not. I'm not invited to those events. Anyway, I have to prepare the combat equipment. I'm the one who gives the course and tomorrow morning I have to give my introduction to the students."

"You, you teach courses to enchanters?"

"An enchanter's only advantage is his or her gift. When it comes to hand to hand combat, they're at the same level as any other human beings. Once I figured that out, I signed up for any type of martial arts course I could find. That way, there was a little less distance between me and the other superheroes surrounding me. And the more indispensable I become, the less chance there is for them to abandon me."

In that final statement, I can see the sadness creep into his face, sadness that I recognize because it's also haunted me my whole life. The fear of being abandoned is probably familiar to anyone who has experienced rejection or the loss of his or her biological parents. My pain was thankfully eased yesterday when I found out why my mother offered me up for adoption.