The Spellbound State of the Universe

Chapter 2

The same afternoon of the donut encounter, in a gilded tearoom with lush carpeting and notes of classical music filling the air, the woman who'd tried her very first donut sipped tea from a bone china cup. She sat at a corner table across from two men whose backs were exposed to the dining room. One was broad-shouldered, with sandy brown hair cut short at the sides, and the other was a leaner man with thick black curls falling to his ears.

"Are you certain Madam Quillfern?" said the first in an Australian accent.

"I really do insist you call me Eve when we're out of the compound," she said warmly.

The sandy-brown haired head shook in disagreement, face still unseen to anyone but Madam Quillfern. "It isn't right to be so informal."

"As you wish," she replied, adjusting the feather in her hair.

"So you're certain then?" he asked. "Because there isn't much time for her to learn everything."

Madam Quillfern nodded. "My vision was confirmed when I encountered her in person. Her glow is the brightest I've ever seen, which isn't a surprise considering--"

"Should we really be sitting by the window?" the curly-haired man interjected, his words delivered in an Indian accent that sounded almost regal. "I fear we are too exposed."

Madam Quillfern waved her hand in an unconcerned fashion. "Don't be bothered with any of that, he surely isn't looking for us here. And besides...I suspect he's far too focused on counting down the days until his wicked deed." She narrowed her eyes. "But it blinds him, and that's our distinct advantage."

"Along with her," added the sandy-haired man. "She'll be the difference that destroys him; won't she?"

A grave look appeared on Madam Quillfern's face. "She will certainly have to, or I'm afraid we don't really have a chance..."

***

As night fell on a sketchy street in Longwood in the south Bronx, Sheera approached a run-down apartment complex in serious need of repairs. She struggled to balance a bag of laundry and a box of donuts as she kicked open the door.

With the laundry machines in Sheera's building broken yet again, Aunt Ruth had asked her to pick up the wash so she could focus on making dinner. It had all been fine until Sheera noticed the soap dispenser wasn't actually dispensing. A few hours and two loads later she'd finally made it home.

Sweat beads began to form on Sheera's forehead as she trudged past the 'out of service' elevator sign and straight up three flights to apartment 306. As she set down the bags and fumbled for her keys, she found her gaze drifting to apartment 308. She sighed for a nostalgic moment before eventually unlocking the door.

Inside apartment 306, the Lansen family's weeknight routine was afoot; Aunt Ruth — still in her nurse's uniform — tended to a pot of stew in the cramped kitchen, while Uncle Neil tinkered with a broken toaster. The chances of him succeeding were pretty good considering he was a mechanic, but that didn't stop the sounds of frustration from grumbling out of his lips.

In the adjoining living room with the old TV and faded floral couches, thirteen-year-old Maddie struggled her way through her homework, while her fifteen-year-old cousin Ethan aimed a vintage iPhone with a cracked screen at various angles of the room. "I stole the Wi-Fi from the Johnsons again," he said proudly. "Anyone need to Google a medical condition?" He snickered to himself as he plopped onto the couch.

"I should have never let you get that iPhone," Aunt Ruth said sighing.

"You didn't," he reminded her. "I traded for it."