World of Make-Believe: Khirsten's Story

It's Like A Family

They parted and Joe excused himself. Khirsten watched him walk out of the room and shared a clueless glance with Lisa. She looked to Devon and Chelsea, arms crossed against the terror of the world she didn't know. She stepped forward and waited for them to stop talking in their hushed whispers. Finally Chelsea looked at her. She took one look at Khirsten's expression and tugged on Devon's sleeve. He stopped fiddling with the paper he had been holding, hurriedly tucking it away. He turned to her, his brow raised. A look of boredom and arrogance smeared across his features.

She did not see what Chelsea found so appealing about this brute.

"Yes?" He drawled, as though he had been waiting on her and not the other way around.

"I want to learn how to use my magic." She smiled as his eyes widened. "That got you, huh?"

"Excuse me?" He nearly spat.

"Don't act so superior."

"Oh my," Chelsea interceded, "Khirsten, you have to realize he's from a different world. They act differently there. Devon," She placed a hand on his chest, "you need to realize she's a woman and she's sensitive to your emotions. Now teach her. We need her magic, we will all lose without her power."

He huffed, "Not necessarily." He growled, pushing past Chelsea and stepping up to Khirsten, towering over her, "Very well, Selkie." He bit, "But you had better be ready for some intense training."

"Okay." she took a deep, steadying breath. "Starting when?"

His eye narrowed and a sadistic smile crept over his face, she felt her heart drop immediately, "Now."

With a snap of his fingers and a burst of red smoke he was gone. She looked around bewildered as Chelsea sighed, placing a her head in her hand.

"You have to find him." She offered weakly, her hand waving around aimlessly in demonstration, "But you have to use your magic to do so. And I'm sure if you don't find him before this storm hits he'll be taking it out of your hide."

"Is he always so difficult?" Khirsten almost screamed.

"Yeah." Chelsea offered a pity smile, "Yes he is."

"Okay, so what do I do?" She stood helplessly in the middle of the living room.

"So what I did was calm my body, I imagined myself reaching in and touching my magic, using it to locate his magic. It's all a very mental, inward process. You kind of have to tell yourself you want to do this, or need to do this and imagine yourself dong it."

Khirsten went to the couch and sat cross legged, letting her hands relax on her knees. She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes. It seemed to take hours for her mind to still long enough for her to concentrate on herself. What an awkward process. She sighed, rolling her eyes mentally.

"Now," Khirsten began to monologue, letting Chelsea know what she was doing and how to guide her, "I'm imagining my magic within me. It's a huge, white, fiery ball of power."

"Good, good." Chelsea whispered, afraid to break Khirsten's concentration.

"I'm reaching for it now, activating it. My hand is around it and I'm pulling it towards my chest." Khirsten's voice changed slightly as she raised her hands to the center of her chest. Suddenly she felt something very warm and fluttery, like holding a butterfly in her hands. Startled she opened her eyes. It vanished.

"Oh darn!" Chelsea exclaimed, "But that's okay. That's fantastic. You're doing way better than I ever did."

"But I lost it." Khirsten sighed, miserable.