Manifesting | kotlc

- chapter - nine -

"Where are we?" I asked as Eamon knocked on the front door of a house I have never seen before. 

If one could even call it a house. It might as well be labeled a cottage, being that the house was small and made of wood, and it was buried deep within trees. We originally went to his house and talked with Sophie for around three minutes before she handed him a sketchy colored crystal to make the travel to where we currently stood. 

It calmed my nerves when the familiar face of my pyrokinetic mentor answered the door, but I still felt slightly nervous that I didn't know where I was and she answered the door before Eamon could answer my question. "Thank you for bringing her, Eamon. Tell your mother I said hi and that I'll bring her back to your house when the meeting is finished." 

"Okay, bye Aunt Marella." He turned to me and gave my hand a squeeze. "And don't get too nervous, they're not going to kill you," he told me before making the small trek to the random spot in the woods we leaped to. I assumed that's the way to get out as well. 

Marella laughed as she let me through the door and closed it behind us, thinking of what he told me. "Did you really think I invited you here to be murdered?" 

"It was a thought," I admitted, slightly ashamed. 

"Out of all of us, you're the least trained meaning the most likely to let loose and burn us all to the ground. Do you expect you'll do that?" I shook my head. "Then we're fine." 

"Why are we in a cottage in the middle of the woods?" I asked. "You guys know what our ability is, right?" I could feel the similar itching to set the fire ablaze. 

"It's almost symbolic, you could say. We're all sitting in the middle of what everyone expects us to go crazy for, yet we're being as calm as ever." The way she stared around the house affectionately got me thinking, especially as I stared at a picture frame on a wall. 

"Is this where you live?" I asked as she led me towards the loud voices coming from the opposite direction of the house. I was worried about meeting a room filled with people with the same ability as me, who majority had to be in hiding because almost every publicized pyrokinetic was famous simply because of the ability. 

She nodded. "It keeps me grounded in a way." With those words she gestured for me to walk inside her living room, which was filled of elves of all different genders, sizes, and ages that for some reason were all brought together because of one thing: fire. 

Everyone seemed pretty entertained in their own little social bubbles, but a few people turned to look as we entered through the doorway. "Is this our new recruitment?" One woman asked and I almost gasped when I realized it was Mavis Elmer, the first elf to manifest after the ability was made legal once again. I remember hearing that she got lots of hate and was made isolated by her peers, but here she seemed so carefree and was laughing with the man beside her. 

"Hi," I replied, shyly waving my hand. I internally beat myself up, and I was sure my face was beat red. 

"This is my prodigy Novena Madigan," Marella introduced me with a proud grin. "She's got big things in the works, I'm telling you. If only she wasn't so convinced she would die if she came out." 

I frown at that, but the man beside Mavis laughs. "Well, it certainly does feel that way at first. But after a while you realize you the true people you want around you are." The look he shares with Mavis is one I've only seen between those of couples that are almost too in love. 

"This is Grover Leanora," Marella gestured to the man in introduction. "He's not exactly in hiding but it's obvious you haven't heard of him so he's doing his best at avoiding." He doesn't get offended but laughs at her joke instead.