Out of Breath

Chapter 23

It took all day, but by nightfall, Raven was returned to us.

I can't tell you how good it feels to go home knowing Terry will never be there again. As we walk into the house, the biggest burden to my life is gone.

"Terry is gone for good," I tell Raven.

Ma, Raven, and I sit on the couch. Our home has peace once again.

"Ma, I think you need to tell Raven the truth," I say.

She still is spineless.

"Okay."

Raven looks at me with big, wide eyes. I go to speak, but nothing comes out. I still feel the pain and betrayal of learning he isn't really my brother, well not blood brother. Raven will ALWAYS be my brother!

This is harder than I thought. "Listen, Raven. You will always be my brother. I want you to know that. Brothers for life."

He just stares at me like a rabbit.

"But you see, we aren't really brothers. No, that isn't true. We are really brothers, but you just have different parents than I do." I try to explain this complicated mess.

He stares.

"You see. You are really a Skitler. Ma has just been raising you. But, don't get mad at me for not telling you. I just found this out myself, but that changes nothing. You are really my brother and always will be."

He stares. What is he thinking? I give him a hug. He deeply returns it.

"Does this make sense?"

"Yes. I have always known," Raven replies.

Stunned, I fall off the couch. I haven't heard his voice in months and months.

"You talked," Ma says, clapping her hands, then wrapping them around Raven.

"That's what happens when you kick that awful Terry out." I say.

Suddenly, I remember the tea. Did it really break the spell, or is it because Terry is gone?

"I talked at that center," Raven says. I can't believe I hear his voice. This is surreal.

"It is the tea," I say.

"What tea?" he asks.

"The tea that one of the witches gave me. They said they put a spell on you to make you want to stay close to home so Klabin wouldn't find you. They said they made you scared and shy, so that is why you have been shy your whole life."

"Who is Klabin?" He looks confused. Well, he always looks confused, but now he has words! Maybe he will express himself more.

I still can't believe he is talking to me. A cockroach scuttles across the floor.

"The dark Skitler," I tell him.

Raven shudders.

"Ma," Raven says, turning to Ma. "The people at that center said with lots of speech therapy and mind therapy, I can be good as new. I want to be like other kids. Can I still get that therapy even though I am not there?"

I still can't believe he is talking so much.

Ma looks at her lap. "I am sorry. There is no way I can afford that."

Raven's expression drops. Poor boy. I can imagine he wants to be normal. He has spent his whole life as a virtual nothing.

"Wait a minute," I say with a smile. I run into my room and pull the envelope from Nutter out of my hiding spot. I come back and open it in front of Ma and Raven.

"Would this help?" I ask as I pull the wad of money out of it.

Ma and Raven's eyes go big. "How much is in there?"

"Eight thousand dollars."

I learned Nutter had gotten a hundred thousand for Clairlion's jewels. Apparently, they were worth four times that. He didn't mind taking a three hundred-thousand-dollar loss. Nutter had been kind enough to send a little back my way.

"Oh, that will help. That will help!" Ma cries as she claps her hands. "That will more than help."

We spend the night talking, which has been the most fabulous night of my life. The next morning, it is nice to sleep in. No more of Terry's Bible study.

I lay in bed, recollecting at how well everything turned out. I couldn't be more happy.

I now know what really happened to my Pa, well almost. Maybe he is still alive; one can only hope.

Terry is out of our lives forever!

Clairlion is out of our lives for good.

We have money.

And the best of all, Raven talks. He is no longer scared of his own shadow.

I can't wait for all the adventures we are now going to go on.

Raven wakes up and talks, and talks, and talks. I guess he has thirteen years to make up for.

"So, I have a question for you?" Ma asks as she makes us breakfast. "Do you have dark magic?"

Raven looks at her, confused. "I don't have magic. That was never me."

"It was all me," I confess.

"How do you have magic? Raven is the witch."

"Well, I don't really have magic. I can stop time."

"What?"

"Stop time."

"How can you do that?"

"All I have to do is hold my breath."

"Since when did you find this out?" She seems perplexed.

"I have only been able to do it this school year."

"But how so? Like, did you just wake up one day and boom, you could stop time?"

"No. I had wondered for a long time why I started doing this, and then I realized it had happened when Raven's ma had done CPR to me."

"CPR! Did you almost die?" Ma asks in shock. She collapses in the chair next to me.

"Yeah. I drowned, but then Desdemona saved me and did CPR. She breathed into my mouth, and I believe that is why I can stop time. The breath of a witch."

"Isn't Desdemona that little witch we gave a ride to the other night?" Raven asks.

"Yeah."

"Are you saying that is my Ma?"

"Yes."

"But, she is younger than me."

"I guess that was her disguise. She is really Ma's age."

Raven thinks for a moment.

"I wish I would have known she was my ma."

"Well," I say, picking up three fishing poles. "Would you like to go meet her?"