Little

Chapter 8

"No! Wait! Let me back in!" Stephen screamed at the closed door.

He pounded on the door. It was no use. It wouldn't open and no one would let him in.

Inside, Peter was all alone. He didn't understand why they had threw Stephen out.

"Why is Mr. Strange outside?" he asked Mordo while pointing to the door.

"He was...rude," Mordo replied.

"Do I stay inside because I'm a nice boy?" Peter asked, clutching his toy.

"Of course," Mordo said. 

Peter smiled and giddily ran off.

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Five hours had passed, and still, banging could be heard on the door. He was still there. Mordo walked into the main room where three masters, and the Ancient One were discussing matters.

"Thank you, Masters," she said to them as they started to leave. She turned to Mordo. "You think I'm wrong to cast him out?"

"Five hours later, he's still on your doorstep," Mordo said, chuckling.  "There's a strength to him."

"Stubbornness, arrogance, ambition, carelessness...I've seen it all before," the Ancient One said with a flat tone.

"He reminds you of Kaecilius?" Mordo said cautiously. The runaway student was currently the main source of their problems. First killing the librarian, then stealing the pages from the book.

"I can not lead another gifted student to power, only to lose him to the darkness," the Ancient One said, while fiddling with a contraption that was controlling a holographic projection of the Earth that floated above them.

"You didn't lose me," Mordo said. "I wanted the power to defeat my enemies. You gave me the power to defeat my demons. And to live within the natural law."

"We never lose our demons, Mordo," the Ancient One said. "We only learn to live above them."

"Kaecilius still has the stolen pages," Mordo said, trying to convince her. "If he deciphers them, he could bring ruin upon us all."

"There may be dark days ahead. Perhaps Kamar-Taj could use a man like Strange. Maybe teach him some lessons along the way."

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Meanwhile, outside, darkness had fallen. Stephen sat outside the door. "Don't shut me out," he said, groaning. "I've nowhere else to go."

The door suddenly opened and he fell backwards. "Thanks..." he said, groggily. After all, he'd been sitting outside for 5 hours.

Mordo led him to a room with two beds. Peter was sitting on one bed, in the right corner, playing with his toys. Now, instead of his blue jacket, he was wearing a red hoodie with a black stripe pattern all over it. When the door opened, he looked up. "You came!" he said joyfully.

"Bathe, rest, meditate if you can," Mordo said. "The Ancient One will send for you."

He handed Stephen a piece of paper with the word shamballa on it.

"Uh, what's this?" he asked. "My mantra?" he added sarcastically.

Mordo just looked at him. "The Wi-Fi password," he said with a faint smile.  "We're not savages." He left and closed the door behind him.

"Wi-fi!" Peter said. "I need the wi-fi!" 

He snatched the piece of paper from Stephen's hand before he could react. A little flare of pain shot up his right hand.

He sighed and set down his bag. He wished he could be as comfortable as Peter, but he had other things to think about. 

He took out the cracked watch, and flipped it over. Christine had given it to him. On the back were the words "Time will tell how much I love you."

Turning around, he saw Peter had fallen asleep already, in the midst of his scattered toys.

Would time tell?