Magic is not everything

CHAPTER 8

Kasandra recounts

In the morning when we wake up Zoey tells me we should hurry if we don't want to be late, plus there's a six-hour time difference between New York and Italy so we'd better take advantage of the time, plus today we had  magic hour with uncle Derek today and I'd do well if you're not late.
" You will like Italy, the view, the city, the atmosphere, the food, especially the food will be so great."
After I put on my jeans and a green blouse, and Zoey borrows clothes from me, she takes a golden key out of her bag.
" What's with the key? "
Zoey looked at me strangely.
" Have you really never heard of such a thing?"
I raise my eyes in surprised.
" It's a transport key, I've never had such a thing, with this we can travel all over the world.
"Exactly, you just didn't think we'd fly, did you?"
Put the key in the door of the room and turn the key several times to the right and several times to the left stable latitude and longitude, I wanted one too.
I open the door and enter through it, then I blink several times to get used to the landscape, I'm really in Italy.  The sun shone in the sky, the birds sang, the smell of fresh country air entered my nostrils.
"  Welcome to Italy." Zoey said happily.
" It's great! "
Then I let Zoey drive me down the street where we come across a cafe.  We sit at a free table outside, and a waitress comes to us dressed in a green suit and a white apron and does not put lemonade on the table.  I look at the people around me, they were all so happy, they were talking, laughing, the waitress was moving like a whirligig beside them filling their glasses with wine or lemonade, spreading plates with food specific to the area spaghetti, pizza and something I think was called lasagna.
" I hope you're hungry," Zoey said.
" I'm famish. "
The woman brings us a huge plate of pizza from which the cheese drips in an absolutely delicious way.I reach for the slice of pizza in front of me when something catches my eye I am perplexed... can't...can't be...it's impossible...an old man with white hair, crooked glasses and  tweend costume passes in front of us without even noticing us, my gaze goes to Zoey who was turned her back on what I saw I rubbed my eyes, maybe I can't see well, maybe I didn't sleep enough, maybe I dreaming, anything  it's possible, but I'm not lucky, I see grandpa Pym going to the cafe and sitting next to two children who didn't seem to be more than twelve or thirteen years old, they seemed to be twins with their brown hair, wait a minute...those are uncle Michael and aunt Emma, I can't, what was I looking at?  Without thinking, I go to the cafe and approach their table, they didn't even seem to notice my presence as if I weren't there, even though I'm in front of my uncle and aunt and grandpa Pym  witch was turned his back on me. But I don't understand, where my mother was, shouldn't she be here too?
Then they start talking about I don't know what those morum cadi , an orphanage and the mother who seems to be using the Atlas that protects her siblings and it seems she hasn't returned yet. Aunt Emma didn't want to take his word for it, she said she had to help my mother, grandpa Pym looked at them both sternly, explaining that they had nothing to help, that she was on her own, but he was  surely she will be able to find a way, considering her a remarkable person. I didn't know that my grandfather appreciated my mother so much, then he started talking about the nature of time, that everything we knew as past, present and future already existed and that my mother had to wait for them somewhere in the future.
" But why would he do that?"  Aunt Emma asked.
Grandpa shrugged.
" Who knows?  We'll have to ask her when we'll see her.  Until then, we must continue our life.  That's what she would like. "
I had looked at them, they were both worried, but the grandfather had given them hope, aunt Emma who was absolutely amazing with confidence in the my grandfather, in the my mother, clung to that hope and knew that everything would be fine, and after looking at uncle Michael and I know that he agreed with me, but I still didn't understand what was going on.  What orphanage were they talking about?  What were morum cadi?  Why didn't my mother return from the past?  Was it okay?  What time had she gone?  When would she return?  And more importantly, what was so necessary to do in the past that she was allowed to stay there?
Although they were aware that they could not see or hear me, I went to aunt Emma and grabbed her hand and whispered in her ear.
"Don't worry, aunt Emma, my mother will be back and you will see that everything will be fine, she will be here again, she will never leave us, she loves us and will return,  and as soon as you can figure it out, she'll be here.  You have trust! "
Maybe it was just in my mind, but I had the feeling that aunt Emma had heard me, and her hand shook mine lightly.
Smiling.  I can't believe this is really happening, I don't know how I got to be here, to see them, to finally meet my grandfather, I had turned my gaze on him, it was just like the  foto in my room,  just as my mother had described it to me, I was so happy, we didn't realize I was starting to cry.
I approach him and put a hand on his shoulder.
" I love you, grandpa Pym. "  And just like aunt Emma, I noticed she was looking around for me.
"Kasandra!  Kasandra! "
Someone shook me by the shoulders.
" Kasandra ! "  I blink. Where was I?  What's going on?
" Zoey? "  I see my friend who has a face that is imprinted with worry. What happened?
" Tell me about that, you was here a second ago when suddenly your eyes began to shine like diamonds and you had a lost look.  What happened to you ? "
" You don't believe me if I told you."
" Try me. "
Without saying anything, I walk into the cafe, Zoey comes after me.
" Kasandra, what's going on? "
But I don't answer, I look in the cafe, no sign of grandpa Pym, uncle Michael or aunt Emma, they are not here.  I feel a hand grab my arm, it was Zoey who was scared.
" Kasandra, what are you doing? "
" I don't know exactly what to tell you. Let's go to our table. "
" But... "
" I'll explain after we leave, I promise."
She looks at me skeptically, but says nothing and then we eat in peace.