Drew Fate

Chapter Two

That night, on the last night Drew would be at his house before going to Franklinia, Drew sat with his family while eating dinner. Oftentimes, Drew would heat up leftover food for him and his sisters while his mother was out working. This time, Ms. Fate had prepared a large feast for Drew's last night.

"Hey, Drew?" Emy said slowly. "You'll write and tell us what ability they activate, right?"

When a child graduates Placement school and goes to the academy they're assigned, at just age eleven, a specially trained Elder will do a weird mind trick to activate an ability inside you. Your ability is something in your genes, and only an Elder can activate it to bring it out. Drew had been silently dreading finding out what his would be. Would he have atmokinesis, and control the weather like his mother? Would he have the same ability as his father?

"I'll write," Dew promised. Emmy smiled.

***

Drew sat on his bed, looking at his hands. The door creaked open, and when he looked up, he saw Mom standing in the doorway.

"Hey Pick," she said softly. Dad had given Drew the nickname Pick a long time ago. "Can I come in?"

Drew nodded. Mom came in and sat down.

"Are you ready for school tomorrow?" she asked with a smile. Drew nodded slowly. "You know, you look a lot like your father."

Drew glanced at Mom. She hadn't talked much about his dad since his funeral five months ago. She'd mention him occasionally, but she always got teary eyed when she did.

"He went to Franklinia, right?" Drew asked cautiously. But Mom just smiled and nodded.

"Yes he did. He was one year ahead of me. He wasn't top of his class, and he got detention a lot, but everyone liked him. It was so long ago. I remember those years like a dream."

A tear slipped down her cheek.

"Do you know what he said to me the moment we got engaged?" she asked with a soft, far away smile.

Drew shook his head.

"He said, 'As of right now we're living a dream. The best part of dreams is that anything is possible in them. Whether you want to fly or become king of the world or eat fifty gallons of ice cream and not get sick. Issa, you are the one thing that makes my life a dream,'" she said softly. "I remember because he wrote a song with those exact words."

Drew nodded. He didn't really know what to say.

"I'm sorry that I have to go. If you want, I'll stay here, I promise," Drew said heavily. Mom turned to face him quickly.

"Oh, no Drew. You have to go. This is what you want! I'll be fine here, Emy can help with Kimmy, and I can always invite Mrs. McCaa over once they get back from wherever they are." She smiled. "Besides, don't you want to go to the place your father learned everything?"

Drew sighed. "I know. I do. But won't it be hard here? Just you and the girls? You know they can be hard, and you need me to help you."

"No, I don't. You're going to Franklinia, and I'm staying here. Besides, the girls are gone at placement school most of the time. I'm fine."

Drew hesitated, but he let it go. He couldn't argue with his mother. She always won.

"Your schedule arrived today, too. You have Professor Echo. He was my favorite," Drew's mom said softly.

"Really?" Drew said. He wanted to sound interested, to keep Mom happy. Even though he didn't really care at all. "What do they teach?"

"He's a history teacher. You'll love him. Oh, you also have Professor Dahu. He's a little mean, but his class is fun. Chemistry."

"I look forward to it."

They sat in silence, unsaid words racing through their minds.

"Your uncle Thorne will be there. I don't know what he does at that school, he's not a teacher," Mom finally said.

Drew groaned. "That guy? I've seen him twice in my life, and both were at funerals. He didn't talk to us, he didn't look at us, he barely acknowledged that Dad was there the first time!" Drew shook his head. "Now I really don't want to go."

"Now now. He's still family, even if he doesn't really talk to us. I just want you to be nice to him. And I thought you'd want to know."

Drew rolled his eyes. The first time he had seen Thorne was at his great great grandma's funeral. Dad had been close to her, but Thorne apparently didn't care.

Just to be clear, Cumulains, or non-humans, can live up to one million years.

"I should go tuck Kimmy in," Mom said softly. "She wanted me to read her a story, and I said I'd only be a minute with you."

Drew nodded, and he didn't move for a few minutes after his mom left the room. When he did move, he moved over to a board on his wall.

"Feni McCaa," Drew said. After a few seconds, Feni's face appeared on the screen.

"Dude, now really isn't the-" he started.

"Did you know that my butthead of an uncle is going to be at Franklinia?" Drew said, exasperated.

Feni blinked once, then shook his head. "Is he a teacher? I thought he ran a tuxedo shop or something."

"He runs a costume shop, but it has a lot of tuxedos... Anyway, he's not a teacher. He just... I don't know. Mom just dropped it on me and ran out. Now I kind of don't want to go. Do you know where I'm coming from?"

Feni blinked once again, then slowly nodded.

"Listen, Drew, I'm really busy right now," Feni said.

"With what?" Drew asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's not like we have any work to do. No school, remember?"

Feni shrugged. "Look, I'm just busy. I have stuff to do before my parents get home."

"Are they coming soon?"

"No, not really. But I don't have any exact time." He scratched the back of his neck, and Drew slowly nodded.

"Okay," Drew said. "See you tomorrow then?"

"See you tomorrow," Feni nodded. A second later, the board was blank.