Not A Mate

Waking From a Dream

  I wake up in a bed, but I don't open my eyes just yet. Last time I had blacked out and I had just randomly opened my eyes I got a head ache in return. I could feel a cat on me and I sniff the air, it was Zipper. So I was either home or at the Smaten's house, and considering I wasn't surrounded by the fluffy bits of a feather bed. It was most likely the Smaten's.

I hear voices, "but she incinerated the building;" said a male. A female, very angry sounding responds. "She didn't harm a single person, in fact it seems the flames from her made a point to not touch any living being." The male voice speaks again, "what about the roads she melted and the car wrecks?" My father's voice speaks, "the road you can replace. The cars were no where near the spots she melted so they crashed into themselves." A different female voice speaks, "you're not getting your hands on her. The council has already stated she was not at fault, if anything the magic users in that foolish restaurant are at fault."

So I caused some major damage when I blacked out, did I really want to find out what I had done? I feel Zipper get up and walk away and I smell a touch of brimstone, "come now child. We both know you're awake, no one else does." I open my eyes and sitting in a chair near a window that overlooked the vegetable garden was Marchosias. "There now, so much better when you look at the person speaking to you." The man (demon?) was looking very smug, as if he did something exciting and no one knew it was him.

He waves a hand in the air as if indicating this room, "I fixed it so no one knows you're awake. I even sent the boy out so we could have a nice chat." I wondered what he considered a nice chat and he smiles. "My son isn't even here, he's off having a discussion with the ones who changed your energy." I give him a questioning look, and he answers the unasked question. "Seamus is my son in a way."

I lift a finger and he waves a hand, "let me explain. Magic users and government officials know this, the cursed shifters sometimes learn this." I pause and it strikes me, Seamus isn't crazy; Marchosias notices the look on my face and nods his head. "Yes, it has something to do with their sanity. The demonic energy they receive when cursed has to come from somewhere. When he was cursed, and I found out he was a wolf I gladly donated a demon wolf for it. Now," he waves a finger. "You should not tell anyone we were talking, or I will make you forget." I nod my head and he continues, "good. Now How much the demon father pays attention to the life of their new child determines how sane they are. This is generally why all of the cursed start sane and degrade over time. I prefer to only donate if I plan to pay attention to my child." He smiles, and I wonder if he had gone to the restaurant intentionally.

He chuckles, "oh I was at the restaurant intentionally. However, not necessarily because you were there. I had a feeling something regarding my son would occur there so I made a point to be there. As to the government experimenting on Seamus to find a drug to calm cursed, it's not hurting him any to try the drugs. However they won't find a drug to stabilize any of them."

I begin to wonder why he was telling me all of this especially if no one knew this last part. He grins at me like a creepy uncle does and I feel a chill, "oh I am getting to that child." He taps his head, "when I so graciously snapped your mind out of where it retreated I fixed something in there no one knew was broken. I am surprised your Lady hadn't fixed it by now," he rubs his face a moment. "Or maybe she was waiting to see if I would permit it's existence," he waves a hand as if saying no. "It doesn't matter, it only matters that now it is fixed and this should make thing more interesting. It shouldn't have any effects at a distance, at this time though." He grins, "now I should go before that boy comes back to check on you. Aside from my son he hasn't left you side, my son only did because your Dr made him." He grins again, that man (demon?) needs to work on his communication skills if he was attempting to reassure me. It was not working, not with the creepy vibe coming off of him.

He vanishes, then I see the door get bumped open and I hear a happy cat meow and I see Zipper jump up onto the bed. He turns back to Greg halfway onto the bed, and he hugs me. "I was so worried you wouldn't wake up, the doctor said you would though." I hug the poor boy back, he must have been beside himself. I hear quick foot steps on the stairs and my father and Dr Peter rush in. My father joins Greg in the hug and Dr Peter gives me a once over, "good the foolish boy hasn't done anything permanent to you." He waves a finger at me before I can say anything, "yes I am blaming Jake on this. You, from what I have heard were very tolerant in there. Starillite, gave a memory accounting of what transpired inside the restaurant." I blink, if that was the name of the female gargoyle then she did a wonderful thing. Magic users can use an altered memory charm to take a copy of your memories of an encounter, it is generally used in important court cases.

Dr Peter smiles, "the boy was properly shocked when he saw it. Though he doesn't quite understand that he insulted you about the price of your gown. He does know that maybe he shouldn't have commented in there about paying for it for you." My father stands up chuckling, "I saw what you did there Nancy. Nice way to get him to eat his own words, wait till he finds out you have more money from your inheritance from me." I shake my head, I knew at some point my father would transfer money to me. I had already talked to Simon about it. It'll be put into a separate account just like my mother's family money, I don't use any of that money unless I have to.

Dr Peter shakes his head, "the sad thing is most of the people in that restaurant that night have no idea that some shifter families have more money than the five top magic user families. Also Nancy," he looks serious. "I have used a little bit of the power I have in the community and if they are permitted to open another restaurant like that they will be obligated to inform people in advance about their ward against mind voices. There are magic users who are in need of their strong ties to their familiar. Even our restaurants don't permit familiars in them." I nod my head, and I look to my father. "How much damage did I do."

My father's face freezes, realizing I had heard the conversation that went on. He answers me in a gentle tone, "not as much as you think. Yes you destroyed the restaurant, let me tell you the chef was so angry about what the waiters did he might have done it if you hadn't. Then you kinda melted the roads you ran down till you hit that stretch of forest on the edge of the city. A bunch of cars swerving from surprise, as you were on the shoulder not the road itself. Caused a series of crashes that no one was harmed in aside from vehicle damage. I have paid for all of the damages including the road resurfacing." I give my father a look, and he crosses his arms and gives me a very good parental stare. "Listen Nancy, this is not your fault. This is also not like a wolf who has zero control of themselves, you did control yourself and the people who refused to see what they were doing pushed it. If anything they should be made to pay, including Jake. Not Peter, but Jake should have to do something to make this right."

Dr Peter nods his head, "I am in total agreement with that. So for the next six months during the stage of his training where he needs to learn to differentiate what needs fixing verses what does not. I am going to have him work in an inner city soup kitchen six days a week. He will be required to interact with the people there, and learn what it means to not have anything and how to interact with others. He will probably hate this segment of his training." I nod my head, Jake didn't strike me as a type to work in a soup kitchen. Send money to one once a year in some big televised event? Yes, but not work in it.

Kitten? Oh good you're awake, I'll be seeing you in a few hours I am having a conversation here. I mentally snort, if that is what you want to call it. I feel a chuckle come from Seamus and I feel him go back to what he was doing. The door to my guest room bumps open, like it had for Zipper and Dang appears on the bed. I give the cat a dirty look and he looks at me offended, Dr Peter's head whips around and he pushes the door shut and stands in front of it. "No Jake, you were told to stay in the car," I could hear a hand pound on the door. "Let me see her, I want to apologize; and see where she'd like to go instead." I blink astounded that he still thought he should peruse this. My father scowls and speaks to be heard through the door. "Get away Jake, you are not allowed near my daughter now. If you press this I will have Simon issue a suit against you, that your grandfather is not permitted to assist you with. Also I suggest you head back to that car before Doug or Brenda find you, if Mary finds you; I suggest you make peace with what ever God you believe in." I then hear a chorus of shouts in the house, "Jake how dare you attempt to come near her." The very angry voice of Doug is heard approaching the other side of my door swiftly.