*Hope!*
I sat bolt upright as I heard Taranee's voice inside my head. *Taranee? You're back?*
"Hope, are you okay?" Mom asked, breaking off her conversation with Collins.
"Bathroom," I said hastily, dropping my spoon into the bowl of soup I'd been eating and running for that room. *Is everyone okay?* Her mental voice sounded fainter than I remembered it.
*We're okay. I can't talk long at this distance though. Are you okay? Miss Rudolph said she hadn't seen you!*
The news took a weight off my chest that I hadn't realised until it was gone. They were safe! *I'm with Mom and Professor Collins at home,* I explained quickly. *I'll fill you in once you're closer, but I think things are going to work out.*
*That's good. Do my parents know?* she thought worriedly.
*Not yet.* I'm not sure she heard me though. She didn't reply.
When I looked in the mirror I realised that there were tears running down my face. I wasn't sad or afraid any more, but now I was crying? "Silly," I told my reflection and used a cloth to wipe them away.
"Are you okay in there?" Mom opened the door a crack and saw my face.
'Will's safe', I mouthed quickly, before she could get the wrong idea. I mopped at my face again. "I'm sorry, everything just hit me at once."
"Oh honey, it's going to be okay." She put her arms around me.
"I know... I... I'm just crying for some reason."
Mom took the cloth and helped me dab away the tears. "It's been a bit of a strange day, hasn't it?"
I nodded jerkily.
Collins cleared his throat from outside the room. "Is there anything I could do to help?" he asked nervously.
"Put some plates over our bowls, Dean. We may be a moment or two." She waited until his footsteps told us he'd gone back to the kitchen. "He's a sweet guy," she confided. "I wish that Will could see that."
I didn't say anything.
"You don't like him either?"
Great. "I'm not getting involved in this, Mom."
"You're part of this family, you are involved."
"Mom... okay, look. The first time I met him, I'd really been excited about going to school. It wasn't something I'd been able to do: Will really didn't have to talk me into it, I was happy to. I could go out, meet our friends, have new experiences. And then, first class, history. I left that class feeling about two inches tall. I know he isn't always like that... but when I look at him I just can't forget that class."
"It was that bad?"
"It felt that way." I took her arm as she started to head towards the door. "Look, since then he's been okay and I get that no one's perfect. Don't make a big deal about it."
Mom scowled. "It is a big deal, Hope. It doesn't matter if it's you or Will, no one gets to have a go at my daughters."
"I think Vathek got off lucky then." Oops. I probably should not have said that.
"Oh really?" Mom took a seat on the toilet and gestured for me to sit down on the edge of the bath. "So what's your history with him?"
"Well, not so much personally. I met him in Metamoor after he joined the rebels there. The thing is, before that he worked for Cedric."
"This would be one of the enemies?" asked Mom. "I have to admit I have trouble seeing someone called Cedric as a problem."
"You wouldn't say that if you saw him. He's this horrible snake-man thing." I shivered. "And however bad Professor Collins was, he's a thousand times meaner. He had Elyon threaten to kill me if I didn't steal the Heart of Kandrakar for him."
"And Vathek worked for that monster?" Mom exclaimed. "How could you possibly have anything to do with him?"
"Well he stood up to him later. And he was pretty nice when I met him. I wasn't feeling so well after... uh, after coming through the portal so he carried me around on his shoulder most of the time."
"Well I suppose that that was nice of him." She still looked unhappy though. "It does leave me with a few questions though: why did the portal leave you unwell, why were you in Metamoor anyway and why is this Phobos your enemy. From what you say, Elyon is his sister..."
"Yes. And if he'd just taken her back and stayed there probably no one would have ever known. But she kept coming back, baiting the others and luring them into traps. From what we've seen, Phobos is a tyrant. We don't know for sure what he's after but with the way he keeps trying to bring down the Veil between worlds he wants to come here. And I don't think he's planning on bringing cookies and tea."
"This sounds more and more like a chidren's cartoon."
"That'd be nice."
Mom gave me a look. "How do you mean?"
"I've seen those things! No one's ever really hurt and they always end with a laugh." I hung my head. "I guess real life isn't that neat and tidy."
"Well maybe it is this time," Mom suggested. "You said that Will's okay, right? Are the others?"
I nodded. "That's what Taranee said."
"How did she tell you? Some sort of magical telephone?"
"She's a telepath - you know, speaking to me with her mind."
"A telepath!" Mom shook her head. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. So they all have powers like that? Can she tell you when they'll be back?"
I spread my hands. "We're outside her usual range, she barely got through with a quick message to me. They're going to come here though. I expect they'll check with me once they're closer to see if it's safe to come in."
"Why wouldn't it be safe?"
I nodded towards the door. "Do you want him here for the explanations?"
Mom froze for a moment. "I..."
"Imagine, for a moment, having what's likely to be a... um... emotional discussion with Will, with him in the room," I suggested. I could imagine it all too well.
She sighed. "I guess not."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.
I sat bolt upright as I heard Taranee's voice inside my head. *Taranee? You're back?*
"Hope, are you okay?" Mom asked, breaking off her conversation with Collins.
"Bathroom," I said hastily, dropping my spoon into the bowl of soup I'd been eating and running for that room. *Is everyone okay?* Her mental voice sounded fainter than I remembered it.
*We're okay. I can't talk long at this distance though. Are you okay? Miss Rudolph said she hadn't seen you!*
The news took a weight off my chest that I hadn't realised until it was gone. They were safe! *I'm with Mom and Professor Collins at home,* I explained quickly. *I'll fill you in once you're closer, but I think things are going to work out.*
*That's good. Do my parents know?* she thought worriedly.
*Not yet.* I'm not sure she heard me though. She didn't reply.
When I looked in the mirror I realised that there were tears running down my face. I wasn't sad or afraid any more, but now I was crying? "Silly," I told my reflection and used a cloth to wipe them away.
"Are you okay in there?" Mom opened the door a crack and saw my face.
'Will's safe', I mouthed quickly, before she could get the wrong idea. I mopped at my face again. "I'm sorry, everything just hit me at once."
"Oh honey, it's going to be okay." She put her arms around me.
"I know... I... I'm just crying for some reason."
Mom took the cloth and helped me dab away the tears. "It's been a bit of a strange day, hasn't it?"
I nodded jerkily.
Collins cleared his throat from outside the room. "Is there anything I could do to help?" he asked nervously.
"Put some plates over our bowls, Dean. We may be a moment or two." She waited until his footsteps told us he'd gone back to the kitchen. "He's a sweet guy," she confided. "I wish that Will could see that."
I didn't say anything.
"You don't like him either?"
Great. "I'm not getting involved in this, Mom."
"You're part of this family, you are involved."
"Mom... okay, look. The first time I met him, I'd really been excited about going to school. It wasn't something I'd been able to do: Will really didn't have to talk me into it, I was happy to. I could go out, meet our friends, have new experiences. And then, first class, history. I left that class feeling about two inches tall. I know he isn't always like that... but when I look at him I just can't forget that class."
"It was that bad?"
"It felt that way." I took her arm as she started to head towards the door. "Look, since then he's been okay and I get that no one's perfect. Don't make a big deal about it."
Mom scowled. "It is a big deal, Hope. It doesn't matter if it's you or Will, no one gets to have a go at my daughters."
"I think Vathek got off lucky then." Oops. I probably should not have said that.
"Oh really?" Mom took a seat on the toilet and gestured for me to sit down on the edge of the bath. "So what's your history with him?"
"Well, not so much personally. I met him in Metamoor after he joined the rebels there. The thing is, before that he worked for Cedric."
"This would be one of the enemies?" asked Mom. "I have to admit I have trouble seeing someone called Cedric as a problem."
"You wouldn't say that if you saw him. He's this horrible snake-man thing." I shivered. "And however bad Professor Collins was, he's a thousand times meaner. He had Elyon threaten to kill me if I didn't steal the Heart of Kandrakar for him."
"And Vathek worked for that monster?" Mom exclaimed. "How could you possibly have anything to do with him?"
"Well he stood up to him later. And he was pretty nice when I met him. I wasn't feeling so well after... uh, after coming through the portal so he carried me around on his shoulder most of the time."
"Well I suppose that that was nice of him." She still looked unhappy though. "It does leave me with a few questions though: why did the portal leave you unwell, why were you in Metamoor anyway and why is this Phobos your enemy. From what you say, Elyon is his sister..."
"Yes. And if he'd just taken her back and stayed there probably no one would have ever known. But she kept coming back, baiting the others and luring them into traps. From what we've seen, Phobos is a tyrant. We don't know for sure what he's after but with the way he keeps trying to bring down the Veil between worlds he wants to come here. And I don't think he's planning on bringing cookies and tea."
"This sounds more and more like a chidren's cartoon."
"That'd be nice."
Mom gave me a look. "How do you mean?"
"I've seen those things! No one's ever really hurt and they always end with a laugh." I hung my head. "I guess real life isn't that neat and tidy."
"Well maybe it is this time," Mom suggested. "You said that Will's okay, right? Are the others?"
I nodded. "That's what Taranee said."
"How did she tell you? Some sort of magical telephone?"
"She's a telepath - you know, speaking to me with her mind."
"A telepath!" Mom shook her head. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. So they all have powers like that? Can she tell you when they'll be back?"
I spread my hands. "We're outside her usual range, she barely got through with a quick message to me. They're going to come here though. I expect they'll check with me once they're closer to see if it's safe to come in."
"Why wouldn't it be safe?"
I nodded towards the door. "Do you want him here for the explanations?"
Mom froze for a moment. "I..."
"Imagine, for a moment, having what's likely to be a... um... emotional discussion with Will, with him in the room," I suggested. I could imagine it all too well.
She sighed. "I guess not."
D for Drakensis
You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.