The Doorknob Society (The Doorknob Society Saga) (5 page)

“What is it a false wall trick, the coats are a nice touch.” I was unimpressed and crossed my arms over my chest. I walked forward and look behind him trying to figure out the trick.

“Let’s make this easy.” He grabbed me pulling me through the door into the closet. He yanked the door shut behind us and then swung it open again just as quickly and we tumbled to the floor covered in coats and unused hats. I looked around and found myself in the living room once again.

“What?” I scrambled to my feet and backed up looking around the room. It happened again just like last night, one place one moment and then somewhere else the next.

“It’s not a trick, Chloe.” Dad pulled himself up and sat on the arm of the couch.

“No, this is just wrong. “I shook my head trying to understand what had just happened. “You’ve shown me illusions since I was little. How’d you do it?”

“No tricks, no false walls, just reality.”

“So what are you saying this is real magic?”

“Not magic, an ability that only our kind can use.”

“Our kind? What are we, aliens or something?” I ran my hands through my hair. This was all too weird even for me—surreal—as if I was living someone else’s life. But there was a part of me that felt at peace. It was as though I had always known there was something different about me and this just confirmed it.

“Nothing like that, we refer to ourselves as Old Kind. We’ve been around since before recorded history and have unique abilities.”

“Old Kind, well that’s not at all creepy.” I rolled my eyes and sighed.

“Trust me. It’s not that bad.”

“You’re saying I can do this doorknob thing?” I asked a bit reluctantly but also curiously.

“Yes, all Masters can.”

“This is how we got out of Paris and how I escaped the consulate?” I asked, remembering the odd feeling in my stomach as I struggled with the stairwell door and then suddenly finding myself on the hotel room floor.

“Yes, in times of great stress your latent powers activated.”

“But I traveled halfway across the city. How is that even possible?”

“It’s complicated but the easiest explanation is we travel through dimensions that humans can’t begin to comprehend. What are miles for them... are mere steps for us.”

“Right, and just who was the guy chasing you and the free for all when we got here?”

It was Dad’s turn to sigh and he looked at me with sad eyes. “Chloe, listen to me. You’ve got to understand that this is a dangerous world you’re entering. You’ll make friends and enemies and our family has many of both.”

“Who was he and why was he after you?”

“That’s too long a story to explain right now, just know that I’m doing all this to keep us safe.”

“You should have told me?” I said, resentment creeping back into my voice.

“Your mother and I wanted to wait until your powers manifested. Some children of the Old Kind never possess the ability and it can be hard on them. We wanted to spare you that.”

“So you were worried I wouldn’t develop, but you said all Masters do?” I asked biting back my anger.

“I was being cautious, and I was worried that if you did know you’d have been trying to open doorways since you were a toddler.”

“You should have told me.” I looked up at the family pictures on the wall and it suddenly dawned on me that my whole family had known and no one had ever told me. It made me wonder what other secrets they were keeping from me.

I stood crossing my arms and kicking the last of the old coats away with my sneaker. “Someone should have.”

“Let me tell you something. Sometimes you just have to trust that a person is keeping something from you for your own good. And if you can’t trust family then who can you trust?”

It was almost as if he could read my mind. I wasn’t only angry with Dad, it was more than that, I was mad that my entire family had known and had said nothing. Dad, Uncle Archie, my grandparents and I supposed even Mom.

“I have something for you.”

Dad left the room returning moments later. He held an old and well-worn book. He handed it to me. “They haven’t updated it in a while so this has become something of a family heirloom,” —he smiled proudly— “and now it’s yours.

I took the leather-bound book that smelled musty. I turned it over looking at the tatty old lettering scrolled across the front and traced the gold inlayed letters, reading aloud, “Official Handbook of the Doorknob Society,” —smaller lettering beneath read— “For strict use of the Doorknob Society only. No other may read or possess this book.”

I flipped open the book and on the inside of the cover were a list of names of former owners. I saw Dad’s name and Uncle Archie’s and the list went on almost covering the entire page. I closed the cover and hugged the book to me.

“Thanks.” I couldn’t say why but I felt grateful he had given it to me. I didn’t know everything that was going on and it all seemed so otherworldly. But I finally had something to hold onto and learn from.

“No worries, the book will get you started but the real good stuff you’ll learn at school.”

“You mean the Paladin Academy?”

“That’s why you’re going there. The Academy has been around for almost as long as the Society. It’ll teach you how to control and use your abilities.”

“So it’s a school for the Society?”

“No, we’re not the only ones who have power. There is other Old Kind as well along with their distinct powers and rules. But the school is the one place where we all come together. It’s a safe haven for people like us. And when times are tough, as they are now, it is the safest place to be.”

Dad stared off into space as if considering something. I had the distinct sense that much more was going on than me simply discovering my powers.

“Times are tough... how?” I asked.

“Well,” Dad took a deep breath and explained, “although all the groups work together at Paladin in the real world many of us are at odds. There are some groups like the Mapmakers Union that work with everyone but then there are others that we have uneasy truces with. At the moment some of those truces are strained to say the least.”

“Why?”

“Some members of the Society have disappeared and an old foe of ours is being blamed.”

“Who?”

“The Skeleton Key Guild.”

When he said the name the room turned cold so quickly that it sent a shiver running along my spine.

“From the creepy sounding name I guess we don’t like these guys?”

“You could say that. We’ve always seemed to be at odds but things have gotten worse recently. Occurrences, like last night, and some recent disappearances aren’t helping.”

“And you think these Guild guys are behind it all?” I asked getting sucked into this new world that was so foreign and yet so intriguing.

“Who’s to say? I know some of the people who’ve gone missing and I wouldn’t put it past them to just disappear on their own. But you never know that’s why it’s best to be cautious.”

I knew Dad wasn’t telling me everything. He looked away from me as he talked and was choosing his words carefully, trying not to scare me. I thought about Mom and how she had vanished. Could her leaving us have something to do with it all? I know Dad said they were recent cases but maybe I could finally figure out why our picture perfect family fell apart. I wanted to know everything.

“So everyone in the family is a member of this Doorknob Society and the Society protects us?” I asked trying to process all new names and ideas that crowded my brain.

“Almost all in the family.”

“Almost? So who is the black sheep, Uncle Archie right?’ I added with a grin.

“No, it’s actually...me.”

“Wait— what?”

Dad scratched his head and I could see he was struggling with something. Was he wondering whether or not to tell me? He ran his hands through his hair and leaned back on the couch trying to assume an easy posture.

“The fact is I got kicked out of the Society.”

“What?” I yelled with a mixture of anger and total confusion. This couldn’t be right. It wasn’t like he was some crazy rebel who always had to buck the system. He liked to sit back and watch cartoons with me on rainy afternoons and was always there to encourage me. I couldn’t imagine him getting kicked out of anything.

“It happened when your mother left. I disobeyed an order from the council and was expelled from the Society. Many disagreed with the decision but it stood nonetheless. The Society won’t offer me protection but with you joining the Paladin Academy you’ll be safe.”

Dad was trying to keep me safe with no regard for his own safety. I felt like a fool for even questioning him.

“I know what I’m doing, Chloe. Don’t worry this may all turn out to be nothing.”

“Okay,” I said, though I wasn’t buying it. Dad could be right and maybe this all was just some silly mistake and I had no reason to worry about him... and then maybe it wasn’t.

I sat on the couch staring at the family pictures on the wall and saw them all in a new light. My odd and eccentric family in all their glory stared back at me. And I slowly connected the dots of events in my life back to this crazy knowledge that we were all different.

There was the time Grandma and I had gone to the restroom in a packed restaurant when I was four only to find all the stalls taken. The next thing I knew I was home using our bathroom and when we were done we were suddenly back at the table. I told Dad and he and my grandmother had argued. Then there were the times Grandpa would disappear during the day and would come back at night dressed like he had been to the arctic even though it had been blistering hot outside. I recalled all the times I had played pirate in the backyard with Uncle Archie hiding the treasure chest and it was never in the spot I had been so sure about. Dad would laugh and tell him to knock it off and then suddenly the next spot I dug I would find the treasure.

Moment after moment ran back through my memory. Scenes of half remembered days with Dad seemingly disappearing and reappearing before I could question what had happened to him. And now after all these year it finally made sense.

And then in the back of my mind I saw another figure shadowy and unclear. Her slim form drifted toward me, her long blonde hair flowing and her laughter as we played. Her laughter was easy to remember, it sounded like a soft melody. I recalled how she would pull me into her arms and hug me tightly. She smelled like sweet flowers and she always wore a wide smile that would make me smile. I hadn’t thought about Mom and the fact that she too had attended Paladin Academy.

“What about Mom?” I asked quietly.

“What?”

Dad seemed genuinely confused by the question and completely unsure of either what I was asking or how he should respond. I couldn’t tell which.

“She went to Paladin Academy right? So she had abilities too?”

“Um, well, yes, she did.” Dad hesitated for a moment and then continued. “Your mother was rather gifted. It was what drew us together.”

“What happened, Dad? Why did Mom leave?” I had grabbed his hand and thought maybe this time he would answer me since he had been revealing family secrets that maybe this time he would finally tell me the truth.

“Chloe, I think this is something best left for another time.”

“It probably would be if you would ever talk more than a couple of words about her. Why can’t you just tell me what happened? She’s my mom; I have a right to know.” I stormed off the couch and stomped to the window looking at the peaceful street dotted with Victorian style homes similar to our own. The serene scene did nothing to comfort me. It only reinforced the picturesque life that we once lead was gone. And still no one would tell me about my mom.

I heard Dad get up and then felt him behind me. For a moment he did nothing but stand there, and then he placed his hand lightly on my shoulder.

“I know I’ve given you a lot to think about tonight, Chloe. And knowing you, there is still a lot you must be itching to know. I’m sure it seems completely unfair to you not to know about your mom.”

“It is unfair,” I said.

“Be that as it may, it isn’t time just yet. There is a lot I want to tell you about your mom and me but it is going to take time. You need to come to grips with what you’ve already learned tonight. And please try and remember that you’re not the only one who lost her.”

His words stung even as he said them. I remembered Dad running his thumb over his wedding ring constantly whenever the subject of Mom came up. I knew Dad still loved her, but I was angry with her for leaving us and him for not telling me why.

I placed my hand over Dad’s hand and continued looking out over the quiet street. I considered everything he had told me and realized I felt relatively calm about it. It was as if I had been waiting my whole life for someone to tell me the truth and someone finally had. I knew right then and there that I was going to do everything I could to learn about my family and our abilities at the Paladin Academy. If that was where my mom and Dad had met maybe I could learn more about her there. And just maybe I could find out why she left us.

“Thanks, Dad.” I said as I patted his hand.

“Why don’t you get some rest? We can talk more tomorrow.”

I turned around and he smiled at me. I threw my arms around him and hugged him fiercely. He kissed me lightly on the forehead and I walked back to the couch and scooped up the Doorknob Society handbook.

“Night, Dad.” I said and hurried out of the room and up the stairs.

I collapsed on my new bed, closing my eyes and trying to concentrate. I needed to get my bearings just to be sure this all wasn’t some weird dream. When I opened my eyes again I was still lying on my bed in the attic of the house I loved. I glanced around the room and already had a million ideas of how I was going to decorate it and make it my own. Tomorrow when I got up I would walk over to the Washington Street Mall and pick up a few things. And I’d have to get some plants in here as well.

I rolled to my side and felt the edge of the handbook digging into me. I reached down and pulled the book up and flipped it open. I glanced over the long list of family names that covered the inside cover, most I recognized but some I didn’t. I turned to the first page.