The Familiar (18 page)

I feel myself getting weak in the knees, but Mom puts her hands on my shoulders and I feel her strength penetrate my body.

“Hazel, please don’t tell anybody about this, okay? It could be very dangerous for you… If Rufus White or any other dark witches or wizards with illicit intentions found out about your powers, they might want to take you, use you for experiments or as a weapon. It used to happen, Hazel. Whenever someone displayed even the slightest hybrid attributes they were at risk for capture. You have no idea the lines some witches and wizards are willing to cross just to possess the kind of power you have. You’re healing powers are significant, Hazel. You need to protect them.”

“But, Akiko and Jared… They already know.”

I can see she’s trying not to panic. “Do you trust them? I mean
really
trust them, Hazel? Trust them as if your life depended on it?”

I don’t hesitate to answer, “Yes.”

She takes a deep breath. “Okay, well, I guess I’ll have to take your word for it right now.”

“So, what now?” I say, feeling a simultaneous sense of relief and tension that confuses me.

For the first time in my life, Mom actually looks dumbfounded. “I don’t know, Hazel, but it’s best you keep a low profile for now. I’ll think of something.”

“Okay,” I say softly. I feel tired, my body weakening with every step. She puts her hands on my temples, and kisses me on the forehead.

“Go to sleep now, my love,” she says, as she and the dreamscape slowly fade away.

26

I open my eyes and see Louise fast asleep next to me. I decide to go for an early morning swim. Somehow, having the waterfalls to myself first thing in the morning seems like a cathartic way to start the day. Outside, the silence is almost unnerving. The only sound is my flip-flops, as they make squishy sounds when I walk. I dip my toe into the crystal blue water, expecting it to be icy cold, but instead it feels like bath water. When I dive in, the water skims my body. As I swim, floating on my back and looking up at the waterfalls above me, I almost forget my worries.

Suddenly though, I get the sensation I’m being watched. I search the perimeter to see if anyone’s lurking, but see no one. I scan the treetops and branches for unusual birds, but again I see nothing. The sensation is strong, and I know in the pit of my stomach that someone’s out there. I decide to ignore it and hope whoever it is loses interest and goes away. But then I hear a voice behind me, and whip my head around.

“Good morning, Hazel!” says Brad in a chipper voice.

I look at him suspiciously. “Oh. Hi, Brad… Have you been there long?”

“Nah, I just woke-up. I had one too many hot chocolates last night,” he says jokingly.

I pretend to laugh, not wanting to hurt his feelings.

“I’m going to dry off and get dressed for breakfast,” I say as I get out of the water and wrap myself in my towel.

Brad smiles and gives me a friendly wave. “Okay! See you in a bit.”

When I get back to the pod, I find Louise just waking up.

“You’re up already?” she asks groggily.

I find some clean clothes to change into and reply, “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep anymore, so I went for a swim.”

She gets out of her sleeping compartment, and stretches. “I hope breakfast is ready. I’m starving.”

Once we’re dressed, we head out to join the rest of the campers. I peruse the buffet and grab a couple of breakfast burritos and a big bowl of cinnamon raisin oatmeal. Just as I’m about to dig in, Maya makes an announcement, “Good morning! We hope that you’re all enjoying the outing. Mirror Falls is truly a special place, and we’re glad to have shared it with you… Enjoy your breakfast, because afterwards, we’ll be packing up and heading back to camp.”

Everyone thinks she’s done talking, but she clears her throat and continues, “Instead of going back the way we came though, we thought it might be more challenging to make it into a race…”

The minute she says race, we look at one another with dread.

“We’ll be giving all of you maps with different routes, and it’ll be completely up to you to decide which one to pick. Additionally, we want you to do the race as shape-shifters, not in human form. Feel free to be as creative as you like. Does anyone have any questions?”

Lance and Donovan raise their hands up simultaneously.

“Lance? Donovan?” Maya questions, unsure which twin will speak up.

Lance sits down, allowing Donovan to speak, “So what does the winner of the race get?”

“Well, Donovan, I’m sure you’re not the only one who was wondering about that. One of the things we try and teach you at camp is that not everything is about a prize, or about stats. Sure, it’s important sometimes, but what we do as familiars is not necessarily about getting something in return. We want to achieve success by being the best at what we do, and helping the greater good with our talents. So I want you to just have some fun, and let your competitive juices flow.”

Donovan sits back down, looking mildly disappointed.

Akiko frowns at us, and sighs. “I knew that a nice relaxing camping trip was just too good to be true.”

Louise nudges Akiko. “Hey, lighten up. It’s just for fun!”

We finish our breakfast, and get back to our pods to gather our belongings. There’s a knock, and Alicia peeks in. “You guys done in here?”

I stuff my swimsuit into my backpack, and zip it closed.

“I think so,” I say, looking around to make sure I haven’t left anything behind.

We carry our stuff and join Alicia outside. She walks to the side of the pod, and points at a small red button. “This is the collapse button.”

We stand back as she presses the button lightly. After a second or two passes, we hear a high-pitched buzzing sound followed by a crumpling noise, as the pod shrinks back to the size of an egg. Alicia bends down to pick it up, stuffing it into a velvet pouch.

“Come on, we’re all meeting up in five minutes,” she says, gesturing for us to follow her. We walk to the edge of the clearing where everyone’s already congregated. Brad is handing out little golden capsules as Maya stands aside and addresses the crowd.

“These capsules are what we call mental map caps, or MMCs. Once you swallow it, the map will be imprinted into your memory. As you travel your chosen route, it’ll show your progress much like a GPS system. Once you swallow your MMC, you may drop your backpack on the floor. We’ll make sure it gets back to camp safely.”

We watch each other swallow the capsules, then leave our bags in a big pile in front of Maya.

“Okay, you should soon be able to see the map. At the sound of the whistle, the race will commence,” she shouts out. We stand on alert, and wait. Finally, a high-pitched whistle echoes through the forest. Most of the group takes off running in different directions, while others stay in place with their eyes closed, mentally planning their moves. I see the map in front of me, as if it’s a hologram projected for only me to see. A few routes are highlighted in black, and after studying them I choose the more treacherous one, since it looks like the quickest way back to camp.

The trek requires an almost vertical climb on the side of a cliff, then a steep incline downhill which leads directly back. Making the trip by air will be the quickest, albeit the most challenging. I think back, recalling one of Mom’s books about birds I’d flipped through on a whim. I remember reading about the swift, and how it’s the fastest bird when it comes to level and climbing flights, but that the peregrine falcon is the fastest at diving flights, especially when catching prey. I sprint into the forest and look for somewhere with a high vantage. I catch site of a spot where a dead tree has fallen over into a ravine, and decide it’s a good place to take-off from. I look at my hands, suddenly noticing that I forgot to remove Mom’s ring. Not wanting to lose it during the transformation, I do the only thing I can think of. I take it off and put it into my mouth for safekeeping.

When I feel ready, I close my eyes and think of a graceful black swift flapping its wings with the air pushing its feathers like the rudders of a plane. I take a deep breath, and run towards the edge of the ravine, one, two, three steps, and then I jump off. I shift midair, and flap my wings frantically until I establish a steady glide. I feel the large silver ring in my beak, and clamp down on it. I rotate my beady eyes, and locate the vertical cliff, then dip to the side, and head towards it. I fly as quickly as I can, and with the wind pushing me from behind, I’m able to reach my destination in no time. As I approach the steep rock wall, I start flying upwards, higher and higher. Despite the strain of flying up the steep incline, I’m able to clear the cliff. The panoramic view from this height allows me to study the terrain up ahead. In between the mountains and cliffs below I see the camp. I fly towards it, and picture a falcon diving with its sharp talons reaching out for its prey. Suddenly, I feel a jolt as my wings get longer and my speed accelerates uncontrollably. I’m flying down, almost as if I’m freefalling. When I near the bottom, I level my body and my wings catch air so that I’m gliding evenly over the treetops. After a few minutes, I get closer, and the field behind the main house appears as I fly to the other side near the large oak tree. I zero in on a sturdy tree branch, and land gracefully, my talons gripping tightly. Just beyond the field, from a distance, I detect another bird making its descent.

My competitive nature kicks in, and as I watch the bird fly closer, I hear Mom’s words in my head asking me to keep a low profile. I picture the fear on her face, and I make a decision. I shift back into my human form, and pull the silver ring out of my mouth. I slip it on my finger, tap it three times, and put my hand in front of me, making sure I’m invisible. As I leap off the tree branch and land on the grass, I realize that it’s Samir’s falcon flying towards me. I run, and as soon as I pass the large water fountain near our dorm, I hang back and watch.

Samir arrives near the entrance of the main house, shifting back at the front steps. He looks around and grins cockily when he realizes he’s alone. Ivana and Jared emerge from the house and give him congratulatory handshakes. Suddenly, an eagle swoops down, and transforms midair into Khari. He does a somersault and lands several feet away. When Khari sees Samir, he looks disappointed, but greets him with an outstretched hand and a smile. As they chat, a roar echoes, and two mountain lions emerge from the forest at full speed. As they approach, they shift back into Lance and Donovan. They halt, breathing heavily as they join the group.

I’m tempted to step out at this point, but decide to wait for one more to arrive before revealing myself. It’s then that a cheetah leaps gracefully out of the bushes, landing with a crouch on the ground. The cheetah transforms into Louise, and as she stands proudly and smiles, belting out a, “Woohoo!” as she joins the group.

I look into the distant forest and hear the rumbling sounds of other animals approaching the camp at top speed. I feel for the ring on my finger, and tap it three times. When I see myself appear, I emerge from behind the fountain. Louise and Jared spot me, and Louise shrieks loudly, “Hazel!” and starts jumping up and down cheering me on. I jog over, and Louise gives me a congratulatory slap on the back, as I pretend to be out of breath, inhaling and exhaling dramatically. Within moments, everyone else starts to arrive, lions, tigers, leopards, wolves, horses, various kinds of deer and birds. The group grows larger as the minutes go by. I look at all the naked bodies chatting with one another, and grin. It may have been hilarious to me a few weeks ago, but now, it doesn’t even faze me.

“So, did you enjoy your camping trip?” says Jared’s voice from behind.

I turn, my tangled wild hair whipping around my shoulders. “Yeah, it was fun.”

“Well, if you’re not too tired from the whole experience, we can have our session this afternoon,” he suggests.

“Yes, of course. That would be great,” I say enthusiastically.

He grins as he walks off. “Okay, later after lunch then.”

After Jared’s gone, I make an inconspicuous exit and head back to my dorm to relax, shower, and put some clothes on. When I get there it’s still pretty empty. I immediately head for the bathroom to take a long shower, standing under the steamy water for a good while. Afterwards, I put on my bathrobe, and turn on my laptop to check my email. The first thing I see is a message from Mom:

Dearest Hazel,

It was wonderful seeing you last night, and I hope in a small way, it made you feel less homesick. Please take what I said to heart. Try not to attract attention to yourself. It’s been peaceful for too long, and I have a feeling that dangerous times are ahead of us. The tides are turning, and the light that has prevailed may soon be shadowed by darkness. Because of this, I worry about your safety. You know I’ll do my best to come up with a plan, but in the meantime, please do as I request.

I love you always,

Mom

I feel emotional reading her email. I click reply, and write:

Dear Mom,

Thanks for visiting me last night. I was skeptical at first, but I’m glad that it really was you. I promise I’ll do my best to stay away from the limelight, as challenging as it may be. Today, I pretended to come in sixth place during a challenge, even though I’d already won. Your ring helped me tremendously, so thanks for having the hindsight to lend it to me. I have a feeling that it’ll come in handy again in the future. I’ve got to go now, but try not to worry so much about me, Mom. Believe it or not, I’m actually a lot tougher than I look… I’ll write again soon.

Love,

Hazel

I click send, and turn my video chat on. I see Andy’s online, and before I’m able to send him a chat request, he’s already sent me one. I press accept, and wait for his face to appear on screen.

“Hey, stranger, How was camping?” he asks casually.

Somehow, he manages to look even more handsome, his jawline is more defined, sharper, and his upper body looks chiseled as if he’s been spending afternoons in the gym or something. It hasn’t even been that long since I’ve been gone, but there’s something more mature about Andy, his eyes, wiser and more soulful.

I raise an eyebrow and continue examining him. “What have you been doing to yourself? You look different… Like you’re hitting the gym…”

I can see that he’s trying hard to keep cool, but I know that underneath, he’s feeling nervous, fidgeting with his hair and biting his lip.

“No biggie. Just helping Dad out on the boats. He’s also got me doing the deliveries this year, so I guess lifting all those cases of fish must be paying off.”

“Hmmm… But you don’t even have a tan,” I point out suspiciously.

“You have my mom to blame for that. She’s suddenly paranoid about skin cancer, and has me slathering on the sunscreen,” he says, making a dramatic goofy face.

I can’t help but giggle, imagining Claudia chasing Andy around town, brandishing a bottle of SPF 80 like her life depended on it.

“Okay, that makes sense. I think your mom’s been watching too much of the Discovery Health channel again.”

Andy makes an exaggerated face. “No, seriously, tell me about it! Okay, but enough about me, and my lack of a tan…How’s camp? Anything new?”

I feel bad, knowing that I have to lie to him yet again. But I guess it’s more important now, more than ever, to keep things a secret.

“Nothing mind blowing, just the usual geeky art stuff. Camping was fun though. I got to stuff my face with S’mores.”

As he laughs, his eyes get all crinkly in the corners, and a small dimple appears on one side of his lip. I feel myself blush, and hope he doesn’t notice.