I walked to the shower staggering and highly dizzy from getting up too fast. The remains of the pain from the memory were still threatening to reactivate as my heart kept skipping a beat like it was being held by someone. The excruciating pain I had got during the memory was still lingering. It felt more than just from the memory.
Getting into the shower after stripping, I let the cool water run down my back and slowly my breathing eased and my shivering reduced until it was done. When I was done I grabbed my towel and dried myself before dressing up and flopping back into my bed. Since this was a Sunday I was free to wake up at nine. The only problem was that I had no sleep at all.
I grabbed my phone from under my pillow and looked up Kendall's number before dialling. Kendall had been my best friend for the longest time in all my friends. He was the one I would look for first before anyone else. We were like brothers. I let the phone ring hoping we would get a chance to hang out at Ciara's again. I was planning on stopping time during their little football game and getting the upper hand.
Ring. "Hey, Kevin," I heard Kendall through the phone. In spite of the fact that I wanted the artras to help me through the pain that seemed to be coming from my dreams, I thought it would be better if I consulted Mr Bergstrom first. "Umm. Kevin. Helloo," he said snapping me out of my trance.
"Are we going back to Ciara's today?" I asked him.
"No. Not today," he said which caught me off guard, "Ciara had to go to Armensia to deal with a rather serious issue. During the game, someone stopped time. The council of magic is holding Ciara responsible."
"What? Is she going to be okay?" Alarm clear in my voice.
"I don't know. She's ordered us to lay low and she said she'll take care of it," Kendall said.
"Okay, well. I'll call you later." I said before hanging up and preparing to meet Mr Bergstrom. I get dressed in jeans a black shirt and a hoodie since the weather was not the best today.
My parents were still sleeping since I had woken up at 5:00 am from the memory. I went downstairs and got an apple from the fridge before heading out the door. I decided to walk to school and let the fresh air help clear my mind. Ciara knows who stopped time. Who or what is the council Kendall talked about.' I remembered Dan telling us something about elders but it was all foggy. 'And if they summoned Ciara for magic being used then....'
'Come to think of it. Ciara was pretty pissed when I almost resumed time when I was out of my original place. There is too much happening and too little that I know. Not to forget that my memories are coming back and the pain accompanying them is out of this world. I've only felt pain close to that when my cousin died.'
FLASHBACK
We were both seven years old and my cousin Charlie and his parents had come to visit us. Our small town of Armenville had a forest that surrounded it and complimented it.
But that was not the best part. The best part of it was the waterfall. It was so beautiful and refreshing. My cousin and always used to play in the forest and go to that part of the river to swim.
That day, we were not alone. For the two days, my cousin had been with us he had blabbed on about magic and how it's in the family. I had thought he was joking like he always was.
"Kevin, I bet with the magic that courses through our veins we can dive down this waterfall and take off flying before we ever hit the water," he said excitedly.
"Oh really," a man said from the woods, I would like to see it.
"Oh sorry, sir. He was just joking that's all," I said stuttering at the hulking figure that was approaching us with a scowl on his face.
"I wasn't talking to you brat," he scowled and pushed past me to grab Charlie before sniffing him. A smile appeared on his face. "You know what. I think you do have magic," he said smiling. He then started dragging him to the top of the waterfall and he waded into the waist deep water and started dangling my cousin by the neck off the edge of the waterfall.
I still remembered my cousin struggling against his hold. I had tried everything to get the guy to let go of him but it was futile in the end. It was almost like I was an ant to him.
"Magic should be able to help you. You little pipsqueak," the guy said before letting go of Charlie...
END OF FLASHBACK
'Why did that memory have to come back now. I spent a long time trying to cope with Charlie's death.' I reached the school eventually and went through the back door that was always open for teachers who were doing some other stuff teachers do and die-hard students who couldn't relax a bit. I got to Mr Bergstrom's classroom and found him going through some papers.
"Pleasure to see you, Kevin." He greeted me smiling before dropping the smile and assuming his usual gloomy expression. 'Was he born like that?' He looked at me as if noticing the stress I had gotten from my memory. "What's wrong? It doesn't occur to me that you would go through all this to come here. Most kids hate school," he joked causing me to giggle at his measly attempt at humour.
"Sir, I'm here because of two reasons," I told him.
"And what might those things be," he asked me.
"Yesterday at the game, I was chased by a player who was being mind controlled. And his eyes were pitch black. But Ciara and I took care of him when I stopped time....." and that's when he stopped me.
"Wait, you did magic in public," he asked quite alarmed.
"Yeah, you let me super speed on that field, I might as well start stopping time when something bizarre happens as long as I assume my previous position," I told him.
"No, you don't get it. Different spells use different amounts of power. And if the spell it's bound to be noticed even all the way in Armensia. There is a task force meant to keep beings from crossing to earth and when magic on earth is performed on a large scale. It raises suspicion," he explained.
"Okay, but if Armensian beings can cross into our world, what is stopping Travas and his guys from coming here," I asked.
"Zaraias reinforced that barrier between the two worlds to make sure evil can never go through even though it's possible. The main problem is that magic on earth is different. In Armensia magic is everywhere but on earth it's different plus all artras from previous generations would strike down enemies who dared to enter our realm. It wouldn't be a wise decision. Kevin you have to be more careful," he concluded before composing himself and calming down.
"Okay, I'll be more careful. But right now that's the least of my worries." I said as an unsettling silence came over the teacher.
.......
The artras minus Kevin went to the Study room in Ciara's mansion after her meeting in Armensia...
Ciara had called the artras for an emergency meeting after returning from the meeting in Armensia. Having Travas target Kevin even in their own world was going too far even for him.
"Ciara, what's wrong? You've never called for an emergency meeting." Isaac spoke up, concern laced in his voice.
"Let me get to the point. When we were at the game, Kevin stopped time," that alone was enough to send the other three artras into chaos.
"WHAT? That's high-level magic. Even you still have trouble with it. Did he do it by mistake?" Kendall asked as Jacob and Isaac were still fussing over the idea that it was careless of him.
"Oh he did it intentionally," and that shut them all up.
"But that's impossible. Without someone to teach him..."
"Without someone to teach him, he shouldn't have learnt how to run in the first place."
"His connection to magic is strong, Ciara. You felt it yourself the last time he was there. Are you trying to say there could be someone who taught him his powers?" Jacob pointed out.
"Yeah, but back to the point. As I said, he stopped time because of a reason," Ciara says getting their complete attention. "He stopped time because a player had been bewitched. I helped him free the player from the mind control and I'm sure it was dark magic from one of Travas' telepaths." She told them and got up to walk to the window.
"You're sure," Kendall stuttered panic clear in his voice, "Travas went after the Siege here in this realm."
"Yes. The council told me that suspicions are rising in Armensia. The people want to know what's going on. If I wasn't the alpha, the mob would have torn me to bits," a look of terror evident on Ciara's face.
"But why would they act like that?" Isaac asked.
"It's fear. People will do anything to feel safe. We all know clearly how the previous generations of artras turned out without their Siege."
"Then what do we do? He's in no condition to go to Armensia. Unless he....." Kendall paused remembering the call he got from Kevin that morning when that seemed important.
"WHAT KENDALL? HE WHAT...." Isaac shouted while shaking him out of his trance.
"Unless his memories are getting to the painful part," Kendall finally said still in thought.
"But last I saw him go through it the pain was excruciating. He wanted to kill himself. How could he not tell us about it?" Ciara asked.
"I'm starting to think he does have a teacher," Jacob said.
"Yes, but who?" Isaac asked.
"It could be Mr Bergstrom," Ciara said abruptly.
"What? But he hates that guy. He got him daily lunch .....lessons..." Kendall completed as he realised Kevin could never have failed the math test on that first day. "But how did he fail the math test that day then?"
"That was during the time I wanted to connect with our Siege. And during that lesson, he wanted to use the lavatory, but Bergstrom was cold to him and told him to sit. He didn't look too good." Ciara said.
"Then it's Bergstrom that Kevin has gone to for help. We need to get to school."
.......