CHAPTER THREE
This Is Where I Leave
FLINT
Bile lodges inside my throat. The heat from before returns. I want to rip my uncle from this man's presence and book it. Run far away and never stop if it meant I never had to look into the black lifeless eyes of this stranger. However, my uncle surprises me when he smiles. Maybe he's cracking underneath just like me.
"Flint," he said, "come meet Mr. Jasper."
Fucking insane. The man has gone insane if he thinks I'm going anywhere near that guy.
My uncle pressed more firmly, "don't be rude."
The man stands, revealing he's at least eight feet tall. He has to duck his head from touching the ceiling and removes his tophat. He pats my uncle's shoulder making my uncle look small. "It's alright, Myers. The boy is rightfully spooked. Let me explain. My name is Dean Jasper, and your mom is my sister."
So this giant of a man is my uncle?
Dad never mentioned mom's family. It was always a subject he avoided.
"You can call me Dean," he said, his smile growing, "you look so much like her. Same fiery hair and eyes. Jean and Michael outdid themselves. You have your father's chin as well. He wrote about you all the time."
That's bullshit. Dad never spoke about mom's past much less her family before him. He wouldn't write to her brother, and I never picked up on it. Lies, lies, lies.
"I know this is a shock, and none of us wanted you to find out like this." Dean sighs, "but there's someone I'd like you to meet."
I set my bag on the floor, but my feet stay in place. They feel like stone. Unwilling to move even if my brain is screaming for me to join my uncle's side. The man might not be exactly embracing, but he's the only family I have left- that I've ever known of. Dean sets aside, revealing a petite girl who must've been scrunching in the cabinets earlier. She held a bag of chips in her thin fingers, and gave a shy wave.
The girl offers a smile, removing a strand of raven hair from her ear. "Sasha Jasper," she announces gently, "nice to meet you, cousin."
So this girl with ocean eyes and a slender nose is my cousin? Still not buying it. But she looks the most normal I've seen all day. Sasha sets the chips on the counter, brushing her hands off on her heartline black dress. I don't bother returning her smile even though I know I should. "Flint Anderson."
Dean's eyes spark and my attention turns back to my "uncles".
Myers steps closer to me. He almost looks afraid the ground will fall apart underneath his boots. "Flint, I know this is difficult. But it's time to go."
I nod. This is the moment I've dreaded for years. I never imagined I'd be leaving my home town like this. I never pictured my future to be one where I lived with my uncle because my parents were gone forever. I always pictured my departure to be a future where I was headed off to university to fill my days with courses and nights at frat parties with an arm wrapped around a sorority chick. Now, my life is in shambles. I'm being shipped off to a boarding school in the middle of nowhere. All because I set a bastard's house on fire when he pressed a steel barrel to my head.
"Okay, then let's go." I say to my uncle, who freezes when I pick my bag up once more.
He draws his breath in as if the sentence he's trying to say would shatter the world, "no, son. You don't get it. Mr. Jasper is escorting you to the academy. I can't go with you."
Hell no. My jaw tightens, and the hair on the back of my neck stands. No way in hell am I leaving with that guy.
"This isn't an option." Myers said, pulling me into a tight hug, "I asked them to. It's what's best for you."
I wrap my arms around my uncle. This is the first time I'm realizing how small my uncle is. His chest barely touches my shoulders. Yet somehow, I feel like I'm the smallest person in this room. The weakest. I'm falling apart along with the life I took for granted. "But what about you?"
"Don't worry about me, boy." He said quickly. Too quickly. "I'll write letters to you and keep you in loop with the town. You know nothing happens here.'
"Until now." I say, regret filling my tone.
My uncle doesn't reply. He squeezes my side before releasing me. It's Dean who breaks our moment of silence.
"That's why your attendance at the academy will be essential. You'll be able to control your ability and what it means for your future."
I nod again. Not really acknowledging what he says. My attention is focused on my uncle who reaches into his jacket. He pulls a stiff envelope out from his pocket, and places it into my hands. Without another word, he turns to the two in the kitchen. Sasha is observing pictures placed on the fridge while Dean stands stiffly with his hat pressed to his broad chest. "Take good care of my boy," Myers said, "he's the only family I have."
Dean nods, gesturing to Sasha to join his side. The young girl, who appears to be fifteen joins her father's side. "Of course, Jean's family is ours." He holds his hat to the top of his head, "Sasha, take us home."
Swiftly, the girl leaves her father's side. Her light feet stop abruptly in front of mine, and I have to peer down at the girl. She smiles once more, maybe even sympathetically. "Are you ready?"
The bile returns in my throat, and I turn my gaze to the only man who stuck by my side during the three years of hell. "I'll come back to visit, uncle. I'll make you proud."
"I know, Flint. You always have."
Sasha takes my hand into hers, guiding me to join her father. As fucked up as everything has been, I expected us to jump into a black SUV with fresh tags and pick out fake names for the gruesome 39 hour drive I've been dreading. Instead, she lifts her open hand into the air. Using her index finger, she draws a circle that glows in a cobalt blue hue whispering a language I can't untangle.
"Revertere nos domum."
The air turns thin, and my lungs pinch together against my ribs. An invisible force gushes around the three of us, and my uncle's living room spins until it's nothing anymore. Colors bounce against the ground until it vanishes. And I don't realize how tightly I'm holding onto Sasha's hand till she pries her nails into my fingers. I release her hand, noticing how it's not even half the size of mine. My head throbs as I catch my breath. Somehow, I'm no longer standing inside of my uncle's townhouse.
I'm standing inside a massive cabin with ceilings that must be thirteen feet tall. Dean looks normal inside what I imagine is their home while Sasha appears tiny as ever. Sasha kicks off her slippers, and takes my bag from my hands. I don't bother telling her no or even ask why. It's not like it matters anymore anyways.
The envelope from my uncle is still in my hand, and I stare at the vast material. It's the last thing my uncle could give me, and I figure it's the little bit of money he might've saved for a rainy day. I try to fight back the tears when I notice the handwriting on the front. In ugly ass handwriting, that belonged to the best man I've ever known, was my name.
The fireplace cackles at my dumbassery, and I catch a glimpse of hailing snow from a nearby window. I'm not in Maine anymore.