"Nothing you did worked?" Heathcliff asked Carl.
"No, nothing. It was as if we had an ordinary rock that we were trying to use to open it," Carl replied.
"Then I guess that girl is going to be necessary. It would also appear that the information we have available to us is incomplete," Heathcliff said. "Though, it's unclear if it was by design or if there was just information that was lost or is still out there where we haven't been able to locate."
"What are you going to do about that girl? Should Ronald and I go bring her back with us?" Carl asked.
Heathcliff chuckled. "If you say that around others, you'll sound like you're a predator. I know what you mean, but keep in mind that what you were offering sounds a lot like an offer to kidnap her."
Carl didn't seem to be able to reply to that other than to look rather sheepish.
"Keep in mind that the phrasing of what you say has just as much to do with how your words are taken as the words themselves. If you school what you say, you'll have more control over how you say it as well, which further improves of any incantation you make," Heathcliff continued. "That aside, I've already taken steps to get that girl under my control."
"Why did you do that? We didn't know that we really would need her," Carl inquired.
"That's because I took the steps partly on the chance that we would need her, but partly because if she has a connection to the Heart of the Forest, then she likely has a connection to the Unicorn that created the forest the Heart of the Forest came from. Which means that there may be something different about her that we should learn about. You never know what information might be useful to have later on as well as what you might learn that wouldn't have been possible to learn otherwise. Then there's how she was able to remain awake for as long as she did after you checked to see if she had access to her magic," Heathcliff answered. "Besides, now would be an excellent time to get control of her in the event she proves useful for more than with the Heart of the Forest."
"Is this through another of those whose magic you unsealed?" Carl asked.
Heathcliff laughed. "You're certainly getting bold. You know I don't tell you all of my contacts. Though, as I think about it, it's possible that we could get that girl on our side if we unseal her magic. Not only would she feel indebted to us, but she'd have to come to us to learn how to use it. Otherwise she'll drive herself crazy as it does what it wants to on its own."
Carl thought about it for a minute. "So, what should I do next, then?" Carl finally asked.
Heathcliff regarded Carl for a minute before responding. "We'll see. It will take some time before we can get that girl back here so we'll just have to wait for things to get fully set up."
"How long will that take?"
"It should be ready sometime in June. The Heart of the Forest should survive until then at the very least," Heathcliff said.
_
Charlie closed the front door of the house. She was a little confused. Not only had she not seen Beth all day at school, but she didn't even see her as she was leaving or on her entire walk home. That part, however, wasn't what made her confused. Instead it was how she felt about it that was making her confused. She felt a little lost and a little depressed that Beth wasn't there. Charlie pushed it to the back of her mind so she could think about it later.
Charlie moved away from the door and rather than immediately going to the staircase, she walked to the side of it to see if Cherie was watch tv in the living room.
When she saw her sister, she moved to the living room, and quietly sat down to watch whatever it was with Cherie.
Cherie looked at Charlie, her eyebrow arched, as if to say, 'is this going to be a regular thing?' Charlie didn't say anything, and Cherie didn't either and soon Cherie's attention went back fully to her show.
Charlie could tell it was more My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Which suited her fine, it was the show she was more interested in watching than any of the others she was even aware of at the moment.
Though, while Charlie wanted to watch more, when Cherie was done watching, Charlie decided to stop watching for the day herself. She could use the excuse that she had homework to work on, if she felt it was necessary, but she didn't expect Cherie to say anything.
However, as they were leaving, Charlie could have sworn she heard Cherie say something: "What are you up to? You've never been interested in this before. What are you planning?"
While she heard that in Cherie's voice, she could she that her sister wasn't talking. Cherie wasn't even looking at Charlie, so she couldn't be sure what that was. So, Charlie merely decided to just go to her room and see what the crystal would tell her about using her magic.
Cherie stopped at the stairs and turned to her sister. "I'm going to take a shower, don't try anything."
Cherie didn't give Charlie a chance to respond before going up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Charlie wasn't sure what to make of it. It was really something she really didn't know what to make of.
As Charlie entered her room, she dropped her backpack on the side of her desk, sat down at the desk, and picked up the crystal, which was emitting it's usual pink light.
Are you awake? Charlie thought at the crystal.
–I'm always awake, but I don't always turn my senses outward. I have to conserve my energy where I can. I do that here when I can tell that you need to rest. Whether it's physically or to let your magic rest. I will only do that as I feel you need. I don't want to rush you in your learning to work with your magic, so I will take it slow. Otherwise it could be dangerous to you.–
So, what can you tell me about using magic? Charlie couldn't help but be eager. The thoughts of all the things she could do with magic only made her more excited to use magic.
–First, your magic will be used without you knowing in regards to some things. You'll have to figure out what those are yourself. Everyone has things like that, that their magic does automatically. You can control it, but it will always be on with those aspects. Although, rarely there are certain things that your magic will do that you won't be able to control, but that will be because it won't occur very often. Second, take care not to pull too much at once. If you do, it could overwhelm you and swallow you whole. Think of it as too much of a good thing. Anything that is taken to excess is bad, no matter how good it is for you otherwise. Third, you need to find a focus. Something that you can keep with you that is tuned to you in some way. Fourth, let your experiments go slow. You might find some things easier to do with your magic that you might have expected to be harder. Lastly, fifth, the more you know about something the easier it will be to use your magic to get the desired effect. Such as the more you know about a metal, the easier it will be to shape that metal with your magic. The more you know about the structure of a plant will make it easier to make the plant grow, heal, or anything you might think of.–
Charlie let all the crystal tell her sink in. It was a lot, yet so much of it just flat out resonated with her. She could feel what the crystal tell her and knew that what she was told was accurate. She couldn't say how, but it was almost like she could tell that the crystal didn't have any intention to deceive her. Finally, after being quiet for several minutes, Charlie thought of something to ask the crystal.
What if I lose whatever I have for a focus? Charlie inquired.
–If you lose it, picture your focus in your mind as strongly as you can and your magic will direct you to where it is. It might take some practice, but it will be possible for you to find it with your magic.– the crystal answered.
Could I use you as a focus? Charlie thought at the crystal.
–Yes, thought I've never heard of that happening before.– the crystal replied, sounding rather amused. –But at the same time, you won't be able to get any benefit for it. It will be the same as any other focus you could choose.–
What if I chose myself as a focus? Charlie wondered.
–That would create problems. No one has been able to understand why, but using yourself as a focus won't work. I think it might have to do with that you are the source of your power and a focus is a container that you put it in to utilize that power. If you try using yourself as the container as well as being the source, then it would be like pouring water out of a lake, directly back into the lake. It just hasn't been made to work at all any time someone has tried.– the crystal replied.
So, is that all there is to using magic? Charlie asked.
–We can go over the fine tuning points of it later. That is just merely the basics. Also, keep in mind that if you understand how something works, then it'll require less magic to get the effect you're looking for. So, the more knowledge you have will make it easier for you to use your magic.–
Charlie worked with the crystal working with her magic, getting used to how it felt to use her magic. It wasn't until her mother knocked on her door to let her know that it was dinner-time that Charlie pulled herself away from it.
After dinner and washing the dishes, Charlie went back to her room and focused on her homework then, especially since she hadn't gotten any of it done already, though she knew she probably should have gotten it out of the way first, before going for a magic lesson from the crystal.
Fortunately, Charlie was able to finish it just before it was bedtime for her. She quickly changed into her nightgown and went to brush her teeth. When she got that done, she settled back in front of the desk and picked the crystal up again, glowing a soft blue-green color.
"Other than having Petals horn touch them while I'm working at getting the other's magic unsealed, is there anything else that I'll need to do?" Charlie whispered to the crystal.
–Do you remember what it felt like when you had your magic unsealed? I mean, what you felt happen with the seal? If you follow that feeling, you'll be able to do fine. One of the things most have had trouble with magic is that it's more in line with emotions, sensations, and intuition than it is logical. While having a higher intellect helps with magic, it isn't what moves it forwards. Without the drive of your feelings, it would remain stagnant and not effect anything.– the crystal replied, sounding tired, which made Charlie wonder if it really was being honest, with itself if not only Charlie, when it said that it didn't need to sleep.
However, Charlie didn't feel like confronting the crystal with that thought, but rather just went to bed. Aside from not likely changing anything, she couldn't think of what benefit such a confrontation would have. For the crystal or for Charlie herself.
As Charlie got under her covers and laid her head on her pillow, she couldn't help but wonder what being able to use actual magic would have on her life. No matter what else happens, having magic will never let her go back to they way she had been. She could never pretend that she was as she had been, a girl that merely tried to get by without disturbing anything. With magic, she probably could reduce any disturbance if she felt like it, just by using her magic to mitigate any problems. Not that she would seek out any disturbance. Then there was the part with Beth and her friends. While Charlie wasn't yet sure if Beth should be considered a friend, talking with Beth and her friends wasn't as much of a chore as it had been before. Like the time when Charlie was pushed by her parents to hang out with them during Tim's last birthday. At that time, she felt like a plant repotted in a poor environment, but now she hardly felt like that anymore.
_
Charlie closed her locker door at the end of the school day, and was only mildly surprised to see Beth suddenly next to her. She didn't mind Beth's presence anymore, but was still glad when Beth didn't try for physical contact. Though, she didn't lower her guard, in the even Beth tried for it again. Not that Charlie was sure she could fend off any attempt.
"Where were you yesterday," Charlie asked as they walked next to each other on their way out of the school.
"My mom pulled me out of school shortly before the end of school for a doctor's appointment. She hadn't even told me that I had a doctor's appointment," Beth replied, laughing.
"I thought it was weird when you weren't around after school," Charlie said. "It almost felt like it might have been a prank of some sort."
Beth stopped and stared at Charlie. "Seriously?" A grin slowly spread over Beth's face until she just burst out laughing. And Charlie tried to dodge Beth attempting to put her arm around Charlie's shoulders, but failed. She tried shrugging off Beth's arm, but as usual, Beth had no trouble keeping hold of Charlie.
"Please let me go," Charlie requested, miserable that she was reduced to being at Beth's mercy.
"But why?" Beth asked, in mock shock. "The day is grand. My new friend was lost without me."
What are you on? Charlie silently asked. Resigning herself to being under Beth's control. Would this situation ever end? Charlie couldn't help but wonder.
As they left the school, Beth released Charlie and began walking companionably next to her. Charlie also moved away from Beth a step or two, which left them a little more than arm's length from each other.
"Have you thought about the crystals in Petals' forest?" Beth asked after they were far enough away from the school that it was out of sight.
Charlie considered the question for a minute. "Not really. I've been thinking about other things," Charlie replied, not sure if she shouldn't have thought about those crystals that seemed to her to grow out of the ground in that forest.
"I didn't think so. Not with your questions involving how to tell if someone is a friend or not," Beth commented casually, almost as if it was a topic they'd discussed before.
It took a minute before Charlie registered what Beth had fully said. "What are you talking about?" Charlie asked, uneasy at what direction this topic would take.
"I'm talking about what you talked with Alex Williams about earlier this week," Beth said. "You were wondering if you could think of me as a friend, so you could satisfy Allison's insatiable curiosity."
Charlie stopped walking without realizing it. Two conversations that no one else should really be able to connect, since Charlie couldn't think of anyone knowing about both conversations.
Beth continued walking for a few steps before she realized that Charlie had stopped. "Are you okay?" Beth asked as she stopped as well, turning to face Charlie, a worried expression on her face.
Charlie tried talking, but not only was her throat suddenly dry, but her voice wasn't interested in cooperating with her at this time.
Beth pulled Charlie to her and touched their foreheads together. "Hmm," Beth commented. "You don't seem to have a fever. Is something else wrong?"
Finally after a painful swallow, Charlie got her voice working again. "How'd you know about those conversations," Charlie asked, not even trying to figure out how Beth had become aware of the conversations, let alone how she connected the two.
Beth laughed. "Well, you know I have my sources, and a good journalist doesn't reveal their sources without consent from their source."
"If you can't tell me, then I don't have to say anything more to you," Charlie replied, not sure where her nerve was coming from, telling Beth off like that. Charlie tried walking past Beth and leaving her, but Beth merely started walking along beside her again.
"C'mon, Charlie," Beth pressed. "I gotta know the answer to that."
"I've already given you the price of that information," Charlie replied, "If you're not willing to pay that price, then it just means that you're really not that interested in the answer to your question."
Charlie wanted to look straight ahead of her, but when Charlie finished with her last statement, she thought she heard Beth say, "Charlie's sure on fire today. Wonder what Allison would make of this." As Charlie registered that, she looked at Beth and saw that she hadn't said anything, she was merely lost in thought, but her attention focused on Charlie as she noticed Charlie looking at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Could have sworn you said something," Charlie replied.
"I did, but then you went on about what the cost of your answer would be," Beth said.
"I see. Thought you mentioned Allison and I can't figure out what she has to do with this," Charlie said, looking back ahead.
"Wait, what?" Beth stammered. "Why'd you bring up Allison?"
Something in Beth's voice made Charlie look at her. Beth looked a lot more shocked than Charlie would have expected. "I said that I thought you had said something and that it had something to do with Allison."
"Why'd you think that?"
"Can't say," Charlie replied. "I don't know what she'd have to do with any of this either."
With that, Beth quieted down, which surprised Charlie. Charlie wasn't sure why, but wasn't going to press the issue. And while Charlie was happy that Beth wasn't as talkative as she had been, she couldn't help but think longingly on the subject of who it was that Beth had learned of both conversations from. The silence from both lasted until just before Charlie's house came into view.
"Hey, Charlie, would you be willing to help me with my math?" Beth asked. "I've heard that you're good with it."
Charlie couldn't think of a reason to refuse, so she merely shrugged. "I guess. It shouldn't be too big of a deal."
"And if you want, I can help you with your English homework," Beth offered.
"Let me guess, everyone knows how bad I am at English?" Charlie asked dryly.
"Yeah, at least for those who either have an interest in you or who just have a feel of the pulse on what's going on in the school," Beth replied, softly jabbing her elbow into Charlie's side.
Charlie chuckled a little, not really finding the humor in what Beth said or did, but felt like she probably should. Not really because it's something she normally would do, but for some reason it felt to Charlie like Beth was expecting her to do so.
As Charlie reached her home, Beth followed her inside, where Charlie started to direct Beth upstairs to her room, when Cherie called out from the living room.
"Who's that with you?" Cherie said.
"This is Beth," Charlie called back, "We're going to work on homework together in my room."
"Why are you telling me this?" Cherie yelled. "You know I don't really care about what you do."
"I was telling you this so you can tell mom and dad if Beth is still here when they get back," Charlie replied.
Cherie didn't say anything more, instead continued on watching the TV. Beth followed Charlie as she continued up the stairs.
As they entered Charlie's room, Beth looked around. "This is you room?"
Charlie wasn't sure how to take Beth's tone. "Yeah?"
Beth looked around, not really touching anything or opening anything. When she finished, she returned to Charlie as she put her backpack on the floor by her desk. "So, why is your room so plain?" Beth asked. "I mean, even my younger sisters have posters of shows or boy bands they like."
"I like my room the way it is," Charlie replied defensively. "I don't have much need for posters, even if I had money for them."
"Oh yeah, you spend your allowance on your garden," Beth recalled. "So, should we start on your English homework or work on my math?"
"Let's get your homework done first," Charlie suggested. My parents are fine with the grades I get in English. They've gotten used to them."
"Okay, but I'll be sure to get your English grades to improve. Your parents will be thrilled with how you did. Especially with it becoming a regular thing," Beth assured Charlie.
They worked for a few hours on Beth's math homework, Charlie showing Beth how to work what she was having trouble with and while Beth was settled on that, Charlie worked a little on her own homework.
After Beth finally finished her math homework, she insisted that Charlie let her immediately help Charlie with her English homework. So, Charlie grudgingly put away her history homework and pulled out her English homework.
While they were going over the problems that Charlie was having, a knock disrupted the study session. Charlie got up from the desk and went to answer it, revealing her mother on the other side of the door, her eyes immediately going to Beth, who was still at Charlie's desk.
"Who is this Charlie?" her mother asked kindly, but her tone letting Charlie know that her answer would determine if she was in trouble or not.
"This is Beth. She's a friend of Tim," Charlie said, assuming that her connection with Tim would make Beth an acceptable connection for Charlie.
"Well, we're having dinner downstairs, Charlie," her mother said. Then to Beth, she added, "I'd invite you to dinner as well, but we didn't know to expect you tonight."
"That's okay, Mrs. Rivers," I probably should get home anyway."
Beth gathered her things and started to head out. As Beth passed Charlie's mother, she was stopped by a penetrating gaze. "What were both of you doing in there?"
"Mom," Charlie groaned. "We were just doing homework."
"I wasn't talking to you, Charlotte," her mother said, her tone deceptively kind.
"I offered to help Charlie with her English homework in exchange for help with my math homework," Beth replied calmly, as if she couldn't tell the danger she was in, which Charlie knew Beth was well aware of.
Charlie's mother nodded and didn't say any more as they all went downstairs where Beth left the house while Charlie followed her mother to the dining table.
Dinner was rather uneventful, other than Charlie's father being informed about Beth and Charlie working on homework together. The response he had made Charlie wish she wasn't hungry so she could just leave, with how embarrassed she felt.
It wasn't that big of a deal, was it? Charlie asked herself, trying to figure out what the big deal of her doing homework with another person was. After all, Cherie would have study sessions with others from time to time, so it wasn't that new of a concept. What made it even weirder for Charlie was that even Cherie seemed to look at Charlie differently now, as if Charlie was suddenly older just through having done homework with someone else.
When Charlie was done, she excused herself and took her plate to the sink, rinsed it off and started to make her way back to her room, when she heard her parents start to talk. Even though she knew eavesdropping wasn't polite and that she probably shouldn't be doing this, she couldn't help but feel like she should this time.
"So, who did Charlie have over to work on homework with?" her father asked.
"Beth," her mother replied.
"You mean that Beth?"
"Yes, Beth Howard," the tone her mother used contained so much venom that Charlie wondered what it was that gave her mother such negative feelings towards Beth.
"Was there anything going on?" her father asked.
"It doesn't appear there was other than both of them studying, but I don't like the idea of Beth being around Charlie," her mother said.
"You do realize all we have to go on with Beth Howard is what we've heard about her, right?" her father asked gently.
"Maybe, but I've heard enough about her from Tim's mother. She will be a bad influence on Charlie, I'm sure of it. I don't know what that girl has planned for Charlie, but I'll be damned if I don't do anything to stop it."
Charlie was shocked to hear her mother use such language. While Charlie had heard worse from others, including her grandparents, her mother always had taken care of the words she used, under the philosophy that the words you use give a representation of your character. So, hearing her mother use foul language was not something Charlie would expect to hear, even when eavesdropping.
"Be careful of what you do, Jackie. If you do succeed at separating Charlie from Beth, you could get Charlie to withdraw back into herself or create a rift between you and her. Even if Beth is planning on something that will hurt Charlie deeply, it might be better for us to not interfere and let Charlie get hurt. We will be there for her if she needs us and she'll learn something from the experience but preventing her from having that happen could have her distance herself from us, so that if she encounters a situation like that she wouldn't be as likely to come to us for help. Then there's also the possibility that Charlie could be a positive influence on Beth. After all, if someone is a troubled kid, parents whose children aren't troubled wouldn't like their children to be around that kid, fearing their children would be exposed to a negative influence while at the same time, their child could be a positive influence on the troubled child. In the end, we're going to have to start trusting Charlie to choose friends on her own. We may not like who she chooses but we need to respect her choice. After all, we agree that she would do well to have Tim as a friend and we both know that he's friends with Beth Howard. If Charlie hangs out with Beth, then she'll likely hang out with Tim. We just need to let this progress naturally and not get involved just because we're afraid of something that could happen," Charlie's father said.
Charlie started walking away as both her parents were quiet. She was afraid they'd finish talking and find her listening. She slowly went up the stairs, glad they didn't squeak, so she wouldn't make noise, alerting her parents that she hadn't gone upstairs when they likely thought she had.
When she got to the top, she picked up her pace to her room. In there, she flopped onto her bed, her head face-down on her pillow. Slowly, she took a deep breath.
What is it about Beth that mom doesn't like? Charlie wondered, not sure what was going on. It was almost like there was something that Beth had done in the past that Charlie's mother was holding against her. As Charlie mulled on it, she couldn't help but wonder about how deep her mother's dislike of Beth went. If it comes to it, will she force me to choose between her and Beth?
The more Charlie thought about it, the more uncertain she became. She could tell her mother didn't like Beth with the way that her mother reacted to her. Which Charlie didn't understand. She'd never seen her mother react like that to anyone, even the few times Charlie had seen her mother at her work, she was always compassionate with those she encountered, even if she had to deal with a dead-beat parent, which was always a pet peeve of hers.
As Charlie lifted her head from her pillow, she was shocked to find that she'd been crying silently. She put her hand to her cheek and could feel the tears that were dampening her cheeks.
Charlie got up from her bed and went out of her room to the bathroom. Once there, she used toilet paper to dry her eyes before she looked at herself in the mirror. Charlie couldn't figure out what was going on with herself. Why did the conflict with her mother and Beth upset her so much? About a week ago, Beth was just an annoyance to Charlie, so she couldn't understand what it was about her that Charlie didn't want to let go of.
Charlie stared at her face for several minutes before she tried smiling at herself. The look she saw in her face just looked like a girl who was miserable, but trying to act like they weren't. Charlie dropped the smile and shook her head before heading back to her room. Maybe she just needed to do something to get her mind off the whole problem with her mother and Beth.
As Charlie entered her room, she noticed the crystal on her desk. It was emitting a bright pink light, which made Charlie wonder if it was trying to get her attention. So, she sat at her desk and picked up the crystal.
What's up? She thought at the crystal.
–Why did it take you so long to come to me for direction on your magic?– the crystal replied, the impatience clear in Charlie's mind.
Sorry, I remember you telling me not to tell anyone about you, so I couldn't when Beth was here to work on homework with me, then I had to go to dinner with my family, then I learned of something that upset me. I can work with you now, I don't have anything else to deal with right now, though I do need to go back downstairs later to do the dishes.
–Fine. Is there anything you've thought of today that you were wondering about?– the crystal asked.
Does a focus have to be something physical? Could it be something else? Charlie inquired.
–It can be words, physical gestures or motions, music, or even through drawing. It merely needs to be something that allows you to take the magic from you and channel it to a pinpoint which gives the effect you're looking for. However, if you use any of those, the words, shape, sound, or gestures don't matter. It's whatever you have in mind that takes effect. Even if you call fire into existence, if you're thinking of ice, then ice will appear. That's how it is, but many creatures have taken it into their minds that certain words are required to be used to get an effect or certain motions need to be made. Except in few circumstances, that isn't the case.– the crystal said.
What are the few circumstances? Charlie asked.
–There are a handful of worlds that have different rules that allow you to access magic. It's not well understood why, but to each of those worlds, you have to learn what the rules are or you won't be able to access your magic very easily.–
I was wondering, would it be alright for me to at least tell Beth about you? I'm sure the others will want to know how I know so much about magic as well as how to unseal theirs that I'll at least need to tell them something, Charlie requested.
–I guess it should be fine. Keep in mind that the fewer people who know about a secret, the easier it is to keep. However, I agree that the situation you described would make it in fact harder to keep the secret if there wasn't anyone else who knew who could help. If you take me with you to school tomorrow, I'll let you show me to Beth as you explain about me when you're walking home. That way she can help cover for you when you unseal everyone's magic.–
So, what next? Charlie wondered.
–First we'll start with teaching you how to properly communicate with me. It will allow us to talk when you're not by me, but keep in mind that physical distance will make it harder for us to talk, just like with most when you talk with your others verbally. Then I'll explain what to do to unseal the magic of those in your herd.–
What do I have to do? Charlie asked eagerly, partially standing up from her desk.
–It's simple, but it'll probably take you a little bit to get used to. You do what you normally do when you're talking with me, in that you direct what thoughts you want to convey and pull on your magic at the same time. Once you have it down, you should be able to not only do it without thinking about it, but it'll help you with using your magic in other ways as well. Think of this as an exercise in being able to use your magic.– the crystal replied.
So, it's like riding a bike? Charlie asked, trying to do what the crystal directed, but knowing as soon as she tried that she missed the mark.
–I think I understand what you mean and while it's not the same, I think it might be as close to what it is that you can understand right now.– the crystal answered.
Charlie kept trying the rest of the evening before she needed to go to bed, even when she went back downstairs to take care of the dishes before returning to her desk in her room. As she stood back up to go to bed, she realized just how tired she was. Far more tired than she could ever remember feeling, except maybe when she'd gone to the business dinner at Heathcliff's. It seemed like she might have been this tired then, with what little she could remember about that night. She climbed into her bed after changing into her nightgown and turned the lights off before falling asleep, almost the moment her head touched her pillow.
_
Charlie turned to knock on the door to her room when it suddenly opened and was surprised to see herself, naked, coming out of the room. The other Charlie was an inch or two taller than Charlie, but otherwise was identical to her. The look that Charlie gave her confused Charlie, but instead of leaving, she found herself stepping forward, putting her hand on the other Charlie's cheek.
The other Charlie's eyes were pulling Charlie in and had a smile that was inviting and yet, creeped Charlie out completely. Charlie wanted to leave, but found her hand sliding down the other Charlie to rest on her chest. The other Charlie stepped forward, lowered her head to kiss Charlie on the lips before wrapping her arms around Charlie and lifted her up, their bodies pressed together. Which is when Charlie realized that she was naked as well.
As the kiss ended, the other Charlie said, "I see you couldn't hold back anymore either, Cherie."
Charlie's mind spun. She was dreaming that she was her sister and about to sleep with herself? A dream is the only thing that made sense to Charlie, especially with how nothing she was doing was having an effect with anything she wanted to do in regards to getting out of this situation.
Then Charlie heard herself say in Cherie's voice and the other Charlie set her on her bed, "I don't know why I held this in for so long."
Then Charlie felt their lips meet again and the other Charlie laid on top of Charlie. Then as the other Charlie's hand slid down her side, Charlie felt her eyes snap open.
She was still in her room, the alarm clock indicated it was around two in the morning. She could feel that she still had her nightgown and underwear on, which was an immense relief to her.
Then, Charlie noticed that Cherie was asleep right behind her. As soon as she noticed that, she realized that the roof was being pelted by heavy rain as a crack of thunder followed by it's resounding rumble afterwards. The weather made Cherie's presence in Charlie's bed understandable to Charlie. Cherie didn't have any problems with thunder and other severe weather, nor did she have any problems with the dark. However, if you put the two together, then Cherie couldn't handle it.
Which is why Cherie never had any sleepovers when there was supposed to be thunderstorms or such, given she was extremely embarrassed by it. She used to get in bed with their parents, but they put a stop to it when Cherie had turned four. So, Charlie allowed Cherie to sleep with her when such storms occurred, and Charlie never made things difficult for Cherie about it, nor did she ever talk about it, even to Cherie.
Charlie heard Cherie moan softly, calling out Charlie's name, which made Charlie sit bolt upright in her bed. Charlie looked at Cherie and as her focus centered on her sister, she began seeing images from the dream she'd woken up from, but with the scene farther along than it had been when Charlie woke up.
Charlie felt her face redden as she realized that she'd somehow been able to view her younger sister's dream. Of all the times to do that, why did it have to be with that dream of all dreams, Charlie asked herself.
Charlie slowly laid back down on her bed, pulling the covers over herself and her sister again, wondering if this might be a part of the things that Charlie would have going on with her magic, without her conscious direction of it.
Charlie tried again to use her magic to talk to the crystal and as soon as she tried, she could feel that she'd succeeded for the first time.
–Can I ask you something?– Charlie asked.
–Nicely done, for your first success, that's a prefect try.– the crystal replied.
–Thanks, but I have a question.– Charlie said.
–Okay, ask and I'll answer.– the crystal replied.
–I somehow was inside my sister's dream and could see it through her eyes. Was that my magic letting me do that?– Charlie asked, feeling her breathing quicken.
–That's a rare talent. Very few can hear the thoughts of another creature, let alone see their dreams. While the mind is unguarded while a creature sleeps, the thoughts are too disorganized for most to get anything meaningful from, so the fact that you were is impressive.– the crystal replied.
–That's nice and all, but how do I get it to stop?– Charlie asked, not sure she really cared to ever use that ability again, nor after seeing what she had of that dream.
–I can't help you. This is something you're going to have to deal with on your own. It's not something that anyone can help you with. Like how your magic is different, what works for one creature isn't guaranteed to work for another. You're going to have to figure it out on your own.– the crystal answered, then after a moment added more. –Are you pulling on your magic while we talk?–
Charlie thought about that for a moment before realizing that she was in fact continually pulling on her magic. –I guess.– Charlie said, not sure exactly what to do about it.
–That's dangerous. If you let go of your power now, the power that you haven't used can take effect and it will be a random effect. Some creatures have had their entire being consumed by flames by doing what you're doing now. While it could be as simple as creating flower petals, it could still be so many that your room gets destroyed by the petals.– the crystal told Charlie.
–What should I do about it, then?– Charlie wasn't sure she liked either of the images that the crystal mentioned.
–Use it. Even if it's something that only lasts a moment, it'll use up the excess.– the crystal said. Then after a moment, almost as an afterthought. –Keep in mind, that creating physical objects will require more magic than your flame flower did.–
Charlie didn't reply, just thought of what she'd like to try with it. She didn't want to try anything on her sister, to get rid of that dream as she didn't know if she might hurt her sister, nor did she care to do anything elaborate. So, she merely used the power to create a scent in the air. A smell that always relaxed Charlie: Roses. Cherie didn't appreciate them as much as Charlie, but Cherie never objected to the smell. As she did that, Charlie smiled to herself.
–Thank you.– Charlie thought at the crystal before closing her eyes.
The crystal didn't respond, but as Charlie felt herself start to fall asleep, she found herself beginning to see the dream Cherie was having again, which completely woke Charlie up again. Charlie didn't say anything, but knew she likely wasn't going to get any more sleep as a result of that.
Charlie sighed and was about to get up when she felt her sister begin to snuggle up against her. Charlie glanced at Cherie and was confident it was just her sister being herself rather than acting on anything Charlie knew was going on in that dream.
The rain and thunder continued off an on all the time that Charlie lay awake, afraid of going to sleep, not wanting to see any more of that dream if she could help it. It wasn't until Charlie's alarm went off at six in the morning that she got up. Charlie could tell that Cherie was a lot more alert than Charlie was through her magic, but when Charlie thought she heard Cherie speak, Cherie didn't move her mouth, which she realized that she was hearing her sister's thoughts, just like she was able to see her dream. It was also clear that Cherie was just as disturbed by that dream as Charlie was, if not more so. Especially given that Cherie wasn't moving from Charlie's bed, but rather staying in the same place she had been when she woke up with Charlie's alarm clock.
Charlie tried to act as unaware of her sister's thoughts as she had always been, but it would take some getting used to, especially since Charlie kept glancing towards Cherie whenever she picked up on a thought. The only consolation for Charlie was that Cherie hadn't noticed Charlie glancing at her.
Charlie was pulling out her clothing for the day at school when she heard another thought from Cherie that caused her to drop her shirt and jeans on the floor.
Would Charlie really be interested in that? No, don't think about that, it's still wrong, even if she would be open to it.
Charlie could feel the nausea that Cherie had and whenever she thought about Charlie in context with the dream, the feeling of nausea grew. Even if Charlie couldn't feel the nausea of her sister, she would be able to see that her sister felt sick.
"Are you feeling okay, Cherie?" Charlie asked, wondering if she should push her sister into taking a sick day.
Cherie didn't look like she really wanted to focus on Charlie, but she looked at Charlie and replied, "I think I'll be fine. I just had a bad dream." A really, really bad dream, understater, Charlie heard Cherie think at herself.
"I'll let mom know," Charlie said, tossing her clothes on her bed and left the room.
Cherie looked like she wanted to tell Charlie not to, but she didn't. So, Charlie walked over to their parents room, and almost ran into their father when he rushed out of his room.
"Charlie? What's wrong?" he asked, when he saw her. Charlie didn't wonder why he thought something might be wrong, as Charlie had very rarely left her room in the morning on a school day without having gotten dressed first.
"Is mom here?" Charlie asked. "Cherie doesn't look like she's feeling very good."
Her father didn't ask how Charlie knew, as Cherie's issues with severe weather at night was well known to their parents, as well as Cherie sleeping in Charlie's bed whenever it occurred.
"Honey?" Charlie's father asked, turning into their room. "Cherie might not be feeling well."
Charlie waited until her mother came out of her room, fully dressed but without her makeup on. "What's wrong, dear?" she asked Charlie.
Charlie repeated what she'd told her father, not sure what else to say. Though, when her mother walked past Charlie, she merely followed after.
When they got back to Charlie's room, Cherie was still in there, but was now sitting on Charlie's bed, her head in her hands. Charlie's mother quickly went over to Cherie to talk softly with her while checking her to see what symptoms she was exhibiting. Charlie merely went and picked up her clothing, then turned to leave her room.
"I'm going to change in the bathroom," she commented, not really expecting a response, given neither Cherie nor her mother seemed to take any notice of Charlie at the moment.
After Charlie had changed, she felt a lot better. Somehow changing out of her nightgown let her put the events of the night before out of her mind.
As Charlie returned to her room to put her nightgown away, she saw her mother carrying Cherie towards her room, and Charlie couldn't help but notice how much more nauseous Cherie looked, let alone the feelings that Charlie could feel from her.
Charlie thought that might be the end of the situation, as far as her involvement would be, but while she was having a bowl of cereal, her mother spoke to her. "Cherie's going to spend the day here. She's not feeling very well and I suspect she didn't sleep very well," her mother said. "But, would you like to stay home too,? You look rather tired yourself."
Charlie smiled at her mother. "I'll be fine, mom. I just woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep. I'm sure I'll be good, it is Friday, after all," she said, not sure if her mother would require her to stay, but the thought of being alone in the house with Cherie right now unsettled Charlie. While she didn't have Cherie's dream so much on her mind, she still didn't want to be around a situation where that dream would be prominent in her mind. Especially when it likely would be on her sister's mind as well, given how Charlie could hear her sister's thoughts. "I don't think whatever Cherie has is contagious," Charlie added after a few more bites of her cereal.
Charlie tried to act indifferent, but she could feel her mother's eyes on her, looking at her, seeming to look for anything that would have her decide to make Charlie stay home as well. In the end, however, it seemed like her mother decided not to press the matter. She merely finished her breakfast and started to go back to the kitchen.
"Remember, Charlie, if you go to school, I better not get a call from the school today. Unless it's something positive about you, you will not like what happens if I do get a call," she warned Charlie as she started cleaning the counters.
Charlie didn't reply. She really would like an extra day off from school, but the price of dealing with more of Cherie's dream wouldn't be very good for Charlie. Then there's also the part that Charlie didn't want to be in a position where Cherie might decide to see if that dream could be reality, regardless of how nauseous she felt about it at the moment. While Charlie found herself attracted to girls more than boys, she certainly didn't want to end up in that kind of relationship with her own sister.
As Charlie got her backpack from her room, she quickly ran a check around her room so she wouldn't forget anything. She was about to leave when she spotted the crystal and quickly put it in her backpack. Then, as she turned towards her door, she saw her sister in her doorway.
"I'm sorry, Charlie," she said quietly, her face clearly miserable.
Charlie stopped, not sure what to make of Cherie's statement. "For what?"
Cherie merely shook her head. "Just… sorry," she replied, then turned away and went into her room.
Charlie didn't pay it much mind, not sure what exactly she could do. And while she had an idea of what Cherie was apologizing for, she didn't want to try to read Cherie's thoughts to be sure. Not only could she tell that Cherie was embarrassed with her dream, but Charlie was confident that if Cherie knew that Charlie knew about the dream, she would be utterly humiliated. So, she merely started to head out to go to school, only following Cherie as far as her room, not letting that occupy more of her mind than she had to.
Charlie hoped that would the most eventful part of her day.
However, after arriving at school, Charlie opened her locker at school that day, just before her homeroom class, she saw something that she hadn't put there. She picked it up, and examined it. It was a small package with a note attached.
The note read: If you're open to a relationship, would you please wear this so I could see?
Charlie wanted to open the package right away, but she knew she'd need to get to her first class, so she left the package, planning on getting to it at the end of the day. Not sure who could have left it there, or what she should do when she finds out what it is.
Then when the day was over, Charlie pauses before opening her locker. She's surprised at how nervous she is about finding out what's in the package. She has trouble lifting her hand to put in the combination to open it and takes so long that she jumps when Beth suddenly speaks to her.
"Just open it already, girl," Beth says in a regular voice, but Charlie hadn't realized she had been there and so is caught completely off guard. Charlie isn't sure how high she jumped, but Beth starts laughing. Hard.
"You should have seen your face, Charlie," she tells Charlie in between laughs.
Charlie can feel her face heat up in embarrassment. "I didn't notice you come up," She replies quietly, not sure what else to say about it.
"What's got your mind so preoccupied that you didn't see me coming up?" Beth looks behind her then back at Charlie. "I mean, you didn't have your locker open yet and you have a clear view of where I came from."
"I found a package in my locker earlier," Charlie said, her voice not getting any louder. "It had a note and I'm not sure what to do about it."
"Can I see the note?" Beth asked.
Charlie hesitated only a moment before pulling the note out of her backpack and handed it to Beth. Beth read it before giving it back to Charlie. "Open the locker," Beth instructed.
Charlie hesitated and Beth repeated her instruction. "Open it." Then when Charlie hesitated more, she added, "You won't be able to do anything if you don't see what's in the package. Maybe it'll be something that you'll be able to ignore. Maybe it'll be something that will catch your interest. The only way will be to see what it is and to do that, you will need to open your locker."
Charlie sighed, she couldn't refute the logic Beth presented to her, so she quickly put in her combination and opened the locker. The package remained where it had been, mostly, only having been moved as Charlie had exchanged the books she had needed for each of her classes, in addition to having taken the note from the small package.
Charlie put away the books she didn't need for her homework for the weekend, then just stared at the package. It was wrapped in plain white paper, with nothing else that was remarkable about it, other than 'To: Charlie' written on it.
Charlie wasn't sure how long she'd stared at the package, but what broke the stare wasn't Beth, but rather a teacher.
Mrs. Carlson, the social studies teacher, called out to Beth and Charlie. "Is there a problem girls?"
Beth turned to Mrs. Carlson. "No, ma'am. Charlie is just having trouble getting lost in thought today," Beth said, reaching in Charlie's locker, taking the package, then closing Charlie's locker.
Mrs. Carlson wasn't letting them go so easily. "What did you take from her locker, Ms. Howard?" Beth showed Mrs. Carlson the package. "Hand it over," she instructed.
Beth complied, glaring at Mrs. Carlson. "That's Charlie's," Beth said heatedly.
Mrs. Carlson didn't pay Beth any mind, instead opened the package, revealing a silver chain necklace with a indigo crystal butterfly. "Why did you have this in your locker, Ms. Rivers?"
Charlie found she couldn't say anything. She wasn't sure what to do about it, she wasn't sure she had wanted to know what was in the package. Beth again spoke, putting her arm around Charlie's shoulders protectively. Charlie realized that she was shaking. She just didn't know what to do about this situation. "She was given that. If you notice, the wrapping said 'To: Charlie.'"
Mrs. Carlson's eyes flashed at Beth. "I wasn't talking to you, Ms. Howard. If you both don't leave now, I'll give you both detention."
"We'll leave once you give Charlie her property back," Beth said.
"I can't be sure this wasn't stolen," Mrs. Carlson said.
"Then lets take this to the principal," Beth challenged, her eyes telling Mrs. Carlson that the gauntlet had been thrown down.
Mrs. Carlson sputtered, unable to form a coherent response right away. Finally, she handed the pendant back to Beth. "Don't bring that back to school, Ms. Rivers," she merely said before walking away.
Beth led Charlie away quickly, clearly wanting to get away from Mrs. Carlson before she changed her mind. Charlie merely allowed Beth to lead her, her mind focused more on the necklace, part of her wanting to not know what it was and to have it back in the package, part of her wondering who left it in her locker, and part of her wondering what it'd look like on her.
When they were outside the school, Beth stopped and turned to Charlie, "I'm sure you wanted to open that package when you were ready, but now that you know what it is, you get to decide if you will wear it or not. If you do, I'd suggest you do so after a few weeks. We don't want Mrs. Carlson to decide to take it again. Besides, if you wear it, it won't be against the dress code."
Charlie merely nodded. She couldn't think of anything to respond with. Beth waited a minute for Charlie to say something, but when she didn't, Beth pressed the necklace into Charlie's hand.
"There, now you have it, you get to decide what to do with it," Beth said, closing Charlie's hand over the pendant.
Charlie nodded, again, putting the necklace in her pocket. Her mind starting to stop feeling numb as she did so.
"So, ready to meet everyone in discussing what to do next to help Petals?" Beth asked, starting forward again.
Beth's statement seemed to jump start Charlie's brain as she then remembered what she'd wanted to talk with Beth about that day.
However, given how many other students were moving around at the moment, Charlie waited until they were a little bit away from the school before broaching the subject.
"Beth?" Charlie started. "Do you remember when we were in Petals' forest?"
"Yeah," Beth replied, her tone telling Charlie to go on.
"Well, I found a crystal in there, that unsealed magic that I was born with," Charlie couldn't look at Beth as she said that, unsure how Beth would take it.
"Show me," Beth merely told Charlie, both stopping with that statement.
Charlie blew out a sigh of relief. She snuck a glance at Beth and saw a look of amusement on her face. Charlie couldn't be sure if Beth believed her or not, but went on with what she was going to say anyway.
"Okay," Charlie said as she held out her hand and repeated her first attempt at magic. Charlie thought about a rose while pulling on her magic, letting the sense of her magic lend the sense of fire, creating a rose in her hand made completely out of flames.
Charlie saw Beth's eyes widen in shock. "How?" Beth breathed.
"My magic. The crystal I found in the forest explained to me how to use it," Charlie replied. She wished that she could have sounded more assured in her answer, rather than sounding like she wasn't as sure as she felt.
"Can you teach me?" Beth asked.
"Actually, the crystal told me that I should remove the seal on your magic, as well as Tim's, Hannah's, Amelia's, Wes', and Ralph's. Then I can explain how to use your magic, but we should take it slow, because it could be dangerous if we try too much at once," Charlie answered.
"Why didn't you mention this crystal sooner?" Beth asked, as they started forward again.
"The crystal asked me not to tell anyone about it. It mostly doesn't want Petals to know, because the crystal said that it was Petals' memories of before Petals created the forest. It told me that we need to reintegrate it with Petals, but that it can only be done inside the forest and that the forest is becoming unstable because of the Heart of the Forest having been removed," Charlie said, her gaze going over the scenery.
Beth seemed to think about that before she turned back to Charlie. "So, I take it that you got it to let you tell me because I don't share my sources, right?"
Charlie shook her head. "Actually, I thought of you because I trust you. I can't say why but I do."
"Thanks," Beth replied, looking away from Charlie. Charlie could have sworn her eyes were starting to tear up.
"The crystal also taught me how to use magic to talk with it," Charlie said, getting the idea suddenly to show Beth the crystal. She unslung her backpack off of her arm she kept it on and began digging in it, while holding it up so they could continue to walk together. "This is it," Charlie said as she pulled it out.
The crystal was faintly emitting a pink light. Charlie was sure it was faint because they were outside, the sun still giving plenty of light. Beth held out her hand and Charlie handed it to her.
"I've never seen a crystal like this," she said, looking at it.
Charlie fumbled with her magic, trying to talk to Beth with it, but after several attempts while Beth examined the crystal, she finally managed to get it right.
–I picked it up because the crystal called out to me when we were in the forest. I wouldn't have even thought to go over to where it was if it hadn't.– Charlie said to Beth with her magic.
Beth stopped walking as she looked at Charlie, apparently not realizing that Charlie was using her magic to talk to her at first, but clearly realizing what Charlie was doing, as Charlie wasn't moving her mouth. "You were using your magic, right?" Beth asked.
"Yeah, the crystal told me that it'll take practice to get it right, but I'm sure we can get the hang of it soon," Charlie replied.
"Does the crystal have a name?" Beth asked.
"Um," Charlie replied. "Actually, I didn't think to ask."
"So, why not ask it now?" Beth asked.
"Just to be clear, you understand we can't let any of the others know, okay?" Charlie said.
"I understand. Besides, you should know that I'm good at not revealing names of sources, right?" Beth commented smiling at Charlie reassuringly.
"Okay, I'll ask," Charlie said aloud. Then, to the crystal she asked, –Beth was wanting to know what your name was.–
–If you must know, the name I had before I separated myself from was Alairna.– the crystal replied.
"The crystal said that it's name is Alairna," Charlie told Beth.
"If it was almost anyone else, I'd say that it was made up," Beth mused.
They walked together quietly for a few minutes.
"By the way," Charlie just remembered another issue she wanted to ask Beth about. "Do you have any idea why my mom would not like you and think that you would be, um, a 'bad influence' on me?"
Beth laughed. "Now that's a story. Are you sure you want to know? You realize that it might corrupt you, right?"
Charlie laughed, surprised at how relaxed she felt at that moment. "If listening to a story will corrupt me, then I would have been corrupted long ago. I've heard several over the years, my mom and dad had plenty, then every so often I get to listen to one from a teacher. Then there's the stories that my sister spins when she's trying to get out of trouble. Not to mention my Aunt Ruthie."
"Fine, but still. This isn't the kind of story a parent tells their kids, nor is it one that a teacher, or at least a good teacher would tell, and it certainly wouldn't get a parent to reduce a punishment. But anyway, the gist of the story is that I had been going out with Allison when I was in middle school. She was a couple of years ahead of me and was experimenting, but I knew I didn't care if it was a girl or guy, I liked them both the same. In the end, after Allison and I broke up, and I don't know what else was going on with her but she got really depressed afterwards. So a rumor started up that I broke her heart when we broke up. Then there was the time I was talking with Tim about it and we were laughing at the idea, especially since I'm still friends with Allison, but his mother overhears us and takes everything we said out of context. Though, to be fair, she didn't like me much before that anyway, as she had seen me doing drugs a few times, but I didn't like how any of them made me feel, so I didn't keep on with them.
"But that's assuming that's the reason. Another one is how my mom works as an escort. Tim's mom started to dislike me when she learned about that and I wouldn't be surprised if your mom would hold the same opinion."
"Wait, is your dad okay with your mom working that kind of job?" Charlie asked, a little incredulous at this new information about Beth.
However, Beth looked away at that question. "Actually, my dad died a while back," Beth replied, her tone a little distant.
"Sorry," Charlie apologized. "I didn't mean to get you down."
"Don't worry about it," Beth replied, turning back to Charlie. "But, even though he died, my mom still gets pregnant from time to time and I've never met who the father or fathers are of my half-siblings."
"Yeah, anyway I can see why my mom would be skeptical of you," Charlie commented, holding her hand out to get the crystal back from Beth. Not sure where else to take the conversation on that topic or if she really wanted it to continue on this vein.
"I don't really hold it against your mom for holding that against me. I mean, it wasn't anything that shows me in a good light specifically, so I'm in agreement that I wasn't a good person then and the stuff with my mom really doesn't define me. Even if they don't accept that I've changed, their opinions won't really affect me anyway," Beth said, handing the crystal back to Charlie.
Charlie didn't say anything after that, she merely put the crystal away. Then, after a minute, she finally thought of what to respond with. "Thanks for telling me. I didn't know about that, and…" Charlie trailed off as she realized something about what Beth had said. "You're friends with Allison Smith! That's how you knew about what I had talked about with both Alex Williams and Allison. She's your source."
Beth looked at Charlie levelly. "I can neither confirm or deny that," was all Beth said.
Charlie didn't mind. She didn't even have to read Beth's thoughts to know she was right.
They continued on the rest of the way to where Petals' forest was in mostly companionable silence. Occasionally they'd start talking about one topic or another, but mostly it was in silence.
When they neared where the bushes were, Hannah saw them as she was about to enter the bushes. She ran over to them, calling out, "It came! It finally got here!"
As she slowed down when she got over to them, both Beth and Charlie walking at the same casual pace, Beth held up her hands. "What came?" she asked, clearly wanting Hannah to explain.
"The Studio Ghibli piano music I'd ordered. I finally got 'Morning of the Slag Ravine' in, and that was what I wanted most," Hannah said, as she started to walk with both of them.
"What's 'Studio Ghibli?'" Charlie asked.
"It's the anime studio that made Hayao Miyazaki's movies. Like Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Castle in the Sky," Hannah said.
"She has all the movie's they produced," Beth commented. "If you ask her, she'd probably let you borrow them, though she'd probably want to watch them with you."
Hannah giggled. "Guilty."
Charlie rolled her eyes. Even though she was interested, despite herself, she wasn't sure she should go all in like that.
They quickly made their way to the bushes and entered as soon as they got there. Once inside, they found Tim, Ralph, and Amelia were already waiting.
"Where's Petals?" Charlie asked, unsure where the unicorn could be.
"She's in her forest," Ralph replied. "She spends as much time in there as she can, though she does get kicked out the way we did every so often."
"I'll be right back," Charlie said, starting for the entrance for Petals' forest.
She almost reached it when Petals emerged from her forest. –Am I late?– Petals asked, seeing Charlie almost to her forest.
–Not really, I was just coming to let you know we were almost all here.– Charlie said. Marveling at the sight of Petals' horn no longer fading in and out of her perception. It was clear to her view for the first time and no longer seemed like a phantom horn to her.
Petals bumped Charlie gently with her muzzle. –You have your magic unsealed, I see.– she said to Charlie.
–Would you be willing to help me unseal the others' magic? All I would need you to do is touch everyone with your horn when I get to each of them while unsealing their magic.– Charlie asked, not doubting that Petals wouldn't be willing, but more worried that she would go about it on her own and not really work with Charlie.
–Sure, just let me know what you want me to do.– Petals replied.
Charlie walked back to where she had been, next to Beth with Hannah on the other side of Beth.
"So, where's Wes?" Hannah asked. "I could have sworn he left before me."
"I think he had to take care of something at his house before he could get here," Tim said. "He never mentioned anything to me about not being able to show up today."
"Then maybe Charlie should get started on unsealing each of our magic," Beth commented, putting her hand on Charlie's shoulder.
Charlie couldn't have been more surprised if she'd been knocked off of her feet. Though, she suspected that Beth was as eager to be able to use magic as she had been.
"Wait, magic?" Amelia asked.
"Yeah, I can't explain how my magic was unsealed, but I can unseal all of your magic and help show you a few ways to use it," Charlie said.
"What's the catch?" Ralph asked as the same moment Amelia asked, "We have magic?"
"That I'll unseal yours against my better judgement," Charlie retorted to Ralph, not paying attention to Amelia's question..
"Aww, you're acting like you don't like me," Ralph replied, a grin showing how serious he was taking Charlie's statement.
"That's because I don't," Charlie said.
Ralph blinked, his surprise evident on his face. "Why?"
"You did drug me on Tim's last birthday," Charlie told Ralph.
"Seriously?? That was last September," Ralph protested.
"Ralph, I told you then that it was a bad idea," Amelia said.
"I didn't even mean to drug Charlie. All of you know I meant to drug Beth," Ralph complained.
"You're not really helping yourself," Wes said, as he entered the bushes.
"You're going to abandon me like that?" Ralph asked Wes.
"I don't care who you meant to drug or why. I care that you drugged me," Charlie said.
Ralph sighed. "Fine, but I'll tell you why anyway," Ralph said.
"He meant to drug me and Tim because he was convinced that we were interested in each other but were denying it. He decided that if we were drugged that we'd find ourselves in a position we wouldn't be able to deny and so admit our feelings for each other," Beth interrupted. "That's why he'd drugged Tim too. I guess you're lucky you're Tim's cousin or something or who knows what Ralph might have attempted with you."
"I was going to say that," Ralph complained. "And I wouldn't have tried to do anything to Charlie with Tim. I mean, he was clearly into you."
"You'd have taken too long and I'm sure you were seeing things that weren't there," Beth replied. Then to Charlie, "Let's get on with it. I'm sure the sooner you get it done, the easier it will be for you."
Charlie nodded.
"Wait, what are we doing now?" Wes asked, clearly confused as to what was going on.
"You'll see," Hannah replied.
Charlie decided to start with Ralph. Mostly because he could already talk with Petals, so she figured she should start there. After she finished, she moved to Beth. It didn't take long before she'd unsealed the magic of the others. Petals didn't say anything as she followed Charlie's directions and held the tip of her horn on each person's head as their magic was unsealed.
Afterward, Charlie explained how to use magic, giving a small demonstration with her flower of fire. She didn't tell anyone exactly how she used her magic, but explained all she could remember of what the crystal had told her. She didn't think she had forgotten anything, but planned on checking with the crystal afterwards.
Beth formed a small ice cube in her hand, Hannah arched lighting between her fingertips, Amelia brought out yellow glowing orbs of light, Wes grew a tree's bark over his hand, Tim created a mini-tornado in front of him, and Ralph was floating about three feet off of the ground.
Everyone was excited about what they were now able to do. It took a while before they stopped, but not before Amelia fell asleep, or pass out as Ralph phrased it, which made everyone stop, realizing how much of an impact using their magic was having on themselves.
"I'll get Amelia home," Hannah offered. "We live by each other."
"I can help you," Beth offered. "It's not that far out of my way."
"Thanks," Hannah said.
"When should we get together again?" Wes asked.
"How about tomorrow at Amelia's?" Ralph suggested. "We could watch a movie and practice talking with magic. Besides, I'm pretty sure she was going to ask us to her place tomorrow anyway."
"Not a bad idea," Tim commented. "Only question would be what movie we should watch."
"Amelia probably has a movie in mind," Hannah commented, putting Amelia's arm over her shoulders, giving Tim a look that was clear to Charlie that they were communicating something that she couldn't figure out.
"What if she doesn't have us at her place?" Charlie asked, not sure if she'd be invited as everyone seemed to think Amelia would. Charlie also felt like there was something that everyone else knew that she didn't and none of them were talking, partly evidence with the unspoken communication between Hannah and Tim just now. While Charlie wasn't surprised that she didn't know things about them, given she had only started willingly joining their group for a little over a week, it still felt like this was something that they should at least give her a heads up about.
"If Amelia really doesn't have anything going on, then we'll meet at Tim's," Ralph replied, his tone telling Charlie that he didn't believe that.
"And if that's the case, then Charlie should choose the movie," Beth suggested, her tone telling Charlie that she wasn't likely to find out what they weren't saying from her.
Charlie was as surprised as she was uneasy. She'd never been all that interested in movies before, so she wasn't really sure what movies there were to begin with, let alone which one she should pick. Although, she did occasionally watch one with her family, but that was a mixed result. Some were sort of interesting to Charlie, others weren't at all. Not to mention the part of whatever it was that they weren't saying to her.
"Um, Beth?" Charlie began. "I have no idea what movie would be one that I even might like." Truthfully, if she tried, she was sure she could come up with some, but she really wasn't interested in doing that.
Beth laughed as she put Amelia's other arm over her shoulders. "I can't say I'm surprised, but how about we go with a movie that we've all seen before and liked so we can see if Charlie might like it if it comes to that."
There didn't seem to be much discussion after that, so everyone started to head home. So, as Charlie started to head over to her home, she was conflicted. Part of her was ecstatic to be included in a group while another part of her was unhappy about having her personal time reduced. She wasn't sure what she should be feeling and didn't know if she should be concerned at feeling so conflicted.
It was as if her world was being shaken up and there wasn't anything for her to hold on to that she knew was a sure thing.
_
"And that's what Mrs. Garfield told me," Charlie told her parents after she finished explaining what the forms she'd handed them were about. She had mixed emotions about telling her parents about the offer for her to be a junior counselor at a 'math camp.' Part of her was sure they'd be happy with it while another part of her thought the whole subject was ridiculous. She couldn't think of what would be done at such a camp.
"It sounds like it might be a good idea," Charlie's mom said after thinking for a minute. "What do you think, Scott?"
Charlie's dad seemed to take longer to think about it. Finally, he said, "I'm sure Heathcliff would be willing to let us know more details about this camp, but I think the decision about this should be yours, Charlie."
"Scott," Charlie's mom reprimanded.
"What?" Charlie's father asked.
"We need to be looking out for our daughter's future. Her college applications will get a boost from this."
Her father shook his head. "Maybe so, but this is Charlie's decision. We need to support her in whatever decision she makes. Even if we disagree with what that decision turns out to be."
Charlie had actually hoped that her parents would make the decision for her, just like they'd done with pretty much every other decision she could remember in her life in regards to things like this.
"Even so, you know Charlie isn't likely to agree to that herself. We need to push her so she can improve what her future will look like," Charlie's mother replied.
"Jackie, we still don't know if this is something that will benefit Charlie herself. Maybe it would look good for college applications, but what good would that be if Charlie isn't emotionally ready to be in that kind of position?" Charlie's father asked.
"Um, mom? Dad?" Charlie ventured. While she'd like to not have to make this decision herself, she couldn't help but be interested in the offer to begin with, despite her usual reserved attitude towards things like that. She also felt this probably would be the best way that she'd be able to get to be the closest to the Heart of the Forest in the first place. "I think that I might actually like to do this."
Both her parents were stunned. Her father got up walked over to Charlie and put the back of his hand on her forehead. "She doesn't seem to have a fever," her commented thoughtfully.
"Scott, sit back down." Charlie's mother told him, clearly trying to sound stern, but failing while she was chuckling.
As he sat back down, Charlie's mother continued. "So, Charlie, you realize what you'll be committing yourself to? Once we get this back to Heathcliff you won't be able to back out easily. Do you understand that?"
"Yeah, I understand. I'm well aware that if I wanted to back out, I would need a very good reason, such as injury or getting very sick. I think it's something that I need to do regardless," Charlie replied. Let them interpret that in anyway they'd want to, Charlie told herself.
Charlie watched her parents look at each other, a clear signal that they were communicating silently, using things Charlie had never been able to figure out how they knew what the other was thinking, just that they seemed to be able to anyway.
"If you want us to fill these forms out for you we can do that or if you'd like us to help you we can do that too. When you're done, I'll take them over to Heathcliff on Monday," Charlie's father said, turning back to face her.
"Thanks," Charlie replied. She got up from the table, leaving her plate, went around the table to hug each of her parents in turn. She then went back, picked up her plate and took it over to the kitchen sink.
"By the way," Charlie's mother called out to her as Charlie started to begin on washing the dishes. "Remember, while you're there at the math camp, you won't be able to come home any time you want, so you'll have to trust your garden to us."
"Got it, mom," Charlie replied, not too worried. She'd left her garden untended before since she'd had a garden, such as once when they went on a trip for a month a few years back and when she'd returned, her garden was mostly fine. It just was a little overgrown with weeds that Charlie had made short work of. She also knew that if her parents did do anything with her garden, it wouldn't be much or for very long.
Which made Charlie wonder if she shouldn't try to get someone else to tend to her garden. She didn't think Beth would object, but couldn't be completely sure. She also wondered if any of the others in the group that she'd been hanging out with would be interested if Beth declined.
However, right now her mind was more worried about getting the Heart of the Forest back. Not that she could tell her parents about it, aside from sounding crazy, she didn't have any evidence that it existed in a way that she could show her parents without risking even more complications coming up. Charlie didn't feel like trying to get them into Petals' forest either. That would take a lot of coaxing and she wasn't sure how her parents would react if Charlie did manage to convince them that she was telling the truth about it. Sometimes not giving the full story did prevent complications from occurring, though other times complications abounded regardless of which choice was made.
All that was left to do now was just get through the rest of the school year. Which might be harder given that Charlie now had something to look forward to after the end of the school year. In the past she didn't have anything she looked forward to, other than more time to herself, but now she had something. Which made her rather unsure what effects it might have on her all around.