Nick glared at Charlie. "What's so funny?" he demanded.
"Sorry," Charlie apologized, not because she was actually sorry, but more to assuage Nick's hurt feelings. "I didn't know that this is what you've been wanting to show me since I got here. I just thought you were up to something totally creepy. Like trying to get me in bed or something just as icky."
Nick stared at Charlie in surprise. His expression actually between a glare and surprise. It merely added to the surprise of Charlie's statement. Though, his thoughts were borderline shocked and outraged.
Then after a few more minutes of silence, Nick sighed. "How did you get your magic unsealed?"
"Hey, I don't even know what's going on here," Charlie replied. "I'm certainly not going to tell anyone here until I know more."
Nick shook his head. "I can't believe this," he muttered. Then, looking at Charlie in the eyes, he said, "You're going to have to tell me something or I'm going to have to get serious."
You're not serious now? Charlie asked mentally, her amusement beginning to return. "I don't really care," Charlie replied out loud and she really didn't. "I doubt you'll be able to do anything to me that I won't be able to counter."
"Just because you can create a flower made out of blue fire, doesn't mean that I can't stop you. Especially since it's clear that that's all you know how to do," Nick replied, his anger apparent on his face as well as in his thoughts.
Charlie sighed. –Just because I showed you that, doesn't mean that I can't do anything else with my magic.– Charlie said with her magic, her amusement gone, replace with annoyance, as well as being tired with this whole situation in general.
Nick blinked. "H- how did you do that?" Nick was clearly stunned. His thoughts were utter chaos.
–I know more than you realize about how to use magic.– Charlie replied, using her magic still, partly because she was ready to leave this room and head back to her bunk. A nap was starting to sound good to Charlie, a dip in the pool could always wait for another time.
"Where did you learn all of this?" Nick asked, his thoughts showing Charlie just what he planned on doing with that information: Take that information to Heathcliff and get credit for having 'figured out' the way to do what she was doing.
"Sorry, Nick," Charlie replied, shaking her head slowly. "As I told you before, I don't know what's going on here and I'm not giving anything else until I know more."
She could hear the hesitation in Nick's thoughts. She'd put him on defense, and he was livid at it. However, she could also hear reasoning going on in his mind that he needed help to know what to do with this situation. Charlie waited patiently while he debated with himself over what path to take.
She estimated that it was probably around 5 minutes before he finally made a decision. Even if she couldn't hear his thoughts, she'd have been able to tell from his posture. His eyes cleared from their glazed over expression while he was lost in his thoughts, his back straightened and he didn't look like he was going to either slide out of his chair or just flat out fall from it like he had a moment before.
"I guess you have me at a disadvantage," Nick growled. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you to someone who will be able to explain what you're wanting to know."
Nick stood up and walked towards the door, Charlie only a step behind. She didn't say anything but was quite certain that she was likely to be taken to Heathcliff, though since no name actually appeared in Nick's mind, she couldn't be absolutely certain. However, if it wasn't Heathcliff, it would be someone at least close to him. Charlie merely wondered who else there could be that Nick would think to take her to.
Charlie followed Nick down the stairs one floor, then as he travelled down another hallway. The door he opened didn't apparently lead directly to where he was taking her. It merely led to another room, which opened to another hallway, or maybe just another part of the same hall and was being used as a short-cut, before reaching the door that he was leading her to.
Inside was a small office. However, it wasn't Heathcliff inside. She recognized him when she first saw the Heart of the Forest, but for some reason she couldn't remember anything else about him, and just thinking about it was making her sleepy.
Charlie couldn't help but feel like she should know who this was with how familiar he was in her mind, despite not remembering anything else about him.
"Why did you bring her here, Nick," the man asked, sounding rather irritated.
"You remember how you said that you tested her for magic and found the seal still in place?" Nick asked.
The man nodded. "Yes," he replied slowly. "What does that have to do with why you're here?"
"Actually, somehow her seal is gone. She has access to her magic and an ability that I've never heard about," Nick said, taking a seat in a chair that was by a side table.
The man closed his laptop and stood up. "What ability is this?" the man asked, looking at Charlie.
Charlie merely looked at Nick, content in letting him enjoy having to explain all of this.
Nick eventually got the hint. "She can communicate directly in my mind with her magic," Nick said.
The man nodded, then turned his attention to Charlie. "Who taught you to use your magic?" he asked.
Charlie shrugged. "I have no obligation to tell you anything," Charlie merely replied, part of her withering under his gaze with her brazen refusal to a simple question, it didn't help that as she looked at him she felt like laying on the ground and taking a nap right then and there. It took everything Charlie had to keep from folding under his scrutiny. Though, she doubted that she was able to keep it from being noticed.
The man merely nodded. "Well, given that you already have access to your magic without us unsealing it, you've probably already met the unicorn that was supposed to remain sealed in its forest," he commented.
"Wait, you've found a unicorn's forest?" Nick asked, his surprise almost making Charlie laugh again. It was only because of the other man in front of Charlie that she was able to quickly dampen her amusement.
"Yes, we did," the man replied. "Not many know it, because we still haven't been able to use the Heart of the Forest to open the gate." The man looked directly at Charlie as he mentioned the Heart of the Forest.
"What's a 'gate?'" Charlie asked, doubting that it was the kind of 'gate' she normally thought of.
"It's like the entrance to the Unicorn's Forest, only it connects worlds together directly and can't be moved," the man answered, looking towards Charlie as he did. "They were all sealed roughly a thousand years ago, which means knowledge of them faded over time until hardly anyone knows anything about them, even those who still have writings that explain about the gates."
"What would I have to do with any of this?" Charlie asked, not sure if they would expect her to answer anything specific after they explained what they wanted from Charlie in all of this.
"Well, you see, we haven't been able to get the gate we know of open, even with the Heart of the Forest. When you entered the room where we had it, it lit up, showing a reaction to you that we hadn't been able to elicit from it before or since," the man replied, pushing the chair he'd been sitting in into the place it went at the desk.
"'Elicit?' Nick asked. "You're making it sound like it's alive or something."
"You could say that," the man said. "It's not really clear what the Heart of the Forest is, it shows many signs of being able to think for itself, but other times it doesn't show signs that it can do anything by itself. We're really not sure whether it is alive or not, only that not everyone can activate it."
"It would need to be alive, or it wouldn't be able to hold magic, wouldn't it?" Charlie asked, recalling something about enchanting objects the crystal had told her during one of her magic lessons in the past couple months.
Nick gave her a confused expression while the man considered what Charlie said. "You do have a point, but that brings us back to where did you learn all of this?" the man asked again.
Charlie considered whether she should hold out for more information or not. After a minute she decided that she should give them something, as they did give her more information, largely about the gate and if she continued to hold back, they might decide she wasn't going to work with them, which meant they might consider using force or other means to get her cooperation. "I learned it from someone I met in the Unicorn's Forest you said you sealed," Charlie hedged, enjoying the look of shock the man gave her.
"H- how'd you get past the seal?" he stammered.
Charlie shrugged. "Actually, it was someone I know who figured it out. Something about the song 'Clowns' by Tatu. Not really sure what that's about, but it got us in," Charlie said, taking immense pleasure in the incredulous expression the man wore in response, in addition to his face turning red when the song was mentioned.
"Why would that song affect a magic seal?" Nick asked Charlie.
"As I said, I'm not really sure how that worked. All I know is that it did," Charlie replied, unsure how else to explain it.
The man sighed. "Very well," the man said. Charlie couldn't help but think he sounded a little defeated. "I'll make a call and we can begin right away then instead of this weekend like we'd planned." The man turned and picked up the phone on the desk.
Charlie watched, wondering what would happen now that they'd moved on from exactly how she'd gained access to her magic. She saw the man press a few buttons, then wait. She assumed that it wasn't an actual phone call, merely to another phone in the mansion, given he only pressed three before waiting. On the other hand, he could have activated a speed dial. Charlie wasn't sure how that worked, so it was possible.
Charlie tried using her magic to listen to the man's thoughts, so she could hear all of the conversation, but when she tried, it felt like her magic ran into a glass surface that kept her from his thoughts and her efforts just slid off, having no effect and leaving no noticeable trace. She didn't know what it was or why, just that it wasn't working the way she had become accustomed to.
"It's Carl," the man said into the receiver. Charlie couldn't hear what was said in response, which was putting her on edge. "Yeah, she's here, but there's a problem. She already had her magic unsealed before she got here." Charlie couldn't say that she was surprised that she would be a topic, given how much it seemed so much was done to try and get her as an ally, or at least willing to work with them.
"No, it wasn't anyone we know, though we still don't know exactly who," Carl continued before pausing. "I thought it should be time to try anyway."
Charlie wasn't sure what he was talking about but suddenly thought that she should try to contact Beth. She wasn't sure what they might be planning, but it wouldn't hurt to try and get some allies to help her if it came to that. So, she stopped paying attention and began trying to test how far her magic could extend to try and reach Beth.
However, despite Charlie's best efforts, she couldn't reach Beth. She couldn't tell how far her magic was able to reach but had the feeling that it was at least half the distance.
"…yeah, I can take her as well," Charlie heard Carl say as she ended her attempt to contact Beth. "That shouldn't be a problem, but right now? Are you sure?" Charlie wondered what they were talking about now. She was able to listen to Nick's thoughts, but it was clear he didn't know who they were now talking about or what.
"Understood. I'll call you as soon as we learn anything," Carl said, as he finally hung up.
He turned to face Nick and Charlie. "I'll need both of you to accompany me. We'll be leaving shortly for Berthoud Pass," he said, starting to walk away from the desk, leaving his laptop.
"Where will we be going?" Nick asked, his tone indicating to Charlie that he was starting to get nervous.
"As I said, Berthoud Pass," Carl repeated. "I'll be showing both of you the location for the gate. We should be able to get back before dinner."
Nick didn't seem to question this statement, but Charlie wasn't so convinced. "What do you plan on doing with us at the gate?"
"Open it, of course," Carl replied.
_
Charlie wasn't sure why she didn't put up as much of a fight as she had so far. Which really wasn't any resistance, to be honest, Charlie had to admit to herself. She was in the back seat of a sedan, Shirley on her right and Nick on her left. Carl was in the driver's seat and another man that was someone Charlie knew that she'd seen before, but couldn't place, who Carl had identified as Ronald.
Ronald held the Heart of the Forest and Charlie had suggested that they could let her hold onto it, since Carl had made it clear that Charlie would be the one to use it. However, the suggestion was pretty much ignored, which told Charlie what they thought of her. Which meant that they weren't giving her much reason for her to trust them. Charlie also got the impression that Shirley and Nick were there to keep Charlie from trying to jump out of the moving vehicle. Which Charlie thought ridiculous. She certainly wasn't suicidal and, especially on the turns climbing to the pass and then descending it, it certainly would be where they were at the moment. Not to mention it wasn't like she could get very far by herself on foot in the mountains.
Charlie craned her neck to see above everyone as they went over the pass and continental divide. However, Charlie couldn't see much, given how quickly they went over it as well as how much Nick and Shirley obstructed her view.
As they started to go down the other side of the pass, Charlie sat back. She'd always liked reading the sign for the pass whenever she went by it, but with this trip, she had the feeling that she was not going to have many, if any at all, enjoyable bits. Already, it was rather boring, aside from the passing scenery.
Once they were on the last turn before heading into Winter Park, Carl turned the vehicle off the road and parked in the shoulder, where it looked like maybe some people used it as a rest stop.
Shirley and Nick got out, Shirley taking Charlie's hand in hers, though not in the manner Charlie would have preferred. It was more the way a parent would hold the hand of a child, so the child doesn't go running off. Carl and Ronald led the way, the rest of them following down a path that Charlie thought maybe led to where people might use as a restroom but couldn't be sure, Nick was behind Charlie. Charlie assumed it was in case she got out of Shirley's grip and tried making a run for it.
While Charlie thought it stupid, she did have to admit that they didn't know what her reasons for being willing to go with them and why she'd accept whatever they needed her to do in order to get the Heart of the Forest. Although Charlie admitted to herself that they probably weren't going to let her take the Heart of the Forest without a fuss. Charlie wasn't sure what she'd need to do but knew that complying with what they wanted her to do, at least for now, would be the best path to try and get the Heart of the Forest.
It wasn't even ten minutes at a very leisurely pace before Ronald and Carl stopped. Charlie looked around. She could still see the highway, though not quite the car they'd taken there, but that was more because of trees and other vegetation. There didn't seem to be anything that made this place all that special, but given where the entrance to Petals' forest was, that didn't mean anything to Charlie. When they arrived, Shirley let Charlie's hand go.
"So, how do you expect me to open the gate," Charlie asked, drawing surprised looks from Carl and Ronald. Of course they forgot I was here, Charlie added to herself.
Carl sighed. "Well, do your thing and we'll see if the gate will open."
Charlie sighed. If they weren't going to even try to work with her, Charlie figured she'd see what the crystal thought. She'd been able to keep anyone from knowing it was in her jacket pocket, so she slipped her hands into her pockets, her left hand gently gripping the crystal as she began to converse with it.
–Any suggestions?– Charlie asked it, hoping that she wouldn't need to brainstorm with any of the others that were standing around her.
–To open the gate? Take the Heart of the Forest in your hands and the rest will come to you.– the crystal replied. –They won't know what you're doing so you can do what you want and they won't be able to say if you did or didn't do any part they want you to do. Nor can they stop you once you begin.–
Charlie nodded, removed her hands from her pockets and turned to Ronald. "I'll need to hold the Heart of the Forest," Charlie merely said. She didn't think she should say more than that. She doubted they'd really listen to any explanation she'd give.
"Why should we?" Carl asked, looking at Charlie in the way she was used to from adults who thought they knew more than she did, regardless of what the topic was.
"Because if you don't, we're all wasting our time here," she replied, not caring if any of them took offence with her tone or statement.
Carl glared at her. "You realize that we can compel you to do what we want with our magic, don't you?" he threatened.
Charlie smirked at Carl. "If you can do that, why not compel the Heart of the Forest to do what you want it to do," she suggested, already knowing that they'd either tried that or knew of some reason why that wouldn't work.
"Because we can't use our magic directly on a Heart of the Forest without harming it," Carl retorted.
"Well, if you compel me to do what you want to do with trying to open the gate, would it be me trying or would it be you?" she asked.
"We'd be using you, of course," Ronald said, rather smugly in her opinion.
Charlie shook her head. "With what you know of magic, would that be the same thing?" she asked, knowing what the answer actually was but not sure if they were aware of it.
Carl opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't. It was clear he realized something that he hadn't thought of. Slowly he closed his mouth and took a deep breath. "Fine, you may have a point," Carl relented.
"What point?" Shirley asked. "She can't know that much about magic."
"Regardless of what she may or may not know, she is right about this point," Carl replied. "If we use magic to compel her to open something that's magically sealed, then the magic would recognize that it was us who were trying to open the seal and treat us accordingly. So, if this girl is the one who has to open the gate, then it has to be by her choice and not because she's being magically compelled."
Nick shook his head. "You've gotta be kidding me," he said, walking away a little bit.
"Sadly, right now we're in this girl's hands. So, we have to let her have the Heart of the Forest, if only for right now," Carl said, motioning Ronald to give Charlie the Heart of the Forest. "But remember, only open this gate. No others."
Ronald was grumbling to himself as he walked over to her and handed her the Heart of the Forest gently. "Thanks," she said. She wasn't sure what Carl meant about not opening any of the other gates but shrugged it off. It wouldn't help her to try to dwell on everything he said that she didn't really understand.
She was about to say more when she was suddenly pulled into her mind, or what felt like her mind. Not that SHE could really explain it.
Everything that had been around her was gone. In place of the Heart of the Forest that she had been holding were the hands of what appeared to be a girl, roughly Charlie's age, who had a white sleeveless dress that left her shoulders bare with a collar that came up to the base of her neck and came down to mid-thigh. The bodice was form fitting and the sight of it made Charlie's heart beat faster and the skirt flowed from the top of her hips to flutter in some unseen breeze. Charlie looked over the girl and saw she was barefoot, her eyes were a striking iridescent blue, had hair that looked almost made out of pure silver, her skin was almost a white-silver color and had a single horn coming out of her forehead and extended about two feet. The horn was the same she had been seeing on Petals. The girl also was at least half a foot taller than her. She felt a strong urge to pull the girl into her arms and kiss her even though she couldn't say that she'd seen the girl before or understand what made her feel like she already knew this girl.
Instead, she decided to try and figure out what was going on. Especially since she couldn't say what had just happened.
"Who are you?" she asked, partly aware of her voice echoing, both around her and in her ears.