I took some days to think over the information I got. I needed to learn more, but I couldn't just ask anyone about it at least, not directly. I needed to do it strategically. But first, I decided to try the study specifically, grandmother's. Her study is actually the library, but she spends a lot of time here, and unless I am expected to do something, I avoid the place. But now, I need to.
I stepped into the place — I knew she would not be here, taking a nap, so I had about an hour or so to look through. I was not sure where to start. I hadn't gone far before I realized a problem: a good number of the books here were charmed, so I couldn't open them.
It was a stupid thing to try — manipulating a charmed material. One, the owner would know someone was trying to use it. Two, the backlash from trying to do so would be painful, and depending on how powerful the one who put it is, you could die.
And the fact that grandmother's charm has faded to her gift doesn't change the fact that she is a powerful charm caster — even if I have wielded fire before, perks of being charmless, and I have broken grandmother's shield occasionally. But I don't have the confidence to break this consciously, or quietly, without her coming in.
I spent a while before finding a book that seemed to hold something relevant to me. It had a story on the first charm casters — nomads who were blessed with charms — and then another set who weren't given charms, but wanted one anyway, so they antagonized the ones with charms and begged the gods, till out of wrath, she cast them into the shadows, giving them shadows as charms. And they were not happy about it.
After going through the book, I didn't see anything else that could be of use.
Walking out of the room, I spot the shadow cast by the table, and I unconsciously step into it. And I saw it.
"Where are you going?" a young-looking Aunt Ariana demanded, in a very strong voice — the air feeling just like it had when she argued with grandmother, devoid of happiness, amplifying every bad thing in your life. I turn to look at who she's talking to, and I see my mother.
"Talk to me," Aunt Ariana demands, grabbing her hand.
"Let go, Ariana," my mother demands, and uses her charm to push her back.
"This is about that person, isn't it? How can you turn your back on us like that? Can you please tell me what is so special about him?"
"I love him, Ariana."
"Enough to go against everybody, and the prophecy? Do you know it is forbidden?"
"I will face judgment for whatever happens," she says, rubbing her stomach unconsciously and we all caught the motion. Aunt Ariana stands in shock and doesn't move, even as my mother leaves the room and disappears.
The vision ends, and I just walk. I don't know where I'm going, till I stop at a pond. The shadows come out, wrapping around my feet. I'm not sure I understand anything anymore. What is all this? I am so lost.
"Stop it," I caution the shadows threading up my leg, as I stand then sit by the pond and play with the water. I didn't pay enough attention to my surroundings, till I heard a stumble, and looked up, and saw him — River, the awkward human from the antique store and he saw me use my powers. The anxiety caused me to flare, and I could hear Aunt Ariana. Run, I mouth, and he did, just as Aunt Ariana appears and guides me to her car and takes me home, where grandmother is waiting, annoyed at me for leaving the house and flaring. She reassembles the shield, and they hover around me, not letting me out of their sight, asking why I flared. I said I don't know, and they each left with their own conclusions.
They don't know what actually happened. They don't know someone saw. And that's the part that keeps circling back in my head long after they've stopped asking and left not the vision, not the prophecy, not even the flare itself. Him. A human, standing there watching shadows crawl up my legs like they had a mind of their own. If he tells anyone if he even mentions it to the wrong person I don't know what happens to this family. I don't know what happens to me.
What am I going to do?
How do I find him?
My walls were filling with vines and shadowy tendrils, spreading further than I'd ever let them go before, like even my magic understood how much this mattered. I start walking from one end of my room to another, thinking of how to fix this, and without really deciding to, I walk toward the shadow pooling by my door. I've stepped into shadows but never through one. Never somewhere. The feeling, like motion sickness, comes over me, and when it passes and I can stand straight again, I'm in a different room.
Not mine.
Looking around, I see photos of him. River.
I didn't know I could do that. I don't know what else I don't know.
The door opens, and he walks in.
"You have to give me a good reason not to hurt you," I say, menace dripping from my voice.
He moves back in shock, and then it morphs into fear.
"I— I didn't tell anyone. I swear it."
"Yet."
"No, I swear. Don't hurt my family. I wasn't going to tell anyone," he says, and he looks sincere. I feel like I can trust him. But even still—
"Come here," I beckon him toward me. He looks skeptical, makes a move forward, but stops. I roll my eyes and use the shadow to pull him close.
"They feel weird," he marvels.
"Your hand," I order. He brings it out, and I put my hand out — my plan was to fool him with a curse, empty words, he wouldn't know the difference. But when our hands join, after I made him swear, lilac lines knot around our hands and then disappear. I try to hide the surprise, as he looks awed.
Then I leave, just as I came, appearing back in my room.