[Chapter 3]

“You have to promise me you won’t tell anyone, my dear Ashe. This is a delicate matter; not even your parents know about this. I promise I will explain everything that happened and is going to happen, but not while we’re here. I will talk to you after breakfast about… your new powers. Just try not to stir up a typhoon or set your brother on fire.” Grandma Elvie hushed as I took her arm, helping her down the stairs.

After the nightmare yesterday, I had finally been able to sleep well, walking out of the room in the morning for breakfast to see Grandma Elvie laboring up the stairs. I felt guilty that she had to suffer climbing up here just to find me, but she didn’t seem to care as she whispered to me.

I nodded solemnly in reply, trying to ignore the power hanging in the air. How could I possible live with this; like I had a sixth sense that would never stop sensing out the power in the air? Did some of this power belong to Grandma Elvie? Did we share this power, or did it belong to me? What is a Faen? Am I still human?

The questions flooded me, but, like a dam on tide waters, I kept my tongue still and gently helped Grandma Elvie down to the kitchen.

“How was your night, Grandma Elvie? Did you rest well?” I ask; the only thing I felt safe asking without spilling the secret.

She gave me a sideways look, a glint in her eyes. “After knowing that you are Alveron’s Faen and discovering your elements, I had a wondrous sleep.”

I could not help it. I opened my mouth to ask what she meant… but we turned into the kitchen, where the small dining table was placed. Raun was already up, making a mess all over the table while Dad was reading the newspaper, strategically ignoring my kid brother.

“How was your night, Ashe? Did you have any more nightmares?” Dad looked up at me over the top of his paper.

“No, Dad. I’m fine now. I slept well.” I smiled at the scent of French toast wafting from the pan.

“Good morning, Mum! When’s it done?” I jumped to her side, breathing in a heady scent of heavenly toast.

“Good morning, sweetie. You’ll have it once you help clear up the mess Raun made.” She laughed lightly as I groaned. But nothing would tamper the excitement building inside me. What would Grandma Elvie say? What was happening? Did she call the school? Did I get in?

I barely sat still throughout breakfast and excused myself from cleaning up after Raun by escaping into my room. Since there was nothing more to do, I checked my phone, realizing that I had a few missed calls and a few texts.

Surprisingly, one of it came from Kaz.

‘You okay?’ it said, ‘I heard your screams yesterday night. A nightmare?’

Awww… I didn’t know he cared. Kaz was my neighbor since childhood, and also my long-standing crush. Yes, I had been friend-zoned by him, and I knew it was impossible for us but hey, I had to try.

I texted a quick reply before I replied Shirley too, carefully plotting the downfall of the hateful teacher who spoilt my birthday.

A knock came on the door and Dad poked his head in.

“Ashe, your grandma wants to bring you out. She said to ask you to wear your best dress for her.” He passed the message as I perked up immediately. I jumped to the wardrobe with anxiety, quickly picking out my favorite black silk dress. It seemed kind of weird wearing something like this for a walk with Grandma Elvie, but I was pretty sure she didn’t mind. She, after all, had told me to wear my best dress.

I pulled my hair up in a slightly messy bun, and then fetched a heart-shaped necklace Dad bought for me for my birthday. I grabbed my phone and wallet, taking the stairs two-by-two as I rushed down. Grandma Elvie was waiting by the door, her walking stick in her hand.

“Looking good.” She approved with a smile as I grinned in reply. See? I knew Grandma Elvie wouldn’t mind.

“Thanks, Grandma Elvie. Where are we going?” I asked but she merely put a finger on her lips; a sly glint in her eyes that told me she wasn’t planning to announce it anytime soon.

“Mum, Dad, we’re going!” I called from the doorway, letting Grandma Elvie go first.

“Keep safe, sweetheart! Take care of Grandma Elvie for us!” Mum called in reply as I closed the door behind me,

“They never understand, ‘I may be old and frail, but I can hold my own’. Someday, I might just make a signal board proclaiming that I need no help!” Grandma Elvie complained, but she was still smiling.

We exchanged small chat on particularly nothing as we made our stroll down the walkway. Grandma Elvie knew of my anxiousness of approaching the true subject, and it seemed as if the more I pushed, the more she evaded any answer at all.

By the time we reached Town Square, I was half-convinced she was out to take me for a ride. But we stopped outside the café where I knew Kaz worked part-time and hoped he was around to see me in my best dress.

“Ashe, inside that café are two very important people of the Council of the School of Cynus. The first is Ms. Maxwell, the principal of the school. The second is the Head of our Council. Mr. Rax will kill you if you’re not careful, Ashe. I need you to look them in the eye and show them exactly who you are. I want you to answer their questions with the first thing that comes to your mind. Some of the questions may make no sense. Just answer them and ask no questions.” Grandma Elvie instructed firmly, taking my shoulders and looking at me straight in the eye. I gulped down all questions and nodded seriously.

She nodded in reply, as if satisfied by my reply, starting towards the café.

“Put a smile on that lovely face, my dear Ashe.” She advised as she opened the door, and instantly, I found the eyes that came quickly to my grandmother.

The woman –Ms. Maxwell –had an owlish look around her, though her hair had a fashionable cut. As we made closer, I saw that she actually wasn’t as old as I had first thought. She was probably in her early forties or late thirties. She was dressed in a creamy white blouse and professional black pants. All in all, she looked the perfect principal. But there was no mistaking the prodding at the power in the air. It was definitely from either of the two strangers we were making towards.

The man, Mr. Rax, looked older, though with the kindly-grandpa type of face. It was hard to imagining him ‘killing me’ if I wasn’t careful. But I knew better than to speak by appearances.

“Elvie! You should have asked us over to the house to save you from the walking!” The woman greeted, but my grandmother only smiled.

“Can’t have you talking about magick and elements in front of Andy, Marie and Raun, can we?”

“That’s why you should’ve told them about us. You’re lucky Andy’s still safe” The elderly man said in his deep tone, kind of shocking me when the baritone rumbled through his throat.

“Nonsense. The care I place to protect Andy from being hunted as an Alveron is of the focus. But we are out of the focus here. Jane, Rax, this is my granddaughter Ashe. Her eighteenth birthday was yesterday, and the Faen’s side of her awakened. Her elements are of the air and fire.” Grandma Elvie was deft in turning the conversation topic away, though her words seemed to bring surprise to the woman as she stared at me with open wonder.

“Oh my! A double-element child! How wonderful, Elvie! It’s nice to meet another descendant of Alveron, Ashe. My name is Jane Maxwell, the principal of the school of Cynus.” The woman extended a hand to me, sounding strangely like an excited girl and a composed business woman rolled together in one.

The only way I could keep the questions away was to smile and take her hand. Her handshake was firm but gentle –the hand of someone who knew her work.

The man stood with no smile on his face and extended his hand. “Call me Rax.”

Grandma Elvie patted me lightly on my back, as if trying to encourage me to shake the hand of the brisk, stern man. His appearance totally betrayed the first impression I had of him.

I repeated the motion with him, and found myself sitting down next to Grandma Elvie in the stall, facing the two strangers.

It came as a quick surprise when Kaz came over to our seat to take our orders. I tried my best to hide my blush, despite the fact that my legs turned jelly when he smiled at me. He took our orders with quick efficiency, and Grandma Elvie never lost the chance to tease me.

As soon as Kaz was gone, she laughed lightly.

“Your crush, Ashe?” She joked softly, and I struggled not to blush before the two strangers.

“Grandma…” I complained softly, but she laughed and waved it off. The two kept quiet, but I saw Ms. Maxwell give me a soft, amused smile that was accompanied with a raise of brow.

“Are you sure you want this for her, Elvie?” Mr. Rax spoke up suddenly, ignoring me totally.

“You don’t have to question me about it, Rax. Alveron haven’t had such a hope before. I’m not going to let Alveron’s next Faen to fade away to nothingness. Besides, she has shown great potential. She can already sense out the different powers, and this is only her first day as a Faen herself!” Grandma snapped back, and I jolted a little. I had never heard Grandma Elvie so close to being pissed off before…

“Please, please, can you two just stop bickering with each other for once? You two are already on with your ages, and here you are, still picking on everything? You’re scaring the girl!” Ms. Maxwell interrupted their imminent argument by taking both their attentions. For the moment, I thanked god that Ms. Maxwell was here, even though I had no idea what type of a woman she was like.

For a moment, Mr. Rax seemed like he was ready to argue. But his black, hard eyes pinned on me and looked at me up and down. Then he sighed and turned his head away, as if resigning from the argument.

“You are right, Jane. We shouldn’t fight here. Not before the kid.”

The protest of me not being a kid was forced back down my throat.

“Yes, we should get on with things. Arguments should be brought back on the Council. Not here. Now, let’s make things quick before Andy and Marie get curious about where we’ve been.” Grandma Elvie agreed, though from her tone, it sounded like a grudging acceptance.

Ms. Maxwell nodded with a satisfied smile, and drew a notepad and a pen from the bag she kept at her side. She flipped it open, read a few things from it, and then looked up at me.

“Are you truly interested in joining us, Ashe? Do you know what our school offers?”

I thought about it. Grandma Elvie had told me to reply truthfully. So…

“I’m interested, Ms. Maxwell, but I will be honest. I don’t know what your school offers. I don’t know what I am. I don’t know anything. But I want to know more. And I want to keep my head off the desk top.”

“Did Elvie not tell you anything at all? Not even after you’ve awakened your powers?” The elderly man cut in, and I could see that he was trying to make a dig at my grandma. And I wouldn’t allow it, even if he was an elderly man who seemed to hold quite some power.

“Oh yeah? Then you try telling a kid who was traumatized after waking up from a nightmare of dying in a room on fire that she’s a Faen, and that she has powers! You try not getting screamed at and being labeled as a senile old man, and then you tell me how my Grandma Elvie’s supposed to tell me anything!” I shot back, my voice getting a little louder at my anger.

The result of my outburst was pretty funny. Ms. Maxwell looked at me with what I think was awe. Grandma Elvie had an expression that was stuck between horror and gratefulness. Mr. Rax only looked expressionless, though his eyes did widen slightly while I was speaking.

The awkwardness was broken when Kaz saved us by bringing Grandma Elvie and me our coffees. Once my classmate and long-time crush was gone, Ms. Maxwell shifted uncomfortably again, while Mr. Rax continued staring at me.

“Alveron’s fire…” I barely heard a whisper.

“I’m sorry?” I couldn’t help but say.

“Alveron’s fire.” Mr. Rax repeated louder this time, then his eyes finally moved to my grandmother. “She has Alveron’s fire. The fire you once had. That must be why her element is of the fire.”

Ms. Maxwell gave her colleague a surprised look –as if she had expected more than his simple comment –but didn’t ask anything as she gave a small, polite cough to bring attention back to her.

“Just how much do you know about Faens, Ashe?” She asked politely, and since the conversation had continued, I toned down the indignation in my voice and replied her just as politely.

“Nothing at all, Ms. Maxwell. But I am willing to learn. I need to learn. The power in the air… it’s been driving me crazy since I woke up. I want to know if there’s a way I can get used to it. If not, I rather not have the power at all.”

Her eyes widened in surprise again, as if she totally didn’t expect my reply. But I liked to think that I wasn’t the normal plain Jane –no offense to Ms. Maxwell.

“Why not, Ashe? If you knew you had the power to control fire to your will, why would you not want the power?” She enquired, like she was a reporter, and I was some sort of superstar. I mentally snorted. Not possible.

“I wouldn’t know how to control the fire, Ms. Maxwell. I know I have the power to, but I don’t know how. So the power’s pretty useless until I know how to, right?”

Somehow, my answer satisfied the elderly man and I saw the beginnings of a smile spread across his face. Surprising; no one had even thought to smile at me after I almost shouted in their faces. Mr. Rax was a first.

“The school you’re trying to enter, Ashe, is not a school for normal people. Its Faen’s exclusive… You’ll open your eyes to an entirely new world there, Ashe. Are you ready to let the life you built here go, and pick up a new one there?”

I thought of Shirley, Kaz, and even the horrible teacher who ruined my birthday. I thought of my family, and how I came home to Raun every day.

“I will never leave my life with my family, Ms. Maxwell. But I can leave my life here to go to wherever your school is to study. Provided I am allowed to come back during breaks. I’m ready to learn. The power’s been pissing me off frankly, so I’m staking my last chip on this. If your school can teach me how to wield this power and how to get used to this power, then I’ll join you gladly.”

Grandma Elvie chuckled at my frankness, and Mr. Rax smiled outright. Ms. Maxwell had a slight smile herself as she scribbled down on her notepad. Then she nodded once to herself, and closed the notepad, looking up at me again.

“Unlikely as it may seem, I am happy to announce that you have been accepted into the school of Cynus. I see no other way for you to go, Ashe. You are meant for the school.” She stood up again, extending her hand again.

I stared. Stared at her hand, at her face, then at her hand again.

“Y-You’re not kidding are you? T-This is not a joke right? I really am accepted? Really?” Of course it came as a shock to me. Just yesterday, I was griping about my old school, dreaming of changing to a private school where I could learn more. Today, I was accepted. Just like that. No application. No documents to be submitted. Just an interview that spanned a few questions-long.

“This is no joke, Ms. Alveron. Welcome to the school.” Mr. Rax said as he, too stood up. But he didn’t extend a hand. He finished his coffee and walked away.

“Ashe, shake her hand.” Grandma Elvie reminded me after a long moment in which I spazzed out in my shock and surprise.

“Oh, so sorry!” I exclaimed when I finally grabbed the woman’s outstretched hand, pumping enthusiastically. I was going to a new school. I was finally going to a new school.

A new school especially for Faens, whatever that meant. I was going away, but I was going somewhere new. Bye bye to Shirley. Bye bye to Kaz. Hello, school of the Knights of Cynus. Or the school of Cynus for short.

“I will see you in the new term, Ashe. You should report to my office at least a week before the term starts.” Ms. Maxwell nodded again, still offering a gentle smile and shook my hand firmly. Without another word, she slid out of the stall, following after Mr. Rax, who still stood straight-spine despite his age. They gave Grandma Elvie and me one last nod, and walked out the door.

“I made it! I made it!” I squealed when they were gone, jumping up to do a whacky dance of victory.

Grandma Elvie laughed, but I didn’t care. I made it.

“Congratulations, Ashe. I couldn’t help but overhear. I’ll miss you. Have fun in your new school, alright?” Kaz surprised me, and I turned behind to see him standing with a slightly sad look on his face. Awww… did he feel something for me?

I was too elated to even thank him properly for his well wishes. I, ignoring the long standing crush I’ve been having, threw my arms around his neck and pulled him in the tightest hug.

“I made it! Oh, I’ll miss you soooooooooooooooo much, Kaz! But I made it! Oh my god, I’m so happy right now! Tell you what; I’ll have a party at my house! Tomorrow night! The whole school is invited!” I blurted out, hugging him tight.

He was laughing, Grandma Elvie was laughing.

I was laughing too. I was so happy.

But I didn’t realize back then. Grandma Elvie didn’t tell me either.

I was going to the place where my worst nightmare would come to life.