Contest: The Keeper Exams

Host: ShatteredSparrow

I had just gotten home from work after a long day of college courses and grumpy customers when Aaron, my sister's fifteen year old son, decides to assualt me with water. The kid was an Elemental, and a brilliant one at that. I walk into the backyard and the pool water just comes zooming at me, I don't even have time to scream before I'm knocked back on my butt, completely drenched. Aaron was standing in the kitchen window, looking out and laughing hysterically.

I inwardly scream and climb to my feet, leaving my scattered school books, laptop, and clothes sitting sadly on the lawn. A surge of power crawls up my body and swirls like an invisible tornado, slamming into Aaron and causing him to wail like a child. I stomp through the back door and into the kitchen, ready to beat my little nephew to a pulp but the pair sitting at the kitchen table stops me.

"Gwen!" My sister, Kalina, yelps, pointing to her son while also trying to cover her ears. I lose control of my power and the screaming stops as it drains away.

"What's going on?" I wonder, crossing my arms, having completely forgotten that my soaking wet and dripping all over the floor. Aaron climbs to his feet, glaring devilishly.

"You're evil." He snaps and walks out.

"You're the devil's spawn!" I yell after him before turning my attention back to my sister and the boy. He was young with brown hair and brown eyes, he seemed familiar. And the longer I stared at him the more pieces clicked into place.

"Gwen, this is Thomas. Thomas, Gwen." Thomas stands from the table and turns to face me fully, shoving his hands into his pockets. He was smiling but his eyes showed hesitance.

"Hey Gwen, I'm-" Anger wells up inside me and I have fight to keep from smashing a whole rainbow of my pent up emotions at him. Make him feel how I did.

"I know who you are, what do you want?" I snap, refusing to act kind to the man - boy - who abandoned me.

"I'm here for Kate, the Keeper Exams are beginning and I've located an apprentice here. In this house." I nod, briefly wondering if it was Aaron. He was within the age limits and he was strong and talented, he would make a brilliant apprentice and maybe Keeper.

"Oh well good, Aaron went that way." I point down the hall but Thomas doesn't make an effort to leave, he just laughs and smiles.

"I know, but he didn't make it." I frown, bumping my shoulder against the doorframe.

"Then what do you want Dad?" Thomas jerks, surprise showing in his eyes. I raise an eyebrow and roll my eyes. "What? Am I not allowed to call you that? It's who you are, isn't it? My absentee father to match my absentee mother? You guys suck as parents." Thomas nods, looking down.

"I know, there were complicating circumstances." His answer infuriates me.

"Complicating circumstances? Are you serious? If you knew you couldn't raise your child then you shouldn't have had any, and you sure as hell shouldn't have kept having them. What am I? The third in a line of abondoned Latimer kids?" Kalina cringes and gives me a look, shaking her head in a way that said knock it off. I scowl and roll my eyes.

"Whatever, I'm not going with you. I'm not entering the Exams, I have no desire to follow in your footsteps." I snap, walking out into the hall and up the stairs to my room. I threw on a different clothes and wrapped my hair in a towel, the whole time simmering with anger at the man downstairs. Who did he think he was to leave me and walk back into my life twenty-one years later? I had a life now, one that I was very happy with.

I stomp out of my room and knock on Connor's door, cracking it open just a bit. The little boy with brown hair and green eyes looks up at me and smiles. He squeals and dashes to his feet. "Momma!" He squeals in his adorable five year old voice, I smile and pick him up, supporting his body on my hip.

"Hey champ, how was your day?"

"I met grandpa!" He cheers and releases his hold around my neck. I breathe in sharply and try to control the urge to put him down and march downstairs and sucker punch Thomas for everything he's done.

"Really? How exciting!" I say, faking excitement as I set him down and guide him into Lily's room. "Here, play with cousin Lily for a bit." I tell him, he nods and runs into her room. Lily was Aaron's seven year old sister. Kalina had three kids, Aaron, Lily, and Nathaniel - named after my oldest brother Nathan would was fifty something years old with kids and grandkids of his own.

That was the weirdest part of my life - I had a brother who was almost in his sixties and a sister in her late thirties while I was twenty-one and my parents were Immortal. I felt like I was living in a fairy tale novel.

"Gwen." A voice says behind me, I cross my arms over my chest and turn to face my father.

"What?" He has his arms crossed too and his expression is less than inviting.

"I don't want to force you to come with me because you're my daughter and that doesn't seem like it will help things. But you are an apprentice and you're mother - the Keeper - is expecting your presence at the facility. So, come with me and I'll force you." He whispers, speaking the last part begrudgingly. I snort and widen my eyes at him, somewhat shocked by the abrupt turn of events.

"How do you know I have what it takes?" I challenge, Thomas shrugs and whispers something under his breath. The next moment, my entire body freezes and no matter how hard I try to move nothing happens. I inwardly scream and throw a ton of emotion at him, crushing his mind with every feeling of abondonment, hatred, and betrayal I've ever felt toward him and my mother. Thomas grunts and falls to his knees, breaking under the presssure of my emotional turmoil.

Then he's back on his feet, an undisturbed look on his face. His spell ends and I lunge forward, knocking us both down the stairs in a tangle of limbs. Thomas fights back when I wrap my fingers around his throat. "Don't you dare use your magick on me!" I squeal, infuriated. Thomas whispers something else and suddenly my vision goes completely dark.

"You asked me how I knew you were powerful. No one can force that much emotion on someone that easily, it takes years of practice. Something you've had and mastered. Gwendolynn Latimer, you're coming with me."

"No, I'm not." Thomas laughs.

"Yes, you are." My vision returns and I stare at Thomas murderously.

"You'll have to force me then." I bite out, a pained expression comes over his face. He closes his eyes and nods.

"Dad, don't you dare." Kalina snaps, finally speaking up. Thomas glances at her.

"Kate and I will see you at the Banquet, yeah?" Kalina looks at me and then back at Thomas.

"Of course, we wouldn't miss it." Thomas nods, eyes back on me.

"Do I really have to force you?" He questions, I nod and smile satifyingly. He wouldn't hurt me, it wasn't in him to be that cruel to his own kid. Thomas looks down and sighs.

"Very well." He whispers something under his breath and the world spins out of focus. I tumble to the ground as my vision swirls and a heaviness descends over me. But there was a flaw in his tactic, it would only last thirty seconds. "Kalina, do you have any sleeping medication?" Thomas asks, I gasp and realize once the spell wears off I'll be too drugged up on sleep medication anyways.

Congrats Dad, you've won.