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~Chapter 4~ Kaylee waited by the bus stop at the corner of the school, right where Di had said to. She had followed instructions precisely for fear of messing up and having something go wrong. She had called, left a message on her mom's phone saying that she was going to her new friend Matthew's house. She had taken everything electronic and put it in her backpack which she had sent home with her driver. And she was now waiting at Matthew's stop. Di had said 4:20. It was 4:19, not that she expected him to be on time, Jason had rarely been on time, it was a guy thing. She looked over at the clock again and just as it changed to 4:20 she heard a loud popping noise and someone grabbed her from behind, causing her to squeak and jump about a foot in the air. She turned to find Matthew almost doubled over in laughter, shaking.
"That was the most adorable noise ever." He laughed hugging her. This calmed her down and made her smile, it always did. There was a second pop and Di appeared on Kaylee's shoulder.
"I told you to wait for me! Arshloch!" She said disgruntled. He grinned, his slightly lopsided smile showing his utmost concern for her plight.
" I said to go on three. Its not my fault you thought I ment to go after I said three instead of as I said it." Di jumped off of Kaylee's shoulder and glared up at Matthew.
"Whatever." She began to pace. Kaylee shook her head and laughed.
"So are you two like an item or something?" She managed to ask over her giggles. Both turned and stared at her.
"She's kidding. Right?" Di asked incredulously.
"I think... Well I hope so." He replied. Kaylee shook her head.
"I'll take that as a no. So how are we going to get to your place?" She asked, still laughing. "You gonna poof me there like you did to get here?" She chuckled. Matthew smiled.
"All in good time. For now, though we're just going to catch a ride with my mom okay?" He pointed up the road to where a blue SUV was driving toward them. Kaylee giggled again.
"Okay. Whatever." She was nearly in hysterics by the time the car got there.
"I think she's a little nervous don't you?" Di asked of Matthew.
"I would have to agree with you on that one." He replied.
~
Kaylee sat in the back of the SUV as quietly as she possibly could. After a few nerve wracking moments before she realised that Matthew's mom couldn't see Di, followed by some awkwardness as she tried participating in a conversation with his mom which ended up more like an interrigation, she was happy to just look out the window watching the countryside fly past. She hadn't been this far outside of town since her grandmother had passed away the previous January, it was amazing the memory trip just seeing these feilds caused. Thankfully the sad ache in her chest didn't assert itself in the form of tears and she snapped out of her trip down memory lane in time to watch the car pull into possibly one of the most rusticly gorgeous places she had ever seen. It was completely picturesque. A weather-worn wooden barn stood against a backdrop of lush green feilds backed by a forest that could only be described as ancient. The smallest of trees had to be at least 30 feet high and even in the car you could feel the life of the forest overwhelming the property, it was almost like magic.
Kaylee smiled as she exited the car, suddenly full of some sort of lethargic power, thanking Matthew's mom for the ride she faced the woods and breathed as deeply as she could reveling in the ominous presence that the trees had. It was only when she heard him chuckle that she remembered that she was being watched, and that she was probably going to be met with the mocking smile that never failed to make her blush and feel like an idiot when she turned around. She was, however, shocked. For although he was smiling, it wasn't the charmingly jovial one she was used to. It was more somber, mirroring the feeling she had upon first seeing the forest.
"You can feel it too, huh?" He said in an almost whisper. "I guess there isn't any denying it then." He sighed, tearing his eyes away from the enchanting woods. "Come with me, then. I've quite a bit to fill you in on." As hard as it was to do so, Kaylee managed to follow Matthew into the house, pausing only breifly at the door to look back, shivering excitedly as she did so. The house was just as amazing on the inside as it was out. All hard wood floors, stairs, walls and celings. It was the perfect western farmhouse only better. Smiling, Kaylee followed him through the maze of halls, rooms and clutter until they reached what was quite obviously a teenager's room. The typical 'DO NOT ENTER' sign was hung on the door and the pile of laundry was placed 'strategically' outside the door. Kaylee got the impression that it was all for show though, Matthew didn't seem the type to have a typical room. It was more like he'd placed preliminary masks in front of his door to fool his parents into thinking that he was typical than anything else.
As she entered the room, Kaylee realised that her deduction was correct.Two of the walls were completely covered in hand-drawn sketches of fantastical creatures that Kaylee couldn't have imagined even in her most far-fetched of fantasies. Life like Centaurs stared at sketchy skies, faeries flew over meadows of wildflowers, and still creatures she couldn't begin to assign a name to ran rampant across the walls. All of them flawlessly drawn, all of them moving. The other walls were scarcely decorated with a variety of diagrams and knick-knacks that looked like they were made out of foilage. She walked in and sat on the edge of the bed, staring around the room, trying to soak it all in at once, like a child at an amusement park she was giving herself whiplash trying to see everything the busy room had to show her. Matthew laughed.
"A bit distracting is it?" He was back to his usual mocking grin. Kaylee smiled, so overwhelmingly happy that she didn't care that he was laughing at her.
"It would help a bit if they'd stop moving, but I'm not sure I want them to. They're so amazing." She stood up and walked to one she recognized, it was the picture of Di that she had seen earlier. It was smirking at her with a knowing look in it's eye. Matthew chuckled again.
"Well I think I'll have them sit still for a bit anyway since I kind of need your full attention for what I'm going to be telling you so...." He flicked his sleeves back and with a slight twitching of his fingers, a silver light shot from his palms and snaked its way around the portraits halting each in mid move as it passed. Kaylee's eyes were as big as saucers when she turned to face Matthew.
No. Way. Her inner mantra began, He did not just do MAGIC of all things. I mean first pictures start moving, then creatures that only exist in fairytales start popping up now MAGIC?! I have got to be dreaming... Wake up Kaylee... DAMMIT wake up! Matthew was almost on the floor he was laughing so hard.
"You... should see the look on your face...." He straightened up, a smirk on his face. "And no Kaylee, you aren't dreaming, but stop that infernal mental screaming... its giving me a headache." Kaylee went ghostly white. Magic was one thing, reading her mind? Oh no.
Next thing she knew Kaylee was staring at the celing. She had been moved from her place on the floor and was lying on a very soft bed. Vaguely recalling what had happened she sat up and glanced over in the corner where Matthew was having another argument with Di.
"i told you it would be too much for her all at once Matthew!" Di was yelling, Kaylee loopily thought she must be part Italian with the way she liked to yell and wave her hands about in a very flamboyant manner. "I told you to take it slow, introduce her bit by bit, said it would be easier on her mind. Keep her from getting scared. BUT NO! You just HAD to go completely overboard, what with the forest and the mind reading. SHEESH MATTHEW! Do you WANT to create another Alex?! Our world can barely live with one monstrous human terrorizing the land. We don't need two antagonists trying to destroy our simplicity!" Matthew rolled his eyes, though the comment about Alex appeared to sting him just a bit.
" Lighten up Di. She's not going to turn on us just because of one incedent. Don't worry, she's not the same as he was. She'll get it. I'm sure of it." He, however, didn't sound as sure as he said, so to prevent the furthering of Di's tirade Kaylee coughed loudly from her spot on the bed.
"Oh good, your awake!" Matthew said, rushing to the bedside. Kaylee nodded slowly, backing away from him wide-eyed. "Are you okay?" He said, sounding concerned.
"Explain." Kaylee ordered, her voice shaking. Matthew sighed, seating himself on the edge of the bed.
"Okay....Well... Where to begin?" He frowned
"How about at the beginning?" Di asked smirking as she climbed up the bedpost. Matthew glared and flicked her off again.
"Stay out of this you... Its your fault that any of this happened remember? Besides, it would take too long to start at the beginning." He sighed again. "Well, Kaylee, The long and short of it is entirley centered around belief." She raised an eyebrow. "To put it lamely, because i believe that creatures like Di exist they do, and because i believe that i can do magic, and read minds i can. Everyone has the ability to do and see these things but they have to truley believe in them in order to do so. Because in today's society believing in things like fairys and magic is considered foolish the tales are brushed off as myths and the powers people could have through their belief is put toward other entities such as gods. But the reason they can't see these gods that they believe in, which do exist simply because they are believed in, because there are so many non-believers in the world. If a person doesn't believe in something they cannot see it, and it cannot happen. Which makes it nigh impossible to show people that the old myths are true..." He trailed off helplessly. "Is any of this making any sense to you?" She cocked her head to the side.
"So what you're saying," She frowned in concentration, "Is that there is like this... this... community of mythological creatures, the very same kind that we read about in storybooks, living alongside us invisible, just because people don't believe that they exist?" Matthew nodded, grinning. "And that the only reason things like witches and warlocks are seen as being myths is because nobody believes that magic exists anymore and therefore they can neither use these ability nor see it when others do?" His smile widened, she got it. "Mhm... Okay, and lets say for a moment that I believe you. That it is possible to do and see these things if you believe that you can and i'm not just going completely insane. How did I see Di for the first time? I didn't believe. I mean a twink? Creatures like her only exist in fairytales. I mean sure, I've wished they were possible but I've never believed that they could be real... And if what you're saying is true then that would mean I wouldn't be able to see her." Matthew smiled.
"Lets put it this way, Kaylee, in a completely magic-free way, I am very good at reading people. And after spending some time with you I'm pretty sure you did believe. You had wished so hard for magic to be real that a part of you did believe. I'm betting that ever since you were, oh, say in middle school, when you first got inducted into the blonde clones that you were hanging out with when you ran into me. You've read about, and wished for any sort of magic farietale you could get. Wanting to be able to wisk all of your troubles away with just a wave of your wand and some random made up words. I'm positive that you wished for these things so hard and for so long that a part of you truly believed that it could happen. Just enough, at least, so when this one," He glared at Di, who had finally managed to climb up to her perch on the bedpost. She looked back as innocently as she could. "Decided to show herself to you, you were able to see her." Kaylee was stunned. How could he have known that her only escape from the clique had been the cheesy fantasy novels that she swore she had given up in seventh grade when Lindsey had found them in her room and dubbed them 'uncool'. His face darkened a little again. "And once I'd found out that you could see her I had to step in. Because without the proper guidence who knows what could have happened to you." Kaylee had a feeling that he at least had an idea of what would've happened but she didn't ask.
"I admit it was cruel of me to let you think you were just insane for as long as I did, and I truly forgot how overwhelming all of this information could be, so I'm sorry about bombarding you with it. But when it was obvious that you could see all of the gateways, and that they were bothering you I knew you believed enough for me to freeze them. You do seem to have an uncanny faith in me.... its odd." This last was added almost as an afterthought, but Kaylee didn't notice for she had grasped onto another word in his speech.
"Gateways?" She asked. "You mean they aren't just pictures?" She tentatively got up and walked toward one of a small fairly grotesque looking creature standing by the classic image of a witches tree. The picture was frozen mid-step and she could literally see the poor thing cursing whatever magic had stuck his foot half a foot from the ground. She laughed, "So what are they? Like portals or something that lead to each character?" Matthew had moved behind her so when she turned around she bumped into him.
"Precisely. Its funny that you should pick that picture to look at though." He smiled, "Oh yes you're definetly going to have to meet Hogor. He's a dwarf you know. One of Di's friends and I'm positive he'll just adore you." Kaylee stepped back in order to meet Matthew's gaze.
"M-meet?! You mean you're going to... to... take me through..:" She pointed at the picture lost for words.
"Through the gateway? No, not yet anyway. You don't believe enough yet." He was laughing at her, "nah we'll have to get there the old fashioned way. In fact i think thats an excellent idea, i've been meaning to talk to Hogor anyway and what better way to introduce her to the world than to just take her to it?" Di smiled and Kaylee's eyes widened.
"When you say the old fashioned way, you do mean walking don't you?" Her voice was shaking agian.
"What? No of course not, that would take forever!"
"Then... w-what... I mean how...?" He grinned. Kaylee's face went white and Di fell off the bedpost laughing at the sight.
bubble_blower17 · Sat Jun 28, 2008 @ 08:55am · 0 Comments |
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