The Familiar (11 page)

16

After Jared’s first class, I can’t help but feel stressed out. My anxiety feels like a determined termite, eating away uncontrollably at my insides. The sheer number of pages in our textbook is enough to make me nervous about failure, but it’s amplified when I think about actually transforming into one of these mythical creatures. Even though we’re exhausted after a full day, I convince my friends to get together for an informal study group. I’ve been eager to visit the library to research Mom and this infamous Rufus White, so I’m excited to kill two birds with one stone.

We drop by Sabrina’s room to get directions. I knock lightly on her bright yellow door.

“Come on in!” she says without even asking who it is. Inside, it’s an organized mess. There are books and magazines piled neatly on top of one another, shelves full of colorful knick-knacks, and a table strewn with notebooks and all kinds of writing utensils inside old glass jars. She’s wearing pajama bottoms, a tank top, and her hair is on top of her head in a messy bun. While drinking from a steaming mug, she gestures for us to take a seat on the floral print sofa.

“What’s up, guys?” she asks in between sips of what smells like chamomile tea.

“We were just wondering if you could tell us how to get to the library?” I ask while studying her messy table.

Sabrina looks surprised. “Wow, the library already? I guess you guys are the studious types, huh?” she says with an energetic smile only a camp counselor could produce.

“Well, it’s not like we’re nerds or anything, if that’s what you’re implying,” says Louise with a short, nervous laugh.

“Ah, no, never. I much prefer the term ‘bookish’. It’s more flattering, don’t you think? Anyway… back to the library, or the
secret library,
as we like to call it. Secret, because you can only find it with the help of one clue.”

Samir looks confused but excited. “What clue?”

Sabrina skips over to her desk, ripping a page from her notebook and writing something down before handing it to Samir with an impish smile on her face. He reads it to himself and then aloud to the rest of us.

“The flames of knowledge can only be extinguished with an open mind.”

We look at one another, puzzled into momentary silence.

“That’s it?” I ask Sabrina.

She grins and shrugs her shoulders. “Yup, that’s all you get! Now, go on and have fun!”

We leave Sabrina’s chamomile scented room, and make our way to the main house, congregating in the cozy foyer lounge. Samir fixates on the paper, his brow creasing deeper as the minutes pass. “Hmmm…I wasn’t expecting this, but I
do
enjoy a good mystery now and then…”

Akiko glares at him, half-rolling her eyes. “Ugh. Seriously? I’ll take uncomplicated no nonsense studying over this silliness any day.”

“It’ll be fine… We’re smart, I’m sure we can figure it out in no time,” says Louise, her southern optimism reassuring Akiko instantly.

Akiko pulls out her notebook and pen, and opens up a blank page. She writes the clue down in sections, leaving enough space for notes.

“Okay, I think it’ll help if we break the clue down and write some word associations,” she says as she scrutinizes the paper in front of her, her almond shaped eyes almost disappearing under her overgrown bangs.

“‘The flames’... So let’s think about what this could mean.”

“A kitchen or stove?” says Samir.

Louise chimes in excitedly, “How about candles?”

“Hmmm… A fireplace?” I say, studying the enormous fireplaces in the room.

“That’s good, Hazel! That could be it!” says Akiko. She writes down all of our ideas, but puts mine at the top of the list.

“Okay, let’s move on. Next is ‘knowledge’. I think that’s pretty straight forward right?”

“Yes, obviously, that’s just the library and books,” says Louise matter-of-factly.

Samir frowns as he leans in to look at the next word. “Then ‘extinguished’, probably signifies to stop learning or reading?”

I shake my head. “No, I think it’s more literal than that. More like to physically turn off the flames, as in putting the fire out.”

“That’d make sense!” Louise agrees.

Akiko looks down at the paper. “Last would be ‘an open mind’.”

We pause to think about it. “Well, a mind, I suppose would be a head?” says Louise.

“True, but an open head? That doesn’t make much sense,” I reply.

“How about a hat?” asks Samir.

I get up off the sofa, anxious to make some progress after our brainstorming session. “Maybe we should just look around and something might click?”

We roam around every room, inspecting anything remotely related to the clues. The first few fireplaces we examine reveal nothing unusual. They’re large, but without fires, and surrounded only by lighting paraphernalia and decorative knick-knacks. Room after room, we find the same thing, and nothing truly stands out. When we’re starting to lose hope, we stumble upon an imposing looking door with a golden doorknocker in the design of an owl.

Louise cautiously taps the owl’s beak, a metallic knock reverberating down the lengthy hallway. “Hello?”

We hear no reply.

“Should we go in?” asks Louise, looking at me for approval.

I step forward and place my ear against the door. I slowly turn the doorknob to check if it’s locked. The well-oiled knob turns without making a sound and the door swings open. I push slowly and take a peek. Inside, the room is old-fashioned, almost like a men’s study, with handsome leather chairs, polished mahogany furniture, and subdued oriental carpets. There are various objects of interest, including antique taxidermy, dusty glass jars with preserved specimens, terrariums with exotic plants, and a variety of old paintings of both people and landscapes on the walls. The room is pretty dark and somber, but on the far end, there is a massive fireplace with a roaring fire, its flames providing an eerie orange glow in the room. I scramble through the door and dash over to the fireplace, tripping on a carpet, but catching myself from falling on my face. Though the fire looks hot, crackling faintly as it burns, strangely enough, the temperature in the room remains relatively cool.

I stare at my friends. “I think this is it.”

We study the objects surrounding the fireplace, and almost simultaneously, we focus on a gleaming golden sculpture of a skull sitting on one corner of the mantle.

“An open mind!” I shout out, bouncing excitedly as I snatch it from the mantle. Upon closer examination, the golden skull seems to have a lid cut out at the top. I open it, and inside is a carving of a brain, made out of what looks like a rose quartz stone. As I remove the stone from the skull, the fire suddenly extinguishes with a
whoosh
, leaving no trace of the burned wood or ashes. Towards the back of the cavernous space, we spot a hidden door. We walk in, and when we get to the other side, I touch the doorknob cautiously with one finger, just to make sure it isn’t hot. The metal is cool to the touch, so I turn and push. It opens easily, and we’re led into an enormous library. Unlike the previous room, the library is almost entirely glass. The night sky, millions of stars and the glimmering moon illuminate the space with an extraordinary radiance. The design is state-of-the-art, with clear acrylic bookshelves, tables, and chairs, as well as glass consoles that resemble flat screen computers. We stand in the middle of the room in awe.

“Wow… Now,
this
is what I call a library!” exclaims Louise.

We amble over to a seating area; the hard acrylic sofas softened by white cushions, and place our books and study materials on the accompanying tables. Samir is immediately drawn to one of the high-tech consoles, and begins tapping and swiping at the screen. I join him, looking over his shoulder inquisitively.

“This looks like a computer and library database in one. Shall we do a search and see what happens?” he asks excitedly.

“Yeah, why not?”

He looks at me questioningly. “What do you want to search for?”

“Try Maven Smith.” Samir types her name in the search box, and hits the circular arrow. Within seconds, several books pop up in the “found” list. He selects all and taps on a button that looks like a basket. The console comes to life, whirring for a few seconds. Almost immediately, a small stack of books magically materializes inside a cubby next to the console. The cubby lights up, alerting us that our selections are ready to pull out. I yank the books and walk over to the seating area, while Samir continues playing around with the console, turning his head every so often to check on us. Akiko and Louise are lying on their backs, looking up at the stars, and ignoring their studies, while I sit on a floor pillow and scrutinize the books in front of me. Two of them immediately stand out: “The Royals of the White Light,” and “Modern Criminal History and the White Light Crusaders.” I pick-up the first book, and notice that there is a shiny gold ribbon tucked about a third into it. I open it to the page and spot Mom’s name highlighted within the page. I begin reading the selection:

“Maven Smith was born on October 31, 1976, the only child of Celestina Rey and Alistair Smith, both of the Order of the Light. Maven is most notably a direct descendant of the Calder Sisters, who were members of a powerful coven of witches that escaped from the Salem witch-hunt and subsequent trials. Their whereabouts were unknown, until decades later when their children enrolled at the Academy.” I pause and take a deep breath, overwhelmed by the onslaught of information.

I pick-up the other book, and find the same gold ribbon, and highlighted portions. The title of the chapter reads: “Rufus White: Conspirator Against the Order of the Light.” I glance over, and see that Akiko and Louise have fallen asleep, their mouths slightly agape and their books cradled against their chests as Samir continues fooling around on the console. I resume with my reading:

“While little is known about the history of Rufus White, it is almost certain that he was born in England, where he lived till he was in his teenage years. There is much speculation as to the origin of his powers, but it is believed that his mother may have been an impoverished gypsy woman, who was a descendant of an ancient bloodline of witches. Nothing is known about his father, but he was likely a wizard, as it would be impossible for someone as powerful as White to stem from a weak bloodline. There are records of him living in orphanages throughout England, so his mother either died an untimely death, or chose to give him up due to unknown circumstances. There are no adoption records on file, so it is theorized that White was likely taken in by a wealthy family, who paid handsomely to keep the files secret. A child fitting his description had been seen attending some of the most prestigious boys’ schools in England, though this has not been authenticated. White left England to study in North America, and it was probably there that he was recruited by the Shadows.”

On one side of the book after the text, there is an illustration and a photo depicting Rufus White at different ages. The first illustration is a realistic rendering of what he supposedly looked like as a child. He’s about five or six years old, shabbily dressed and skinny. Though his hair is thick and curly, there has been some attempt to flatten it and make it appear neater. The most distinguishing features are his skin and his eyes. His complexion is coffee colored, but in many places, there are patches of porcelain white skin, most noticeable on his face, which is almost perfectly half white and half brown. Like his skin, his eyes, specifically the irises, are patchy, almost mottled, and his lashes are pure white. The caption reads:

“White was said to suffer from the skin condition called vitiligo which caused him to lose pigment very early in life. He was reportedly tormented by other children, and thus, became a loner during his boyhood, never developing close relationships.”

I study his face, and somehow feel bad for the child that he used to be. I can understand that being different made him feel alienated, and perhaps it could have changed for him, had he felt the love and support from his parents that I experienced from my mom.

The photo of him on the other side of the page is the complete opposite. He must be in his late twenties, by then he’s grown taller, his posture confident. The clothes he is wearing are obviously expensive and tailored, giving him a distinguished almost pompous appearance. His hair is cropped short, and his once patchy skin, is now all brown, smooth, and shiny. All traces of his disorder seem to have disappeared. The caption reads:

“Later in life, after he was recruited by the Shadows, his vitiligo miraculously disappeared. Many speculate that he was able to create a spell to rid himself of the disease.”

I turn the page and continue reading.

“After White joined the Shadows, he quickly climbed up the ranks, forming alliances with key members of the Dark Council. Eventually, he became one of the top agents, and was responsible for orchestrating several successful plots against the Order of the Light, most notably,
The Clone Conspiracy
,
The Eclipse Virus
, and the suspected murder of Celestina Rey, Supreme High Witch of the Light.

It was during
The Clone Conspiracy
, that White gained access to Federation Headquarters, kidnapping and killing several high-ranking officers, and implanting clones in their places. It’s uncertain exactly how long these clones were operational, but by the time they were discovered, White had managed to gain access to The Federation’s databases, not only stealing valuable information, but also depleting the funds from various agency accounts.

White’s time finally ran out when he orchestrated the
Eclipse Virus
. This virus was a powerful, yet undetectable spell, which White used to infect the wands of unsuspecting witches and wizards of the Light. The ingenious spell poisoned the wands so that every time they were used, the life force was slowly sucked out of the witch or wizard, until it was too late to save them. It was Maven Smith, a young agent of the Crusaders, who discovered the plot, and finally managed to capture him.