Chapter 2 (d): Hidden Staircases (...Contd.)

Ash turned to Vani, "I think we need to watch out for him, he may be a genius on a certain level, but I think he has PTSD and is a bit touch-starved", he muttered quietly.

Vani nodded, "He obviously has no idea, or he's a very good actor", she murmured quietly.

"He's also a loner", Zee added her eyes trained on Zen who had already jogged towards James and now stood next to him talking to him.

"I noticed that too", Jasmine stated, "He's quick to protect us, but he moved like his flight or fight instincts had kicked in and as soon as the danger passed, he either becomes very over-dramatically awkward or just plain weird, like biting people", she muttered poking at the mark on Ash's cheek.

"Has anyone noticed that he doesn't seem to think his behavior is off?" Ray asked curiously.

"Or that it's an odd behavioral quirk in general", Bell muttered dryly.

"I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on him", Vani murmured. "Let's go", she stated and walked towards James.

*~*

Jogging towards James he hummed to himself;

*Gotta keep it together Ryder…*

"Hey", he called out, and as he reached the older man, "About earlier I'm sorry", he apologized, although if he paid attention, he had no idea, why he did that or said that.

"For what?" James asked curiously.

"Just", he licked his lips, "Why did you look at me like that?" he asked.

"Look at you?" James asked baffled.

"Earlier, with the nexus and the desk?" he clarified.

"Ah", James nodded, "I was curious how you, of The Seven, managed to find the one seat that had the most power", he said tilting his head curiously.

"Is there any significance to that?" he asked quietly.

"I'm not sure", he answered, "Usually the Ascendants are summoned at the exact same time", he stated, "Your arrival was about one minute later than the others", he stated, "It effectively marked you as the seventh person", he stated warily.

By then Red had reached them easily, "Does it make a difference if he's the seventh?" she asked cautiously.

James hummed, "I don't know, it's never happened before, but the fact that seven is a very magical number should be reason enough to be wary", he pointed out.

"Does that make him the seventh son of a seventh son?" Ash teased amused.

"Can't be", Rinzen answered, and "My dad was an only child", he answered simply.

Ray hummed, "Still, are you a seventh son?" he asked easily.

"Nope", Rinzen answered honestly, or for a definition of being honest, he was the seventh child—instinct loudly screamed at him, to keep that to himself.

James finally stopped in front of a large metal door, and, Bell stepped up;

"Before we go in, just to cover any loose ends, why did you arrive late, I would assume seeing a letter would tickle your curiosity. It did mine, I finished reading my daily mail, and went to take my shower, after which this little bugger–", she waved the envelope around, "–came underfoot, literally, thanks to the water it stuck to my foot", she clarified unnecessarily, given that most of them understood almost immediately,

"And I figured it was one of those annoying galas the main house threw my way, that I often had no choice to attend", she muttered irritably, "I mean it's on elegant stationery, what else was I supposed to think", she grumbled, "And I didn't think there'd be any harm in reading it, in a towel", she huffed glaring at James, who took a wary step back both arms raised with capitulation "After which I was transported here", she answered at length, "What about you guys?" she asked the others.

"The same with me", Red answered, "My sisters handed my portion of mail, and we don't really live in one of the big cities or towns, or the sanctuaries. Rather in a remote re-village", she stated a little defensively.

A re-village, meaning a re-created village, akin to how the Amish once lived with no technology, except with a heavy dose of just magic.

Ash ignored her defensiveness and hummed, "And you read it then", he said simply.

"Yup", she answered relieved at their easy acceptance, "Thankfully in the kitchen where I was doing my chores, I mean can you imagine if I had opened it in front of my sisters", she shuddered at the mere idea, "Three of them were the bills for potions ingredients, groceries, and carpet-fares respectively", she muttered and then continued, "The fourth was the Hale Academy letter, and as soon as I read what was on the back 'lo and behold', an expensive ostentatious foyer I've only ever seen in magazines", she muttered dryly.

"The Hale Academy décor is really Ms. Harris' responsibility", James muttered rolling his eyes.

"Right", she agreed skeptically, "Anyway as soon as I put the boiling cauldron away", she stated pointedly, "I opened the envelope and read what was behind the letter and was promptly whisked away", she answered finally.

"That explains your outfit so much", Rinzen muttered, "I was wondering if you were in a festival or carnival or school play", he wondered listing several ideas.

"It's more of a uniform. I think after the purge, my grandparents who belonged to one of the most cautious creeds out there, genuinely believed the only way to keep the land pure and clean was to keep technology out. They didn't mind the influx of Magicks though", she huffed, "Anyway one of the founders believed the only way we could purge ourselves from the modern devices people had succumbed to–", she shook her head even as she said it, "–was to become as old fashioned as we could. So out came the cauldrons and fire pits, and cloaks and medieval wear, and well", she swept a hand down her dress and shrugged again.

"You don't look much like a person from the medieval times", Zee stated.

"Well of course not", she sighed, "Until you are officially awakened you cannot dress in the elaborate clothes, like the ball gowns and long gowns in general", she stated, "Which leaves me in these", she said, pointing to her black jeans, and white corseted frilly shirt.

"How do you breathe in that?" Ray asked eyeing her.

Red shrugged easily; "Practice, wear it every day since you turn 12 and you'll be able to handle it easily", she stated simply.

"That's just barbaric", Bell muttered, "And I lived in Japan, we have something similar", she informed them.

"Is that why you chose to stay?" Rinzen asked curiously.

"Yes, well mostly. Not being magical in my family was a bit like announcing you were gay or a lesbian. Incidentally, I never told anyone I was bisexual", she paused and cringed, "Except now", she frowned warily.

"Pansexual", Ash answered waving the thought aside, "And here I thought my life and my family was fucked up", he shook his head, rather awed.

"What could be worse than being forced to dress up like you just stepped out of a Victorian Era novella?" Rinzen asked baffled.

Ash whistled low, "My grandfather and father", he started, and "Ever since I was little I was always raised by my grandmother and then by the woman who I later found out was someone she had sworn a blood oath with, to present herself as my mother. She was essentially a caretaker until my magic awakened", he stated. "When I turned sixteen, she was kidnapped and brutally tortured by someone", he swallowed heavily, "My father", he confessed.

"Holy Gods!" James said to an accompaniment to nearly all of them cursing in unison with a veritable eclectic mix of the same.

"Why?" Rinzen asked curiously.

Ash made a face, "I don't know", he shrugged, "After I informed my grandmother that 'mum' hadn't arrived at the picnic we scheduled every Friday", he stated, "She asked me how long I waited. I told her she's never been late before but I still waited for thirty minutes, before I came to ask her where 'mum' went", he stated, "She then called the Venerers and had them launch a formal investigation", he stated.

"And they found her?" Zee asked quietly.

"Yes. Strung up by her hands, cuts everywhere, it wasn't pleasant. I never saw how she looked, but the crime-scene photographs, the memory-holo of on the scene professionals and other victims, because there were other women, illustrated how gruesome the scene of the crime was", he shook his head, "After that she begged, begged my grandmother, badly hurt as she was, she prostrated on the ground and begged", he shuddered at the memory, "'Please relinquish me from my contract. I know I was hired to be the boy's protector, but he is an Opsimath, I'm sure he will be a great and powerful Magick, but please do not force me to witness that, she begged", he repeated voice choked.

"Was she released from her contract?" Ray asked warily.

Ash shook his head, "No", he answered, "In violation of a blood oath, my grandmother slit her throat", he answered weakly.

"Oh God", Zee gasped, and the girls screw their eyes shut in both sympathy and disgust.

Rinzen pinched the bridge of his nose, "That's why you want to study Criminology", he noted, "Your father is a serial killer?" he asked.

"That man is no father of mine, but yes, he's evil and I want to be the one, that puts a bullet between his eyes, or send him to hell with a magical blast of pure energy, or trap him in a cell, with a magical djinn who will spend the rest of his life showing him a future of him being tortured worse than he did to those women", he vowed, waiting for any condemnation.

"I'll help you", Rinzen said simply and then hummed, "But you, having that background, still decided to read an unknown letter all willy-nilly, no questions asked?" he asked intrigued beyond imagination. "Are you crazy?" he demanded exasperated.

"Well yeah, I've always been curious, and my father had a weird way of sending me clues to his next location, I think he wanted to see if I'd be able to find him", he hissed through his teeth, practically spitting the word 'father'.

Zee and Red both stared at him, brows raised.

"That man is toxic for you", Jasmine muttered shaking her head bemused.

"That's one way to put it", Ray muttered darkly.

Rolling his eyes Ash shrugged, "I guess I wanted to prove I didn't need magic to bring that bastard to heel", he grits out sneering.

"You are crazy", Rinzen huffed, and "I like that", he grinned and turned to the others. "So Bell thought reading a letter in a towel was a good idea, Red got free from kitchen duty, Scarfy was thrown out by his folks and Ashie here, wanted to catch his sperm donor—" he ignored Ash's indignant;

"Ashie?! What the hell?"

And Ray laughing;

"Dude at least he doesn't call you Scarfy", he huffed shaking his head, "Or a color", he eyed Red.

"I don't mind being called a color", she said smirking at both boys.

Rinzen rolled his eyes and continued with, "—what caused you guys to read the letter?" he asked Zee and Jasmine.

Jasmine shrugged, "Daily mail", she answered. "I just read what was with my name, cellphone bills, party invites, and the like. I thought it was another party invite", she hummed, "Opened, it read it, decoded it, and landed hard on marble", she answered honestly.

"I thought you said you had a strict father, wouldn't he been the person to answer the mail?" Rinzen asked confused.

Jasmine laughed, "After the first ten times where he kept opening our mails and having mini-strokes at the bill, my mother straight up stated, 'If you don't want to die of shock, let them be responsible for their own bills'. Now granted we all had our part-time jobs to aid in bills and stuff, and it does go overboard sometimes, but we're fairly responsible. Now when I say we, I mean my brothers and me. I'm the only girl in my family. I have four older brothers and incidentally, my mother's sister, my massi-ji (maternal aunt) has one son. My Paternal aunts, my father's sister has two sons, his first younger brother has one son and second younger brother has two sons, and my mother's brother (mama-ji) has two sons", she listed, "So like I said I am the only girl born to a family that has twelve sons. And I'm the thirteenth child", she counted, "Yaaaaaay", she mock cheered, "Imagine bringing home a love interest to a home that has 12 brothers. Twelve older brothers", she emphasized, "Or friends for that matter, the scrutiny alone would be nerve wracking. And if that still managed to go off without a hitch, we then have every single member of the family reenacting the times of the 13th century, I was coddled and mollycoddled and generally treated like very delicate china", she huffed irritated.

"I see", Rinzen said softly trailing off as she continued regardless.

"I promised myself that I would go to a co-ed university. Whether my magic awoke or didn't, wasn't a problem. Four of my brothers are Normal humans, my mother and paternal aunt is as well", she answered, "Humanity was never a problem for us, accepting Magick was actually odd, at least in my father's time, people were either worshipped or ignored as a sages' blasphemy and were locked up", she said, "So being human wouldn't have me shunned. I was shunned because of how controlling the male family members were, and the three wives of the eldest, always putting their short-comings on me or outright blaming me for their ineptitude and faults. I needed to get out, so I applied to every single college, in the world, and I studied hard, got excellent grades", she smirked vindictively, "And I now I finally get free from that hellhole, and my God will it piss my father off, now they won't have someone to blame for all their shortcomings, I can't wait to be there a time for them to see if the food is badly cooked it's not my fault but one of those old crones!" she hissed sneering happily.

"I see", Rinzen repeated for a lack of anything else to say. To avoid derailing her any further he turned to Zee, "How about you?" he asked quickly.

Zee smirked amused but nodded, and "Well I'm not snow-white for one thing", Rinzen huffed rolling his eyes, "Or had any weird traumatic cousin from hell", they eyed them all speculatively, "I'm an orphan", she answered, "I don't know who my birth parents are, and I think after I turned ten I chose not to find out, and here we are, seventeen healthy, without a need for their goddamned blessings, teenager", they celebrated, "I was raised by seven drag queens, who were a bit like having parents and aunts and uncles all rolled into one, it was fun, is fun. I don't think they'd mind me going or coming to Hale Academy and I'm fairly certain Flora is going to dance, not a dance number or anything outrageous, she's probably, definitely going to flit around the room, and throw flower petals in the air and sing, 'I knew you were destined for greatness! Pish-posh, your blood relatives loss, our gain!!!'", she mimed with flamboyant flair.

"I wonder if that's verbatim", James muttered dreading the visit. He turned to Rinzen, "And now what about you?" he asked warily.

"I told you my father is a Venerer", he shrugged, and when they all stared at him with varying expressions of 'And?' he sighed, and with a long exhale he added, "He's the Chief Venerer, a Sheriff", he clarified.

"SHERIFF?!" they all exclaimed in unison loud enough it echoed startling him back a few steps.

*Good grief, now what?*

*

TBC