Chapter 17: Deal. When do we start?

“Ding. Ding. Ding. That is correct. I am Mrs. Tulle, your 7th grade English teacher, Sky, and even your camp counselor Chelsea who helped you the first time you got you…” Sky confessed.

Quickly, I cut her off and ran to cover her mouth as I screamed, “Okay, I get it! The thing that I just can’t seem to understand is why?”

She grasped my hand and pulled it down to my side as she answered, “My real name is Charity Millicent and my main power is body transference which is why I can be many different people without using too much energy. Each appearance used to observe you from afar to complete my mission. I can’t tell you what my mission entails, but I can tell you a few tidbits of the truth that doesn’t give away what I am sworn to protect.”

She took a few steps back and waved her hand at the air in front of us.

A wind erupted and centered on the area where her hands had just grazed and a scene erupted, “About 6 months after you were born, I was sent to the human world to watch over you closely.”

The image showed a younger version of Charity with no grey hair and fewer wrinkles carrying me in her arms running with eyes filled with concern. It transitioned to her standing in what looked like a room filled with candles with her left hand over her heart and the other hand raised high up as if she were being sworn in.

Charity continued the story, “It was my job to make sure that nothing bad happened to you until you reached the age of 18. That’s the age in our kingdom where powers begin to manifest for the first time in our world. There are many like me that are protectors of those with magic, but your case is vastly different than others like us.”

I stared at her in utter disbelief, “I find that hard to believe since I was the one protecting you from becoming his late-night snack! What did you think that he wasn’t really going to bite you?”

She scoffed at my comment and remarked, “First off, I was actually hoping that he would bite me. Secondly, I was doing fine all on my own and I had complete control of the situation. My end game was to be implemented as soon as he bit me, but you interrupted before I could complete my assignment. I had been trailing him for about a week now. Do you know how long I took to devise the perfect plan to put an end to all this? It had to be right to make sure no suspicions arose to alarm his master.”

A quick graze of her hands through her hair and she added, “There has been a lot of chatter in the magical realm lately and it seems to be getting worse as each day passes. There are rumors of an uprising and he is one of the main players helping to build the army. We must cut off the hand that feeds the hands of evil. It's just one step to attack Odette De Loughry head-on. In order to weaken the force of evil, we must get rid of its key players. Odette has been around since the Golden times which were the beginning days of magic. You can imagine just how powerful she has gotten as times have passed. For our kind, it makes our powers stronger and the effects lasting.

“Since she first made her appearance, she has taken on only one disciple and that boy is who she chose. They say she saw herself in him, others say that she was bored, the rest say she is in love with him. Not that she would admit to such a weakness as love. However, every so often she sends her underlings to watch over him and to watch his every move. We all know she is important to him we are just not sure how. There are many that have attempted to put an end to her, and they have all died in return. If we can find a way to weaken her defenses, then we can put an end to this long-lived battle. The problem with ending the battle is that it is a step by step process, but Odette is a strong force to tamper with. If not done right, we could start the war head-on and right now you are the only hope we have at saving the magical realm from her grasp.”

There was just no way that my brain was going to process all this information in just 10 minutes.

All I could do was scoff at the absurdity of the situation, “I’m your only hope of saving the magical realm? If I’m your last hope for the survival of your world you all are majorly screwed! The only thing I have ever had to be responsible for was Willow… Well her and a goldfish my mother bought me when I was 11 and I obviously don't have that goldfish anymore. Then just look at poor Willow she’s alive but on the outside, she’s barely living. Everything I touch turns to shit! I cannot save an entire realm from some war I have absolutely no role in. Who the hell thought that was a good idea?” I complained.

Charity shook her head in disappointment, and I could hear it in her voice as she spoke, “I cannot tell you how your role was decided. I can’t even tell you who decided that because that all has the probability of putting you at risk. Your identity must stay hidden for our plan to run smoothly. This all just can’t be for nothing. I understand that living in the dark is frustrating, but you must realize that truth will come to light with time. For now, I just need you to believe me, master your patience, and follow my lead. I can only lead you to the holy waters, I cannot make you drink from the chalice.”

Arching my eyebrow at her reference I said teasingly, “What the heck is that supposed to mean Yoda?”

I could see her containing her laugh as she smirked in my direction, “I am under strict orders to keep you safe. That means I am not allowed to interfere with your life or prevent you from growing your powers in any way. While I can help you grow your powers. The one exception would be if something happens, I cannot interfere if it is within your power to save yourself. I must allow you to grow so that one day you can protect not only yourself but those around you. Our training will grow your powers and give you that sense of responsibility that you are highly lacking in.” Charity noted.