Forced Magic Read online

  We walked around the outside of the hotel and around to the patio of the restaurant. Choosing a table in the corner, I sat down with Fetch as Michelle went inside to let them know we were there.

  “It’s nice to have a friend like her," I said to Fetch.

  His scales flashed silver in agreement.

  Michelle came back with some menus, and a waiter in tow behind her. At the sight of me, the waiter's face fell. I guess he was expecting another girl out here instead of me. Boy, I thought if Fetch showed himself to this guy he would really be disappointed. I looked at Michelle and began chuckling. She began to laugh too. She must have gotten some idea as to why I was laughing. Soon we were both laughing uncontrollably as the server stood there with a puzzled look on his face. We got ourselves under control and looked at the menu. In the silence that followed, Fetch let out a loud growl just for fun.

  “My," said the server, "someone here is hungry.”

  Of course the sound of the growl could have been confused as being some other sound than a stomach. His face was red, giving away his thought process. This got us laughing again and soon the server himself had joined us. I could hear the gruff laughter of Fetch and his all too familiar "huh" sound that seemed to come with his laughter.

  We calmed down and decided to order. We got our drinks first. The server got the strangest look on his face when I ordered three sodas at one time. I was obviously ordering for myself and Fetch. This sent Michelle into a fit of giggles. She ordered an ice tea and asked for five straws, which got Fetch and I laughing again. The server left to get us our drinks as we continued to giggle and chuckle. I was afraid he wouldn’t come back, but soon he appeared with our drinks. He made sure there were five straws in Michelle’s ice tea.

  Ordering appetizers became a bit of an ordeal. Michelle left the ordering up to me as I was not just ordering for me, but for Fetch as well. I read down the list of appetizers to see what Fetch might like, reading the description of the ones that Fetch might not know. He would let me know what he wanted in true Fetch form by smacking me in the back of the head with his tail. It had to be the strangest sight; me reading the menu out loud and my head bobbing forward before I ordered something. I was enjoying hearing Michelle laugh and giggle too much to be really upset at Fetch. After ordering three orders of boneless wings (hot, mild, and barbeque), two orders of cheese sticks, and a super nacho with extra chicken, I turned to Michelle, and, as straight faced as I could, asked, "What are you going to get?”

  This started her giggling again. The server gave us the 'heard that one before' look, which quickly turned into a look of surprise when Michelle ordered a small cheese crisp. After another surprising order of two double bacon cheeseburgers with fries and a side of coleslaw, a large chicken finger basket, and a chicken Caesar salad, the server turned and slowly walked away.

  “We’re never going to get our food," said Michelle. "Did you see the way he was looking at us?"

  "Nah, we'll get it. He’s already got a great story to tell the rest of the servers. You wait and see, he'll be sending out other servers to look at us. It's kind of the way it is with servers. I used to work in the restaurant in this hotel a few years ago. They had a contest over who had the most interesting table. I have a feeling, on a slow night like tonight, we are definitely in the running."

  "That’s right. I remember you saying something about growing up around here."

  “Yeah, I went to elementary school not too far from here. I wasn’t very well liked."

  I flashed on the memory of my nightmare. In real life, Ms. Rose stopped the others before they peed on me, not the best memory of my childhood. Michelle reached out and grabbed my hand.

  “What’s it like, Jack? What’s it like when you use your magic?"

  I was relieved by the change of subject. It was still too early to talk much about my past. My life had already changed so much in just a day. I wasn’t ready to really chase the past.

  “It feels like an itch that you just can’t get to,” I said, trying to get a clear image of what it was like. "When it is released, it really takes a lot out of me. It is almost like it's torn out of me, but it has to go somewhere. The feeling as it builds up is just too much, too uncomfortable to stay, so I just force it out of me."

  I realized how the explanation sounded, but it was very hard to explain what it was like. Johnathen had called it a natural magic, whatever that meant. All I knew is that it wasn’t the most pleasant feeling. I could tell that Michelle was expecting more of an answer.

  "Sorry," I said, "it’s all new to me. I wish I could explain it better, but that is the best I can do."

  She shook her head. I could tell that she understood, but I also saw her disappointment at the lack of explanation.

  “You want to hear a secret?”

  I looked up to see a mischievous look on her face. There was a gleam in her eyes and the way she asked the question had Fetch and I, both, leaning in closer to her. Fetch bumped the table causing one of the sodas to fall. Michelle twisted her hand and said a word under her breath. The glass stopped in midair and all of the soda filled up the glass again. It hung there in the air for a second and then Michelle grabbed it and set it back on the table. Fetch went visible for a second before getting control over himself. Michelle put the glass back on the table. She had a proud smile on her face.

  “Not necessarily the way I wanted to tell you, but, as you can see, Johnathen has been teaching me magic.”

  “But, I thought that people from the non-magic world couldn’t do any real magic."

  “Most of the time that is right, but, Johnathen figures I have elf blood in me from a long ago ancestor, that gives me a chance to do magic. It was a one in a million shot that I would be able to do it, but, as you can see, I can.”

  I wondered why Johnathen didn’t tell me about Michelle learning magic. In fact, the way he talked, it was like an impossibility. This made things more confusing than ever.

  “So, you were actually part of the magic world, but you just didn’t know it?"

  “Yeah, funny huh? There are a lot of people out there that are part elf or dwarf or even fairy.”

  At the mention of the word fairy, Michelle's face went dark for a second. She snapped out of it, smiled, and went on talking.

  “Most can’t do magic. That is why they are kept from the magic world. Johnathen fought to get me into the community. It wasn’t until later that I discovered that I had magical ability. I’ll never be as great at it as Johnathen or you, but I can do pretty well in my own right. It was my magic that helped develop the box I use to get Wi-Fi on my computer. I have to keep my magic abilities a secret. The council would never allow it. They barely tolerate me as it is."

  I had so many questions to ask, but, before I could, our appetizers came. I looked up as a pretty girl was serving the food. I knew her. I used to work with her at the hotel.

  ”Jenny!” I said. “Wow. You're still here? How are you?”

  Jenny looked at me blankly. For a second I had forgotten that anyone who knew me before, now had no memory of whom I was. She smiled and gave a nervous little laugh. Obviously our server had told her about us crazy people on the patio.

  “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

  “No, I guess not," I said.

  Jenny gave another nervous laugh. She was so nice to me when I worked there, always smiling and giving out hugs. She even tried to set me up with a friend of hers, once. She was going to be one of the people that I was going to miss not knowing me. I had to get used to this.

  Jenny made a hasty retreat from the table. I looked down at the food. All of a sudden, I didn’t seem so hungry anymore. I looked up at Michelle. She had tears in her eyes. I realized she was the only person in the world who could possibly know what I was going through. She began to speak.

  “I was just a little girl when it happened. I was out at the mall. It was the first time my parents let me go on my own. I met my best friend, Lisa, at the mall. My paren
ts' tattoo shop was across the street. We were going to get some makeup. There was a loud explosion outside and from the doors of the mall you could see smoke. It actually blew out a couple of windows. I remember my friend screaming my name as I ran out the door. I knew, somehow, I knew that my family was in trouble. I ran out into the parking lot and saw that the whole row of buildings across the street was destroyed. I ran to the rubble that used to be my parents' shop screaming for my mom and dad, for my brother. I don’t even know how I got across the street. I ran up to the shop, still screaming and saw their bodies." She choked on the word 'bodies'.

  “Please, Michelle," I said. "You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to."

  “But, I do want to tell you, Jack,” she said. “I want you and Fetch to know. When I found their bodies, and tried to get to them, there was a terrible sound, like glass breaking, and a blinding flash of light. I felt a strange pain behind my eyes and I passed out. When I woke up, Johnathen was holding me. The store and the other buildings were repaired and I had a broken arm. My head hurt and I had trouble focusing. You should have seen Johnathen then, Jack. Long hair, full robe, he even had a staff. He looked like a wizard out of a book. I guess you could say I changed him. He wanted to be a part of the regular world. He didn’t want there to be any separation between the two. He feels that if both non-magic and magic users were aware of each other, then tragedies, like what happened to my family, would become a thing of the past. I saw my friend, Lisa, a few weeks later. She didn’t know who I was. That was one of the hardest things I went through. I know what you are going through, Jack, I really do.”

  She had tears in her eyes. I wanted to know more but I didn’t want to push her to talk. I was embarrassed at how I had been acting and feeling. She had been through so much. In the end, I really didn’t have much to complain about.

  "Come on, Jack, let’s eat. Fetch is getting hungry.”

  In response to those words, Fetch grabbed a chicken finger and smacked it down in one bite.

  The rest of the night was dedicated to laughter and fun. We talked about the city that we both grew up in and all of our favorite places to go. We watched food and soda disappear into the air as Fetch ate and drank in camo mode. I found out that Michelle went to school and graduated at fifteen and that her tattoo was a gift from Johnathen.

  ”I have been going in and getting it worked on for two years," she said. ”I am almost done.”

  I started to spread the money around that Johnathen gave me, tipping every server that came out to refill a drink order or clear a plate. One server dropped a tray of drinks as Fetch, trying to get Michelle to laugh, picked up a glass and drank down the soda with a straw. I quickly explained to the server that I was an amateur magician and handed her a fifty-dollar bill. She smiled and made a quick retreat.

  We ended the meal with chocolate malts. I ordered one and Fetch let me know he wanted one by slamming his tail on the table. This made the server jump. We got the malts and were quietly enjoying them, when I spotted the bobcat. It was across the street, on the bike path, at the park. It was just sitting there staring at us. I pointed at him and Michelle waved. I waved too and Fetch flashed his silver scales. The bobcat did a double back flip in response to our waving and disappeared into the park.

  “He told me he would be checking up on us," said Michelle.

  “I wish he could have joined us,” I said

  “Me too, but he is so busy. He never seems to sleep. He is constantly trying to find the missing dragons and he can disappear for days at a time. I can honestly say that I know him better than anyone, but at times he is a mystery to me. He can get in these dark moods and go for a day or two without saying a word. But, I think me being around him for the past ten years or so have loosened him up a bit. You should have seen the look on his face when I bought him his first pair of jeans. He wanted to start interacting with the non-magic world and I told him that he wasn’t going to get very far wearing robes and carrying a staff. There are those in the magic world that have changed with the times and adjusted to styles and some technology, but Johnathen had to be dragged into a T-shirt and jeans, kicking and screaming. I introduced him to Heavy Metal music and he really liked that, but he still is very resistant to computers. I have almost talked him into a Facebook page."

  “Why do people in the magic world have such a problem with technology?”

  “Not all tech is confusing to them, but computers are. I think it’s because it is in a state of constant change. For centuries they have been using magic the same way. A spell that a wizard cast two hundred years ago, to make a light, is the same one used today. I think, for a lot of them, it is a tradition thing and they are just being stubborn. But, I have found a few people that can do it. It at least gives some of them a means of communicating behind the backs of fairies and other traditionalists who won’t even look at a computer."

  At the mention of fairies Michelle’s face went dark again. It seemed to be a trigger word for her.

  "So, what kind of magic people have you met?" I asked, wanting to keep her away from the dark mood that even mentioning fairies seemed to put her in.

  Her face lit up a bit at this. "I have met a gnome or two. I have seen trolls. For a while, when I was younger, I had a golem nanny who took care of me when Johnathen wasn’t around. I saw a unicorn in Johnathen's courtyard and I have taught basic computer skills to a few elves. Johnathen has kept me away from a lot of the magic world. There are those who, I guess, don’t want me around. But, now that you are around, the people like me, the forgotten ones with magic ancestors, have a better chance of being accepted. If I can be accepted, I can go to the council myself and plead my case and get those responsible for my family's death brought to justice."

  There was a fiery gleam in her eyes as she said this.

  "I have been sheltered from the magic world in a lot of ways, Jack. There has been a time or two that I have wanted to take off my teardrop and expose myself to the magic world, just to see what would happen. But, that might undermine all of Johnathen's work. It's not so bad, though. I have free reign in the non-magic world, and, with the magic that I am learning, it is like a dream come true."

  It was easy to see how happy Michelle was to have someone to talk to about all of this. I guess she never had anyone to whom to tell her story. I was beginning to have my doubts about the magic world. It seemed that there were prejudices against non-magic people. I hoped that I could meet and get to know other magic creatures and talk to them one day. I wanted to do more than be an observer and keep hidden all my life. After all, with the memory of anybody knowing me erased, there wasn’t much of a chance of me fitting back into the real world, especially if Fetch was going to hang around with me.

  With a loud slurp Fetch finished his malt. The server came back to the table with the check and after paying, and leaving a hefty tip, we started to walk back to the room. I was very tired by then. It was hard to wrap my mind around the fact of how much my life had changed in just a little more than one day. We made it back to the room. With a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek for me and for Fetch, Michelle said her goodbyes.

  "I’ll come back in a few days, Jack. I know that Johnathen wants to take you out to the desert, to see what you can do, and to see if you have gained any new abilities. You should rest up, both of you."

  It felt good to have a friend that seemed to care so much for me. I gave her a hug and a returned kiss on the cheek, earning me a smack with Fetch's tail. I didn’t care though, it was worth it. After reassurances, to both of us, that she would be fine, and a promise of a text from her when she got home, we watched her walk away. When she was out of sight, we went back into the room.

  It really hit me how tired I was when I walked in the room. I plopped down on the bed and turned on the television. I scanned the news for any mention of the YouTube video. Nothing was said about it. I knew I needed to get a computer so I could keep track of those kind of things. A seed of an idea was forming i
n my mind, and I knew I needed a computer to get it going. I also needed to get more clothes. I couldn’t keep wearing the same dark clothes Johnathen had made for me. I was making a mental list of what to get tomorrow. There was an excited element to all of this. How many people get the opportunity to change their lives overnight? Add a magical element to that question, and I was sure that everyone out there, at one time or another in their lives, wished or fantasized about something similar to what I was going through. Yes, there was sadness, and a definite element of danger, but still, here in my comfortable hotel room, fed and relaxing on the bed, I couldn’t help but feel the adventure. And, to top it all off, I had just had dinner with a very pretty girl. I knew that I could never have a relationship with Michelle, but it was enough that she was a friend, closer to me than any friend I had ever had.

  A loud banging sound got my attention. Fetch had found the TV remote and was watching an animated movie about a dragon. He was laughing at it. I turned out the light and lay back down on the bed.

  “We have got some pretty good friends, Fetch.”

  Fetch stretched his long neck around to look at me. His eyes were glowing green. He made a 'huff' kind of sound in agreement.

  “I’m glad Michelle is our friend, and I'm glad you’re my friend too."

  Fetch stared at me for a few seconds, then shoved my foot gently to let me know he felt the same way.

  “Good night, Fetch. Try not to eat me in the middle of the night."

  Fetch laughed and made a smacking sound with his mouth. I laughed too. As I drifted off to sleep, I had a thought. “What if this is all just a dream?” Then I fell asleep.