“Can a mistake have been made?” The blond haired Fire High Master asked.
“No High Master Jameson, our protocols are absolute. Allyra Warden’s blood was kept on record upon her birth. Prior to the Joining Ceremony, her blood was checked against the record to ensure no mistake was being made, it was further checked against the Gifted parent, in this case Samuel Warden. It was her blood, there was no mistake.”
“Thank you Master Marais.” Marcus broke in quickly when it appeared that the History Master was going to elaborate. “Perhaps we should move on, James Thiessen, please step up.”
Chapter 7 – Jamie
Jamie kept his back straight and walked up with all the confidence he could muster. Allyra’s life was on the line and he felt the weight of that responsibility on his shoulders. His mind suddenly swept back to another innocuous memory.
He’d been preparing for a job interview and he’d been more nervous than he ever cared to admit. Allyra had found him struggling to knot his tie with increasingly shaky hands.
With a whimsical smile on her face, she’d turned him away from the mirror to face her then gently brushed his hands away from his tie. She’d twisted his tie into place with deft fingers then looked up at him.
The pale sunlight filtering through the window had caught on her eyes and he could remember the way they sparkled, more silver than grey. She’d been wearing a quizzical expression on her face.
She’d pulled him down into a hug and then whispered, her words tickling his ear: Don’t be nervous. Making friends is your superpower. Confidence is just something you have to believe in and if you can’t find enough, always remember that my belief in you is enough for both of us.
He’d nailed that interview.
He was going to nail this one.
*
As he walked, Jamie allowed the tension to melt away from his muscles. Making friends is your superpower. He allowed the corners of his lips to lift into the slightest of smiles and felt his spirits lift with them. Confidence is just something you have to believe in.
“James – we would like to hear your account of what happened please.”
Jamie took a deep breath and outlined everything that had happened the previous day. He allowed the words to roll off his tongue with ease, though he took care to leave out any references to Allyra’s supposed ability to hear echoes of the past or her obsessive annual pilgrimage.
Instead, the story as he told it, was of a yearly hike Allyra liked to partake in – good, clean and completely innocent exercise.
He came to the end of his recital and looked towards the Council, expecting a barrage of questions – the Fire High Master didn’t hesitate.
“Are we to believe that Allyra knew nothing of what the tree was? That she in fact just somehow blundered through? A case of wrong place, wrong time?” She asked mockingly, with shards of ice in her voice and her pale blue eyes.
“High Master Jameson – I believe? I apologize if I’m not making use of the proper etiquette, I do feel a little out of my depth here.” Jamie said self-deprecatingly and smiled at her endearingly. He could almost see the ice melting in her eyes as she motioned him to continue.
Allyra was right – this was what he was good at. His multi-talented siblings may outshine him in any number of ways, but making friends? This was his special talent. His heart suddenly clenched – he could almost hear Allyra teasing him gently about his irresistible puppy dog eyes and megawatt smile.
He allowed his smile to grow and spoke directly at the Fire High Master, as if she were the only person in the room, playing to her sense of self-importance.
“I know it sounds strange, but it’s the truth. Allyra knew nothing about the Gifted – not about our existence and certainly not about the Gates.”
“And yet she wasn’t the only Norm you knew – you had others within your own family. Why take such a different approach with her?” Her question was still pointed but the bite was gone.
“That’s true. My father wasn’t Gifted and my brother Rob isn’t either and they both knew everything about our world. But the decision to keep Allyra in the dark didn’t lie with my family. Her father Sam didn’t want her to know. He wanted her to go and live a normal life, untouched by something she could never have or truly understand. My family respected his wishes.”
“Even after his death?” The question came from the Water High Master who’d been silent to this point. Her question carried curiosity and nothing else. She wasn’t holding onto any pre-existing prejudice.
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t know your name or how best to address you.”
“High Master Perez.”
“Thank you, High Master Perez. Yes, we continued to respect Sam’s wishes even after his death. It might sound strange, but there was no reason to tell her. We couldn’t see how that might benefit her.”
High Master Perez nodded her understanding and Jamie again looked at the members of the Council for more questions.
The Earth High Master took up the questioning. His voice didn’t seem to suit his body – it was more severe and demanding than Jamie had expected. “If she truly knew nothing, how do you explain why she was there – especially under a full moon?”
Jamie nodded his understanding, “I know that coincidences are hard to believe, but that is all it was. She loved to hike and loved the rocky outcrop and the view at the top. So she used to take a yearly hike there. It just so happened that her trip coincided with a full moon this year.”
“If we are to accept that – are we also expected to accept that you
