“And are we fitting in time for romance?” Philomeena Renn asks, her good looks and flawless brown skin always reminding me of Kaira.
I don’t ask about Kaira, partly because it always makes me sad to think of her journeying through the S.P.M.A. on her own, but also because I know her dad and aunt miss her as much as I do. Instead, we skirt around the issue, discussing the progress of Jacob’s class.
“They’re pretty fierce,” Conrad states.
“Who’s your money on?” Casper asks, regarding those likely to make the grade.
“Ethan, Ava and Olin at the moment,” Conrad replies, looking up at the Quij who flutter above our heads, their bodies glowing a warm orange in welcome.
“Olin definitely,” I add. “He’s the dark horse of the group, playing the fumbling wizard to his advantage.”
“So, bumped into any shifty characters lately?” Philomeena asks, dressed in a slick, all-grey trouser suit.
She knows we have, but is really asking about our decision to let Joseph Flint off the hook.
“Just the evening witch.”
“Alice Aradel?”
I nod. “Trying to get her hands on some artefacts: Zombuls mainly.”
“What did she have over Joseph to get him to sneak them to her?” Casper asks, sharing his sister’s elegance and flawless, brown skin.
“That’s what we’re going to find out later,” Conrad replies, clearly eager to get back into the morning air.
Like his Williynx, Conrad isn’t designed to live a magical existence cooped up inside a faculty; he’s born to roam, seeking thrills to feed his taste for adventure. I’m also keen to leave before the ‘mum’ question comes up, something Jacob picks up on.
“Have you seen mum lately?” he asks already knowing the answer.
I avoid his gaze, glancing at Laieya who licks her powder-blue feathers near Quandary Corner: the quiet seating area I once claimed as my own. “I’ll go soon.”
“She’s on her own, Guppy.”
“I know.”
“Are you ever going to forgive her?”
“What she did isn’t easy to forgive.”
“You promised you’d try,” Jacob adds, tapping me on the arm to get my focus. “Let old wounds heal, Guppy.”
I let my brother’s comment resonate for a while before I repeat my promise to visit mum … in the twisted building on the margins of Society Square. I clearly haven’t let old wounds heal because the building reminds me of why she’s forced to live an isolated existence. Mum was at the heart of The Cendryll until she made a massive mistake during a particularly heartless phase.
She wasn’t there for us and treated us like an annoyance she’d rather be rid of … happy when Kaira’s dad and aunt took us under their wing … so why should I feel the need to visit her…? Don’t parents have to earn their children’s respect…?
Anyway, enough of that — time to get back to the skies and a few more tight squeezes with Conrad, just in case you thought being a Night Ranger was all about tracking down shifty witches and wizards.
“Why don’t you go and pay mum a visit now?” Jacob pushes, giving me the look.
“Maybe tomorrow.”
“It’s always ‘tomorrow,' Guppy. Do it for me — one more favour before you go gallivanting off.”
Conrad steps closer, placing an arm on my waist as a signal of support. He knows how uncomfortable I am in my mum’s presence, but he’s lost both his parents and hasn’t got a brother’s love, so I give in. “Okay. We’ll go now.”
“Say hello from me and tell mum I’ll be over this evening.”
I give Jacob a smile — the brother who always puts others before himself. He essentially brought me up, protecting me in my more spontaneous days in the S.P.M.A. He’s a reminder of the love surrounding me, something I sometimes forget when I’m wrapped in Conrad’s arms. Family, after all, is forever.
We say our goodbyes, exiting The Cendryll in the traditional manner, choosing a rickety door behind The Seating Station where Society elders discuss day-to-day events. There’s less drama these days but they still love debating the benefit of certain charms, or whether teaching a group of under-age wizards will turn out to be a good thing.
Conrad and I leave them to their debate, pulling the brass door handle out and turning it until The Hallowed Lawn appears in gold lettering. With the door handle pushed back in, we step through the door and find ourselves back in the open air — our Williynx fluttering close by, shape shifting into their majestic forms as they rise up into the sky.
With Laieya and Erivan enjoying their own race in the morning air, Conrad senses my mood changing, realising it’s linked to my mum. He takes my hand as we walk across The Hallowed Lawn, the feeling of the light rain falling onto my skin. I’m not a big hand holder usually and Conrad knows this, only offering this gesture when introspection threatens to get in the way of our adventures.
“It will get easier over time,” he says, offering me that smile.
“It hasn’t got easier so far.”
“You’ve never made it easy on your mum.”
“Why should I?”
“I’m not saying you should, Guppy, but if you punish her forever it’s never going to be easy.”
I turn to Conrad, pushing my body into his as I kiss him: a kiss I let linger until he runs his hand through my brown hair, his surprising strength an unspoken symbol of his need for intimacy. He has no family aside from me now — the Society his only home — and I’m forced to remember this as we continue to kiss: a Fire Witch whose fury won’t allow her to forgive.
As thunder sounds overhead, I let out a light laugh — my way of accepting I’m wrong about my mum. I do need to forgive in order to move on and, most importantly, not turn into the bitter person she’s become. It goes without saying how dangerous anger can be when you
