Shifting by Rachel D'Aigle Page B

you, or,” he paused. “I wouldn’t put it past them to try and pin this on someone else, too.” It took only a second for Colin to realize that Jae meant himself, and maybe even his family.
    “You have to tell the truth, Jae! Meghan would insist if she were here. We can’t let anything bad happen to you, for hiding our magic.”
    “No, I can’t do it. I might be wrong, Colin. I shouldn’t have even brought it up. Forget I said it.”
    “Why do they dislike your family so much?” asked Colin.
    “It’s not just us. They have a false impression that they pull more weight than the rest of us in the group. Banon Blackwell keeps them in check though.”
    “If it comes down to it, Jae, I don’t want you or your family getting into trouble because of us.”
    Jae would not hear it.
    “I can’t. If it does come down to it, I’ll stay behind with you and take full responsibility. I’ll say my family didn’t know.”
    “But you would be away from your family again, which is how we ended up here in the first place.”
    Jae could not argue this point.
    “Let’s wait and see how things play out for a few days,” suggested Jae. “I honestly don’t think we’ll be in danger of anything happening right away. Fall’s practically here and we all have school exams then, including the Three D’s. I think it’ll buy us some time.” Colin agreed to Jae’s thinking and they slipped inside the Mochrie house.
    Meghan was not home. They made an excuse at the dinner table thirty minutes later, when she still had not returned. After dinner, Mireya headed off to meet a friend down by the wharf.
    Jae sat at the kitchen table working on schoolwork. Colin paced the kitchen trying to reach out for his sister; he could sense her, but she was getting better at blocking him for longer periods of time. The house was deafeningly quiet.
    46
    And then, it was not quiet. Distant screams echoed into the open windows.
    “What on earth?” asked Sheila Mochrie, from the back yard. Irving Mochrie rushed out of the cottage to investigate, followed by Sheila, Colin and Jae.
    Billows of smoke were rising from the ocean shore. “The wharf, something’s happening at the wharf!” Sheila screamed, charging down the road, panicked, as she remembered that is where her daughter was supposed to be.
    Irving ran back inside, before following Sheila, hooking a belt over his shoulder. Colin and Jae followed. Neighbors flew out of their homes and very swiftly, a crowd raced toward the wharf.
    Colin was horrified to see they were preparing themselves for a battle. They each wore belts like Irving’s over their shoulders. Each persons contained different items.
    Jae explained as they ran to the wharf.
    “Some carry potions, some weapons, and some store magical energy, so when they tire they have a backup supply.”
    As they neared the wharf, Balaton (policeman of the Svoda) popped in from thin air and attempted to survey the situation, with palms raised, poised for battle.
    Children were screaming and running to find their parents. None of the Svoda could imagine what enemy they could be up against. Nothing had ever penetrated their entrances before.
    Mireya appeared, out of breath, yelling over the screams and chaos.
    “Come quick! It’s Meghan! Something’s happened.”
    Colin got a sinking feeling in his stomach. They followed Mireya to the edge of the wharf, where a ball of fire reeled along the shore.
    “Meghan?” Colin gulped, in disbelieving horror. The flames engulfed his sister and yet did not appear to be burning her. “Get out of there,” Colin pleaded, trying to race toward her. Sheila and Jae held him back.
    “I haven’t seen something like this in ages,” said an astonished Irving Mochrie. He asked Colin, “Has she done this before?”
    Colin tried to think of the right answer. Before he could, Balaton arrived, escorting Banon Blackwell.
    “Well, you’re definitely not a secret anymore,” whispered Jae. “But at least the