Apprentices: Full Moon

Crisis Averted

I pull the phone out of my purse, finding the number that I’m looking for. I hesitate for a long time, thinking whether I should make the call or not. I know that Kir told me I can bother him in the middle of the night if it’s something urgent, but it’s Christmas day. I don’t want to ruin it.

So, I lock my phone, almost putting it back away, but change my mind in the last moment. I type Kir’s number in once again, then erase it. Ugh, I’m unbelievable. Finally, I decide that if I should bother anyone with my problems, it should be someone from my own family. And hell no, it’s not my dad I’m talking about.

Aunt Marion answers on the third ring. “Hi, Evelyn. Merry Christmas,” she greets me warmly, almost making me feel bad that I’m about to ruin a whole day for her. I think it’s morning in Dubai.

“Hi, auntie, merry Christmas to you too,” I respond as happily as I can, but she realizes that I’m full of s**t. How do I know that? Because what follows is a moment of silence.

“Uh-oh. Don’t tell me your father is still bothering you, because I swear, I’ll fly straight to Ohio and wipe that cold-ass smirk off his good-for-”

“Whoa, easy there!” I interrupt her, almost fearing that he’s bugged my phone and is listening to our conversation. “It’s not my dad, it’s … You know how I told you about the progress of my powers very recently?” I continue, biting my lower lip nervously.

She responds with a lot of hesitation in her voice. “… Yes?” I gulp heavily, hoping that she didn’t hear that, before finally telling her what’s going on.

“Well, I … I thought I found the right way and it was working out pretty well … But I’m sitting on a toilet now, unable to stop my hands from trembling. It’s … It’s happening again. It’s trying to get out … violently,” I reveal, talking in a hushed tone like I’m afraid someone might hear me. Stupid, I know. I’m alone in the bathroom.

“Evelyn … Breathe, please. Try to make it go away the same way that you learned helps. Maybe you just have to calm down and it will be fine,” she tries to reassure me, but I shake my head, like I’m forgetting she doesn’t see me.

“No, it’s … I was calm this whole time. We’re having a dance and I was okay. I was relaxed, I was even … happy. It just came out of nowhere and I have no way to stop it,” I try to explain, realizing that I’m breathing heavily.

My aunt is quiet on the other side, and I think we both realize it at the same time. “Dearest … I don’t think I’m the right address for help this time,” she voices the thought that crosses both our minds, making my heart sink. I know she’s not. I know I shouldn’t have bothered her with it, but I just … I wanted her to be able to help me. So, we could grow closer.

“I’m sorry, I just … I’m panicking,” I tell her, watching my hand as it trembles on my bare knee. There’s another few seconds of silence on the other side, until she says something that leaves me feeling bad.

“I think you should find Kir. I don’t want anything to happen to you, and it’s clear that I’m not … qualified enough to help you with this,” she murmurs, barely making me able to understand what she’s saying. I hold my breath for a long moment, already making her worry. “Evelyn, are you still there?”

I breathe out slowly. “I am. I’m so sorry. I’ll … I’ll go and take care of this now,” I finally respond. As we hang up, I can practically feel her pain. I can imagine how bad she feels about not being able to provide me with a solution.

My fingers rush across the screen as I now type in the number that I meant to call in the first place. Ugh, I’m unbelievable. I never leave the old man alone, not even on Christmas. I wait for him to pick up, thinking about what a jerk I am, when the sound of his voice takes me aback.

“Good evening, Evelyn,” he greets me. Well, I must say that was even faster than my aunt. I take a deep breath, not knowing how to say this, but I can try by starting somewhere, right?

“Hi, I … Merry Christmas, I’m really sorry to bother you tonight, it’s just … It’s starting again,” I let him know, anxiously waiting for a response. He’s quiet for a few moments, then quickly jumps into character.

“Where are you? Please tell me you’re in the high school building,” he practically begs me. If I wasn’t so worried, I’d probably chuckle at the fact that his first thought was about me escaping the Seminary again.

“Yeah, I’m here, I’m not sure if you understand what I mean, I … I’m losing control,” I reveal even more quietly, like there’s literally someone standing outside and listening to my conversation. Pull yourself together girl, you’re alone! His next words suddenly take me aback.

“I know what you mean, I just want to know where exactly you are. The sooner you tell me, the sooner I can be there,” he explains, his voice hiding a hint of impatience. Oh. Oh!

“You’d … You’d just drop everything and come here?” I ask, unable to believe what he’s saying. He lets out a frustrated sigh.

“I believe I just said that. Now, can you let me know where you are and then stay there until I get my old feet to you? And try to stay away from strong emotions, please,” he urges me, and I quickly force myself to gather my thoughts.

“O-Okay, I’ll wait for you in the hallway next to the auditorium,” I tell him. I mean to tell him that I’ll try my best, but he already hangs up, leaving me staring at my phone in a dumb-founded way.

Finally, I force myself to breathe in and get out of the bathroom. If I manage to make Kir wait, he’s not going to be happy. I don’t want him to worry, so I better get going.

I try to breathe and not think about anything, but my powers are surging through my veins like mad, making me realize that they’re on the verge of bursting out. How am I supposed to get my negative emotions out if I have no idea that I even have excess energy to release?!

I get to the hallway I mentioned in less than three minutes, but as I sit down on a bench, feeling my hands tremble, I hear hasty footsteps. They’re coming around the corner and I’m ready to greet my mentor, when an entirely different face comes to view.

Sheila stops in her tracks as she sees me, studying me with suspicion in her eyes. “What are you doing out here?” she wants to know in a demanding tone. Well, she sounds like I owe her an answer. I sure as hell don’t, but I’m going to respond either way. Just to get her out of my hair as soon as possible.

“Just catching my breath,” I reply simply, leaning my head back on the wall and closing my eyes. If I don’t look at her, maybe she’ll just disappear. But this is Sheila we’re talking about. The b***h won’t stop even if you make her bleed out.

I feel a tinge of guilt inside my chest as that thought crosses my mind. That wasn’t funny at all. What’s my mind playing at? “Avoiding your boyfriend, you mean to say?” she implies, making my eyes snap open. My hands are now trembling in a dangerous way, and I quickly place them under my thighs to prevent Sheila from noticing.

“What the hell are you trying to imply? I’m not avoiding anybody, let alone Jake! Now get out of my face before I get the need my palm. It’s already itching, you know?” I retort bitterly, trying to let her know that things will get physical, if she doesn’t leave me alone.

She raises her eyebrows as a smirk plays around her lips, but she doesn’t go anywhere. In fact, she crosses her arms across her chest and shifts her whole weight on one leg in a provocative way. “You’re clearly hiding something. I just can’t put my finger on it … Yet,” she keeps stressing me out. Oh, for f**k’s sake, somebody get this b***h out of my face, before I scratch her eyes out!

“Sheila … I swear on my murderous mother, that I will seriously injure you, if you don’t leave this instant!” I snap at her, feeling the powers inside me dangerously travelling to my hands, ready to burst out. Ready to hurt. Ready to kill …

“Evelyn!” I hear someone call my name, making me stiffen. This isn’t Kir’s voice. s**t. It’s Jake. Who knows how long he’s been looking for me. I don’t want him to come here right now. Not when I’m in a state like this. Okay, I got to give it my all.

I turn towards Sheila with a murderous glare, yelling out: “Who do you think you are?! Didn’t you hear what I said?! Get the f**k out of here, or I’ll strangle you if I have to!” She looks taken aback and she just stands there, watching me with wide eyes, as she tries to move.

I know that I’ve stepped over the line, and I can already hear Jake’s footsteps rushing towards us, but I did what I had to do. I managed to calm my magic down, at least a little. But I got no idea what I have to do now, to make it completely dormant!

“Evelyn, what’s going on?” he asks as he suddenly appears next to Sheila. All it takes is one glance from me to her and his face already darkens in realization. He turns towards her with a stony face expression. “Look, I don’t know what you two had, but please leave. You’ve clearly upset her and you’re not going to solve anything like this,” he addresses her.

Sheila scoffs and throws her raven black hair over her shoulder. “Gladly. She’s insane. I don’t know what you see in her,” she remarks, the initial surprise clearly wearing off. Before I’m able to open my mouth and attack her again, she already turns on her heel and leaves.

The moment she does, Jake turns towards me with a not very pleased expression on his face. He sits down next to me, making me stiffen. Whatever he was about to say, he stops as he notices my body language. “Are you trying to avoid me?” he asks, his eyes boring into mine intently.

I shake my head immediately. “No, it’s just … I didn’t feel well, I went out-”

“Evelyn!” I hear someone call my name again. This time, it’s unmistakably Kir. Jake furrows his eyebrows in confusion, while I hope that he won’t make a big deal out of this. We both turn towards the sound of his voice.

“Over here!” I let him know, still keeping my hands under my thighs, so Jake doesn’t see them tremble. Problem number two, how do I get him out of here now?

The moment Kir sees us, he stops in his tracks. “Hello to both of you,” he greets us as he notices that I’m not alone. Next, he addresses his words to me. “Are you feeling alright?” he asks with a worried crease between his eyebrows.

“Just a little … preoccupied,” I slowly say, not finding other words to express myself in front of Jake. I don’t know why I’m not telling him that I’m losing control, but I feel like I’d be considered a failure, if I admitted it out loud. He thinks I’m fine. I don’t want him to know that I’m starting to lose control again. “And sick,” I then add, drawing in a sharp breath.

My boyfriend stares at me in surprise, clearly not expecting this answer. He already opens his mouth to say something, when Kir instructs him: “Go fetch her some water, boy. I’m just going to rule out that it’s not her magic, playing tricks.”

Jake visibly stiffens, not pleased with being ordered around by someone. But as I send him a pleading gaze, he gives in, simply nodding in response before getting up and heading back into the auditorium.

Kir doesn’t remove his gaze from his back until he’s sure that he went inside, then quickly rushes to my side, and joins me on the bench. “I guessed that you didn’t want to tell the full truth. Talk to me. Do you still feel it slipping out of control?” he asks quietly, but his voice is hiding a sense of urgency.

I nod, finally daring to get my hands from under my thighs. I lift them up, gulping nervously as I see them tremble violently. s**t. I thought I managed to regain control earlier, but I was clearly wrong.

My mentor grabs my shoulder, completely ignoring the provocative dress I’m wearing. Well, I know he’s old, but he’s still a man. I guess chivalry and respect for women still live these days. “Focus. I know you were able to do it before and you can do it now. We can’t afford for you to lose control. Not so soon after passing the test,” he tells me, his dark eyes glistening in distress.

“I’m trying, but it’s not working, Kir! Nothing works, why do you think I called you?!” I burst out, breathing heavily. My mentor watches me with a curious twinkle in his gaze, while I suddenly realize … that I feel better. What the …

“Back in control?” he checks, while I nod in surprise, unable to believe what just happened. How the hell did he know exactly what to say?

“Yeah … thanks,” I mumble, still unable to believe that he managed to fix me in less than two minutes. He smiles cheerfully.

“You’re welcome. Enjoy the rest of your evening, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he then tells me, already getting up from the bench. To be honest, I’m still checking if my magic truly isn’t circling around my veins anymore. “Merry Christmas, Evelyn,” he adds before departing.

I smile back warmly, just as Jake comes from around the corner. “Merry Christmas, Kir,” I reply, taking my gaze away from him only as he turns around and leaves.

Jake sits down next to me with the glass of water, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Here you go … What was that about?” he speaks up and I take the glass from him, slowly sipping on its content. Ah. I feel much better.

“He came to check that I still remember we have a lesson tomorrow,” I quickly come up with something, making him stare at me for a few moments, before shrugging. “Thanks for the water, I feel better now. And don’t worry. Kir made sure that my magic isn’t causing problems for me,” I assure him.

He smiles, bringing my head towards him, to plant a kiss on the top of my head. “I’m glad to hear that,” he murmurs. Suddenly, he lifts my chin, making my stomach flutter as I notice the look in his eyes. “Want to take this party elsewhere?” I smile in response. Gladly, Jake. Gladly.