Chapter 25

“These days, how would I know?”

~*~

"Those of us who aren't spellcasters, let's continue with the week's activities! Today we're learning about the wild plants that grow in the area and how to use them," Timothy called to attention. "I realize that Gloria, Alex, and Aquila would have enjoyed learning these things as well, but unfortunately the week's tasks can't wait for anyone! Gather your things, kiddos, we're heading out as soon as we're ready!" Midshore thought he was quite happy for a man who just saw his fellow get thrown to the ground.

Something wasn't didn't feel right, like a shiver of cold that couldn't be shaken. Alex's power was unlike anything she'd felt before, and she'd felt many types of magic before. It wasn't that his magic was 'home-brewed', it was something else but she couldn't nail it down. His magic had no lasting effects on her, she was sure of that, but it just... it felt off. Like a picture hanging at an angle or kernel of popcorn stuck in your teeth. It wasn't damaging or dangerous, but it was bothersome that she couldn't figure it out.

"If you don't mind, I think I'll take them up to the mountain. Bit more secluded up there, easier to focus and we'll be out of your hair so the rest of you also aren't distracted," Midshore asked Miranda.

"That'll take away the fun of seeing Alex actually learn something and not be the smartest guy around for once, but it also sounds like a good idea," Miranda laughed. "Just be back by dinner, 5 o'clock."

"Sure thing," Midshore said and she turned to the three students. "Gloria, you don't have to join if you don't want to, I'm only going to be teaching them the basics. You've got all this already," she told her.

"I'd like a refresher, and it's been a while since I saw you teach. It's so... what's the word I'm looking for? Inspiring? Fills me with awe? The fear of God? Who can say?" Gloria laughed, packing a few of her things in her backpack. "I enjoy it every time, anyhow. And it'll be easier to bring everyone up there if we're both involved,"

"I guess you're right," Midshore sighed.

"So we're hiking up to the mountain too? Getting our cardio on top of our magical training today?" Alex asked.

"Not quite that hard," Midshore said over her shoulder as she shoved some things into her bag. "We're teleporting there. I'm very comfortable with it, and Gloria has been practicing taking passengers with her. We'll each take one of you up there,"

Alex sidled up with Gloria. "That sounds exciting. How's it work, exactly?"

"I'll take your hand, focus on us, and then I'll allow myself to pass to the new location. It's rather simple if I know where I'm going, and I'm sure Midshore will show me where it is with an image," Gloria looked at Midshore for confirmation, and Midshore sent the image of where they were going to Gloria's mind: a serene pond with lots of trees around. There's a building there as well. The mountain has a waterfall streaming down from it.

Gloria smiled. "All you need to do is relax and when you feel yourself passing to the new location, let it happen. Don't be scared. I've done this before,"

Gloria reached for his hand and a shock passed between them. "Ouch!" Alex shouted, shaking his hand back and forth. "That's the strongest shock I've received in a long time! Whoa- jeez- Maybe I'll go with Midshore if you're going to be that way," he laughed.

Midshore furrowed her brow. Why had that happened? She wasn't feeling any particular charge in the air, and it was damp enough to not collect much of a static charge, much less a strong one like that. "I think that'd be a good idea," Midshore agreed slowly. "Wouldn't want to lose any of those precious braincells he has up in his head. Hold my hand, young man. We'll go first,"

Aquila eyed the whole situation. "What's going on?" she asked Gloria as she turned to face her and held out her hand. "How did you zap him so hard? Was that a spell?"

"I didn't use any spell," she said, quietly. "I just started to call my powers before I touched him and they kinda lunged towards him? Like he was a magnet and my power was a nail. Or lightning and a lightning rod,"

"That's weird," Aquila agreed. "But you've got this right? You're going to remember my eyebrows, right? I don't want to have to draw on my eyebrows everyday,"

"Don't worry about your eyebrows, we'll be fine,"

~*~

Rosa took a drink from the tray and surveyed the party. Everyone seemed to be enjoying mingling and drinking. Hopefully it stayed that way and the dinner would go off without a hitch. There were people of several political parties here, and she didn't know how well they would mix.

Her fiance would be in charge of child care this evening so she didn't have to worry about the baby. Her new son was a champ if sometimes fussy, but that was every baby. This child will be different. He doesn't have to have all of the stresses that Seneca went through. He will live an unburdened life.

"But should they be allowed to be teachers? Or lawyers? Surely we aren't allowing them to be lawyers," Randall Cook said a bit louder than the din of quiet and polite conversation that filled the room. "Imagine what they could get up to as a lawyer! They could convince the whole court that they were correct and that a murderer was innocent! Imagine the duo you could have of a serial killer and an Other. There'd be nothing stopping them!" he laughed heartily, turning heads.

One of the women of the group, Angie Goosetock, leaned in and murmured in his ear, a stern look on her face. Rosa usually trusted her character and she was a straight forward type who didn't rock the boat and was interested in progress.

Randall straightened up after she finished. "You think I care who her son is dating? Hell, if I could get a piece of Other ass, I'd take some once in a while! Just don't tell my wife," he laughed jollily. "No, it is unfortunate that her family would sink to that level to have such a deep relationship with an Other. But now that Rosa has a new son, she needn't keep such a tight hold of her eldest. She has a new heir to her family name. And I heard that her eldest may not even be hers. Galant divorced her because she couldn't bear children, and suddenly she had a son? Sounds too good to be true if you ask me," He grabbed another drink from a tray nearby. "If you ask me, she should forget about Sena-what's-his-face and focus on her new family,"

At this point half of the party had stopped to listen to him with varied reactions of either approval or disgust.

Ember, dressed to impress and the vice Prime Minister walked up to him. She was an Other, a mermaid in fact. She had fought hard for the liberties and freedoms that had finally been allowed to Others. "Excuse me, Mr. Cook," she said smoothly, "Would you say you stand behind the words that just came out of your mouth, horrid as they were, or do you put no weight behind those words?"

Randall didn't acknowledge she spoke even though she was very near him and she spoke clearly. Ember wasn't one to drink, and she'd been drinking still water the whole evening, unlike many of the attendants.

"I haven't met either of the PM's fine sons, but I'm sure I'd know which one I'd like more!" Randall continued joking.

"Sir," Ember put her hand lightly on his shoulder. "I believe we have something to discuss,"

Randall Cook turned and clocked her in the jaw, knocking her to the floor.

Rosa jumped at the sudden violence, but a few of the men had already started to restrain him from further harm. "Mr. Cook, I ask that you leave immediately and I expect your resignation from your position on my desk on Monday!" Rosa ordered, walking over to Ember, sprawled on the floor.

"Oh, I'll leave this disgraced home, but I'll not be resigning. Not when an Other could take my seat and lead us to ruin!" he shouted as he was dragged away.

Rosa watched him leave, a fire in her eyes. She knew that openly accepting the Others into society was a tough thing for lots of people to do, and it would take time for the negative thoughts behind them to go away. Three years ago it had been illegal for an Other to be publicly open about their abilities. Everyone who had half a brain knew they had been around for generations, but only now were the walls coming down.

They had to accept the Others into society. Let people live their full lives unashamed of how they were born. Let parents not be afraid or ashamed of an Other baby born into the family. To say that all Others were twisted or up to no good was simply not true, and the only way to see that would be to let people show who they truly were.

"Ember, do you want to press charges against him? We need to get the police involved.”

"I-" she took a breath and tried to steady herself. "I have to think about it first,"

Ember may or may not choose to press charges, but Rosa had half the mind to. Claiming that Seneca wasn’t her son was close to slander. Rosa knew that she had garnered political favor because she’d left an abusive, cheating man and had been unknowingly carrying his son and she’d fought tooth and nail to rise above the turmoil of the divorce and to remain civil. When they went low, she went high.

Seneca was her son. Gloria was an amazing girl who she had no doubt would be her daughter in law one day. It was true that Others weren’t popular with pockets of the population and that Rosa had tried to keep her personal life private. Gloria was one of those reasons. Rosa didn’t want it to be tangled in with her career and Gloria and Seneca didn’t deserve the attention of the press.

Should she try to convince Seneca to give up Gloria? A life with an Other would be turbulent, and the life of the Prime Minister’s son was a very visible one. He shouldn’t have to carry the burden of the negative thoughts of the populace.

“Let’s charge him,” Ember said, rubbing her jaw. “You look deep in thought, are you ok?”

“These days, how would I know?”

Another chapter! How thrilling! I've been having a tough time getting though all of the slow chapters so I decided I'd take a quick peak away from the main two and see what the world's been getting up to. As I've told the people IRL, this story is going to be several generations long and politics is going to play into it, so I figured now may as well be as good a time as any to start that ball rolling.

I've also been thinking about having a Sub-Title, like how Narnia had Narnia and The Horse and His Boy? or Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets? If you had to pick a subtitle for the current generation of The Last Forever, what would you think of? I'm a bit curious.

What you're all here for, Bloopers!