Chapter 8.26: Dear Diary, Answers, but Some Burning Questions, Too

Dear Diary, I keep saying life is strange-I’m strange now, but it’s the truth, and so hard to describe. My head reels when I focus on a friend, only to realize I’m seeing their future. It’s unnerving because it just happens. I don’t like feeling so out of control. Since the bright light rested on my head like a crown, everything changed.

I’ve wanted so badly to speak to Laris Bloodgood about all of this. I want answers, and to know what is happening to me and why. We’re able to speak to each other in our minds, but the conversations are short, and I’m so exhausted afterwards, I can’t focus in class.

I thought answers would elude me forever, but today, even in my impatience, something happened. While on my way to art class, they called me to the office. All the way downstairs to the front hall, I was muttering under my breath, wondering why I couldn’t have been called out of math class instead.

When I reached the bottom of the main staircase, my feet slowed down. Iron Tits was in the hall outside her office with a tall, handsome man.

“Ah, Miss Seaforth!” Iron Tits said, drawing me closer. “You never told me what a charming uncle you have!”

I stared at her dumbly, my jaw slack. Iron Tits was never this nice, and… wait a minute! Did she say uncle?

That’s when my eyes locked with the strange man standing there. Who the hell was this?

I shook my head. “There’s been some mistake-” I started.

“-Yes, there has,” Iron Tits agreed.

She wasn’t snarling or frowning at me. If anything unsettled me the most, it was her sudden demure constitution.

Then, she continued, “You see, after speaking with your uncle, Mr. Greenhill, I mean, well, I feel like we got off on the wrong foot when you first came to us.”

Staring at the bizarre imposter, I couldn’t help but notice how curious his double-breasted suit was. Then, there was the ascot tie and hat to consider. And his eyes. The longer I stared into his eyes, the more I believed maybe I did have an uncle who came to see me.

Tearing my attention away from him and back to Iron Tits took some effort. She was still talking.

“I’ve arranged for the two of you to have a delightful visit in the boardroom.” She turned to the imposter. “If you need anything at all, please, let me know.”

He bowed, removing his hat, then kissed her hand. “Thank you.”

My astonishment grew as Iron Tits giggled and returned to her office, all the while glancing back at him.

The imposter turned toward me. “I know where the boardroom is. Follow me.”

He swept in front of me, and I followed him as if my legs were following some order I wasn’t sure of yet.

As we went up the main staircase, the imposter seemed to grow shorter.

How is this possible? I thought, blinking rapidly.

Down the main hall, then a turn to the left which was a slightly narrower hall, his hair turned white.

It was then I realized I was following Laris!

As soon as the awareness hit me, he appeared as I’d always seen him. It was like my eyes were finally cognizant for the first time today.

“What in the world, Laris? How did you change like that?”

While he responded, he seemed almost sad. “I didn’t change at all, My Angel.”

“I don’t understand. Downstairs, you were a completely different person!”

“No,” he said, “I was only seen as Ms. Hanover chose to see me. She projected that appearance onto you by telling you I was your uncle.”

“You need to start from the beginning.”

He sighed as if explaining something he shouldn’t have to, because I should already know.

“Everyone sees me as they wish. Ms. Hanover saw me as an upper class, dashing, middle-aged man. So that is what was projected.”

My mind felt sluggish as I tried to comprehend. “What about how I see you? Do I see the real you or some kind of projection?”

“You see me as I am, but as someone your own age. I am, in fact, older.”

“How much older?”

A smirk curved his mouth. “A bit.”

My chin jutted upward, and my back stiffened at the tone of his answer and what I imagined was a laugh under the surface. “I think you’re just playing with me now. I deserve some answers!”

He straightened up right away, pulling on the hem of his shirt. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve never had to explain to anyone before so this is strange for me, too.”

My eyes narrowed. “What are you, Laris?”

“You mean, what are we.”

“Okay, what are we?”

He paused. “A very long time ago, there were more of us. We lived together with nature, and the light. Only a few of us in our clan were capable of the powers you and I possess. It wasn’t until what you consider the teen years that we were tested. If the crown of light sat upon our heads, we were chosen to carry on, and learn the old ways. The others in the group, as any culture had other tasks to perform.”

“What happened to your clan?”

Anger flashed in his eyes, but his voice remained steady. “As with any civilization, there are always others who wish to conquer for land and assets. It was a dark day. I fought as best I could, but I was a child. We were overtaken. That was my Great Trauma, My Angel. It is the Great Trauma that brings our powers upon us more quickly. I was not yet a teen when my powers swept me off my feet. There was no one to teach me, so I traveled the world, searching for copies of our ancient texts. I think you found one such volume in your library here.”

“Oh yes,” I said. “I have the book with the symbols.”

“Those aren’t symbols. That is our language. I will teach it to you so you might use your powers more effectively.”

“But how will you teach me when I’m stuck in this place? I think it will be considered weird if my uncle comes to see me often.”

“True,” he said. “Normally, you would begin your education with one of our elders now. However, neither of us have that option since we are the only two left- “

“-How can I even be one of you? This doesn’t make sense.”

Finally, his mouth was drawn into a smile. “There was a prophecy that one day, a female would rise and bring strength to our clan. I can trace your family line back to us through a neighboring clan. That’s why magic is in some of your ancestors. Even so, they did not have the powers you possess.”

My stomach was turning and my head throbbed. “I still-I don’t understand.”

“It is a lot of information all at one time. I will admit, I have struggled to decide how much to tell you all at once. The more time slips away, though, the more anxious I become.”

“Why is that?”

His eyes were downcast, as if he couldn’t look at me. “Because you have a choice to make. At age eighteen, there is a ceremony which will bring you fully into yourself.”

“A ceremony?”

“I will tell you more about that as the time approaches. What you need to know right now is that if you choose not to participate in the ceremony, your powers will leave you forever.”

“I don’t even get what my powers are? What does this all entail?”

He glanced over my shoulder, squinting, then turned to me. “I must go. Besides, I think you have enough to absorb right now.”

With that, he took his leave. Out of curiosity, I turned around to see what had grabbed his attention, only to find Father Burnside staring at me from the library window.

I did my best to collect myself, although my head was in the clouds, thinking about everything Laris had revealed. Still, it wasn’t enough. I wanted to know everything!

It was free period now, and since I missed art class, I wandered along until I realized I was at the library. Patti was tutoring Meredith in her logic skills with chess. Even though it would have been interesting, I didn’t even pause. I wanted to look at the book with the ancient language in it again.

My books and notes were where I’d left them the day before because the librarian said she didn’t mind. But in rounding the corner of bookshelves,

I saw Father Burnside speaking to my history teacher, Father Grant. They huddled together, and Father Burnside spoke in hushed tones.

Father Grant saw me approach and stepped back, almost tripping on his own feet. Father Burnside straightened his back, then turned toward me.

“Miss Seaforth,” he said, giving a nod to Father Grant. “We’ll speak again soon.”

“Miss Seaforth,” Father Grant greeted as he passed me.

“Miss Seaforth, who was that visiting you today?”

My cheeks reddened. I really was not good at lying, but I did my best. “My uncle.”

The Father’s eyes became slits, and his hands shook. “Your uncle.”

“Y-yes.” Then I remembered what Laris had said about people seeing him as they wished rather than how he really was. What had Father Burnside seen when he watched Laris? How could I ask him such a crazy question, though?

The Father clasped his hands together to keep them from shaking, but his lower lip twitched something awful.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

He cleared his throat, then said, “Please be careful. All this digging around you’re doing,” then he swept his arm toward all my notes and piles of books, “it isn’t healthy.”

“I don’t understand.” Maybe that would get him to tell me more.

“You don’t need to understand. You need to do as I say and stop all this nonsense.”

With that, he brushed by me and out of the library, leaving me feeling shaky and uncertain.

Intending to look at the book of ancient language again, I turned to sit at the table. It was then I realized that particular book had disappeared. And, I was pretty sure I knew who took it!

With haste, I got up, attempting to follow Father Burnside. When I reached the part of the room that had the chess tables, I saw Father Grant watching Patti and Meredith struggle through their chess game.

In his hand was the book I desperately wanted.

Throwing my shoulders back, I approached him.

“Oh, it looks like you have the very book I was studying.”

He glanced down at me, his expression unreadable even though with my crazy powers I was pretty good at reading expressions.

“I’m afraid this book is off limits. It was never meant to be in this section of the library.”

“But I was in the middle of it!”

He never wavered. “You will just have to study something else. I’m sorry.”

I bet you’re sorry, I thought as I stomped all the way back to my room. When I got there, Tilly followed me inside.

“Boy, you look like you’re in a horrible mood. What happened?”

“It’s this stupid place and its rules!” I growled.

“Well, good thing I’m here to cheer you up,” Tilly said as she sat on Meredith’s bed and moved the pillow so she could rest against it.

“Oh, please don’t do that to Meredith’s bed,” I pleaded. “She hates wrinkles and will keep me up all night complaining.”

“Relax, I’ll fix it and she’ll never know.”

“She’ll know,” I promised.

Tilly chattered away about something, all the while I was trying to figure out how to get the book back.

“You haven’t heard a word I said. If only you knew how good I’m trying to be.”

Then it came to me!

“Tilly, I need you to be very bad right now.”

She sat up at full attention with a sinister grin from ear to ear. “What do you need?”

“I need a book they won’t let me read. Father Grant took it away from me today and said it was never meant to be read by students.”

“Ooooh, I know where they would keep it. That is if he put it there and hasn’t hung onto it.”

“Where is that?”

“There’s another library under lock and key near the boardroom. Say no more! We’ll get it back tonight if it’s there!”

Did you see Father Burnside watching through the library window? LOL That happened in game and I quick snapped the shot!

It was one year ago when Chapter 8.12 came out which was the chapter where Kai and Jade got married. 🙂

Once again, to those in the US:


Thank you so much for reading, liking, lurking, and commenting! I hope you enjoyed today’s post!

See you Saturday at 10am (EST) for the next chapter of Noble Doubt!