Chapter 4 Chapter 4

“Of course it is. Magic is real, and it’s beautiful.” My mother let out as she held her hand up to me, exposing a tiny flame she held in her palm.

It was small, but it lit up like a raging fire, illuminating my mother’s face with an orange glow. A second later, she held out her other hand, and a breeze of fresh air brushed through her soft red hair.

That breeze soon turned into a tiny tornado in her palm, and with the same sweet smile, my mother clasped her hands together, and when she let go, a fiery tornado danced on her hands.

“My main element is fire,” she spoke up, “That is the element I control the best. I can create fires, produce heat, and sometimes even control lava. My secondary element is air; it’s not as powerful as my main, but it holds its own power too. And together, she looked at the fiery storm in her hand; they made this.”

“My main element is fire as well,” my father said, his hands still on my shoulders, “And guessing from the size of that fire upstairs and the fact that that was the first element that manifested itself, it’s yours as well.”

He let go of me, stepping back and holding his hands in front of him. Like my mother, he opened his right palm and a tiny flame appeared, but unlike her, water came out of his second palm, and when he clasped his hands together, a black gas emitted from where the fire and water used to be.

“Steam manipulation,” He explained. “Not as cool as fiery storms, but it comes in handy.”

“So what you’re saying is.” I started after I took a deep breath, “That you guys are both mystics with the ability to control fire, water, and air, and that I am also a mystic and my main element is fire?”

I glanced between both of them as they smiled and nodded eagerly, pride and excitement radiating off of them like a halo, and I felt my heart almost bursting out of my chest.

“But that can’t be,” I said, louder than I intended. “I can’t be a mystic like you guys. I am not even your biological daughter, so this power is not hereditary. Not to mention that I am eighteen years old, don’t you think I would have known I had magical powers a little sooner? And let’s say, for argument’s sake, that I forgot that I had these powers due to my memory loss, why would they emerge now? Two years after I was rescued? This doesn’t make any sense.”

An overwhelming sense of fear took over me as my body suddenly started shaking. I could barely breathe or think or talk, and my body was trapped between alternating hot and cold flashes.

I felt dizzy and weak, and I couldn’t stand on my own anymore, so I leaned against the kitchen counter, trying my best not to fall to the ground.

I hated being so weak, and even though these anxiety attacks were uncommon and far apart, I resented the occasional loss of control over my own body and mind.

My mother was the first to notice my struggle, and she ran over to me, closing her hands to bring an end to the firestorm that still raged in her palm, and sat me down on the nearest chair.

“Lilith, you have to calm down, sweetie,” She said as she stroked my hair. “Take deep breaths and relax your body.” She cupped my face in her hands and started taking deep breaths with me, walking me out of the darkness that engulfed my mind and into safety.

This is the way it always was with my small family, my father was the one to make me laugh, lift my spirit and offer to take me on vacations and shopping trips every time I felt down or he had some free time, and my mother was the one to notice my mood swings, the one to calm my nerves and chase my doubts away, the bright light in an otherwise dark space.

Nathaniel and Genevieve made the perfect couple, and they were even better parents.

I felt my mind clearing up as I focused on taking deep breaths, and soon my heart beat returned to its normal pace. I took a few more minutes to regain my composure and then looked back up at mom.

“Okay, I’m going to try and keep an open mind. Tell me everything I need to know.”

“Genevieve.” Dad spoke up, “Why don’t you explain everything to her while I go make a few phone calls to Lixierra High?”

“Oh my.” Mom's eyes widened, “That’s a great idea.”

“Alright then, off I go. Have fun, you two.” Dad exclaimed. He gave me a bright smile and kissed my mother on his way out to his office. “Try not to set anything else on fire while I’m gone.” He chuckled at his own joke.

“Hilarious, Dad.” I rolled my eyes at his retreating figure. “What is this Lixierra high?” I asked mom.

“Patience, darling, we’ll get to that part in due time.”

Once he was gone, I turned to my mother, who was in the middle of pulling up a chair to sit across from me on the other side of the counter.

She looked calm and composed, a look I grew to appreciate over time. Nothing seemed to faze her or concern her as she had an answer for every question, a solution for every problem, and a recipe for every occasion. She was truly the rock of this household.

“Let’s begin, shall we?” She announced as she settled down in her chair, “I’ll answer all of your questions.”

“Did you guys know I was a wit… a mystic when I was brought to you 2 years ago?”

“Yes, we did. The man who brought you to us didn’t tell us much about you; he only told us that you were a very powerful mystic and that you are meant for greatness.”

“Is that why you took me in?” I felt a little hurt, “Because he said I was important?”

“Of course not, honey. From the moment I laid eyes on you that night, I knew that I was meant to have you in my life. I would have taken you in even if you were human. You are the daughter I never had, and I have loved you as such ever since.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me about these powers before?”

“I didn’t want to unsettle you. When you healed and woke up not knowing who you were or where you were, the doctors told us that your memory loss was probably due to traumatic events. You didn’t remember your powers or the fact that you were a mystic, so your father and I decided not to tell you. We would let you lead a normal life until you regained your memory or your magic. How did you get your magic back anyway?”

“I don’t know. I was looking for my stupid phone. I didn’t get much sleep last night because of that damn nightmare, and I was upset. The next thing I know, my bed was on fire.”

“But that wasn’t the first time your powers sparked up, was it?” A knowing smile crept up on my mother’s face.

“I set a cloth on fire last night while I was making something to eat. How did you know that anyway?”