Chapter 23
After Eleanor and her mother left, Meredith lay awake in bed, unable to sleep. She couldn’t take her mind off of what she had seen, and how close she herself had come to being killed. She thought about Miguel’s parents, and whether the police had notified them yet of their son’s death. If Eleanor couldn’t protect her, soon it would be Rob and Amelia getting that call. Her gut wrenched at the thought.
Launching herself out of bed, Meredith barely made it to the bathroom in time to throw up. Her entire body heaved as she emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl. Once she finally stopped retching, Meredith remained on her knees in front of the toilet, draping her upper body over the bowl. She rested her cheek on the toilet seat in exhaustion, too tired to crawl back to bed, and worried that she might have another bout of sickness.
The next thing she knew, Rob was gently shaking her awake. “Come on, Mere-bear,” he said in a soothing voice. “Let’s get you back to bed.” He hoisted her to her feet and led her back into the bedroom.
Meredith compliantly sat down on the bed and waited while Rob got her a glass of water. She drank the entire glass in three long swallows, grateful to get the taste of bile out of her mouth. Then she lay down and allowed herself to be tucked in. Rob lay on the bed next to her, gently stroking her hair and murmuring softly for her to sleep. She drifted off once again, comforted by her father’s presence.
She awoke again some time later, roused by the sound of Rob snoring loudly beside her. The sun came in at a low angle through the window, a deep shade of golden yellow. It was late afternoon. The sleep had done her good, and her stomach grumbled for some food. As she lifted the sheets out of the way to climb out of bed, Rob woke up with a start, inhaling deeply.
“Hey, brat,” Rob greeted her, instantly alert. His face was creased with concern.
“Hey, Dad,” Meredith replied with an attempt at a smile.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better, I think,” Meredith said truthfully. She continued slowly, talking aloud as she took stock of her own emotions. “I still feel scared, but really sad, too.”
“Sad about Miguel?” Rob pressed.
“Yeah…” Meredith hesitated, trying to decide whether to say more. She felt guilty about what she was thinking, feeling like it revealed just how selfish she really was. She took a deep breath and continued, “I feel like I wasted so much time with Miguel. Mom was right; I kept him at arm’s length for no good reason. And then, when I finally decided to open up to him, to actually give us a chance… he died. He died before I ever had the chance to love him.”
Rob gently laid a hand on Meredith’s forearm as he waited for her to continue.
“I’ve never loved anyone, like romantically,” Meredith went on, finishing in a rush, “and now I’m probably going to die before I ever get to.”
Rob’s eyes snapped open, taken aback. “Wow, that’s really disappointing to hear,” he said disapprovingly.
Meredith flushed, ashamed that she was thinking more about what she would miss out on, rather than thinking about Miguel.
“I thought I had raised a fighter,” Rob said with a frown. “One who was in charge of her own fate.”
It was Meredith’s turn to be surprised. “You didn’t see the protégé, Dad,” she explained. “You didn’t see what she could do.”
Rob was quiet for a while as he considered how to respond. Then he conceded, “That may be so.” He took her by the hand and squeezed it hard before continuing, “But if she really is going to kill you, the least you could do is make it hard on the bitch.” He gave her a wry smile.
Meredith didn’t respond, thinking about what he had said. Finally, she nodded. “When the time comes,” she promised, “I will.”
“You’d better.” He wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.
Meredith returned the embrace, the smell of Rob’s flannel shirt reminding her of her childhood. When she was a girl, there was nothing that a hug from Dad couldn’t fix. She wished that were still the case.
As they were hugging, Meredith’s stomach growled loudly again, reminding her that she needed to eat something. She hadn’t had anything all day, and last night’s dinner was flushed down the toilet. Rob gave her an extra squeeze, and then they left the bedroom in search of food.
Out in the living room, Eleanor and Amelia were watching the news. They both looked up as Rob and Meredith entered.
“Hi honey,” Amelia greeted her, standing for a hug.
Stepping into her mother’s arms, Meredith answered Amelia’s unasked question, “The sleep did me good, I think.”
“That’s good. You hungry? Vi called. She and Josh are on their way with burritos.”
Meredith’s mouth watered at the mention of burritos. Gesturing toward the TV, Meredith asked, “Anything about Miguel?”
“Not yet,” Eleanor responded. “But it just started.”
Meredith sat between her parents on the sofa, and they all turned their attention to the TV. There was a story detailing the ongoing repair efforts from the natural disasters. The university would be reopening the following Monday. Upon hearing that, Meredith started. She couldn’t imagine going back to school. So much had changed since the last time she had been there. When she went back, Miguel’s chair would be empty. Tears filled her eyes, and she dabbed at them covertly, not wanting to have to reassure her parents.
The next news story was a human-interest piece about a family that had been reunited with their dog after losing him in the flood. Meredith, despite being a fervent animal lover, quickly lost interest in the story. She looked down at the clothes that Vi had picked out for her, noticing them for the first time. The clothes looked like they could have come out of Meredith’s own closet--a simple chocolate brown V-neck tee shirt and a pair of cut off denim shorts. She smiled a little, grateful for the friend that knew her so well.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of dinner. There was a bit of bustling as everyone settled around the coffee table and unwrapped their burritos. Meredith was struck by the similarity of the scene to the night before, when they had all eaten pizza in much the same way. Yesterday, Meredith had felt almost hopeful, and happy. Today… Her vision swam again, and she felt Vi squeeze her knee under the coffee table.
Meredith looked up and met Vi’s gaze, offering her a weak smile. Vi looked careworn, wearing the stress of the day on her face. “How are you holding up?” Meredith asked, grasping her hand under the table. “Today must have been really tough.”
“Miguel’s parents came. It was awful,” Vi admitted. The corners of her mouth turned down as she remembered the scene. “They have a lot of questions. They asked to meet with you, but I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. They are really upset.”
By now everyone was listening to their conversation, and Rob chimed in, “I’m with Vi. I think that’s a terrible idea.”
“Miguel’s parents are grieving. Who knows what they’re liable to do,” Amelia added.
Surprised, Meredith countered, “What if it had been me instead? If I were dead, would you appreciate it if Miguel scuttled under a rock and refused to answer any questions or even talk to you?”
“I hardly think you’re scuttling under a rock, Meredith,” Amelia chastised.
“They deserve to know more than the bullshit story that they’re going to get from the hospital. As far as they know, I am the one who convinced him to skip the surgery, and now he’s dead. They don’t know that he was murdered.” Meredith stopped to catch her breath and then added, “Wouldn’t you want to know the truth?”
“Honestly? I don’t know,” Amelia replied.
Before the argument could escalate, Vi said hastily, “You don’t have to decide right this second. Mrs. Alvarez told me where they are staying and said we could come by any time in the next few days while they wait for--” Vi cut herself off before she could say Miguel’s body, but the unsaid words just hung in the air. After
a painful moment, she said lamely, “Let’s just eat.”
They all ate their burritos in strained silence while the news droned on with no mention of Miguel. After the news concluded, Wheel of Fortune came on. Usually, Meredith and Amelia enjoyed watching the light-hearted game show together, but today the sparkling lights and shiny studio made Meredith’s stomach turn. Thankfully, Eleanor stood and turned the TV off with a loud click.
“There are some things I’d like to talk to you about,” Eleanor said, sitting back down on the loveseat.
Meredith swallowed the last bite of her burrito and folded up the wrapper to contain the scraps of shredded lettuce and crumbs. “Okay.”
“I know that you’re really afraid right now because of your friend Miguel. I completely understand that. What I want you to understand is that though this is a dark time for you, it’s actually a very hopeful time for magicians.” Eleanor paused for effect and glanced around at their faces, satisfied that she had everyone’s undivided attention.
“For you to know why that is, I need to tell you more of the story about Aleric,” Eleanor continued. “As I told you before, Aleric roved the countryside seeking out and killing magicians for their power. By the time it was discovered, Aleric’s power was too great for direct opposition. As such, the remaining magicians sent delegates to a secret council to discuss what to do. Essentially, the council was divided as to how to proceed. The only real facts that they had were that Aleric could not live forever, and that he would eventually weaken. Half of the council believed that they needed to create another magician who would be strong enough to defeat Aleric when the time came.”
“How?” Vi cut in.
“I’d forgotten how irritating it is to have to tell you a story,” Eleanor said wryly.
Vi smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. But at least you know I’m paying attention!”
“They would have to create this new magician the same way as Aleric, wouldn’t they?” Meredith asked.
Eleanor nodded. “The council would have to ask fellow magicians to sacrifice their power, and their lives, for the greater good. So now you understand why the council couldn’t agree. It was a great price to pay, and there was no guarantee that the new power wouldn’t corrupt the chosen magician.”
“Ugh, two Alerics,” Vi scoffed.
“And then there was the matter of deciding who it should be,” Eleanor continued. “Of course, every council member thought it should be him- or herself.”
“What a crappy situation. What was decided?” Meredith asked, leaning forward.
“Nothing. The gathering was a failure. Everyone left to consider what had been discussed, and a second meeting was planned for the next full moon.” Eleanor paused and cleared her throat before continuing. Her voice was matter-of-fact, but Meredith saw the flicker of emotion in the older woman’s eyes. “When the council reconvened, it was to disastrous results. Somehow Aleric had learned of the second gathering beforehand, and with so many remaining magicians all together in one place, they were an easy target. Only one magician survived the massacre, a young woman.” Eleanor’s voice tremored, and she paused again to reign in her emotions.
“That’s awful,” Amelia said softly, giving voice to what they were all thinking.
To give Eleanor another moment to collect herself, Meredith added, “What a devastating loss.”
“Yes and no. The surviving magician became a beacon of hope for other magicians--not for themselves, but for the future. By now, most magicians knew their days were numbered, so their greatest hope was to lay the groundwork for Aleric’s eventual demise. Word travelled surprisingly quickly, and magicians came in droves to sacrifice themselves at her feet. She was reluctant at first, as young and inexperienced as she was, but as she grew in power, she also grew in wisdom.”
“So these magicians would just show up at her house and basically disembowel themselves on her doorstep?” Vi asked incredulously, scrunching up her nose.
“Yes,” Eleanor said levelly. “The first time it happened… it was very traumatic. You see, she had never sought any extraordinary power. In fact, she was only at the summit because she was apprentice to a council member.”
“Then that sort of made her perfect for the job, didn’t it?” Meredith said.
Eleanor smiled briefly. “I suppose it did. Over the course of a year or so, magicians came to her from all over the place, helping her to grow in strength. Secrecy was of the utmost importance, because, though she was strong, she was still no match for Aleric.” Eleanor stopped and took a long drink of water. There was complete silence as everyone waited for her to finish her story. Finally, she said, “Eventually, the magicians stopped coming, and then all that was left for her to do was wait.”
“Where is she now?” Josh asked. “Did she make it?”
“Yes, she made it, and at no small personal cost. But that is a story for another day. The point is, now is the time that she has been waiting for.”
“It was you,” Meredith said quietly, so quietly that she had to repeat herself. “You were the surviving magician.”
Eleanor didn’t respond, so Meredith continued. “You said you haven’t seen a magician emerge in a long time because Aleric was hoarding all of the magic. Yet, here you are. That’s what you were hiding from us, isn’t it?”
Everyone looked at Eleanor expectantly. Several moments passed, and then she nodded slowly. “Yes.”
Meredith narrowed her eyes. “So you could have protected me and Miguel, but you chose not to.”
Eleanor sighed. ”You have to realize that I am protecting a legacy that is more than two thousand years in the making. I am honoring the sacrifices that all those magicians--many of them my friends--made. I couldn’t tell you the full story until I was sure that you could be trusted.”
Meredith could see Eleanor’s point, but she still didn’t like it. She remained silent, working to keep a scowl off of her face.
Josh broke out into a wide smile. “I gotta ask the question that I know everyone here wants to ask.”
Eleanor raised her eyebrows with interest. “What’s that?”
“Did you meet Jesus?”
Josh’s question made the reality of Eleanor’s age sink in. The fact that Eleanor could potentially have met Jesus put the length of time in perspective, and Meredith stared in awe at the gruff nurse who sat before her. It was hard to imagine all of the things that Eleanor had seen and experienced in her long life, and how silly all of Meredith’s problems and complaints must have seemed to her.
“No,” Eleanor answered with a smile. “As you can imagine, over the years I have done my best to keep out of the way and stay as inconspicuous as possible.”
“God, how boring,” Vi exclaimed.
“Vi,” Rob reprimanded. “Show a little respect.”
Eleanor looked contemplative for a moment, and then said, “It’s all right. My life was quiet, yes, but not boring. I have had many beautiful friends over the years. Lovers, too. I’ve lived in many places, and learned many things. I have been able to watch humanity’s progress through the lens of someone separate from it. It’s been fascinating. I only wish I could stay longer to see where we end up.”
Meredith’s heart sank. “Of course. Aleric’s not the only one who’s getting old.”
“Now, don’t count me out just yet. I was much younger than Aleric was when I started to prolong my life. I’ve got enough fight left in me to give him--or his protégé--a good walloping. Especially now that a large portion of the hoarded magic has been returned to the Earth.”
“And you’ve got me,” Meredith said firmly.
“You’ve got us,” Amelia corrected, looking around the room. “All of us. We’re in this together.”
There was a brief silence as everyone nodded at each other in agreement.
To their surprise, Eleanor let out a small sigh, her face mottled and filled with emotion. She swiped at her tear-filled eyes in embarrassment, explaining, “You have to understa
nd. I’ve kept this secret for so long… I guess I didn’t realize how lonely it was until now.”
Vi was sitting on the floor closest to Eleanor, and she reached up and took the older woman’s hand. “There’s just one thing,” she said with a wry smile.
“What’s that?”
“We’re really going to need a bigger house.”
Eleanor chuckled through her tears and threw an arm around Vi’s shoulders gratefully.
Through her own laughter, Meredith watched Vi lean toward Eleanor and say, “See? I told you I’d grow on you.”