A Magical Bond | 1

It was a still and balmy night in Sulani (as most nights are) when Malia and Javier Bautista welcomed their new daughter into the world. They'd been arguing for months over a name, unable to agree on a single one. Finally, they gave up trying, deciding that the universe would christen her when she arrived. As spiritual types, they both believed there were signs scattered everywhere, so long as one's mind was open to receiving them. On that evening, Malia peered out the window, her eyes alighting on a cluster of stars that soon coalesced into a constellation she recognized. "Cassiopeia," she whispered. They both knew instantly that it was perfect.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in a San Myshuno hospital at more or less the same time, Nani and Noelani 'Aukai said hello to their baby boy. Like all new parents, their awe was tempered by panic, but at least they'd settled on a name early. They would call him Sione, honoring their own Sulani roots, even though they had left years ago to forge their own paths in the big city. Nani cradled him in her arms and carried him carefully to the window, where she, too, looked up at the stars, though hers were semi-obscured by smog and skyscrapers, and pondered all that her child's future might hold.

The two children grew up in near-tandem, though doing so half a world apart in wildly different environments, it would be some time before they knew of each other's existence. Cassie (as she would always be called from the time she began talking, since she couldn't at first pronounce her full name) practically lived in the ocean. As soon as she learned to swim, she never wanted to leave the water. On the rare occasions she did, she spent her days building sandcastles and chasing after wild chickens on her tiny but powerful legs, always with a delighted giggle bubbling up in her throat.

Meanwhile, Sione became intimately acquainted with the snow. He loved catching the small flakes on his tongue, kicking up clouds of white powder as he made snow angels in Myshuno Meadows, and cheering his parents on as they built snowmen for him to befriend. At the same time, he loved equally the stories Nani and Noelani told him about the faraway island where they were raised and the nearly eternal sunshine that warmed its endless beaches. He couldn't wait to visit for the first time.

To Cassie, the bright shimmering pulses of light that often hovered inside their home, emitting a warm, humming energy that made the air feel electric, were an entirely normal occurrence. In fact, she considered them her friends. Sometimes, she would chase them around, trailing them from room to room as though playing a game of tag. Most of the time, she let them be, gentle presences watching over her as she played, silently guarding her from harm.

She remained unbothered when these glowing presences occasionally metamorphosed into more recognizably human forms. Her mom would speak to them with easy familiarity about things that had happened on the island, and they would offer cryptic responses about what the future might hold. Many nights, as soon as Cassie heard their hushed voices, she would climb out of her crib to come say hi to the spirits herself. But they never said much back, like they were afraid that by speaking to her they would be disrupting the entire universe's balance.

Sione grew up with magic, too, but his was safely contained inside the pages of Noelani's favorite childhood books, the Henry Puffer series, which by now had blown up into a global literary phenomenon. Although he wasn't quite old enough to grasp their contents, the joy that lit up Noelani's face as they read aloud was contagious. Soon, they became the only bedtime stories he'd accept.

That Winterfest was an important one, probably the first he was likely to remember as he got older. His parents thought long and hard about a gift worthy enough for the occasion. Every kid should have a beloved childhood pet, they finally decided. When he caught sight of Nani sneaking up behind him with a kitten, he was so excited he could only get out the first syllable, "Kit! Kit! Kit!"

Soon enough, Sione and Kit would become the best of friends, and as Sione grew up, Kit grew right alongside him. Neither of them was ever happier than when they were in the presence of one another.

In Sulani, Cassie was making plenty of animal friends, too, but hers were of the more slippery variety. Every second of the day she wasn't forced to spend at school she spent underwater, swimming alongside dolphins and sea turtles and searching for hidden treasures in beds of coral.

Once he was finally able to read the series on his own, Sione only grew more obsessed with all things Puffer-related. No matter how many times he devoured the books and film adaptations, he remained riveted by the adventures of the boy spellcaster and his friends at their boarding school for magically gifted youth. It all felt so much more exciting than the ordinary, non-magical world he lived in. He soon began begging for Henry Puffer merchandise on every occasion and fell asleep at night dreaming about beginning his own spellcasting education at the illustrious Harnocks.

At the same time, he developed a passion for robotics. At first, he would only play with the various remote-controlled contraptions he was gifted on every birthday. As they zipped around the apartment at his bidding, they felt as close to real magic as he might ever get. Curious about how they really worked, he soon started ripping them apart to investigate their innards and figure out how he could begin bringing to life robots of his own.

Cassie thought she might like to be an artist when she grew up. She often daydreamed her way through boring math and science classes at school, but at home she was inspired by her mom's paintings to create her own glitter and macaroni masterpieces.

Finally, their paths crossed for the first time in their nearly parallel lives. Initially, Cassie wasn't impressed. Sure, her parents and Sione's parents might be lifelong friends, but that hardly meant she had to like this weird, gangly, nerdy boy from the city who acted like he'd never seen the ocean or touched sand a day in his life. She didn't have time to teach him how to be a true Sulanian. You either were or you weren't. It was that simple, and this kid was a lost cause. He would hardly even touch the kalua pork!

But then he pulled out something that intrigued her: a plush toy of a girl in a robe and pointy hat holding a tiny wand. "Wh-what's that?" she asked hesitantly.

At first, Sione was possessive. He turned his back and clutched the toy close to his chest. He thought she might be making fun of him, like the kids at school who thought they were too cool for Henry Puffer. But then again he'd always wanted a friend to share his obsession with. He could only play Battle for Harnocks with his parents so many times before it lost its luster. Slowly, he turned back around and held the toy out to her. "Have you ever heard of Henry Puffer?" he began. She shook her head curiously, and he took a big breath before launching into the hard sell.

It wasn't long before he had Cassie hooked. She'd never been much of a reader, but these books sounded like something worth investing her time in. All his talk of magic and spellcasting reminded her of the spirits her mom communicated with, who had been visiting less and less lately, much to Cassie's disappointment. "I need to get my hands on these books, like, right now!" she responded excitedly.

Sione's eyes glimmered with the anticipation of converting her into a Puffer devotee. "I've got the first two books in my bag! I bring a couple with me everywhere, no matter what. I guess I could let you borrow them if you want... but you have to promise to be extra careful with them."

Before Cassie could respond, their conversation was cut short by the sound of adults arguing behind them. She didn't even have to look to know it was her parents. Lately, they'd been fighting over everything. The tiniest, most inconsequential annoyance could make either of them snap, and then they'd both be stuck in sour moods for the rest of the day. From what she could gather, Malia thought Javier was too lazy and Javier thought Malia was too neurotic. Lately, Javier had been spending more and more nights sleeping on the sofa. Now, even in front of friends, they couldn't stop their tempers from boiling over yet again.

But now Cassie had a secret weapon against their incessant fights. Sione had left his Henry Puffer books with her, and opening them up was like immediately being transported to another universe. As long as she was reading, she was immune to her surroundings, her attention fixed only on the words before her eyes and the fantastical images they created in her head. None of the hurtful things her parents said to one another could touch her.

She grew so immersed in the extraordinary world of Puffer that it began creeping into her dreams. At first, she dreamed of the obvious things: Henry and his friends in situations that were lifted almost word-for-word from the books, except that she was somehow right there with them. But then her nighttime visions began taking on less recognizable shapes. She started dreaming of a portal, imposing and ornate and covered in indecipherable symbols she had never seen or read about anywhere before. When she stepped closer to the portal, she could just make out what was on the other side of its shimmering, translucent entrance.

It was like another world - or another planet, really - completely separate from her own, a trio of massive, craggy rocks suspended in the most magnificent sky she had ever seen, replete with never-ending waterfalls and glowing crystal deposits. The sight was so unbelievably beautiful it took her breath away. Her dream self felt something deep inside tugging her toward this place like a magnet. This was somewhere she had to visit, a realization that felt more like certainty than desire.

But no matter how she tried, she couldn't travel through the portal. It rejected her every time, her body bumping up against it like an unbreakable glass pane. On the other side, she saw nothing but cliffs and rushing waterfalls that led only to certain death. She was trapped from both directions. It was around this point that she would wake up back in her own bed, her heart beating loudly against her chest.

When she tried to tell her mom about these dreams, Malia was surprisingly unreceptive for someone who had once been so in touch with her spiritual side. These days, it seemed she wanted nothing to do with the supernatural in any shape or form. "But, Mom," Cassie insisted, "you used to always say our family had a special gift that we should-"

"Enough, Cassiopeia," Malia interrupted. "The world is changing. I don't want you clinging onto any of those silly outdated traditions. I believed in them for too long, and look where I ended up, stuck on this godforsaken island for my entire life. You're too smart to end up like that."

But Cassie loved Sulani, and much of that love had been instilled by Malia herself. Why would it be such a bad thing to stay on the island forever? She couldn't help but wonder why her mom had changed her tune so abruptly. Not long ago, she'd been capable of going on for hours about their spiritual connection to the island's forebears. Now, all of a sudden, she wanted to pretend none of that had ever mattered? It just didn't add up.

One day, her mom announced unexpectedly that they would be taking a trip to San Myshuno together, just the two of them. Cassie didn't dare ask why her dad wasn't coming, too. Once they arrived, though, it hardly mattered. All her worries dropped away the moment Sione handed her a lumpy gift-wrapped surprise: her own spellcaster's hat and a Henry Puffer t-shirt to go with it! They spent hours in his bedroom playing Battle for Harnocks. Neither of them had ever been happier.

Later, when they emerged in search of snacks, they walked into the living room to find the adults in the middle of a tense conversation. Malia was wiping at her teary eyes with trembling hands. "If he can't be a reliable contributor to the household, I don't see why you should keep him around," Noelani was saying. "You need to know that he's capable of providing steady financial support. It seems to me he's proven time and time again that he's not. He's already been given enough chances."

"Let's not be hasty," Nani countered. "Breaking up a household is not something that should be taken lightly. It's a last resort! Think about what it could do to Cassie to lose her father as a constant presence in her life. She might never be the same!"

Finally, Malia caught sight of the two of them watching. "Oh my God," she gasped, "the kids." The room abruptly went silent. "Cassie, baby, I didn't mean for-"

"We're going to the park," Sione announced loudly, refusing to take no for an answer. He had read Cassie's mind. All she wanted to do in that moment was escape.

In Myshuno Meadows, they kicked a soccer ball back and forth between one another, trying to pretend they were still having fun. But the words they'd overheard wouldn't stop echoing inside Cassie's brain. Was her mom really thinking about leaving her dad? Was she going to kick him out of the house? Where would he go if she did, and would Cassie ever get to see him again?

Eventually, she could no longer hold herself back from spilling all of her worries into Sione's ear. He was the only person she trusted. "I don't understand what's wrong. Why can't everything with my mom and dad just be normal again? They always got along before, but now they act like they could never stand each other. And it's like they don't even care what I think!"

"Don't worry," Sione replied, giving her a big hug. "I'm sure everything will be fine. Besides, I'll loan you the last two Henry Puffer books before you leave. They're so incredible I swear you won't be able to think about anything else for days!" Cassie swallowed the lump in her throat and managed a small smile in response. At least she could count on Sione. He was her best friend now, and he had somehow known exactly what to say.

*

Honestly, I'm really excited to finally post this story, but especially the one that comes after it. I started this more than two years ago (:/ :/ :/), so it's been a long time coming. As I was playing, I really didn't have a set plot in mind other than knowing there were a couple packs I hadn't really utilized yet (which is usually the driving motivation behind these things, let's be real). As a result, it's a little meandering in places, but it still came together a lot more cohesively than I was expecting.

On a similar note, I will also admit that I had no idea where I was going when I set up Malia's paranormal abilities in The Future of Sulani (again, I was really just trying to play around with everything the pack offered!), but I'm kind of pleased with how I ended up stumbling into a way to play the long game with that and plant seeds for not only this series but the next one (a rare benefit of taking eons to get anything done is having extra time to ponder these connections and make it seem like I meant for them to be there all along). So it all ties together eventually, I'll just say that.