Escape from Windenburg | 4

I was ravenous after flying such a long distance and by the time we touched down on the mainland, Sid was clawing impatiently at the inside of my bag, desperate for some fresh air. We stopped at the first place we saw, an old-fashioned pub, where I immediately scarfed down an entire plate of fish and chips and chased it with a root beer float. I would have to be more careful with my money, of which I had barely any, in the future, but after making my daring escape, perhaps the first truly spontaneous thing I had ever done in my life, I figured I deserved to indulge.

I was also shaking with anger, and Sid withstood my ranting and raving like a champ. "Who does he think he is? He can't just threaten to take Mom's things from me like it's no big deal! They both act like she never even existed, like she meant nothing to them. If she could see the way they were treating me, she'd be so disappointed. I'm not hurting anyone! I'm trying to learn! He can't prevent me from getting an education just because it isn't the education he wants me to have." And so on and so forth, until I grew hoarse and out of breath.

Just before nightfall, we stumbled upon the Ancient Ruins, which I had heard about but never visited. When I thought about it, I hadn't seen much of Windenburg at all. After Mom died, I think Dad would've kept us almost entirely secluded on the island if it weren't for school. I guess he believed that as long as we were within arm's reach, he could protect us from the big bad world full of danger and rogue magic. The Ruins were beautiful and, more importantly, completely unoccupied. They would be the perfect place to rest for the night.

I can't say it was the most comfortable night's sleep I've ever had, seeing as my only option for a bed was a large slab of rock that was freezing to the touch, but I was so exhausted from the day's whirlwind of events that I could have drifted off anywhere. I think Sid felt the same.

That night, I saw Mom again. For the first time, she appeared outside rather than in the house, which I thought maybe meant she knew I wasn't there anymore. She also seemed happier than before, a small smile on her face and a faint burst of light radiating from her heart. I took this as the sign I had been waiting for. I'd done the right thing by leaving home. I was on the right track. She was proud of me.

The next morning, we waded through the tall, unruly weeds surrounding the Ruins until we saw signs of civilization once more, glimpses of the old downtown district peeking through the high stone walls.

"We did it! We survived the night!" I told Sid, feeding him a couple treats I'd found tucked in the front pocket of my bag.

My own reward was a big, juicy (and definitely overpriced) burger from a food stall. After getting through my first night spent away from home ever, I felt invincible. I somehow felt like everything would work out, despite the fact that I had no place to stay, a dwindling supply of saved allowances, and only a couple changes of clothes. In my mind, failure wasn't an option, so I refused to believe in it at all.

Summer was winding down, but the approaching inevitability of school didn't worry me. I think on some level I believed that I would achieve whatever I was intended to achieve before then. I wasn't running away forever, only for a week or two, until I got to the bottom of everything. Until then, I would enjoy my newfound freedom. Sid enjoyed his, too, leaping into bushes after every darting squirrel tail he saw. He'd never had the opportunity to be so wild.

Now that I had no one else to answer to, I could spend my days however I wanted. I could go to the library, museums, coffee shops, art galleries. I could spend an entire afternoon floating lazily on my back in the community pool.

But I knew I also had important business to attend to: resuming my magical training. After all, that was the entire reason I'd left. Slowly but surely, I was beginning to feel my powers growing. I could sense my charge expanding and contracting like a ball of static electricity in the pit of my stomach, volatile and unpredictable at first, but the more I focused on it, the more easily I seized control.

If I was really going to survive on my own, I knew I needed to come up with ways to feed myself and Sid that didn't involve thoughtlessly spending money. I would have to trawl through Mom's tomes to see if there were any spells that involved food. For now, I borrowed a fishing pole from a generous local and tried my luck at catching our dinner.

I managed to hook a few minnows, and though it wasn't much, it would at least keep our bellies full through the night. To Sid, the pile of small fish looked like a bounty compared to the stale treats I'd given him earlier. His mouth was already watering.

We headed back to the Ruins, where I put my newly-discovered talent for pyrotechnics to the test by lighting up a bonfire from some stacked-up pieces of scrap wood and abandoned furniture. Despite the rugged beauty of the place, it seemed mostly to be used as a dumping ground for things people didn't want anymore.

"Okay, so maybe I went a little overboard with the flames," I told Sid, who seemed to be casting a judgmental eye on my soot-covered clothes and skin. "But this fish is delicious." I threw a few pieces onto the ground for him to nibble up. "Let's get some rest now. We can find somewhere to clean up in the morning."

As soon as the gym opened, I snuck Sid downstairs into the locker room with me, where I took a long, luxuriant shower, lathering up over and over again until the campfire smell all over my body was gone. "Some fresh clothes and I'll be good as new," I said, feeling buoyant and self-assured now that I was on my second day of independence.

I couldn't resist splurging on a croissant at a nearby bakery. Then I hunkered down to do some serious studying. First, I jotted down notes for some practical spells that might come in handy: delicioso, scruberoo, copypasto. After that, I turned my attention to the one tome I hadn't been able to crack at all. Its exterior was a striking but imposing crimson, and its interior contained many spells with names that peaked my interest: necrocall, dedeathify. But these weren't simple spells I could master in a day or two. They were complex, challenging rituals that required multiple spellcasters, a virtuouso spellcaster, or, ideally, both. I would have to up my game exponentially before I even so much as attempted them. Casting spells beyond one's skill level was an almost guaranteed backfire, and I shuddered to think what the consequences of failing at those particular spells might entail.

When the bakery filled up with customers during the lunchtime rush, I headed for the library instead, where the peace and quiet would better lend itself to concentration. But before I could make it far, I saw a sight that stopped me dead in my tracks: my dad talking to a man who was clearly some sort of detective. He held out his phone for the man to view, undoubtedly showing him countless pictures of my face - a face they would both see hovering mere feet away if they just happened to look up. I quickly retreated back in the opposite direction.

I was mid-run, Sid barely hanging on, when I heard a familiar voice call my name. I turned and was met with another terrifying sight: my twin sister. "Rowan!" she exclaimed again, and then, to my horror, she began waving her arms around and shouting as loudly as she could, "Dad, over here! I found her!"

I searched my mind for a spell that would waylay her. Deliriate! I whipped my wand out of my backpack's side compartment and began casting before she could blow my cover any more than she already had.

The spell had its intended effect. Sabrina stopped yelling for Dad and stared at me blankly for a moment or two, unrecognizing, before ambling away in a complete daze. She would be fine in an hour or so. But Dad and the detective were likely already on my heels, and I wasn't sticking around to be sure. I hurriedly zipped a protesting Sid into my bag and summoned my broomstick from thin air, a trick I'd recently picked up. Then I took off.

I flew until I couldn't fly a moment longer, until my trembling arms were so numb that they lost their ability to grip entirely. Finally, I crash-landed in the middle of a highway, just barely missing the wheels of a speeding car. Sid yowled tremendously, pinned helplessly beneath my body weight.

I quickly freed him and checked him over for any injuries, but luckily he just seemed spooked. "Sorry for the rough landing, buddy," I murmured, stroking his head soothingly. Then I realized it'd probably be best for us to get out of the road before another car came careening down it.

We set out to explore the unfamiliar city we had found ourselves in. It was a drab one, to be sure. The sky was hazy and overcast, and the air had the metallic tang of industry. Almost every structure seemed half-developed and neglected, and there were hardly any people about, lending the city a strangely silent and slightly apocalyptic atmosphere. Windenburg was a tourist town, quaint, inviting, and warm, but this place appeared to be the exact opposite. No one would come here for a family vacation.

At every turn, we saw signs of desperation and poverty and hopelessness. Trash was strewn across the sidewalks, old tires and mattresses and appliances tossed carelessly into parking lots and stuffed into overflowing trash receptacles. My body began to fill with dread.

But we also saw fleeting signs of revitalization. Not all of this city's citizens had given up, it seemed. There were splashes of color on the streets, bright sunflower murals painted to breathe some life into dull, rundown neighborhoods. A handful of houses were outfitted in more eco-friendly materials. There were people here who cared, who wanted to make the city a more vibrant and sustainable place.

I took out my phone, which hadn't stopped buzzing since our arrival. The screen told me I had several missed calls from both Dad and Sabrina. I didn't particularly want to talk to either of them, but I also didn't want them to worry needlessly. I imagined Dad having the police put a search out on me across the entire country. I would never accomplish anything if I was forced to keep running and hiding. Just then, my phone screen lit up again: Sabrina. I decided to answer.

"I don't know what you did to me yesterday," she said, not even bothering with a proper greeting, "but I don't appreciate it one bit. Dad is furious. It's dangerous for you to keep using your magic against us! Somebody's going to get hurt! You might as well just turn yourself in."

"Turn myself in?" She made it sound like I was headed straight to jail, which I very much doubted was true. I hadn't actually done anything illegal, as far as I knew. "I know what I'm doing," I said irritably. "I would never put anyone in real danger, not even you." I couldn't help throwing that little jab at her. "Tell Dad he shouldn't worry. I'm fine, and I will come back home, but not until I do what I need to do."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Mom wants me to-"

She wouldn't even let me finish. "Not this again. You sound like a lunatic, Ro, seriously. You must realize that."

"You'll see," I replied simply. "One day, you'll understand, and Dad will, too. But he should stop trying to find me. The less time I have to spend running, the sooner I'll figure this out. Then we'll be a real family again, I promise."

I hung up, feeling confident and assured. I didn't know if what I'd told Sabrina would convince Dad to call off his search mission, but I was finally learning how to stand up for myself and what I believed in. I believed in Mom. Even in death, she wouldn't lead me astray. I had landed in this city for a reason, even if I didn't know yet what that reason was. I was still naive enough then to trust that the universe wouldn't let any true harm come to me while I figured it out.

I was already starting to get used to the place. By nightfall, it had even started looking beautiful to me, in its own unique way. As daylight faded, I scribbled down a few final notes in my journal.

"You'll keep watch for me, right?" I asked Sid as I settled onto a bench in the hopes of catching a few hours of sleep. When the sun rose again, we would have to look for more permanent shelter, but I didn't mind being exposed to the elements for now. It saw it as a means to rapidly initiate my body into its new home, which I had gleaned by now from faded billboards and dusty storefronts was called Evergreen Harbor.