Beyond: Snillotia Trilogy Book One Read online

  Grandma Aras smiled and shook her head. “Such a shy boy!”

  Grandpa Mit took charge and ushered them all into the closest bedroom. “Mit! What are you doing? I thought we were going to freshen up before dinner?” Grandma An questioned.

  “We have more important things to discuss with our grandchildren, An, and we needed to do so in private.”

  Grandma An suddenly looked serious. She let out a quick nervous laugh. “That’s right. I do forget myself when Arat is around. Her power lingers as well.”

  Grandma Aras reached out and touched everyone gently on the arm, one by one. “Arat can make you forget about anything important- well not exactly. It’s like there’s a fog around anything that’s not relaxing and happy. It’s quite a dangerous power, if it’s being used in the wrong way. The last two weeks we have been here have been, let’s say interesting. We haven’t figured out if Ronnoc is telling her to do it, or if she can’t help it. She doesn’t say much. Aras’ healing power can clear the effects, but sadly it affects us the most,” Grandpa Cire explained, sadly, “We missed our son so much- we really did think he was dead! Arat’s power is more powerful if the person really wants to forget about anything bad. We’re grateful Ronnoc is alive, but he still didn’t explain where he’s been all these years. We tried to ask when he first brought us here, but that’s when he introduced us to his wife.”

  Grandpa Mit looked at Tim, expectantly. “I believe you should let us know what’s going on, Tim. You know more than we do right now, I think.”

  Tim nodded, then caught the expression on Anna’s face and saw her clutching her mother’s hand. I’m sorry, Anna. It’ll be okay. I promise.

  Tim took Anna’s hand from Einna’s and led Anna over to the bed. He gestured at her to sit down. As she did, her eyelids started to flutter. “I’m so sleepy,” she murmured.

  Without her even realizing it, Tim guided her so that she was lying down. When he let go of her hand, she was fast asleep. He lifted his concentration from Anna and looked at their grandparents and her parents, all staring at him. He held up his hand, stopping the questions he knew were waiting. “Save your questions. Let me explain first. Anna is fine. She’s just sleeping. You’ll understand why in a moment.”

  As he was talking, he also sent his memories to each of them, like a flashback on a tv show, clips of everything that had happened since they were first separated. He knew when they saw what happened with Aaron. He introduced them slowly to the fact that for him and Anna, years had passed. As they came to and end of seeing what he wanted them to see, he let the perceptions of his and Anna’s old selves that he’d been holding onto go and waited.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Everyone was silent. The questions they had before disappeared as they took in the fact that Anna and Tim had gone from kids to young adults in, for them, two weeks’ time. They stared in wonder at Tim, because they had never known of someone who had been gifted with so many different powers. They stared in wonder at Anna, because they knew her power was great and dangerous, as well. Tre was the first to speak. “Anna didn’t want to come back here, did she?”

  Tim sadly shook his head. “She was happy. I showed you some of it. She has friends and a boyfriend, and she completely refused to talk about Snillotia with me. I, ah, tricked her into coming back here,” he explained, knowing he hadn’t shown them a memory of that.

  Anna crying, in his arms, felt too private a memory to share. “It scared her,” Einna said, knowingly.

  Tim nodded again. “It drained her. She slept for two days afterwards. The only thing I could get her to do that was even remotely connected to this world was talk to me telepathically, but after a while even that stopped. She put up walls in her mind that were pretty strong. I know she probably has other powers, just like I do, but I couldn’t even get her to try. When I first discovered I could do something other than go through the wall, I tried to tell her. She didn’t want to hear about it. I don’t know what she told herself, but she threw herself into school. She let it become her life. I don’t know if she ever thought about Snillotia on her own. If she did she never told me. She did not want to talk, even to you guys, about what happened. She said she couldn’t relive it, which is why I made us look like we did the last time you saw us, so the questions wouldn’t start immediately. I also didn’t know who the man you followed was and I didn’t know where Goldie was taking us.”

  “I thought it best you explained yourselves, Your Majesties,” Goldie piped up.

  “I agree, Goldie. Good idea,” Grandma An said, patting Goldie on the head.

  “Now for the next part of my plan- we need to know if we can trust Ronnoc and his family. Have the rebels attempted to get to you here? Ronnoc’s house can’t be protected like the castle was. Since you’ve left the castle, the rebels have to know you’re all alive,” Tim said.

  “It’s strange,” Grandpa Leumas said, “Since we’ve been here, there’s been no sign of them. We haven’t really thought about them much though, so I’m only beginning to find it strange now.”

  “Arat’s power,” Tim stated, frowning, “I didn’t feel any different when she was in the room. I was able to focus on everything I needed to. Could it be that her power doesn’t work on me?”

  “I didn’t feel anything, either.”

  They all turned to look towards the bed. Anna was sitting on the edge of the bed again. She stood up, next to Tim. Thank you.

  Sure, no problem.

  Tim gave her a smile and she squeezed his hand quickly and let go. Grandpa Mit and Grandma An exchanged a glance, as well. “I don’t think we can stay here. I feel uneasy,” Anna stated.

  “That’s how my power felt at first,” Einna said.

  Anna nodded, not surprised. She’d come to accept that fact that if Tim had multiple powers, she probably did as well. “I think you all need to come with us to Adam’s house.”

  The grandparents were hesitant at first, but Anna explained. “Goldie can bring people back and forth. As long as we’re connected with her and she’s connected to Storage at the Y, then we can always get back. I just think it will be safer there. The rebels won’t know where we are.”

  “We’ll try to find out what we can about Ronnoc, first,” Tim looked at his grandparents, “I’m sorry, but until I can talk to him, away from his wife, I don’t know if he’s under her influence or not. I don’t know him so I can’t trust him yet.”

  Grandpa Cire nodded. “We understand, my boy.”

  Grandma Eilime gasped. “That’s quite shocking!”

  Anna looked confused until she saw herself in the mirror. Tim had made it so they looked thirteen again, in clean clothes. “I think we should go back downstairs and eat dinner with them. We don’t want to let them know we’re suspicious, just in case they can’t be trusted,” Tim explained, “I also don’t want them to know about us yet- that we’re older than they think, or about the powers.”

  Grandpa Mit nodded. “I understand, son.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement and everyone left on their own to freshen up, for real, before dinner, leaving Anna and Tim alone in the room. Anna started to say something but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Tim opened the door. Arat was standing there, with clean clothes in her hands. “I thought you might want clean clothes as well, instead of having to keep wearing the dirty ones. They might be a little big. They belong to Retep.”

  Tim thanked her and took the clothes. “We’ll be down as soon as we change.”

  Arat nodded. She hesitated a moment, but then turned and went back downstairs.

  Tim placed the clothes on the bed. Anna laughed. “I don’t think Retep’s clothes will actually fit the real you.”

  “Don’t worry. We don’t actually have to wear them.”

  He studied the clothes for a moment and then the clothes they were wearing changed. “See. I just changed it so we look like we’re wearing them.”

  Anna smiled. “This power of yours is quite handy. I’m re
gretting not knowing about it in school. You could have made it so I had a new outfit every class!”

  Tim shook his head, and smiled, but didn’t say anything about school. “Well, let’s see what we can find out at dinner.”

  He opened the door and Anna led the way back downstairs. Ronnoc was standing at the bottom of the steps when they returned downstairs. “You must feel so much better!” he exclaimed.

  “Yes, thank you,” Anna replied, politely.

  “Come, then, follow me! The others know the way. Our meal is just about ready!”

  He led them back down the hallway they had come down with Goldie. Tim had a bad feeling. They reached the room they had entered first, and the table, which Tim had used to block the doorway, was back in the center of the room, set and filled with food. The door was closed.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “Goldie!”

  “Don’t worry, Tim. The gup is quite fine. She went through the door and back to storage. She says she cannot stay away from storage and I do not like to keep that door open. I only called my old room here at my parents’ insistence. They thought you had escaped from the castle by going with her back to the Y. Though the room is here now, so don’t worry. She can always get back to us now!” Ronnoc explained.

  “Oh, okay,” Tim responded, trying not to sound too worried.

  He slipped his hand into his pants pocket, making sure the walkie-talkie was still there. It was and knowing that made him feel slightly better. Anna had taken a seat at the table and Tim slipped into the spot right next to her. Ronnoc sat down as well. Tim tried to think of something to ask him that might help him know if they could trust him, but not make him angry. Arat wasn’t in the room, but he didn’t quite understand how her powers worked, so he didn’t know what kind of response he could expect. Tim looked at Ronnoc and asked, “So how come I was under the impression that you and my mom didn’t get along?”

  Ronnoc frowned. That was a good sign. People usually didn’t frown when they were under a spell to be happy, did they? “I don’t know, Tim. Your mother and I were as close as siblings eight years apart can be. When I reached my thirteenth year and left to live at the Y, your mother was only in her fifth year. Of course, I saw her when I came home to visit. I guess to her, I was just someone she saw from time to time. She probably didn’t have many memories from when I lived at home. When I moved back home, after I finished my time at the Y, she was just beginning her time there. So again, we did not see each other very often. I lived at home for a year, and then moved out on my own. I couldn’t deal with my—well let’s just say, I was better off living on my own than with my parents during my twenty-second year. I do have fond memories, however, of one summer. The summer before your mother went to the Y was the same year I came back home. My parents were busy preparing for her move, so that left me to entertain her. We went on many adventures that summer,” Ronnoc had a faraway look in his eye and a slight smile on his face, but his expression turned somber as he continued, “I truly am sorry she is gone, Tim. I know you must miss her.”

  Tim turned away, before his uncle could see the tears forming in his eyes. During Ronnoc’s reminiscing, almost everyone had taken their place at the table. Only Ronnoc’s family was missing. As Ronnoc had talked, he had started to sound different- his way of talking wasn’t as excited and overly exaggerated as it had been before. For the first time since meeting him, Tim felt that what Ronnoc was saying was real. Tim decided to go for it. He thought he had a chance of getting an honest answer while Arat was still elsewhere. I’m going to ask him straight out if he is a Rebel.

  Anna’s eyes grew as she heard Tim in her mind. She started to shake her head no. Tim ignored her. “So, Uncle Ron, I have a question and I want an honest answer.”

  Ronnoc held up his hand. “Please, I know what you’re going to ask. I have something I want to tell all of you. I have told Arat to stay away as we eat because I know the effect she has on those around her and I want everyone to be themselves as we have this discussion. Please, let us enjoy this meal first. I will tell you what I wish you to know and I will answer your questions. I knew it would be inevitable once Tim and Anna had been located. Life goes on, as they say! So please, eat! We will deal with serious matters after!”

  It was silent at first as everyone thought about what Ronnoc could possibly tell them. As they ate, they slowly started chatting about random things. Grandpa Cire told a story about Ronnoc and Tim’s mom when they were very young that even Ronnoc didn’t remember. Everyone was enjoying themselves by the end of the meal. Suddenly the silence returned. Ronnoc cleared his throat and began to talk. “Tim, I know you’re trying to decide if you can trust me. I am hoping, after you hear what I have to say, you decide you can. Things were never supposed to end up like this,” he paused and looked at his parents apologetically, “When I disappeared, I did so on purpose. In my youth, I was very angry. I really had no need to be. Sometimes, things are just meant to be- fate, as they say.”

  He looked at his parents and addressed them directly. “When Nelle was born, I was excited. I loved my baby sister, with all my heart. I felt important. You made me feel important. I was the Big Brother. I thought I would always be able to protect her,” he glanced at everyone else and turned back to his parents, “Do they know about her third year?”

  Grandma Aras gasped and Grandpa Cire shook his head. Grandma Aras turned to everyone and said, “I think I better explain what happen. Ronnoc, you were only in your eleventh year. What you remember may not be absolutely correct. I, on the other hand, can never forget.”

  Ronnoc nodded at her to continue. “When Nelle was in her third year, she got very sick. The healers could not help her. I could not help her. They told me she was going to-,” her voice caught, “to die.”

  Everyone around the table was completely silent. Tim didn’t want to push his grandmother, but he didn’t understand. “Grandma Aras, I know that must have been scary, but everything turned out okay. She grew up! I wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t!”

  Grandma Aras smiled at Tim and reached for his hand and gave it a slight squeeze. “You’re right, Tim, but there’s more that happened first,” she took a deep breath and then continued, “I couldn’t let my child die. I decided I’d do anything- trust anyone, in order to save her. I took her to see the Old Woman E.”

  Everyone who grew up in Snillotia, even Ronnoc, looked shocked. Only Tim and Anna were left wondering who that was and why it was so surprising. “Who’s the Old Woman E?” Anna finally asked.

  No one spoke at first. Grandma An was finally the one who answered. “The Old Woman E is a fairytale; a scary story told to children. She was the witch in the woods we were all afraid would steal and eat us if we were bad,” She looked at Grandma Aras, “She’s not real.”

  Grandpa Cire spoke next. “I didn’t believe her either. It was a very bad time for us. My baby daughter was dying, my wife was losing her mind, and my son-,” he looked at Ronnoc, “My son was just a child and afraid for his little sister, so I decided I was going to focus on him, instead of what I was losing.”

  Grandma Aras took Grandpa Cire’s hand as he continued, “I took Ronnoc and I left. I left my wife and my dying child, to try to keep the living one safe.”

  “I thought you were taking me away because I was bad! I thought you knew it was my fault!”

  Both of Ronnoc’s parents looked at him, in shock. “That what was your fault?”

  Ronnoc shook his head. “Nelle was sick because of me. I couldn’t protect her.”

  “Oh Ronnoc, you could not have controlled what happened. There was no way you could have made her sick. The healers said what she had was genetic. I know it must have been scary for you as a little boy. I know I was focused on trying to make your sister well. I should have realized what you were thinking. I would have if I had been a better mother!” Grandma Aras started crying.

  Grandpa Cire put his arm around her shoulder. He looked at his son. “Why did you think
you made Nelle sick?”

  “I- She wouldn’t stop following me around! I was with my friends, Cin and De, and they were making fun of me for having a “little girl shadow”. I know as an adult, it sounds stupid and childish, but I was very upset back then. I told her that if she wanted to play with us, she had to do whatever we told her to. I didn’t think anything bad would happen, but Cin told her to eat these berries we found and she did, even when I told her not to! Then a few days later she got sick!”

  “Oh, son, it wasn’t because of any berries she ate. There was something wrong with her blood,” Grandpa Cire explained.

  The blood drained from Ronnoc’s face. Tim watched as he quickly shook off whatever had bothered him. “So, what happened, next? How did you find the Old Woman E? How did my mom get better?”

  “After Cire and Ronnoc were gone, I felt even more desperate. I thought I could get Cire to listen to me when I told him I wanted to find the Old Woman E. He didn’t let me explain myself- not then, anyway. I thought there were more to the stories. You see,” she said to Tim, “the power your mother had was not a first for my family. Others had it as well. In most cases, it only presented in fictional writings. We know that wasn’t the case with your mother-”

  “Really? How interesting!” Ronnoc interjected.

  Grandma Aras continued, without interruption, “But it had happened once before, a very long time ago. One of my many great grandmothers also had the power and she recorded everything in her life. I used to read her diaries from time to time as a child. It was there that I found clues that made me think the stories about the Old Woman E, might actually be true.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE