missing. And you expect us to go into that
magic place all alone? Not going to happen!”
“ I understand you want to
be on the safe end.” Ronny held out her hands. “Please, I have
shown too much worry if I have made you feel so afraid.”
“ You said your mom was afraid, that there was, like, some kind of
takeover going on,” Olivia challenged.
“ She handles those things
often. That does not worry me.” Ronny gave a small laugh. “I
do not think
someone kidnapped her or murdered her, like one of those crime
shows my Christopher likes.” For a moment she looked distracted and
her smile turned positively gooey. I had to look away.
Eeow!
She pulled herself together
and continued, “Mother is too powerful for that. I am only
concerned that she is ill or injured. No one can let me know
because I am banished. I want you to find for me what has happened.
Please.”
Ronny looked at Faith for
only a moment, but something in her face made Faith sit back and
rub her forehead, hiding her eyes. Ronny continued, “Magick is much
more powerful the week of the full moon. We do not know why. Mother
believed if any child born that year could enter Chimera, it would
only be possible around the full moon.”
She looked at us
expectantly, and seemed disappointed when we just stared back.
“This weekend the moon is full. After tomorrow, if Mother is right,
the doorway will be blocked to you until next month.”
Olivia interrupted, “So we
fell through a tree into a strange place because your doorway just
happened to be open this weekend? But only for people born the same
year we were?” When Ronny smiled and nodded, Olivia rolled her
eyes. “That’s weird!”
That made me remember
something. “Speaking of weird, what’s up with time in there? We
were only there a couple minutes, but when we got back it
was almost half an hour later. How does
that work?”
Ronny smiled again. “It is
true that time moves strangely in Chimera. First, we believe all
our magick interferes with time in some way. But mostly, it is
because Chimera is outside the space and
time of earth.”
She hesitated a long
moment, her forehead creased. Then the lines smoothed out as she
came to a decision. She said hesitantly, “Perhaps this will help
you understand. If I had lived in Santa Ramona my entire life, I
would be nearly seventy-five years old.” She chuckled at our
expressions.
My mom would have told me
to shut my mouth if I didn’t want to attract flies.
I glanced at Olivia. She
could not have looked more surprised if the ketchup bottle jumped
off the table and squirted itself in her face.
Next to her, Faith leaned
back in denial, shaking her head back and forth so quickly her hair
whipped against the sides of her face.
“ I do not look
seventy-five. And in Chimera time, I am in my early twenty’s. For
those fully magickal beings who never leave Chimera, it is as if
time has all but stopped. I am only one-half magick so I do age,
but it is…was…very slow. I do not know exactly how it will work for
you. But I am not surprised a few minutes there is a half hour
here.”
She looked at me and
reached out her hand. “You must pay close attention to the time you
spend in Chimera. You do not want to disappear for
days.”
Faith moaned,
“Days!”
Olivia sat up straight.
“Just what, exactly, do you want us to do?”
“ I do not want you to put
yourselves at risk.” She smiled first at Olivia, then turned to
Faith before continuing, “I just want you to go back, ask about my
mother, Glenna Danaan, then tell me what has happened to her. I will know what to do once I know
that.”
She sat back and looked at
us solemnly. After a few moments of silence, she turned to me and
pleaded, “We are family now, Kat. Blood is quicker than water,
right? Will you not help me?”
I couldn’t bring myself to
correct her muddled up saying. I wasn’t sure how I felt about all
this, although the fluttery feeling inside my chest didn’t
magic place all alone? Not going to happen!”
“ I understand you want to
be on the safe end.” Ronny held out her hands. “Please, I have
shown too much worry if I have made you feel so afraid.”
“ You said your mom was afraid, that there was, like, some kind of
takeover going on,” Olivia challenged.
“ She handles those things
often. That does not worry me.” Ronny gave a small laugh. “I
do not think
someone kidnapped her or murdered her, like one of those crime
shows my Christopher likes.” For a moment she looked distracted and
her smile turned positively gooey. I had to look away.
Eeow!
She pulled herself together
and continued, “Mother is too powerful for that. I am only
concerned that she is ill or injured. No one can let me know
because I am banished. I want you to find for me what has happened.
Please.”
Ronny looked at Faith for
only a moment, but something in her face made Faith sit back and
rub her forehead, hiding her eyes. Ronny continued, “Magick is much
more powerful the week of the full moon. We do not know why. Mother
believed if any child born that year could enter Chimera, it would
only be possible around the full moon.”
She looked at us
expectantly, and seemed disappointed when we just stared back.
“This weekend the moon is full. After tomorrow, if Mother is right,
the doorway will be blocked to you until next month.”
Olivia interrupted, “So we
fell through a tree into a strange place because your doorway just
happened to be open this weekend? But only for people born the same
year we were?” When Ronny smiled and nodded, Olivia rolled her
eyes. “That’s weird!”
That made me remember
something. “Speaking of weird, what’s up with time in there? We
were only there a couple minutes, but when we got back it
was almost half an hour later. How does
that work?”
Ronny smiled again. “It is
true that time moves strangely in Chimera. First, we believe all
our magick interferes with time in some way. But mostly, it is
because Chimera is outside the space and
time of earth.”
She hesitated a long
moment, her forehead creased. Then the lines smoothed out as she
came to a decision. She said hesitantly, “Perhaps this will help
you understand. If I had lived in Santa Ramona my entire life, I
would be nearly seventy-five years old.” She chuckled at our
expressions.
My mom would have told me
to shut my mouth if I didn’t want to attract flies.
I glanced at Olivia. She
could not have looked more surprised if the ketchup bottle jumped
off the table and squirted itself in her face.
Next to her, Faith leaned
back in denial, shaking her head back and forth so quickly her hair
whipped against the sides of her face.
“ I do not look
seventy-five. And in Chimera time, I am in my early twenty’s. For
those fully magickal beings who never leave Chimera, it is as if
time has all but stopped. I am only one-half magick so I do age,
but it is…was…very slow. I do not know exactly how it will work for
you. But I am not surprised a few minutes there is a half hour
here.”
She looked at me and
reached out her hand. “You must pay close attention to the time you
spend in Chimera. You do not want to disappear for
days.”
Faith moaned,
“Days!”
Olivia sat up straight.
“Just what, exactly, do you want us to do?”
“ I do not want you to put
yourselves at risk.” She smiled first at Olivia, then turned to
Faith before continuing, “I just want you to go back, ask about my
mother, Glenna Danaan, then tell me what has happened to her. I will know what to do once I know
that.”
She sat back and looked at
us solemnly. After a few moments of silence, she turned to me and
pleaded, “We are family now, Kat. Blood is quicker than water,
right? Will you not help me?”
I couldn’t bring myself to
correct her muddled up saying. I wasn’t sure how I felt about all
this, although the fluttery feeling inside my chest didn’t
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