The Gathering: The New Order of Merlin Book 1

14. It's showtime

"Look what you've done," Mother's voice boomed over them as Jack huddled with Elsa. "You don't follow directions, you get no lantern!" Then, she added in a mocking tone, "Sleep tight, children."

She slammed the door, plunging their chamber into total darkness. Every distant echo or drip of water sounded menacing. Jack gulped and tried to convince himself that he was used to it. Lately, they appeared to deserve this punishment a lot.

"It's just darkness. It can't hurt us," he whispered. He had to be strong for Elsa, who trembled in his arms. Her heart beat against his chest so hard, it felt like his own.

"It's okay," Jack murmured into his sister's hair. "She's gone. I'm here. Try to sleep."

"The bad dreams will come again," Elsa sobbed. "I will never, ever, EVER sleep again!"

Jack hugged her tighter.

"Let the dreams come. We'll face them," he swallowed and tried to sound confident for her, "together."

Elsa sniffed and acknowledged the pact. "Together."

Jack woke up with a start and sat upright in his four-poster bed, the dream still etched vividly in his mind. Long ago, he promised his sister that she would never have to face nightmares alone. How was she doing tonight? Did she need him?

She hadn't called him yet, and he took that as a good sign. She could handle a night apart.

Could he?

Though it had been only a few hours since he last saw her, a heavy weight settled itself on his chest, an ache only her presence could soothe. Did she feel it too?

The dawn had not come yet, and the room was quiet but for the gentle breathing of his sleeping roommates. The dream memory of young Elsa's terrified voice was too fresh on his mind. He wouldn't be able to fall back asleep.

He took a shower, hoping the cold water would wash away the remnants of the dream. He braced himself against the wall with his head down, cold water falling onto the back of his head and sliding in streams down his pale skin.

They had readied themselves for the challenges of living among wizards, but their plans involved both of them. Without his other half, Jack wasn't sure if he could stick to the rules they had agreed on. He didn't realize how much he relied on his sister's wit to get him out of blunders. He needed her.

The condensation on the shower walls turned into intricate patterns of frost. He stepped out and turned on hot water to melt the evidence of his otherness before his roommates noticed. It would have to become a part of his new being-human routine.

Back in his dorm, his roommates were fast asleep. Elsa had said that the best part of going to Hogwarts would be making friends, but looking at the two boys, Jack only saw strangers. What if they didn't like him? What if they saw through his lies and told on him? What would Hogwarts professors do with a pair of Winter Spirits that tried to fake their way into their school?

It was a risk. Why did they take this risk? He felt a sudden need to find Elsa and take her away from this danger, but if he did, she wouldn't get her wish to make friends. He had to make it work for her.

Dressed in his new school uniform and the long, black robe, Jack stuffed his shoes in his pockets and left the dorm. The stairway down the Gryffindor Tower was adorned with hundreds of portraits stacked all the way to the ceiling. The people in them moved between frames, waved, or ignored him completely. Wizards had to have used magic to hang them that high up. Soon he would learn magic like that too if only he managed to adapt to this new life.

He held the wand in his pocket, its magic radiating up his arm to his core. The old wandmaker said that a willow wand like Jack's would allow him to master nonverbal spells. Jack wasn't sure if that was a big deal or not, but he wouldn't give up his wand no matter what. It already felt like an extension of him. He gripped it as a reminder of why he was here and continued down the stairs.

The castle was even larger from the inside than the outside. He wandered the halls aimlessly, wondering where Elsa was until he got to a large double-door, which opened to the school grounds. He took a long breath and a familiar calm of nature's magic washed over him. This was exactly what he needed.

He sat on a bench under a large tree and dug his bare feet into the grass. He let nature's power seep into him until his mind cleared. The sky started changing colors, and he observed the world come awake with the sun. The giant orb lazily raised itself, bathing all nature with its power. He closed his eyes and offered himself to it.

"Isn't magic here amazing?" he asked but then realized that his other half was not there to answer the question.

He had to get used to this lonely feeling if he wanted to be a wizard. He couldn't have it all. Besides, Dumbledore was right. Elsa was somewhere in this castle. Was she awake yet? He sent out a call to her, letting her know where he was. She found him just minutes later, her long white hair fanning behind her as she ran up to him.

The world grew brighter when he saw her smile. She was okay and now, so was he.

"Will you do my hair?" she asked, giving him her brush.

He gladly did, thankful that there was at least one thing she needed him for.

She sat on the bench with her back to him, and he gently brushed her silky hair. The familiarity of their morning routine soothed the aching hole in his heart. He braided her hair to the side, the way she liked, and they walked together to the dining hall, holding hands.

When they entered, she gave him one last hug and whispered, "Don't forget the shoes," and left towards the Ravenclaw table, where a few girls called her over with excitement. She was making friends already. She looked happy.

It was his turn.

Jack took the dreaded loafers out of his pockets and put them on. He looked at the Gryffindor table apprehensively, suddenly quite overwhelmed by the sheer number of students, some of whom were staring at him already. He recognized his roommates, sitting in the middle of the table. He took a long breath to brace himself and headed over to them to begin his new blending-in routine.

"It's showtime."