The littlest brother sat alone in the quiet library-like study. The imposing books and dark leather suffocated him. Even the light breeze from the open window was not enough to give him respite from the stuffiness. He instinctively reached out to touch Indie’s mind for comfort but hit a wall, literally. When his own mind raced across the room, it was stopped by the wall separating the two brothers. He couldn’t move past it and the ceiling was likewise impenetrable. Sighing, he reeled his mind back in and resumed his waiting.

It felt like hours before Mr. Reid came to get him. He opened the doors and stood in the doorway with a domineering frown.

Come with me. Mr. Reid did not use his voice with the boy.

When can I see Indie?

Indiana. The first rule you will learn, and follow, is that you are no longer permitted the use of nicknames. You will call each other by your full, official names. Mr. Reid’s voice was stern, even when it was silent.

Yes, sir. When can I see Indiana?

Not now. You’re coming with me to visit important people. You must be dressed specially for the occasion.

Mr. Reid led him to the second floor and then into the huge dressing room. He pulled and pushed clothes aside, clicking his tongue when he didn’t find what he was searching for. He eventually pulled out a long black and red robe that looked like the one that Jay and the twins had worn when they had graduated from high school.

“Glynnis will have this modified for your diminutive size,” Mr. Reid said as he draped the robe across one arm. He turned to the drawers set in the wall on one of the short sides of the room and pulled open the very top drawer, and he was barely tall enough to see inside. He took out a rigid black mask with an enormous black feather jutting out from the top of it.

“Usually, you would have your eyes bound with black cotton, but they need to be able to see your eyes.” Reid slipped the mask over the boy’s head and checked the fit. “Glynnis can adjust this, too.” He yanked the feather off with one easy jerk and nodded in satisfaction.

“Where am I going, sir?” the boy asked in easy curiosity. He wasn’t afraid of the newness of the situation. He just wished that Indie could be with him to keep him company and hold his hand. It felt like it was going numb without his brother’s hand in his. He tapped his thumb to his middle finger a couple times.

“You are the sole reason that your brothers are here. They are inconsequential to us, but knowing they are with you comforts you and your ease is…necessary.” Mr. Reid didn’t seem to have heard the question.

“But where am I going today?” the boy asked again.

“You’re going to meet the Council, and I have to prepare you for the encounter. They are not accustomed to children; they are not even accustomed to unofficial Conjugates—people like yourself that can use the power inside.” He tapped his breast and looked down his nose at him. “I am an official Conjugate, and thus I have certain rights in their society. You have not been officiated yet.”

“I’m gonna be like you tonight?” The boy seemed to understand and the thought of something new that would help him with his special place inside was exciting.

“Yes, but you’re not to have the same rights as an adult. You’re still a child and will need more than a sponsor. Tonight, they will choose your Guardian.” Mr. Reid said the word with such emphasis that the boy knew it was a big, important thing.

The man turned away from the boy again and closed the top drawer and then opened the one directly below it. He briefly rummaged and then withdrew a tiny white tank top and briefs. He handed them to the boy and pointed to the bench.

“Change into these, put your pyjama pants back on over them and meet me downstairs. From now on, you will come down dressed. I will make sure Ms. Glynnis has clothes in your size.” He left the boy, taking the robe and the mask with him.

He dressed quickly and put his pyjama pants back on then hurried to his room to leave his shirt on his bed. His bed was still made, not having slept in it. The drapes had been pulled open, though, and the warm sunlight lit the room in a pleasant way. It didn’t look so scary in the daylight.

Downstairs, the boy found Mr. Reid waiting for him at the entrance to the dining hall. He motioned the boy over, and the boy felt his stomach growl. It was nearly lunchtime and he was starting to get hungry.

You’re going to eat lunch without your brothers. I know you are uncomfortable, but you can handle it. After you are done eating, return to your room; Glynnis should have completed your robe and mask by then. Do not put them on, instead try to rest. When you see the sun setting, dress yourself and wait for me to call you. We leave at dusk.

The boy had no questions and nothing to say so he just nodded and took a plate for himself. He piled it with French fries and macaroni and cheese. He found something red he had never seen before. He stuck a finger into the dish and tasted it and immediately started to pile a scoop onto his already overladen plate.

He ate slowly, though, as he was thinking and chewing at the same time. So far, being away from home wasn’t too bad. He missed his mother, of course, but he was glad to be at the Initiative. He wanted to learn all that they had to show him. He was determined to not hurt Indie ever again, and if he could find a way to use what he could do to help people then he wanted that, too.

The boy sipped on a glass of orange juice, his favorite part of the dining hall experience, and smiled to himself. His mother would be very proud of how brave he was. Indie would be proud of how good he was behaving. His father could go kick rocks for all he cared. He felt guilty for thinking it but admitting to himself that he did not care for his father made his heart feel lighter. He had often admonished Indie for speaking ill of their father, reminding him that he was still their daddy and would always be their daddy. Indie usually agreed eventually and apologized to the boy for making him feel uneasy, but the boy had always agreed with his brother.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Having finished his meal he left the room, overfull with both food and excitement. His room felt warm and stuffy, so he opened the window to let a breeze in but nothing but hot, humid summer air blew around him. He stood next to the window, easily twice as tall as he was, and looked out to the front of the building. The circular drive, graveled with white stones, was wide enough for two cars to pass each other safely. No cars currently occupied the space and the boy wondered where Ms. Glynnis and Mr. Reid kept their vehicles.

He remembered that he was supposed to try to rest so he climbed on top of the bedding and laid down. He closed his eyes and relaxed his arms on his tiny stomach. His breathing slowed and he easily fell asleep in the warm room.

He stirred awake when he felt his brother’s hand in his. He grasped it tightly and smiled, but Indie didn’t clasp it back, as he usually did in greeting. Frowning in confusion, the boy opened his eyes and found himself alone. He held up his right hand in front of his face. It was completely numb, so he shook it, trying to get it to feel something. Slowly, the feeling seeped into his appendage and he breathed a little easier. He saw that the sun was setting and rose from the bed.

He found the modified robe and mask on the chair near the desk and put them on. The velvet robe was silk-lined and was heavy on his small body. The mask clipped the edges of his vision, forcing him to only see what was directly in front of him. He slipped it up onto his forehead to see better and left his room, wondering if he should put on shoes.

Mr. Reid was waiting for him, himself dressed similarly but without a mask. Instead, his robe was hooded. He had the hood on his shoulders and was barefoot as well.

You will only communicate with your voice when instructed to do so. Control your thoughts as best as you can as they can all read you very clearly.

The boy nodded his understanding and followed Mr. Reid to a door underneath the double staircase that went up to the second floor. He opened the plain door and headed down a dark, narrow set of stairs. Coolness wafted up and the boy relished in the refreshing air. He followed Mr. Reid, carefully holding onto the railing on the right.

The stairs curved around twice, finally ending in a dark stone hall. Along the walls at set intervals were sconces, these one much plainer than the ones in the building above. The hall seemed to go straight with only a slight curve finally cutting the end off beyond sight. Mr. Reid marched unhesitatingly down the hall and the slap of their bare feet on the stones was all the sound that the boy heard for long minutes.

Finally, they came to a wooden door. It looked very old with a curved top and two wide black iron bands across it. It had a ring instead of a doorknob and the boy watched as it opened without being touched. When they entered, Mr. Reid turned to the boy quickly and bent down to his level.

Put your mask on and leave it on until told to remove it. If you take it off, you will be punished. Do not speak unless asked to. Answer all questions with your mind. He waited for no response, only pulled his hood up and stood back to his full height. The boy slid his mask over his face, the bottom of his face unobscured but his vision limited. He felt the band of the mask pull on his hair on the back of his head, but he did not dare to reach up and adjust it.

Mr. Reid continued into the room and the boy looked around for the first time. Around the edges of the circular room floated tiny bright globes filled with yellow and gold light. The globes twinkled blue when they entered and then returned to their bright golden hues. They kept the darkness at bay only on the periphery of the room; the center was still shrouded in dimness. He risked a glance up and saw no discernable ceiling.

They advanced a few paces and stopped. Mr. Reid gestured for him to stand beside him, to his left and as he did so he felt the floor beneath his feet change from cool stone to sharp, brilliant shards. He called out in pain and lifted a foot to see tiny bright red cuts on the sole of his foot. Mr. Reid grabbed his arm to stop him from topping over and held it tightly. They advanced a few more paces in the painful flooring until they reached cool stone again.

Heal your feet, Mr. Reid instructed him. The boy, a little confused from the pain, just stood there in a slight shock. Do it or we will be late. The urgency and anger in the voice that came from Mr. Reid was a light slap to the face; it steadied the boy and he nodded.

He put his hands into the twin currents, this time easier than any other time, and drew on the hot, golden fire and poured it, drop by drop, into the hundreds of tiny cuts on his feet.

No, all at once.

I don’t know how.

Like this. Mr. Reid showed him pictures of pulling his feet up and into himself, rather an overlaid image of the feet, and placing them into the current. The boy blinked and then tried it. He used his invisible hands to pull at his feet, but nothing happened.

No, you don’t grab them. Just put them in the lux. The word was unfamiliar but the picture that Mr. Reid showed him was of the golden current. He withdrew his hands and closed his eyes. He could feel the image of his feet slip up his legs and finally, he dipped them, one at a time into the hot, cauterizing river inside him. It worked! He would never have thought to bring the pain to the source of the healing.

They continued and the boy could feel the soles of his feet tingle where the cuts had been healed by his magic.

No. It’s called arcane. Magic is for mundane buffoons to entertain stupid humans with. Mr. Reid reprimanded. The boy kept his silence and walked on.

The next circular room they came to was filled with a bright blue glow that made the boy feel cold, slow and tired. He instinctively dipped both his hands into the bright flow inside of him and felt better. Mr. Reid looked down at him and frowned.

That’s exactly what you were meant to do. But how did you know to pick lux and not umbra?

The yellow current is warm and the blue one is cold. I want to be warm. It sounded logical to his five-year old brain and he looked up at Mr. Reid with a confused face. What else would I have done?

Most people pull from both lux and umbra and it fails them here. Unless they can surround themselves with lux, and only lux, they cannot pass this room. We clean up the bones, eventually. He gestured to a dark pile on the edge of the blue lit circle. The boy shivered in horror.

Mr. Reid nodded and bid him follow to the other side of the room. In the hall, the boy breathed in deeply and felt his lungs burn. The air here was thin and smelled like earth and water. He reached out with himself and felt an enormous, vast swath of water above them. They were under a lake. He pushed his consciousness into the ceiling, trying to see where they were, and he was met with intense pain in his entire body.

No, Alexander. You will keep yourself to yourself. If you do that again, you will be rendered unconscious and I will have to carry you to the Council. They will revive you in most unpleasant ways. The boy blinked back tears of pain and nodded his apologies. He took in everything that Mr. Reid said, desperate to please and to learn.