Chapter 4

Unexpected visit.



My stomach kept revolting and cramping when The Paranormal Unit arrived. Lucinda was taken to the hospital; she was in shock, but the healers were optimistic about her condition. My father showed up half an hour later with his forensic team.
"Let me guess; you were here purely by coincidence?" he asked pursing his lips with annoyance.
"I came here for a meeting, Dad. You can ask Kate if you don’t believe me," I mumbled shoving my sweaty hands into my pockets. He shook his head and went to look at the body. I urged Kate and Kelsie to keep their mouths shut about my mini-meltdown and screams from earlier on. He didn't need to know that I’d all of the sudden turned into a girl who was afraid of a corpse. Everyone knew that I was tough, but Kate had seen me losing the plot twice already.
Later on, I managed to talk my dad into telling me that Jennifer had been dead for about six hours, and that she wasn't charmed. No one used magic on her, although the air around the body was soaked with magic. My heart fluttered in my chest when he informed me that Jennifer was killed between one and three in the morning.
After that, Dad requested all the CCTV cameras from security. He also wanted to question a few people who were working in the building yesterday. My arse was sitting on pins and needles wondering how long I had to wait until the warrant for my arrest would be issued. All the evidence pointed toward me, but I couldn't remember anything.
"You girls should leave. We’ll be here for a while and if I need to speak to any of you, then I’ll contact Julia," Dad said, walking through the door to Lucinda’s office. I didn't have a chance to ask him more questions because he was called by another officer and vanished shortly after. I exhaled loudly wondering if I’d find anything that could lead him to the killer.
"This is bad, really bad," Kate said once we slipped inside the taxi.
"Jennifer was closely tied to McGregor," I whispered. "And he’s also dead."
"Yeah, I don’t like this. It seems as though McGregor’s enemies are cleaning up his mess."
I refused to say anything more, getting back to memories from last night, or the lack there of. Yet again, I had a giant hole in my mind and my energy was gone right along with it. I had nothing to rely on.
“I'll call Rufus," I said clearing my throat hoping to avoid further conversation about Jennifer and my overall wellbeing. Kelsie was asked to stay in the factory to deal with the crisis, while Lucinda was taken to the hospital. She seemed pretty excited about her new role. I told Kate that I had to go to the hospital and pick up Quentin. That was another lie; the truth was that I needed to stay away from the office for a while. Alexandra agreed to cover for me. Instead of going to see if Quentin needed anything, I went to the gym and stayed there until evening came. Eventually I needed to get some rest, but I still didn't check to see if the knife was in my drawer, I was too scared to find out if I was indeed a killer. I kept watching TV, afraid to fall asleep, but exhaustion finally took over close to midnight and I drifted away.
The morning after, I shot from the bed and went straight to the bathroom. I examined myself with relief, not seeing any blood. I was also glad that I woke up in my own bed this time. Maybe I was hallucinating everything; maybe the blackouts never took place.
Later on, I went to the office. I sat at my desk staring blankly at the computer screen. My brain didn’t want to cooperate. People were expecting me to be all right, but deep down I was falling apart. I’d only had one good night’s sleep.
What if I did it? What if I was a murderer? My power hadn’t been set off since my breakup with Nathaniel, but I did blackout and as a result, Quentin ended up in the hospital.
Kate quit asking me if I was all right, but she kept glancing back and forth probably trying to use her internal magic to see what I was hiding from her. I also had a phone call from Quentin asking about Gomez, saying that he’d had enough of lying in the hospital bed and was going to be discharge tonight. In the end I offered to pick him up and nurse him back to health until he was well enough to get back to his apartment.
Clients came and left. My day was moving at a snail’s pace. I picked up the phone three times in the past ten minutes wondering if I should call my dad and ask him if he had any suspects, but I knew that it was still too early.
It was after three o’clock when I finally had a chance to get the hell out of the office and grab something to eat. The absence of my magic was getting me down and my agitation grew. The images of the knife and Jennifer’s dead body kept flashing through my mind.
I returned to the office with the headache. There were a few people on the sofa. I noticed an older elf who looked at me when I came in, then Kate called me over to her desk.
"This elf is here for you. He didn't say what he wanted only that he would wait for you," she whispered.
I had no idea who the paranormal was, dressed in perfectly cut, possibly tailor-made suit. He was an elf, a pure blooded one. I could tell straight away because of the energy that he was surrounded in. His hair had a slight silver glow, but when he was younger his hair was probably baby blond, exactly like mine.
I placed my lunch on my desk and walked over to him.
"My colleague mentioned that you’re here to see me?" I asked with a polite smile. The guy took his time, folding a paper and when he finally looked at me I was flexing my fingers with impatience.
"Miss. Taylor, can we move to a more private room?"
I stood in front of him looking into his deep blue eyes feeling as if my magic was slowly waking up. A tingle of electricity slowly rolled over my back and that usual warm feeling settled into my stomach. Electrical current filled the air, and I felt relieved that at least my energy was back.
"I'm sorry, but could you tell me what this is about? I don’t think we’ve met," I said, digging for any memories that would indicate why I should have known this odd paranormal. He didn't respond straight away, but he continued to stare at me, his eyes beamed with curiosity.
"We met a long time ago. I don’t think you would remember because you were a little girl back then. Miss. Taylor, I insist, we need to have a one-on-one conversation in private. I can't do this in any other way."
His voice was deep and enigmatic; my magic was surging throughout my body like a tidal wave, igniting my fingertips. I was attempting to hide them behind my back.
"Fine, whatever, let’s go, but I don’t think that’s really necessary."
Kate was trying to pin down the stranger with her eyes, but I doubted very much that it would get her anywhere. The older paranormals seemed powerful enough to turn any kind of spell around.
I took the stranger to the interview room trying to figure out what was happening to my body. All morning and half of the afternoon I’d felt useless, and now all of the sudden, my energy was back, jetting through me, heating up my blood.
The older elf sat down in the chair and nodded for me to sit opposite him. When I took a closer look at him my wild power had finally settled down and my fingers stopped sparkling. The elf was now smiling looking around the office with even more curiosity. His eyes stopped on the whole in the ceiling. Last year, Nathaniel stopped by hoping that I would sleep with him, and my magic had gotten out of control blasting a hole in the middle of the celling. Kate and I never got around to fixing the damage. Just another reminder of Mr. Bastard.
"Your magic is still strong in this room. Did something happen here?" the stranger asked, narrowing his eyes on me.
My anxiety flared up causing hot and cold air waves to pulse throughout my system.
"Can you tell me who you are first?" I asked in a high-pitched tone losing my patience. I didn't like his ambience or the fact that he knew more about me than he was prepared to share. His clothes seemed old fashioned but chosen with great care.
"My name is Tron and I'm one of the oldest elves that still live amongst humans. I'm here to help you with your umm… how to put it right…. Oh, yes, incidents with magic. I want to help you to control it."
I took a deep breath and looked away, thinking fast. He couldn't be serious. No one knew about my "incidents," not even my father.
"You’re losing me, Tron. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I'm half elf and I'm magical like you. I don’t have any incidents or problems with my magic," I insisted. I wasn't prepared to talk about my lethal magic with a stranger who was dressed like he was in the wrong century.
"I haven’t had a chance to speak to your grandmother yet, but if she was here, she would agree with me. Have you been blacking out lately? Have you been experiencing any memory loss?"
"No, no and no," I lied feeling more and more uncomfortable about this entire conversation. My grandmother would never send someone else to tell me that I needed to gain control of my magic. This guy was a scam artist and I didn't trust him, although he was spot on about what had been happening to me lately.
“You're lying, I can always tell. You’ve had at least two blackouts and you are afraid that you might have killed someone last night," Tron said, finally losing that creepy smile. He had fine lines all around his mouth and a pointed chin. I stood from my chair feeling dizzy, my hands started trembling.
"I think you’ve already said enough. I don’t know how you know all these things about me but frankly I don’t care. You’re a stranger and you must leave before I call the police," I said firmly, folding my arms together. My breath came short and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
Tron didn't move, and he didn't even blink. For about thirty seconds he continued to stare at me. Then I felt him and his power in my blood and bones. Unknown, the most powerful and enigmatic waves of magical current rushed through me, pulling me back on my seat. I tried to fight it, but the tingle of heat and magic surrounding me was so strong that I broke out in a sweat and flopped back in the chair. Dread moved over my spine as I stared into those all-knowing blue eyes.
"Your grandmother is stubborn, but you, young lady, you’re worse. We both know that you need help and it’s time to cast your fear aside," Tron continued while stroking his chin. "We need to start your training."
I laughed nervously, tossing my hair behind me.
"Training?"
"Well, we don’t have to, but I strongly suggest that we do. The visions that you’re experiencing; those are real. You could hurt people," he explained. "Do you really want to do that?"
I was sitting in the chair speechless and lost. Anxiety and fear were coursing through me when I thought about the fire and my mother. When I didn't respond he leaned over the table and added.
"Julia, stop treating me like I'm your enemy. I know everything about you and want to help you. Your magic needs to be controlled."
"Help me, but how? Am I a killer; did I really stab Jennifer?" I asked clamping my hands on the sides of the chair. If that elf knew everything then he had to tell me the truth. I needed to know. I was petrified knowing that I had a power that was so dangerous and so lethal that I couldn’t even control it. If he was right then Quentin, my parents and my friends were in danger. Magic was always just there to make my life difficult. My grandmother praised it and loved it, but I hated it, despised it. My spells were useless.
"Something happened to you last night and you’re afraid. You have blood on your hands but until I reach the other part of your mind, I can't tell you if you’ve hurt someone already," Tron replied. "Let me help you; let me train that drizzling power that you hold deep within."
"I don’t understand. Why do you want to help me? What’s in it for you?" I kept asking, looking into his deep blue eyes.
"I owe your grandmother a favour, and you are quite unique. I’ve foreseen the danger. Many people will die if you leave your magic as it is. Dark wizards and other paranormals who are starved for power may take advantage of you. You’re vulnerable."
I chewed my bottom lip thinking about this more clearly. Memories from the meeting were fresh and vivid. I couldn't take that risk, knowing that my mother was going to die. What if he was right? What if I was putting everyone around me in danger?
"What about the killer? I had flashbacks; I’ve seen myself killing and I woke up with blood on my hands this morning in my living room!" I said raising my voice "My father is in charge of this investigation. His career will be in pieces if he has to arrest me."
"You need to calm down and leave your father to his investigation. I can help you understand what happened last night, but we need to start training straight away. You’ve done something wrong; maybe you were near when that woman died."
I pressed my fingertips to my forehead; my pulse was racing fast. The knife, if I found a knife in my apartment, then I’d know.
"So, how do we do this? I mean, how are you planning to train me?" I asked anxiously. If I was going to do this, no one could know. Not even my friends.
"Training will be intense and it will take some of your time. It’s better if we’re discreet about this. I’ve know your grandmother for years and she can be difficult. It will be easier if you don’t share with her that we met."
I exhaled with relief.
My rational side kept telling me that this was careless and stupid. The elf in front of me was a total stranger. He came to the office revealing that he knew me, but it was a risk I was willing to take. He knew too much about me too be a scam.
"All right, we can try, but I don’t know what to do. I can’t even cast a simple spell."
"Delightful," he said smiling. “Don't worry about spells or your abilities. I’ll teach you everything and you’re going to learn how to control it. Strong intense emotions trigger your energy, so you must stay away from any sort of excitement."
He shook my hand. His skin was soft, and I could feel a wave of energy passing through my fingers when he touched me.
"I shall leave now. I'm late," he said, checking a small golden pocket watch.
"Hold on, what if I blackout again?" I asked when he was by the door.
"Keep away from excitement or strong emotions. We will meet again very soon. You’ve had enough blackouts in the past couple of days, I don’t believe it will happen again," he reassured me, then smiled before he disappeared.
I started massaging my skull wondering what the hell I was doing. Yeah, I needed to prove to myself that I didn't kill Jennifer and that my mother was safe with me. I had to do anything to prevent that fire from happening—everything within my power to protect my family.