A Certain Magician - Chapter Two (Part 2/2)

Blue Eyes gritted his teeth so hard that the tendons in his neck stood out and his knuckles had turned bone white from tension. An electrical hum filled the air, buzzing in Zack’s ears.

“Look,” said Amber Eyes, “He is not one of them. He’s a school kid who has just come out of school. You’re being paranoid. If they wanted to send someone to capture us they’d send in soldiers with guns and helicopters, not some defenceless kid who doesn’t have abilities like us.”

A chill ran down Zack’s spine, sending a shudder through his body. Guns and soldiers? Helicopters? Were they dangerous fugitives? Murderers on the run from a high security prison?

“I don’t give a damn about what you think,” snarled Blue Eyes, “I want to know if he’s telling the bloody truth! Because if he isn’t, then…”

The boy squeezed his eyes shut and turned to the third silhouette in the background.

“Hey, Tai!” he bellowed, “C’mere!”

Amber Eyes stepped in front of Blue Eyes, his figure towering over his companion.

“No, you will not involve Tai in this,” Zack heard him hiss, “You’ve caused more than enough trouble than you already have done.”

A young boy appeared at Blue Eyes’ side, so quick and silent that Zack could’ve sworn that he’d materialised from thin air. He couldn’t have been older than ten or eleven. He shared the same unruly black hair as his older companion but his Bambi eyes were far larger and darker, and his skin was not pale but radiated a golden glow instead. His clothes seemed to hang off his body, baggy and loose against his tiny frame.

“Yes, brother?” he said. Zack was astonished by the strength in his voice. The kid’s voice was strong, much stronger than someone who was eleven years old.

The moment Blue Eyes looked down at his smaller comrade, the wind suddenly died, no longer howling. His hair stopped fizzling and the electrical hum went out without a trace. The only sound that Zack could hear was the beating of his own heart.

“I need you to read this person’s mind for me,” Blue Eyes’ voice had become soft and gentle, every hint of aggression stripped from it. “Me and Michael don’t know if he’s working for the Organisation.”

The young boy’s gaze landed on Zack. Zack sharply sucked in air. He could see something burning in the boy’s eyes. Determination? No, it was something far stronger than determination.

“Sure, I’ll do it,” the boy’s eyes were laser-like – they burned into Zack’s flesh and made his skin crawl. For some reason, Zack had the feeling that this kid, no matter how small, should still be feared. There was an air of danger and uncertainty about him, as if he were a ticking bomb.

“Michael?” Blue Eyes mumbled, “What do you think?”

A moment’s pause of silence.

“Fine,” Amber Eyes finally said, “We’ll get Tai to read his mind and he’ll be able to work out whether this kid is working for the organisation or not.”

Amber Eyes turned his head to gaze at Zack over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry but this has to be done,” he said, “One of our friends is a mind reader and he’ll have to read your mind. It’s the only way that we’ll know the truth.”

Zack’s stomach dropped into its pits.

“Don’t worry,” Amber Eyes gave Zack a reassuring smile. “It won’t hurt.”

Though the young kid’s face nor his eyes showed no emotion, inside, he felt a combination of fear and fascination. He had never seen another normal human being before. Not like Zack. This was his first time seeing someone like Zack.

The little kid closed his eyes and for a few seconds there was nothing. Suddenly, something passed through Zack’s mind, almost like an icy cold wave sweeping slowly across his brain. Zack’s breath rushed out and he gasped for air. Squeezing his eyes shut against the alien feeling, he sank his nails into his palms and his knuckles turned bone white from the tension as icy shivers ran through his body. The tendons in his neck stood out as he ground his teeth together.

Then it was over.

Gasping and panting, Zack slowly opened his eyes as he bent double. In front of him, the small boy stared at him. Blue Eyes showed no emotion. Only his eyes were hard.

“Tai, is he working for them?” Blue Eyes gently asked, his voice soft and caressing as he momentarily dropped the fierceness and ruthlessness.

It was as if time had come to a halt. Zack’s stomach twisted inside him and his paralysed mind was too numb with terror to register any thoughts, not even any thoughts of escape.

“No, brother,” the little boy finally said, bringing time into its place once more. “He’s not working for anyone. His name is Zack and he’s a GCSE student (“What the hell are GCSEs?” Blue Eyes mumbled) in his fourth year of secondary school. He is unsure of what career he wants to pursue when he leaves school.”

Zack squeezed his eyes shut. An indescribable relief flowed through his body and a small drop of sweat trickled down the side of his face. So they weren’t going to kill him after all. That was good. Really good.

“Michael, I guess…” Blue Eyes mumbled. Zack slowly opened his eyes. Blue Eyes’ face had fallen and had dropped his gaze to the ground. “I guess you were right about him being innocent an’ all.”

The nail slid from Blue Eyes’ fingers and clattered to the concrete ground, the sound sharp in the air. Then it rolled out of view. A melancholy breeze tugged through his tangled hair and he slumped to the ground, resting on the balls of his feet, and dropped his head into his hands.

“Dammit,” Zack heard him whisper through his fingers, “And I thought I caught one of them.”

“Let’s just unfree him and let him go,” Amber Eyes gently said. “Like Tai said: the guy’s innocent.”

“Oh yeah?” snarled Blue Eyes. He leapt to his feet. “And how do you propose we stop him…” he jabbed his thumb menacingly towards Zack. “…from opening his mouth and blabbing about us to everyone?”

Amber Eyes didn’t answer.

The ropes came loose, and Zack wriggled his hands free, groaning as he pulled his arms back and his muscles relaxed.

Amber Eyes stood up and held his hand out for Zack to grab. Zack stared at it for a few moments, his eyes wide, then reached out and grabbed it. Amber Eyes’ grip was surprisingly strong for someone so willowy as he yanked Zack to his feet.

“I’m sorry that this has happened to you. We didn’t mean any harm,” he said, “I fixed your head and you should be fine now. You won’t have to go to a hospital.”

“You fixed my head..?” whispered Zack.

Then he realised. He didn’t feel pain, or a migraine or a throbbing lump where Blue Eyes had smashed his head in earlier. Zack unconsciously reached up and pressed his fingers against the spot. Still no pain. No twinges or sharp stabs. There was no trace of injury at all.

Who…who are these people?

“He wants to know who we are,” the little boy’s voice was cutting and sharp. Zack flinched. He’d forgotten that the kid was still there. And that he could somehow read minds too.

“For this reason, it’s better if you leave us and never come back than knowing who we truly are,” Amber Eyes softly said. “If you were to know or even become involved with us, people will hunt you down and kill you. Even if you are innocent. They’d see you as our ally and a dangerous threat to the country.”

Zack could feel the blood draining from his face and his mouth running dry in less than an instant. And the same thick paralysing gel oozing over his muscles once more. Blue Eyes stood where he was. His eyes glinted like hard-worn flint and he folded his arms tightly across his chest as he stared at Zack.

“I’m sorry for doing this to you. I really am,” his eyes sparkled. Was it tears? Was he crying? “But it’s the only way to protect you and protect us too. We’re going to erase your memories of meeting us. This way, you won’t get hunted down or killed, and end up like us.”

Amber Eyes stepped back and nodded at his young comrade.

“Tai,” he whispered, “Erase his memories.”

Zack stood rooted to the spot. His heart pounded and the sound of blood rushed in his ears as the little boy approached him. His face was hard and bore no emotion as he lifted his outstretched hand to Zack’s face. Then he closed his eyes.

Bright light, as white as snow, erupted from the boy’s outstretched hand. Zack’s instincts screamed at him to run but he found himself drawn in to the light. Though it was dazzlingly bright, the light didn’t hurt. It mesmerised him, hypnotising him, freezing Zack in his place. The edges of Zack’s vision glowed and his ears filled with the sound of howling wind. Through the engulfing glow, Zack could barely make out the outlines of Amber Eyes and Blue Eyes. In the midst of the whiteness, only the burning eyes of the young boy remained. Though it felt like centuries, only a few seconds passed.

Then the light began to fade, giving way to darkness. And the whole world went black.