Dresden's Gifted Oath (rev 5/22/11)

Originally written during the 2010 October NaNoWriMo Prep. Rewritten 5/22/11. Please let me know if the Dresden and Lilith are using age-appropriate dialogue.

Dresden’s Gifted Oath

Dresden and Lilith Blood entered Headmaster Black's office and found their mother waiting with the headmaster. When she stood, the siblings saw that their mother was wearing her gardening clothes: dirt-stained jeans and the faded yellow shirt that she used in any deep-cleaning chore around the house. She never left the house dressed like that. At least she’d changed out of her garden shoes.

“What is it?” Dresden asked. “Did I do something again?”

Their mother answered. “They’ve taken Seth, David and your father."

“Who?” Lilith asked.

Dresden heard the suspicion in his older sister’s voice. Everyone in that office knew who “they” were. The circle of Normal ones in South Chatham that called themselves The Purifiers. Those that feared Dresden’s family and anybody like them that were gifted, and wanted them gone.

“What are they going to do?” Dresden asked.

“What they always do with those they call witches,” the headmaster replied darkly. He turned to Dresden’s mother. “Mrs. Blood, I must insist that you get yourself and the rest of your children away from here as quickly as possible.”

“But what about dad, Seth and David?” Lilith demanded.

“There’s nothing to be done for them,” the headmaster replied apologetically. “If you try to help them, you’ll be caught too. You must leave.”

“Delilah and Rod are still at the art museum,” Lilith pointed out, speaking of their twin siblings that were a year away from graduating. “We’re not going to leave them, are we?”

“I have already contacted their teachers. Your brother and sister will be ready.”

“Thank you, headmaster,” Mrs. Blood said.

“Good luck, Mara.”

When she held out her arms to guide them out, Dresden realized that they really were leaving. He protested immediately. “We can’t just leave-“

“Yes we can,” his mother insisted, gripping his shoulder on the way to the door. “And we must if we are to survive. Your father and brothers won’t want us risking our lives to help them.”

“I could do it!”

“You don’t have enough energy or training, Dres,” his mother replied as they headed toward the front doors. “And you’re only ten.”

“Someday I’ll be powerful enough,” Dresden swore.

“Just get in the car, Dres.”

As they raced along the highway, Mara Blood instructed her youngest children. The moment she pulled the car in front of their house, Dresden and Lilith were to hurry into the house and start packing anything they could fit into duffel bags and to be ready to leave as soon as she returned with Rod and Delilah. Lilith would help Dresden if he couldn’t figure out what to take and what to leave.

“Lock the door behind you,” she said as the car skidded to a stop in front of their house. “Don’t open it for anyone until you see us come back.”

“We promise, mom,” Lilith said.

But Dresden didn’t understand why they couldn’t leave the door wide open; just dare the Purifiers, or any Normal ones, to come get them. Lilith only had to use her beauty to get them to do what she said. He could hypnotize them and order them to free his family and leave all the gifted ones alone. He didn’t have time to voice his thoughts as Lilith yanked him into the house and locked the door behind her, their mother already out of sight. The Blood family home was large enough for each of the six Blood children to have their own room, with one for their parents and still leave three rooms for guests.

“Hurry,” she snapped, shoving him toward the stairs and their rooms. “Grab every duffel and suitcase you can find and I’ll start pulling out clothes and such.”

The siblings worked in silence for several minutes and had three bags filled when Dresden finally shared his thoughts. “Lil, why can’t we take ‘em on?”

“Mom said we have to leave,” she replied as she shoved two of her mother’s dresses into a suitcase.

“But you and I could take on any Normal that came here.”

Lilith scrunched her nose at him. “Are you nuts? I’m only fifteen, and you’re ten.”

“We could!” Dresden insisted. “You’re beautiful enough that all you gotta do is smile at them and they go all cattle-stupid. You don’t even have to use your gift.”

Lilith spluttered. “Well – I -“

“And while they’re like that, I can hypnotize ‘em and tell them to leave us alone, and set dad, Seth and David free. We’re more powerful than mom thinks. Even Headmaster Black says so.”

Her efforts to pack slowed as his words sank in. She bit her lip. “Maybe,” she allowed.

They froze as the house shuddered and groaned, and then suddenly silenced, plunging them into darkness. Lilith gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. A sudden emptiness tore at Dresden’s insides. He’d been told all his life what it would mean when the house went silent like this. But he’d always thought it was only said because it had to be said. He’d never even considered that… that dad could be killed.

“Daddy,” Lilith whispered.

Tears slid down her cheeks. She was crying. Dresden didn’t want to cry. He wanted to scream, to be angry at the people who had killed his dad and brothers, at the people who killed all the Gifted. He got to his feet and stumbled across the room to a vase. He gripped it tight, whirled and threw it as hard as he could with the loudest scream he could make; the kind that could crack Nana’s china dishes without touching the glass doors they rested behind for protection.

“Dres!” Lilith climbed clumsily to her feet, her eyes wide in surprise at his anger.

He stood firm and glared at her. “They’re gonna pay for that, Lilith,” he swore, his hands tightening into fists. “You hear me? No Normal is ever gonna do that to a Gifted again. I’m gonna train, get really powerful, and one day, I’m gonna make them leave us all alone! I’ll make deals with demons if I have to.”

Lilith gasped. “Dres, don’t say that!”

“Fine!” he screamed. “Don’t help me! But I am gonna make them pay for this, Lil.”

Lilith studied him, her blue eyes red with tears, yet alive with curiosity. Finally, she stepped closer, pulled her brother close and whispered, “I’ll help you, Dresden. I’ll help you.”

The tears came hot and fast. His throat tightened. Dresden threw his arms around Lilith’s waist and cried.

Their mother and the twins arrived ten minutes later. The family hurried to pack everything into the car, and then they sped away into hiding.

WC: 1,111