The Boy
“Have a good night, Miz Gerry.”
Germaine looked up from wiping the table in time to see one of the regulars pulling on a raincoat by the front door to the bar. He’d been the last one to leave, as usual. “Have a good night, Mister Lawrent,” she replied breezily, a practiced smile flashing onto her face. “Would you like me to call you a cab? It’s coming down in sheets out there.”
The older man chuckled, pulling up the collar of his coat. “Oh, I’ll be alright,” he replied. His cheeks are flushed with drink, but his words seem steady enough. “There’s a bus coming in a few minutes - I won’t be in the rain for very long.” With a wave he disappeared into the dark, rainy night. Germaine watched him wobble past the large front window, light from the streetlamps keeping him visible on his way to the bus stop.
Germaine left the rag on the table she’d been cleaning and went to the front door, pulling a key out of her pocket. Ornate and worn with age, the key looked out of place compared to the newer furniture and fixtures in the bar. But it slid into the keyhole with ease and the satisfying click of the locking mechanism fell on her ears like a melody. Germaine released a breath and smiled softly. Now that all the customers were gone she could really focus on closing up for the night. Well, the morning, if she was being specific.
She lowered the blinds of the big window, obscuring the backwards view of the bar’s name on the glass - Silvanus. An elegant name for a bar in the middle of Boston, sticking out amongst its more modern fellows like the key that locked its doors. But that was the charm of it, Germaine had decided long ago. Being different wasn’t always a bad thing.
She flicked the switch that turned on the “Open” sign, then the one that illuminated the doorway. With these little tasks completed, she turned her attention back to the empty tables. Silvanus wasn’t a large place. It was quite small, actually, nestled amongst other businesses and shops that occupied the space along the road. Cleaning tables and straightening everything up wouldn’t take too long in a building like this, but it had been a very busy day and she was tired. Grandfather wouldn’t mind if she cut the workload a little bit.
She didn’t need to think about reaching for her magic anymore - it just happened instinctively. It had been many years since she’d actively had to think about collecting her will and focusing it. Her fingers were already drawing the runes in the air by the time her brain started to process what commands she needed. The shapes she drew flashed blue for a brief moment before vanishing. The energy in the room shifted, and the chairs at all the tables began to rise into the air. Germaine gently rotated her hands and the chairs mimicked her, turning upside down and above the tables they belonged to.
Quick as a flash, she drew another set of runes. A broom and dustpan meandered from behind the bar towards her, pausing before beginning to go about their team task of sweeping up any dust and garbage on the floor. Another rune went into the air, and the rag she was using animated and started wiping away at the tables. Once the table was wiped, Germaine had the chairs lower themselves down and hang as if they hadn’t just been hovering in the air moments ago.
With a satisfied nod she started to walk to the kitchen but found her grandfather already there, smiling at her from his wheelchair. “Isn’t that technically cheating?” he asked her, a twinkle in his stormy grey eyes. “What happened to good old fashioned elbow grease?”
Germaine barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but she did smile at her grandfather. “It’s not cheating,” she replied. “I’m simply using my natural abilities to get things done quicker.” She walked over and kissed the top of his head, right where his silver hairline was finally starting to recede. “Besides, we have this exact conversation every few weeks and you always get the same answer out of me.”
“Alas,” her grandfather, Brennus, said with a chuckle, “this is true. One day you’ll surprise me with a different answer.” He patted her hand and wheeled himself back towards the kitchen. Germaine pushed the doors open and he moved through them in front of her. “I’m thinking I’ll do the same thing though. Tonight was very busy, and I’m a little worn out.”
“So am I,” Germaine admitted. It wasn’t unusual to have large crowds on the weekends, but for some reason she was more tired than normal. Maybe it was the weather taking her normal energy away. “Well, I’ll finish up out front and then come help you back here.”
Brennus gave her a quick, piercing look as he turned to face her. A beat passed as Germaine waited for him to say something. Finally he smiled and shook his head. “That’s alright, my dear,” he said. “Once the front is all finished, you can head up to bed. Get yourself some rest.”
Germaine frowned. “Grandfather, I’m just a little worn out. I can still help, you don’t have to do this by yourself.”
Brennus’ sharp look returned. “Germaine, I did this by myself for many years in case you’ve forgotten. I’m not an invalid, just old.” He raised a hand as Germaine started to protest. “Taking it easy once in a while is not a crime,” he reminded her. “Just finish up at the front and head up to bed.”
“Fine.” Her agreement was begrudging, but she did find herself thinking of her comfortable bed and the new book on her bedside table. “Thank you, Grandfather,” she said and pecked him on the cheek before sweeping out into the main area of the bar. The chairs were now all put up on the tables, and the rag was dutifully wiping down the bar counter. She flicked another rune into the air and the dirty glasses began washing themselves. She hummed quietly to herself as she bustled around, setting some tasks to be done by magic while others she did by hand. It didn’t take her too long, and soon she found herself going through the “Employees Only” door and climbing the stairs behind them.
Grandfather had purchased the bar with the intent of living on site. The lower level was all for business, with the office tucked away behind another “Employees Only” door. The upper level was the family’s safe space, a haven away from the bustling atmosphere of the bar and the city outside. She passed her childhood bedroom, now converted into an office. Germaine had spent her entire life in this business apartment. Now she stayed in the room that her parents had shared. As she crossed the threshold into the room she reached up and touched the lintel where her parents’ names are carved. A wistful smile flashed across her face as she lowered her hand and shut the door behind her.
A flick of the lightswitch and her room was illuminated. She kicked off her shoes and peeled off her socks, breathing a sigh of relief as she wiggled her toes on the soft carpet. Shoes were always the first thing to go. Had to let the toes free first. Walking over to the old-fashioned vanity on the other side of the room, Germaine sat on the stool and released her hair from the clip that kept it off her neck. Silky blonde hair fell past her shoulders and she ran her fingers through it to loosen any knots or snarls. She gave her reflection a once-over, blue eyes lingering on her face. She blinked once, and an arrow-shaped tattoo appeared over her right eye - the symbol of her mother’s clan. Tattoos were enough to get her stares on a normal day. A face tattoo? Unheard of in this area. Maybe an appearance of normalcy was needed sometimes.
In the reflection of the mirror, Germaine slowly became aware of a strange light appearing behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck went up as energy started to slowly pulse in the room. Turning around she raised her hands slightly, noting the light was coming from her ceiling above her bed. A litany of possible defensive and offensive runes sprang to mind as she watched the light grow brighter and take on a greenish hue. Slowly rising from the stool she began to circle towards her door, eyes never leaving the strange light.
All at once, the light seemed to split open like a hole in a shirt. Germaine was suddenly given a view of a dark, inky expanse filled with stars. She saw the faintest hint of a thread connecting to others in the distance. A wind that wasn’t really air so much as magic rushing past her gave her goosebumps. The realization that a portal to the Nexus was opening in her bedroom hit her like a ton of bricks and she reached for her doorknob, anxious to call for her grandfather and see what was going on. Unless this was his idea of a prank, there shouldn’t be any portals opening right now. Much less in the privacy of her room.
A black shape suddenly hurtled through the opening and Germaine instinctively tensed as something small and heavy landed on her bed with a thump. It took her a moment to process what the slowly moving form was, but as it sat up she realized that it was a young boy, probably no more than eight or nine years old. His dark eyes tried to focus on her, but she could see that he was struggling. He tried to speak, but his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he fell back onto the mattress before he could get a word out.
