Intuition Detective Agency

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

         Amy was trying hard not to freak out.  She rationalized the dream.  She told herself that Zash was in her dream because she had met him that same day and had been thinking about him because of the whole vision thing.  She couldn’t come up with an excuse why she had been a child, or why she had been happy to see him or anything else about the dream, but she was doing her best to ignore that. 
         
She did know one thing.  She was going to try asking Fox some questions.  She didn’t know when she would be able to; she would have to get him alone, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to do that, but she’d figure something out. 
         
Although Gwyn talked continuously on the drive from her apartment to the office, Amy said very little.  She was too busy sorting through her thoughts to add much to the conversation.  She gave replies to questions asked, but if someone had told her to repeat what she’d said she wouldn’t have been able to.  She was nervous about her dream and visions, and was also growing nervous about her training today.  She didn’t know what they were going to do.  Her anxiety had started in the morning when she was trying to figure out something to wear.  She didn’t think a skirt would be appropriate, but neither would anything so casual as sweats.  She had settled on a pair of jeans with a nice top, best of both the casual and professional worlds.  Gwyn hadn’t said anything when she got into the car, so she thought she had chosen well.  Gwyn was dressed in a skirt suit again, and Amy got the impression that she rarely wore anything else.
         
Amy and Gwyn walked into the suite.  Amy was dreading seeing Zash.  Although no one knew about her dream, she still felt awkward about it.  She was also scared that something might happen again.
         
Her fears were unfounded.  Gwyn took her straight back to Ain’s office, where he and Fox were waiting for them.
         
Ain looked at his watch.  “Perfect timing as always, Gwyn.”
         
She winked at him.  “I’m a witch.  I always have impeccable timing.”  She turned to Amy.  “Now, I’m going to leave you in the dependable hands, and paws, of Ain and Fox.  Have fun today.”  And with a smile, she left.
         
Ain smiled at Amy.  “Good morning.  We’re going to go directly to the Land and start your training in a few minutes.  Before that, though, I’m going to explain a couple things.”
         
Amy shifted her weight, her nervousness increasing.  “Ground rules?”
         
Ain shook his head.  “Not exactly.  Just some information on what to expect.  First of all, Fox here is going to be training you.  I’ll be coming in from time to time to check up on how things are going.”
         
Amy blinked.  She was going to be alone with Fox?  She couldn’t believe her good luck.  She’d be able to ask him her questions without worrying about anyone interrupting.
         
Ain continued.  “Next, what to expect in the Land.  You’re actually not going to be seeing much of it today.  Just the palace.  I’ll give you a small tour, though.”
         
Oh, right, Amy thought.  He’s a prince.  She grew even more nervous.  How was she supposed to act in a palace?  And a freaking other worldly palace at that?
         
Fox spoke up.  “I’ll explain what we’re going to be doing once we’re in the training room.  But now, let’s head over.  I’m anxious to get started.”
         
Ain nodded.  “Alright then.  Let’s go.”
         
Instead of walking to the door, as Amy expected, Ain walked over to the wall-to-wall bookcase.  He made a motion of his hand and a section cleared away.  Amy must have been gaping, because when Ain turned back to her he chuckled.
         
“Sorry, I should have warned you,” he apologized.  “We chose this office suite because there is actually a magic link in it.  It’s a small one that someone would need to have substantial Lander magic to utilize, but it comes in handy for getting to and from the Land.”
         
He made an “after you” gesture and Amy walked through the opening.  There was a small, rather plain room through the doorway.  Fox followed her in, with Ain bringing up the rear.  Amy turned to him.  “Now what?”
         
He motioned around the room.  “Think of this as an elevator.  Once I hit the right button, we’ll be there.”
         
Amy was about to ask what he meant, since there wasn’t any buttons, when Ain turned to the opening they had just come through and made another motion with his hand.  Instantly, a wall appeared, sealing them in.  Amy said a quiet thank you for not being claustrophobic.  Then she paid attention to what Ain was doing, fascinated.
         
Ain had started to glow, faintly.  She recognized his power.  It was the same as she had seen in her vision the day before.  The glow spread through the small room.  Once every corner was lit by his power, he made a quick gesture with his hands and the light went out, leaving everything a little dimmer than before.  Ain turned to Amy.
         
“Here we are,” he said, and then moved his hand, opening the door.
         
Amy walked through and stopped just inside the room.  She was in an office, but not the office they had just left.  This one was bigger, nicer.  Instead of just one wall of books, three of the walls had shelves packed with leather tomes.  The last wall had a window similar to the one in Ain’s office.  She walked towards them.
         
She didn’t see the city, or any city, below her.  The window looked out onto a courtyard, filled with people walking from one side to the other.  The courtyard was enclosed by stone walls, so the only thing she could see was the courtyard, but that was enough.  She gasped at the people.  Tall people with long graceful ears, short people with beards.  She saw blue, pink, yellow skin, even more shades of hair.  Some had horns, some had fur.  She saw flitting colors, and noticed they were fairies, whizzing around the heads of the people walking below.
         
“Welcome to the Land,” Ain said right behind her, making her jump.  She heard Fox chuckle.
         
“Maybe we should take the long way, Ain,” he said.  “The less Landers we meet the better.  She would probably be gawking the whole way.”  He said that last kindly, so Amy didn’t take offence.  He was probably right.
         
Ain nodded his agreement.  “Yes.  I was thinking about giving you a tour, Amy, but Fox has a point.  Not to mention I don’t want people questioning who you might be.”
         
He walked over to a door cut in amongst all the books.  “If you’ll follow me.”
         
The door led into a corridor.  Although the walls were stone, she didn’t see any torches, which she half expected.  There were lamps along the walls which glowed, but not from electricity.  As they walked along, Amy looked out the windows as much as she could, fascinated with what she saw below.  She played a game with herself, naming the different creatures she recognized, like fairies and dwarfs.  Most, however, looked slightly familiar, but not exactly, and she wondered if these were the real incarnations of creatures misinterpreted by humans.
         
She didn’t notice how far they’d gone, but Ain stopped in front of a door.  “Here we are,” he said, opening it.  They all filed in.
         
The room was small, maybe fifteen by fifteen feet.  There was nothing in it, though a door was set into one wall, which Amy guessed was probably a store room of some kind.
         
As Amy walked in, she felt a tingle rush across her skin.  She looked up at Ain, and he answered the question in her eyes.  “What you just felt was the power of this room.”  He walked into the center and turned around to face Amy while Fox headed towards the other door.  “This room is used for helping awaken dormant powers.  We’ve never tried using it on a human before, so I’m not sure exactly how well it will work, though the fact that you noticed the magic in here is a good sign.”
         
They heard Fox’s disembodied voice.  “We can get started if you would give me a hand.  Moving furniture is hard to do when you don’t have thumbs.”
         
Ain walked in, with Amy following a bit slower, feeling the tingle of power against her skin.  She looked down at her hands, thinking of the power she had seen coming from Ain and wondered if she really had that ability, too.
         
She looked up and saw Ain putting down what looked like a giant pillow against one wall.  He walked back into the room and brought out a small pad, which he placed more towards the middle of the room.
         
Ain stood back up and wiped has hands together.  “Well, I’ll leave you two to it, then.  I’ll be back in a bit to check up on you.  Good luck!”  And with a smile at Amy, he left, closing the door behind him.
         
Amy looked at Fox, her nerves mixing with the tingle that was thrumming against her.  Fox sat down on the pad in the middle of the room and nodded to the giant pillow.  “Take a seat Amy.”
         
Amy plopped down into the cushion rather clumsily, feeling a little silly and wondering what was going to happen next.  She was about to ask, when Fox stopped her.
         
“Well, before we begin, do you have any questions?”
         
Amy opened her mouth again.  She was about to ask what happened now, but remembered all the questions that she had wanted to ask him about her dream and the day before.  Now that the opportunity was here, however, she felt self-conscious.
         
Fox noticed.  “Come, child, ask away.  I promise not to laugh at anything you have to ask.”
         
Amy flushed slightly.  “It’s not a question, exactly.  More of a narrative.”
         
Fox lay down, putting his head in his paws.  “Go ahead.”
         
Amy told him about her visions first, and then about her dream, or what she could remember of her dream.  “I noticed something in your eye yesterday after my vision of Zash and I thought you might know what these visions were.”
         
Fox grinned, his eyes twinkling.  “You’re right, I do know something.”  He lifted his head, noticing Amy’s excitement.  “However, I’m not going to tell you what I know.”
         
Amy was shocked.  “Why not?”
         
Fox sighed.  “You have to figure the answers out on your own.  Remember what I said about not bringing your powers to the fore the fast way?”  Amy nodded.  “It’s the same principal.  The information will be more useful to you, and more believable, if you piece everything together yourself.  Like I have told Ain and Zash many times, you have to trust me.”
         
Amy slouched, disappointed.  Fox sat up, gaining Amy’s attention again.  “I do have good news, though.  You can answer these questions here.” 
         
Amy looked at him.  “How?”
         
“This training,” Fox explained, “is not only to help you develop your powers.  By doing the training techniques in this room, you will be unlocking parts of your mind; doors you did not even know existed.  Your answers are there.  So, the sooner we get started, the sooner you’ll get them.”
         
Amy was skeptical.  Doors’ she never knew existed?  She sat up straighter.  She didn’t know about the non-existent doors, but she knew about the great big one that blocked her memory.  Could it be possible that she could regain her childhood memories?  If this training could do that, she didn’t care about the other doors.  Discovering who she was would be enough for her.
         
Amy’s face was brighter as she turned to back to Fox.  “Alright,” she said.  “What do we do now?”
         
Fox smiled.  “Meditating, mostly.”
         
Amy lifted an eyebrow.  “Meditating?”
         
Fox nodded.  “There’s a reason why meditating is used for self discovery, you know.  What you need to do is just clear your mind.  You need to think of nothing.  And that won’t be easy.”
         
“Okay,” Amy said.  “How do you suggest I do that?”
         
“Focus on your breathing.  Try to make your inhales and exhales the only thing that exists to you.  Push everything away.  We’ll go for about a half hour and then take a break, let you stretch.  Don’t expect anything too soon, though.  You may have to meditate for only an hour, or maybe a few days, before anything may happen.”
         
Amy nodded, and did as she was told.  She focused on her breathing, but found that clearing her mind of all else was extremely difficult.  Things kept popping up, and she tried her hardest to push them away.  By the end of the first half hour nothing had happened, but she wasn’t too surprised.  She wasn’t able to clear her mind of her thoughts for more than a minute at a time.
         
She went through three of those cycles; in between each half hour meditation, she would get up and walk around, stretching.  After the third one, Ain returned to see how things were going.
         
Fox shrugged.  “Nothing yet, but I’m not surprised.  She’s trying to get a handle on clearing her thoughts.”
         
Ain nodded his understanding and turned to Amy, who looked slightly frustrated.  “Don’t worry, Amy.  It took me forever to learn how to push my thoughts away.  You’ll figure it out.”
         
Amy nodded absently.  Ain clapped his hands.  “Well, you two, how about some lunch?”
         
At the mention of food, Amy remembered she hadn’t really had anything for breakfast.  Her stomach growled into the silence.
         
Fox nodded.  “Quite.  Though, I think we should keep going and take only a small lunch break.  Is there any way we could get some food from the kitchens and eat here?”
         
Ain nodded.  “Of course.  I was going to recommend maybe getting something with Zash and Gwyn, since they are bored out of their minds right now, but you have a point.”
         
At the mention of Zash’s name Amy’s eyes tightened a little.  Luckily Ain wasn’t looking at her.  She was grateful that they wouldn’t be seeing him, though what Fox said next didn’t bode well.
         
“After Gwyn was complaining about all the spells she was behind on, I’d think she’d have enough to do to keep her busy for a month.  However, after lunch could you bring Zash with you?  I told you I wanted both of you here from time to time.”
         
Ain turned to leave.  “No problem.  I’ll be back with food.”
         
After he left, Amy turned to Fox.  “Why do you want Zash here?”
         
Fox stood up, stretching.  “I understand that you are feeling uncomfortable where Zash is concerned, but instead of avoiding these visions and dreams, I believe you should try to bring them about.”
         
Amy bit her lower lip.  “Why?”
         
Fox walked towards her.  “Aren’t you curious what else might be revealed to you, what else you might see?  I’m hoping that you have another vision or dream, and I admit that I want Ain and Zash to trigger them.”
         
Amy looked at him suspiciously.  “Why Ain and Zash?”
         
Fox chuckled.  “If I told you that I’d spoil everything.  Be patient.”
         
After lunch, Amy was determined to clear her thoughts.  She focused on her breathing, giving a name to her inhales and exhales.  Eventually, the two words were the only things in her mind.  Fox had to say her name a couple times to bring her back.
         
“Very good, Amy.  I can see you’ve found out how to escape your thoughts.”
         
“Either that or she fell asleep,” Ain said with a laugh in his voice.  Amy looked up and saw that Ain wasn’t alone.  Zash was with him.
         
Ain had left right before Amy had begun her latest meditation session.  She had no idea how long they’d been standing there.  She was unnerved by Zash being there, and she wondered how long they had been watching her.
         
Zash was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, face hard.  He looked like he didn’t know why he was there.
         
Amy fought to keep her face neutral.  Zash wasn’t looking at her, but she was afraid of what would happen when he did.  Fox may have wanted her to trigger another vision, but they scared her and she wasn’t at all sure she wanted to bring about another one.
         
“I would have noticed if she were asleep, Ain.  Just because you kept napping during your training doesn’t mean others are that distractible,” Fox said.  Ain made a face then turned to Amy and winked.
         
Amy smiled, flushing slightly.  He was cute when he winked.
         
Zash pushed away from the wall.  “Not that this conversation isn’t stimulating, but what would you like us to do, Fox?”
         
Fox flicked his tail at him.  “Don’t sound like you’re in such a hurry, Zash.  All I want you two to do is just observe for now.  Take a look at Amy and see if you sense any difference from yesterday.”
         
Zash turned to Amy and looked at her.  He shrugged.  “I see no difference.”
         
Fox made an exasperated sound.  “Don’t just look with your eyes.  Probe around a little.”
         
Zash gave Fox an unfriendly look, but turned back to Amy.  Amy met his eyes without flinching, though she wanted to.  She was relieved when nothing extraordinary happened.  She began to relax, and then stiffened, understanding what Fox had meant by probe.
         
She felt a similar sensation to the tingling she experienced when she came into the room, but it was different.  Just like she had recognized the sight of Ain’s power, she knew that this was the individual feel of Zash’s.  She never broke eye contact, but she did notice that he didn’t look any different, except for a slight billowing of his hair, as if he were surrounded by a light breeze.
         
When Zash removed his power, he was frowning.  “Her aura seems different, I suppose.”  He shrugged.  “But that could be due to her just walking into the room.”
         
Amy stiffened at the dismissal in his voice.  She was starting to get sick of Zash continuingly brushing her off.  Ain had similar views.  “Stop being purposefully difficult, Zash,” he said.  “Even if it is just the room, that’s a good sign.  It means that her personal magic is responding to the power in here and should be able to come forward.”
         
Fox nodded once.  “Exactly.  So, gentlemen, let’s get back to it.”  He turned to Amy.  “Try it again.  This time, however, let’s go for an hour straight.  Or when something happens.  Whichever comes first.  Boys, I’d recommend getting a couple chairs.”
         
Amy looked at the two cousins as they walked to the closet.  She sat a little straighter.  She was bothered by Zash’s apparent complete lack of faith in her abilities.  Admittedly she had some doubts as well, but she knew she had something.  Her mind flashed to the puddle incident.  She knew she had caused it, somehow, and now she could harness that power.  There was another underlying reason why she wanted to get somewhere today.  It gnawed at her and frightened her the way her dream had.  She started to bury this feeling, and stopped.  Instead of running away from what’s happening, she thought, why not take Fox’s advice and embrace it to see where it leads.  She looked directly at Zash as he sat down, and admitted to it.  She wanted Zash to be proud of her.  She didn’t know why; she didn’t even know Zash.  But now she was determined to find out.
         
She closed her eyes and evened out her breathing.  She focused on her breaths, in out, in out.  All other thoughts were pushed aside and her breath became the focus of her world.  She started to relax into her minds emptiness, taking comfort in her thoughtlessness.  She went deeper into her meditation until all thoughts, even her breathing, ceased to exist.  Once that nothingness surrounded her, like falling asleep, she began to dream.
         
She was the little girl again.  She was by the lake, but Zash wasn’t with her this time.  She looked up at the woman whose hand she held, and her mother smiled down at her, squeezing her small hand.
         
“Where are we going, Mommy?” she asked.
         
“To our secret place, Ayume,” her mother replied.
         
“Why?”
         
“We have a surprise for you,” her mother said, a twinkle in her sea-blue eyes.
         
“What surprise?”  Ayume asked, bouncing up and down.
         
Her mother laughed.  “If I told you, it would ruin the surprise.”
         
Ayume pouted.  “Please mommy?”
         
Her mother looked up, her face brightening, and looked back down at her daughter.  “Why don’t you ask your father,” she said, pointing.
         
Amy followed her finger and saw her father walking towards them.  “Daddy!”  she cried, running to him. 

He laughed as he picked her up, swinging her in his arms.  “There’s my starshine!  And how’s my favorite daughter?”
         
Ayume giggled.  “I’m your only daughter, Daddy.”
         
He put her down.  “So you are, Starshine.”  He turned to his wife, taking her into his arms.
         
Ayume crossed her arms.  She was happy to see her father, and she knew her mother had missed him these past few weeks, but she wanted to see her surprise.  She tugged on his tunic.  “Daddy, mommy said you had a surprise for me.”
         
He looked down at his daughter, holding his wife’s hands.  “Yes we do, Starshine.  But first we need to go to our secret place.”
         
Ayume huffed, following her parents.  “Why not now?”
         
Her father wagged a finger at her.  “Patience, Ayume.  The quicker we get there, the faster you’ll get your surprise.”
         
Amy started.  “Well then hurry up!”  She grabbed his hand and started tugging.
         
Her parents laughed, walking a little faster.  They walked along in the moonlight, headed towards a bend in the shore.  A small waterfall poured out of the cliff’s side.  They walked under it, the water spraying them.  A cave lay behind it, shallow with no tunnels leading into the hills.
         
Ayume’s father placed a hand on one of the cave walls, and an opening appeared.  Ayume skipped through it, her parents following.  They entered a small clearing.  It was surrounded on all sides by the same walls that made up the cliff, the top hidden by trees.  A lone tree grew next to a small pond in the center of the clearing.  The pond was small but very deep; under water tunnels linked the pond with the lake.  If it were just Ayume and her mother they would have swum to their secret place, but her father didn’t have the ability to breathe under water, so they went the long way.
         
Ayume turned to her parents.  “So where’s my surprise?”
         
Ayume’s mother shook her head.  “You are impatient.”
         
Her father gave her a gentle push towards the pond.  “Sit down with your mother and I’ll get if for you.”
         
Her mother took her hand and headed towards the pond.  She sat down, placing Ayume in her lap.
         
Ayume looked at their reflection in the pond.  They looked so alike, though her father peaked out as well.  Ayume had her mothers blue eyes.  Right now they were a light blue, like a bubbling stream.  Her mothers were the blue of a calm lake.  Her eyes changed with her mood, like her mother, but what always stayed constant were the small specks of starlight in them, like her father.  Only his eyes were black, the small specks the only break from the blackness, like a midnight sky with no moon.  She had her mother’s silver-blue hair, but whereas her mother’s hair was a solid silver-blue, her hair had strips of black highlights, a reflection of her fathers black hair.  She touched her forehead where three stars peeked from under her hair, exactly like her father.  Her wrists had the same blue stripes as her mother.  You only had to look at her to know who her parents were.
         
Into the reflection stepped her father, a box in his hand.  Ayume turned around, her eyes growing darker with her excitement.
         
Her father sat down next to them, his shoulders brushing his wife’s.  Whenever he came back from long campaigns they would try to constantly be touching each other.
         
Ayume looked at the box.  It was small, only a little bigger than her own small hands.  It was made out of a dark red wood, with intricate carvings along its top and sides.  Ayume thought it was pretty, but was a little disappointed.
         
Her father laughed, noticing her crestfallen look.  “Your present is in the box, Ayume.”
         
He opened it and she leaned in to see what was inside.  “Ooohhh,” she said as he pulled a necklace out of the wood.
         
The necklace was simple, but still beautiful as it reflected the moonlight.  It was a pendant about the size of Ayume’s pinky in the shape of a diamond.  It was made out of a dark black stone.  Across the front of it was a starburst set in silver, a striking contrast to the pendant’s black.  It hung from a beautiful silver chain.
         
“It’s so pretty,” Ayume said quietly.  Her mother pulled aside her hair as her father placed the chain around her neck.  It hung down almost to her naval.
         
Her father laughed.  “You’ll grow into it.”
                   
Ayume picked up the pendant, oohing and ahing over it.  Her mother pointed at the black stone.  “That’s made out of a black pearl, Ayume.”  She traced the silver lines that crisscrossed over it.  “This is silver collected from a shooting star.  It’s pieces of both of us, me and your father.  So wherever you are, we will always be with you.”
         
Ayume gave her mother a look.  “We’ll always be together mommy.”
         
Her mother and father exchanged a look, but the face her father turned to her held a smile.  “Of course we will, Starshine,” he said, ruffling her hair.  “Wear it always, Ayume.”

*                                        *                                        *

         
“Amy!  Amy!”
         Amy blinked her eyes open.  She looked up, her eyes blurry, and saw Ain’s face above hers.  It took her a minute to realize she’d fallen over.
         
She sat up, wiping her face and feeling moisture on her cheeks.  Tears?  Why am I crying?  She frowned, and then the dream came flooding back for a split second before it started to disappear, like her dream of Zash the night before.  Seconds later it was gone, but she remembered enough of it to understand why there were tears in her eyes.  She began to cry again.
         
Ain looked at her, concerned.  “Amy, what’s wrong?”
         
She looked passed him to Fox and Zash, seeing concern in both of their faces, before she looked at Ain.  “My parents.  I saw my parents.”
         
Ain’s brow furrowed in confusion, and he looked behind him to Fox.  “She’s an orphan, Ain.  Didn’t she mention that?”
         
Ain’s face went from confusion to surprise, and his eyes locked with Zash’s, an almost identical expression on his cousin’s face.  He turned back to Fox.  “No, she didn’t.”
         
Fox came up to sit beside Ain.  “Amy, what exactly happened?” he asked.
         
Amy took a deep breath, wiping tears from her face.  “I had another dream,” she said, her eyes flicking past him to Zash.
         
Fox gave a nod.  “Do you remember anything from this one?”
         
Amy shook her head.  “No.  I can only remember that my parents were there.”  Her eyes filled with more tears.  “I can’t even remember what they looked like, their names, anything.  I just know they were there.”  She covered her face in her hands.
         
Ain stood up and looked down at Fox.  “Another dream?”
         
Fox shook his head.  “I’ll explain later.  Right now we need to focus on what just happened.”
         
Amy shook herself, trying to calm down.  She took a couple deep breaths and turned a controlled face to the room.  “What else is there to focus on?  I can’t remember anything from the dream.”
         
Fox looked at her.  “It wasn’t only in your head that things happened.”
         “I don’t understand,” Amy said.  “What happened out here?”
         
Ain spoke up.  “You glowed, ever so slightly.”
         
Amy still didn’t understand.  “I glowed?”
         
“Your power shined around you,” Zash said.  Amy looked at him.  He had his normal cynical mask on, but underneath it was something else.  If she thought he was capable of it, she would say it was vulnerability.
         
“You mean, my magic?  The meditation worked?”
         
All three of them nodded.  Amy looked down at her hands.  She didn’t feel any different.  “What now?”
         
The three males in the room exchanged a look.  Ain shrugged.  “I have no idea.  What now, Fox?”
         
Before he could reply, the room filled with a faint chirping.  Amy’s brow furrowed in confusion as Ain answered his cell phone, which was making the sound.  He put it on speaker so everyone could hear the conversation.
         
“Yes, Gwyn?” he asked.
         
“Sorry to break up the party, fella’s, but we’ve got a hot one,” Gwyn said.
         
“A case?  Who’s it for?”
         
“No one,” Gwyn replied.  “I picked up some activity just now.  As far as I can tell, no one else has noticed it.  I thought it would be a good idea to keep it that way.”
         
Ain nodded.  “Good call.  We’ll be back in a few minutes.”  He hung up and turned to the others.  “Well, we should head back.  Do you want to continue, Fox, or should we all go?”
         
Fox shook his head.  “We should come with.  Amy needs to be trained as a detective, too.”
         
Ain turned towards the door.  “Okay then.  Let’s go.”