The Cure

Chapter one

We are all beginning to worry about Georgie. So of course no one has gotten much sleep lately. Why are worried about her? She has the fever. Maybe the better question was why are we acting so calm? We all know that that there had been no cure found for the fever… yet.
But there soon will be a cure for I, Kara Looms, have promised everyone (that is myself, my mother, my father, my brother, and most of all, my loving sister, Georgie) that I will find the cure to this fever. I don’t know how yet, but it gives me something to think about while I lay awake, worrying, in my bed.
So far this is what I have. It was most likely going to be someone very old and in a different land otherwise we would have the cure all ready. Okay that means I’m looking for an old (most likely grumpy) foreign person. Isn’t that a whole bunch of help? Yeah, right. I guess it also makes my mind go wild with excitement when I think about the adventure I will soon be going on.
I gave up trying to sleep or even think about anything except Georgie, and with her in mind I decided to go and check on how she was doing. She was of course still sick and as I felt her forehead I had no clue how she could stay alive at this temperature all day long. I took her arms (covered in white dots that made it look like she had a garden of white roses on her arm,) and placed them underneath the covers at an attempt to keep her from getting even sicker than she was.
“Not getting any better is she?” My brother, Charles, said behind me making me jump. I must have been so occupied with Georgie that I didn’t sense him coming.
“No.” I replied pretending that he had not startled me at all, “I’m leaving tomorrow…”
“I know… you have it flashing across your mind as if a trumpeter is blowing it as loud as he can in your mind.”
I was silent a moment, “You know, I sometimes wish that we all weren’t sorcerers and that we were just some normal people living in the country. But I know that it won’t happen because we were all born into this life… this family… these powers.”
“It comes in handy –“
“Yeah, once in a life time, every time you want to keep something a secret it’s out in the open to all of your family the very next second. You know that I know what everyone in this house is thinking right now, even Georgie, and you know what she wants? She wants mother, you, father, me - she wants us… she wants us to live on with out her, just to say good bye and then let her die, but she can’t understand what it would be like for us if was gone.” My voice cracked as I began to cry.
“I know that for you it probably is a curse because you have the most power of us all. So everything that we think would be out to you the second we think them even before we know that we have indeed thought them. Well at least we have you to judge our thoughts and advise us because you are also the wisest of us all and you need to learn that to.” Charles looked at me, his eyes full to the brim with sympathy and understanding.
“Well… I better get packed. Mom and Dad will be here in a minute to say goodbye so I want to actually be on my way out.” With that I walked back over to my bed and picked up my travel sack. Charlie turned and walked back to his room. Now, what would I need to find an old, grouchy, foreign person?
“Well food, some clean clothes, blankets, paper quill and ink to record your travels, and if the person is indeed cranky you might want some money to loosen them up a bit. Oh and don’t forget you might need some ingredients for spells and for spells you might want your spell book.” Mother had arrived, listing everything I would ever need in my life. “Well if you think that way then I’ll just wait outside.” Dang, I always forget that she’s very good at reading my mind in particular. She looked thoughtful for a moment and then, “Okay I’m going to do you a favor, I’m going to teach you how to block your mind from other sorcerers. All except me that is.” I looked up, was she pulling my leg or telling me the truth? Was I going to actually learn the spell that every one had tried to use against me and that I had always broken? The one that I have always dreamed of learning, but have been banned from learning for some odd reason? 
“You really mean it,” I paused to look into it, “You do! Yes! Okay I’m ready what do I do?”
“Now this will block anyone and anything – except me – from your mind forever, unless you want them in, are you sure you want it?”
“Of course!!! Why wouldn’t I?!?!” Oh this was going to be so cool!!!
“Well then we are going to need fire, water, air, and earth sticks. Let’s see a large six point star like the one we used in the spell of binding – oh and we can’t forget the spell book!” She smiled but I knew that behind the smile in her mind she was thinking that maybe this was a bad idea.
“It’s not a bad idea mom don’t worry.” I gave her a reassuring hug and then went to find what she had instructed me to get.
I found the sticks in our spell storage room and found the star next to the spell book in the experiment room, where we tested out new spells I was tempted to try just one last –
Oh no you don’t, you come straight back here and don’t forget the ingredients.
         Ok mother, sometimes I hated that they could all interrupt my train of thought just when it was getting interesting, shall I get the other stuff that I’m going to need for the trip now or would you rather us do it together?
         Just come up here we’ll deal with that stuff after we finish with the spell. So come up here and make sure it’s the right spell book, oh it is ok come on up.
         Mothers, you can’t live with them, can’t live without them.
         I walked back up the stairs past everyone’s rooms to my own where my mother was standing waiting for me.
         “Good. Now lay the star down in the middle of the room, that’s it. Now put the fire and water on opposite points good and put the earth next to the fire and the air across next to the water. Ok good now you stand at that point next to the fire and water and I stand over here next to the earth and air. Ok good now I’m going to send you a picture of this page in this book and you have to chant with me ok? Ready?” I nodded. I was ready for anything.
         I got a picture of a very old page with the chant mother had been talking about written upon it along with instructions for me and for the person standing across from me, which could be anyone of age but it happened to be my mother. A single word floated in my mind from her, now.
         We began to chant,
         From north to south, from east to west,
         From water to fire, from earth to air,
         Let’s block them all, let’s block the rest,
         Let’s lock them in a wooden chest,
         Try to enter, no success,
         Go away go away GO!
         
         We repeated it 5 times and then my mother continued,
         A secret entrance, for no one but me,
         No one no one no one but me,
         A secret for me, no one but me!

         She said this 5 times then I started on my 5 time chant,
         No one shall enter except you or me,
         No one no one no one but you or me,
         An entrance for just you and just me!

         We were both done I picked up the fire and water sticks and held them in an X my mom did the same with the earth and air sticks. We chanted the both of our parts again and great jets of lightning shot from all points of the star and all stick and then connected in one big ball of light above us. I read the page in my mind for the next instructions and saw that I was to step into the middle of the star, so brought my sticks closer to the light and then I was standing in the center of the star waiting.
         The light began to descend on me it began to swirl around me and I felt warmth flowing through all the corners of my body, inside and out. And all of a sudden it was over and I felt the mind of my mothers checking to make sure it worked, looking through my head seeing if she could see anything.
         “It looks as if it worked. Go try it on your brother or something. I’ll gather some things you’ll need for your journey.” She turned away very fast but I could tell from the way her mind spoke that she wasn’t as happy as she sounded after all her baby girl was leaving to go on some big journey who could blame her.
         I ran over to her and gave her a big hug of thanks and then ran out of the room to test my new powers on Charles.

Chapter two

         Well it works. I asked my brother what number I was thinking of and he couldn’t tell me so he tried harder and turned purple from concentrating so hard and then I guess he hit something cause there was a flash of silver light and he went flying backwards.
         “Are you okay?” I asked, “I mean it looked like a pretty good shock.”
         “I-I’m fine I guess what did you do?” he staggered as he tried to stand so I went and helped him to his feet.
         “Mom finally let me do that spell for blocking people and it looks like it works.” I said it in a rush as if afraid that if I didn’t say it fast enough the power would leave and my mind would be free again to anyone who felt inclined to look into it.
         “What!? I thought she said that she would never in a thousand years! Why would she all of the sudden decide to let you?”
         “Well I can tell you that she still didn’t want to but she decided that I would be needing it on my journey because my thoughts could get me into a lot of trouble since I’m not used to watching them… at all.”
         “You can say that again. Are you all packed then? Or – hold on… moms packing for you is she?”
         “Yep and she told me that I should go test my blocking to see if it actually worked while she finished packing my stuff.”
         Charles didn’t speak for a moment then he looked up “Why don’t you read peoples minds without permission or only when they send stuff to you?”
         “Oh, I do you just don’t know that I do because I’m so sneaky and no one can tell when I’m in and out because I’m so quiet unlike some people I know…” I stared pointedly at him.
         “Hey it’s not my fault that you got all the luck!” Charles turned around as if outraged but I knew he was kidding because if he had been angry his hair would be nice and red right now instead of happy yellow. You see with sorcerers, or at least our family, our hair tells the world our mood so people know when to stay away.
         “Yeah luck, we’ll see how much luck I have when this journey finally gets under way.” I looked at him and then said a little quieter, “I’ll miss you.”
         “I’ll miss you too. I’ll especially the explosions all over the house, which you cause of course. And who wouldn’t miss the, uh… interesting food you, uh, make.” I’m not very good in the kitchen and whenever I try we end up with something similar to charcoal on our plates with the nice green salad mom makes every night, to keep up our energy.
         “Yeah I’ll bet you’ll miss my cooking. Well I better go see if mom has destroyed my room.”
         I heard that. And so she had.
         Sorry. Still you shouldn’t b e eavesdropping on my conversations!
         Well I had to make sure you weren’t abusing your powers on your brother. I rolled my eyes, speaking of your brother don’t you think he should not be listening to our conversation!
         A new voice came in I don’t know if it really counts though because I can only hear half of the talking that is actually being done. I looked at Charles and laughed at him because he didn’t get to know all of my secrets now! Yes!
         “Well I don’t think it’s all that funny! What if... your uh…. hurt and you can’t talk to tell us? Then what do you do huh? Huh! We won’t be able to tell if something’s wrong!”
         I let a message slip through my guarded mind, Well I’m so sure your worried about my health. Please keep your excuses for the people that might actually believe them and that can’t read your mind. I know that really your missing listening to my mind as it decides what to right in my journal you snoop. But in case you were wondering I sensed you every time and most of what I did in my mind while you were making sad attempts at eavesdropping was all lies and nonsense so… fat lot of help to you huh?
         His thought rushed at me almost in a panic what do you mean? Me snooping in your thoughts while you write in your journal! That’s absurd I wouldn’t do that! I wouldn’t have any need. And how come you were able to do give me a message just then? If I can’t get in how is it you can let stuff out at will? Huh? Ok this isn’t making sense.
         I replied calmly, well the spell that mom let me do allows me to allow people into my mind at my will instead of at their will. And you don’t need a reason to go snooping in your sisters journal it has already been provided for you, you’re a boy and a brother therefore its your responsibility in a way.
         Before Charles could answer another thought interrupted our conversation, why are you talking to yourself Charles? That’s not natural. Should I look up the symptoms for you or should I just take you to the spell doctor straight away! I’m just joking, you know when I was about your age I talked to myself all the time cause I couldn’t believe that it was possible to actually talk to yourself through your mind or to anyone else for that matter. Well I’m used to it now and you kn –
         DAD! I screamed into his mind I could tell he had jumped.
         K-kara? How come I can’t sense you?
         Cause mom let me put a blocker on my mind for my journeys and since you can’t take it down exactly, I sighed dramatically, I guess I’m stuck like this.
         What? She actually let you! Why? What did you do to make her do it??
         Jeez you really are slow daddy I didn’t do anything she just decided that it would be safest if my mind wasn’t open to the public while I’m gone. I allowed Charles to listen to this part, I thought you would have already known seeing as how you are usually as much of a snoop as your son. I smiled sweetly at my brother.
         He glowered back his hair was still yellow I am not a snoop!  He then smiled back.
         Of course not… all of those little adventures to Kara’s mind in process of journal writing was just um… accidental I think is what you would say right? And those times, dad, when you needed to find the place mom had stashed the cookies and you knew that I already knew and so you happened to pop in my mind to take a look that was an accident too, right?
         Charles opened his mouth wide in mock shock of what I was accusing him of doing. Well, you might have dreamed that I, your sweet innocent little brother, would do something like that! Your crazy!
         Well I’m not the one catching flies in my mouth am I? He closed his mouth and clenched his teeth as if to tell me that there were no flies getting into his mouth either.
         And you accuse me, your own father, of sneaking around in your mind? I find the cookies on my own. I could imagine him arms crossed and face set against the “false” accusation.
         Where are the cookies right now?
         Underneath the spare bed in the attic.
         Nope.
         But that’s where you- I mean I last found them
         Unfortunately, they’ve moved so I guess you’ll have to go on another scavenger hunt right dad? But you should be an expert by now huh? Kara grinned knowing she had won.
         Yeah… I guess…

         I left the room and walked over to my parents bedroom, where I knew my father was located. I knocked on the door, before entering. He was sitting at the desk with a map before him, I looked over his shoulder, he stuffed the map away quickly but I still got a good glimpse of the map. “I don’t know how a map is going to help you find the cookie jar but, whatever you need to do.” Sighing I fell back onto the bed.