Learning a New Life - 7. Chapter 7

It was Thursday morning when Nate brought the pair into a clear alleyway downtown, a few blocks from the building where Susan worked. They walked out onto the busy pedestrian street, blending in with the crowd of people. It was late Spring and the weather was warm, the bright sun adding to the ambiance as if to say that it was a day like any other. Nate looked around, taking in the buildings, trees, and everyone walking by. Some passed with bags, others with strollers containing young children. For all he knew, he was as new to this world as Michael but with no preparation, and he breathed in the vistas as much as he could. Michael was a man on a mission, and though he did not walk rapidly, it was fast enough that Nate did not feel as though he had adequate time to take in what he wanted.

They reached the building with the rainbow flag outside and walked in. As before, despite the bustling crowd outside, they appeared to be the only people there until the door chime brought Susan from the back again. She had her head down as she was walking to the front, reading papers in a manila folder. When she looked up and saw the pair she stopped in her tracks. An onlooker may have thought it was a face-off, for none of the three spoke for several seconds.

Finally, it was Susan who breathed in before saying, "I didn't think I'd see you again."

"You were wrong," Michael replied in a flat tone.

Susan's eyes darted to Nate before going back to Michael. "Apparently," she said, her voice guarded. "What brings you here today?"

Michael sighed. He was supposed to be strong. He was supposed to be powerful, or at least have that potential. But he would be admitting that he was in over his head, though he realized that Susan already knew this. For starters she was empathic, and he was also convinced she had at least a weak telepathic ability. And he had already come to her for help before.

"I need your help. And this is going to take some time."

Susan nodded, her heart beat quickening as she realized that she may finally learn more about this enigmatic man who had shown up at her proverbial doorstep needing help but turning out to be a powerful witch - if unfocused in his abilities - and have a jinni bound to him. She thought all this as she crossed to the door, locked it as before, turned the sign to "WE'RE CLOSED," and walked to the back room, expecting Michael and the jinni to follow. She knew she had to be careful because she could sense that despite the façade of detached objectivity, Michael was a boiling caldron of mixed up emotions. The main ones she felt at the moment were fear, uncertainty, and yearning. The jinni, meanwhile, was blank. He was the first creature she had met that she could not tell existed before seeing him.

The three sat down, Susan in her chair, and Michael and Nate on the couch. Silence.

Nate looked at Michael and very subtly poked him with his elbow. Michael sighed and closed his eyes for several seconds before opening them and beginning:

"I'm not from around here. I was raised by elves for as long as I can remember, but their laws said I had to leave when I turned eighteen. I trained with them, and I toured your city with them, but I was forced out maybe a month ago and I have no idea what I'm doing here. They may have prepared me somewhat for how to live in this," he gestured around him, "and I have a house, but I have no food, I don't know what to do with my life, and even with Nate, I'm lost."

Susan expected him to continue, or to have gone a little deeper, so there was silence for nearly a minute while she thought he might jump back in. When he didn't, she decided to ask the obvious. "How are you lost with a jinni? He can do anything, though I myself always considered it somewhat cheating and wondered why those that created us all would give us a get-out-of-anything-free card like a jinni."

"Nate."

"Sorry … Nate."

"Look, are you going to judge me, or are you going to help?" He turned to Nate, "See, I told you this was a waste," he said as he started to get up.

"No, please. Yes, I think I can help you, but I need to know more. I mean, what are you looking for? Why are you here? What do you want to do?"

"I-- I don't know," he confessed, defeated.

"Hmm," Susan thought. She had never encountered a situation like this before, and she was uncertain what to do. This boy - for he really was a child despite what his age may be - was like a newborn, seeing the world with fresh eyes without context nor purpose, and he was asking her to help him. The potential to shape him was there, but she dared not make obvious attempts to push him along what may seem an agenda of her own.

Her training in social work relied upon there being a social context for the person with whom she was dealing. But here, there was none. She was starting from scratch. She wished she could bring in others at the center who may be able to help, but based upon Michael's displays of power, she dared not lest he reveal magic and make things more complicated. Now that she thought about it, that was as good a place as any to start. But then again, he would be defensive about that. Perhaps at home?

"Michael, would you be willing to bring me to your home? You said you had no food -- but you set up a house? Perhaps I could help you get started there.

Michael thought about it, looked towards Nate, and at his encouraging if very curt nod, nodded his own head. "Nate?"

The next moment, all three of them were in Michael's house, sitting at the dining room table. Susan was incredibly disoriented at first, looking around confused.

"Well, um, I suppose that's one way of doing it?" Susan remarked as she tried to regain her composure and stood up, looking around the room. She saw the table in what could be considered a dining room, and through a large opening she could see a couch and television in the next room in front of her. To her side was what would normally be the kitchen, with a counter, cabinets, drawers, and ... well, nothing else. She looked at Michael and was confused. "Refrigerator? Oven, stove, microwave ... not even the kitchen sink?"

Michael looked at her, confused.

Susan was surprised, but she realized on the other hand that she really shouldn't be. He may know some things about modern society - such as money or apparently where the clubs were - but not other obvious things like what goes in a kitchen. What little she knew about the elves from her family's grimoire indicated that their society was similar to what one may expect from medieval Europe, living simply and using their own form of magic to satisfy their needs. It was as if an alien had observed humanity once a year for a decade and then went back to explain to another how they should live to fit in.

If Michael had grown up it that environment, she really did have her work cut out for her. She would need to slowly acclimate him to the culture, much like putting a fish in a bag of water, separate in a tank to acclimate before releasing it.

"Michael, you were at my home for a brief period. If we go there again, I can show you what you really should have. Even if you don't cook, your kitchen would at least look normal."

Michael looked at Nate and nodded, and though this time Susan was more prepared, she was still a little surprised to find them in the kitchen of her own house, though this time Nate took a moment longer to materialize and looked slightly uncomfortable.

She spent the rest of the morning explaining to both him and Nate the functions of modern kitchen appliances, and she took them through the rest of the first floor of the home, showing them the dining area, living room, and breakfast nook that was formed in a wide hallway between the kitchen and the living room. As it was getting late, Susan offered to make him and herself a fast lunch that they ate on the wicker table in the breakfast nook.

It was during this time that Michael was admiring the backyard and the greenhouse through the windows that Susan got a few more ideas. After the brief lunch, she took him through her garden greenhouse, showing him the different flowers, herbs, and plants, as well as a more interesting corner that had a few species that most humans never see. In the garden, Susan felt Michael was much calmer, almost serene and at peace as he slowly walked through, even caressing some of the leaves with a wistful look in his eye. They returned inside and Susan heard the grandfather clock in the hallway strike the 1:00 hour.

"I think we've gone through enough for today. Do you have a basic idea of getting your house set up? And what everything does?" Susan asked.

"I think so," Michael replied. Nate nodded -- the total recall of a jinni making the question superfluous.

"Okay, I think the last thing to at least get you oriented is to take you to the grocery store. Oh, but first, the bank. We need to get you more cash and a debit card." She quickly added, "I'll drive you. We can't go popping in by magic. And now that I think of it, that is a conversation we need to have tomorrow."

Michael looked at her questioningly but followed her out the front door, Nate behind him. Nate felt a tiny shock, almost like static, as he passed through the door. The three climbed into Susan's station wagon and she drove them first to the bank. She sat him down with a banker and after a few short minutes Michael was told his card would arrive by mail in 3-5 business days. While this was going on, Susan made a quick note of his address. Michael also withdrew cash and placed it into the wallet that Nate had created on the car ride.

The next and final stop was the grocery store. There, she explained that this was where food was bought, described the different sections, what prepared food was, and she gave him recommendations on what he might get.

"Have you ever cooked?" she asked as they were in the butcher area.

"No," Michael replied.

Susan looked to Nate, who just shrugged.

"Though my older son would kill me if he heard me say it, you should probably stay away from most of the raw food until you get some idea of how to cook. What did you used to eat?"

Michael rattled off several words that Susan did not know the meaning of before she held up her hand to stop him. "Okay, well, we don't really have that. You'll need to get used to our food. Do you have much experience with it? Did you like lunch?"

"Um, I like pizza!" he said proudly.

Susan waited expectantly before asking, "Anything else?"

Michael paused, having exhausted his food experience already. He shook his head.

"Okay then. I suggest we go back to the cereal aisle. And get you fruits and vegetables. It's basic, but we need to start somewhere to build your pallet."

They filled a cart with cereal, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and bread. Susan decided that if she were really writing on a blank slate, there was no need to explain the finer points of the candy, chips, and cookies aisles. After the cart was full and Susan was fairly sure there was enough food for at least a week or two - and he did still have a jinni - she escorted them to the checkout line.

There, to the mixed frustration, impatience, and amusement of other customers and the cashier, she quietly explained why everything had to be scanned, bagged, and then how to pay for the groceries. When she realized she was attracting a little more attention than she wanted, she closed her eyes briefly, rubbed her temples, and then just said to the cashier, "They're brothers visiting from South Africa as part of an exchange program." People stopped paying attention. To Michael, this confirmed some of his earlier suspicions about her telepathic ability.

They brought the groceries back to the car and after loading, got back in.

Susan asked, "Okay, where do you live? Let's drop these off and then I'll go home."

"Thank you for your help today, but I'd rather you not know where I live." Michael looked to the back seat at Nate and said, "Nate, let's you, me, and the food go home." The jinni nodded and they were all gone.

Susan was left in her car in the parking lot, looking around to make sure no one noticed. She then sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, started the car, and drove home.

That night, Susan seemed detached to her family. Shawn, her older son, didn't seem to notice as he cleaned up from dinner. Will, the son two years younger seemed completely unaware while he wolfed down his food and quickly left the house to play with his friends. Joanna noticed, and she asked what was bothering her. Susan brushed her off and said that it was nothing, just a headache. Joanna left her daughter to go back to the attic to read more, trying to figure out a way to learn more about Michael and his companion. Susan shook her head softly, thinking, "If she only knew," as she climbed to the second floor of the house to her own room where she tried to figure out how she would approach the next day, and how she may help give Michael a sense of purpose.

* * * * *

Throughout her 44 years, Susan had been raised to know that magic was kept hidden. People who found out posed risks to them and to themselves and the memories were eliminated, any leaks were controlled. It was better that way for everyone, and the rest of the magical non-human community could go about their own existences without interference. In the end, if there were an all-out war, the community was too small to ever survive. True, they would do a lot of damage, and they had done damage tens of thousands of years ago in a battle that no one consciously remembered, but it was inscribed upon the mind of each by a force unbeknownst to nearly all. In the end, though, they would lose. And there was no reason for them to come to that if only their own waring and attempts at influencing humanity could remain occluded and subtle.

Yes, her understanding of this was the same as her mother's and the other witches, even those they fought against – warlocks, the witches that used their abilities to do harm – all knew this. It was the one thing both sides agreed to, and neither was willing to be the first to break it. «And that was why Michael must be brought to understand,» Susan thought grimly.

Susan raised the subject with Michael. She had gotten no more than a sentence in when he stopped her and asked how stupid she thought he was.

"I was raised with elves. They hide from everyone." He paused before continuing sadly, "Even me, now."

Susan waited for him to continue, as she sensed that he was opening up more. Michael was looking into the distance, his eyes unfocused for over a minute as he relived memories of years gone by. Susan tried to open herself up and passively "skim the surface," as she referred to it, to gain a little more insight into the young man. What she could pick up were pieces, mostly emotions, but it helped her a little.

Finally, Michael continued, shaking his head slightly and returning to the present. "As I said, I know how to cover my tracks. I was just … not careful. I need to work on my wards against non-magical interference."

Susan nodded slightly. "I can help," she offered.

Michael laughed. "I know dozens of spells that'll work, and I have Nate," he added and put his hand on his companion's while they were seated in the breakfast hallway at Susan's house.

Susan once again heard the clock chime in the hallway telling her that it was noon. Anticipating that Shawn would take up most of her day, she had asked one of the volunteer social workers to cover for her at the LGBT center. Brian was capable of handling most things that would come up, though she knew that he enjoyed working there for other reasons, as well.

"Alright, Michael, it's time for lunch again. Can I make you something? What would you normally eat?"

"How about ilori?"

"What?"

"It's a bread. I would usually eat it mid-day."

"I'm afraid I've never heard of it. Umm, you may find like yesterday at the grocery that there are some things the elves made that you just can't find here."

"Then how am I supposed to know what I want? I had some human food while visiting over the years, but my companions didn't care for it so I don't know what there is."

Susan thought -- he had a good point. "How about I start you off with something simple and basic. We got you some stuff at the store yesterday, so let's go for something a little different. My kids eat it every day for lunch, and it's something that you can make for yourself if you like it. It's called 'peanut butter and jelly.' And it's served on bread."

Michael didn't respond, so she went to the cupboards to retrieve the large jar of peanut butter. As she assembled the sandwich, Michael came in to watch and then tasted it, with some trepidation at first, but then with obvious appetite after the preliminary bite.

"Okay, that answers that," she remarked as she put together a second one for herself. She handed Michael an apple to eat along with it and gave him a glass of water, which he drank thirstily.

When they had finished, Susan asked, "Now, do you remember where you should be on Monday? At 9:00?"

"What is that again?" he asked as he looked at the device on his wrist.

"That's where the long line is pointed at the '12' and the short one is on the '9,'" she replied, again reminding herself that he had no concept of things she took for granted.

"Right ... you said to be at that -- that ..."

"Okay, how about this: You meet me back at the center at 8:50 - that's when the long hand is on the '10' and the short one is between the '8' and '9' - and I'll take you there. Remember, though, you can't wear that tunic. You need to wear at the very least a t-shirt. And you can't bring Nate," she added as she looked up to the jinni that had been shadowing Michael the entire morning. "This is a favor I've called in to get you a job. He's looking for one person. You can wear your necklace, under your shirt, but Nate can't be out. I'm sorry."

"Remind me why I need a 'job?'"

"You said that you were looking for something to do. A way to help, to interact, to be normal and 'fit in.' Everyone has a job. It's what people do. I'm a social worker, I work at the center that you found me in, and that's what I get paid to do. My mother, well, let's leave her out for now. But it's how we normal people get money to buy things so we can live comfortably."

"What about your sons?"

"They're in school."

"What's that?"

Susan sighed. Speaking of money, they were not paying her enough for this. "School is where people go to learn. Everyone goes to school for a certain amount of time to learn things. When they're done, they can choose to get a job, or they can go to more school to learn more things so they can get more technical jobs. Like me, I went to school for an extra six years to get a degree in social work and psychology so that I can better help people, people like you."

"I didn't go to school."

Susan paused before responding. "Yes, well, it would be a little ... odd ... to have you go to a normal school right now. It would raise a lot of questions. I think it's better if we just take this one step at a time. Let's just get you a job and used to interacting with people rather than elves for now."

"Okay. So, we're done?"

"Yes. Remember, 8:50, back at the center on Monday, and wear those pants and a white t-shirt."

"Okay. Thanks. Nate?" The two were back at his house.