Gender Bender in a Blue Blender - 9. Chapter 9- Oldest First, Youngest Last

The following early afternoon, the two young men and Adain's cousin sat in the waiting room arguing about which person should be allowed to go in with Della to question Laeraman Lewis. The hospital only allowed two visitors to see him at a time, meaning they could only go in to see him once. Della's daughters felt they had a right to be with their mother. Rosie claimed to be the most astute. But, it was ultimately Talon that silenced them all.

"Girls, remember that Adain is cursed, too, if the female form you're seeing before you are of any indication," Talon declared.

"Could be dyed hair."

"And contacts."

"Or a padded bra."

Della shushed the complaining girls and motioned for Talon to continue.

"Whether you believe that to be true or not," Talon groaned. "The point is that his mom has the bigger connection here. Shay's the one who did all the work and gathered all the information. If anyone has a right to find out anything more about her, it's Adain, don't you think?"

The grumbling eventually died, and Adain and Della finally stood up to see Laeraman Lewis. As heartwarming as it was that his cousins were invested in their situation, they needed to learn more about what Aid's mother had been up to.

"Thank you for allowing us to see him," Adain said to Nikoal as they entered the room.

"I want answers, too," Nikoal responded as she conceded the room and headed towards the waiting area. "As long as you share what you've found with me, I'm all in."

"We will," Della assured her.

Adain took small careful steps as he approached the comatose Laeraman from the opposite side of Della. He knew that he wasn't really sleeping in the sense of dreaming. However, he still subconsciously felt that limiting any noises other than the ones the machines were already making was better. He watched Della place her hand on the aged man's forehead and hold her flame with the other.

"Laeraman Lewis," she began in a calm and steady voice. "I am here with my cousin, Shay Calistro-Kelly's son. Your daughter brought to our attention that Shay entrusted you with the details of her investigation. It would be of great help to us if you focused on the meetings you had with her and held those moments in your mind."

Della's flames remained blank, and Adain's heart sank. Had they gone this far for nothing? But then, an image began forming in the dark fire, becoming clearer and more precise, like a camera's lens refocusing.

"Those men are all criminals," Shay spoke with conviction. "I just know it."

Adain's eyes were glued to the small image of his mother. He'd almost forgotten the exact shade of her curly copper hair and gray eyes. Those same eyes were furious as they glared at the miniature Laeramen Lewis.

"They were the last ones who saw and spoke with Oleah Calistro. I have witnesses who saw them walk her into the caves and even more who saw them walk out of the cave without her after a few hours. These bismuth pieces were in their hands." She said as she handed the metal over to Lewis. "It's the same metal they gave my husband and father-in-law condolences about her absence. To this day, the only account on record was what the Laeramen told them, that she had abandoned the town in anger. They mention nothing about the caves despite having been seen."

"That they were the last people that saw her is one thing," Lewis responded with a sigh as he turned the metal around. "To accuse them outright of murder without any clear evidence is a dangerous endeavor. They are the most powerful men in the district, let alone just our town."

Shay nodded furiously as she shoved her hands into her back pockets and began to pace. The movements reminded Adain of himself whenever he was overwhelmed.

"Right. Because it's not been proven long ago that Witches are more powerful than Warlocks…by Oleah herself, no less?" She vented. "I've read her journal! She describes in great detail every time the Warlock Council rejected her candidacy. Oleah wanted to be the first Laerawoman, to serve her community with the gifts she was given at birth, with the power that made her Mondria. And she was denied time and time again because, what, they wanted to remain a "brotherhood of men?" She emphasized, holding her fingers up in air quotes. "Get fucking real!"

Adain felt a knot form in his throat as he watched her. Everything about Shay, the way she carried herself and the infliction of her voice…it was how Adain behaved and spoke presently. Had his mother gotten too close to the truth? Had the Laeramen made her disappear just like they appeared to have done with his grandmother?

"I understand your frustration," Lewis replied. "And I am one hundred percent on the side of justice. But we need something concrete. Without it, they cannot only pull us both under but our families, as well." He confessed as he grabbed a kerchief from his pocket and began to dab his forehead dry. "My daughter's barely turned fourteen, and how old is your son now? Ten?"

"Eleven," Shay responded immediately. "Who do you think I'm doing this for, if not for them?" She countered as she pointed toward the direction of the Calistro household. "You said so yourself; you have a daughter. What if she grows to be as strong as Oleah? What if she becomes a Mondria herself? Do you seriously think she'll be safe? She won't want to follow in her adored father's footsteps and become the first Laerawoman herself?"

The dark-skinned man behind the desk paled at the thought. "I'll do what I can to help you," He conceded. "I'll rake through every office in the lyceum if necessary. But, there's still no guarantee I'll find something solid, Shay…."

The image then went blank. Adain's breath quickened as he locked gazes with Della's brown eyes across the way. She rushed over to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Breathe, Day-Day," she instructed firmly. "The last thing I need is you hyperventilating on me. We've still got work to do."

Adain concentrated hard on his breathing. Della was right. They needed to divulge what they'd just seen with Nikoal. If her father had found any incriminating evidence, she was their only hope of accessing it. Nikoal's words rose to the surface of his mind. "Nikoal said that half of the Laeramen have already fallen due to the curse," He told Della. "That they took the brunt of the curse. And Rosie said this kind of curse needed a conductor, which Talon believes is the bismuth. Della, doesn't that mean whoever cast this curse did it from inside the Bismuth caves?"

Della nodded, following his train of thought. "The caves might very well be the source." She agreed. "Okay, I must borrow Shay's map to check the caves myself. I want you to go with Talon and the girls to Grandpa's and keep an eye on them."

"Wait! No!" Adain complained. "Take me with you."

The older woman took hold of his shoulders and looked Adain in the eye. "Day-Day, we don't know exactly how, but the bismuth affects you, too. I won't be able to concentrate and search the caves well if I'm too busy worrying about you or the girls."

Adain's shoulders dropped, and his face fell when he realized where she was coming from. "But, Della, what if it isn't safe for you, either?" He questioned.

"That's just a risk I'm willing to take," Della insisted. "I promise I will return to let you know what I've found, okay?"

"Fine," Aid conceded. "But you better check in with us by e-mail every hour!"

"I'll even send pictures," Della responded with an amused glint in her brown eyes. "Let's part ways here."

Adain bit his lower lip in anxiousness as Della took a long way around so that her daughters wouldn't see her leave without them. He found Nikoal in the hallway and told her everything her father had revealed in the black fire. She assured him she'd search his office for anything related. With a shaky breath, he then headed back to the waiting room. His cousins and Talon all stood up and rushed towards him, but he held his hands up so they could wait.

"We found out a lot of things. But I'll explain them all when we get to Grandpa's house," Adain explained. "Della's also meeting us over there later. There's something important she has to do first."

"She left us with you?" Rosie questioned.

"Lucky we can all fit in Talon's car," Avery commented.

"You might want to let your parents know where we're gonna be," Aid told Rosie.

The ginger nodded and sent an e-mail to her parents and Lance, who'd been left behind. "I can't wait to hear what you two uncovered," she mused aloud.

"Nothing pleasant," the words slipped from Adain's mouth, drawing everyone's attention. He quickly shook his head. "The sooner we get to Grandpa's, the sooner you'll know."

::

Grandpa Alexander and Adain's father weren't happy to see them at the door after arriving. They were familiar with their course schedules and found out they had been skipping classes. Out of all the things the forgetful curse made them forget, it couldn't be less important things like their class schedules?

Regardless, Adain waited until everyone was gathered in the living room before explaining everything. "I don't know how to break this down," He told his parents. "But, trust us when we say that you're both cursed. Not the same way I'm cursed, but cursed, nonetheless."

"It's not just you," Avery assured. "All male Warlocks in our town have been hit with it."

"That doesn't make us feel any better," Adam Calistro responded as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Does anyone have a time frame as to when such a curse might have been cast?"

Everyone's eyes shifted to Adain, who shook his head in response. "We still don't know who cast it or when it was cast," He explained. "But, Della is taking a look at the site we believe to be the source of the conductor-"

"You let her go there alone?" Avery exclaimed.

"Did she go to the caves?" Rosie asked immediately after.

"Yes," Aid answered as he unlocked his phone and pulled open her last e-mail. "She's checking in through e-mail at least once an hour. Look, she's already taken a picture of the entrance." He said as the girls passed the phone around. "Because the men are all affected strongly by the bismuth, she went in herself. Said she'd be too worried if we were all there."

"Why? We're not affected," Avery countered.

"It's less the cave and bismuth itself, though it's part of the reason," Aid replied. "When Della asked Laeraman Lewis to show us one of the meetings he had with…someone," the young Warlock couldn't mention his mother or grandmother yet. "The two of them were trying to find evidence to prove that the rest of the Laeramen were criminals…that they might have had a hand in murdering at least one person."

"There were witnesses that saw them entering the cave with someone and then leaving it with bismuth mementos, but without the person they had walked in with," Adain continued. "Nikoal is searching her father's office to see if he'd documented anything else regarding the event."

"On the subject of bismuth," Talon prompted. "Is there any of it in the house right now?"

Adam nodded. "One of the Laeramen had given me bookends made of bismuth as a condolence gift after…" he frowned and rubbed his face with a yawn. "What was the question, again?"

Adain shook his head. "They're in his study. The rainbow ones. Get rid of them," he instructed. "What about you, Grandpa?"

"I, too, was given a bismuth gift," Alexander admitted. "I made it a garden decoration out back."

"I'll get rid of it," Avery offered as she headed towards the garden.

Talon took all the bismuth he could find and said he'd take it to a specialized waste facility. Avery accompanied him on the trip. Around twenty minutes after they were gone, Adain's parents began acting differently.

"Mom's room," Adain's dad said as he stood and turned toward his father. "Dad, do you remember who warded it?"

"I-I know who did," Adain spoke up. Chills ran down his spine when he realized it was the first time his dad had brought up the subject all on his own. "Dad, you're going to want to sit back down for this…."

After the older Calistro sat back down, Adain addressed them both. "Around the time of Mom's disappearance, she had been investigating the truth behind Grandma's disappearance. She even used Grandma Oleah's room as a base of sorts. Talon and I found a map of the Bismuth caves, along with her notes and suspicions. Mom strongly believed that grandma didn't leave willingly."

"The audacity," Grandpa Alexander hissed. "Shay was suspicious of the gifts given to us as condolences, wasn't she? She believed the Laeramen murdered my Oleah?"

Tears of guilt and relief began to roll down Adain's cheeks. How hadn't he realized that his parents hadn't been acting the same until recently? His dad and grandpa pieced everything together quickly while they weren't under the influence of the bismuth that had gradually made Swiss cheese from their recollections. And yet, Aid himself had been too busy with trivial things to notice their decline. He rushed forward to hug his father tightly and continued to weep.

"It's a lot all at once, I know," Adam consoled as he petted the top of his blue head. The last time Adain had done anything like that was when he was a small boy.

Though he was still in female form, the older man paid it no mind. "Did you not uncover anything about your own curse, son?"

Adain shook his head. "Only that it was Mom who cast it to protect her work. All anyone needed to do to get in was knock. Can you believe it?" He said.

A strained smile formed on his father's face." That sounds exactly like something she'd do."

"Aid's got only a couple days before it becomes permanent," Rosie warned. "Can you think of any ways Aunt Shay would dispel it?"

"I'm afraid not," Adam replied. "Shay's pranks were her trade secrets. This one, however, was not a prank. It was a punishment. Her target must have been any Laeraman trying to thwart her efforts."

"How do you figure?" the redhead asked.

"If there was one thing the whole town knew, it was that my mother was powerful and ambitious. She coveted the influence that only becoming a Laeraman could provide," The older Calistro elaborated. "But, she was always turned down by the Laeramen for being a woman. Knowing Shay, it would have been poetic justice if a Laeraman tried to break through her ward and turned into a woman in the process."

"Aunt Shay was a badass," Avery concluded.

"I don't think mom left us," Adain told his father before turning towards his grandpa. "I don't think grandma did, either. I don't want to say it out loud, but I think…"

Alexander silenced his grandson by gently lifting his bony hand to the side of Aid's face. "We're stronger than you believe us to be, Adain Calistro. And we have the same suspicion you have. The Laeramen must have, in some way, been involved in their disappearance."

"Has it been an hour yet?" Rosie asked.

"Right!" Adain responded as he unlocked his phone and rechecked his e-mails. His eyes widened at the latest update from Della. "We have to get to the caves! Della's asking for as many Witches as possible to join her."

"But, the bismuth…" Rosie warned.

"Dad and Grandpa might not be able to go," Adain said as he grabbed the keys to his dad's van. "But I can at least get you girls as close as possible."

Adain handed his phone to Rosie, who sent an e-mail to Talon and Avery faster than anyone he'd ever seen. Pulling out of the driveway in the van wasn't as smooth as he had liked since it had been a while since he drove it. But, he wasted no time heading from one Calistro household to the next, picking up as many female cousins and family members as possible. By the time they neared the mouth of the bismuth caves, the van had held 10 witches of various ages, Adain not included.

Rosie led the way, using the pictures Della had sent as a guide as they all rushed into the caves' entrance. Adain himself hesitated as he approached the bismuth. He rushed in after his female family members when he felt no noticeable side effects. The opening was speckled with moonstones that were activated by Warlocks when they first discovered it. But, the deeper they descended into the cave, the less moonstone was visible, so the ladies used the flashlight apps on their phones as their light source.

The temperature dropped, and dripping water echoed in the darkness. The group speed-walked for what felt like a half hour until they found a lit pole made up of moonstone in the distance, followed by another. The group thinned out as the path narrowed, but there was a collective relief when more pillars of moonstone showed them the way. As they stepped into a vast, open space, they heard noises. Della's voice was recognizable.

Cesar's wife, Suni, held her hand out as they approached. "Oldest first, youngest last," she demanded before she corrected herself. "No, 'Niada's' last."

"This is bullshit," Adain hissed but remained in the rear as they neared the source of the noises.

Suni rushed towards Della and linked hands with her in a flurry of activity. The others automatically did the same. Adain gasped when his shortest cousin, Aura, gripped his hand tightly. As they worked their way into the open space, they caught sight of a hellish scene.

Adain's mother was held aloft via two ghostly beams attached to her scapula. The beams were held tightly by the poltergeist of a woman Adain did not recognize. The ghost was a pale gray with void eyes of such deep indigo that they seemed black. Shay's arms were held in front of her in what seemed like an endless struggle to contain the power being fed into a wall of bismuth.

"They were on the ground when I got here," Della exclaimed. "Shay showed me her side of it…she went searching for Mondria Oleah's bones but also came across her ghost and became possessed by her."

Aid's heart began to race at the very thought. Did that mean his mother was alive? Had she been alive this whole time?

"But, Oleah's spirit lifted her away from me. I need to get up there!" Della insisted. "If we discover why she turned into a poltergeist, we might be able to undo it."

"She won't let you get in close without a fight," Suni warned.

"I can get Della over there," Rosie's mom suggested. "But, first...Aura, can your blue fire reach the wall?"

"Yeah, easily," The smaller Witch responded.

"Pretend as if you're using it to destroy the wall; it should distract the poltergeist while I get Della up there," her aunt explained. "Beatrice, in the meantime, I'll need you to spark up a wind vortex around us for protection. Everyone else, help keep that ghost's attention on your affinities, not what Della's doing."

Leave it to Rosie's mom to think of something on the fly. Adain now knew where the redhead got it from. The plan even worked. Rosie's mother raised Della on an earth platform while Aura shot her blue fire at the wall. The threat on her conductor caused the poltergeist to double down on the wall, and the surge made Adain flicker between genders. He fell to his knees and broke the hand chain. Aid thought he was hallucinating when Avery rushed in to take his place, holding onto their smallest cousin's hand. He felt Talon's arms around him, realizing it wasn't an illusion.

"Let's get you out of here!" Talon insisted.

Adain shook his head vehemently. "No, I'm not leaving yet!"

The cackling roar of a fire drew everyone's attention to Della's black fire. The Witch had magnified the flames so that the image almost filled the entire region.

Adain's form stabilized into his female one as he stood back up to see. They saw the scene unfolding within Della's flames as if they were witnesses.

"How dare you try to play me for a fool!" The image of Mondria Oleah argued as she shook herself free from the hold a Laeramen had on her upper arm.

"Corralling me into a cavern will do you no good. Not when I can steal the oxygen from your lungs."

As if to illustrate it, she began drawing out the oxygen from one of the older Laeramen in the cave. The man fell to his knees, then braced his hand on the bismuth wall and broke her suction by attacking her with leaves. They stuck to her eyes and upper face so firmly that she couldn't remove them no matter how hard she tried. Blinded, she let out a growl.

"If anyone was a fool here," one Laeramen mused aloud. "It's you, Mondria. Have you forgotten that stones can be used as conductors? The bigger the stone, like this bismuth wall, the stronger it amplifies any powers channeled through it. This is your last chance. Give up on your quest to usurp us."

"Never!" Mondria Oleah responded. She let out a startled gasp when she felt a hand slide up her thigh. She shoved it away, but more hands descended on her.

They began to rip apart her clothing. "Wh-what are you doing? I'm a married woman!"

"You had your chance. Now, we'll make use of you before ridding our town of your filthy existence."

Mondria Oleah's wailing echoed in the cave, and they realized that it not only came from the image in the fire but from the poltergeist herself. Della broke the connection when the ghost shoved her off the platform. Avery and Aura rushed to her mother, breaking the hand chain, as the spirit shrieked.

"You've been avenged!" Adain yelled so that the poltergeist could hear him above the sound of her own voice. "Grandma, those men are either gone or nearly dead!" He rushed over to Della, stumbling and nearly falling along the way. "Show her my memories!"

Della didn't hesitate to place a hand on his forehead and project his memories in the flame. Adain showed her the decline of their male family members, including Oleah's husband and son. He showed her the conversations with Nikoal, where she explained that most of the Laeramen were already dead. Finally, he showed her the memory of when Della and Aid had gone to see the comatose Lewis and even the memory-within-the-memory of him doing all he could to help Shay uncover the truth.

The poltergeist stopped shrieking and let Shay's body go. As she plummeted to the ground, Talon caught her in his arms. The indigo void of her eyes faded until they were her normal blue ones. They were Calistro blue, just like Adain's. Mondria Oleah floated down until she was in front of Adain. She waved a hand over his head, and he again shifted back into his male form.

But, unlike before, Adain felt that the curse was indeed lifted. Oleah went from one family member to another as if looking into their souls. She then rose back into the sky and gave a firm nod before dissipating into mist. Shay wheezed in a haggard breath just then.

"Mom!" Adain cried out as he rushed over to her. She caressed her knuckles down his face, and he began to tear up again. "Mom…"

Shay's gorgeous copper hair had faded to a dull peach hue. She had far more wrinkles on her face than the average forty-five-year-old. In the process, Adain didn't need Suni to verify that much of her lifespan had been leeched from her.

Rosie's mom immediately began doing the math. "If Shay is 45, and the curse drained the rest of her proposed lifespan… that'd be 55 years."

"55…well, there are 11 of us here," Rosie pointed out. "So, what? Five years each?"

"Five years each," Della affirmed as she rolled her sleeves. "You girls ready?"

The Witches began another hand chain.

"Wait, wait, what do you think you're doing?" Adain questioned as he wiped his tears to better see his family's antics.

"What does it look like?" Avery retorted. "We're giving Auntie Shay the life back that she lost."

"But, she wouldn't want you to sacrifice five years of your lives for her like this…." Aid whimpered. "I won't let you!"

"Talon," Della instructed. "Get him out of here."

Talon didn't hesitate to lift Adain in his arms and rush out.

"No!" Adain cried out as he struggled against him. "Talon, don't let them do this!"

"It's called tough love!" Avery's words echoed in the cave. "Get used to it!"

A bright light blinded Adain's vision. He felt a wave of drowsiness hit him. The next thing he knew, he lost consciousness in Talon's arms.