Magi Saga 1: Epic Calling (33 page)

She couldn’t believe she was here, and by the looks of things she was on her way to becoming a Nun.

She set her coffee down on the side, excused herself from William and walked over to Alicia where she was sorting out some papers on a desk.

‘Alicia?’ Amanda said.

She looked up at Amanda for a moment with a look of confusion, not seeming to recognise her, until it suddenly hit her and her expression turned to shock and she raised her hand to her mouth.

‘Amanda? Oh my! Is it you?’

‘It’s me,’ she said, her grin growing.

‘I thought you’d gone for good.’

‘Not quite. So, whats the craic?’

‘Oh shut up.’ Alicia said and wrapped her arms round Amanda in a tight embrace. ‘Just shut up, it’s been too long. I’ve been worried sick about you, I thought you might have been killed or something.’

Amanda hugged her friend back and felt immediately better.

‘I’m so sorry for running out on you Alicia, it wasn’t an easy choice, but I couldn’t let you in on it, you would only have stopped me and told the Nun’s.’

Alicia seemed about to say something but stopped short.

‘It’s okay, it’s just your nature,’ said Amanda.

‘I forgive you Mandy, you had to do what you had to do. God has a plan for all of us. You had to find your path as much as I had to find mine.’

Alicia pulled away from Amanda and wiped her eyes to clear them of the tears that were there. Amanda did the same.

Alicia looked up suddenly.

‘Wait here,’ she said and dashed off to chat with a few people. Within moments she had returned and gathered up her things.

‘I’ve just got some cover for my next few periods, so we have a little while to chat, come on, let’s go for a walk.’

They headed outside and into the grounds of the estate, keeping away from the school areas and the students that would be there and ambled through the trees and grass. Alicia threaded her arm through Amanda’s and it seemed like she didn’t want to let go.

‘So where did you run away too in the end? Was it New York?’

‘Yeah, I ended up in New York. Manhattan. My dream city. It was a bit of a crazy ride over in the ship, but it was worth it, Manhattan is fantastic.’

‘Really?’

‘Oh yeah, it’s such a vibrant and exciting place to live. There’s never a dull moment and it’s a real melting pot of cultures and races, lots of Irish people there too.

Alicia went on to ask many questions about Amanda’s life up to now, but Amanda didn’t tell her everything, she left out the prostitution and the Magic and created a sanitised version that seemed a little more rosy then the reality, with just a few changes here and there.

‘But what about you Ali, I know you said you liked the idea of being a Nun, but I never thought you’d actually do it.’

‘I think I’ve always known I’d end up as a Nun. Maybe I entered it a little earlier then I thought I would, but it’s a life that appeals to me.’

‘And they’re happy to let in people so young?’

‘They’re a little nervous about it, but there’s a two and a half year induction period so there’s plenty of time to change my mind.’

‘Two and a half years?’

‘That’s right, I’ve done my six months Postulancy and now I’m doing my two years as a Novitiate. If I come to the end of that and I still want to do it, then I take my vows.’ She spoke with enthusiasm about this part of her life, she clearly loved it.

‘And what do your parents think about it?’

Alicia’s tone darkened a touch. ‘Well, you know them, they weren’t sure about it, but they understand that I had a calling from God and that I believe this is what he wants me to do.’

‘Are you sure about that Ali?’

‘I’m certain, I can feel it, it just feels right for me.’

‘So you’re going to be a Nun, here, and teach?’

‘That’s what I’d like, to be able to give something back and to educate the next generation. It feels good,’ she was all smiles again.

‘Any particular subject?’

‘I’m not sure yet, I’m assisting the other teachers and I’ll make my mind up soon.’

‘So I’m guessing there’s been no boy’s on the scene at all?’

‘Amanda! No, absolutely not. I’m not into all that,’ she said, shocked.

‘Not even a sneaky snog behind the bike sheds before you started being a nun?’ Amanda coxed

‘Well, er…’ Alicia’s face was a mask of guilt suddenly.

‘Oh you did! Who was it? Come on, tell me.’

‘It was Ralph, do you remember him?’ she said sheepishly.

‘O’Connell? That Ralph?’ One of the geeks from school, in Amanda’s opinion, someone she could see Alicia going for.

‘That’s him. We’d become sort of friends after you left, he was very sweet to me and I felt I could talk to him,’ Alicia’s face was serene with the memory.

‘Looks like you did more than talk you dirty slapper!’ Amanda joked, all smiles.

Alicia gave Amanda knowing smile and flushed red. She took a deep breath before she continued.

‘Well, it was one weekend, and we were talking in the field, sat by a tree and, I don’t know, it felt right at the time.’

‘Who made the first move?’ It felt good to gossip once more, Gentle Water wasn’t the type to talk like this.

‘Oh, he did. I could never do that.’

‘And how was it?’

‘Weird, but nice I suppose, until he tried to put his tongue in my mouth,’ Alicia screwed up her face in distaste.

Amanda giggled. ‘So, what did you do?’

‘I panicked, I didn’t know what he was trying to do so I pushed him off, spat out his spit because it tasted funny and walked off.’

Amanda laughed, ‘Did anything else happen?’

‘No, I think some girls saw it or found out about it and made fun of him, we didn’t really speak after that. There was no one else after Ralph.’ Her tone was serene, was there sadness in there too?

Amanda and Alicia walked on, chatting about their lives and reminiscing over memories and Amanda loved every moment of it. Alicia had been a true friend to her as a child during her time here and it was good to finally catch up.

But it was all so very different now, and she didn’t feel as close to Alicia as she once had. Both of them had drifted apart over the years and gone in very different directions, and the fact that the direction Amanda had taken meant she had to lie to Alicia about what she did and what had happened to her didn’t help the situation.

They made their way back to the building and headed back to the Staff Room where a waiting Nun walked over to them.

‘Amanda I take it?’ she asked.

‘That’s right,’ Amanda replied.

‘Oh I’m so glad you’re still here, The Reverend Mother would love to see you. Would you mind?’

‘Of course not,’ Amanda smiled, she had hoped she could see Emmanuel.

And the Nun went on to lead Amanda and Alicia through the building and upstairs to an office that was outside of the Convent. This was the Mother superiors public office where she met people from outside.

Within moments they were shown in through the old oak door and into the office which was wood panelled and tastefully appointed.

From around the edge of the desk, the familiar figure of Emmanuel Page, the Reverend Mother, or Mother Superior, approached Amanda. She was in her late fifties and had aged badly, looking older then she was. Her face was heavily lined, the years where etched clearly upon a face that had once been pretty. Emmanuel loved her flock, and always wanted to help and look after people. Amanda had been given Emmanuel’s surname when she had been taken in by the sisters of St Mary’s, as they didn’t know her name when she had been left on their doorstep as an infant.

‘Amanda, it’s so nice to see you again.’

Amanda walked over and hugged Emmanuel gently before pulling away, ‘and you sister. I’d hoped that you might still be here.’

‘Oh, I’ll be here for a good few years yet my young lady.’

‘Look, I really wanted to tell you, to say how sorry I am for having run away like I did. It was something I had to do and I know it must have caused you some pain, but I had to do it. I don’t expect you to understand. But I do hope that you can forgive me.

‘Amanda, forgiving is what our faith is all about. I forgave you a long time ago, and you look like you have done alright for yourself. You have nothing to apologise for young lady. Now, let’s put all that behind us shall we? Take a seat.’

Amanda sat down opposite the Reverend Mother and before long she was answering the same questions she had been asked by several other people and using the same answers with the same gusto and excitement that she had done earlier on.

Emmanuel had looked after Amanda and helped to educate her outside of the usual school hours. She was never quite a proper mother to Amanda, but it was about as close as she came to it, even though Emmanuel had always kept Amanda somewhat at arm’s length, not wanting her to become too attached to the Nun’s here.

Once again, although Amanda held Emmanuel in high regard and she had very fond memories of her, the events over the last three years had changed things so much that she felt disconnected to this part of her life, almost like it was someone else’s life.

The time flew by and she had soon said her goodbyes to the Reverend Mother who told Amanda to return whenever she felt like it, and Amanda walked through the corridors of the school once more with Alicia.

It was lunch hour and the children were all out in the playground and the corridors were relatively clear.

They stopped at a window ledge and looked out over the figures of the children beneath them, and as Amanda leant there, she could feel Alicia struggling with something internally, wrestling with some thought, so Amanda thought she would take the initiative.

‘Spit it out,’ she said, not wanting to read her old friends mind.

Alicia looked at Amanda with a look of slight shock.

‘I can tell you want to say something or ask something, so just ask it. I won’t be offended. Go on.’

‘Okay, well, I was wondering if you still had an interest in the odd and obscure still, you know, the occult?’

Amanda raised her eyebrows, it was a little out of left field, but she now understood why Alicia had struggled with it.

‘Yes Alicia, I suppose I do. What gave it away.’

‘Your top.’

Amanda looked down at the print on her sleeveless top, a cartoon pumpkin with an evil face on it, beneath it, it had the words, “I love Halloween”

‘Oh, I see. That transparent am I?’

Alicia smiled.

‘Well, go on then, why do you ask?’ Amanda said.

‘Well, I’m a little concerned by the four students down there,’ and Alicia gestured to four people stood over to one side of the yard.

Amanda saw them right away as they stood out from the other students like a sore thumb. They were about sixteen or seventeen and were all wearing casual black goth looking clothing which marked them out as being in the Sixth Form.

The first guy, who Alicia called Scott, had long black hair tied back in a ponytail and wore a black leather jacket over a grey tee shirt and had on old looking jeans with a chain dangling from one side. His boots were heavy and black.

The second one Alicia pointed out she called Christina, she had long dyed black straight hair and wore and long black velvet coat over a longer black dress of silk and lace. Her dark eye liner stood in stark contrast to her white face.

The third guy she called Tomo, the biggest built of the three guys, wearing a bulky leather jacket with chains and clasps all over it on top of a simple white vest with dirty jeans and huge jack boots. He was bald and already had some tattoos on his head as well as several piercings. He looked the scariest of the four.

The final one Alicia pointed out was Jake, who had been the one who had attracted her interest in the group, she explained. He used to be a high flying student, straight A’s, but since he had fallen in with this new group of friends, his grades were slipping and he seemed less interested in studying. Alicia also mentioned she thought he might have a little crush on her.

Jake looked athletic with short cropped blonde hair wearing a tee-shirt and jeans, he appeared to be the least Goth of the four.

‘So what seems to be the trouble. They look like a bunch of kids to me, nothing for you to be worried about.’

‘Perhaps, they work hard and are very friendly, but I’ve heard a few of the things they have spoken about and they have been caught with a Ouija Board before now. I’m just worried that they might be getting involved in something dangerous, Devil worship maybe, and was wondering if you could find out a little more for me?’

‘Well, I don’t know what I can do for you Ali, but I will try to help you as much as I can. Where should I start, I can’t really just go up to them and ask them can I.’

‘I can get you the keys to their dorm rooms and you can check them over the next lesson when they’ll be empty. How does that sound?’

‘Okay grand, sounds like a plan.’