Guardians

Chapter 20: "Sweet Home, Chicago"

Taking the bus downtown, we found Cardamum Alley with Kari as a guide. The overall atmosphere was completely different than Diagon Alley. For one thing, there were so many people that we could hardly cross the street without bumping into someone. One group of wizards were playing jazz, improvising the music as they went along. Ice-cream that wouldn't melt was offered to us twice before we even reached the shops. We were content to simply walk around, but then Kari walked straight into someone, knocking all of her things to the ground.

"Sorry!" Kari apologized, kneeling down to clean up.

"That's all right," the girl mumbled, and a change in emotion was suddenly marked in her face as she looked up at her assailant. "Kari?!"

"Susan?!" Kari exclaimed back, her eyes lighting up. My friend and I glanced at each other in surprise. We looked back and caught Kari and Susan embracing in excitement.

"Oh my God!!! Where have you been, Kari? How long has it been?" Susan asked.

"Almost five years, I think," she replied. "What's going on?"

"No way, I asked you first," Susan teased. "You're the one who disappeared without a trace!"

"I haven't been in school, remember?" Kari joked back. "You've got to fill me in! Have you gotten a boyfriend yet?"

"Just a couple... wait a sec! You're telling me what happened to you, or else!" Susan playfully wielded her clenched fist underneath Kari's nose. I coughed politely to show that my friend and I were still waiting for an explanation.

"Oh!" Kari blurted out, noticing us at last. "This is Susan, one of my best buds from school. Susan, this is Rose and Anonimo. They're from England." As we shook hands, I looked at Susan more closely. She was a little shorter than me, which was pretty short, especially for her age. I assumed that Susan was the same age as Kari, seventeen. Susan had flamboyant blonde hair with red highlights, which seemed to match her personality perfectly. Although she wore formal black pants, she let her spunkiness show through by paring them with a lime green tank-top and heaps of small necklaces.

"Kari, for the last time, tell me what happened," Susan pleaded, a serious tone entering her voice. "You've been gone for so long. Some people had given up hope of ever seeing you again. One minute you were there, and in the next, you just... vanished." Kari turned to us uncertainly.

"Is it okay if we tell her?" she asked softly, her voice low so that Susan couldn't overhear.

"Is there anywhere that we could speak in private?" I turned to Susan and asked. She noted the hint of gravity in my tone and nodded.

"I've got a summer job over at O'Leary's as a waitress," she replied. "We can talk in one of the back rooms if you want."

"That's perfect," my friend agreed as I nodded my head. Trying not to bump into any other people, we headed towards an ancient barn that had been converted into a pub. We stepped inside, and to our delight it was instantly cooler. Even though the door was open, I knew that a special spell was being used to keep the coolness inside.

"Hey, Orlando," Susan called to a boy bussing tables nearby. "Working today?"

"As usual," he responded, walking over to us with a huge bin of dishes in his hands. "I'm trying to get a promotion, remember? Anyway, what are you doing here? You're a bit early; you're not supposed to work until seven."

"My friends and I need to talk about something in private," Susan answered. "You mind if we take a room in the back?" Orlando shrugged his shoulders casually, despite the heavy container.

"Be my guests," he said simultaneously. "I won't tell the boss." Susan thanked him profusely and led us to the back of the barn/restaurant.

"Who was that?" Kari asked when we were out of earshot. "I don't remember seeing him around."

"You wouldn't," Susan corrected her. "He moved here a couple years ago from Florida. He's a really nice guy. We went out for a while, but we both decided that we were better off as friends." Kari growled in mock jealousy.

"So unfair," she explained after seeing Susan's puzzled look. "You've gotten the chance to have a boyfriend, and me... grr!" We had traveled past the bathrooms to a small pantry. Susan had opened the window for some circulation, because it was evident that this room was used for storing food, not holding people. We sat down on the floor, a little uncomfortable, but good enough for our purposes.

"So, Kari," Susan said at last, "'Splain yourself, girlfriend." With help from my friend and me near the end, Kari told the entire story, except for the part about the Prophecy. We had decided at that time that it would only confuse Susan more. This was also the first time that we had a chance to tell my friend about our little escapade with Anjou. To see the mix of horror and shock on his face brought Kari and me to tears. When Kari had finally reached the end of our amazing-but-true story, Susan's eyebrows were high in surprise.

"Whoa," she said, mouth open wide. "Sounds like you've been busy."

"You're telling me!" Kari replied. "What did you think happened to me?"

"I don't know; I never actually wanted to think about it," Susan answered softly. "There were rumors, of course... none of them were true, though. People were saying that you ran away or were smuggled out of the country for political reasons. Some even thought that the Ministry was covering up your disappearance. Your parents... well, they were heartbroken, and they didn't believe the Ministry when they concluded that you ran away. The man that was there that morning had been checked out by the Ministry, so he didn't even come under suspicion. We all helped put up posters and stuff, but by that time, you must have been long gone."

"Where are my parents?" Kari asked. Susan looked rather guilty all of a sudden.

"Well, they... after a year with no luck in finding you, they moved. They said that the house in Evanston reminded them too much of you. I visited them in their new place every so often, just to check up on things, but I... I stopped after a while. I guess I reminded them of you, just like the old house did... I have their new address, just hang on a sec..." Susan said as she dug into her pockets. She finally took out a small clear cube, which I recognized as an Annutoire, used to keep track of names, addresses, and dates.

"The Sky's, please," Susan addressed the Annutoire, and the cube filled up with a violet-colored fog as it projected the address above in golden yellow writing.

"1656 Echo Lake Road," she read the address aloud. "The only times we talk now are through Christmas cards. I'm really sorry for not being there for them..." Now she looked really ashamed.

"It's okay," Kari accepted the apology and smiled in encouragement. "You tried your best, and that's what counts... That was really cheesy, wasn't it?" Susan giggled, back to her own self.

"We better go, before my boss finds us," she said. "Mitchell doesn't like people in here."

"You're right, Susan; I don't," a voice came in through the doorway. Susan turned around in surprise and horror, and I assumed that this was her boss. "Who are these people? What are you doing here in the pantry?"

"I... I was showing them around," Susan answered in a flattering tone. "They were curious to see just what a wonderful job you did turning this place from a crumbling old barn to a respectable restaurant." Mitchell gave her a skeptical glare.

"In the pantry, Susan?" he commented as he scrutinized all of us. I had to admit that at this point, Mitchell seemed scarier than all the Brethren put together. I decided that a hasty retreat would be our best bet, but Mitchell was blocking the way. With a shift in fortune, however, a figure from behind came to our rescue.

"I sent Susan to get some more napkins, sir," Orlando said after catching Mitchell's attention. "The others had to follow her because I was busy." After staring at Orlando (and perhaps thinking that he wasn't going to do much to a guy twice his size), Mitchell finally consented to let us pass. Soon we were in the front of O'Leary's again.

"My hero!" Kari cried out when we were out of hearing, and Susan and I burst out laughing. My friend's ears turned pink, and I laughed even harder.

"All in a day's work," Orlando replied, bowing to Kari and flirting madly. "By the way, I never got your names..."

"I'm Kari," she said, smiling back. "I... used to live around here." Orlando turned to me expectantly.

"My name's Rose," I answered, offering my hand in greeting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he replied as he took my hand, flirting with deep green eyes behind chocolate brown skin. I blushed crimson, not expecting that sort of attention. Noticing my embarrassment, he moved quickly towards my friend.

"Anonimo," he said, simply stating his "name" as salutation.

"Orlando," he replied, and the two shook hands cordially. This was the most formal I had ever seen Orlando yet. "So... where exactly are you staying?"

"With some old friends of mine," Kari said quickly. It wasn't exactly the truth, but it was much easier than trying to explain everything to him.

"Well, if you ever need anything, just drop an owl," Orlando responded. "Maybe we can get together sometime, if you want."

"Thanks, Orlando," Kari smiled. With that farewell, we traded the cool dark surroundings of O'Leary's Pub for the warm humid air of Cardamum Alley.

"No offense to you guys, but I really need to get going," Susan said. "I was only supposed to be here to pick up some ingredients for a potion that my mom's trying to make."

"She still works at the Ministry, right?" Kari commented. Susan nodded.

"My mom looks for cures to magical ailments," she added, turning to us. "In other words, she mixes stuff up and hopes that it doesn't explode. There's no telling what would happen to her if it wasn't for me! She's working on fixing a rash that happens when you touch a beezlebel plant. I only hope I'm not going to be her next, ahem, 'test subject'... there's beezlebel plants all over the house! I would offer to have you stay with us, but under the conditions, I don't think you'd want to."

"We'll probably stay with my parents; don't worry," Kari answered, looking rather relieved after hearing about the beezlebel plants. Susan looked uncomfortable again after Kari mentioned her parents.

"When you see them," Susan said at length, "could you tell that I'm sorry for not keeping in touch? I'd feel a lot better if you did."

"Of course," Kari replied, "thought I don't think it's really necessary."

"If you need help against the Brethren, or whatever they call themselves, don't hesitate to send an owl," Susan concluded. "It was nice meeting you, Rose. Oh, and Anonimo? Don't let Orlando get under your skin. He flirts with every girl that walks in! See you later, everybody!" Turning to leave, Susan knocked into someone, but this time she didn't drop anything. With a hurried apology to the man, she waved to us and walked on. It was then that I realized that the stranger Susan had bumped into hadn't moved at all. Instead, he turned to us, and my heart sank knowingly.

"You've become increasingly difficult to track," the stranger said, "but it might help if you gave us hints to your next destination."

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Kari asked vehemently.

"I'm Nicholas, head of operations here in the Midwest," he answered casually, but he retained the authoritative tone of Angelo. Nicholas appeared to be in his early thirties, with sandy hair and octagonal-framed glasses. The frames caught my attention, and I realized where I had seen such a pair before: at the Red Tomato, the man who had been yelled at by the one who shoved into me.

"I know you! You're the guy from the inn!" Kari accused Nicholas, who had recognized him at the same time.

"I'd hoped that you would've forgotten that unfortunate incident," he replied. "That wasn't one of my finest moments."

"What happened, exactly?" she asked, giving him a scrutinizing look.

"If you must know," Nicholas retorted, somewhat annoyed, "I didn't like a certain colleague, and I had asked if he could be replaced. Of course the answer was no, and we simply got into an argument. Nothing happened that concerns you."

"Sorry I asked," she mumbled back to me, out of earshot from Nicholas.

"Angelo has warned me about you, Kari," Nicholas said, probably hearing the comment anyway, "but I'm not going to let you get under my skin. Now, if I'm correct, this is the fourth day of your commitment to the Brethren. The next five days can go smoothly or painfully, depending on your relationship with me. You have two choices: cooperate, or don't cooperate. Your decision will affect the way I treat you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," I answered. Despite Nicholas' can-did attitude, I had a feeling I didn't want to be on his bad side.

"Good," he replied. "As I understand, Kari, you wish to see your parents again. I have convinced my superiors to allow you to seek accommodations with the Sky's. Tonight at 7:45 you must meet me at the Lake Zurich movie theater. Until then..." He nodded in farewell and vanished like the tears from a crying baby who had just been given a sucker. I realized that Nicholas had dropped a small bag on the ground. I picked it up and showed to my friends.

"I think he dropped it on purpose," my friend concluded.

"Let's open it and see what's inside," Kari added. At first when I undid the drawstrings, I saw only a small letter. I gave this note to my friend and continued to probe through the bag's contents. When my fingers reached a powdery residue, I sneezed and realized what it was.

"Floo powder," I told everyone.

"How can you tell? You can't even see it," Kari commented.

"I'm allergic to Floo powder," I replied, sneezing again. I handed the bag to Kari as my friend unfolded the note.

"You're allergic to a lot of stuff," Kari giggled.

"The note's addressed to us," my friend interrupted. "It says we need to use the Floo powder now."

"But what about my parents?" Kari asked.

"It doesn't say anything about them, or where we should go with the Floo powder," he responded. "It doesn't even say where we're going to find a fireplace!"

"Try the address on the back," I smiled, pointing to the handwriting. He scowled and read it.

"It matches the address on the building over there," Kari noted. The name of the shop she was pointing at was Gloria's Homemaking, half-covered by the Owl Emporium. I gave the bag to her, who led the way to the door. Glancing at the inside all I could see was the window display of muggle furniture, "specially modified," of course. I certainly wasn't prepared for what we saw when we walked in.

"This place sure is bigger than it looked from the front," Kari stated in awe. We had to agree; there must have been a special enlargement charm that fooled our eyes. Any type of furniture of appliance imaginable was crammed in the shop that felt more like a warehouse. We looked around for guidance but didn't see a soul. Suddenly a voice from behind us caught our attention.

"How may I help you?" she had asked casually. Her dark skin was creased with wrinkles, and she put me at ease by smiling kindly.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Kari replied, "We're looking for fireplaces."

"Your parents were browsing and sent you off?" the woman returned. "Don't tell me; I'm a good guesser. My name's Gloria, the owner. Fireplaces are straight ahead, on the opposite side. You can't miss it, child. If your parents need help, don't be afraid to call for me."

"Thanks you, ma'am," my friend said, who hadn't spoken a word during this entire exchange. We took our leave of Gloria, who simply waved at us and vanished again.

"There was something strange about her," my friend said suspiciously, referring to Gloria. "I didn't like her sneaking up behind us like that. Nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I like her," Kari retorted stubbornly. "She reminds me of my grandmother. I agreed with her. My friend only grumbled again and muttered something about girls under his breath.

"What's that?" Kari asked mockingly. "Speak up!"

"Looks like someone may need another nap," I whispered softly to her, and we both giggled. My friend only sighed and rolled his eyes, careful not to speak his thought out loud again. This conversation had taken up the time needed to walk to the other side of Gloria's Homemaking.

"Whew, it's definitely warmer around here," I commented.

"You know, it could be due to the fireplaces, which are all lit," my friend smiled mischievously at me, gaining revenge for my past whisper.

"Come on, choose a fireplace, and let's go!" Kari called out.

"Wait a minute, we don't even know where we're supposed to go!" he protested.

"Where else? To Kari's house," I said.

"Who's got the bag?" he sighed while rolling his eyes. Kari dangled it in front of him tauntingly before dumping its contents into the palm of her hand.

"There's not much here, so only take a pinch," she added. I tried not to inhale too much of it, but my eyes were already watering. "Who's going first?"

"I will," my friend volunteered, and before anyone could object he threw the powder in, causing the flames to burn an emerald green, and called out "the Sky's house." He stepped into the flames and vanished before we could protest.

"Guys always have to so kung-ho, don't they?" Kari complained. I agreed, though I didn't have the slightest idea of what she was talking about.

"After you," I said, bowing with a flourish towards the fireplace. I also managed to stifle yet another sneeze.

"No, no, I insist: after you," replied Kari, laughing. Already feeling my eyes get puffy and irritated, I flung the powder out of my hand and wiped off the residue on my shirt.

"The Sky's house," I cried and walked into the fire. The whirling of light, color, and fireplaces did nothing to quell my allergies. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself staring at a dark brick wall. I realized that the opening of the fireplace was not designed to allow people to walk in and out, as most wizard fireplaces were. I ducked and stepped out of the way just as Kari came flying through.

"Ouch!" she yelped as she hit her head on the bricks.

"Low clearance," my friend chortled as she exited the fireplace and rubbed her head gingerly. I looked around the living room. Everything appeared to be neat and tidy; I guessed that Kari didn't inherit the "neat gene," since her rubbish was usually all over the place.

"Are you sure we're at the right house?" I asked jokingly. The sound of soft footfalls on the stairs nearby froze us all in front of the mantle.

"Who are you?" a zaftig woman asked, glaring at each of us suspiciously. "What are you doing here? How did you get in here?"

"Thr... through the fireplace, ma'am," my friend stammered out, clearly intimidated by the maternal manner of the woman. At this answer she spluttered words out furiously.

"But... this is an unlisted fireplace!" she exclaimed fiercely as she continued her advance. "I have every right to contact the Ministry! Breaking and entering, that's what this is!"

"Ma'am, maybe you should sit and calm down a bit..." I tried to appease to her, but to no avail.

"The Floo Regulation Panel is certainly going to hear from me!" she yelled out, more enraged than before. "You three hooligans had better explain yourselves, or I'll..."

"PLEASE, MA'AM, JUST GIVE US THE CHANCE, THEN!" my friend shouted hoarsely. The interruption seemed to do the trick because she stopped in mid-sentence. Nevertheless she tried to retain some sort of control over the situation.

"Who are you?" she asked again in a darker tone. I heard Kari gulp nervously.

"Hi, Mom," she said at last, and she gave a lopsided grin. I watched the woman's face change from a purplish shade of red to a bleached white in a matter of seconds.

"K... Kari?" she managed to form the word as she looked at her in shocked astonishment. Then unexpectedly she stumbled backwards and tumbled to the floor in a dead faint.

"Mom?" Kari cried out as she rushed forward to help her mother.

"Do you want me to help?" my friend said with wand in hand as we rushed forward and attempted to lift Mrs. Sky onto the couch.

"I don't think she'd appreciate the headache you'll give her with the Enneverate spell," I remarked thoughtfully. "We're better off finding some smelling salts." Just then the front door opened, a man carrying a small brown briefcase was bewildered to see three complete strangers standing over the prone form of his wife.

"Anna?" he burst out as he rushed over and pushed us out of the way. The man paid no attention to us as he patted her pallid face. "There's some lavender crystals in the kitchen... just sitting on the counter..." As he mumbled this my friend was already up and searching. He finally returned with a tall plastic container filled with assorted powders.

"Is this it?" he said, tapping Mr. Sky's shoulder.

"Huh? Oh, thank you," he replied automatically. "A dash of lavender should do the trick." The container leapt out of my friend's hand, and I noticed the single spoon attached. The spoon unfastened itself, and the container measured exactly one dash into the indent of the spoon. Mr. Sky, not to be distracted from his wife's care, grabbed the spoon absentmindedly, spilling some of its contents. I watched with slight amusement as the container dived to catch the fallen powder. What remained in the spoon was waved beneath the nose of the fallen woman.

"Lavender again?" I could hear her mumble as she came to. "I must have fainted, didn't I?" Her husband nodded, and they smiled. She must have remembered why she had fainted, however, because she started to wave her hands wildly. "Kevin, do you know who's standing over your shoulder right now?!"

"No," he responded as he looked over at Kari, "but she looks like a very nice girl."

"I'd certainly hope so," Mrs. Sky cried out with exasperation. "She's our daughter!"

"Wh... what?!" he stammered back. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Surprise?" Kari offered. Mr. Sky had to do a double take before realizing his wife's words. All three Sky's embraced, together for the first time in years.

"What have you been doing?" her mother demanded.

"Shipped around the world as a freak and locked in a dark cell for who knows how long, but other than that, nothing much," replied Kari sarcastically.

"My poor baby!" Mrs. Sky cried out, and she hugged Kari and her husband even tighter.

"Mom, stop; you're embarrassing me in front of my friends," Kari tried to protest.

"Speaking of which..." Mr. Sky announced hastily, probably just as eager to escape from the hug as Kari was.

"Mom, Dad, this is Rose Black and Anonimo," Kari introduced and turned to us. "Obviously, these are my parents, Anna and Kevin Sky."

"How do you do?" Mr. Sky greeted.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I answered back.

"What happened to you, Kari?" her mom asked, so the entire story spilled out again, leaving out the parts about the Prophecy, of course.

"So now we have to meet them again tonight at something called a movie theater," Kari concluded.

"That's a place where muggles go to see moving picture stories called movies," her dad supplied. "I don't know why these Brethren would want to meet you there, though."

"Isn't it obvious, Kevin?" Mrs. Sky answered, rolling her eyes. "If they met in a place with lots of wizards about, they might get recognized. We could drop you off at the movie theater using the muggle car. I don't think it'd be a good idea for us to go in."

"You're right," her husband responded. "You three know how to handle the Brethren better than us." My friend leaned in close to Kari so that I could listen as well but not the adults.

"So that's it?" he asked doubtfully. "They're just going to let you fight the Brethren on your own?"

"They've always let me be independent," Kari shrugged in return. "If they thought we would need their help, they would offer it."

"It's a good thing too," I grinned. "Otherwise the Brethren may have to deal with angry parents along with you!"