Chain

Osric opens the carriage door. A pitch black sky above their house

"Sleep for the night and prepare your things. We’ll return in the morning to collect you," the suited envoy says.

Osric and Catalina step out. The envoy shuts the door, and the carriage rolls away.

"Why do you want to go that magic academy?" Catalina asks, breaking the silence she’s held the entire ride.

"Seemed like a good idea," Osric says as he steps into the house.

"That school is on the edge of the Capitol — near the Aetherite mine under demon control!" Catalina slams the door behind her. "I will not have my son staying there!"

Osric stops halfway up the stairs. Oh. I didn’t think about that... But the demons haven’t moved in fifteen years, not since they seized the mine.

"I’m sure they’ve got plenty of security," he says.

"No. Not happening. You are staying here!"

"The King needs me to decipher the tome. And you can’t keep me locked in here forever!" he shouts.

"Catalina? Osric? What’s going on?" Randolf rises from his chair.

Elayne looks up from the table, and Helen pauses at the cabinets, knife in hand.

Osric storms upstairs, straight to his closet.

~~~

Osric sees a young boy: brown hair, glasses, white polo, shorts... himself.

He can’t move — frozen in the hallway of his parents’ house. His younger self skips right through him, bare feet tapping against the floor, heading toward the garage. Osric glances down at his hand. It’s transparent.

Osric blinks. Now he’s in the dark, dank garage. The nostalgic smell of old wood and gasoline fills his nose. His former self swings the door open.

I remember this... I must’ve been around eight.

The boy stares at the far wall of the garage, mouth open in disbelief.

"Mom! Where’s my skateboard?"

"I threw it out!" his mom’s voice echoes.

"What?!"

"I don’t know why your father bought that for you. It’s too dangerous to skate on these streets — too many cars!"

"What the hell!" He slams the garage door, shaking the walls. As if the sound had swallowed everything, Osric is left alone in the darkness...

~~~

A soft knock wakes him.

Guess I fell asleep. Osric drags himself to the door.

Helen stands there with a wooden plate. "You didn’t eat." She hands him the plate with a slice of meat pie on it.

"Oh — thanks." He takes the plate.

"Try to work things out with your mother in the morning," she says, closing the door.

There’s nothing to work out, he thinks, collapsing onto his sheets with the pie. The flaky crust crumbles in his mouth. This is my life. My second life. I'm not gonna be held down again. I’ll do what I want.

>>>

At dawn, Osric kneels before his dresser, shoving clothes into a leather suitcase.

"Osric? This isn’t a good idea," Catalina calls through the door.

"Well, I'm doing it."

"I will not have my baby anywhere near those monsters!" The door rattles.

Osric throws it open and brushes past his tear-streaked mother.

"Elayne, ready to go?" he asks as he bounds down the stairs.

She stands by the door with a suitcase of her own, refusing to look at him. Her gaze drifts elsewhere. Her mother clutches her hand tight.

"I don’t want to go," Elayne whispers, voice flat.

"Well, you’ve got to do what I say, remember?" Osric strides past the doorway

A hand grasps his wrist, yanking him back.

"Osric, what’s wrong with you?" Catalina cries.

"What do you mean?"

"We agreed you’d stay until you turned ten!"

"Yeah, well, things change. We can’t defy the King, can we?"

"But you don't have to go to that school!"

"You don’t let me do anything!" Osric roars back. "I'm the new Sage! No crazy woman's gonna chain me down. I'll do whatever the hell I want."

"Randolf — say something!" Catalina pleads, turning desperately toward him.

Randolf steps forward. "Catalina, you knew this day would come. The legend says the Grand Sage must save the kingdom. We can’t ignore prophecy."

"No! You’re not going to that school!" Catalina stamps the floor.

"But, Osric… could you maybe be a little kinder to your mother?" Randolf adds, his somber, stoic tone softening.

"I’ll do what I want. Piss off!" Osric snaps, stomping down the lawn.

He hears Catalina shrill gasp behind him.

"Master Osric," Helen calls. He stops.

"Please — be safe. And keep my daughter safe as well." She gently pushes Elayne forward.

Just as Osric steps past the fence, a sharp pain jolts up his calf. He spins around. Elayne has kicked him. Her usual sour expression twists into something meaner. She opens her mouth as if to speak, then shuts it.

And what’s your problem? Osric thinks of saying, but swallows the words and turns back around.

The suited envoy holds the carriage door open. The two step inside.