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“Would you like some noodles, Sara?” Momma Great serves a
bowl of spicy noodles, basil and fried chicken.
“No, thank you,” I say.
“Eat. It will clear your head.” She turns and points at Royal, her son. “He has to eat it, too. Anytime you fight with those invisible soldiers, you have to eat my noodles.”
The idea is crazy, but I grab some chopsticks and start eating. After my third bite all my memory comes back sharp as a knife. I remember every detail of my conversation with Dino, and I remember exactly what Royal said when he interrupted our kiss.
“I was talking about friendlies with Dino,” I say. “He told me that a person can see friendlies if they want to. You have to touch another person who can already see them. He was going to…” My face turns red. I don’t want to tell Momma Great about my almost first kiss. “Well, he was going to touch me. I think he was going to pass the ability to me. But then Royal stopped him and they started fighting.”
“You’re right, Sara,” Royal interrupts Great Momma. “Dino wanted you to see friendlies, and you said you wanted to see them. What were you thinking?”
I’m shocked. Royal, a boy I hardly know, is upset with me. “What? Why…?” I don’t know what to say.
“Don’t be harsh, Roy. You know she likes the boy. Look at her. She’s wearing makeup, and for the first time, probably.” Momma Great finds a cloth and dips it in water. She starts cleaning my face. “Besides, Royal is the reason you can see friendlies.”
“What? No I’m not!” Royal protests.
“You are. And you wanted her to see them, too,” Great Momma says.
I am shocked. I look at Royal who stands and crosses his arms. He says, “That’s crazy!”
“Sara said she never touched Dino,” Great Momma says. “Well…she has to touch someone to see friendlies. And she must want to see them, and the person she touches must want to give her the gift as well. Sara sees friendlies now. The only person she touched was you, Royal. It’s how the rules work.”
Royal sat down, and I looked at his face. My stomach hurts because I am angry. Royal was supposed to be my helper. Now I know he is the reason my life has changed forever. Why would he want me to see them? I thought he was trying to protect me. I stare at him until he sees me.
“I’m sorry, Sara,” he says.
“You wanted me to see them?” He doesn’t speak, so I swallow and ask a different question. “I thought I knew what friendlies were, but I don’t think I know.”
“You think friendlies are kind helpers,” Royal explains, “invisible people in this world. They give us blessings and protect us. But we can see them do bad things and bring bad luck. They try to destroy our blessings.”
Momma Great says, “Lord Fox has friendlies. They follow him, and they have been fighting us for many generations.”
“Why have you been fighting?” I ask. My throat feels heavy. I have prayed to Lord Fox for many years at the house of worship. Listening to the bad things he does makes me anxious. I’m not sure what to think.
“We don’t worship Lord Fox,” Royal says. “We follow Highlord. His house is in a different district. I have to be careful around the school. There are always friendlies walking around, and they notice me because I can see them. They know I am an enemy because I never go to their house to worship.”
“And you fight them with magic?” This is the biggest question I have.
“Yes. Highlord gives it to us. We call it light,” Royal answers. “Dino has light, too. His light is different because Lord Fox gives it to him. The friendlies use light, too, but no one can beat Momma Great in a fight.”
I look over at the woman and she smiles and laughs. “Thank you, Son. That’s because I use my book. It has prayers and wise sayings by Highlord. It makes my light strong in my heart, and the friendlies cannot win against me.”
I hope I don’t have light. Light scares me. I put my chopsticks on the top of the bowl and stand. “I can’t stay longer. I’m sure my mom is worried about me.” I want to leave them now. Hearing so many things at once makes me uneasy. I still don’t know if I can trust them.
Royal stands, too and disagrees. “No, Momma. Tell her she shouldn’t go. She’ll get caught again.”
Momma Great laughs so hard, a couple of bills fall out of the pocket of her apron. “The friendlies aren’t going to fight her, Royal. She serves Lord Fox. Let her go if she wants.”
#
Normally I go straight home after school, but my adventure
with Dino and Royal and Momma Great make me worry about my future. I walk to
Fox temple to pray. I wonder if I have
made a terrible mistake and if I can get rid of my ability to see friendlies. I
see them now, all the time walking around like normal people. I don’t look them
in the eyes. I don’t want them to know I can see them.
The temple will be open for at least another hour, so I hurry to the prayer room, drop a few bills in the donation jar and start to pray. Dear Lord Fox. I’m not sure what to say. I don’t suppose Lord Fox will solve my new problem. I start sweating and shivering. I feel very afraid. I have never been so afraid.
“Hello?” A deep voice echoes in the room. I jump back. I thought I was the only person. I look up and see a friendly in front of me. I can’t breathe. He is much taller than the ones in the streets. He has a dark, scarlet robe and black outfit similar to the street friendlies. I look at his hands. I hope he doesn’t use light. He speaks again. “Hello? You can see me?”
I clear my throat. “Um…yes, I can. Sorry.”
He laughs. “You’re sorry? It’s okay!”
I’m still afraid, but I’m glad he isn’t angry. I ask, “What’s your name?”
“My name is Fox.”
I swallow. I can’t believe I am speaking to the lord of the temple! “You’re not a friendly.” I bow low to the floor and do not lift my eyes from the ground.
Lord Fox laughs again. “No, I’m not. You may stand.”
“You’re the lord of the temple. Well, I didn’t know I would…” I stop speaking. I can see friendlies. I can see lords. What next? Giants and mermaids?
“Your ability to see us is new for you. Are you okay? Don’t be afraid. What’s your name?” Lord Fox asks.
I think he should know my name already. He is lord of the temple. I come almost every week. I decide not to complain and speak, “My name is Sara.”
“Sara. I like your name. Would you like a blessing?” Lord Fox grins, and I wonder if I am in trouble.
Of course I want a blessing. “Yes, please.”
“Great. What kind of blessing would you like?”
I don’t need to think very long, and I say, “I really want a boyfriend.”
Lord Fox laughs again. “Boyfriends are in popular demand. I’ll give you one, but you must first do something for me.”
“Sure, what do you need?”
“I want to know a secret.” Lord Fox doesn’t smile. He is very serious.
“What do you want to know?” I am surprised. What does Lord Fox need to know that I can find for him?
“It’s about that boy fighting in the street today. You were standing with him. What is his name?” Lord Fox speaks quietly, but his voice cuts like a knife. I am afraid to tell him the secret. I did not know names could be secrets. What could be so important about a simple name?
“His name is…” I pause. Even as I speak, I know I am doing something wrong. All the warnings return to my mind. Momma Great says the friendlies are bad. Lord Fox has been fighting against Royal’s family for years. If I give Lord Fox Royal’s name, something bad could happen. “Wait,” I say. “I heard that your friendlies don’t always do good things.”
Lord Fox is irritated, but he allows me to change the subject. “It may seem they do bad things, but you must always ask yourself this question: Bad things happen. They are a part of life. How can we learn to grow if we don’t let bad things happen? My friendlies may do bad things, but it can be for many reasons. Maybe they are giving a punishment to someone who does something wrong. Or maybe they want someone to suffer so they can learn something good about life. You must think about more than just good and bad. You must think about what is best.”
The idea seems smart and wise, so I nod my head and speak, “His name is Royal.”
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