7

                The next twenty minutes were spent with just Lizzie and I asking Moriah all she knew about the world of magic. As far as she knew, Cole, Hazel, and I were the only three supernaturals that existed, though she doubted we were alone. She has no evidence that any existed before outside of conspiracy theories and unexplained world mysteries. Every supernatural seemed to be created from a near death experienced involved with what their power would ultimately become, confirming what we’d suspected already. She gave us some really interesting tidbits that Dr. Vik had been experimenting with. There were limits with our powers, but they were surprisingly hard to reach, and most of the challenge is the mental component. Apparently, with practice, limits could be moved. Dr. Vik also suspects that our powers can evolve over time, though it may just be a result of our familiarity with the powers that lead to new abilities.

                I also learned more about Moriah’s family. Her husband Dan was home in Texas swamped with work, but she said that he too wanted a chance to meet me, and we planned to call after dinner, alongside Dr. Vik. Moriah’s mother had found out about Cole’s ability when she and her husband had come over for a surprise visit while baby Cole didn’t know how to hide his power. Years ago, after her husband passed away from cancer, Moriah’s mother moved in to help Cole grow into his power and let Moriah work as a travelling journalist.

                At this point, Hazel returned home with the pizza, and we moved our conversations to the dinner table. By then, I started asking questions that I’d been holding back before since they were a bit more specific. Some of the answers reassured me: Yes, Hazel and Cole both had similar levels of control over their powers in that they sometimes didn’t understand what they were doing, but just let the magic do its own work. Moriah analogized it to a director commanding mindless actors to perform the vision in the director’s head. The actors knew how to do the specifics of the job, while the director only needed to have a clear vision of the task in their head. I also asked if any of them thought of their powers as an intelligent entity within them, to which both supernaturals shook their heads. Apparently, Dr. Vik had even investigated this, but found no evidence that there was any intelligence behind the abilities. That put my mind at ease, knowing I wasn’t responsible for taking care of some sentient entity inside of my own body.

                “Last question, I promise,” I said, swallowing a bite of pepperoni.

                Moriah held up her hand dismissively. “Don’t ever feel like you need to run out of questions, Beck. That’s what we’re here for, is to get you acclimated in this strange world. Ask questions through the night if you must.”

                I nodded graciously, despite not feeling any less intrusive. “Um… So, have any of you taken… breaks with your powers? Like gone a long time without using them? B-Because I want to know if it… affects you. You know, mentally.” I saw Lizzie side-eye me, knowing exactly why I was asking the question. She reached out with a hand and grasped mine, which I comfortingly squeezed.

                Moriah nodded understandingly along. “Yes, Dr. Vik has looked into that. We used it as a punishment for Cole once when he burned a tapestry we had in our house after an argument as a teenager…”

                “You don’t need to tell the fucking story!” Cole complained, glaring daggers at his mom.

                She ignored him. “As far as we’re concerned, there’s no long-term effects on a mage from not using their powers. No dip in power, no drastic variations in control, nothing like that. Vik has mentioned that there’s an argument to be made about having internal uneasiness, but that it’s no different from having withdrawals. As long as you’re in a healthy mindset, you should be fine. There’s no worry about the element inside building up energy and bursting out due to lack of consistent use.”

                I nodded, my heart beating fast, though I wasn’t sure why. I was having trouble pinning down my emotions at that moment. Part of me was glad knowing that, should nothing change, I’d be able to keep my promise to Mom and not use my powers, and I’d get to keep them. On the other hand, that only made me dread the inevitable conversation Mom and I would have even more. No matter how many times I reassured myself, I couldn’t shake the feeling that arguing on behalf of my powers felt like I was being conceited or selfish. I only wanted my powers for my own benefit, and not for any other purpose. I internally sighed. What was bothering me so much about this? Why did it matter so much that I needed to have justification for my powers?

                “Are you alright?” Hazel asked suddenly, snapping me back to attention.

                I again nodded slowly. “Sorry, I’m just… I’m thinking about stuff…”

                “I’d be surprised if you weren’t overwhelmed,” Moriah said sympathetically. “Let me know if things are going too fast for you. We can certainly pick up this conversation another time.”

                “Thanks, but that’s not it,” I replied with a gracious smile. “It’s… it’s not really related.”

                Moriah watched me concernedly. “Is it related to your powers? I know you’re taking a break from your powers, so perhaps there is a mental drain?”

                I shook my head quickly again. “No, but thanks for looking out for me.”

                “Yeah, why’re you doing that again?” Cole suddenly jutted in, barely swallowing the food in his mouth. “You still haven’t shown us your powers.”

                “Cole!” Moriah scolded.

                “What!?” Cole retorted. “We’re revealing all of our secrets to someone who claims to have superpowers, yet is conveniently taking a break from them right when we meet him? And all we have for evidence that he’s for real are stupid pictures that could’ve easily been photoshopped!?”

                “I-It’s okay, I’m not offended,” I said. “It’s just… personal. I’m in a bit of a fight with my mom over my powers is all. I’m sorta… trying to prove a point right now.”

                I let the silence hang for a moment, taking another slice of pizza, avoiding the awkward mix of sympathetic, curious, and suspicious glances. Moriah sighed. “Well, I won’t force you to talk about it if it’s sensitive. I’m certainly no therapist after all—though honestly, now that I think about it, getting a therapist on our side could prove invaluable…”

                Lizzie reached over and grabbed my hand. She made encouraging eye movements toward Moriah, as though she was expecting me to say something. I knew her well enough to know what she was thinking, even without telepathy. I had another prime opportunity to get advice from someone who knew my powers and was a mother figure. Getting her perspective could help me better understand Mom’s perspective, and potentially help clear up my own thoughts. Ramona had insisted that I need to open up to Mom at least once. Getting a second opinion was critical for me. “Actually…”