The Magi

Elijah Hawk mindlessly separated his mashed potatoes into four even piles on his plate. He twirled each pile into a creamy whip. Dinner was the last thing on his mind. Usually, he was ready for seconds by the time his mother finished setting the table, but at the moment, it was as appetizing as fish bait. Elijah picked at it as he listened to his sister, Kyria, talk about her day.

“I’ve heard Mr. Walker is the hardest of the advanced teachers, but my friend Wendy says I shouldn’t have any trouble in his class as long as—”

Elijah chortled. His sister could sure ramble! Ever since the schedule for her first year of high school came in the mail, she talked about it incessantly. The new classes. Books. Teachers. Even lab partners. Elijah wished he shared Kyria’s enthusiasm, but the mere thought of starting school made his stomach tie into a constrictor knot.

“Are you okay?” his mother asked him, dissolving his thoughts.

“I’m fine, Mom,” he answered, sharper than he meant to.

Of course, he wasn’t fine.

School started in one week. A year ago, that would have meant nothing, but this was his last year in middle school. He needed to make an impression. So far, he was a nobody. An outcast. Just a nice kid who liked science class. Elijah dreamed of returning to school with an extra thick layer of muscle on him. That would sure change the conversation.

He had worked out all summer. Push-ups. Sit-ups. Lunches. Squats. Pull-ups. He even tried butt-crunches. But despite his efforts, he remained as skinny as fishing line.

Elijah sighed.

“Do you want me to make you something else?” his mother asked, noticing his full plate.

“No, Mom. I’m not hungry.”

“Well that’s a first,” she said. “By the way, your father and I need to talk with you when he gets home. It will be a little late, but it’s important.”

“About what?”

“We can discuss it later.”

Great. Elijah took his dishes to the sink. He set his phone on the counter as he washed his plate of mostly uneaten food and then excused himself. He thought a hot shower and a few hours listening to music would be the perfect therapy for his mood.

Later that evening, Elijah lounged on his bed with his headphones blasting away when his sister marched in.

“Move over,” Kyria commanded. She flopped down next to him and held her chin in her palms. Elijah took out his headphones.

“What?” he asked, trying to sound annoyed.

“Just want to know what’s got you all twisted,” she said.

“Nothing.”

“HA! Liar. Is it a girl?”

Elijah blushed. “No.”

Kyria rolled her eyes. “Well, whatever it is, it’s probably lame. Snap out of your funk! You’re no fun like this.”

“And I suppose my entire purpose in life is to entertain you?” Elijah retorted.

“If it is, you’re doing a horrible job!” she said.

Elijah couldn’t help laughing.

Kyria was as beautiful as she was feisty. Her dark brown hair was long and straight, usually tied in a careless ponytail. She never wore braces, but her teeth were perfectly aligned. She had big green eyes and her skin was golden tan. Her cheeks were lightly sprinkled with freckles which stood out more during the Californian summer. She was tall and thin and had she not been so consumed with school, she would have had the boys lining up at the front door to go out with her.

Elijah was also tall, even for thirteen. He had light brown hair—some would call it blonde—and deep-blue eyes that in the right light would rival the color of the ocean. His parents had dark hair like Kyria’s, which made Elijah stand out when they traveled together.

“Okay then, we’ll bargain,” Kyria said. “If you tell me what you’re so upset about, I’ll tell you what I’ve been writing in my diaries. I know you’re curious.”

“Like I care about all the hot boys with dreamy skin you’ve got a crush on!” Elijah answered. Kyria punched him in the arm. “Ow!”

“Serves you right. I wasn’t going to tell you anyway.” She stood up to leave.

“Okay, I’ll tell you,” said Elijah. “Promise you won’t make fun of me?”

“No,” said Kyria. She winked at him. “And the deal’s off about the diaries.”

Elijah snorted. “Whatever. I just—I don’t know. Have you ever felt like you were invisible? Like no one would care if you weren’t there?”

“If this is your way of telling me you’re running away, I want your room.”

“I’m serious!”

Kyria’s fiery green eyes softened. “You’re going to have to give me more information.”

“I just feel like nobody knows who I am. I feel like I don’t fit in anywhere. Like everyone’s got a place but me. Do you ever feel like that?”

Elijah was shocked when his sister said, “Yes.” Kyria always had a friend over or was going to a study group at someone’s house. The thought of her not fitting in was unimaginable.

“Really?”

Kyria laid back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. “There’s a lot of things in my life I don’t feel like I can share with people at school. A lot of times, I feel like I’m being fake. I don’t let my true feelings show. I know a lot of people, but I don’t really talk to them, even like the way I’m talking to you right now. People don’t want to hear heavy topics. They’d rather keep the conversation simple. Empty of any real thinking.”

“Have you ever tried to talk to your friends about those things?” Elijah asked.

“I can’t,” she said. “Or maybe I just don’t want to.”

“But maybe everyone else is thinking the same thing,” said Elijah.

“Perhaps,” Kyria stated. She waited for the clock to stop chiming ten before she said, “Anyway, you’re the one with the problem, not me.”

“Thanks,” said Elijah.

“So, what do you mean you feel invisible?”

“I dunno. I just feel like I’ve been going to school for eight years and I do the same thing and no one notices.”

“Is that bad?” asked Kyria.

Elijah thought. “I guess not. But—well, yes it is. What if I go through my whole life like that? What if all I ever am is…ordinary?”

“There’s nothing wrong with ordinary,” said Kyria. “Most people are. Otherwise there wouldn’t be such a thing.”

Elijah shook his head. “But who wants that? Who’d you ever meet that said they wanted to spend their life doing something completely average? Doing nothing amazing. I don’t want that! I want something that makes me stand out.”

“What about your weird instinct thing?” Kyria asked. “That’s definitely not normal.”

“But no one knows about that,” said Elijah. “And besides, what good is it?”

“Well, then find something else that makes you stand out,” Kyria suggested.

“Like what?”

“If I tell you, doofus, then you’re still ordinary. That’s something you need to figure out.”

“I guess,” said Elijah. Maybe…I should just tattoo a giant ladybug across my face.”

Kyria snickered. “You have issues.”

“Sounds like we both have issues,” said Elijah.

“You don’t know the half of it,” said Kyria.

“What do you mean?”

“Nevermind.” She stood back up. “Promise you’ll tell me what Mom and Dad talk to you about?”

“Sure,” he said.

“G’night,” said Kyria, and she skipped away.

Elijah grinned. Kyria could always make him feel better, even when she wasn’t trying. He felt lucky to have her as a sister. He collapsed on his bed. What a pair they were. Elijah had no trouble talking to people and Kyria was definitely not ordinary.

Elijah fell asleep listening to music. Had he known this was the last night his family would spend together, he would have talked to his sister all night. Or at least stayed awake long enough to welcome his father home.

The clock chimed one.

Elijah’s eyes popped open.

Quiet.

His heart rate accelerated.

Dead quiet.

Something wasn’t right.

Elijah stared at his bedroom ceiling. A disturbing feeling from the depths of his gut began to surge through his body. The hairs on his neck prickled.

Over the years, Elijah discovered he had a rather odd sense of instinct. He felt things before they happened. He sensed things he couldn’t see. He knew things before others did. And right now, he knew his life was in danger.

Elijah darted to the darkest corner of his room. He felt foolish hiding from something he couldn’t see or hear, but he knew it was right. Something was in the house.

He froze, covering his mouth to muffle the sound of his breathing. He tried to calm himself down.

Think.

Think about what to do.

He had to warn his family.

But warn them of what? What would he even say?

Elijah decided to worry about that later. His parents and sister were still in their beds, sleeping unalarmed. They hadn’t been startled awake by this strange sensation—this instinct. They had no idea they were in danger. And he knew he couldn’t just walk into their room and tell them. He had to remain hidden.

Maybe he could call them. That would be silent—at least from his end of the line. But he remembered leaving his phone on the kitchen counter earlier when he washed his plate. He would have to sneak downstairs to call. Suddenly, the hairs on his neck began to stand up again. It was time to move!

Elijah crawled out his door to the top of the staircase. He felt exposed and vulnerable, but he continued trusting his instincts. He kept moving.

Each step downstairs was more terrifying than the last. Elijah was tempted to bolt for his parents’ room and wake them up, but that was wrong.

The second he reached the bottom of the stairs, an unexpected panic set in. The kitchen was only a few steps away, but his legs refused to move. Elijah bent down next to the staircase and cowered. He gasped for air.

“Pull yourself together, Elijah,” he demanded silently. “You’re safe so far. Whatever it is doesn’t know you’re here, or it would have gotten you already.”

Elijah gathered himself and snuck into the kitchen. He grabbed his phone from the counter. It was dead.

Perfect.

He crept to the other side of the room and quietly picked up the land line. His hands shook violently as he dialed his parents’ phone. Hopefully theirs weren’t dead too. In just seconds he could warn them and everything would be okay.

“C’mon, c’mon, ring.” He knew it sometimes took a second before the phone registered the call, but this seemed like an unusually long time.

Click.

Silence.

His heart was about to explode out of his chest!

The land line had been cut.

Looking around, Elijah noticed the phone wasn’t the only thing cut. All power to the house was out, leaving the room in almost complete darkness. The only light, which peeked through the front window, came from the moon.

As Elijah’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed something flicker past the moonlight. It happened so fast that he wondered if it was actually in the house or just a shadow from outside, made by a bird or an insect. Nothing human could move that quickly! Just as he was about to dismiss it, a figure of a man appeared. It stopped right in front of the kitchen doorway.

Elijah did everything he could to keep from screaming out in horror. He was tempted to close his eyes and curl up in a ball, but he resisted. He needed to be alert enough to react. The figure didn’t seem to notice him. Then, just like that, the figure disappeared.

Elijah had to focus on breathing. There was a dangerous man in his house. This man was able to move very quickly—almost animal-like. And now, Elijah couldn’t see him.

Running for the front door became increasingly tempting. Once he was outside, he could yell and scream and make all kinds of noise to wake up anyone in the neighborhood to call the police. But he couldn’t seem to move.

“Let’s go Elijah,” he thought to himself. “Just a few steps and then explode toward the door.” He fought his desire to stay still as he crept through the kitchen, inching closer and closer to the door.

He looked behind him to see if he was safe.

No one there.

He turned back to the front door.

His body tensed to run, but suddenly, the figure reappeared directly between Elijah and the door. Elijah felt his heart in his throat. He held his breath. If the figure turned around, he would see Elijah. If Elijah moved, the figure would see the movement. His only option was to stand still, just feet away, and hope to remain invisible.

His mind raced. Why was this figure here in the first place? He didn’t seem to be stealing things. He had to be searching for something, or—Elijah gulped—someone. The figure’s head began to scan the room.

And then, he saw Elijah!

For a split second their eyes met. Two bright, yellow eyes glared back at him. The rest of the figure’s face was hidden in the shadows and his body was covered by dark material. Elijah’s focus blurred and he briefly thought he would pass out from fright, but his survival instincts kicked in. He quickly scampered toward the back door just as the figure lunged at him.

Elijah turned the corner yanking his mother’s china cabinet down. It fell with a deafening crash! He didn’t look back. He bolted toward the back bedroom door, throwing behind him anything he could grab. Just before he reached the door, the hairs on his neck stood up. He trusted his instincts. He immediately turned to the window. His attacker’s momentum carried him past Elijah, and the figure slammed into the back door, sounding like a giant gunshot.

Elijah yanked the window open. He dove out into the side yard and turned toward the front yard, away from the figure. Suddenly, in mid-step, he felt strong arms grab him tightly. A hand clapped over his mouth.

“Elijah, ssshhhhhh!”

An immediate sense of relief covered him. It was his dad. Elijah began to sink into the strong arms for comfort, but his dad quickly thrust him back to look into his face. “Listen to me, Elijah. There’s no time to explain, there’s no time to think. You have to do exactly what I say, and you have to do it immediately, understand?”

Elijah nodded, choking back a sudden stream of tears. He wanted nothing more than to stay with his dad who would make everything better.

“You need to run somewhere and call for help. Stay there! Do not come back tonight under any circumstances. And this is the most important thing to remember, and you have to remember it. There is a plan and we love you very much. GO!”

Elijah wasted no time. He ran as fast as he could out the front yard, sobbing. He knew he shouldn’t have turned around to look, but he did. The figure stood calmly, watching Elijah with those fierce yellow eyes like a cat stalking his prey. But this time, his dad was in the way, protecting him. Elijah quickly turned and ran down the street toward the neighbors’ house.