Legacy: Tales from the Twisted Eden Sector, #6

Foundations

A GENTLE BREEZE WAFTED through the front doors of the brand new school. It was empty for now except for her small footsteps and the contractors who were leaving within the next few days. What had once been a fairly large manor was now almost a castle, and Victoria was the princess as far as she was concerned. One that was waiting for some prince to come save her from her older brother.

Oliver was only a year older and somehow managed to be the most annoying creature she had ever met. He was clingy and he cried far more than a boy should, especially one that was going to be eleven soon. Ever since they’d come to stay with Great Aunt Audrey, he’d followed her everywhere and insisted on making her come with him to do whatever he wanted to do.

Back home he hardly paid any attention to her. He had his friends and he was good at so much stuff that most of the time Victoria was left to her own devices. Here, with no friends and no one to praise him, he was bored and clung to her. It was a nice change for the first day, but she didn’t want to spend so much time with her brother. Unfortunately, no matter where she went, he ended up finding her.

Vicky! he called after her, his voice echoing through the halls as he came closer.

Victoria let out a dramatic sigh and turned back from the door, crossing her arms as she looked at him. "I told you, call me Victoria, like Aunt Audrey does."

But you’ve always been Vicky, Oliver said. Why am I going to stop now?

Because I said so!

Oliver laughed. That’s not how that works, he said. Otherwise I’d be Liverwurst because you said so.

"You are Liverwurst," she pouted.

Come on, it’s time for lessons, he said, walking past her and down the other hallway. Sooner it’s over with, sooner we can see where Aunt Audrey is keeping the bodies.

She’s not keeping bodies, Olly! Victoria told him, but followed him anyway. Why do you always have to be so weird?

"If she’s not keeping bodies, then what do I keep hearing? Either there’s ghosts or there’s living, screaming people around here somewhere. I’m hoping it’s ghosts, because then they can’t come after us."

Maybe she just caught some of the Syndicate sneaking in and trying to wreck the school before it opened. You ever think that maybe everyone’s actually right about them and they’re trying to stop her from making a school to teach kids proper magic? Maybe she’s awesome even though she’s old!

He frowned, but didn’t say anything else. Victoria knew it was just because he didn’t like Aunt Audrey. She smelled like old lady and he’d been talking about hearing something ever since they got here. It kept him up at night, making him come and stay in her room most of the time, but she hadn’t heard anything. Aunt Audrey had teased him for it and he didn’t like that at all. He said she was just a crazy old lady, even if she was really good at making potions and doing magic stuff.

Victoria liked the lessons that Aunt Audrey gave them, though. She told stories and taught them how to do all sorts of cool things. Sure, their parents taught them a lot of this stuff too, but they didn’t teach it inside a castle, and there was something about the way Aunt Audrey told them stuff that made her feel like she actually wanted them to do magic. Whenever her parents taught them things, it was always with a caution that they must not do this around people. Here, she was allowed to even do magic even with the contractors around.

Oliver, though... he wouldn’t do it. He thought there was something weird about the contractors too.

They made their way to one end of the school, to a tower where Aunt Audrey lived. Victoria loved it and wanted to live there one day too, instead of having to be off in the dorms on the other end of the school. They climbed the stairs until they got to a floor that was just a large open area filled with everything that either of them would ever need to make whatever potions they wanted.

Aunt Audrey was already there, standing over a gas stove and stirring something sweet in a pot. She didn’t look up as they came in, her cold grey eyes staring down at whatever she was working on and soft words pouring out of her mouth as she stirred. Her long, greying hair stayed tied in a tight knot on top of her head. She dressed entirely in black, wearing a shirt with short sleeves, long pants, and heels that clicked on the tile whenever she moved.

Victoria stopped Oliver at the door, watching her in awe. She worked so easily with everything she did and Victoria wanted to be just like her. Even pouring out the chocolate brown liquid into the two cups was easy for her and she didn’t spill a drop.

Come in, Aunt Audrey said without looking up. She picked up the two mugs and placed them down on what in a normal kitchen would have been a very large bar, nodding for Victoria and Oliver to take their seats at it. Drink up. It will keep you focused for today.

What are we doing today? Victoria asked, hopping up onto her seat and eagerly taking the drink in her hand. She could smell the chocolate now and eagerly drank it down as she watched Aunt Audrey.

I’m going to see how much you’ve been paying attention, she said, glaring at Oliver before turning to a chalkboard on the wall and starting to write. I’m going to get you both to make a very simple potion. One that will put someone to sleep. These are the ingredients.

Oliver stared at the board, frowning as he went carefully though every item on the list and tried to remember them all. Aunt Audrey didn’t like how he kept asking questions and took several trips when he forgot things, so he stayed long enough that he could memorize the twelve items on the list and collect them all in one go.

Victoria had no trouble with it. She glanced at the board and already knew what she needed for a sleeping potion. It wasn’t a very strong one, so it wasn’t very hard. The only tricky thing was finding all of the ingredients in the room, moving between the fridges and the living plants and making sure she got just enough of everything she needed in order to finish it.

When she was nearly done, Oliver was only starting to move through the room, running from place to place and trying to get his ingredients before he forgot what they all were. Aunt Audrey frowned as she watched him moving, but said nothing, instead moving back to the board and erasing the list of ingredients to put up a list of instructions.

Nothing that Aunt Audrey wrote was necessary, though. She hadn’t let them actually make a potion before today, but Victoria already knew exactly what to do and she was going to make it better than Oliver. She went to the other side of the counter where Aunt Audrey set up a cutting board, a series of small metal tools, and a metal bowl for each of them. Victoria got to work processing, pulling the lavender apart and separating the pieces of the aloe plant.

When you are done, Aunt Audrey told them both as she put a fresh pot of water on the stove, you will add your potion to water and you’ll drink what the other one has made. The first one to fall asleep loses.

Everything was easy. Victoria had paid attention when Aunt Audrey told them what to do before, so she knew just how to use each of the tools to grate and separate and crush what she needed to. There were words she needed to say and small spells to cast when she was adding the ingredients to one another, but she needed no reference for any of them. She knew each of them and, by the time she was ready to add the ingredients to hot water, it was starting to boil.

Victoria looked up to see Aunt Audrey scowling over Oliver. He looked near tears, a finger in his mouth and his knife bloody on the cutting board. Before him, he had the right ingredients but they were cut up badly.

Watch what you’re cutting, boy! Aunt Audrey snapped at him. I’m not about to let your sister drink blood like some animal. Are you trying to poison her?

No, Aunt Audrey, Oliver said, keeping his head down and trying not to let the tears spill over.

Be more careful! Look, Victoria’s already finished. If you’re just going to stop, I should make you drink hers now.

No! he cried. I can do it. I can do it. He breathed in, though the tears started to leak out of his eyes as he kept getting back to work. He kept his eyes down, not daring to look up at the smug grin Victoria was wearing as he tried to get the rest of his potion together. His eyes flickered to the instructions on the board, but otherwise stayed far away from any of the other people in the room.

I’m done, Aunt Audrey, Victoria said, not bothering to hide the smugness in her voice as she handed the potion over to her. The lavender floated delicately on the top and Aunt Audrey looked impressed at her work.

Nicely done, Victoria, she said. She took it from her and spooned a small portion of it into the bottom of a mug. Interesting. Tell me, you weren’t looking at the board at all, were you?

No, Aunt Audrey, she said, smiling. I remembered everything you taught us already so I didn’t have to. I’ve been paying really good attention to everything.

The answer appeared to make Aunt Audrey happy. The smile that crawled over her face was one that Victoria had never seen before. It was wider than usual, the wrinkles by her eyes scrunching up as she looked down at her. She gave Victoria a little pat on the head and looked back at Oliver. We’ll see how long it takes that boy to finish. You drink up the rest of your chocolate.

Yes, Aunt Audrey! Victoria rushed back around the bar, sitting at the counter with her mug and watching Oliver as he tried to make his potion come together. It wasn’t that he was doing it wrong. Well, he was doing some of it wrong. Aunt Audrey was there to scowl at him whenever he tried to look back at the instructions, so he tried not to do that too often.

No, it was the fact that none of the spells he was trying to place on the ingredients was taking. Victoria could tell that he didn’t quite know how much or how little of anything to use and his words did not create the desired effects he needed. He was frustrated and fighting back tears as he worked, continuing to nick at his knuckles and fingers as he tried to make it all work, but careful not to get blood in it. When he was done, Victoria already knew that it wouldn’t work, but he handed it to Aunt Audrey anyway.

She made a disappointed sound at it and spooned a little into the bottom of the other mug. She poured the hot water over both mugs and handed one to each of them. Drink, she instructed them both. We’ll see which of you did it right.

Victoria wrinkled her nose at the mug in front of her. It smelled like he screwed it up too. Sleeping potions were supposed to smell sweet and relaxing, but this smelled like he had ground up grass. She blew on it to cool it down, and looked back at Aunt Audrey as if asking if she really had to drink this.

She glanced at Oliver, who took a big gulp of it despite how hot it was. He slammed the cup back down on the counter, mouth open as he let out a small whine and waved both hands at his tongue to cool it down. It lasted only a moment before he slumped forward and fell in a heap to the ground.

I think it worked, Aunt Audrey said, smiling back at Victoria. You have a gift for this. If I’m not mistaken, the same gift my sister had for it.

Victoria didn’t know what to say to that. She smiled and felt her face flush, unable to quite meet Aunt Audrey’s eyes. She was happy with her. She’d done it right. She made her brother fall asleep with a potion, which was more than she’d ever done before.

I think I’ll get you to try something a little more challenging next, she said. There’s a very special brew that even I still have trouble with, but I’m sure you can figure it out, smart girl that you are. Very useful, though. Do you want to try it?

Victoria nodded, leaning forward, mug of grass tea forgotten next to her. But can I? she asked, suddenly very aware of what she’d said. "If even you have trouble with it..."

But you’re gifted, Victoria, Aunt Audrey said. You can do the impossible, I think, if you put your mind to it. But we’ll see after this. I need you to make me a potion that will make people do what I ask them to, and then will make them forget when they are done. Right now, this needs two potions, but I need you to make me a single potion that does all of it. Can you do that?

Aunt Audrey wanted her to make something. She wanted her to make a potion and she thought she could actually do it. Something swelled up inside Victoria and she gave her a firm nod. I can do it! she said.

I’ll leave you to it then, Victoria, Aunt Audrey said. I need to go deal with some of the contractors right now, though. I’ll be back to check on you in a bit, okay?

Victoria nodded, but wasn’t paying attention anymore. She needed ingredients. And she needed fire. And she needed a lot of other things that she was going to have to find. She didn’t