The Arcana Club

“I’m busy today,” Nerves said over the phone.

“With what?” I asked.

“With things,” Nerves answered, unhelpful.

“Why do you need to hide things from me?” I asked.

“Why do you need to know everything about me?” Nerves asked back, “Am I not allowed to have a life outside of you?”

“I just want to know what’s going on, and you know Emmy’s always busy on Wednesdays, and since you’re being shifty about things, it means Van’s going to be busy with you.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Should I call Van and ask what they’re doing today?”

“No!” Nerves said, then fumed, “That’s a dirty trick, Summer.”

“Can you give me a hint about what’s going on with my best friend?”

Nerves sighed.

“It’s something I have to figure out on my own.”

“With Van?” I asked.

“No, they’re just—well sort of—I’d need to figure this out with or without Van. They’re just willing to give me a ride.”

“Why do you need a ride to figure things out?”

“Because some of us leave our houses, Summer.”

I stopped. My family didn’t go out often, unless it was something important. It wasn’t something we liked telling people.

“Well sorry I can’t keep up with you!”

I slammed the phone back into its spot as I pressed the hang up button.

“What was that?” Mom asked.

“Nothing,” I said. I was mad Nerves was hiding something, but I didn’t need it to reach the network of mothers.

“It didn’t sound like nothing.”

“Nothing you need to know then,” I said.

“Summer.”

“Mother.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Are things okay?” Mom asked, “Between you and Nerves?”

“No,” I admitted, “He’s hiding something from me.”

“That’s not good. Why would he hide something from you? I thought you told each other everything.”

Mom was close to my face. She and River had the same icy blue eyes. It made me nervous about how mine were a plain brown.

“Not anymore,” I said, “Now he does everything with Van.”

“Are they dating?”

I snorted.

“We’re twelve. We have better things to do than date, and why would they feel the need to hide the fact they’re dating? We don’t care.”

“Maybe they’re doing secret witchcraft rituals?”

“They’d feel less of a need to hide those than if they were dating,” I said, “And Van’s mom probably wouldn’t be the one driving them if that were the case, unless they were doing them safely at Van's house.”

“You’re right, she wouldn’t,” Mom admitted.

“Maybe he just hasn’t found a way to stop being my friend.”

Nerves and I had been friends with each other forever, but we’d stopped having much in common years ago, maybe he needed better friends, friends who could listen.

Mom rubbed my arm in comfort.

“Friends drift away all the time. Maybe you should try doing some more on your own, without Van and Nerves, maybe invite Emmy over.”

“Emmy’s busy on Wednesdays.”

“You’ll figure something out. You’re a resourceful kid.”

I had sent a few messages back and forth with Lorraine about when we could talk, and she was free, so I had something to do, which was talk about someone else with my name.

“Is my life more boring after becoming a superhero?”

There was no time for the question to be answered as Lorraine appeared.

“Hello, Summer, was it?”

“Yep.”

“Well,” Lorraine said, “That certainly makes things easier.”

“Never forget name affinity,” I muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing. What did you want to talk about with me?” I asked.

“I suspect you already know that Summer was my second talisman.”

“Yeah.”

“I assume she’s been distant with you.”

“Because the other sisters aren’t around?” I asked.

“Yes, exactly.”

“And that’s related to Scuro somehow?” I asked.

“What?”

“Well she’s shown me Scuro a few times, in my dreams and one time like this,” I put hands over my eyes, “And I’m surprised I’m able to tell you about it. It must be because you also hosted Summer, so the secret mandate can’t take hold.”

“You’re quite clever,” Lorraine said.

“I read a lot of fantasy,” I admitted.

“Scuro might be connected to it, but really Summer’s distant because she can’t be close to her sisters in the way they once were, not unless they turn from the light brother.”

“Like Scuro did.”

“With Summer’s help. Fire and light aren’t that different of elements.”

That sounded accurate.

“And Summer knows where Scuro is.”

“No,” Lorraine said, “She has a better idea than most, but she doesn’t know. She just knows the requirements for Scuro’s next wielder.”

“What requirements?” I asked.

Lorraine shrugged.

“I never transformed, so any knowledge I have from her is what she told me. You’ve likely seen more than I have in all my years.”

That was weird, it had only been about a month or two since I’d bonded with Summer, and I’d only transformed twice.

“How do I connect her back to the other sisters, aside from turning evil.”

“How did Summer pull me and Scuro away from the light brother’s influence?”

“By being there?” I asked. I hadn’t been given an instruction manual.

“Summer never relinquished her connection to the other sisters. I’m not sure if it’s possible with families, but that’s not why she hasn’t even attempted.”

“Summer wants to redeem them,” I concluded, “We’re going to turn them back.”

“We?”

“Me and her. We can do it together. We’ll need help, but if we can find them, we can take them back.”

“That’s a lot of confidence.”

“And it’s a great way for Nerves and I to reconnect if he was to help with the plan,” I continued, ignoring Lorraine.

“Godspeed, Summer,” she said, “You will need it.”

I stretched, checking the time to be sure no one was awake. I grabbed the last dregs of my secret soda and prepped.

“We’re going to find them,” I assured both of us, “Summer.” 

This time I danced with the flame as it wreathed itself around me. It helped that they were more subdued for the purposes of stealth.

My skin had a light glow crackling from it like dying embers, mostly centered on my face, so you still couldn’t tell who I was. Gloves around my hands formed of flaming lace, and boots around my feet of a similar pattern. I wouldn’t be walking anyways. My hair shrank into my skull, burning into a pattern I would never see.

My dress still wreathed me, but the flames were weaker than they’d been before.

We jumped through my window, soaring through the air before staying just above a light pole, not touching it though.

“If we just open ourselves, we should…”

Autumn was always closest to me. Wind and fire often fueled each other. She was change incarnate, which meant her mind could more easily be changed than she could change mine. Without her, too, Winter and Spring would battle for dominance.

“Sister of Winds,” we called, “Youngest, and most open, show yourself to us, so we may speak.”

We felt a tug, and chose to offer it trust. Autumn wouldn’t speak to Winter about our conversation.

We flew, already enjoying the combination of our elements. We’d be better off together, but first we had to convince her, or fight her.

We froze.

We had to fight her?

As was traditional to get a talisman, we couldn’t just steal it.

But if we had to fight her, would she get hurt?

The host might struggle a bit, but they shouldn’t be injured, besides, Autumn could be persuaded.

We landed back at the tree where we’d first bonded. A woman in brown, hair and dress swinging every which way, turned to us with a smile.

“Autumn!” We greeted.

“Summer.”

She held our hands, and whatever stealth we had soon left as our flames rose up again.

“You come to persuade me away from the Light Brother,” Autumn deduced.

“The fact you do not speak his name shows we have a chance.”

Autumn looked past us, and only into me, the one she didn’t know.

“Your host is young, but Winter already learned that, and Spring learned of the others.”

“And what of your host,” we asked, “What do you know about them?”

Autumn shook her head.

“We have not spoken. as you may have guessed, it is possession.”

“Since when have you ever had to possess anyone? You are ever changing, ever amiable. Why would you force your will on another?”

It was out of character for her. Winter, I would expect this from, but her host was willing.

“It is better that she does not know.”

“Then you know it is wrong.”

“You aren’t much older than me, Summer!” Autumn snapped, a gust of wind pushing us away from her.

“I am not trying to flex my time over yours. You have had more hosts despite my years, because you know how to connect, I have always been more stubborn.”

“Is that why you needed someone with your own name?” Autumn asked, before trying to quiet herself.

“How do you know my name?” I asked. Was Spring close enough to hear us when we tried to use our powers on the tree? I didn’t think I’d said my name when I met Winter.

“Winter said it,” Autumn said, “She didn’t explain how she knew, but we have been watching.”

“The wind,” I said, “Cas only noticed the wind, but you weren’t trying to harm us. You were listening in.”

Autumn nodded.

“Please,” I said, “Winter and I are dominating, I know that, but the light brother is forcing you against your own nature. Why would you turn against our brother?”

“I want to be a person,” Autumn said, “Not some thing that makes someone better, but myself. I used to have passions, love. He turned me into some task on your list to get to Winter.”

We reached toward her.

“You are a continuation of someone wonderful, a second life for a wonderful sister, but The Light Brother treats you less like a person than Talisman does. Talisman, you could refuse, you have refused, but Chiaro makes you possess someone, and has you break yourself to suit his needs. He doesn’t offer to let you free, and what is wind if not true freedom?”

Autumn watched us with an unsteady expression, before taking the outstretched hand.

“Find me with Death. I may give myself to her, as our forces are connected.”

I nodded.

“We will find you, and we will save you.”