C7 Chapter 7

Enrique was one of Emma’s friends who had most noticed how much she had changed. Carol had told him how, a few days earlier, when she had gone to Emma’s apartment it had been dusty and untidy. She had tried to cheer her up without any success. It had been her idea for them all to go to a festival in the city that would take place in a few days. Carol thought that a distraction would help Emma Kantor clear her head.

On the day of the festival, the four friends met at lunchtime on a street corner close to the park where the main stage was. There were going to be different theater, music and dance performances. Carol and Jeff took Emma to various shows, hoping that one of them would be entertaining enough to make her smile for real rather than because she felt like she had to, which had been the case since they had arrived. Unfortunately, as the sun was setting and the lanterns were being lit, it was clear that their plan had not worked.

Meanwhile, Enrique Ortega did not feel up to helping much that day. The crowds of people, the fall breeze and the hundreds of families all reminded him just how far away he was from his home and his loved ones. At this time of year, his parents used to take him and his sister to a very similar festival. They even went the year that his sister died, the three of them together despite their loss. It had been an important step toward overcoming his sadness. It had made Enrique realize that they would get through the loss of his sister together, as a family. His parents were grieving as well but they had done everything they could to show him that they wanted him to be happy. He realized that it wouldn’t have been fair for him not give them the same support back. What would his family be doing now? Would his parents have gone to the festival by themselves? What is a family without children? The questions spun around in his head and he imagined his parents going alone to an event which had lost all meaning. This thought filled him with a sense of painful frustration, sadness and melancholy. He had been able to accept that interdimensional travel was possible, and he had built new friendships, but what was the point if he could not share it with the two people who had given him everything, who he had left behind, abandoned to their fate on Earth. What had become of his childhood rival who he had sworn he would meet up with again? While he was processing his own sense of emptiness, he had left behind a much larger void with his absence. He had to go back. He had to find a way to return to his own planet. Not for himself, but for the people who loved him most.

"Enrik?"

Enrique snapped back. Emma was standing in front of him. As radiant as ever with her long flowing hair and pendant, she was observing him with a look of genuine concern on her face. Enrique Ortega met her gaze for a moment, and the affection he saw in her eyes filled the emptiness he felt inside, if only for a moment.

"Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought, ha-ha!" He looked around. "Where are Jeff and Carol?"

Emma did not answer. She looked down, reached into her pocket for a handkerchief and offered it to him. He looked at it and then back at her, confused.

"Your eyes," Emma said, before turning from him and moving away a few steps.

Ortega brought a hand to his face, feeling tears on his cheeks. Nervous, he quickly dried his eyes.

"Sorry," he said, returning the handkerchief.

"Don’t worry about it, it happens to all of us. Let’s go. Jeff and Carol are already over there," she said, nodding to the side.

There was a very popular dance performance scheduled to start in half an hour. Jeff and Carol had gone ahead to find out exactly where it was going to take place. They were going to find out the location and then return to get Enrique and Emma so they could all go together. Emma and Enrique were walking toward them when the crowd suddenly split in two, creating a massive divide between them and making it impossible to get back to each other. They tried to find their way across, but it was too late. They caught one last glimpse of Jeff in the distance. He seemed to be pointing to one side as he shouted something before Carol pulled him back, preventing a group of people from knocking him over as they went by.

Enrique’s hand instinctively reached for his pocket. Although he quickly stopped, feeling sad, as well as a little stupid. Obviously he could not call Jeff on his cell phone. Emma was watching his face, and remembering what she had seen before, she approached him, still worried.

"I think we lost them. Anyway, don’t worry we’ll find them later," she said. "So, what do you think is going to happen here?"

"Happen here?" Enrique focused back on Emma. "I think that—"

"There’s going to be a parade through here," said a man, who looked to be around fifty years old, who was walking near them. "You’re not from here, are you?"

Emma and Enrique looked at him, suddenly nervous.

"I thought so," the man said. "Let me explain. Like every year, there will be dancers, jugglers, maybe some kind of march. They say that this time, the troops of the Royal Guard, under the command of Colonel Nickelstown, are going to either open or close the parade. Last year it was the Police, the year before the Fourteenth Marine Corps, but I always wanted to see the Cavalry again myself. I would settle for the Tenth Regiment of Lancers or the Fourth of the Hussars who marched eight years ago. In fact, I’m happy as long as the ones who were taking care of the House of Parliament on the day of the attack two years ago are not here. Enjoy yourselves!"

The man disappeared into the crowd. Emma and Enrique didn’t really know a lot about anything the man had said and were left feeling quite confused.

"I don’t even know that much about parades in my own country," said Enrique.

It had been a few days since Emma’s stone had last activated to announce a new mission. She figured she should enjoy these peaceful moments while she could. Emma Kantor, the emissary, and Emma Kantor, the student, could not fight against each other. She could not let her work destroy her. She had to be strong, like the little Mage of Cards girl, who, very bravely had decided to help her in her very first fight against a Zanszprët, proving to a younger Emma that anyone could be strong, no matter their size. Moreover, she could not let her own problems affect one of the very people that she had promised to protect. Something was going on with Enrique and she wanted to know what it was. Why did he always appear ethereally at each of her encounters with a Zanszprët? It didn’t seem right, however, to bother him with questions given his frame of mind right now. She did not want to make him feel worse. She decided to talk about anything else.

"Me neither, but the man is right," she said, looking at Ortega with a friendly expression. This unexpected positivity cheered him up. "We should have fun."

Enrique knew she was right. He could not let his memories or his dreams keep him from having a good time. They were problems like any other that he had to face and overcome. He nodded.

Suddenly, two men on horses galloped elegantly through the crowd, their golden helmets adorned with red feathers. Their uniforms included blue jackets with red details and golden piping on the collar, white pants and black riding boots. Each carried a lance with a spearhead on both ends; the Albion flag was tied to the base of the largest spearhead, which was hoisted in the air. Likewise, the two riders each wore a curved saber sheathed at the waist. They seemed to herd the crowd with their haughty and watchful eyes. In this way everybody created two straight lines on each side, the perfect path for the parade to pass through.

A few minutes later different groups began to march and the air was filled with music and cheering. Since arriving in Albion, Emma and Enrique had never seen such a spectacle, and being this close to the performance made them both feel unusually enthusiastic. Almost half an hour later, the parade ended with the Royal Guard, who carried muskets with bayonets and wore black jackets with golden buttons and details, red pants and long black boots, as well as tall black hats, adorned with golden insignias and a white feather.

After the Royal Guard had marched by, people started to talk about the fireworks display that was going to close the festival. This reminded Emma and Enrique that the show would start soon. They made their way through the crowd with some difficulty, as everyone was trying to find a good spot to watch the fireworks.

Several minutes later, they reached the riverbank, near a stone wall with metal railings, illuminated with lanterns. In the distance there was a bridge that crossed the river, connecting the city. The firework launchers were located at the bottom of the wall, with just a few people operating them. Each launcher had a wooden structure that was almost ten feet high, with a number of fireworks on each pointing toward the sky. The ladder leading down to the lower area was closed off and locked with a heavy chain. There were also some small boats on the river, with thick metal tubes pointing up to the sky. The people on the boats looked at the cannon operators along the river’s edge with confusion.

"They should have started by now, what’s going on?" asked Enrique, feeling anxious.

"There seems to be some kind of problem," said a woman standing next to him with her family. "If they can’t fix it they will have to call in more operators, which will delay everything," she said with a sigh. "And to think how difficult it was to get here with my children."

Enrique Ortega feared they were both going to be disappointed. Emma noticed his troubled look and took action. She climbed on to the railing’s lower metal bar, using it as a step, and then leaned forward and squinted, looking at the cannons.

"What are you doing?" asked Enrique, intrigued.

"Measuring the distance," she replied, jumping back to where she was previously.

"Measuring the distance?"

"Exactly."

Enrique was confused. There were lots of groups of people along the riverbanks and in the nearby parks, waiting for the fireworks show to start. The firework cannons in front of them were the ones that would set the pace for the rest of the launches. Emma continued to stare at the cannons while she counted them off on her fingers.

Ortega leaned back against the railing. He did not want to wait all night. They had come to cheer Emma up, and instead, all he had done was worry her more. For a moment he felt immature, remembering how easy it was for him to be consumed by nostalgia.

"It should be starting," Emma said, catching his attention. Then, she snapped her fingers without Enrique seeing, and the cannons launched.

The sudden explosion caught everyone by surprise and startled Enrique, making him jump. Emma laughed at his reaction. After the shock and Enrique’s embarrassment, they both relaxed and watched the shapes and colors light up the sky Ortega had no idea that it had been Emma who had fixed the problem, setting off the cannons casting four simple fire spells. Emma Kantor knew that her friends had planned the whole day to try to make her feel better, which is why she had decided to break the rules, ignoring her oath as a mage and using her magical power. Despite Carol and Jeff not being with them right then the fact that they had taken her out for the day was a favor she felt she should return. Therefore she figured that it wouldn’t do any harm to use a little magic to make sure they didn’t miss out on this experience.

Emma leaned on the railing with both hands to watch the show, unaware of what Enrique was going through. A moment later, she noticed he was holding on to the railing tightly with one hand with a nostalgic expression on his face. She turned away to give him some space. Emma focused on the fireworks and then suddenly she felt Enrique’s warm hand accidentally touch hers. He hadn’t meant to touch Emma’s hand, he was just trying to lean back, and when he realized what he had done, he stepped back, feeling very nervous. Emma reacted with a giggle and looked the other way.

"Oh, sorry," he said. "I didn’t realize . . ."

"Don’t worry about it," Emma said, turning back to watch the fireworks.

Enrique leaned against the railing with his arms crossed, close to Emma.

"It reminds me of when I used to go see fireworks with my family every autumn," said Enrique, with a nostalgic expression, still feeling a little nervous. "My sister loved them—" Enrique realized he had just revealed he had a sister. He stopped talking and looked down. He wanted to avoid any questions about his past.

"My sister does too," Emma Kantor said with a gentle smile.

Enrique didn’t say anything.

"I have a younger sister," Emma said quietly, looking at him. "Her name is Kamila. Kamila Kantor. I wish she were here, she would really love this," she turned her gaze back to the fireworks. "There was a competition at her school once . . . she was afraid of the noise, well she was still little. I think it was one of the first times she had ever decided on her own to go and watch something like that. But she stopped being scared once she saw the green fireworks, like the color of my eyes. She said ’look sis, your eyes are in the sky,’" Emma watched the explosions multiplying in the sky with melancholy. "Whenever I see fireworks, I don’t know why but I always remember that story. She’s all grown up now and probably doesn’t need me anymore, although as a sister, I guess she’ll always need me, as much as I will always need her. If you come to Kilto one day, I’ll introduce you to her."

Enrique was surprised. The nostalgia in Emma’s eyes made her seem vulnerable. He felt like he should say something to lighten the mood, but the memories of his own sister provoked a sense of longing that prevented him from speaking. The emptiness she had left behind returned, and for a moment he felt the sadness of calling out her name by accident, of going to her for help and finding an empty room, of buying candy for the two of them and realizing that he only needed enough for one. Those were some of the mistakes that a young Enrique Ortega had made in the first weeks after the death of his sister.

"Is your sister younger than you?" Emma asked watching the fireworks show. “Or older?"

"She was younger."

Emma turned toward him. She realized that she should not have asked that question.

"Was she . . . ?" She felt a sudden and treacherous curiosity about Enrique’s past.

"She died in an accident five years ago," he said, looking toward the horizon.

Emma imagined how empty she would feel if she ever lost Kamila, which helped her empathize with how Enrique must be feeling.

"I’m sorry," she said, staring down at her feet.

"You had no way of knowing," Enrique looked down as well. "I hid the fact that I had a sister . . . on purpose."

Emma Kantor looked confused and concerned. Enrique continued to speak, his voice now trembling.

"The same way I have hidden where I am really from."

Emma didn’t respond immediately. Then she looked out toward the river before speaking. The fireworks show was coming to an end.

"You’re not the only one with secrets."

"But I’m a liar," he said.

"You’re not a liar," Emma said after a brief pause, shaking her head. "Strange things happen to you sometimes, but that’s the same for everyone."

Ortega looked at her with confusion and surprise. She turned until she was facing him directly.

"Anyway, if you hid the fact you had a sister, or where you are from, it’s because . . . well, you probably have a very good reason for doing so, don’t you?"

"Yes . . ." he continued looking at her in the same way.

"And it’s not anything bad, is it?" she continued.

"No."

Emma smiled before speaking again.

"So don’t worry about it. Even if you’re from another planet, nobody is going to abandon you."