Chapter 4: Questions and Answers

An eternity had passed by the time I had finished going through the checkout line. Pulling the cart behind me I exited the store and headed back towards the hotel. Away from the surging crowds of lunchtime people. Free from their desks for the hour, they jostled past. I took a break in an archway. I decided if I was going to take a break from walking I might as well reply back to G. Pulling up the original message I began to type every question that ran through my mind.

Hey, Mr.G I have got some questions that need answering.

Why the hell would you do this to me?

How the hell am I supposed to charge this thing? There was no charger anywhere in the suite that I saw.

What the f*ck do people see when I'm walking around with my phone in hand?

What happens if I lose my phone? Cause that is totally going to happen at some point in time.

If I'm dead what happened to the rest of my family after I died?

Did you do anything else to my mind why I was sleeping? It's strange that I've been less anxious around people since I woke up here. And that talking, in general, has become easier.

-A

First panic fueled drafts should never be sent. It sounded a bit overly friendly at the beginning and then as if I were going to throttle them the next second. I should probably edit this to sound more sane. My fingers hovered over the words trying to decide where to start before something screamed through my mind. This situation was INSANE. Why should I tone it back from them?! If they were god they could probably just read my mind. They would be able to tell I didn't mean anything kind in the first place. I was exhausted and I wouldn't put it past them to just be watching me, waiting for me to tear my hair out. Let's just not waste the energy.

Reading it over one last time. I decided it was fine language indeed, and hit send. Getting back to the room, I stepped over the packages left at the door. Placing the groceries on the counter I started unpacking the deliveries. Some needed to be placed in the room, others needed to go in the kitchen or throughout the suite. Back and forth I went, moving them to their designated room. The reply didn't come until I was finished with that and putting away the groceries. A series of text messages lit up my phone.

1."Hey munchkin,

well, I can say that I'm surprised that it took you this long to getting around to talking to me. Not that I'm not happy that you did. Getting down to your questions let's go in order, shall we?

I already answered the first one so I won't repeat myself, but I will tell you that you're entertaining to watch so occasionally I do when I'm not working."

Great God sees me as a sitcom. I wonder how badly this will go… I tried to read on while ignoring that thought.

2."Next question. Congratulations!!! You are the charger. Luckily this will be one you can't lose. Most magical places like Diagon Alley and Hogwarts will supply a minimal charge to it from just being there. In cases where you are too far away from them, you can use your magic to give it a boost. I'd suggest you try to figure out how to do so. Getting the exact amount of magic without going overboard may be tricky. You never know when you'll need your phone so keep it charged. I've also made it so that each charge will last and not take a huge amount of magic. On a side note, it won't blow up if it's overcharged, so no worries there."

Thank goodness I wouldn't accidentally blow myself up. Even normal phones sometimes blow up and I didn't want to find myself in that situation. Still, G seemed more interested in being able to contact me whenever they felt like then me needing my phone with these instructions. But I still heeded their advice. I put learning how to charge my phone with magic on my to-do list. I can't just be wandering aimlessly every time I need to charge my phone.

3." A little device disappearing and reappearing would certainly cause a few people to stare. The phone itself might cause a riot in the wizarding world. SO even though that would be fun, I've decided to camouflage it slightly. Those around you will perceive it as something completely ordinary in your hand. A notebook while strolling down London streets. A Remembrall or quill when in Hogsmeade or other such places. It might even appear to be a related book or map depending on the situation. Even if someone else focuses hard on the object it won't seem out of place to them or of any importance."

Saved by practicality. I thank whoever convinced God to lay off the jokes for this. I don't think I could have used my phone anywhere but my room if they had chosen anything else more outrageous.

4." Good on you kid. You've thought of something I've left out. I've left a ring on the desk for you. It's basically a homing device for your phone. Rub it and it will ring it right up for you. It's a permanent feature so once you put it on you can't take it off. That way you don't lose your phone and the ring. I'd suggest the pinkie finger. It has the least use of all the fingers. The ring will resize itself once you put it on, so no freakishly small finger situation will happen. There's a setting if you feel like showing off your bling but most days it will be automatically hidden."

I didn't like the fact that the ring couldn't be removed but at least it meant that my lifeline would always be within easy reach. The fact that G had an opinion on fingers was surprising. Seeing the first line of the next text I decided to rip off the bandage before it could hurt me too much. I read all the texts together as speedily as my eyes could move.

5." On the subject of your family, all I have to say is, they're happy. When you died they came together to work through the loss. They grieved and they missed you. But to live in heartache, for humans, isn't a life worth living. There isn't much else to say. Although, I will add that your sister had a baby girl. Ended up calling her Alise, in your honor."

6."This question is a bit tricky. Know I did nothing to your personality. You are still you. Happiness, Worry, Anger, Bliss all those things are still there. All I did was tweak your brain chemistry slightly so that you wouldn't spiral. There aren't any side effects to this. If something is too hard to bear you'll still feel those things. It's just adding a little bounciness to your brain. If something is difficult you'll find it easier than before to adapt."

"To be fair, I may have added in a few twists and turns. Just to keep things fun and you motivated to experience life. Nothing that's dangerous or impossible, just a couple tweaks that will be exciting. Since I've answered all of your questions, I have to get back to work. Final words from a wise man, be careful when expanding your magic and the strength that you use to accomplish things. Strong beams of light can become powerful lasers. You don't want to hurt anybody."

"Shake a leg cause the world is moving-G "

Finishing the text I felt like my feelings were a hurricane. Swarming around and being tossed in the air. Waiting for me to reach out and grab one to feel. Anger came and left quickly. I couldn't hate G for making things better or my family living on without me. Melancholy was a gentle breeze. They were happy and healthy and I had a baby niece. She would grow and probably be a carbon copy of my sister. Acceptance and resignation were becoming more and more common these days.

With all these thoughts, I guess I've already started to move forward. Even with the knowledge that G had poked around inside my head. I wasn't really bothered. Knowing me, he had done it to save me. The constant panic that I held inside, was no longer there. A chuckle escaped from me. I hadn't thought of it all day. Like the thought at the back of your mind was suddenly quiet. Nothing had changed the way I moved or talked. It was just easier. I was still me. Just not the exact same me. I no longer had the irrational terror that I couldn't go outside and had to have things delivered.

For the first time, I took a breath and smiled at the outrageousness of the situation. I guess I just got a new lease on life. Leaving the rest of the food and my phone on the counter. I went to the desk. Opening the drawer, I pulled out a velvet box. Inside lay a delicate silver ring with an intertwined band. A single stone shone in the setting. I didn't know what the stone was but it was beautiful. The light was softly reflected off the transparent stone. Shimmering and rippling across the surface. A moonbeam, so beautiful, sat neatly in the center of this ring. Removing it from the box I slipped it onto my finger.

Something clicked into place. I tried to summon my phone from across the room. And just like that my phone was in my hand. "Cool. " I said to the air. Heading back into the kitchen, my stomach decided that moment to gurgle. Realizing I hadn't eaten anything today I picked the simplest thing to cook. According to room service, every kid should be dying to have, Mac and cheese. Finishing up I got ready for bed. Lying in bed, instead of doing this on the couch like last night, I tried to call my magic again so I could expand my power. A small bright light and again pitch black.