Until We Meet Again

By Andrea McKerlie

When 15-year-old Ada Mason is invited with her friends to go to a supposedly enchanted island just off the California coast, what can she do but play along? She stopped believing in magic and miracles when her brother died of heart failure years before. Now, Ada starts having dreams and premonitions of haunting possibilities in a world she never thought was real, as one of her friends is plagued by seemingly nonexistent wraiths, and an evil villain seeks revenge in Ilthen, the last place where magic can be found.

When Ada begins hearing voices in her head from a tired old man, she begins to rethink her ideas of what exists and what does not. Between the pages of Until We Meet Again are mysteries and memories, vows and scars, secrets and questions, sadness and laughter, and the rapid process of a maturing soul.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 7, 2006
• ISBN: 9781467074353

Andrea McKerlie

Andrea McKerlie is a senior in high school in Cary, North Carolina. She enjoys writing, playing flute and video games, and hanging out with friends. She was the drum major of her high school's marching band for three consecutive years, and feels that she is a conundrum, even to herself.

Book preview

Prologue

Dear Reader,

You should know that the events in this story are about a girl, Adelaide Mason, who discovers that fairy tales might not be entirely fictional. You may not agree with the events here, but when you go somewhere that is infiltrated with magic, such as Ilthen, don’t blame me for misleading you. This book will be put into a fiction or young adult fiction section at your local library, so it will seem all the more misleading (Ada’s parents thought this decision was made for the best, as they still hardly believe it themselves!).

Ada’s story begins, of course, at her birth, but this is a story about her involvement with Ilthen, an island that is barely noticeable off the coast of California. We shall enter at a significant moment in Ada’s life, one that stays with her always, and shall continue from there. It is the best place to begin.

Ada and I have gathered the following information from her experiences and my research afterwards. Adelaide is quite emotional about the following story, and wishes to express this feeling with you. Her feeling is so intense, in fact, that she may expand it to more chapters of her life, asking me to help her publish more. I suggest in taking this story as a guide to Ilthen and magic in general, though, if you ever visit, not everything that follows is guaranteed to happen - wars, battles, and whatnot. It is a peaceful country…sometimes…

Ada wishes me to warn you that this book may move along fast, but she hates a story with too much down time. In her words, it isn’t fun to watch every little thing in the scenery go past a window, so why have to illustrate it to young, happy people who are supposed to be doing their homework or vacuuming the stairs instead?

Sincerely,

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Andrea McKerlie (Author) &

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Adelaide Mason (Survivor)

Creature Descriptions - Normal Humans

Adelaide Ada Mason: A native of California and the main character of this story, Ada has many problems at school, having barely scraped a passing grade last year. This year, her parents have gone to at least two conferences with each of her teachers about her grades. She is very amusing, and could make just about anyone laugh. She does not like having such a foreign name, since her image of herself is boring and simple.

Scott Snail Giovanni: Scott’s nickname is Snail, since he was the first person Adelaide won against in a race, and the name stuck. Even his parents call him Snail now. He’s short for his age, and looks younger than he truthfully is. He has been wearing a necklace with one large pearly pendant for a year - never taking it off, not in the shower or while sleeping. He and Shanon have been together since they met. His grandparents are all from Italy, but he is pure American.

Cathrin Alexia Nelson-Whyar: Cathrin is an opposite of Snail. She is very tall and sophisticated. Adelaide and Cathrin have been friends since first grade. Cathrin is only semi-thin, but is still perfect to be a model. Her parents divorced during the third quarter of school, so her grades went down a bit, though she is recovering. She has been Jerr’s girlfriend for almost a year.

Jerr Granlear: Jerr is of average height, but is excruciatingly thin, and not well-fed. His parents, Ginger and Myron, are archaeology experts, so they are always studying their discoveries instead of paying attention to their son. Jerr has gotten a few after-school jobs dog-walking and housekeeping that help pay for his education and food, but no one knows how he will afford college yet. Jerr’s parents are from Edinburgh, Scotland, so Jerr has a slight accent.

Shanon May Dobsinn: Shanon is straight from Dublin, Ireland, and knows many Gaelic and Celtic traditions and stories. She is very smart, and can surprise people with trivia about almost anything. Shanon is afraid of going into the ocean, however, since the first time she went into the Pacific - when she was severely stung by a jellyfish. She has not been to a beach since.

Creature Descriptions - Enchanted Creatures

Elves: These are the main rulers of the Enchanted world. They are the most like Men, looking just like them except fairer and, of course, one cannot forget their pointed ears. They have the keenest sight and hearing of any living being, and can walk through the trees absolutely silently. The king of the Elves is usually the king of most other enchanted beings, as Elves are quite organized with their society, and very wise, on the whole. They live in tribes, based on what type of magic they have, and how they use it. Each tribe lives in a place with landforms or elements that satisfy their needs and wants. The tribes are divided mostly by what natural elements they have preferences to: water, fire, ice, earth, air, darkness, or any other variations of these. There have been many feuds between tribes, mostly dealing with the Shadow Tribe, who sometimes use their powers in evil or deceitful ways.

Nymphs: Nymphs are much like Elves, in their ways of living, yet do not obey the same social rules. Nymphs live all together, and their magics are also elementally based. These are the only kinds of powers that they have, unlike the Elves, who have developed magic that helps them in even the smallest of ways. There might be any assortment of elements in one family, as it is not hereditary. For example, one family of Nymphs might contain one man who has magic dealing with fire, and one woman whose magic controls water. Some Nymphs might intermarry, however, and powers might increase or decline over the generations; it is very difficult to predict. The ruler of Nymphs, the Seer, is the most respected being in all the enchanted world.

Fairies: Fairies, as you might picture them, are in fact little tiny creatures that fly around on butterfly-like wings, and they are very fair, enthusiastic, and sparkly. Many people confuse them with Pixies, but there is no real difference, other than the fact that the latter like to trick innocent civilians, and always have bluish-green oily skin. They are both evolved from the Faeries. Notice that there are no Fairies in this story. Faeries are quite different, and not to be confused with them.

Faeries: These are the fairest beings in any of the worlds - enchanted or not. They are like Elves in size and lifestyle, but are tempters of the weak-minded. Their iris-less eyes, mesmerizing beauty, and multicolored, sparkling, almost imperceptible wings can put any Man or careless being into a deep trance, when they shall be carried away to the place where all magic was created, the Faerie World; Tír na nÓg, known as the Land of a Thousand Years or the Land of Youth. Few have ever returned, and little is known about what is done there. There are old wives’ tales about Faerie Circles, toadstools arranged in a perfect circle; and if children aren’t careful and walk into one, they could be captured and taken by the Faeries. This is true; toadstool circles are portals to Tír na nÓg, and the easiest way to be carried there.

There are many other magical beings, but their descriptions are not here necessary.

Chapter 1

The Best Place to Begin

My brother Adam had had a complicated heart murmur all of his life, until he died at fifteen, three years ago. It always bothered me when I went to school or played soccer without him. I always thought about how much he would love to play, and I’d lose focus. Once I had a dream that I had this condition as well, and I was scared to go outside for months!

When he turned fifteen, someone from our neighborhood - who has never been found - tried to mug him, knowing it would be easy as anything, since everyone in our neighborhood knew about his condition, and Adam got really scared and tried to run. That was when my brother died. My best friends had helped me through it, and I couldn’t bring myself to even get to school for five weeks. They came over every day and tried to cheer me up. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost one of them, too. Jerr, Snail, Shanon, and Cathrin became my closest friends. Whenever they would get hurt, I would feel empathy for them - even if it was only a muscle cramp or a paper cut.

They never left me in the dark, nor did I them.

••

Hurry up! If you guys don’t hurry, you’re gonna miss it! Cathrin urged us. The race is about to start! Snail and Jerr and I had entered the annual neighborhood summer bike race. Cathrin and Shanon wanted to be home in time to watch the first episode of the year of their favorite show back at Shanon’s house. The boys and I were still putting on our helmets and sticking our numbered tags on our backs, being slow just to annoy them even more, as usual. Cathrin proceeded to yell at us until we were running down the driveway, bikes in tow. We laughed as we hurried down the street. Jerr’s green eyes flashed wildly; he was set on beating me in the race this year. Snail huffed along behind us, keeping a steady enough pace; not the most athletic, but still in good humor.

When we reached the main street of our neighborhood, we stopped short of a huge mob of kids trying to register at the last moment. We delved inwards, glad that we had already gotten our numbers registered.

Racers, take your marks, please, someone who I recognized as the Neighborhood Organization President coughed into a megaphone, just as the mob joined us at the starting line.

Get ready...GO! Snail, Jerr, dozens of other racers, and I took off down the sloping street. I threaded my way through a cluster of people who were so slow I could have passed them on an engineless boat!

Already winning, Ada? Jerr called from beside me, his eyes piercing mine warmly, as I slowly pedaled by.

Nah, I replied, just getting warmed up! Jerr always teased me about how I was so fast in any race. It got pretty annoying, but I always forgave him. To tell the truth, I had a really big crush on him. But anyway, I should get on with the story...

Snail was huffing and sweating just ahead of me. I grinned at him and coasted by effortlessly, hand in the air. He laughed, and I winked. Snail was the first person I’d ever won a bike race against.

The last few riders soon lost their places to me. All of them were passed quickly except for one - Mark Ztara. He lived next door to me, and he had stolen my bike three times. The one he was riding in that race was, in fact, mine. He smirked at me as I approached him, avoiding his gaze.

Hey, Adelaide, he called to me. I tried to ignore him. This is some bike. I’m glad you gave it to me - it was so thoughtful of you!

Shut up, Mark, I said, disinterested. He swerved closer towards me, close enough that I could smell smoke on his breath. Ew! I didn’t know Mark smoked! I should just turn him in to his mother. How much would he like that?

This was when I started pedaling as hard as I could. I didn’t want to see him win on my bike!

Good thing this race was so short. I kind of wanted to see the show that Shanon and Cathrin were staying back for. Hey, if I could beat Mark, I could get there!

When I lost him, I turned onto the final stretch of the race, the checkered banner just ahead of me. I slowed down dramatically, finishing with my arms outstretched above me, just for show. Yeah, I’m a ham. So what?

••

After I waited for Jerr and Snail to finish - five minutes later - we walked back down the street towards Shanon’s house. Snail was the first to make fun of Mark that day.

Man, Ada, Mark was really mad when his mom was driving him home. As he was getting into their limo, he was saying all kinds of bad stuff. He said that you cheated. How can you cheat in a bike race that’s this short? We laughed. Mark didn’t have a limo, and we all knew that he’d simply biked home.

Jerr put on a false British accent and said, Oh, Mummy, I don’t ever want to race again. I feel so degraded! We laughed. I must give this bicycle back to Adelaide; it is defective, Mummy!

I turned backwards and walked in front of the boys.

Hey, did you guys know that Mark smoked? I said this seriously, and in a low tone, as we were passing his huge, expensive house that very moment. Snail almost stopped walking.

How’d you figure that out? He was a little bit naive when it came to things like smoking. Jerr spoke up.

I saw him out behind the grocery store a few weeks back, smoking with some girl. He looked at Snail, gauging his reaction.

And Ada…? Snail was wondering how I knew.

Well, I started, he got up right next to me during the race, on the bike he stole from me, and he smelled all gross, like cigarette smoke. They both wrinkled their noses, and we started talking about other things.

Back at Shanon’s house, Jerr and Snail told the other two about the race, adding stupid exaggerated details.

First Ada rescued the puppy from the lava pit, and then she jumped over a falling building that would have crushed everyone... Must I continue?

Shanon and Cathrin burst out with laughter and were all but rolling on the floor. I added sarcastically, Yeah, and I ended up jumping from a fifty foot ramp and through the ring of fire... This brought even more laughter. When we all finally calmed down, Shanon asked if we would stay for dinner. We all called our parents, except for Jerr.

They wouldn’t mind, he told us quietly. Jerr’s parents always told him that they had so much work to do on a new discovery - they were archaeologists. They were too preoccupied to remember to go shopping, so Jerr never really got anything to eat. We had all given him meals and paid for things at school, but no one knew how he would end up.

We talked for a long time about school and whatnot, and when we finally had dinner, it was almost eight o’clock.

Shanon’s parents let us have the dining room to ourselves after serving us each a boxty or two. A boxty is like a potato pancake that is stuffed with chicken, cheese, and a bunch of other things. They are delicious, especially when made by Irish people. I noticed that Jerr took three.

Shanon finally got us talking about exams. I thought about my situation with school. I don’t know why I was doing so poorly, but, oh well. Shanon told us about a really cool trip that she was taking after the finals.

Our family is going on a vacation after exams, you know, right after the year ends. Well, they said that I could bring the four of you! It’s only supposed to be two weeks, but I thought it would be really fun. And, guess where we’re going? Shanon asked excitedly.

Tell us!

Yeah, where are we going?

Come on, spill! Jerr, Cathrin, and I prompted, while Snail sat thoughtfully.

Okay, okay. Shanon gave in, We are going to a tiny island off the coast, and my mum and da are going to be meeting with their boss who lives there. So, we can explore the city ourselves! She opened her mouth to say more, but her parents came in to tell us that it was almost nine, and that we should get going, because who wants to be late for family activities at home, and we had school tomorrow, and wouldn’t our parents worry? They had immediately shut their mouths after this, glancing at Jerr and hurrying out. Jerr blushed a little bit.

Gosh, Cathrin said, deliberately changing the subject, I hope my mom lets me go on this vacation, and if she doesn’t, my dad definitely will, right? Okay, bad subject change. Her parents had divorced just weeks before, after realizing that they couldn’t agree on anything. So, in theory, if one parent said no to the trip, then the other would be forced to say yes.

Meanwhile, I was doing horribly in school, so I was thinking about my chances of going, too. Jerr, as if reading my mind, said, Adelaide, you should study really hard for the exams. Maybe you can pull your grades up to B’s or C’s and then your parents will let you go. Anyway, we need to go. ‘Bye Shanon, ‘bye Cathrin!

’Bye!

See you at school.

Goodbye, Shanon replied to the three of us, as Cathrin’s mom was picking her up. "Call me when you