Unpredictable Instincts: Marcy Wu's Journey to Redemption

The heat was overwhelming. The sun beat down on the back of my neck as I wandered through the marketplace, trying to ignore the weight of the dusty day on my shoulders. My eyes were squeezed shut from the light, making it difficult to pay attention to where I was going, but I knew that if I just kept walking in a straight line, I'd find my way back to our home without too much trouble.

I had been traveling with my family through Oman for three months now, and although we had traveled for weeks at a time before—stopping in small cities and villages, learning about their histories and lives—we were always headed toward someplace else. We never really stayed in one place for long, so I hadn't gotten used to this particular market. The people here were nice enough; they smiled and greeted me as I passed them on the street. They all seemed harmless enough when they weren't shouting, or knocking things over while running after each other with goods tucked under their arms. Even so, something about this place still made me feel uneasy. It felt foreign, like it wasn't quite right somehow.

My father had assured me that it was safe to stay here while he went into town to buy supplies. He told me he would only be gone for an hour or so, and that if anything happened while he was away, he would be able to sense it through our bond. Our bond was something new. It was something that had developed between us over the past few days. When he left this morning to go exploring by himself, he put his hand against my forehead and shared his power with me. It was kind of like what happened when he healed me from injuries or illness—the same tingling sensation ran down my spine from head to toe—but this time his magic felt different somehow. It felt deeper, more intimate.

"We are bound together now by a link of magic that will allow you to sense danger without knowing its source. You will know what your father knows if you should need him. You can call on him at any time and he will hear you no matter how far away you are. But you must not share this gift with anyone else or it will fade away again and you'll lose your connection altogether forever!"

It sounded simple enough at the time, but since then I'd wondered if there was more to that warning than meets the eye...

"Marcy?" A familiar voice called out across the noisy marketplace. "Is that you?" Sarah waved her hand in front of her face as she pushed her way through a crowd of bustling shoppers who were haggling with a young merchant over a basket full of fruit. Her black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail that swung wildly behind her as she tried to catch up with me.

"Hey Sarah," I replied as she finally caught up beside me and we began walking together again down the crowded street. "What's up?"

"I've been looking all over for you." She took my arm excitedly and pulled me toward an empty bench by the edge of the marketplace where we could sit down out of the way of all the hustle and bustle going on around us. There were too many people moving back and forth for us to talk properly unless we sat down for a rest first; besides, I needed a break anyway if I wanted to put off leaving this place just a little bit longer...

"Did something happen? Did dad send you?" My heart started pounding faster in my chest as I wondered what could be wrong... Was it one of those deep-down-inside feelings again? Or maybe someone had hurt themselves? Or maybe dad hadn't come back at all yet? Maybe something terrible had happened!

"No, no, no! Nothing like that!" Sarah waved her hands frantically in front of her face like she was shooing away flies and let out another laugh that made her big brown eyes crinkle into tiny little half moons at the corners of her eyes. "Nothing bad has happened at all! Actually, it's great news! Dad sent word just a few minutes ago—he says we're moving on again today!"

A mix between elation and disappointment filled my chest as I struggled to process what she had just said: moving on again today?! Why? We'd just arrived yesterday morning!

Feeling more composed, I realized our money wouldn't last much longer than another day anyway.

Sarah saw my worried expression and quickly continued talking before I could even ask any questions about our plans for travel or how far away our next stop would be: "I'm so excited!" She threw her hands up into the air above us, clearly thrilled at the prospect of exploring new ground. "We haven't moved on from one location for more than two days ever since we started traveling together!"

I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm as my fears began to fade. Yes, this past year had opened up incredible opportunities for us, but it also had its challenges...

Sarah noticed