36 Why?
The wind was blowing across the clearing where a wooden gazebo was located. It carried the smell of the wild flowers scattered across randomly. It was a peaceful scene further accented by the happy giggles of the children playing around. Ley and Old Bertie were seated inside the gazebo. The cluster of lodges at the side where the taboos live can be seen from their location though it all forgotten at the moment.
Ley looked at Kevin and Russell who were fighting earlier but now behaved like the best of friends. The earlier ruckus was already forgotten inside their young minds. She wished that they could be innocent like that forever but it was impossible. That naivety would shatter, once they discovered that they grew up in a world where they weren't permitted to live.
"I'm assuming that it wasn't only Kevin that had flare outs. Why are they uncontrollable?" Old Bertie asked expressionlessly but Ley heard a bit of criticism in her voice.
"Do you know how old I was when the reservation was founded?" Ley questioned back, ignoring Old Bertie's earlier words.
She spoke again without waiting for Old Bertie's answer, "I was 18 yrs. old along with others at more or less the same age as me. It was at that time when we banded and started our goal to create a sanctuary. We wanted to create a place that we can call home. Somewhere we can be free without fear of being caught or killed just because we happened to be born. We gave this place everything that we could. We gave it our tears, sweat and blood even our life if it came down to it. 8 years passed and we finally have what we want."
Her originally serene face before dimmed as she continued, "It didn't go all that well though. The holes we plugged carelessly were leaking now and all we could do was force it to close but we all know that it will all collapse one day at the rate we're going. We stumbled our way out of a sure death but even now we're still blinded by the dark. We don't know what we're doing at all, still clueless as ever. Kevin wasn't the only one who had problems. A lot of us have issues in one way or another. His problem was the easiest to deal with though. We thought of restricting his powers until he can learn to control it himself but his magic is growing too fast for his age and the restriction that we put, can't keep up since his flare outs tend to be influenced by emotion which makes it stronger and unpredictable at times. At the rate he's going, we'll be forced to separate him from the others so that he can't hurt anyone."
"Can't someone just teach him the controlling techniques?" Old Bertie asked, unable to understand why they can't see the obvious.
"We don't have anyone knowledgeable enough to handle this problem. It's not just a matter of controlling techniques. These people are taboos, a product of two races so different but similar enough to mate. No taboo is similar to another, there's bound to be differences in one way or another. The variations are the problems. We don't know what to expect at all. All these years, it's like failing to search for a cure so we can only treat the symptoms slowly. My generation grew up just trying to survive living with the problems but I don't want these kids to end up like us."
Ley glanced at Old Bertie who went quiet after listening to her. She chose not to break the silence and just waited for her to speak. She needed to tread this situation carefully.
"Grandma, can I ask a question?" A small voice suddenly disturbed the graved atmosphere.
Ley saw Kevin, leaning on his tiptoes at the trellis, peeking at them. She gestured for the little guy to come in and put him across her lap.
"What do you want to know, Kev?" She asked while patting his head.
"Where are your hands?" Kevin pointed at Old Bertie's illusion hands.
Ley glanced at Old Bertie and she saw a stunned look that mirrored her own. She gazed at the illusion and saw that they're perfectly intact. Not seeing the illusion meant that it doesn't work on Kevin.
"What do you mean, Kev?" Ley clarified one more time.
Kevin looked at her with those guileless brown eyes that shone with curiosity then said while showing his hands,"Grandma's hands are missing Ley."
Ley gazed at Old Bertie who already resumed her normal expression but traces of shock were still visible in her eyes.
"Grandma's hands are already gone," Old Bertie said simply.
"But why?"
"Maybe when you're a bit older, I'll tell you the story," Old Bertie patiently replied in a voice that was missing its usual snarkiness.
"Ley! You're back," a feminine voice yelled from a distance which caused all of them to look.
Ley saw one of the couples in the reservation, Luna and Jeff, walking hand in hand towards the gazebo.
She waved back and waited for the two to reach the gazebo before speaking," How are you?"
"We're doing good. We're just here to pick up these escapees. They need to take their bath." Jeff replied with a playful smile.
Luna took Kevin from Ley before he managed to run away while Nana kept on hopping adorably away from the approaching Jeff.
"No! I don't want to take a bath. I already took one yesterday," Kevin whined as Luna took them back with Russell trailing reluctantly behind them.
Ley was still laughing at Kevin's antics when she heard Old Bertie speak.
"Was that Kevin's parents?"
Ley stilled for a moment before answering,"No, he was already abandoned when we got him. Nana, Russell and him were brought here alone. Maybe that's why the three of them usually banded together but it's not an unusual occurrence. Taboos were usually found abandoned as not many parents can bear the death penalty. Though there are still some couples that escaped with their child here like Jeff and Luna to avoid being hunted."
"I'll do it."
"What?" Ley muttered in surprise at Old Bertie's words.
"I'll teach them," Old Bertie repeated while flashing a stink eye at Ley.
"Why?" She replied with one raised eyebrow.
She wanted Old Bertie to help them but she also knew that the woman in front of her doesn't do anything without reason. Old Bertie's reputation wasn't exactly stellar and was often disparaged as a witch in the engraving circles because of her mean tricks.
"I can't stand watching these kinds of talents getting wasted because of ignorance," Old Bertie replied sharply that Ley felt she just got called an idiot indirectly. She'll have to live with this grumpy attitude from now on. She won't even be able to blame anyone since she's the one who wanted this to happen.
"We'll have to ensure your silence first," Ley said.
"Suit yourself. Am I finally going to see the tattooist at work?" Old Bertie flippantly replied.
Old Bertie's words reminded her of the question she forgot to ask since earlier and has been niggling at the back of her mind since last night.
"How do you know me and my identity as the Tattooist?" Ley asked seriously.
"Let's just say I met you when you were still little," Old Bertie muttered with pursed lips, indicating her refusal to talk about it.
"How did you link me to the Tattooist then?" she said.
"I can't say that."
"Were you cursed?" Ley questioned, frustration colored her voice.
"No, I promised that I won't talk." Old Bertie stated resolutely.
"I don't understand."
"I'm sworn to silence not because I'm scared of them but because I respected what they did for you. They don't need to stoop low to petty curses. They can just kill me without a trace. You don't need to ask me anymore. I'm sure you already have an idea even if I don't tell who," Old Bertie spoke with finality in her tone.
She lapsed to silence from Old Bertie's words. Ley already had an inkling on who it was but she doesn't understand the reason or what were they hiding that even involved an engraver. She needed to get to the bottom of this once the current case is over.
Ley's contemplation was broken when Old Bertie spoke again, "Love is beautiful but people can do scary things just to protect it."
She looked at Old Bertie who was staring off into space as if reminiscent of memories already lost from the waves of time.
Ley sighed as she took out her engraving pen and started to prepare to put the silencing tattoo on Old Bertie's arm. She knew that she wouldn't be able to get anything out from Old Bertie so she might as well get moving.
"Let's begin," Ley gestured for Old Bertie to make her arm accessible.
Ley felt Old Bertie's gaze concentrated on her as she engraved the tattoo. She drew the silencing tattoo that was on the arm of all the people who knew about their existence and the reservation. The eerie skull shining with magic flashed once before disappearing from the naked eye.
Old Bertie suddenly grunted in pain while holding her mouth. Blood drained from her face as beads of sweat surfaced from her forehead.
"What happened?" Ley asked in concern as she never saw this kind of effect before from all the years of using it.
Old Bertie removed the hand which covered her mouth and Ley saw blood leaking from the corner of her lips. Ley became even more confused at Old Bertie's next words.
"The curse they put on my tongue is gone. Blood really runs true."
