Fic: Strange Days - The Dresden Files/Carlos Ramirez
Written for fanfic50, xposted to dresdenfic
Title: Strange Days
Fandom: The Dresden Files bookverse
Word Count: 2052
Rating: G
Spoilers: None
Summary: Carlos and strange events seem to go hand in hand
a/n Written for the fanfic50 challenge, prompt 43, Spooky. Written for gehayi, who suggested I'd like to see young Carlos before he found out he was a wizard...but still making strange things happen. Unbeta'ed, all mistakes are my own.
Disclaimer: Carlos Ramirez and The Dresden Files belong to Jim Butcher, ROC Books, and Orbit Books. No profit is being made, nor is any copyright or trademark infringement intended.
Table: Table found here
1
A thirteen year old boy lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Life really wasn’t fair. There was a knock, then a head popped round the door. The body it was attached to followed. It was his closest brother, Felix. “Grounded again, ‘Los?”
Carlos looked at him, then shrugged. “Wasn’t my fault.”
“Sure it wasn’t. What you do this time?” Felix sat down on the bed beside him.
“Got caught kissing Amy Flack in the girl’s bathroom at school,” Carlos shrugged.
Felix just looked at his brother and laughed. “So, what’s the punishment this time?”
“Here? I get to clear up the basement. School, detention for two days as well.” The grimace on Carlos’ face was almost comical.
“Good luck. I think Enrique last cleared the basement about eight years ago. It’s going to be nice and thick with dust by now.”
“Gee, nice to know you care for me, big brother.”
“Any time, twerp.”
Carlos stood at the top of the basement steps, glowering. Felix was right, it hadn’t been cleaned for years. He turned to look at his mother, who was standing there with her arms crossed. “Alright, alright,” he muttered.
“Do a good job first time, or you will be doing it again,” his mother warned. “I’ll bring you food at lunchtime,” she said as she walked off, shutting the door behind her.
Carlos threw the broom she had given him down on the ground. It was a glorious day outside, and he wanted to be anywhere but here. With his friends, at the pool or the park, even time with his sisters, just anywhere but here. Sighing, he bent and picked up the broom. He knew it was useless to argue, and if he didn’t do a good job, he wouldn’t get out the following day either.
Bored, his mind wandered as he started to sweep the floor. What he needed, he decided, was something similar to what was in that movie he’d watched the night before with his cousins. Mickey Mouse had the right idea. Magical brooms to do the work for him. Sweeping the floor, cleaning it - it would all be so much easier. As he started half-heartedly moving dust around the floor, he could just imagine it; the broom would split into two, then four, getting more of it done at once. He smiled as he imagined it happening, making easy work of the cleaning up. He twirled, pointing his finger as he did. He could feel how damp the floor was as they did the work...
...wait. It was damp. Literally. As he stopped daydreaming and started paying attention, he noticed the floor was wet, and getting wetter by the minute. He glanced around, and saw water pouring from one of the exposed pipes on the wall.
“Mamma!” he yelled as he bolted up the stairs. “Mamma!” She came running at his cry. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down to the basement. She took one glance at the scene, and ran back up to turn the water off.
Oh, he was really in for it now.
Later that evening, after being grilled by his parents for nearly an hour, it was decided that one of the joints in the piping had worn away, and that is was actually very lucky that Carlos was down there at the right time, or else the damage would have been much worse. Felix couldn’t believe that Carlos had got away with it. It was, however, a very quiet boy who sat down to family dinner that night, and his grandmother commented on it.
“Headache,” Carlos said quietly. Leaning over, she felt his forehead. It was clammy.
“Bed after dinner, little one,” she ordered. Carlos didn’t even have the energy to disagree. When she checked on him later, he was fast asleep. She sat with him for a few minutes, watching him, her face thoughtful.
2
“Will you sit still?” Luisa hissed at her brother. “God, why did I get the annoying one to sit next to?”
Carlos just grinned at his sister. “You love me really,” he smirked. “Especially when I don’t tell Mamma I saw you kissing Eduardo after curfew last night.”
Luisa shot him a murderous look. “You know, ‘Los, you are the biggest pain of a brother ever.”
Both children were suddenly the recipients of clips around the ear from their mother. “If you two don’t behave...” she warned.
“Yes, Mamma,” was the muted response from both of them.
Carlos was bored. It was the wedding of one of his many cousins, and it was a hot spring day and he was stuck in a suit and tie which his mother had made him wear. It would be hours before he could go home, and the only enjoyment he could get was teasing his sister. Now that had been taken away. He slouched in the church pew, waiting for the tedious wedding part to be over with. At least afterwards he could find some of his cousins, and have a bit more fun.
Finally, the service was over, and everyone headed off to the reception. The happy couple posed outside for photographs, and to do the whole family thing. Carlos found two of his cousins who were close to his own age, and they disappeared off together. He led them out into the garden area behind the kitchen.
“I hate this,” Carlos declared, taking his tie off with some relief.
“On a day like this? Yeah,” one of the other boys, Gabriel, replied. “Why do we even have to be here?”
“You know what parents are like,” Marco said disgustedly. “All teary-eyed about weddings.”
Carlos flopped down onto a piece of grass, picking at the flowers beside him disgustedly. “You know what’d be great?” he said.
“What?” the other two children replied, sitting down beside him.
“If there was a pool here.” Carlos said dreamily.
“What is it with you and water, ‘Los? I think you’re half fish.” Gabriel laughed.
“Think about it. We could swim, while the adults get to go all googly-eyed over the wedding. Everyone would be happy,” Carlos sat up, gesturing. “It would be great!” He pointed with his hand.
Suddenly, a shriek came from the kitchen. It was one of Carlos’ aunts, who was in charge of catering for the wedding. She opened the door leading out from the kitchen to the garden area and water came running out of the door.
“What the...?” The three boys jumped up and looked at each other, then grinned. “Nice!”
“You think we can go home now?” Marco asked.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Carlos said. “Watch them try to blame us for this.”
“Carlos!” Right on cue, his mother yelled at him. Carlos groaned. Why him?
The wedding had been declared a success, even with the water problem. Everyone had rallied round, making sure the happy couple knew as little as possible about it, and that things went just as planned. Sometime after the couple had left the party, it was time for the rest of the guests to go home. Carlos slept in the back of the car all the way home. Luisa and Felix couldn’t believe he was so quiet, and kept poking him to try and wake him up. “Leave him be,” their grandmother said suddenly.
Luisa got a sullen expression on her face. “Why, he’s an annoying kid. Payback time.”
Their grandmother gently brushed the hair from Carlos’ forehead. “Leave him alone,” she said quietly, though her tone was firm.
Luisa started to say something, but the glare she got was enough to silence her. “It’s not fair,” she muttered. She went quiet, and the sleeping Carlos was once again the sole focus of his grandmother’s attention. She watched him as he sat next to her, his head on her shoulder, dead to the world, and she wondered.
3
“Felix! Let me up!” Carlos stood at the bottom of the tree, looking angrily at his brother. School was out for the summer, and they were playing in the garden. Well, playing as much as a thirteen and sixteen year old would admit to.
“No!” his brother laughed. “Scrawny little thing like you, you can’t climb up anyway.”
“That’s not true!” Carlos was annoyed now, and decided to start climbing up regardless. Felix slid back down and gently put his foot on Carlos’ chest, not wanting to hurt him, but just enough to keep him from climbing up.
“Not a chance, little one,” he said, putting just enough insult in his voice.
“No!” Carlos yelled. Suddenly the wall, the prize that would let him climb up, flared green for a moment, and dissolved into dust with a loud ‘pop’. Felix scrambled up the tree as his foothold was taken away from him, and the pair of them just stared at where a moment ago, a very substantial wall had been, but was now just a large pile of sand.
“Carlos? Dios, what did you do?” Felix asked after a moment. His voice shook slightly as he slid down the tree to face his brother.
“Nothing! It wasn’t me! Why am I blamed for everything?” Carlos said sullenly, but he was as shaken as his brother. He knew that he’d wanted the wall to vanish, and suddenly it was gone. He though back to the two floods. Each time, it was exactly what he wanted. He suddenly turned and raced into the house. He heard his brother call his name, but he ignored it, heading for the safety of his own room. When he got there, he slammed the door shut, and dived onto his bed, shivering in shock at what had happened.
He spent the rest of the day in his room, not talking to anyone. Brothers and sisters were greeted with an angry “Leave me alone!” and the sight of his back while he lay on the bed and faced the wall. His mother tried talking to him, to be met by a stony silence. In the end, she brought food and drink to his room, which he ate when he was hungry.
Later that evening, his grandmother came into his room, and just looked at him for a moment. “Carlos,” she said quietly, but the tone of her voice was firm. “Look at me.” After a moment, Carlos sat up, his hair all over the place, and his face pale. His grandmother sat beside him on the bed and pulled him into a hug. “Silly boy,” she said gently, kissing the top of his head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Carlos had buried himself into her hug. “Nothing to tell,” he said too quickly. His grandmother just sat waiting. “Scared,” he admitted. “I don’t want to be different, Yaya, not like that.” He looked at her, pleading.
She hugged him tightly. “Oh, little one. It’ll be ok, I promise.” Carlos glanced at her. “Promise. Now, brush your hair and come downstairs. There’s someone I want you to meet.” Carlos gave her a quizzical look, but did as she asked. Hair suitably tidied, he followed her out of his room as they went downstairs, into the lounge. There, along with his parents and his grandfather, was an older man. He looked about the same age as his grandparents, but somehow seemed older. Carlos instinctively shrank back, moving closer to his grandmother under the gaze of so many adults, but she pushed him forward slightly.
“Carlos, this is Simon Phillips. Simon, this is my grandson, Carlos.” The man stood up and held his hand out for Carlos to shake. When he took the hand, Carlos felt a strange tingling sensation snaking across his skin. He looked up at the man, surprised. The stranger smiled down at him, his face friendly.
“Well, young Carlos, it looks like your grandmother was right. You felt that, didn’t you?” Carlos just nodded, staring at his hand. “I felt it on you too.” This earned an amazed look from Carlos, and Simon just smiled.
“You felt it on me?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him, looking closer at the man.
Simon nodded, and ruffled his hair, which Carlos normally hated, but at the moment he was too shocked. “How would you like to be a wizard, Carlos?”
As much as I would love to take credit for Carlos and the Fantasia idea, that lies with gehayi and frankenhooker20. It was too good not to use! Thank you!
Title: Strange Days
Fandom: The Dresden Files bookverse
Word Count: 2052
Rating: G
Spoilers: None
Summary: Carlos and strange events seem to go hand in hand
a/n Written for the fanfic50 challenge, prompt 43, Spooky. Written for gehayi, who suggested I'd like to see young Carlos before he found out he was a wizard...but still making strange things happen. Unbeta'ed, all mistakes are my own.
Disclaimer: Carlos Ramirez and The Dresden Files belong to Jim Butcher, ROC Books, and Orbit Books. No profit is being made, nor is any copyright or trademark infringement intended.
Table: Table found here
1
A thirteen year old boy lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Life really wasn’t fair. There was a knock, then a head popped round the door. The body it was attached to followed. It was his closest brother, Felix. “Grounded again, ‘Los?”
Carlos looked at him, then shrugged. “Wasn’t my fault.”
“Sure it wasn’t. What you do this time?” Felix sat down on the bed beside him.
“Got caught kissing Amy Flack in the girl’s bathroom at school,” Carlos shrugged.
Felix just looked at his brother and laughed. “So, what’s the punishment this time?”
“Here? I get to clear up the basement. School, detention for two days as well.” The grimace on Carlos’ face was almost comical.
“Good luck. I think Enrique last cleared the basement about eight years ago. It’s going to be nice and thick with dust by now.”
“Gee, nice to know you care for me, big brother.”
“Any time, twerp.”
Carlos stood at the top of the basement steps, glowering. Felix was right, it hadn’t been cleaned for years. He turned to look at his mother, who was standing there with her arms crossed. “Alright, alright,” he muttered.
“Do a good job first time, or you will be doing it again,” his mother warned. “I’ll bring you food at lunchtime,” she said as she walked off, shutting the door behind her.
Carlos threw the broom she had given him down on the ground. It was a glorious day outside, and he wanted to be anywhere but here. With his friends, at the pool or the park, even time with his sisters, just anywhere but here. Sighing, he bent and picked up the broom. He knew it was useless to argue, and if he didn’t do a good job, he wouldn’t get out the following day either.
Bored, his mind wandered as he started to sweep the floor. What he needed, he decided, was something similar to what was in that movie he’d watched the night before with his cousins. Mickey Mouse had the right idea. Magical brooms to do the work for him. Sweeping the floor, cleaning it - it would all be so much easier. As he started half-heartedly moving dust around the floor, he could just imagine it; the broom would split into two, then four, getting more of it done at once. He smiled as he imagined it happening, making easy work of the cleaning up. He twirled, pointing his finger as he did. He could feel how damp the floor was as they did the work...
...wait. It was damp. Literally. As he stopped daydreaming and started paying attention, he noticed the floor was wet, and getting wetter by the minute. He glanced around, and saw water pouring from one of the exposed pipes on the wall.
“Mamma!” he yelled as he bolted up the stairs. “Mamma!” She came running at his cry. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down to the basement. She took one glance at the scene, and ran back up to turn the water off.
Oh, he was really in for it now.
Later that evening, after being grilled by his parents for nearly an hour, it was decided that one of the joints in the piping had worn away, and that is was actually very lucky that Carlos was down there at the right time, or else the damage would have been much worse. Felix couldn’t believe that Carlos had got away with it. It was, however, a very quiet boy who sat down to family dinner that night, and his grandmother commented on it.
“Headache,” Carlos said quietly. Leaning over, she felt his forehead. It was clammy.
“Bed after dinner, little one,” she ordered. Carlos didn’t even have the energy to disagree. When she checked on him later, he was fast asleep. She sat with him for a few minutes, watching him, her face thoughtful.
2
“Will you sit still?” Luisa hissed at her brother. “God, why did I get the annoying one to sit next to?”
Carlos just grinned at his sister. “You love me really,” he smirked. “Especially when I don’t tell Mamma I saw you kissing Eduardo after curfew last night.”
Luisa shot him a murderous look. “You know, ‘Los, you are the biggest pain of a brother ever.”
Both children were suddenly the recipients of clips around the ear from their mother. “If you two don’t behave...” she warned.
“Yes, Mamma,” was the muted response from both of them.
Carlos was bored. It was the wedding of one of his many cousins, and it was a hot spring day and he was stuck in a suit and tie which his mother had made him wear. It would be hours before he could go home, and the only enjoyment he could get was teasing his sister. Now that had been taken away. He slouched in the church pew, waiting for the tedious wedding part to be over with. At least afterwards he could find some of his cousins, and have a bit more fun.
Finally, the service was over, and everyone headed off to the reception. The happy couple posed outside for photographs, and to do the whole family thing. Carlos found two of his cousins who were close to his own age, and they disappeared off together. He led them out into the garden area behind the kitchen.
“I hate this,” Carlos declared, taking his tie off with some relief.
“On a day like this? Yeah,” one of the other boys, Gabriel, replied. “Why do we even have to be here?”
“You know what parents are like,” Marco said disgustedly. “All teary-eyed about weddings.”
Carlos flopped down onto a piece of grass, picking at the flowers beside him disgustedly. “You know what’d be great?” he said.
“What?” the other two children replied, sitting down beside him.
“If there was a pool here.” Carlos said dreamily.
“What is it with you and water, ‘Los? I think you’re half fish.” Gabriel laughed.
“Think about it. We could swim, while the adults get to go all googly-eyed over the wedding. Everyone would be happy,” Carlos sat up, gesturing. “It would be great!” He pointed with his hand.
Suddenly, a shriek came from the kitchen. It was one of Carlos’ aunts, who was in charge of catering for the wedding. She opened the door leading out from the kitchen to the garden area and water came running out of the door.
“What the...?” The three boys jumped up and looked at each other, then grinned. “Nice!”
“You think we can go home now?” Marco asked.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Carlos said. “Watch them try to blame us for this.”
“Carlos!” Right on cue, his mother yelled at him. Carlos groaned. Why him?
The wedding had been declared a success, even with the water problem. Everyone had rallied round, making sure the happy couple knew as little as possible about it, and that things went just as planned. Sometime after the couple had left the party, it was time for the rest of the guests to go home. Carlos slept in the back of the car all the way home. Luisa and Felix couldn’t believe he was so quiet, and kept poking him to try and wake him up. “Leave him be,” their grandmother said suddenly.
Luisa got a sullen expression on her face. “Why, he’s an annoying kid. Payback time.”
Their grandmother gently brushed the hair from Carlos’ forehead. “Leave him alone,” she said quietly, though her tone was firm.
Luisa started to say something, but the glare she got was enough to silence her. “It’s not fair,” she muttered. She went quiet, and the sleeping Carlos was once again the sole focus of his grandmother’s attention. She watched him as he sat next to her, his head on her shoulder, dead to the world, and she wondered.
3
“Felix! Let me up!” Carlos stood at the bottom of the tree, looking angrily at his brother. School was out for the summer, and they were playing in the garden. Well, playing as much as a thirteen and sixteen year old would admit to.
“No!” his brother laughed. “Scrawny little thing like you, you can’t climb up anyway.”
“That’s not true!” Carlos was annoyed now, and decided to start climbing up regardless. Felix slid back down and gently put his foot on Carlos’ chest, not wanting to hurt him, but just enough to keep him from climbing up.
“Not a chance, little one,” he said, putting just enough insult in his voice.
“No!” Carlos yelled. Suddenly the wall, the prize that would let him climb up, flared green for a moment, and dissolved into dust with a loud ‘pop’. Felix scrambled up the tree as his foothold was taken away from him, and the pair of them just stared at where a moment ago, a very substantial wall had been, but was now just a large pile of sand.
“Carlos? Dios, what did you do?” Felix asked after a moment. His voice shook slightly as he slid down the tree to face his brother.
“Nothing! It wasn’t me! Why am I blamed for everything?” Carlos said sullenly, but he was as shaken as his brother. He knew that he’d wanted the wall to vanish, and suddenly it was gone. He though back to the two floods. Each time, it was exactly what he wanted. He suddenly turned and raced into the house. He heard his brother call his name, but he ignored it, heading for the safety of his own room. When he got there, he slammed the door shut, and dived onto his bed, shivering in shock at what had happened.
He spent the rest of the day in his room, not talking to anyone. Brothers and sisters were greeted with an angry “Leave me alone!” and the sight of his back while he lay on the bed and faced the wall. His mother tried talking to him, to be met by a stony silence. In the end, she brought food and drink to his room, which he ate when he was hungry.
Later that evening, his grandmother came into his room, and just looked at him for a moment. “Carlos,” she said quietly, but the tone of her voice was firm. “Look at me.” After a moment, Carlos sat up, his hair all over the place, and his face pale. His grandmother sat beside him on the bed and pulled him into a hug. “Silly boy,” she said gently, kissing the top of his head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Carlos had buried himself into her hug. “Nothing to tell,” he said too quickly. His grandmother just sat waiting. “Scared,” he admitted. “I don’t want to be different, Yaya, not like that.” He looked at her, pleading.
She hugged him tightly. “Oh, little one. It’ll be ok, I promise.” Carlos glanced at her. “Promise. Now, brush your hair and come downstairs. There’s someone I want you to meet.” Carlos gave her a quizzical look, but did as she asked. Hair suitably tidied, he followed her out of his room as they went downstairs, into the lounge. There, along with his parents and his grandfather, was an older man. He looked about the same age as his grandparents, but somehow seemed older. Carlos instinctively shrank back, moving closer to his grandmother under the gaze of so many adults, but she pushed him forward slightly.
“Carlos, this is Simon Phillips. Simon, this is my grandson, Carlos.” The man stood up and held his hand out for Carlos to shake. When he took the hand, Carlos felt a strange tingling sensation snaking across his skin. He looked up at the man, surprised. The stranger smiled down at him, his face friendly.
“Well, young Carlos, it looks like your grandmother was right. You felt that, didn’t you?” Carlos just nodded, staring at his hand. “I felt it on you too.” This earned an amazed look from Carlos, and Simon just smiled.
“You felt it on me?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him, looking closer at the man.
Simon nodded, and ruffled his hair, which Carlos normally hated, but at the moment he was too shocked. “How would you like to be a wizard, Carlos?”
As much as I would love to take credit for Carlos and the Fantasia idea, that lies with gehayi and frankenhooker20. It was too good not to use! Thank you!