“We shouldn’t stay here or we will get trapped in whatever spell the guards are about to unleash and it won’t be pretty.” He took my hand and I let him lead me up the stairs. As we reached the top cries of pain pierced my ears. I spun around and found the crowd falling to the ground, bodies jerking in spasms, surrounded by grinning guards. I looked for Lorelei but couldn’t find her in the sea of writhing bodies on the floor. He kept pulling me down the hall and I lost sight of the common room. Many turns later I was thoroughly lost. I tugged on his hand and he came to a stop.
“I don’t even know your name. I’m not going to follow you to God knows where,” I said.
“I’m Brendan. I did just save your life, ya know.”
“Maybe you saved it so you could end it. I don’t know. We are in prison after all. Odds are good that you’re a sicko.”
Brendan sighed and rolled his eyes. He turned and walked down the hall. I found myself staring at his backside, stomach aflutter, as if I were in some lusty trance forged by his chiseled body and heroic chivalry.
“If you don’t want to come with me, fine. I was just trying to help a fellow witch out.” He turned a corner down the hall.
I glanced around as I shifted from side to side. Not a single other person in sight. Echoing screams from the chaos we just left still filled the air.
“Wait!” I ran after him. “Can you take me back to my cell?” I rounded the corner and he had already stopped, turning to face me. I skidded to a stop, almost running into him.
“You just insulted me and now you want my help?”
Tears welled in my eyes, and I couldn’t stop their flow.
“I’m sorry. I just can’t take much more of this. I find out I’m a witch and less than twenty-four hours later I’m in a prison cell being accused of using forbidden magic. Which I guess I technically did. But I didn’t know I did it. And now I’m here being recruited by gang members…”
He reached out and touched my arm. His kind gaze found mine and filled with pity.
“You just found out you’re a witch?” he asked.
My necklace warmed against my skin and vibrated slightly. When he dropped his hand, it stopped.
“Yes.” I sniffled and looked away.
“Newbie tip. This is not the kind of place where you want to get caught crying. Do you know your cell number?” He moved away from me as he looked down the hall.
“No!” The tears streamed down my cheeks now, my whole face flush.
“Okay. What about your cellmate’s name?”
“Lorelei.”
“The mermaid? Aren’t you a witch?” A hint of disgust flickered through his eyes, but it was so brief I questioned if it had been there at all.
“We haven’t gotten that far in our introductions. Yes, I’m a witch.”
“Well, um. They normally have us bunk up with our own kind. The prison must be crowded. I know where her cell is. Come on. I’ll take you.” He started off down the hall.
Lorelei’s a mermaid? Can she tell that I’m part mermaid the same way Becky and Teal could tell I’m a witch? She could see my necklace when no one else seems to be able to. Lorelei and I needed a serious roomie chat.
I followed Brendan down the hall, taking mental notes of every turn. This place was massive. I tried to cement the layout to memory just like I did South Moore High the first day of freshman year. My gut twisted as I thought back to Cade showing me around school when I was still young, naive, and easily charmed by his dimples. Damn his cheating dimples. The similarities between my first day in prison and my first day of high school were eerie. Except this place was full of monsters I needed to hide my true self from. On second thought, this was just like high school.
“Why are you helping me?”
“I told you. The Blood Coven doesn’t play around.”
“That’s not really an answer. Why do you care what happens to me?”
He stopped near a cell door and turned to face me.
“Who says I do?” He winked and pointed to the open cell. “Here, this is you.”
A loud buzzing sounded overhead. I jumped.
“That means get back to your cell. They must have finished breaking up that fight. You’ll get used to all the alarms. I’ll see you later, Newbie.”
He disappeared down the hall and I stepped into my cell.
I rested on the bottom bunk and stared at the metal above me. Words and images were scratched into it. Some I recognized and others were foreign to me. I traced a simple design that reminded me of a candle stick with my fingertip. My necklace warmed and the image glowed orange like embers. It started to spark. I blew on it, but the sparks just grew. I pulled my pillow from under my head and pushed it against the metal, smothering the spark. When I removed it the glow was gone, but the shape of a candle stick was charred into my pillow.
Lorelei tramped into our cell with her hair a tangled mess, her lip swollen and bruised.
“Close’em up!” a guard said and then our cell door clanged shut.
Lorelei sat in the only chair and studied me. I fidgeted on the small mattress as awkward silence filled the air. She spotted the burn mark on my pillow and looked at the symbol above my head. She gestured for me to move and held a finger to her lips. I scrambled off the bed and stood up by the sink. She lifted the mattress up, dragging it from the bed frame. She yanked a stone loose from the wall and reached into the dark hole created by its absence. When her hand emerged, she held a small glowing orb. She shoved the stone back into place and pushed the mattress back on the bed before sitting on it and patting the spot next to her. I sat and she took my hand in hers. She held the glowing marble up in her other hand and squeezed it. It burst, spewing a silver ooze onto the floor at our feet. The ooze flashed brightly on the floor.
“Now, no one can hear us. But it won’t last long. The binding spells on the prison really hamper the effects. So, Jewels Farrington, you need to tell me everything.”
“What do you mean?” My hand instinctively went to my necklace but when I saw her eyes following me I dropped my hand to my lap. Lorelei sighed.
“Don’t feed me any bullshit, Jewels. It’s like you influenced me down there. Like you just being near me brought out some major mama bear instincts.” She wrapped her fingers around the starfish pendant resting at my collarbone. “Not to mention this necklace apparently only you and I can see.” She released it. A rush of fuzzy, warm feelings ran through my body when the pendant touched my skin again. “Oh, and that energy between us when Quincy was up in my face. I’ve never had that happen before. But you’re telling me you know nothing about any of that?”
“I don’t. I felt the energy too, but I don’t know what it was.” The dimming glow of the ooze at our feet caught Lorelei’s attention.
“We are running out of our precious private time. You need to be honest with me. Now.” Lorelei crossed her arms, glaring at me with raised eyebrows. Who knew so much attitude could fit into such tiny little eyebrows? My dad’s warning echoed in my head, but my gut told me to trust Lorelei.
“I’m apparently half mermaid. But my dad told me not to tell anyone.”
“I know your dad is for sure a witch. Who is your mom?” Lorelei’s face remained neutral, but she rubbed her fingers in a rhythmic circular motion. Maybe that was her tell. I learned long ago that people who keep the best secrets had mastered controlling their facial expressions and if I picked up on their little quirks they didn’t even realize they did it was far more accurate for judging their honesty.
“I don’t know.”
“How don’t you know?”
“Because I never met her and until yesterday I didn’t know I was a witch or a mermaid or that any of this shit was even real.”
Lorelei’s eyes fell to my necklace and she cupped it in her hand.
“I may know something about your mom.” She stared down at the emerald gem at the center of the starfish. “This stone… I think it’s The Siren Jewel and if I’m right that mean
s you are a descendant of the Original Siren and basically mermaid royalty.”
“What does that mean exactly?” My hand shook as I wrapped it around Lorelei’s on my necklace. A wave of energy flowed between us and my breath caught in my throat. Lorelei’s eyes widened and I knew she felt it too.
“It means your dad was right to warn you not to tell anyone. We need to keep this information between us. The enchantment has about worn off, so we need to stop talking about this now.”
I looked at my feet just as the glowing ooze disappeared. Lorelei released my necklace, but I paused before releasing her hand. The energy between us severed as we broke contact. She pulled herself up onto her bunk and my bed shook as she lay down. I fell back onto my bed. My head swirled as all this new information sank in. As if learning I was a hybrid witch mermaid wasn’t enough mind-blowing news for the last twenty-four hours. But now I found out I was some Siren Descendant. What does that even mean? It can’t be good if I’m not allowed to tell anyone. To survive this place, I needed to learn some things and I needed to learn fast. Starting off with finding out who I really was.
A guard appeared at my door. A twig of a woman with a gray cropped cut. She would have been grandmotherly looking if it weren’t for the coldness in her eyes. She motioned to somebody down the hall and my cell door lifted. The creaking metal hurt my ears.
“You need to come with me, inmate Farrington. It’s time to meet your case worker.” As I reached her she held up a hand for me to stop. “Put your wrists out in front of you, please. We are going to the admin wing and you have to be cuffed to go there.” I did as she said and the cold cuffs tightened around my wrist. As soon as she had them locked and snug they started to glow. “No funny business, inmate. If you try to use any magic while in the admin wing, these puppies will make you wish you hadn’t. Daddy and the Farrington name can’t save you in here.”
She led me down a cold, damp hall. We passed another canal and I strained to see into its depths for any fins, but none broke the surface. As we passed cell doors other inmates called out to me. Lots of catcalls, a few threats. I wasn’t sure which bothered me more. As I passed Brendan’s cell he winked at me. His cellmate called out to me. Something about what he would do to my “tight ass”. Brendan smacked him on the back of the head. I smiled and my cheeks turned rosy. We turned a corner and walked down a long corridor with floor-length windows on one side and a stone wall on the other.
The ocean splashed against the rocks on the shoreline outside. Now I really had no idea where I was. The lake house was nowhere near the ocean. Wherever Spellbound was it was a long way from home. My heart ached watching the waves crash into the beach. The familiar pull of the water that had always been present in my life was now intensified by the presence of the sea. Must be the mermaid in me. My mind drifted to my mom and that last day on the lake. Her screams as she fell overboard. The water sucking her away from me each time I reached for her. The final time her head bobbed above the surface before disappearing forever.
The sky darkened and droplets fell, speckling the ocean with dimples. Wind blew, sending whistles through the seams in the windows and shaking the panes. Lightning cut across the sky, illuminating the rough seas. My pace slowed as I stared out the glass. A hard shove from behind caused me to stumble, but my eyes remained locked on the ocean. The crack of thunder filled the air.
“Move, inmate.”
I was able to right myself before I fell and quickened my pace, forcing my eyes to the hall in front of me. We reached the end of the corridor and the guard led me through a series of locked doors. Always making sure to lock the door we came through before unlocking the next. We ended up in a hall that belonged in a cheap office not a prison for supernaturals. The carpet tiles on the floor were the same blue and brown pattern I remembered from my middle school’s choir room. To think the school board at my boring, average school used the same supplier as a prison for creatures that should only exist in costume on Halloween. The guard stopped me in front of a door labeled ‘Miss Kemp, Caseworker’. She knocked.
“You may enter,” a soft voice answered.
She opened the door and ushered me inside, pushing me into a chair. A blond woman with her hair neatly styled in curls and a partial updo sat across from me. The yellowish wood desk that separated us was almost identical to Mr. Mcnaffy’s, the principal from when I was in middle school. A grin spread across my face as I stifled a laugh. The guard glared at me, gripping her baton until her knuckles turned white.
“This is Farrington. Jewels Farrington. She’s your newest project. Call me when you’re done with her.” She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Miss Kemp smiled warmly at me. The smile even reached her eyes. She was genuinely happy to see me.
“Hello, Jewels. Is it okay that I call you that? Or is there another name you prefer?”
“Jewels is fine.”
“Good. I’m Miss Kemp, your caseworker. I have read over your file and, my dear, you have had quite an interesting last few days. Do you care to talk about it?” She tilted her head to the side and her fingers danced along the edges of the piles of papers in front of her.
“Is this like counseling or something? Because I’ve already been seeing a therapist for over a year and don’t need more psychobabble. I’m not crazy.”
“No, dear. While I try my best to provide my charges with a safe space to voice oneself, I am not a therapist. As your caseworker I coordinate your rehabilitation with Warden Blu.” Her hands were gently clasped on her desk, all of her attention focused on me.
“When can I get out of here?” I tried to cross my arms, but the cuffs weren’t long enough. I leaned back in the chair and rested my hands on my lap.
“That is a good question. I know you are not familiar with our laws and customs, which is such a shame. You have missed out on so much.” She sighed and flipped open a folder on her desk, dragging her finger down the page until she found what she was looking for. “Ah yes. Your lawyer is Mitch Michelson. Your father hired him. He will be by within a few days to talk with you. Basically, he will present your case at trial to The High Council. If found guilty you will be sentenced. The punishment for use of forbidden magic ranges widely from lifelong imprisonment, being stripped of your magic, all the way to death.”
“Death? Losing magic I just learned I even have? All for doing something I didn’t even know I was doing? What kind of system is this?”
“Your actions caused the death of another and stole life to bring another back from the dead. Both of those things drastically sway the balance of life and death for the entire world. It is a serious matter.”
I sank further into my chair as her eyes drilled into me. Miss Kemp’s face softened.
“I cannot help you with your case. But I can help you make the most of your stay. It is my job to help you adjust.” She walked around the desk and kneeled before me. My necklace warmed. She held her hands above my wrists and closed her eyes. She muttered something under her breath I couldn’t understand. The cuffs stopped glowing and popped open, leaving behind deep indentations in my skin. She set them on the desk and rubbed my wrists.
“This needs to be our secret. Technically all inmates must remain shackled when in this part of the facility as it is not enchanted against the use of magic. However, in your case I believe we should make an exception. You are here after all because you do not know how to use your magic. I cannot properly prepare you to hopefully reenter the world when you have such power you cannot control. I’m sorry about your mom’s death, by the way. That must have been very traumatic.”
“Thank you. I miss her.” A flutter in my chest sent a shudder down my spine. “She was my adoptive mom,” I said. As the words left my lips I knew I shouldn’t have said them and I wasn’t sure why I did. She smiled, but a glint of concern flashed across her eyes.
“I didn’t see that in your file. That’s not something everyone should know. I wouldn’t share that information with anyone else,
okay? It will call a lot of things into question and you are in enough trouble as is.”
I nodded and thought about how my dad was going to kill me when he found out I told a complete stranger I knew Mom wasn’t my mom before I even told him. Miss Kemp returned to her seat.
“I will have the guards bring you to my office and we'll go over some basic spell casting and supernatural history as often as I am able.” She jotted some notes on the paper in front of her. “I noticed that you've been assigned a mermaid as a cellmate. This is quite odd as normally we try to house everyone with their same sect. I can move you to be with another witch if you like.”
“I like my cellmate. I’d like to stay with her.”
“As you wish.” She scribbled some more.
“Why are you doing this for me? It seems you’re risking a lot for someone you don’t even know.” I crossed my arms as my necklace lightly vibrated.
“I believe everyone deserves a fair chance to live up to their potential and do the right thing. And you, my dear, have been dealt a rotten hand. Being kept from magic most of your life. It is an absolute shame.” She shook her head. “We don't have much time today as it is our initial visit. But let's start with a simple spell so I can see where you are and formulate a lesson plan for you.”
“Oh, I actually know one. Well, kinda. I’ve only done it once. It makes things levitate.”
She set a blue pen on the desk in front of me and gestured toward it. I closed my eyes and pictured the pen in my mind. I imagined what it would look like floating in the air. I pushed back all thoughts of everything besides the pen.
“Levitas Volatilis,” I said. I opened my eyes to see the blue pen floating in front of my face. I smiled and looked over at Miss Kemp. The air between us was full of pens. Every pen from her desk filled the space between us, dancing on an invisible breeze. My mind shifted from the pens to the astonished look plastered on her face. All at once the pens fell, scattering across the desk and floor. “I’m sorry.” I slipped to the floor and scooped the pens into my hands.
The Siren Jewel: Spellbound Prison Saga Page 6