Emotionless (The Emotionless Book 1)

by Shaina Anastasi

  “Yeah, you are right. I am looking under my chair in every class now,” Charlie declared.

  There’s no need. That glitter prank is going to be outside and in the snow. It will be amusing watching from the sidelines and seeing Rebecca covered. I am not a spiteful mage, but I do find humour when someone who bullies me gets what they deserved. A harmless prank may lift my spirits when classes start again after this weekend is over.

  We paid for all of our items, and I was right. Lollie couldn’t find a notebook. She took two, Kent took one and Spencer’s friend, Wes, took the last one. I wanted to smile at that moment. A slight flutter in my heart always rises when I can be of value to my friends, even if it was finding a simple notebook in a very clustered store.

  After we got the items that we needed in the art store, we ended up travelling into the thick of things, the central plaza. I decided it was best that my Stone Knight wouldn’t appear and walk around with me amongst mages who know precisely what my Stone Knight is.

  There was a very famous bookstore in the central plaza. I recall going there countless of times when I was younger. That’s where most of the books from my library came from. The shop owner was a lovely old man that spoke with kindness and adored my family. That was until I broke the most unbreakable rule in our mage world. I interfered in A Mages War. He had an old soul and always followed every rule and believed there was no leeway. You could only imagine how he reacted once he found out that the precious heir to the Frost family defended herself and ended up killing the promised mage in A Mages War. He was the first one to shut his door on us without a second thought.

  We were outside of the bookstore. A lot of mages went in and out. The bell continuously rang as the blue rune lit on the door and swung open whenever someone was near it. The group that I was in moved towards the entrance to the bookstore without hesitating. I stood there and seemed to have gone by unnoticed and unaware. It wasn’t their fault, as they walked through that door and talked amongst each other. It’s not like I have a voice to speak up. Not like I would be able to enter as well. Once the old man sees me, he would demand that I leave immediately. Perhaps I should wait outside for them.

  I looked around for a place to sit. The water fountain in the centre of the central plaza had too many mages. Some mages were even doing magic that swirled in the air like colourful snowflakes. Children were captivated by the sight of such magnificent beauty. I couldn’t go there, I would ruin all of their fun.

  I looked around some more and found Donte and Nixon. They were going down an alleyway that had a lot of smoke. They were more than likely going to a potions shop. There’s no doubt about that.

  I kept turning around until I found a bench across from the bookstore. It was outside of the cute crystal shop that had absolutely no one going in or out. Of course, no one would go in there – Unless it was Silas. He would more than likely be the only mage that would want to go to a shop like that.

  I sat on the bench outside of the shop and stared at the bookstore. I am sure that once they were finished, I could creep back into the group. If they ask, I can think of a logical lie that would be very believable. Not like anyone would question.

  The coldness hit me once I sat down. With nothing to do to occupy my mind from thinking of how cold it was, I could feel the bite now that I was doing nothing. Perhaps I should have brought Hopper today. Maybe I should do something with him tomorrow. Take him out of the house and let him have some fresh air on a leisure date.

  “Good day, Eileen Frost.”

  My bones tightened at a presence that was beside me. The boy that leant against the tunnel wall of the arena in A Mages Guardians War sat beside me on the bench. He had his hands on his lap, a straight back, and he stared out at the water fountain with a small smile on his face. He held that same mystery now as he did when he spoke to me then.

  “Hello,” I murmured. “I am good, thank you. How about you?” I then asked.

  “Wonderful,” he said in a spritely voice. “What are you doing out here in the cold?”

  “I’m waiting for my friends to finish in the bookstore,” I admitted. “What are you doing out here in the cold?” I counter questioned.

  “I was on a joyous walk until I noticed you. I was then curious and had to talk to you and see who you actually are. Not this girl everyone portrays you to be in the news and on magazines.”

  “I see. Am I everything you thought I was?” I asked.

  “Well, I was told that you are a spiteful, evil and vindictive mage, but here you are, expressionless and using the same words you used to use when you were in the running to become our leader.” The boy then shuffled in his seat and smiled knowingly at me. “I should introduce myself. My name is Mika Malloy. I was the one who won A Mages War five years ago, thanks to you.” My heart thumped loudly in my chest. I looked away from the boy and out towards the mages that walked past. “Don’t worry, I am invisible. Who knows what rumours they would spread if they saw us chatting together? Anything to make us more hated than we already are.”

  “You are so young,” I murmured. Mika laughed and tapped the fabric of the beanie over his forehead. “Cursed,” I whispered.

  “Just like you, Eileen Frost,” he agreed. “I am actually twenty-three, but my body is twelve.”

  “Who cursed you?” I asked.

  “You should know about my family. Malloy’s. My grandfather was the name on everyone’s tongue, like your grandfather, but with mine, it left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.” Mika shook his head and looked out towards the children that were playing around the fountain. “Since that incident, it has been foretold that the Malloy bloodline was tainted. Once we became teenagers, the male Malloy bloodlines mind decays until we are insane. To prevent that in happening to me, my mother decided to stop the aging process altogether. Froze me at the age of twelve. But my mind kept progressing and processing and learning at the rate of everyone else.”

  “I am sorry to hear about that,” I murmured.

  “And I am sorry to hear about your curse,” Mika said. “As well as all the lives that were lost. I didn’t mean for my phoenix to kill so many innocents.”

  “Yet, it did.”

  Mika smiled, but it was a pained and saddened smile. “I was so angry that night that I didn’t care who my phoenix harmed. My mind was elsewhere. Timothy killed my best friend, the mage that should have won A Mages War.”

  “You were in A Mages War as well. You didn’t want the wish?”

  “No. I went into A Mages War to help out my friend and make sure that he wins. Once all the competition has been defeated, I was going to surrender. But the only way to surrender is if their Guardian has died and if the other mage shows remorse. Fortunately for me, phoenix’s have two lives. So, giving up one wasn’t really a big deal.”

  “Why would you help your friend?” I asked. “What did he want to wish for?”

  “His wish was to stop A Mages War. To make that war the last one forever.” That was a surprise of a wish. Never have I thought of that, but now that he has said it, I wondered if it was possible. Was it that simple to stop A Mages War after seeking out the Phrelale Flower? The flower that holds a crucial wish inside of them once a year. “Timothy killed him. Shot him down in a sacred place that mages have used as a type of sanctuary in A Mages War. Because it wasn’t written in the rules or guidelines, it wasn’t technically sanctuary, so, Timothy killed him while he was inside healing his Guardian’s wounds.”

  “What did you do after that?” I asked.

  “Timothy then hunted me down. That leads us to Mage Academy and from there, I assume you would know the rest.” I nodded in agreement. I most certainly do remember that night very clearly. “After that, I went to the Phrelale flower with my wish.”

  “What was your wish?” I asked.

  “I wished that my curse would be broken. Unfortunately, like illnesses, curses too couldn’t be unbroken. Therefore, the Phrelale flower rejected my wish, and I was left with
nothing.”

  “Why didn’t you wish for A Mages War to end?”

  “That was never my wish,” Mika admitted. “But if I could go back in time, I would have tried that wish instead of mine if I still knew the outcome of my wish.” Mika then hopped up off the bench and stretched. “Anyways, your friends are about to leave the bookstore. They are wondering where you went. It was a pleasure meeting you, Eileen. I hope to do it again sometime soon. Maybe smile a little, next time.”

  “I will try,” I joked.

  Jealousy.

  “Hey, Eileen, where did you go?” Spencer asked. He was the first to notice me waiting near the door. Apparently, I frightened the others when they turned and saw that I was just standing there like a robot. “Why didn’t you come inside with us. There were a lot of awesome and ancient books.”

  “Yeah!” Charlie agreed. “One was in a display case. The mage said that if it leaves the container, the air will shrivel it up and make it crumble. So, he placed it in this protective glass box.”

  “The Midosseny T’Sholm Murder,’” I whispered. “Beautiful book.”

  “You have read it before!” Lollie asked. She clasped her hands together and seemed to have swooned. “The book is as rare as it can get. I have only read snippets from Speggle and documentaries online.”

  “I have a copy at my old home. Better condition as well. You can borrow it.”

  “Really! Are you sure?” She asked. I nodded once. “Oh, thank you so much!”

  “I will get my family Guardian to go reclaim the book. Once I have it in my possession, I can go to your dorm room and hand it to you. It may take a few days.”

  “Awesome. My dorm room number is twenty-four. I don’t have a roommate, so it is no bother to knock.”

  “Should we get something to eat now?” Kent suddenly asked. He rubbed his stomach and groaned loudly. “I am starved.”

  “Where should we go?” Spencer asked.

  “There is an awesome pasta and pizza restaurant nearby,” Wes stated. “We should check it out.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Charlie cheered.

  Everyone else agreed. We then followed Wes to where the pizza and pasta restaurant was located. On the way, I seemed to have been noticed a lot more. Pairs of eyes narrowed when mages looked at me longer than usual. Once they noticed, I saw the curl of their lip and the look of disgust right before they moved in a completely different direction with their Guardian following behind them.

  At the pizza and pasta shop, a lot of mages were already inside, seated at tables that had plastic covering with printed pictures of pizzas on the plastic tablecloth. Pictures hung along the walls in a collage of mages who had won the pizza eating competition. The picture of the pizza looked ginormous. I am not entirely sure who could be able to eat the lava pizza. Thick sludgy red sauce smothered in cheese with ostrich egg meatballs, crumbed and deep-fried, sprinkled with garlic and thyme. Just looking at the picture made me sick in the stomach.

  The lady that served us at the door smiled until she saw me. Her smile faltered, and she darted a look towards the kitchen area that was on the far back wall. The chef looked up at her immediately. Those dull brown eyes cast on me and he grimaced and looked back down at what he was preparing. I expected to be immediately thrown out at this point and went to do the most modest thing and leave when the lady ushered us to our table. I should leave still. There is a high chance that the chef would spit in my food, or drip a little bit of potion that could make me sick or for a pimple to pop up in the most unattractive spot. However, I didn’t want to ruin any of my friends’ time, even if it puts me in an awkward and uncomfortable situation.

  I sat on the chair that was against the window, and Spencer sat beside me. Across from me was Charlie. She was most certainly an energised bunny. The way she bounces up and down in her seat in excitement made me nauseous. I know what she is excited for and it wasn’t the delicious food that we would be eating. All-day, she has voiced that she couldn’t wait to see our competition. That was the only reason that she wanted to come out to Sorcerer City. That and helping Lollie find her perfect graduation dress for the afterparty they have after they graduate.

  “What would you like?” The lady that showed us to our table came back with a jug of water and glass cups. She then flipped her notepad open and clicked her pen. “Our house special is a large pizza to eat as a group. Not for the competition.”

  “Oh, that one looks awesome,” Kent said. He has a glint of food-lust in his eyes.

  “Sound delicious,” Spencer agreed. “Is everyone alright with that? We could order separately if you all wanted.”

  “Separate is expensive,” Lollie snorted. “I doubt Mum would condone me asking for more money for a fatty meal. It all goes…” She trailed off and pointed down to her assets.

  I could agree with that.

  She left after she took our order. Her eyes lingered onto me before she turned away, and I could see the dull throb of her veins wanting to be lit. She thinks that I am a threat. I am surprised that she didn’t bring her Guardian out as a sort of defence if she thought I was that much of a threat.

  I lowered my sights onto the table and at the glass filled with ice-cold water that slid towards me. When I looked up, Spencer smiled warmly at me. He then leaned in, and he smelt of a very intense, musky hit of perfume that then numbed all my other senses dramatically.

  “How has your day been so far? You’re awfully quiet,” Spencer asked me.

  “Good,” I answered.

  I wasn’t sure what else I could say, really. It has been a good day. There is no use complaining and telling someone that I have been consistently stared at, glared at, sneered at, and painfully obviously looked at with utter disgust and rage. There was no use because I was used to it all. I knew how to deal with it all by myself because, for these last five years, that’s all I have been doing. There’s no use bringing someone else in this dilemma. All it would do was cause grief if they begin to suddenly notice what I have seen for years.

  Spencer then spoke about soccer, which I found boring. The reason I didn’t want to tell him that I don’t like sports and aren’t very good at sports, so talking about sport was very dull was because he enjoyed the topic. It would have been incredibly rude of me to tell him. Instead, I listened without listening. It was easy for me to do. Spencer wasn’t talking to me; he was speaking at me. All he wanted was for me to agree with him because it made him happy to talk about something that he loves. I can entertain that. Not going to lie, it would be easier if I could smile.

  Pizza came, and it filled the entire round table. The drinks had to be moved to another table Kent dragged over. Because it filled the table, we all had to grab pieces and eat in our designated areas. I wasn’t that eager to eat the bread. I picked, at first. As I ate, my friends looked disturbed, but this was all I could do to show that I had a personality. I picked the cheese and eggs off and ate with my fingers. I peeled layers off until there was only lumpy, cooked dough that looked like saucy tomato brains on stuffed crust.

  By the end of the meal, I could feel my stomach expand to the extent that it felt like something was inside wanting to burst free. The lady noticed that we were finished and came to our table so that we could pay. While everyone spoke about how they were going to split it, I went into my satchel bag where I keep my notebook and pen – in case I find a rune I want to draw – and took out my card and handed it to the lady.

  “You didn’t have to do that, Eileen,” Spencer said. “We can pay for our half that we ate.”

  “It’s fine. Save your money for something else.”

  On our way out, they all thanked me. But I didn’t do it to be praised or liked more. They were taking up too much time, and I wanted to leave. The chef glared at me the entire time that he cut pizza. It was making me feel self-conscious, and I wanted to be out of there. That was all.

  Spencer, Kent and Wes left us at the entrance to the street that we were going to go down. They w
anted to check out all of the sports stores and fashionable clothes. Us girls decided to go down the street that was overly packed and filled with stores specifically for a woman: Jewellery shops, lovely crystal shops, clothes, formal dress shops and perfume potion shops. It was like a girls’ rose-coloured world.

  A rose-coloured world is a world where one person sees the good and never the bad. Filled in a world full of love, adoration and pink. In Charlie’s and Lollie’s eyes, I see the burst of roses, filling them up and spooling out of their eyes and onto the ground. The ground would then burst with purple, red and pink wildflowers that puffed pink dust everywhere. A bit dramatic, but being around these girls in this part of the street made me believe that was all they were seeing. A simple rose-coloured world that I was never really into.

  Charlie suddenly grabbed my arm, shook it violently and pointed off to the right. In front of a crystal, the store was a group of girls. Three of them wore long-sleeved, yellow, winter dresses and cream coloured stockings. But one stood out from the rest. She wore high waisted torn denim jeans with a black long-sleeved fleece, turtle neck top tucked into her jeans. She turned towards us, and her dark brown hair flicked, like silk, onto the other side of her shoulder. She wore heavy make-up and had very dark green eyes. Her eyes connected with mine and her smile turned into a smirk.

  “Shit, get ready girls, here they come,” Charlie sneered.

  They marched towards us like they were their own army, ready to prosecute us. The looks on their faces nothing less but cruel and unfriendly. They looked like they would rule over their Academy. The ones that spoke with a drawl and sneered at anyone that wasn’t as powerful as they were. Those were the girls I avoided all my life, so it saddens me to see this.

  “Eileen Frost.”

  “Lauran Dwight,” I murmured.

  “Wait. You know her?” Charlie asked me.

  “Eileen and I used to be best friends,” Lauran laughed bitterly. “We went to the same primary school. We went to a lot of social gatherings, but they were all fake, right, Eileen? You only hung out with me to make yourself look better. It was pathetic.”