Elementris, Exposure, Eruption Box set: The Vangeretta Curse Series

by Christina Mobley

  Ava’s heart thumped faster, “Yes, I want to hear it.”

  “Okay.” Aunt Avalene released a tired sign and began, “The day I finally started to believe in the curse was just three years after your mother was born. Nadia and Joyce Ann’s father were the two happiest people you could ever imagine. They fell in love in high school and two years after Nadia accepted her crown they were married and they had Joyce Ann a year later…”

  “He died when my mom was only three years old? What happened to him?”

  Aunt Avalene looked away, like she didn’t want to tell Ava. “He killed himself.”

  “He killed himself? Why?”

  “No one knows. He didn’t leave a note or anything. He took your mother and Nadia and went to visit his family for a few days. That night, after a great evening with his family and Nadia, he simply put a bullet in his head. Your mother found him.” She shook her head, “It was a terrible time.”

  “Do you think that was the curse though, since he killed himself?”

  Aunt Avalene shrugged, “Who knows for sure.”

  “What is that?” Ava pointed at the box Aunt Avalene clutched in her hand.

  “This,” Aunt Avalene said eyeing the box in her hand painfully, “this was my taste of the curse.”

  Ava took a shaky breath and waited for her to speak.

  A few minutes passed before Aunt Avalene let out a painful sigh. “After what happened to my sister, Nadia, I was determined to never allow myself to fall in love, nor would I allow any man to fall in love with me.”

  “So, you believed in the curse for certain?”

  “No,” she shook her head slowly, “I was never sure. I still am not sure. Who knows if the curse is real, or if it’s just some rumor and everything else is a coincidence.”

  “So,” Ava said nervously, “what happened?” She looked at the box in her aunt’s shaking hand.

  “Just before Nadia was killed by Lareina, I met Weston.” She opened the lid of the small box. “I always carry this with me, to remind me.” She pulled out an old picture and handed it to Ava.

  Ava looked down at the picture and noticed his black uniform instantly, “He was a Clutch Guard?”

  Aunt Avalene nodded, “Yes, under my sister’s rule. We were just friends. We had so many great times together. The waterfall on the back side of the island…,” she paused and smiled to herself. “He talked me into jumping off of it with him. There was never a dull moment around Weston. He made me laugh so hard all the time and would always have something planned when I came to visit Nadia at the island. He was my best friend. I told him everything. I even told him about the curse.”

  “What did he say about it?”

  “He laughed about it. He used to tease me, he called me Red. He always said I was built like a cedar board; red, flat, and crooked.”

  “That’s kind of mean.”

  “He wasn’t mean. It was just our way with each other.” She took a deep breath, “I never allowed myself to fall for him. I refused to let that happen, but he suffered the curse anyway. I think he fell in love with me. I guess I will never know for sure. He was my friend and I carry that guilt every day.” She looked away and wiped a tear before continuing. “He died on a mission. He was killed by Draken.”

  “Draken? Really?” Ava remembered what Aunt Avalene had done after Draken, the leader of The Waerven, and his son, Troy, had taken her and held her hostage in the basement of their family home. She knew that Aunt Avalene had only used her magic to harm twice. The first time was against Brea’s stepfather when he’d attacked her and the second was against Draken. Ava knew Aunt Avalene did not believe in using her magic to harm and Ava had often wondered what kind of magic allowed her to do it. “Was it the same as the black magic The Waevern used? How did Aunt Avalene even know how to do it?” Aunt Avalene had been so enraged when she’d seen Draken; now Ava knew that what had been done that day had been done for two people her Aunt Avalene loved; herself and Weston. She handed the picture back, “Thank you for telling me, Aunt Avalene.”

  Aunt Avalene wrapped her arm around Ava’s shoulder, “You don’t have to worry about Alec, Shug. He is protected by the bond. I promise you.”

  “I know,” Ava said, feeling her voice break. She wanted to tell Aunt Avalene about Blake, about his strange behavior. She couldn’t, though. She couldn’t even admit to herself that it was true. If he was cursed, it wasn’t because Ava wanted him. It was because he wanted her. She was sure of that. She loved Alec completely.

  “Aunt Avalene? Why did you encourage me to find a boyfriend when you knew about the curse?”

  “Because Shug, I spent half of my life avoiding love because of the possibility of that curse being real. I didn’t want you doing the same thing. All love is a risk, but life without love is a waste of a lot of good living.”

  Ava sighed, “I’d better get to bed. I love you,” she said, resting her head on Aunt Avalene’s shoulder for a brief moment.

  Aunt Avalene kissed the top of her head, “I love you too, Shug.”

  Ava sat up and smiled at her.

  Aunt Avalene looked at her with a sparkle in her eyes. “Don’t stress yourself out with all of this. You have a gift.” She brushed a strand of hair away from Ava’s eyes, “Enjoy it. Embrace it. You have the love of a wonderful man and that is rare thing in our family.”

  Ava winced at the truth contained in her statement, “So, do you also believe that giving up her magic saved my mother from the curse? Is that why she is able to be with Tom?”

  Aunt Avalene shook her head, “I guess so, if the curse is real. I will never be sure.”

  “You never met him?” Ava said quietly, “My real father?”

  Aunt Avalene looked up, “No, all I knew was what your mother told me. That someone named Samuel had been following her and that he was married. I warned her to be careful, but she never listened to me.”

  “He was married?”

  “Yes. Your mother didn’t tell you that part?”

  “No.” Ava felt sick, “Who was he married to?”

  “I don’t know, Shug,” she paused, “You have your own life now. Don’t let your history, or your parent’s history, define you.

  Ava turned for the door without saying anything else. As she walked to her room, she thought back to the conversation she’d had with her mother last year. She wondered if her real father had died because of the curse; if it had caused him to rape her mother. “Did the curse cause him to go crazy; or did it just add to an evil that already existed?” Shaking her head, she banished the worrisome thoughts. Yes, she was curious about her real father and what had caused him to do the things he had done, but a part of her was glad that she would never know what had made him capable of doing such a horrible thing. “It can’t affect her now anyway; he’s dead, his secrets with him.”

  …Lyssa…

  The past three days had been strange. The first two she had spent exploring the island. She had only seen Thomas twice and it had been pretty awkward. A few other people were staying in the guest cottages, too. They were here for the First Summer Moon Festival. It was still a couple weeks away, but evidently people liked to arrive early. The man in the cottage across from hers even had a daughter who was going to accept her gift tomorrow night. It would be her eighteenth birthday. She had an affinity for water like Lyssa and she had shown Lyssa a few things she had learned. She was having fun exploring the island and meeting others like herself, but she still had no clue what to do.

  Now she was on her way to talk to Ava. Thomas had been sent to get her. The council had finally reached a decision. Lyssa was still not all that sure she wanted to join the Clutch and she was feeling a little nauseous. “What will they say? Do they see me as reckless; dangerous even? Were they willing to take the risk that she wasn’t?”

  Thomas cleared his throat as they walked the wooded trail towards the castle, “I don’t know what they’re gonna say. Before we get there I want you to know something,” he
said.

  “What?”

  “I have some bad news, and I don’t know if they are going to tell you.”

  “What is it, they said no?” She shifted, “I’m not sure that would be a bad thing, what do you think, Thomas? You don’t really want me around anyway. You don’t want anyone to know you like some little crazy girl.” She cocked her head, “That’s all I am, right? Some stupid, little girl who just won’t get it, too screwed up to get it,” she shook her head, “Right?”

  He looked down at her, eyes blazing, “That’s what you’re acting like right now.”

  “Really?” she walked past him. “Okay, if that’s how it is...”

  “Lyssa, wait.” He grabbed her arm, “We can talk about all that later. I have to tell you something and it’s not good.”

  “What is it?” she asked, her eyes shooting daggers.

  “It’s your,” he paused letting his hand slide down her arm and took her hand in his, “It’s your Keeper. They found her.”

  “They did?” Lyssa said, surprised. “Where? Where was she?”

  He looked intently into her eyes, “She’s dead, Lyssa. They think she was sacrificed.”

  “When did they find her?” she took a step back, horrified.

  “The day they sent for us,” he replied.

  “What!?! Why didn’t they tell me? When did you find out?” She looked up at him, trying to keep from crying.

  “I was told the day we got back, but I was ordered not to tell you. The Council wanted your new Keeper to be the one to tell you. That’s why they called us here in the first place, to introduce you to your new Keeper. After Ava spoke to them about you joining the Clutch, they decided to put it off for a few days. If you join the Clutch you won’t need a Keeper. I wanted to tell you all of this, but I was under a direct order from Ava not to. The council wants to keep all of this quiet because people born of the Element are already nervous about everything since…,” he stopped.

  “Since I did what I did,” she looked down.

  “Yeah,” he took her hand again, squeezing it. “Come on, let’s go. I just wanted to tell you, before you heard the decision about the Clutch so you would have all of the facts before you made a decision. I told Ava that you needed to know and she agreed. I wanted to tell you before, but I was worried that you would…”

  “Would what?” she stopped again.

  “React badly.”

  She started walking again, “I would have.” She shook her head. “Do you always do what you’re told?”

  Thomas said nothing. He just reached down for her hand.

  She refused it. She was angry and hurt, “They should have told me. You should have told me! She was my Keeper. I can’t believe she’s gone,” her voice dropped off. A terrible thought crossed her mind. “Did she die because of what I did? Did she die because I exposed myself? Will The Waevern come for me and Zack next?”

  They walked together into the meeting room. Ava sat at a table with twelve council members seated around it.

  Thomas stopped by the door and shut it behind Lyssa.

  Lyssa looked at the people in the room and gulped some extra air.

  “We have reached a decision,” Ava said, “and that decision is that we will allow you to join the Clutch.”

  Lyssa stood perfectly still, not sure if she was supposed to say anything.

  “We do have one condition though,” An older gray-haired man across the table said.

  Ava glanced at him and back to Lyssa.

  “What is it?” Lyssa asked.

  Ava watched Lyssa intently as the old man spoke again.

  “You will not be permitted to leave the island until you reach senior Clutch guard status or until you have been a Green for three years.”

  Lyssa felt her temper boil.

  “It’s not that we don’t trust you,” Ava started.

  “It’s your track record,” the older guy finished. “We will give you a few days to decide. You can return home and take care of anything you need to. You will have three days to decide and return to the island. If you do not agree to the condition, we will continue to provide you with protection. However, that protection will be in the form of a new Keeper, we will not be able to provide you with a guard.”

  “We,” Ava said, “would like you to consider this as a safety precaution, not a punishment. Joining the Clutch may be the safest alternative for you. You may always have to worry about some of the people who saw your news broadcast attempting to hurt you.”

  Lyssa nodded feeling her shoulders sink with the weight of it all, “Thank you,” was all she could manage with her tight jaw and sick stomach.

  “You are dismissed,” the old guy said.

  Ava smiled at her.

  Lyssa eyed Thomas as he opened the door. She walked past him and continued ahead.

  “I’m sorry,” he said as he reached her side.

  “For what? Which thing are you sorry for?” she paused, looking over her shoulder to give him an evil look. “Treating me like a little girl, calling me screwed up, not telling me about Shelby, or forcing me to join the Clutch?”

  “I’m not forcing you.” Thomas shook his head, “But I hope you decide to stay here. I would rather have you hate me, than see you leave here unprotected. I don’t wanna be the reason you get hurt or the reason you join. You’re safer here, but I know this is a hard decision. That kiss should never have happened and I’m sorry for that.”

  “Please stop trying to act like you care.”

  “I do.” He grabbed her arm to stop her, “Just stop.”

  She turned on him. “No! Oh, and just so you know. I don’t throw myself at every guy I meet, Thomas. And do you know what else?” She started walking again, “You can stop worrying about me.” She hurried ahead of him, “I can take care of myself.”

  Thomas didn’t say anything else. He reported in to the lead guard and met Lyssa back down by the boat dock to get ready to leave. He was talking to another Clutch guard when she arrived.

  “Don’t forget to call Alec when you get to the mainland,” the guard said. “See if he needs to send an update. Remember let it ring once and hang up. He will call you back if he can.”

  “Okay,” Thomas nodded. “Look after Lymp for me. I’m going to leave her here.”

  “You know I will,” he said. “She’ll be flying again by the time you get back.”

  By dark they were in the boat heading back, and the tension between them was so thick that Lyssa wanted to jump out of the boat as it flew across the water. By two that morning they were home and they were exhausted.

  Lyssa lay down and watched as Thomas actually went to sleep before she did. That was a first. She eyed the key on the table by the window and used every ounce of willpower she had not to fall asleep herself. She needed to get some answers, she needed some advice, and the main person who had given her advice was dead. The other, Zack, was sure to be fast asleep and Lyssa suspected he would freak out about her going to the island. She needed to talk to someone who knew about the island, and about the gift. That left only one person that she could be sure of; one who would never share their conversation with anyone.

  She waited for a little over an hour until she was sure Thomas was asleep and slipped carefully out of her bed. She moved quietly across the carpet and silently lifted the key from the table. Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure that he would hear it. She carefully pulled the door open; moving slow so it wouldn’t make any noise. She watched him for any sign of waking as she carefully pulled it shut behind her.

  Outside she looked up at the night sky and tensed as a bush rustled to her right. She crouched and moved back a step as it wiggled again, then almost laughed in relief as a small orange cat scurried out from underneath it, looked up at her, and ran off. Lyssa decided it wasn’t a stray; it looked well fed. She took a calming breath and ran to the woods where Thomas’ bike was parked. She pushed it through the dark trees and down the long driveway. She was wide awake n
ow, her adrenalin pumping out of control. Her heart raced as she reached the end of the driveway and started the bike.

  Her take-off was a little shaky and the bike wobbled back and forth unsteadily as she tried to work the controls, steer, and keep her balance all at the same time. She drove slowly at first, then she went just a little faster and the bike began to steady and she felt a little better. She rode along the empty roads and tried to focus on staying up on two wheels.

  It took close to twenty minutes to arrive at the apartment complex. “Number six!” She thought, as she parked the bike and rushed up the stairs.

  The door next door opened, just as she lifted her fist to knock on number six. A woman appeared. She was young; with light hair and dark makeup, “Hello?” she said, looking at Lyssa.

  Lyssa was surprised anyone was up at this hour. “I’m looking for my, uh, my mother?”

  “Oh, you must be May-Lyssa. She had to run an errand, I’ll call her real fast. You can come inside and wait if you’d like.” She pulled her door open wider. Behind her, in her apartment was a stack of tarot cards and a lamp with some sheer purple material draped over it.

  Lyssa looked around, “I’ll, uh, I’m all right out here.”

  The woman nodded, “Okay,” she said and closed her door softly.

  Lyssa still wanted answers from her mother about everything, but more than that she wanted to talk to someone, someone who knew about the island, and wouldn’t tell anyone. She couldn’t talk to Thomas about it, the advice he would give her was obvious. He hadn’t even given her a choice, had pretty much taken any choice she had from her in fact.

  She sighed, knowing that Thomas was just trying to keep her safe. She didn’t want to give him any credit at the moment though. “Why does he want to keep me safe? Is it because it’s his job? Or is it something else? Is his attraction for me growing despite what he keeps saying about waiting until I’m older? How can I convince him that I’m old enough to know what I want and that I know what I’m doing? Well, at least when it comes to him anyway.”

  Lyssa quickly scanned the parking lot, no sign of a new car. She turned back to the door thinking how strange it was that she would come to the woman who had abandoned her for advice. Who else could she go to, though? Besides, she had other questions and only three days to get answers. For the first time she realized she might never see her mother again after today; she was pretty paranoid about anything having to do with the Clutch or the island after all.