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

by Christina Mobley

  Ava interrupted, “How long have you been here, Aunt Avalene?”

  “Since late last night.”

  “You’ve been busy.”

  “Well, I’ve always heard that ‘a busy bee is a happy bee.’” Aunt Avalene smiled, “Now, you get dressed. I’ll grab the book and meet you on the balcony.”

  “Okay,” Ava stood and crossed the room to her dresser. She smiled, “Aunt Avalene?” she called.

  “Yeah, Shug?”

  “Thank you.”

  “Aw, you’re welcome, Shug.” Aunt Avalene said happily. She called to the book, “Hidden in shadows, cloaked from prying eyes, reveal yourself now, show the place you lie.” The book appeared on the vanity, right where Ava had hidden it last. Aunt Avalene smiled.

  …Brea…

  Brea sat up, surprised to find herself in her own bed. She couldn’t remember how she’d gotten there. She was wearing an oversized blue shirt. It smelled like him; Caslan. Realizing what she was doing, she mentally slapped herself and tossed her blanket aside. “No! You can’t be attracted to him! Forbidden fruit. No apple!” She told herself. She pulled the shirt over her head, shoved it under her bed and then pushed it further with her foot. She grabbed the first thing she found in her disorganized dresser, pulling on a pair of jeans and a vintage rocker t-shirt, as she evil-eyed her bed.

  Memories from last night flashed through her mind. Everything Caslan had said. His smell, his touch. “No! Stop, you idiotic girl!” She turned her back on her bed and cursed as she tripped over her own feet. Catching her balance, she hurried down the hall towards the bathroom. Two girls were leaving as she walked in. The bathroom was steamy. Brea moved through the fog and used her hand to clear a circle in the mirror.

  She stared at herself for a moment, then brushed her short brown hair back with one hand and held it in place as braced herself against the sink with the other. Thoughts of Shawn intruded and she closed her eyes. She thought about how amazing she always felt when she was with him. She let go of her hair, slapped the sink with both hands, and shook her head angrily as she pictured him holding Bianca the way she had wanted him to hold her. Pressing her fingers against throbbing temples, she admonished herself, “Get it together Brea.”

  She knew she had to get to Ava and tell her everything she had learned. Ava would know what to do and she would want to know about Caslan. She needed to know all of this. Brea still wasn’t sure she could trust Caslan, but at this point she didn’t have much of a choice. She would have to be really careful going to the island. If he followed her, or if he was telling the truth and the Waevern Army followed her, it would be her fault if something happened. She couldn’t allow them to learn anything from her. She wouldn’t be responsible for exposure, or for letting anything happen to Ava.

  She pushed the bathroom door open and saw Macy walk into their room. Her heart kicked at her ribs as she followed her and opened the door. Her anger rose as she entered the room. Macy was at her desk and turned to smile at Brea when she heard her come in. It was all Brea could do not to blast her with everything she had learned. She wanted to kill her, slap her silly at the very least!

  “You missed an awesome party last night!” Macy gushed, her perfectly done brows arched high over her blue eyes. “I wish you would have stayed. We had a blast.” She leafed through the big book on her desk for a moment, then looked at her nails, “Where did you go anyway?”

  “I came here.” Brea said as she crossed the room to her own desk, her fist balled at her sides.

  “Really? I thought that…,” she flashed a dazzling smile, “I mean, you weren’t here when I got here, so...” Macy’s smile faltered.

  “You were asleep when I came in,” Brea replied. She didn’t want to look at Macy, much less talk to her, but, if everything Caslan said was true, she couldn’t let Macy think anything was wrong. She shrugged and forced a smile of her own. It helped that she was imagining herself leaping across the room and pulling Macy’s hair out.

  “Well, anyway. I was thinking...”

  Brea turned around as Macy paused. No smile, but she did manage not to look irate. “Yeah?”

  “You mentioned that you might be going up to see your mom again this weekend. So I was thinking that maybe we should go on a road trip. It would be a blast. We can hit the river while we’re there. I need to get away from here for a while and that would be the perfect mini-vacay! I promise to stay out of your way.

  “I…,” Brea started. She looked into Macy’s blue eyes. There was definitely something there. “Is that worry? Or deceit? Who knows with this chick? Lying little witch.” Brea gave herself a mental shake, reminding herself of the role she had to play now, “I don’t know. It’s kind of a private thing, you know?”

  “Oh, I know, I don’t want to intrude or anything.” Macy smiled again, “How about we skip class today and hang out. We can get pedi’s and get our hair done. I’m looking a hot mess anyway.”

  “I can’t.” Brea was starting to realize that Caslan was right. Macy was pushing pretty hard. She was trying to either speed up the process of finding things out or she was trying to keep Brea from getting to Ava. Brea wasn’t having it either way. She needed to get to Ava and let her know what was going on. “I can’t skip today,” she lied, as she grabbed her bag and headed towards the door. She found a little satisfaction in the hope that she might have at least made Macy jump when she slammed the door on her way out

  Leaving the building, she walked to her car and got in. There was a black car, across the parking lot; that same strange symbol marked the hood. They certainly weren’t trying very hard to hide, but Brea pretended not to see them as she backed out and turned around. Her heart was pounding. She had to get to the island. Caslan wasn’t lying; Macy had been spying on her. As soon as she was a few blocks away she pulled out her cell phone. She was going to need a way to the island, and that meant she needed a Clutch Guard. She called Alec, no answer. Same thing when she tried Thomas’ number. That left only Shawn because she sure as hell wasn’t about to call Bianca. Reluctantly, she dialed *4.

  As she waited for him to answer, she thought about hanging up and just calling the local police. Talking to Shawn right now was not what she wanted, but she couldn’t risk any chance of exposure, so she waited, bracing herself to hear his voice.

  “Hello, Brea?”

  “Yeah, it’s me. I need to get to the island.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “No, well, yeah there is but I don’t want to talk about it over the phone. We’ll talk later. Can I meet you?”

  “Sure. I was just on my way out. I’ll wait here for you or I can meet you.”

  “No, I’ll meet you there. Thanks.” She took a deep breath as she tried to ignore the effect just hearing his voice had on her body. Heat traveled all over and her hands shook. “I’ll be there in a few hours.”

  “I’ll wait here for you. Call me back if you need me.”

  “Okay” She hung up and glanced in the rear view mirror. The black SUV had been joined by two trucks; all had the small white leaf symbol on the hood. She was sure that she had seen that same symbol on the SUV that followed her from her mother’s house. She tried to ignore the fear that clawed its way down her back. She was pretty sure they wouldn’t try anything until they knew where she was going. All the same, she was glad to be moving closer to Shawn and safety.

  …Ava…

  Ava and Aunt Avalene stood on the balcony. The book took up most of the surface of the small table that stood between them. “How many spells have you learned from this book, Ava?” Aunt Avalene asked.

  Ava squinted one eye and cocked her head, “A bunch?”

  “Was that a question or an answer?” Aunt Avalene sighed, “Ava, you need to know them all. You are the True Elementris.”

  “I know. I just...”

  “What about this one?” Aunt Avalene pointed. “This is a fun one.”

  “What is it?” Ava leaned closer.

  “My mo
ther added this one.” She turned the book around for Ava to see. “Glimmer.”

  “I had no clue what that was, so I didn’t try it,” Ava admitted.

  “It’s a makeover spell.”

  “A makeover spell?” Ava laughed.

  “Yes, you can change your hair and clothes,” Aunt Avalene said, smiling back at her.

  “What about your shape? Can it change that?” Ava asked, her expression hopeful as she tugged at her maternity pants and tried, unsuccessfully, to look at her butt.

  “No.” Aunt Avalene replied as she lost her smile and looked away.

  Ava was puzzled at the sudden change, but she didn’t ask Aunt Avalene about it, guessing that she would have told her what had changed her mood if it was important. “So, how do we do it?” she asked instead.

  “First, you have to picture what you want.” Aunt Avalene said as she draped Ava’s hair over her shoulder, “Let’s play with your hair.”

  “I’ve always wondered what I would look like as a blonde,” Ava mused.

  Aunt Avalene tilted her head, “No, I can’t see it.” She tapped the book, “Show me.”

  Ava flashed a smile and read the words. There was a different spell for each color. “Down deep roots my colors known, on the outside, the choice is my own. Ruby red, to blonde so bright, change my color from red to white.” She ran her hand over her hair, flipped her head upside down, and stood up.

  “Oh, Ava.” Aunt Avalene gasped as she cupped her cheeks with both hands.

  “What? Is it bad?”

  “No. You did it. It’s pretty,” she laughed, “but so not you.”

  “I want to see!” Ava exclaimed as she rushed inside to the tall mirror on the wall. She let out a gasp of her own when she saw her new reflection. Her red hair was gone and in its place was a thick mane of blonde hair. She considered her new look, turning her head from side to side. “I agree, Aunt Avalene. I don’t like it, definitely not me.”

  “You can fix it, Hon. That’s the great thing about magic.” She said from behind Ava.

  Ava turned, “How?”

  “I know it by heart.” Aunt Avalene said. “You just say ‘Undo this change and let my roots be shown,’ then pull out a strand of your hair and toss it to the floor.”

  “Okay, that’s not so hard.” Ava laughed as she turned back to the mirror, and repeated Aunt Avalene’s words. “Undo this change and let my roots be shown.” She snatched a strand of hair and threw it to the floor, “Ouch!”

  Aunt Avalene laughed.

  Ava watched as the blonde faded away as her natural red color moved from the roots and down the long length of her hair. No sign of the blonde was left. She moved her head from side to side again, just to be sure, and then turned around.

  “That is super cool, Aunt Avalene.”

  “I know.” Aunt Avalene smiled. “There are lots of hidden gems in our family book.”

  “You sure there’s not one in there to make my butt look smaller?” Ava teased as she patted the offending part of her body.

  “No, not in there.” Aunt Avalene’s smile faded again.

  Ava couldn’t let it go a second time. “So, where then?”

  Aunt Avalene sighed, “Changing clothes and hair is pretty innocent. Changing one’s body takes something a little…darker.” She moved back to the balcony and grabbed the book.

  Ava followed her, “What do you mean, ‘darker’?”

  Aunt Avalene looked away. She clutched the book to her chest as she stared at the ocean.

  Ava felt chills dance along her arms. “Aunt Avalene. There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you.” Ava stepped closer, “How did you know how to use dark magic? You used it against Buck and then with Draken. How did you know how to do that?”

  Aunt Avalene turned back. Her normally rosy complexion paled to the point that no color filled her beautiful face. “Come on inside, Shug.”

  Ava followed, feeling her own face drain.

  Aunt Avalene placed the book on the nightstand, ran her hand over it, and watched it disappear. “There are things I haven’t told you. I wanted to protect you.”

  Ava didn’t say anything.

  Aunt Avalene turned around. “You know I was really young when my father died in that mining accident. I told you that my mother got really depressed. What I didn’t tell you is that there was a time that she turned to dark magic. She was drawn in by it. It started with seemingly harmless spells and by the time it was done, we were living with the Waevern.

  Ava gasped.

  “We lived there until I was around twelve. I picked up some things in that time. I didn’t realize how bad it was then.” She met Ava’s gaze, “You don’t realize the consequences of using dark magic until it’s too late. Its lure is powerful. When you dabble in it, everything seems easier when you use it. After my mother moved us away, she taught us that it was a bad thing. It wasn’t long after that that I found out that Nadia was a True Elementris and what she would soon face.”

  “What made your mother leave? What happened?”

  “My sister.” She took a deep breath. “They tried to take her. They tried to trick her. They were trying to turn Nadia against my mother. They wanted Nadia there. Not my mother.” She shook her head, “Anyway. That’s how I learned. It takes a strong person to pull away from the lure of dark magic. It’s like a drug, seductive, addictive, and an easy escape. Don’t ever allow yourself to be tempted by it.”

  “I won’t,” Ava promised.

  Aunt Avalene wrapped her arms around Ava, “I know you won’t.” She pulled back and looked into Ava’s eyes, “I love you, Shug.” She turned, “Come on. Let’s work on getting you back to connecting with your elements.”

  “Okay.” Ava agreed, “I did get it to work last night when I was upset.”

  “I know. Alec told me. Let’s see what you can do today.”

  “Okay.” Ava shook her hands in front of her.

  “Let’s start with wind.” A strong gust lifted her hair and set it flying as she spoke. “I want you to control it. I want you to stop this wind, Ava.”

  Ava closed her eyes and concentrated on the feel of the wind touching her skin, lifting the tiny hairs on her arms, and causing goose bumps to rise everywhere. She raised her hands,. “Stop.”

  Nothing happened. The wind still continued to blow as hard as it had before.

  “Try again, Ava.”

  Ava took a deep breath, “Stop!”

  Nothing happened, again.

  Frustrated, Ava yelled, “Stop!” and threw her hands out with such force that her whole body jerked.

  Something happened, but not what she wanted. The wind blew harder, slicing across the balcony and causing aunt Avalene to fall against the chair behind her.

  “Oh no!” Ava rushed to help her, “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, Shug,” Aunt Avalene reassured.

  “No, you’re not.” Ava said, “I hurt you. I hate this.”

  “It’s okay, Ava.” They walked inside, “You just need to take it easy. The doctor will be here sometime today and he should have some answers for us.”

  “I hope so,” Ava said as she sat on the edge of the bed.

  “You need to stay right here in bed and take it easy. We need to keep you and everyone else safe.”

  Ava shuddered, “I’m sorry.”

  “No, Shug. Don’t be sorry. This isn’t your fault; you just need to take it easy for a little while and after the doctor comes we will go from there.”

  “Okay,” Ava agreed as she lay back on the bed.

  “I’ll be back in a bit. You rest for a little while,” Aunt Avalene instructed as she left the room.

  Ava pulled the covers up around her and sighed. “I have to fix this somehow.” She had only been in bed for a few minutes, but already she was restless.

  “Ava?” She heard Lyssa call out.

  “Come in.” Ava invited.

  “Hey, Sis.” Lyssa grinned as she came through the door. “Why are
you still in bed?”

  “Aunt Avalene’s orders,” Ava pouted.

  Lyssa sat down. “What’s up? You sick?”

  “I’m fine.” Ava snapped. She immediately regretted her tone and apologized, “I’m sorry, Lyssa. I’m frustrated and really not wanting to be stuck in this bed. I know it’s the safest thing to do right now, but I’m bored to death already. What have you been up to?”

  Lyssa smiled, “A lot, actually. I’ve been training for the Trials.”

  “You’re going to try the Trials?”

  “Yeah.” Lyssa shrugged. “I figure I might as well.”

  “You do know what happens at the Trials, right?”

  “Sort of. Thomas has told me some of it and I still have time to train and get ready.”

  “Yeah, well, most Green’s don’t compete in the trails until they’ve been in training for a long time.”

  “I know, but I’m not most Greens,” Lyssa said, grinning cockily. “I’m kidding. I am kind of freaking about it a little bit. I want to be ready when the time comes.”

  “Don’t worry, you will be.” Ava moved the covers out of her way, “I watched one, right after I was crowned. It’s kind of like the Olympics, except with magic. How are you doing with that by the way?”

  “Okay, not great.” She smiled, “I was actually hoping my big sis might be able to help me with that.”

  Ava shook her head feeling a little nauseous. “I’m not sure I can help you right now. My magic is all out of whack. I might accidently turn you into a frog.” She looked up, “I guess you heard about what I did to Alec?”

  Lyssa nodded, “Yeah, I heard.”

  Ava looked away.

  Lyssa cleared her throat, “Don’t worry, Ava. Everything will be fine.”