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

by Christina Mobley

  “Yeah. Everyone keeps saying that.” Ava glanced around the room and blinked rapidly trying to make the stinging in her eyes go away, “It’s just a lot right now with the screwy weather and the missing children.”

  “I heard about that too,” Lyssa said. “I was surprised how many of the Greens were abandoned or put up for adoption as children. I guess it’s better than being stolen.” She paused, “I wonder why so many were abandoned.”

  Ava shrugged, trying not to think about her own abandonment. The memory of that day still hurt; the day her mother had left her screaming at the window. This was the first time she’d thought about it in a long time. She shook her head to clear the memory and sighed, “I guess it’s just that most of them, struggling to understand our magic, wind up having other problems. Some are angry and some are even diagnosed with disorders. The truth is, being different and having no one to talk to about it, is hard. That’s why we assign Keepers.”

  Lyssa shook her head, “There are a lot of them who don’t wind up with Keepers until much later, or until they are already in some sort of trouble.”

  “It’s a hard situation. Even after we find the children struggling with their magic, or those being pursued by the Waevern, we have nowhere for them to go. The Keepers can’t take in every one of them.”

  “I met this one guy. He’s training with me.” Lyssa’s dark eyes sparkled with moisture. “He got in a lot of trouble when he was young and ran away from his family. He accidently caught their house on fire when he was twelve. He never went back and lived on his own until a Keeper found him after he was caught and put in jail. The Waevern tried to get him too. He still hasn’t gone back to see his family. He has a little brother too. Well, he calls him his little brother anyway; he’s a kid that was in foster care with him. He ran away when Jason came here. He looks for him every time he leaves but it really won’t matter if he finds him because there is nowhere for him to go. He’s not old enough to train for the clutch, so he can’t come here. It’s sad.”

  Ava shook her head, “I’ve been thinking about this a lot. These children need somewhere to go; a place where they can learn and come to understand what’s happening to them. Somewhere to stay if they have nowhere to go. If we had a place like that, it would free the Keepers to search for these children so that they don’t fall through the cracks.”

  “Like what? An orphanage?”

  “No, more like a foster home.”

  “That would be good. Would it just be for abandoned kids?”

  “No. Anyone like us who needs help.”

  “That would be great. We can’t all become Greens. Look at Zack. His own mother doesn’t know about him. If he could go somewhere and learn, without his mother knowing exactly what it was that he was learning, his life would be so much easier!” Lyssa exclaimed.

  “Speaking of Zack; how is he? Last time I saw him was when he came for the ceremony, when you all accepted your magic, I mean.”

  Lyssa smiled, “Yeah, he’s okay. He’s been having a lot of trouble since I left though. He writes me once a week. He says it’s getting harder to hide his gift from his mother. He’s really worried about that because he knows she would never even try to understand.” She paused, “I think you really should put that foster home idea together, Ava. Maybe add a summer program for kids that live with their parents too.”

  “That’s a great idea. I really do want to do it, I just have no clue where to build it.”

  “You can’t build it here?” Lyssa asked.

  “No. Alec and I have been talking about it for months. The kids would still need to go to school and live a semi-normal life.” Ava paused, and then it hit her, “Alec’s dad. I don’t know why we didn’t think of it before. His property is the perfect location. It’s right there in Florida. It’s protected and there are all those empty cabins. We could fix it up and it would be perfect. I wonder if he would go for it.”

  “If he’s anything like Alec, I’m sure he will. Alec is really good with the Greens who have issues. Like that one kid, Reece. Alec is great with him. You can tell that kid has been through a lot. Even though he’s really annoying.”

  Ava smiled, “Alec is great.” She shook her head, “I still can’t believe I shocked him.”

  Lyssa laughed, “I did notice the burnt hair. All of us did.” She covered her mouth in a vain attempt to stifle a giggle, “Sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing.”

  Ava smiled. “No, it’s okay,” she managed, laughing with Lyssa in spite of herself. “We should not be laughing, though. It’s really not funny.” She tilted her head, “Thanks, Sis.”

  “You’re welcome,” Lyssa said as she stood up, “I think you should do it. The foster home, I mean. You could change the future for so many kids.”

  “Maybe that would stop some of them from being pulled in by the Waevern.”

  “I’m sure. Anyway, guess I’d better get going. I’ve got a full day of training starting early tomorrow morning.”

  She started to open the door, then stopped, “You take it easy. I don’t want anything to happen to my little niece or nephew.”

  “I’m trying,” Ava smiled.

  The door opened as Lyssa reached for it. Aunt Avalene and a white-haired man stood there. “Hi, Lyssa. Are you tiring our girl out?” Aunt Avalene demanded.

  “Hi, Aunt Avalene,” Lyssa responded. “No way, I was just trying to get her to lie down again.”

  “Good girl! Hey, Shug,” Aunt Avalene said as she entered the room. She gestured to the man beside her, “This is Dr. Flanstin. He was your doctor in the hospital. He’s an expert on the Spirit Element and I think he can help us figure this out.”

  “Good to see you all recovered,” was Dr. Flanstin’s greeting. He walked towards her bed, eyeing her closely as he moved. A nurse and a Green, Bryce, came in behind them. Bryce was carrying a screen and some wires.

  “We’re going to do a sonogram. I want to see what’s going on in there.” The old doctor smiled, “When did you realize you were having problems controlling the elements?”

  “The day of the accident.”

  He nodded. “How have you been feeling otherwise, any pain or problems?”

  “No, a little nausea, but nothing bad.”

  He nodded and picked up a small white bottle, “Would you please lift your shirt? I’m just going to take a look. The nurse says you’ve had a sonogram before. Was that when you first found out that you were pregnant?”

  “Yes.” Ava tensed as he squirted the cold, jelly-like substance onto her stomach.

  “Sorry.” He smiled. “It’s a little cold, I know.”

  Alec walked into the room. Smiling at Ava, he moved to her side and gently kissed her. “Missed you,” he said softly. Doctor,” he nodded, “Nice to see you.”

  “Good to see you again also, Alec. You’re just in time.”

  “Sir, I hope you know how much we all appreciate all that you did to help Ava.”

  “It was nothing,” Dr. Flanstin said.

  “It wasn’t ‘nothing.’” Alec said, lifting his chin and looking the doctor square in the eye, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Alec.” The doctor smiled and then turned back to the machine. “Okay, let’s have a look at this little one.” He lifted the cord and touched the probe on the end to Ava’s belly. As soon as he did, thunder rolled across the sky, the windows shook and a strong gust of wind blew through the room.

  The doctor lifted the probe and everyone looked at Ava’s stomach.

  The doctor put it back. The thunder sounded again. “Are you doing that?” he asked Ava.

  “No, I’m not doing anything.”

  “Hmm.” He said, turning his attention to the small monitor beside the bed. He moved the probe over Ava’s stomach again. Each time he did, the weather outside picked up. “The baby seems to be perfectly healthy.” He watched the monitor. “A seemingly normal fetus.” His voice shook with excitement.

  “Could the baby be doing all of this?�
�� Ava asked the question she was sure everyone must have been thinking.

  Dr. Flanstin cleared his throat, “In all my time, I have never known a child to connect with her mother’s element magic this way. I’ve researched as far back as our history goes. I believe that is exactly what is happening.” He paused and looked at Ava and then Alec, “Would you like to know the due date of the child?”

  Ava felt her heart speed up, “Yes!”

  “November 25th.”

  The room went silent. Alec and Ava stared at each other. Aunt Avalene spoke first. “What’s wrong?”

  Alec looked at Aunt Avalene, “That’s the due date the other four babies are due.”

  “Other four?” Aunt Avalene questioned.

  “The four pregnant women that are missing,” Alec replied.

  “What does that mean?” Ava asked.

  Alec looked at her, “I don’t know what it means.”

  Then Ava felt it. The baby rolled in her stomach and the ground shook. The small bottles on her dresser started rattling and everyone seemed to freeze in place. Ava looked around the room, “I don’t think the baby likes the due date.”

  The doctor laughed uncomfortably. “So it would seem. We can check for the sex of the child later if you want.”

  “I think we’ll wait,” Ava said, looking at Alec.

  “Yes. Let it be a surprise.” Alec agreed.

  “It’s more fun that way,” the doctor smiled. As he turned off the monitor, his smile faded. “I think that until you gain better control, you need to be put on bed rest.”

  “I can’t just stay in this bed that long,” Ava protested.

  “I think you may have to, for a while at least. We all know that element magic is tied to our emotions. The baby has somehow tapped into that. There is a way though.” He looked at Aunt Avalene, “If you could learn to control the elements without emotion. Imagine your magic as more physical than emotional, kind of like if you connected to water through a third arm. You could call on it without even thinking about it. There are cases where those born of the element have an exceptional ability to connect to their element. Some are so connected to it that they don’t need to focus. It’s just as much a part of them as their thumb is to their hand.”

  “I’ve met someone like that.” Aunt Avalene said. “When Nadia was the True Elementris there was a woman who could grow a flower from the palm of her hand with only a sprinkle of dirt.”

  “Delores Frank.” He nodded, “I know of her. I’m very interested in those with extraordinary control of their element.” He turned back to Ava, “It would probably benefit you to have some lessons from some of these people. I am sure the council has records of them. You need to focus on learning to control your element physically.”

  “I will.” Ava said, hopeful that she could find a way to control this.

  “I’ll speak to the council,” Aunt Avalene promised. “I’m sure we can contact some of these people.”

  …Brea…

  Brea tried to quit looking in the rear view mirror, but she couldn’t help it. Her pursuers were closer now. They were only one car length behind her. She tried to make out faces, but the windows were tinted too dark to see anything.

  Her adrenalin was pumping out of control. She kept catching herself speeding. She had to relax. She had to act like she didn’t know they were back there. She glanced again as she made a turn. As she slowed she caught a glimpse of the passenger in the car; a wisp of blonde hair and part of a face.

  It was Macy! Macy was with them. Brea wondered how that had happened; Macy hadn’t come out behind her. How had she not seen her? Cloaking spell! Duh. If Ava could use it, couldn’t Macy? Or, if not that, some other type of black magic.

  Her phone vibrated and she nearly wrecked trying to answer it. “Hey, I need your help, Sha…“

  “Brea?” Macy’s voice blared in her ear.

  Brea froze. Her breath hitched. “Yeah?”

  “Where are you? I’ve been looking for you all morning. I wanted to bring your book to you. You need it for your next class, right?”

  Brea was in shock. Her hands trembled. She looked in the rearview mirror but couldn’t see anything through the windshield of the car following her.

  “Are you there, Brea?”

  “Yeah. I’m going to have to call you back.” Brea hit end and pressed the gas pedal harder.

  Chapter Seven …(Destiny)

  …Ava…

  Ava lay in the bed staring at the faded leather as she traced Ann Marie’s name on the back of the diary with her fingertip. She slowly unwound the leather strap and opened the diary. If she was going to be stuck in bed for a while, she might as well use the time to read the diary. There was still so much she needed to know. She carefully turned the burned pages. The diary looked like it had been dropped into the ocean and dried by the flames of hell. She was sure if she flipped a page too fast the whole thing would turn to dust. The first page she could read was almost halfway through. The date at the top was faded and smudged; the words below barely readable.

  The sixteenth day of the eleventh month…

  It’s been weeks since we moved into the castle. I continue to see things. I call them visions but they are more like small glimpses and random images that dance through my mind. They are like memories in reverse; as if I am remembering things I’ve never seen. I see things dropping from the sky. These strange objects carry people, much like a ship, and I keep hearing their voices. The voices are screaming numbers and I hear the same word every time I close my eyes, Mayday. It’s hard to put it all together. This all started with images of Hanna in what seems to be the future. Now I am seeing all sorts of other things. For the past week I’ve dreamed about a red-haired child. I keep hearing her name in my mind, “Ava.”

  Ava’s hands started shaking and she almost dropped the diary. She sat up and took a moment to take a couple of calming breaths before she continued. Turning the page, she saw another drawing of herself. It was only a part of her face, but it was definitely her. She ran her finger along the next page and squinted to read the words.

  I see her face. I see the crown on her head. I see her holding my diary. Sweet Ava, if one day you hold these words in your hands, I hope you can make more of all of this than I can.

  The twentieth day of the eleventh month…

  It’s near dawn, my favorite part of the day. In front of me the ocean stretches endlessly; it’s beauty illuminated by the sun just peeking over the horizon. It’s the quietest part of the day; the time I see the visions the clearest. I cannot stop drawing pictures of her. I have no idea how I gained this ability. Something must have happened to me when Hanna accepted her magic. Sometimes I see Ava in the future and sometimes I see her in the distant past. I’m not sure how that is possible. How can she exist in two different times? Maybe I am losing my mind. Maybe I just made her up somehow. Maybe none of this seems real; it’s more like a dream that has found me awake.

  I still dream as I sleep, but my dreams are more vivid and wilder than before. No longer do I dream my own memories and thoughts, but someone else’s. Strange images haunt my nights and follow me long after the sun has risen. One minute I see the past and the next the future. In the past I see a land bigger than this filled with gold and contraptions that I don’t understand. Circles, always circles. Sometimes Ava is there. Each night my dreams start with her. Her life in fast forward. Ava, why do you haunt me? It’s always the same dream. That red-haired child, her life, her future.

  When I woke this morning I started writing before the words my dreams whispered left me.

  The last True Elementris will be born on a night celebrating freedom. This child will be born, with hair like fire and eyes blue like the ocean. Her soul, like the earth, old and beautiful. Her heart like the animal spirit; innocent, honest, and giving. Her life will be like fire. Beautiful, forever changing, and disastrous. Just like the beautiful flame her restless soul will seek a place where she is free to burn and not harm.<
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  She will be born to a mother without magic, and a father who will never know her love. This child will change everything. She will be the beginning and the end of so many things. She will be the True Elementris, but her destiny is tied to that of many others. When she finds the past that was lost to her she will know what to do in the future. She will know my name one day and if she is not careful the whole world will know hers.

  Ava closed the diary, unable to read anymore just then, but holding her place with her finger. “She’s talking about me. That drawing was from this time. She was warning me about exposure. About Lyssa.” She stared at the diary for a moment as she tried to absorb what she had just read, and then opened it again. Flipping the page, she quickly realized the next page had been ripped out. There was a definite line that could easily be matched to the page that held the drawing that was now locked in the collections room downstairs.

  Ava closed the diary and used a spell to hide it. She opened the door, peeked out to make sure the coast was clear, and headed downstairs. She slammed on brakes at the bottom. There were people everywhere. Aunt Avalene stood across the room, talking to one of the council members, Gale. Vincent was coming through the front door and two Clutch Guards were passing though the hall. Ava shook her head, this was not going to work, she would be seen for sure. “Time for a little magic. The cloaking spell ought to do it.”

  She uttered the words and concentrated hard. The familiar feeling of being wrapped in an invisible, glittering blanket enveloped her. It was a good feeling. She slowly stepped off the last step. No one noticed as she passed among them, still she was careful, taking her time and making certain to keep the spell in place. When she reached the door to the collections room, she turned to look behind her.

  Alec had walked in. He was walking with Markson. They were deep in conversation, but Alec suddenly looked right in her direction.

  “Crap! Can he sense me through the bond?” Ava looked away quickly. She didn’t doubt the bond could do that. It was growing and changing every day. She took a careful breath and then looked over her shoulder again. Alec had looked away and was continuing across the room with Markson.