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

by Christina Mobley

  Tabu grinned, “That doesn’t mean serious.” She popped her neck, “That means clumsy.” She turned to face Ava. “Don’t worry. I don’t like clumsy men. I was just asking.”

  “Uh huh.” Ava said, not convinced and not letting her get any closer to Alec.

  Tabu closed her eyes and held her hands out. She snapped her fingers and instantly a hummingbird landed in each palm. She rotated her hands and the birds hurried to stay on top. She raised her hands even with her shoulders and the birds lifted and hovered just above her palms; their small wings beating incredibly fast. She spun her fingers in a circle and the birds spun like swan dancers above her. She pointed both fingers to the left and then the right. The birds followed her actions as if she had strings attached to them. They seemed more like puppets than live animals.

  She began to walk towards the ocean and snapped her fingers. The two birds followed her. She reached down and touched the water. Seconds later, two dorsal fins appeared in front of her. She smiled over her shoulder and then pointed at the birds and then to the water. The birds dove towards the water and two sharks with gaping jaws lunged, broke through the surface of the water and snatched them from the air. The Sharks dove back into the water as quickly as they had appeared and disappeared.

  Ava gasped. It had happened so fast. She was sick to her stomach. “Why did you do that?”

  Tabu smiled. “Because I can.” She crossed her arms, “You wanted to see what I could do, right?”

  “I didn’t want that.” Ava shook her head.

  “Are you ready to learn?” She straightened her spine. “You have to admit that you have never witnessed control like that.”

  Ava shook her head, biting back the anger that suddenly took her. “That wasn’t control, that was cruelty. If that’s what you call control, I want no part of it.” She turned away, leaving Tabu standing on the beach.

  “Ava, wait!” Alec said.

  “No, Alec.” Ava shook her head and spun around. “What the hell is her problem? That was just cruel. Why would she do that?” Ava was so mad her hands burned. “Maybe I should feed her to a shark.”

  “Ava, stop!” Alec shouted.

  “Stop what?” Ava turned and saw that green vines had snaked their way over to Tabu and were climbing her legs and binding her hands. Two dorsal fins swam back and forth in the water. “Oh.” She held her hands out in front of her and motioned for the roots to stop. Shockingly, the vines obeyed and fell away from her.

  “I’ll remember this, Ava Vangeretta.” Tabu said as she sent an evil look Ava’s way and stormed off.

  “Oops,” Ava said with a smile.

  “Sweet evil.” Alec shook his head and kissed her. “Come on, I’ve got to get back. If you want to leave tomorrow, I have to help Markson get some things going. We have to be ready for anything.”

  Chapter Eleven …

  …Brea…

  Macy was staring at herself in the mirror when Brea walked in. Brea quickly lost the smile Caslan had left her with. She walked towards the bed.

  “Where’s Caslan?” Macy asked, brows lifted.

  “How should I know?” Brea snapped.

  “I was just wondering where he went? You don’t have to get all attitudinal on me.”

  “I don’t know.” Brea said, quieter now, but still not happy with Macy.

  “Look, I’ve had enough of this.” Macy stomped toward her, fists clenched at her sides. “We’re friends, right?”

  Brea nodded, not really meaning it. It was best that she didn’t speak because she wasn’t sure she could be convincing if she actually had to say they were friends.

  “Do you remember what I told you about Caslan?” Macy demanded.

  Brea nodded, “I remember.”

  “Well, it’s pretty obvious that you didn’t listen all that well because here you are all involved with him. Brea, I just want you to be careful.”

  “I’m a big girl, Macy.” Brea crossed her arms.

  “Just remember what I said. Don’t be surprised if he’s just gone one day. He likes to run. You can’t trust him.”

  “I remember,” Brea said, feeling her temper burn. She wanted so badly to just have it out with Macy. She was so tired of this game. She wanted to tell her everything that she knew. She wanted to call her out. She couldn’t though. If she did, the consequences would be disastrous. At the very least, they would never find the missing women. The worst, they might kill Caslan if they knew that she knew all about them.”

  “Anyway, look, I don’t want my brother to come between us.” She smiled. “You’re all I have here. Let’s go to the beach or something.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I’m starting to think you do.” Macy turned away quickly, hiding a tear that ran down her cheek. “He’s a liar, Brea. Whatever he’s told you is a lie. He doesn’t really like you.” A pipe burst through the wall and water began to flood the floor. They both jumped and Macy covered her mouth.

  Brea stepped forward, too mad to worry about the damage the running water might be doing, “What are you talking about, Macy? Why would you say that?” Brea wished she would spit it all out. She knew what Macy wanted to say. She knew Macy had caused the pipe to burst. Macy wanted to reveal what Caslan already had. She only had one problem: she couldn’t do that without giving herself away. Brea knew that. She stepped closer, “Go ahead, Macy. Tell me.”

  “There’s nothing to tell. It’s just how he is. Caslan uses people. I’ve already told you that.” Looking around the room, she said, “I’d better go get someone.” As she left, she looked at Brea, “You might want to grab some towels.”

  …Ava…

  “It’s better this way,” Alec whispered as he helped her climb into the boat. The moonlight lit the dark water. “We don’t want everyone to know exactly when we’re leaving. We don’t know who we can trust.”

  “You’re right.”

  “I know.” He smiled and winked. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Wait!” Ava looked over his shoulder, “There’s Nisca.”

  Alec turned to watch Nisca’s progress, “Okay, but we aren’t going to run all over the place. We’re going to my father’s place to hide you.”

  “Her mother lives close to your father, Alec.”

  “Okay.” He shook his head, knowing they would be going for a visit.

  Nisca got into the boat. Alec whispered a spell and the boat floated away from the dock. The last thing they needed was to wake everyone on the island with a loud boat motor.

  …Brea…

  She stared at the drying patch on the wall. The maintenance man had been puzzled; pipes just didn’t burst through walls in his experience. She lay back and sighed. The room seemed to spin around her. She felt like her body was vibrating with the magic she had always craved. She felt it on the backs of her legs and on her… butt? “Wait.” She sat up. She was feeling something all right. Her phone. Laughing, she pulled it from her back pocket.

  She didn’t recognize the number, but answered it anyway. “Hello?”

  “Hey.”

  “Caslan?” She swallowed a goofy smile, “How did you get this number?”

  “Macy’s phone.”

  “Oh.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Nothing.” Brea replied as she lay back on the bed.

  “Miss me yet?”

  “No.” Brea felt a smile tug at her lips as she listened to the rough edge in his laugh.

  “You know you do,” he teased.

  She took a breath. “No. Forbidden fruit,” she reminded herself. “Get serious. We need to talk, Caslan.”

  “About?”

  “If we’re going to meet with Ava, we need to figure out how we going to get away without your father’s guards following us. I can’t risk Ava’s life. Another thing, your sister is starting to lose it. She broke a pipe in the wall.”

  “I know. She’s trying to talk Vern into removing me. From you. She’s scared that it’s working.”
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  “Will he do that?”

  “No.” Caslan lowered his voice “It’s going to be hard to get away without the Waevern Army following us and without them realizing I’m trying to get away from them.”

  “I know.”

  “Listen. I have to tell you something,” he said, almost whispering now.

  “What?”

  “I wasn’t going to tell you until I knew for sure, but I think my dad is meeting with someone about transporting the women. Whoever it is, they’re coming to the gathering tonight to pick up something. He doesn’t want anyone to know. I overheard him talking on the phone this morning. He told whoever it was to come in the back. The gathering is at one of my father’s homes, not far from here. My father won’t think anything of me coming to the gathering. I’m going there to see what I can find out. Do you want to go?”

  “I can’t go to a Waevern gathering!” Brea exclaimed, incredulous that he would even suggest something like that.

  “Sure you can. You’re my girlfriend. They’ll think I’m making you believe that by taking you there. You know, the whole meet the family thing. I’d feel better not leaving you alone with Macy. Plus you can see some real magic.”

  “I don’t know. Are you sure it’s a good idea? What if Macy’s there? Things could get ugly.”

  “She won’t be. And it’s fine. I’ll protect you if anything goes wrong. If you don’t want to go, I understand.“

  “No, I want to help Ava find those missing women. Come pick me up.”

  “I’ll be there in a few hours.”

  Brea stared at the phone after she hung up. She looked at the stack of books on the end of her bed. She hadn’t studied in three days now. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the crystal that Caslan had given her. She watched as it rose into the air to float above her palm. The lamp light caught it and it sparkled. Then it darkened, started smoking. Brea snatched it from the air and put it back in her pocket.

  …Ava…

  Nisca snored loudly in the back seat. Ava smiled as familiar landmarks began to appear. There was an old tree that had always marked almost home for her. It wasn’t an extraordinary tree; it was hers though. She watched over her shoulder as it faded from view; its leaves waving orange and red. Fall was here. Alec smiled and reached over to touch her hand.

  “You know.” Ava started. “I just thought about something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “We both grew up here. That means that you lived here until you were thirteen, right?”

  “Right.”

  “We could have met before. You know, before everything.”

  Alec stared at her intently.

  “What?” Ava noticed something in his eyes.

  “Nothing.”

  “No, tell me.”

  “We did meet, Ava. Well, not really.”

  “When? In real life, not in a dream?”

  “Yeah.” He smiled, “You know how I dreamed about you all of my life?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, right before I left, I went to the river with one of my friends. One day I saw you. You were standing on the bank staring down at the river. I was down on the bank further down. You didn’t see me.”

  “Then how did we ‘sort of’ meet?”

  “Let me finish.” He smiled, “I couldn’t stop watching you. I felt the pull then and I knew who you were. I knew seeing you there wasn’t a coincidence. I’d dreamed about it the night before. I’d dreamed about seeing you on that river bank. I’d dreamed about that white house, too. There were so many times I saw you around town when I was a kid. I seemed to see you everywhere.”

  At first I was too scared to talk to you. I saw you at the park once, then at the store. Then, when my grandmother told me about the bond, it scared me. I was determined not to meet you then. I didn’t want to be under some spell. That day at the river, as soon as I saw you and felt that draw, I tried to get my friend to leave but he didn’t want to. While we were arguing about it, you and Brea had made your way down the bank. My friend talked to you. He talked to Brea, too.”

  “And where were you?”

  “I was walking away. It’s crazy now, but back then I was sure you were some curse.”

  “I was. I am.” Her mouth went dry. She fought the fear that she usually pushed away. Fear that somehow the curse would still take him away.

  “No, you’re not.”

  Ava smiled as he brushed her face with the tips of his fingers. “You’re everything to me, Ava.”

  Ava closed her eyes for a moment. Opening them, she said. “I think I remember your friend.” She squinted as she tried to recall the details. “He asked what happened to the rope swing down at the bend in the river.”

  “I don’t know what he said.” Alec laughed as they reached the mostly hidden road leading to his father’s place. “I was walking down the dirt road as fast as I could go without actually running. He picked me up on his way out and then the next day I left. I came to the island.”

  “Do you ever wonder what it would be like?” She asked.

  “What?” Alec asked, puzzled.

  “Being normal. Never knowing all of this”

  “I couldn’t imagine it.” There was no hesitation in his response.

  “I do sometimes.” She looked out of the window, “Not that I’m not happy now, because I am and I wouldn’t change that for anything. It’s just that there’s a bad side to all of this. The children that struggle with the magic and those that fall into dark magic. Not to mention all of this craziness.”

  “It does have a bad side. I think you can help fix that though. This foster home idea is awesome and it will go a long way towards helping kids that might be struggling. You were meant to become the True Elementris.”

  Ava felt hope snake its way through her. If she could make it better for other children, all of this would be worth it. If they could grow up seeing the beauty of the magic and not the burden of it she would finally feel like becoming the True Elementris was worth everything that had already happened and all that might happen in the future.

  “It always feels strange coming here.” Alec said as he stopped in front of the broken bridge.

  Ava stared at the danger sign and the rotted-looking wooden bridge. She smiled as she thought about the first time she had come here. The butterflies danced through her just like they had the first time. The drumming sound of the tires on the bridge was still a little unnerving, and even though she knew they wouldn’t fall through the large gap in the bridge, fear still tugged at her insides.

  She squeezed her eyes shut as they came to the edge.

  Alec laughed, “Open your eyes, Ava. You know we’re not going to fall in.”

  “I know.” She said, peeking with one eye. Bright white filled her vision and a strange sound filled her ears that she hadn’t remembered from the other times she had been here. It was a buzzing sound. It was a beautiful buzzing sound. And there were voices. Beautiful voices, whispering spells. “Earth to wind, rivers swim,” one voice whispered. “Light the night, shadow the day,” another said. It was something like the whispers that came from her own lips when the spirit element filled her. The voices of those spirits before her and the secret whispers of animals and life.

  She stared at the amazing dancing light that filled her vision. Glitter swam in the white and she smelled each of the elements. Fresh rain, deep earth, and clean burning fire torched her senses. The light faded away and the sounds and smells went with it. In front of her the beautiful property spread as far as the eye could see; Alec’s father’s house to the left.

  Alec pulled up and parked next to Hazeltrouph’s blue truck.

  “Come on.” He said, opening her door with a flick of his wrist just like he had that first night.

  Ava smiled and got out.

  Nisca sat up and stretched. “I missed it.” She got out too.

  “Missed what?” Ava said.

  “The bridge. I’ve always wanted to see the invis
ible bridge.”

  “I’m sorry, Nisca. I didn’t know you wanted to see it. You seemed exhausted.”

  “Nisca blushed, “Was I snoring?”

  “No.” Ava smiled.

  Alec nodded, “You were. Really loudly.”

  “Shut up, Alec.” Nisca said.

  He laughed.

  Hazeltrouph opened the door before they reached it, “Is something wrong?”

  “No, dad. Nothing more than the usual, anyway.”

  “Come inside.” He nodded and his wise eyes fell on Ava. “Should you be traveling this far into your pregnancy?”

  “Nope,” Alec said, then turned a smile on her, “but she’s stubborn and we need to talk to you.”

  Hazeltrouph led them down the stone hallway and into the large dining room. Alec updated him as they walked.

  “So, what else is new? Any good news?” He asked as he took his seat.

  “Well,” Alec looked at Ava, “That’s why we’re here. We need to talk to you about something.”

  Ava swallowed hard and spoke to Hazeltrouph. “I want to build a foster home for children who are born of the element. You know the trouble some of them have. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Even before I was the True Elementris. When I was little I used to imagine there was a place where everyone was like me and I wasn’t the only one hiding magic.”

  “You’re here.” She heard the familiar wispy voice across the room.

  Alec’s grandmother walked slowly over. Her long white hair fell around her shoulders and her light blue eyes twinkled in the firelight. Alec hurried to her side.

  “Go on and sit down, son,” she said pushing him back. “I can walk on my own. I’m older than dirt, but I ain't dead.”

  She looked at Ava, “I’m so happy to see you.”

  “Me, too.” Ava stood.

  “Sit, sit.” She ushered with her hand and then took her own seat. “Now. What is going on?”

  “It seems Ava wants to build a foster home for children who are born of the element; a safe haven if you will.” Hazeltrouph said.