A history of vampirism. Checking the index, I found the section about bonding.
It was exactly as I'd thought.
I closed the book with a snap and returned it to the shelf with a spring in my step. When two vampires' blood was compatible, they craved each other's blood. If it was very compatible, there was almost no way to resist the pull. And Francis was right. If we stopped sharing blood, eventually the bond would fade, but it would take a good year even if we stopped now. The longer we drank from each other, the longer the bond would hold.
Trying to resist drinking his energizing, life-altering blood would be difficult. Maybe I wouldn't resist. As long as we got along, were attracted to each other, and were happy in each other's company, why not?
Humming, I waltzed out of the library, not sure what else to do until the girls collected me for dance practice.
I didn't have to wonder for long. As I turned the corner to head back to my dorm and grab my coat to go for a walk outside, I nearly ran right into Kristi.
"There you are," she exclaimed. "I've been looking for you everywhere."
"Didn't my roommates tell you where I was?" I asked.
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Like I'd speak to them."
I bit my tongue rather than tell her exactly what I thought of her attitude. My good mood bubble deflated, and all my happy feelings floated away as Kristi talked.
"Come on, I have something for you to do."
That couldn't have been a good thing. Anything she might want me to do was sure to be dangerous, illegal, or at the least, very mean.
"It's time you proved your loyalty to the Sparkles."
Nope. Nothing good. I was right. "What does that mean?"
"It means, if you want to be a permanent part of our group, you're going to have to do something I want you to do."
I didn't respond as we walked toward her room. She put her hand on her bedroom door and looked at me. "I wasn't sure about you at first, but I think you'll do great."
Her superior tone of voice grated my teeth.
"What if I refuse?" I shouldn't challenge her, not yet. The whole point was to find a weakness, something we could use to bring the whole school around and let Kristi know she wasn't as awesome as she thought she was.
Rounding on me, she focused her gaze. "Am I wrong about you?"
I shook my head. "No, but sometimes I wonder if you're gutsier than I am. You might be willing to try something I'm not."
Her sweet smile made me want to vomit. "Come in and let's see."
As soon as I walked in, I knew. The book sat on the middle of her bed. I knew exactly what it was, but she didn't know that.
I let my eyes glance over it and ignored it as I looked around the room.
"Come sit down." She perched on the edge of the bed, then leaned over and patted the other side. "I have a book to show you."
Dread spread throughout my stomach. She was up to something especially bad, I knew it.
"This book has been handed down at this school for generations. It's very powerful. We weren't always called the Sparkles, but the most popular and powerful girl in school is given the book. Of course, that's me."
She tossed her hair and looked so self-important it made my jaw dropped. But, she misunderstood the reason for the incredulous look on my face. With a sniff, she nodded her head once. "I know."
She thought I was impressed. "So, how does this book work?" I asked before I said something mean.
"If you write in it in ink, whatever you write will become a rumor." She opened the book and showed me a few faded pages. "Some of these are very old. I'm not sure exactly how old the book is, but there is never a shortage of pages. I still try to use every square inch I can, and leave no space before going on to another page, though."
"How often do you write in this thing?" I asked, itching to go through it and see what all she'd said.
"Not much. Only when it's something very important or if someone really needs to be taught a lesson." As she said that, the corners of her mouth lifted. I looked down at the book and saw my name. She turned the page before I got a good look, but I was sure I saw the word glamour.
She'd made it so my glamour would go wrong in some way.
And if I wasn't mistaken, it had been blood, not ink. Blood looked messier on the page.
She cursed me.
"What's the red ink?" I asked, fully aware it was blood, but curious if she'd lie.
"Blood," she said simply. "If you write in it in blood, the rumor comes true."
"Can it do anything?" I pretended to be fascinated and touched the edge of the book.
"You can look," she said, pushing it toward me. "No, not anything. It can't do impossible things. Nobody can raise the dead." She cocked her head. "Well, not truly. Necromancy is a different story, but you can't completely have someone back that died."
"Can it do love stuff?" I asked. Most love potions were nearly impossible to brew and only a handful of witches in history had ever succeeded.
"Depends," she said, giving me a look out of the side of her eye. "Like what?"
"Oh, I don't know, like..." I tapped my chin, pretending to think hard. "Like mates. If two vampires bond and mate, can it break their bond?"
"I think there are spells that can do that. So most likely, yes, it would work."
Interesting. I hadn't known there were spells like that.
"What about stuff like removing sickness?"
She shrugged. "Probably."
"So, we could write in here, in blood, that someone finds a cure for human cancer, and it would come true?"
"Yes, but I was warned by the previous keeper of the book if it's too big of an ask, the universe suppresses it. So, if you asked for cancer to be cured, and the universe didn't want it to be, the person who invented the cure might die in a car crash. Or their research ruined somehow."
I nodded. "Okay, I understand. Some things are fated." It was interesting information, even if the book was dangerous and needed to be destroyed. I just had to find it.
"Exactly." Kristi leaned over and pulled a regular ink pen from the spine of the book. It had a little spot where the leather cover had worn and a pen fit in it nicely. I hadn't noticed it before. "So, you have to do it."
"What exactly do you want me to do?" I tried to think of a rumor that wouldn't do any real harm. Something innocent.
"Write down something that will become a rumor."
She crossed her arms and waited.
"Like what?" I didn't want her to make me write down whatever she had in that sticky head of hers, but I also couldn't think of anything.
Something that wouldn't hurt anyone.
"Say something about Sadie."
I looked up at her with wide eyes. "Couldn't I say something about someone we don't know very well?"
"How would that be interesting?" She cocked her head at me and gave me a tight smile.
"The rumor will still get around, right? I'd rather not have to see Sadie upset."
"Are you afraid of her?" Kristi asked in an innocent voice.
"No, but I care about her." I smiled. "I'll think of something silly that nobody will believe.
"Suit yourself," she replied with a shrug.
I read over a few other rumors on the page I was about to write on. The ink on them was faded, so I probably didn't know any of those people. They didn’t help me think of anything.
I had to write something. A prophecy says that Kristi will be killed by a school bus. There. Nobody would believe that.
Kristi took the pen and book. When she read my rumor, she looked at me in thinly veiled irritation.
"I guess. You better hope it doesn’t come true."
I regretted putting something down about death. "How would it come true?" I looked at the pen. "This is ink, right?"
Kristi rolled her eyes and slammed the book shut. "Of course."
She moved it to her bedside table. "Now, don't you have a dance lesson to get to?"
/>
I nodded and scrambled up. She was giving me a clear dismissal, and I didn't want to stick around anyway.
"See you later," I called as I hurried out the door.
Chapter Seven
I straightened my skirt and tried not to think about the rumor I supposedly started. It had been days and I hadn't heard anything, which should be a good thing. And yet, it wasn't.
Something about the whole situation set off an uneasy feeling in my gut. Like my body knew I'd done something reprehensible, and wanted me to fix it.
At least I wasn't thinking that way about the guys anymore. They were nothing less than sweet, and I could tell from the way they looked at me that none of them would be okay with letting me go.
"So?" Kristi asked from the doorway.
I jumped out of my skin and whirled to face the door. She had a knack for turning up and no one knowing she was nearby until it was too late. Maybe it was some kind of cloaking spell. That sounded like Kristi.
"So?" I repeated, drawing out the vowel. I was pretty sure I knew what she was asking, but there was no way I was going to make anything easy for her. She'd have to ask. Talk about the book out loud
"Have you heard anything about the rumor?" she asked, walking in the room holding a garment bag over her shoulder.
I shook my head. "You?"
"Nothing." She tapped her finger against her chin as she looked me over. "I wonder if you did something wrong."
I swallowed down the hope that I had. If the rumor didn't come into being, then maybe the book wasn't as powerful as she pretended it was. Now I understood what Sadie and Madison had meant when they said they didn't think they could escape Kristi's control.
"I don't know," I said instead of revealing my true feelings. "I've never seen anything like that book before."
She sighed and gave a small flounce. "Me neither, unfortunately. I wish I had. So much potential in such a small object. Think of the way we could use it to run the school. Or a coven."
Something in her eyes unnerved me. She wasn't someone who just took pleasure in being a vindictive witch. Kristi was the kind of person who would take whatever power she had and wield it without care or consideration towards anyone but herself. Some people saw through it, but mostly, the other students worshipped her.
Her kind was dangerous. And I was in her inner circle. Her best friend.
Suddenly, Estelle's plan to get even with Kristi didn't seem like such a good idea at all. Not that it ever had. Until I'd come to Magic and Metaphysics Academy, I'd thought I was a strong person. Now, I wasn't so sure. It didn't matter if it was Kristi or Estelle, I wasn't in control of this part of my life.
At least my love life was safe.
Horror sunk into the bit of my stomach as I realized that Francis could probably sense how I was feeling. He wasn't that far away, and I knew he'd respond if he felt my emotions dip too much.
I focused on getting myself in check. I wasn't going to let this woman control me. She was the same age as me and had less magical ability—if Sadie was right.
"Are you going to say anything you're thinking out loud?" she asked, sounding bored by my mere presence.
"Sorry, I was running through the dance moves again," I lied.
Kristi rolled her eyes, though that meant she believed me, which was something.
"You better not get them wrong."
"I don't plan on it," I said through gritted teeth. Sadie had tried her best, but I was never going to be a dancer, and the two of us knew that. I didn't want to be the one to try and convince Kristi of it though. She was going to force me on stage no matter what I said.
"Here's your outfit." She thrust a garment bag at me, letting go almost instantly and forcing me to grab it fast. "Be down at the gym in ten minutes. Don't be late." She didn't wait for me to respond and spun around, retreating into the corridor.
I scowled at her back, unsure what else I could do. Ten minutes was hardly enough time to get ready to Kristi's standards. She was just going to glamour me up anyway, so it didn't matter.
I drew the zip of the garment bag down slowly, nervous about what I might find within. She'd not said anything about costumes, though they'd make the glamouring easier.
My nose wrinkled as I pulled out a shiny silver mini-dress, which thankfully had a flared skirt. It wouldn't leave much to the imagination and would only just skim the tops of my thighs, but it was better than tight fabric clinging to every part of me.
Even the thought of it made me shudder.
"Alright then, let's get this over with." As little as I wanted to make a fool of myself in front of the entire academy, I knew I didn't have a choice.
At least the guys will like my skirt.
Or I hoped they would. Then again, teenage guys and mini-skirts always got along well.
I stripped then pulled the horrible thing over my head. So much for it not clinging to every part of my body. It clung all right. Tightly, as if to show off all the parts of my body I was less than comfortable with.
Ignoring the mirror and wishing I'd thrown a towel or sheet over it, I grabbed my hairbrush and pulled my hair into a tight ponytail. She hadn't discussed costumes, but Kristi had given us strict instructions for our hair and make-up. As far as I could tell, the simplistic style was all to do with how well it would sit under the glamour she was going to do on me.
I checked the clock on my phone, scrolling through my messages at the same time. There was nowhere to stash it in my skin-tight dress, and I needed to know if the guys had text me anything. Nothing more than three good lucks. I smiled. They were so sweet.
A burst of laughter pulled my attention to the door of my room in time to find Tyler doubled over.
"Can I help you?" I asked, pulling up an eyebrow and waiting for her response.
"You look ridiculous," she got out through her laughter.
A small smile quirked at my lips. "You don't think sexy-space-explorer is the in look?" I teased.
"Only if by in, you mean in-sane," she countered.
Little did she know that her response was all the confirmation I needed that this was a huge mistake. Which didn't mean I could back out. Life here wasn't what I'd expected it to be, that was for certain. Quitting the Sparkles wasn't as easy as walking away. I couldn't just give a polite decline.
"I need to go," I told her. I only had three minutes to get down to the gym or Kristi would blow a gasket. "Are you coming to watch?"
"Of course," Tyler responded, wiping away non-existent tears of laughter. "I wouldn't want to miss the Space-Sparkles do their thing."
"Please don't video it?" I half-begged.
Her eyes lit up as if I'd given her the idea of a lifetime.
Oops. I hadn't meant to make it worse for myself.
"Or you can, but you can never show anyone," I warned sternly.
"Alright, alright. I won't show anyone," she promised.
"Not even Estelle," I added.
She put one hand over her heart. "I promise."
"Where is she, anyway?" I looked around the room as if expecting my other roommate to pop up out of thin air and tell me what she'd been up to.
"No idea. I haven't seen her since breakfast."
I frowned. That was odd. Why wasn't she around? There hadn't been any lessons today. Usually, that meant Estelle was either in here or at the library, but I'd been there earlier and she hadn't been.
"Huh, strange." I paused for a moment, at a loss for what else to say. "Anyway, I really need to get down to the gym. See you there?"
She nodded. "I'll be the person you're not allowed to talk to."
I chuckled, but it wasn't funny. It was a reminder I couldn't be who I wanted to be. "Got it."
THE MOMENT I WALKED in, I wanted to hurl. No, that wasn't fair to the decorating committee. They'd done a great job of making the place look like it sparkled, it just wasn't my taste.
Not even at the academy for a month and already I'm done with all things Sparkles.
&nbs
p; Kristi tapped on her empty wrist, and I knew I was almost late. I hurried over to stand with Sadie and Madison and then waited patiently for her to acknowledge me.
"Hi," Madison whispered. Sadie gave me an encouraging smile.
"I'm going to glamour you now. Don't say or do anything," Kristi walked backstage, giving us no choice but to follow as the gym filled with students.
She drew us into a quiet corner and pulled me around in front of her. "Be still."
I looked over her shoulder at Sadie who winced. No doubt she should be the one doing this, as she was the most powerful of the three of them.
I could match Sadie's magic, but my hybrid status technically set me above her. Not that she knew that. I was still keeping that little tidbit about me on the down-low.
"All done. Sadie, Madison." She didn't even bother with instructions for them.
Before my eyes, the three girls turned into exact clones of Kristi. Blonde hair in high ponytails, flawless make-up with red pouty lips. I imagined I looked the same, but it was too perfect. No way I wanted to look like this for any longer than I had to.
"I thought we were going to look like pop-stars?"
Kristi—the real one—gave me a scathing look. "This is better."
Hmph. Says you.
"When will this wear off?" I asked, resisting the urge to pull at the fabric of the dress. That wasn't going to make any difference when it was my face that she'd glamoured. Our bodies were still our own.
"After the song ends. Now, don't mess up." Kristi fixed each of us with a harsh stare. "You all look like me, and if any of you bring my name into disrepute..." Her threat hung in the air between us.
Social annihilation.
Though that didn't sound too bad now. Not when I knew I had my guys and Tyler to rely on. Estelle would probably drop me if I gave up the revenge scheme. But there was no way my guys would abandon me. Especially Francis. We'd bonded in a way the others couldn't understand. At least, not yet. I was sure there were things I could do with Jayse and Brooks that would secure the bond between us too.
My thoughts flashed back to the fairy circle with Brooks. Ah, that might be part of it for us. A sacred vow inside sacred ground, so to speak. It was weird to be thinking about such serious things at our ages, but I knew deep down that it was the right thing to do.
Magical Mistake (Magic And Metaphysics Academy Book 2) Page 5