“Elyse, you are my big sister, whether it’s by six months or six days. It doesn’t matter what you are. All that matters is that you’re my sister.” She started to turn me, but I would not let her.
I felt everyone’s eyes on me. The sting of hot tears hit my cheeks and I quickly pulled an arm free to wipe them away. “Fine, you want to see what I am? I’ll show you.” I stepped back from them all. I moved to the other side of the circle and lifted my hands, palms towards the sky. “This is what I am.”
I fisted my hands shut, and then sprung the right one open. There was a spark of blue and then a flicker. The flame burned cool in my hand, and I knew this was the one I was most in tune with. Michelle’s eyes got bigger as she watched the flame dance around in the palm of my hand. When she looked like she was going to talk again, I flicked open the left.
Again, there was a small spark, but this time, it was as red as a flame should be. When it sputtered to life, I saw my sister take three steps back from me. Her mouth opened, but I knew she wouldn’t be able to form words. That was new. The flame licked at my hand, then my wrists. It, too, burned cool against my skin, but it was as if it were looking for something. Both flames wrapped around my arms and moved back to my hands.
I looked to each of my friends, and from them, I only felt admiration, a small hint of jealousy, and love. I couldn’t bring myself to see what my sister thought of me, since she saw what I was capable of.
Michelle stood stock still. “Does it burn you?” she asked, finally able to form the words.
“No, not at all.” I put my hands together, just enough, so the flames could touch each other. I swayed my hands back and forth, manipulating the flame, and then it entangled together. Blue and red, making purple. When I pulled them apart and held them at my sides, still facing up, I could see Michelle was following my hands with her eyes. I let the flames die down until my hands glowed, then the light went out.
“When did you learn to control the flames?” Crystal stepped forward.
“I’ve been practicing.” I felt a little smug, until I saw Michelle, who looked ill. “Michy, you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m just...” She pulled her long blonde hair from her face. “Yeah.” She started walking backwards and then turned, heading for the driveway.
“Michy, wait!” I yelled and started to run after her. She jumped in the jeep, parked inside the line of trees, and pulled away from the house.
“See. Told you it was a bad idea,” I told my friends, then stomped to the house.
Chapter Thirteen
She knew what she saw, and she knew she would be able to get the truth out of her one way or another. What she hadn’t known was how much it would freak her out.
After the flames died in Elyse’s hands, all Michelle could do was move. She really didn’t know where she was going. All she knew was she needed to think about what she saw.
The truth was she wasn’t completely freaked out. She wasn’t really surprised by it–maybe just by the flames themselves. All the crazy things her sister had in her room over the last few months had her questioning her sanity. When she saw how Elyse reacted to their mother’s fall, she knew then. It had even shocked her to admit she didn’t care what her sister was.
She remembered seeing the blue and red lights in her hands that day, too. With everything she had overheard through the night, she guessed she hadn’t considered Elyse would have any sort of magical powers like that. Until she put on that show for her.
Elyse refused to talk to her and confide in her before graduation. Michelle knew she had to get her away from their parents and talk. That’s why she said she wanted in on the camping trip. When she knew it wouldn’t be possible to join them, she knew she would just have to go. So, she hung out in her jeep for three hours, waiting for them to leave the Blackwood house.
The best part of the graduation party was hearing Chad on the phone with who she thought was his father. “So, all the parents must be in on this too,” she mumbled to herself as she made her way down the dirt road, to the highway.
Chad told his father how they were waiting for everyone to leave the party and then they were heading out to the cabin. He had asked about a set of books being safe. That was when Michelle figured out the so-called camping trip had to have been something much more than what they were saying.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, and the temperature with it, more cars started to join her jeep on the highway. They were probably heading out to real camping trips, or even a sun-filled day at the beach. She thought about her original plans for the day. She was going to get Clara and a few other girls and drive to the Clinton Hills Swim Club. They would load up a cooler and sun tan oil to lay out on the oversized pool loungers and work on the season’s best tan. Heading to college with golden skin had, at one time, been a priority.
That was, at least, until her latest break-up. Tom was handsome, smart, funny, and he acted like he cared about her. As usual, she’d been wrong. Once he found out the locker room talk was just that–all talk–he dumped her faster than she could say no. She figured it was her own fault. They said she always led guys on, but never followed through. The typical response from jocks who never got what they wanted from a girl. It was somewhat her own fault for never saying anything to the contrary. Michelle liked the attention, sure, but she didn’t like the talk. She made herself believe it hadn’t bothered her that all the boys in school thought she was easy, as long as she had her popularity.
As soon as the next one came along, she was sure to tell them from the beginning nothing had ever happened between her and those other jerks. She had told Tom. She even told him she was waiting, at least until she was in college. She thought he was okay with it. She found out the hard way that he didn’t want to wait. He just wanted the same as the rest. The last thing she ever gave him was a black eye. That was something she was proud of. She also thought it was a refreshing change when he complained that she was a virgin, saving herself for marriage. Not a single guy asked her out after that.
She smiled to herself. She was okay being single. It gave her time to see what was really going on around her. Michelle forced her mind to think clearly about her exit off the highway as she pushed the blinker on, switched lanes, and headed toward her house.
She hadn’t really known where she was going when she left the Blackwood’s house the night before. She sat in her Jeep, waiting for the first vehicle to leave, and she followed it. It was her best friend's lime green car. As Clara pulled out, Michelle crept out behind her, making sure to leave her headlights off for a while. She was able to continue on like that till they got close to the highway. Had she known she’d be driving for over an hour, she would have brought clothes and a different pair of shoes. Her feet were killing her.
She combed her hands through her long blonde curls as she got closer to home, realizing she was still barefoot. When she pulled into the driveway, she saw both of her parents were home. The minivan very rarely moved since she had gotten the Jeep. However, her father’s car, the sleek black BMW, was hardly ever home.
“Hey Michelle, is that you?” Her mother’s voice rang out of the kitchen when she stepped through the front door.
“Yeah, mom, I’ll be back down in a minute. Need the ladies' room.” She quickened her pace up the stairs to her room, closing the door.
There was a big black duffle bag in the closet. She grabbed it and threw it open on her bed. She grabbed jeans and shorts, a few tank tops, and a couple sweatshirts. Then tossed them in the bag, without bothering to fold anything. She shoved a few undergarments in the side pocket, along with a couple hair bands. She rushed to the bathroom that she shared with Elyse, grabbed her brush and deodorant off the counter by her sink and threw them in the bag. She had to double back to grab her toothbrush and paste off the counter and stopped at the sight of her reflection. The makeup she’d thought was salvaged was actually smeared. She wet a wash cloth and wiped it from her face and smoothed her hair before returni
ng to pack.
Moving back to her room, she fought with the zipper on the back of her dress and pulled the fabric over her head. Rummaging through the closet, she grabbed her sneakers. Sliding on jeans and searching her drawer for another T-shirt, she cursed under her breath when she heard her mother’s footfalls on the stairs.
“Hey.” Helen tapped against the door.
Michelle pulled her shirt over her head, then tossed her dress in the hamper before answering her. “You can open it.” She moved between her closet, dresser, and her bag as Helen peeked in the room.
“Where are you going?” Helen hesitated at the open door.
“Elyse said someone dropped out of the camping trip. So, I’m gonna go up and join them.” She looked at her mom. The woman looked like she had aged since she saw her at the graduation party the day before.
“I knew my birds were leaving the nest, but I didn’t think it’d be this soon.” Helen moved forward and pushed a stray curl out of Michelle’s face. “I’m glad the two of you will be spending some quality time together before…” Michelle heard her mother swallow down a sob.
“It’s college, mom. I’m not moving out of state forever. I’ll be back.” She hugged her quickly, having to bend down to lay her head on her mother’s shoulder.
“I know. It’s just Elyse spends so little time home now as it is. Once she and Chad are off to college, I’ll probably never hear from her. I was hoping you’d be the proper baby of the family and stay close.” She smiled at her daughter.
“Mom, Elyse is staying local. You’ll see her all the time. She won’t be living on campus.” She stopped to think about that for a moment. After everything she heard the night before, she didn’t know where Elyse would be living. “So, I better get to the camp. We have a few weeks to spend together before I move.” She let out one of her usual squeals. It wasn’t completely forced. Michelle had been wanting to attend college in D.C. since she was ten, so there was genuine excitement behind the gesture.
“Oh, I’m so proud of the both of you for doing this. Okay, go have fun. Don’t forget to pack your toothbrush,” Helen yelled as she headed downstairs.
Michelle could hear her yelling for her father and explaining to him, very loudly, that his daughters were going to be camping together.
She laughed to herself for a minute and closed up her bag, hefting it on her shoulder. She took a last look around before heading out of the room. When she passed by her sister’s room, she walked in. It was weird how quiet the space was without Elyse in it, snoring or yelling at her to get out.
She tossed her hair over her shoulder and stomped loudly down the stairs. Michael was sitting in the recliner with the newspaper held up and NASCAR playing loudly on the television. “No wonder mom was yelling,” she said to herself.
“Dad!” she yelled just once, and Michael turned down the volume.
“You heading out, Peaches?”
“Yeah, dad. Keep mom company, would you? She’s experiencing empty nest syndrome. We’re just camping.” Michelle rolled her eyes in the direction of her mother and Michael laughed.
“Sure thing, kiddo. You two have fun.” He lifted the paper back, so it covered his face.
“Bye, mom.” Michelle wasted no time at all. She pushed the screen door open and ran to the jeep, and without the top on, she threw the bag into the back and jumped into the driver’s seat to start it up. Her mother exited the house as she started to back down the driveway and Michelle waved to her.
By the time she was on the highway, headed back to Dublin, it was nearing noon and eighty-five degrees. At least, that’s what her dashboard told her. She put on her sunglasses and grabbed a hair band off her shifter, pulling up her hair to keep it out of her face as she drove. The thing she loved most about the Jeep was opening the top on warm days. She wasn’t thinking about the Jeep then, though. She wasn’t even thinking about her parents, boys, or even leaving for college in a few months. The only thing she could think about was her sister.
“I have to help her,” she spoke to the wind, and pressed her foot against the accelerator.
Chapter Fourteen
“Well, that was abrupt,” Clara said after Michelle took off down the dirt path that led to the main road.
“Yeah, well, what did you expect? We are talking about Michelle,” Chad said as they walked back to the house behind me.
“She was trying to change,” Clara snapped at him. “I don’t think it’s what it looked like.”
“Hey, I don’t think Elyse needs the bickering.” I could hear Crystal chastise the other two.
“Who died and made you Miss Perfect?” I could see Clara turn on Crystal.
“Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle?” I caught myself asking as I spun around to face them. I wasn’t in the mood for arguing. I just wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t let Clara talk to my best friend like that. Crystal had my back our whole lives, and typically, it was to protect me from Clara.
They stopped walking at the corner of the house. Crystal stared at Clara. She had her head tilted so her pigtail stood up and her hands were planted firmly on her hips. Chad and Matt were staring at Crystal, who seemed to stiffen at either Clara’s statement or my question. Suddenly, I realized I could feel the animosity coming off of Clara. I shrugged at it because I assumed that’s what I would feel regularly from her. When I felt the fear radiating from Crystal, I became concerned.
“Crystal, why are you scared?” Everyone shot a look at me.
“How did you know she was scared?” Chad asked then. They all seemed to forget the almost confrontation that was happening.
“You know why,” I said, still staring at my friend. “Crystal, answer the question.”
“She didn’t tell you, did she?” Clara turned to me then. “She’s the one who put those stones under your bed. Geesh.” She turned to Crystal. “I thought you said you talked to her!” she yelled.
“The stones?” I shook my head. “The same stones that were supposed to drain my powers from me? Why would you do that?” I didn’t yell, although my insides wanted me to.
Chad rushed over to me and I vaguely caught the sound of thunder above us. “Not this again. E, you have to calm yourself.” Chad grabbed onto my hands, but I shook him loose and moved in on my friend. Guess my insides were going to yell for me.
“Why?” I finally yelled at her. When she didn’t answer, another boom of thunder sounded above.
“What in the hell?” Clara looked up, her eyes wide.
“Crystal, answer me!” I could feel her; the fear and confusion. Mostly, I could feel distress and hurt. I concentrated on the fear instead.
Thunder boomed again, and lighting cracked against the sky. The wind started to whip around us and Matt moved to Crystal, holding her steady. Chad took a chance and placed a hand on my shoulders.
“E, you need to calm down. This isn’t gonna solve anything,” he spoke so close to my ear, I could feel the warmth of his breath. I could see Chester and Ophelia run out of the house, yelling at us to get inside, but I was pretty sure I was holding everyone still.
“She needs to answer me. She said she didn’t know what her mother had done to me. That she just found out she was trying to hurt me. So, why would she put not one, but two, of those things under my bed to drain my power if she didn’t know what Elle was doing?” I yelled over the howl of the wind and the snap of lightning.
“She didn’t know!” Matt yelled to me.
“He’s right.” Peter ran up behind us. “Our mother manipulated her. You know that. Inside, you know that.”
“I wanna hear that from her,” I snapped at him, and small drops of rain began to fall. I hadn’t known he’d arrived, but I did know there could be truth to what he said.
“I didn’t know,” Crystal said, so low I could barely hear her. She looked down, as if she was studying the chipped polish on her toes through her open sandals.
“So, what did she tell you to get you to put those under my bed?
” I pushed forward. I had no idea where the new gifts of power had come from, but I knew I could dive deeper into her. I could feel her remorse, but I was more concerned with the deception I could detect underneath it.
“Elyse!” Chester came to me as drops started falling harder from the sky. “This isn’t you. It’s the powers inside. Please try to calm your nerves!” he yelled at me.
I couldn’t control it, just as I hadn’t been able to control the snapped trees and cracked foundations of buildings.
“Come on, let’s get inside.” Chad held my hand and I could feel my insides begin to calm. I could feel him through our touch and remembered something.
“When we went to see grandfather,” I blurted. Everyone looked at me.
“What are you talking about?” Chad asked.
“When we were with Alistair. He was sad. I felt it and almost started crying,” I remembered.
“Then on the way home...” Chad let his words trail and just lifted his hand to the sky. “You stopped it then. Try!”
I looked down at our hands linked together and then closed my eyes. My face felt hot despite the cool drops pelting me in the face. My insides were burned, and I felt as if my blood boiled. I shifted my head, so I looked into the rain as it fell, had my eyes been open. I took several deep breaths and felt the heat in my chest die down. As the blood in my veins cooled, the rain began to let up. The clouds cleared, and the thunder and lightning stopped. The sun shone through and the rain turned to a light mist. We all looked toward the driveway when we heard a car door slam shut.
“Did I miss the first lesson of the day?” I smiled when I saw my grandfather and Hank standing next to an old, beat up pickup truck. We moved to the front of the house and saw that three more cars had pulled in behind the old man. Out of them emerged Barnaby, Bellatrix, Cinnabar, Adelle, and Marshal Blackwood.
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