Vala Heritage

by J. F. Jenkins

  “Turn that off. Why are you even using it right now?” she asked with a scowl, putting her arms in front of her chest protectively. Why he was bothering to use his magic to see her was a puzzle. He’d come to her room without needing assistance many times before. Instead of turning his magic off, the blue around his eyes flared up.

  “It’s a bit hard not to stare,” he said, clearing his throat, then shifting his weight from one side to the other. “And the point of me coming by was to see you before I left. You should have been expecting it and not prancing around in something you might regret me catching you in.” Before she could open her mouth to retaliate, he waved a hand at her though his magic never disappeared. “The purpose of my visit was in hope that I could, maybe, talk you into joining us. I know last year was the pits, and same thing with the year before that, but I promise it’ll be much better this time. It seems wrong to leave without you.”

  “Again, thanks, but you know me and family holidays. We don’t mix well. Maybe over winter break when the time is longer. I think I’d go crazy if I had to spend two and a half weeks without you guys. I’m not going to lie.” She offered him a small smile. “Right now, I need to take some time to soak a lot of things in. I still haven’t had a good chance to think about… him.” She wasn’t sure if she felt comfortable talking about it in her dorm, afraid someone was possibly listening in on their conversation. Jewl wondered if Anj could tell she was lying though. There were a lot of reasons she couldn't go with them. It seemed like the easiest one for her to give.

  “All right,” he said, touching the hair framing her face. He ran his fingers through it once, staring down at her as if he were soaking in every detail. Then he pulled her into a large, suffocating hug. “Just promise me you’ll be careful?” He was shaking, only slightly, but she could still feel it - a soft tremble against her skin. “Not to say you won’t be. You always are, but I did make a promise to keep you safe. Since I’m not going to be around, I need to make sure I don’t let anyone down.”

  She laughed. “I can promise you I have no intention of ever leaving my room this weekend. I’ve got food. I’ve got entertainment. I’ll be even more anti-social than normal. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Good.” But he still didn’t let go of her. “I can’t help but be disappointed, though. I’ll need someone to rescue me. I guess I’ll enlist help from elsewhere if they have time for me.”

  “You mean assuming they come up for air for a few seconds?”

  “Something like that,” he snorted.

  Jewl gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “All you have to do is talk about Cheyenne being Divine in front of your mother and she’ll never let the girl go. That’ll solve all of your problems. As much as I love your brother, you might want to have ‘the talk’ with him because I don’t like having to step around the two of them sucking face in the hallway. It’s kind of gross.”

  “Try walking in on them doing it on the couch.”

  “Oh?” She raised an eyebrow.

  “Not… it… but sucking face, I mean. We’ll talk when the whole thing isn’t so new for him. Let him enjoy the moment. He doesn’t get many of them. Besides, he’s smart and he wouldn’t do something like that so soon. He knows what he’s doing.”

  Though she didn’t agree with him, she trusted his judgment. It was his decision to make and he knew his own brother far better than she did. “Try to enjoy yourself at least. It might not happen, but at least try.”

  “I always do when it comes to her.” Anj let go of her with a deep sigh. “Take care. We’ll stop by Sunday night when we get back in.”

  She nodded, watching him leave. He was clearly in a hurry, but was it because he was uncomfortable and needed to get away, or because his mother was holding him on a tight leash again? Either way, he was gone. The space would be good for them both.

  She went back to her couch and her movie. It helped fill the void she was already beginning to feel. Not long after she lay down, once more snuggled on her side with her favorite stuffed bear, was she in a deep sleep.

  As she slept, she dreamed, though she couldn’t quite remember what it was about. She was vaguely aware of it involving Anj, of him returning to her and from there the details began to slip from her memory upon waking. At least she was positive it was a dream until she felt soft, gentle strokes through her hair. Had he come back to stay with her instead of being with a woman he hated? That would have been a huge sacrifice. As foolish as it was for him to do, the gesture would have been the most romantic thing he had ever done for her.

  She sighed and smiled because if she hadn’t in fact dreamed the encounter, he would have snuck into the room with a bouquet of flowers. It would be a simple one as she wasn’t one to care much for plants, but he understood the importance of the gesture behind them. If she hadn’t dreamed the whole thing, he would be waiting patiently for her and looking gorgeous in the blue shirt she had purchased for him the year they had first started dating. There was someone with her, petting her hair, and it was nice.

  “I thought you were leaving,” she purred happily as she snuggled into the touch. “Have a change of heart?” She turned slowly so she could look at him, and then shrieked .It wasn’t Anj after all but the black shadow who had been stalking her at the Old Union.

  “Get out of my room,” Jewl said through gritted teeth.

  “Pretty hair,” the shadow murmured, grabbing for it once more. It’s form was so much like one of Teague’s faceless drawings only with the outline filled with pure blackness and a texture that fuzzed and fritzed like static on the television. “Let me pet it just a little longer, precious.”

  “No.” She moved so fast, she stumbled off the couch. “You’re a demon. Get out now. You have to listen to me. It’s in the rules.” Or so she’d always been told by Anj.

  The shadow stayed where it was and watched her move to the opposite side of the room, seemingly unfazed. “But I have a gift for you.”

  Jewl scowled and shook her head. “A gift that’s going to kill me right? Just like you tried to make your way into the room to attack me through the rain? A gift from you is not what I would consider desirable, so you can return it back to whoever wants it sent.”

  “You’re a bitter and angry girl. What you were given before was not meant for your harm. You were an unfortunate bystander. My brethren who came before me were confused by your genetic structure and believed you to be a part of their target. That is why I have come with a gift. Please, take it.”

  “So who were they after? Teague? I’m not exactly tickled at the idea of hurting him either or scaring him so much. I’ll stand up for him since he won’t do it himself. You hurt him, he comes crying to me, I get ticked off and annoyed. If you’re still determined to hurt him or kill him, I don’t want anything to do with your master either. Again, get out, return the gift and tell them thanks, but no thanks.” She folded her arms in front of her and stared at the demon in what she hoped was a confident and intimidating way. The key thing she had to maintain was her control over the situation.

  The demon was not getting the message because instead of stepping farther away, it moved closer to her. One of its black hands reached into its body and pulled out a small parcel wrapped in a fine cloth. Small, black wisps extended from its body and hands as it moved, giving the creature a ghost-like appearance. Shivers exploded throughout her entire body.

  “The gift is an apology for all of the trouble. I will leave it here for you to take at will and vacate your home, but not because you told me to. I leave to show the respect my mistress has for you. Your words are worthless to me. You have a lot to learn about my kind.” In an instant the package was placed on her coffee table and the demon was directly behind her, petting her hair. Then it disappeared from sight.

  Her entire body trembled. She stared at the neatly wrapped present, half-expecting it to turn into some kind of monster and attack her. Still, her curiosity got the better of her and she couldn’t help but ta
ke a few steps forward to see what was hidden underneath the cloth.

  Carefully, she grabbed one of the corners and pulled it apart, letting whatever was inside drop onto the table. It did so with a loud, solid thud, and what she found was a large, black pearl half the size of a golf ball. It was beautiful and powerful, but she wasn’t quite sure what it would do when evoked.

  Hesitantly, she skimmed her fingertips over the surface of the small round ball. A perfect sphere, shining under her ceiling lights, and she could feel the pure power radiating from it. She’d never invoked the power of a pearl before. It had never been something of interest to her as she wasn’t entirely sure what they even did.

  With most of her gemstones, she could at least feel them radiating with a small aura of magic. Pearls were the only kind she never felt anything from. The pearl she held was either so large she couldn’t help but feel its magical presence, or it was enhanced somehow in a way she could not ignore.

  Tempting, but it still came from a demon and demons were known for their persuasion techniques. Anything they were giving her was not a good thing, no matter how lovely and innocent it seemed. Carefully, she returned the covering to its proper place and carried the large gem to her bedroom. She placed it in a safe place hidden with all of her other jewels. She needed to investigate it more thoroughly before deciding how to handle it. If it was infused with magic, she couldn’t just ditch it for anyone to find. Who knew what the object was truly capable of?

  Chapter Twelve

  After a restless night, a bland breakfast and a quick hot shower, she went to the library to research the pearl. There were many books on summoning, but few would have been considered advanced. The ones containing the level of information she required were at a higher reading level than she was comfortable with. She was hardly studious, so it would be a difficult and headache-inducing task getting through it all. There were two people who could help her with this research. One was gone and the other she did not care for.

  “This was a bad idea,” she muttered, rubbing her forehead. “Haven’t these people ever heard of updating their books?” She continued to grumble as she re-read every sentence nearly three times before becoming so frustrated she slammed the cover closed.

  Teague slipped in silently and sat next to her. He had a stack of books about animals in his hands, setting them down gently onto the table.

  “You look angry. Did something bad happen?”

  “No, nothing bad happened. I’m trying to learn something and it’s hard. I have this book and…” she stared at him, trying to find a way to vent her frustration in a way he would understand. He was the only one on campus she could talk to who wouldn’t lecture her over her dabbling with the Dark. Maybe Halyn wouldn't either, but Jewl found her much more annoying than Teague, too girlie and bubbly for her tastes.

  Anj had gotten to her more than she had anticipated. As annoying as the boy was, Teague seemed trustworthy and nonjudgmental. Simple like a child, it would be easy for him to listen and not over analyze it. She was plenty good at doing that on her own.

  “I have this book,” Jewl started again. “And it’s hard to read. The words are big and there are a lot of them. It’s important though, advanced, but it has something special that will help me.”

  “What kind of special?”

  “It’ll teach me how to do something.”

  He nodded and opened one of his books. It was about African Safari animals and he took a moment to stare at the title page. “Shouldn’t books teaching people things be easy though?”

  “Not necessarily.”

  “I was thinking if I was going to teach someone about something they didn’t know, I’d put it in an easy book. When I don’t know things, I like it explained simply. I get too confused otherwise.”

  “I can’t imagine why,” she said under her breath. If he heard her, he didn’t pay any attention to it. He flipped the page in his book and moved on. As simple as his statement was, there was something profound about it as well.

  “Maybe I could find it in an easier book,” she said.

  Standing from the table, she went to the massive wooden shelves of books, which contained everything there was to know about summoning. The next book she grabbed was one she hadn’t seen for nearly two years: The Basics of Summoning, Everything You Need to Know to Get Started.

  Her first class from Freshman year, and in it was the most basic encyclopedia of all the common natural elements to be found. Pearls were considered rare gems, but well known. They were listed in the final chapter: “Advanced Summoning Elements.”

  By the time Jewl had gotten that far in class, she had completely zoned out. She was doing so poorly, she had given up and did only enough to skate by. All of her summoning classes, or anything having to do with magic period, were frustrating for her. She wasn’t skilled enough in her talents to meet the requirements for them being barely at average at best.

  “Thank you,” she said to Teague and closed the book, finally having the information she wanted. Her mind just couldn’t take anymore reading. She needed a break.

  “Why are you still here? I thought everyone went home,” Teague said softly.

  “Why are you still here?”

  “Because I have no home.”

  “Same.”

  He risked a glance in her direction. “Are your parents missing, too?”

  “No, I’m not allowed to see them. I decided to stay at school because it’s easier than going with a friend.”

  He nodded as if he understood, but Jewl would be surprised if he actually did. Then again, Teague was a mystery.

  “They aren’t your family.” He played with his hands, never taking his eyes off of them. “It’s like, they feel okay, but you know you’re not wanted. You feel outside and alone, so it’s easier to be that.”

  Jewl stared at him, her eyes narrowing as she thought about his words. “Something like that, yeah.” He just about hit the nail on the head actually. When Jewl was alone with the twins, she felt like she belonged. When she went home with them, and was forced into solitude, she was reminded just how much she missed her own family. She didn't belong in their world outside of school.

  “I feel that way with you. When it’s just us, I feel okay but when we all get together, things feel bad. I don’t think you want me around. I know he doesn’t. Is it because of him?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “With…” He paused to frown. “I can’t remember his name. You love him. He loves you. You two should just be together again, you know? Are you mean to me when he’s around because you don’t want him to think you love me, too?”

  She wanted to point out that she was always mean to him. Most of the time he missed it, but she worried that bit of information might send him over the edge. Instead, she sighed loudly to show how annoyed she was. Hopefully he’d pick up on it.

  “I’d stay out of my love life. You don’t need to be involved in what goes on between Anj and me. He knows better than to think there’d ever be a thing happening between the two of us.”

  “Oh,” was all Teague said.

  “For being in a library, you two sure are loud,” a deep voice said from behind them. Jewl recognized it instantly.

  “Pierce.” Jewl forced a smile and faced the forty-year-old man. He was the definition of tall, dark and handsome. But he wasn't a nice guy in the slightest. Whenever he was around, it always added up to bad news. “I see my aunt has once more decided to send you to do her dirty work. What does she want anyway?”

  “It’s the holiday break,” he said.

  “And?”

  “And she wishes for you to return home immediately to celebrate with her.”

  “I’m sure.” Jewl scowled. “My message I sent must not have made it through. I told her I wasn’t going to come home. She didn’t care last year or the year before that for that matter. Why the sudden change of heart? I doubt it’s because she misses me.”

  Pierce smirked, nev
er losing his cool exterior. He folded his arms in front of him, showing her he meant business. “No, she didn’t get that message. It must have sent to the wrong recipient. You should make sure your mail man isn’t mixing your letters up.”

  Don’t let him see you’re scared. Easier said than done though, because all she could think about was how she had blown her father’s cover. Somehow she had screwed up, and now he could be dead.

  “I’ve already cleared it with the staff. Your bags are packed. You can even bring your friend since he doesn’t have any family either, apparently.”

  “No,” Jewl said firmly.

  “Too bad,” Pierce said, eying Teague. “I think it would be good for you to bring a friend home for a change. Your aunt wants to meet him. And so does your sister.”

  “She better not try to hurt him. His parents are important people and they care a lot about him. They’ll know.” Jewl stood, her eyes never moving. She wanted him to know she was serious so she could sell the lie.

  Pierce wasn’t buying into it, though. “If his parents cared, he wouldn’t be here for the holiday. He’d be at home.”

  Jewl had a retort, but Teague spoke up, saying something surprisingly intelligent.

  “My parents are busy. I’m also not an American, so this is not a holiday I celebrate with them. They didn’t think it necessary to take time off work.” He said it with enough conviction to make even her believe it for a moment. If he hadn't told her a few minutes before that they were missing, she would have.

  Pierce raised an eyebrow and moved toward Jewl. “She doesn’t want to hurt any of your friends anyway. She just wants to see who you spend all of your time with. What else have you got to do?”

  “You keep presenting it to me like it’s an option. Let’s go so we can get his over with, okay?” Jewl snapped.

  She grabbed Teague by the arm, making sure to keep him close to her as they walked to Pierce’s car. Jewl whispered to the boy quickly, “No matter what happens, try to stay by me at all times and act like you’re important. I don’t believe her when she says she won’t hurt you.”