A Ghost of Magic: Chosen Saga Book 3

by J. L. Clayton

  Nikko gave me a reassuring smile.

  P-J looked at me and said in unison, “Charlie, what’s going on?”

  It was still so surreal hearing them talk at the same time. I shook my head and asked, “What do you mean?”

  Paco said, “The fact that Tru has lost his mind, and apparently, you’re letting him get away with it.”

  I shook my head and asked, “What did you hear? What did Tru say?”

  Paco looked down, fidgeting with his fingers, and swallowing hard. He said, “Nothing really.”

  I knew he was lying. His body language betrayed him. Fury whipped at my soul. I needed to know what was going on. I needed to know why Tru turned cold on me, and damn it, I was fed up with not knowing. I delved into his brain viciously, not caring what this could do; just knowing that I needed to know now-right now-what was going on with Tru. I was expecting to read his thoughts, but instead, I burrowed too deep, entering his memories. It was surreal seeing Paco as a little kid. I saw him get his knee scratched on the bank catching fish, joking around with a young Tru. Frantically, I shoved all those memories to the side as I sifted through the jumbled mess to find something useful, a memory from this morning. Finding a glimpse of what appeared to be recent; I started watching the horror play out in front of me. I saw Paco and Jolon get into the back seat of Tru’s truck. There was tension. Paco could feel it, and he knew something was wrong.

  Paco said, “Hey we just passed Charlie’s. Are we not getting her today?”

  Tru turned steely eyes on Paco and said, “I don’t want any of you to say her name in my presence ever again. She is dead to me.”

  Paco sat back. He was afraid, worried, and not understanding what was going on. In Paco's mind, I saw Tru pull over to an unfamiliar house.

  Tru said, “Z, get in the back. Mariana is riding to school with us today.”

  Z nodded. She hopped out of the vehicle and got in the back with P-J. I made Paco's memory focus on the girl; I studied her closely as she hopped in the front seat. I knew I had seen this girl before, but where? Then, it dawned on me. This was the girl that sat at Tru’s lunch table the very first day of school. She was the girl that didn’t come over with Tru's group when I invited them. She was the only girl that stayed behind. I shook my head and fast forwarded the memory. I saw Tru grab ahold of the girl’s shoulder and pull her close to his side. The girl smiled at him, and then to my horror and utter dismay, Tru kissed her on the lips. Hastily, I pulled out of Paco's head. I couldn't stand to watch anymore. I pulled out so quick it was like a backlash of searing, blinding pain. I sucked in a deep breath. As fast as the pain came, it faded away.

  Thank God for small miracles. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! How could I have been so stupid?

  I glanced over at Paco. I saw him reach up and touch his head, pain clearly written on his face. I felt miserable. I didn't care if I hurt myself. I didn't care that I was about to throw up. But I did care if I hurt someone other than me. I didn't want to hurt Paco. It was never my intention to hurt anyone, but right then, I didn't care. All I wanted to do was throat punch someone, preferably Tru.

  I was so freaking mad!

  Nikko said," Calm down, Charlie. I know it sucks, but you need to calm down. You’re starting to change colors," he squeaked.

  I looked over at him and saw strings of beautiful colors flowing from my body to his. I knew in a sad desperation that he was feeling all of my emotions. Since trying to save him, Nikko and I shared a connection, a soul-deep connection, one that I was afraid I might not be able to fix. Nikko knew me so intimately. He knew what I just saw and what I would see. He knew what I just felt and what I would feel. I could hide nothing from him. To be bound to somebody so completely was mind-boggling, but to be the one on the receiving end of such a connection was just too puzzling for words.

  How could he stand to be my friend? How could he be happy with this existence? How could he not hate me when I hated myself?!

  My heart collapsed. My blood chilled, and I almost vomited.

  “Kitten, I am here. Just say the word and I can ease all your pain. All it takes is one little bite.”

  I felt the seduction and need in his words. To be drawn back into that dark, beautiful bliss was tantalizing. I breathed in the words, knowing that he was right. He could take away my pain and replace it with ecstasy. I all but laughed. Yes, his words were pretty, but I wasn't that stupid. I had my moments, this is true, but this wasn't one of them. I might be miserable right now, but I'm not that stupid. I shoved the thoughts out of my head and looked around at everyone. Their expressions varied from grim and sympathy to disgust. But they weren't looking at me. Oh hell! They were looking at Tru and that tramp.

  And what was Tru doing? Well, the asshat was making out with her.

  The temperature in my body started to rise. I felt Nikko's hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off. I needed something to burn, and I was thinking Tru was the perfect candidate. I balled my hands into fists. Furious, I marched toward them. I was determined with one goal in mind: To touch Tru and set his body on fire.

  Now, more than ever, I wanted to hurt him physically as much as he was hurting me emotionally, but at the last second, my heart caught up with my brain and instead, I made a beeline for the girl’s bathroom, with Nikko hot on my heels. I sat down on the floor and leaned my head against the wall.

  Nikko said, "Yeah, I don't know how to deal with this. If you haven't noticed, I'm not a girl, and I'm not saying girls are the only ones that get emotional. I'm saying that I'm not really good at that emotional stuff. So, I'm just gonna wait outside." He blushed, his beautiful violet eyes looking sympathetic as he faded away.

  I started to bawl. Why was this happening? What did I do? Well yeah, I have done a lot, but telling Tru what I was... how could that have made him hate me? I covered my face with my hands. There were so many thoughts rolling around in my mind. My head hurt, my heart ached, and I just wanted to go home.

  I heard the bathroom door open and looked up to see Dee and Tamm standing over me.

  Dee knelt down and placed both her hands over my arms. "Charlie, you shouldn’t let Tru get you all bent out of shape. He is being a total jerk."

  "You’re right! Because, do I have the right to really feel this upset about someone I haven't known long? Do I have the right to be this upset? Do I have the right to be all emotional?"

  Dee shook me and said, "Yes! Are you a dummy? Really, don’t you know that when you care about somebody it doesn't matter how long you've known them? It can be the first day you've met someone and getting to know them for you to care, well that’s how I look at it. Besides, you were his friend, and friends don't treat each other like this, and he is treating you like crap. So, damn straight, I think you have the right to be upset, hurt, and mad as all hell. If you want to bawl your eyes out, that's your prerogative, not anyone else's. Plus, you are a girl and girls tend to get emotional and cry." Dee nodded, happy with her speech.

  I smiled at her and then looked over at Tamm. She was too silent, and I was getting strange vibes from her. She gave me a nod and a reassuring smile, but something felt off. There was something about the way she stood, how she leaned. The look in her eyes. They all told me something was off or I could be just projecting. I was on the verge of reading her thoughts, seeing what was going on in her mind. Abruptly, I felt guilty. How could I do that to one of my friends? It wasn't enough that I just read Paco's mind, now I wanted to invade sweet, beautiful, and caring Tammin’s?! Was everybody going to be a suspect? Ugh. I suck. Now a little disgusted with myself, I pushed off the wall and stood up.

  “I’m good now.” Because, I knew what I was going to do while sitting in the floor bawling my eyes out. I came up with this idea in the heat of the moment. I decided I was going to go have a little talk with Tru’s grandfather. I was going to find out for sure if he killed my parents and why Tru is acting the way he is acting. Yeah, I know I might be entering into enemy territory, but really I couldn’t car
e less. With my head high, I sat down in Mr. Pots’s class. I was doing my best to hide my misery, because who really wanted to be around somebody that has a cloud of depression over their head? Umm, not me. It’s just too damn bad I can't take myself away from myself.

  Shaking my head, I thought, I'm not going to be that girl, the one that always cried over a guy. I was not going to be her. I looked around and noticed that no one was really paying attention, so that’s always a good thing. I heard through the grapevine that Mr. Pots was absent, so we were going to have a substitute teacher. Yay, I wonder who the lame teacher will be this time? I knew I was in a foul mood. I brought my hand up, resting it on my face, and closed my eyes. Warmth trailed down my wrist to my elbow, and I shivered and opened my eyes to see a beautiful boy: Cris.

  He leaned in and whispered, “There’s some intriguing news I heard today.” It was probably some juicy gossip.

  I swallowed and asked, “Really? If you heard it from this school, it can’t be that intriguing.”

  Cris gave me a slow, sinful smile and said, low and carnal,” I beg to differ. The news is about you, and I find everything to do with you intriguing.”

  His voice made my body feel like it was nearly coming undone at the seams. I felt my knees buckle and my blood heat up. If it wasn’t for the chair underneath me, I would’ve caved to the ground in utter need and embarrassment. I held back the convulsion that almost overtook me and slowly breathed out. What was it about him? What was it about his voice that sent this visceral reaction over me? That caused me to almost come undone? What kind of magic did he wield? His voice, the way he talked, everything about him seemed so familiar.

  Cris gave me a knowing smile; he turned in his seat, dropping the conversation as the teacher walked into the class room. To say he confused me was an understatement. With Cris, I was starting to realize that up could also be down and being good could really mean something totally opposite. After the class was over, I shot out of my seat, not wanting to wait for Cris. Besides, I was on a mission. I had to find Paco and ask him to give Tru’s grandfather a message. That thought sounded a little foreboding, but I shook my head and tread it on. I shot Nikko a sidelong glance. He was calm, smiling, and walking beside me all carefree-like.

  Ironically, I thought, I'm just like the Traveller. I, too, had a follower-Nikko.

  I sighed, “You know, you don't have to follow me if you don’t want to! I mean… is there something else you would rather be doing?”

  Nikko gave me a baffled look. “Oh, believe me, there’s tons of things I would love to be doing right now. One would be talking to my mom, but seeing as I’m dead, I have no choice. So following you is the most fun I can have right now. ”

  My heart sank. I felt so guilty after he said that. Logically, I knew he didn’t mean it to be hurtful, but it did. It hurt because he was right. I made him this way. I made him a ghost of magic, and I had to deal with the consequences.

  I, feeling like crap, stopped dead and turned to him. “I’m sorry, Nikko. I didn’t mean anything by that.”

  Nikko shook his head and gave me a sheepish grin, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets. He shrugged. “It’s all good, babe. I was being a drama queen.” He laughed, throwing his head back and nudging me with his elbow. “Besides, you are a very entertaining person. How did I not know this before?” He shook his head mockingly.

  I shrugged and said, “I know, right? Everyone should know how entertaining and awesome I am.”

  Just like that, we were back to being us again. We both turned and started back to find Paco.

  “So, Charlie, where are we going?” Nikko asked.

  I shot him a glance and shrugged. “I need to speak to Paco or Jolon. It doesn't matter who, but I need to speak to one of them.”

  “O-kay,” Nikko said, drawing out the word. “And why do you need to speak to one of them?”

  I coughed, “You’ll find out soon enough.” I said, leaving it at that because I didn’t want him to know, not just yet. I was afraid, once he found out why I needed to speak to Paco, he might have some objections. I, myself, was afraid of how the conversation with Tru’s grandfather would turn out.

  Here’s to hoping for the best.

  Chapter Eleven

  Charlie

  We pulled up to the reservation. I was a little worried about going alone, so I had Jace and Nikko with me. Not a bad combination. Yet, Paco said Tru wouldn’t be there so there was no need for me to worry. I couldn't shake the anxiety, so I just hoped he was right. Besides, after our argument and him going all feral on me, I was afraid bringing Jace was not the best idea. But then again, when I told Jace what I was doing, he insisted on coming, and you know it can never hurt to have a little bit of backup. We walked up to the tiny community. The air was still, so quiet that you could hear gravel crunching under our feet. I gazed around, taking in the wooded fortress and its small buildings with a wary eye. I had a sinking feeling that I was walking into a trap. My muscles, veins, and nerves were jumping viciously inside my body. Perhaps this foreboding feeling was my own unease.

  Jace whispered out of the corner of his mouth, “Are you sure you want to do this, Fox? I mean, do you really have to find out?”

  I gave him a glare, shook my head, and snarled, “Yes! Besides, Jace, wouldn’t you want to know the truth?”

  Nikko chimed in, “Ok, we are all on the same side, so let’s just get Charlie through this.”

  Jace muttered his apology as we walked into a now open space where dozens of tribe members were gathered, some in wolf form. I was starting to freak out. Did they not care that I could be bringing someone other than myself with me? Did they not want to hide their supernatural ability? Some were snarling and growling at me. I noticed their eyes were glowing, fixed on me with a vicious accuracy. An overwhelming sense of sinister rage washed over me. I kept my head down and trudged forward. Please don’t eat me! Please don’t eat me! Please don’t eat me! I feel like a sheep among wolves!

  I felt like my body was about to implode. My heart pounded, and I just knew, any second, I was going to turn and run. Fearing a sudden movement may trigger an attack, I sucked in a deep breath, trying desperately to calm down. Just be rational, Charlie. These people won’t hurt you. Ha! Yeah, right! You thought the same thing about Tru. After several deep breaths, I looked around, focusing solely on my surroundings and not on all the eyes staring back at me. The reservation was beautiful. In the middle of their massive land was a fire pit with cobblestone rocks set up as makeshift seating. I looked at one of the seats and remembered that was where I sat when Tru received his wolf. I shuddered inwardly thinking back to that time. Thinking how I thought I was going to die that night, and look at me now thinking the same exact thing.

  “Welcome child.” Tru’s grandfather, Kamal, greeted me.

  I started to smile at the huge man who always seemed so nice but intimidating; however, as soon as the smile started, Tru stepped out from behind his grandfather. Promptly, my smile diminished. I clenched my hands into fists, wanting now, more than anything, to just go home. I didn’t think Tru would be here. My eyes darted around the space, trying to find P-J or Z, but they were nowhere. I was sure they were here just not anywhere I could see.

  Yeah, they were in so much trouble. Why didn't they warn me? Ugh!

  I glanced upward. I was about to speak, but before I could, Tru, my beautiful Tru, chimed in.

  “What the hell is he doing here?" Tru pointed at Jace, disgust rolling off him in waves.

  Jace made a move to step up beside me and take my hand, but I shook my head, not wanting Tru to get more upset than he already was.

  Jace muttered, "Fine, I'll be a good boy." He gave me a wink.

  Not helping at all, Jace! As long as Jace stays over there, Tru stays over here, Nikko remains hidden, all Casper-like and I keep my shields up so Asher will stay away, maybe no one will get hurt.

  Tru, ignoring Jace, continued. "It’s one thing for you to be here,” Tru sai
d, pointing at me viciously. “But now you bring him!? You have some nerve. Who do you think you are? Oh wait”-Tru held up one hand, stopping me from saying anything, even though I was speechless-“You think you’re something special, don’t you?” With every word he spoke, a piece of me splintered. “But you’re nothing. Not a damn thing! How does it feel to be you? Huh, Charlie? I would bet you-”

  But, before Tru could say another word, before Jace decided to step in, before Nikko became visible, and before my walls crumbled and Asher's voice covered my body like a warm silky blanket, Kamal interrupted him. I didn’t know how much more I could take. What words could he say to cut me any deeper? How much crueler could he be? My heart hurt. And it didn't matter what he was going to say next, but calling me “Charlie” might’ve been the cruelest thing. It was silly, really, to be this upset over my name when everything else he had done should have been equally painful, if not more. But I knew my Tru. He would have only called me “C” or “Charlize”, but never “Charlie”.

  This, however; wasn't my Tru. I didn't know who this boy before me, this beautiful boy with mean-evil-words dripping from his tongue was anymore. My mind was a wasteland, and it wasn’t rational for me to be more upset about this, but I was. It felt like my heart was breaking into one million pieces, and pretty soon, there would be nothing but an empty vessel.

  Kamal said, in his native tongue, “I forbid you to speak to her that way again. I do not know what’s wrong with you, but I will find out. She did not say a single word to you, Tru. You will be respectful. You were raised better than this, boy. Now leave.”