Within a second, he lands on his furry back and stabs the mystic’s neck. He falls to the ground with Jared on top of him. The monster is wiggling around in pain. Jare gets off the mystic, pulling the knife out with his tiny teeth.
“Quickly, Liza. You have to be the one to vanquish him. Turn him over and press the knife in his heart.” I can’t think straight. A mystic is right in front of me, dying and writhing. “Pull yourself together and kill the damn mystic!”
“How do I…? I can’t!”
“Yes, you can! This is what you were born to do.”
Brandon’s image shifts back to the hip-hop dancer look he had before, only with a bloody neck. He grips the carpet and tries to move away, but Jared scratches his face with his sharp claws. I hold the knife in my hand and kick Brandon over, belly up. He glares up at me with his red eyes, aware of what I’m about to do.
I close my eyes as I fall down on his chest. I pierce the knife into him with a yelp. His bones crack my knife’s blade, causing the tips of my fingers to vibrate. Both Brandon and I scream, our voices combined an overwhelming sound.
“Quickly, now cut his head off. This is the only way to kill a shifter.” Jared leaps from the couch.
I slice the rest of the flesh from around his neck off. I can feel the skin ripping apart, I flinch from the vibrations around the handle. I feel a puff of wind brush against the tip of my nose. When I open my eyes, there’s no sign of Brandon.
He vanished.
“That was…” I start, unable to find the words.
“Freakin’ bad ass,” Dawn mutters from behind. She’s jittery and her chest is moving up and down as she bites on her bottom lip. She bumps against the wall behind her. I stand up and turn around to get a closer look at my best friend.
“It was a mystic, a shifter that changes into an animal. He was a wolf.”
“Oh my God, I knew something was up with him. He was so hefty and just…odd. He really wanted to get down to the second stage so early.” Her eyes grow wider when she realizes that she almost did something awful with a strange creature. “Oh my God, talk about bestiality.” We both shudder at the disgusting thoughts running through our minds.
I drop my knife on the ground. Dawn is still shaking, her breathing out of control. She pushes her back against the wall behind her. Her mouth parts and she fixes her hair nervously. She glances at the knife on the floor. I start to walk toward her, but she puts her hand up.
“I’m sorry, just…don’t come any closer to me. I need to get myself together,” she says. She covers her mouth for a moment, probably in an attempt to manage her breathing. “I-I just don’t know what to say or how I’m feeling right now.”
“Dawn, Eliza is a witch. You know this much. Along with witches are mystics who feed on human innocence. He was about to feed on yours, but then he met a witch instead, who showed innocence.” Jared shoots an annoyed look at me.
“Are witches not innocent?” I say.
“Some. You’re going through a transformation, so you reek of innocence, which is why I’m hesitant about letting you go to that party alone.” He scratches his neck.
I place my hands on my hips and say, “What, exactly, is innocence?” I look at Dawn. “Because she’s far from it. She was upstairs with a guy, for God’s sake.”
Mystics and now innocence. I guess you really do learn things every day. This is my life, and now that I’m labeled as some mystic-killing freak, I’d better get ready for what’s to come, but how am I supposed to get ready when both Jared and Mom refuse to fill me in on what’s going on? Jared leaps on the couch’s arm and stares into my eyes.
“Innocence is what attracts corrupt mystics. That shifter we killed was corrupt. There’s pure and corrupt mystics. Pure ones don’t really feed on innocence because they don’t live in our world. They live in a place called Ellevil.”
I ignore the part about Ellevil, or however you’re supposed to say it. I’m glad to know that these nicer mystics are in a different place. Why are the corrupt ones running around, killing people? I guess that’s why witches come in handy. Maybe our job is to help our cities get rid of the mystical creatures that cause havoc.
“What, exactly, is this innocence?”
“I’m going to tell you if you would just shut up.” He switches his focus to Dawn and then back at me. “It’s when you show nothing but happiness. It’s when you’re carefree and very optimistic about things in life. You strive to be the very best at everything, no matter what brings you down. These are things that lure in mystics who wish to corrupt that.” He glances at our bookcase and then looks at the both of us.
He hops up on the couch. “That is what witches call innocence, and anyone can possess it. In this case, Eliza, you’re a new witch and you may not exactly have the trace of innocence on you just yet.” He walks to my purse, digs his little nose in my bag, and pulls out my broomstick with his mouth. He makes his way back over to us and drops the broomstick on the couch’s arm. “You can become corrupt much easier than an experienced witch.”
He places his paw on the button, causing the broomstick to resize. Slowly, he gazes at me. Dawn clears her throat. She steps in front of me and looks at Jared. I just want to know what I can do to get rid of this creepy trace of whatever that’s causing them to find me. Maybe I should shower about five times a day.
“I’m sure she’ll be all right, Jared. I mean, she killed a mystic!”
“With my help. She didn’t even want to kill him. She’s far from ready.”
“I was afraid! I didn’t know what to do. Give me some slack. I’m not like Mom.”
My dagger is on the ground. I pick it up, glancing at the thick blood from the shifter drip to the floor. I look around the room at all the mess the Mystic made. I pick the broomstick up from the couch and put it back inside my purse. I can’t believe one of these creatures was actually in my home, my safe haven. I wonder how many times I’ve been right next to a mystic and had no idea because of their human disguises.
“This is exactly why you’re not ready to take on a full crowd of people at a party, not with mystics out and about.” He looks at Dawn and walks to his cat bed. He moves it aside, revealing the same syringe-like object mom used on Dawn after the fight with the fairy. “Fix Dawn’s memories.”
“Oh my good dog! This is just like Men in Black. Please don’t erase my memories! I want to remember this so that if I ever get attacked again, I can help Eliza.”
Dawn seems so amused that all of this is happening. She almost died, for crying out loud, and now she wants to be even more a part of this messed up life I live. I don’t want her to ever get that close to death again.
“It’s too dangerous! You’re not a witch like her. You can’t kill mystics. Only she can,” Jared hisses.
“But…” she purses her lips. “Please?”
“Jared, I think she can be a good support for me when I’m attacked again. Maybe she can smack some sense into me, like you did?”
“You want to risk your friend’s life another time? I won’t be there to help you. I can’t always be there, Eliza. Nor can your mother.”
“I promise I won’t let a mystic hurt Dawn, ever! How can you say that?”
“I’m just saying what if, Eliza? What if?”
He’s clearly annoyed, but I can’t blame him. He’s afraid of losing the two people he’s supposed to be watching out for. Dawn is basically family now.
“I’m a witch, remember? I’m still learning and once I do, I won’t show mercy.”
Jared watches me carefully, his whiskers lowering. He looks at Dawn and then I slowly pick up the syringe, placing it back under his bed.
I wish I knew how to not show mercy. Fighting the wolf was somehow scarier than watching my mom vanquish the fairy. I’m still learning how to be a witch and the only way I can learn how is to let my instinct take over.
“I trust my instinct, Jared.”
He looks up at me, shocked at what I said. A sense of relax
ation falls within the condo. I think I made him feel a bit better about letting me go to the rave alone. I don’t want him to be at the rave with me. I need to prove that I can do things by myself during this transformation process.
***
“If you like him, then you like him. If you don’t, then you don’t.” She fixes her hair in her car’s mirror. “Live a little, girl.” She chuckles. “If Eric turns out to be a mystic, then kill his ass. You got this!”
I’m not sure about any of this right now. We zoom off onto the road and pull up to a store called Bad Kitty, its letters black and pink. I get the feeling this store is inappropriate. I guess Dawn’s more excited about this witch business than I am. She seems to be down for whatever might happen.
This is why she is my best friend. I love her too much for a mystic to get hold of her. This is the second time she’s pulled in a mystic. I can’t help but feel like she’s luring them in, even more than I am, because of innocence. According to what Jared told me, she probably reeks of innocence and is luring evil her way faster than we think, which, isn’t totally a bad thing. At the very least, it gives me something else to practice on.
If no one is going to take the time to teach me how to defend myself, I’m going to teach myself. I have my broomstick, which I can resize to a bigger size if I need to fight back. I also have my grimoire if I need more information about how to kill a mystic.
I think I’ll be just fine. I made it without my dad in my life. I think I can certainly learn to be a witch by myself.
Tightly, I hold onto the car door handle. I stare at the tinted windows of the store, squinting. I wrap my fingers around my broomstick, which is still in my purse. Too bad it wasn’t present when I vanquished that mystic back at home.
What’s the point of having a deadly weapon if I can’t active it? I look up at the dark grey sky. A storm is brewing once more. I pull my hoodie over my head and follow Dawn into the store. Dawn rambled about this store and my rave outfit the entire ride here.
She skips to the edge of the sidewalk. “Come on, slow poke,” she sings.
I close my door and catch up with her as she opens up the store.
“Hey, Katie!” Dawn says to the woman standing at the register. Obviously she’s been here more than once. She’s already developed a close relationship with the employees.
I look around the store, mesmerized. Sparkling strings dangle from the ceiling. Furry boots are lined up in a neat row along the black carpet. This is nothing like what I imagined the store to be like. Knowing Dawn, I thought it would be some sex toy store. I shudder at the thought.
I walk past a bunch of colorful skirts. Tops are scattered all around the store as well as skimpy bikinis. I trace the tips of my fingers across their faux material.
“Okay, so let’s start with your outfit.” Eliza points at me and then around the area.
“What’s up with all the fur? And the neon colors?”
“Silly bean, you’re in a rave store! Well, more like a go-go dancer store. It’s where they go to get their outfits,” she explains. “It’s supposed to be fun and colorful and vibrant.”
She puts her arms out just like how my mom does when she’s explaining something she’s interested in more than I would be. Dawn tosses a bunch of colorful outfits at me to try on.
In the fitting room, I stare at my awkward body. I’m not very skinny nor am I fat. I don’t know what I am. A little patch of fat flops out on my sides. I want to burn the pieces of fat. My body just doesn’t react whenever I tried to work out.
I slowly walk out of the fitting room and model for Dawn. She shakes her head and tosses me a different outfit to try on. After putting on the bikini, I look in the mirror and see that the bikini is light blue with baby pink lines, outlining the ends of the bikini.
Dawn opens the door, and her mouth completely drops.
“This one is so perfect for you!” she squeals, waving her hands in my face.
“I don’t know…Wearing something like this won’t help me not grab attention to myself,” I mumble.
I don’t want any unwanted attention.
“It’s fine,” she says. I bet she didn’t hear anything I said. Dawn is completely focused on making me go-go dancer material.
“I mean, you have the body. Your hair? Well…”
She throws her hands in my tangled mess, teasing it, trying to make it look decent as we both glance in the mirror.
“Well, you know, we’ll work on it.” She rolled her lips. “Shoes!” She exclaims. “I know the perfect ones.” While still looking at me, she screams, “Katie!”
“What’s up?” Katie says as she walks into the fitting room.
Dawn babbles on about shoes. Katie goes into the back room and Dawn skips behind her. A few minutes later, Dawn comes running back into the fitting room with big furry boots in her arms. They kind of look like a bigger version of UGG boots.
She smiles. “These are special. I had them on hold for me, but you need them.”
We purchase my items, then leave the store. Dawn skips to her car, and I look inside the bag I’m holding as I slowly make my way to the passenger door.
The clothes I tried on in the fitting room are completely out of my zone.
It’s out of my bubble. It’s different. It isn’t me.
It’s perfect.
Chapter 8
Jagged sharp rocks puncture my moist back. Air bubbles float toward the surface. I slowly blink. I’m completely covered in water. I wiggle my ankles, but they’re glued together.
I try to move my arms, but they’re locked tight. Seaweed slowly whips around my legs, keeping them captive. I try to breathe, but a single strap of slimy seaweed is covering my mouth.
It constricts my body and my heart beat slows down. I give up the fight to free myself. I close my eyes and let my life slip from my grip.
***
I wake up, breathing frantically and gasping for air. For a few seconds, it feels like I’m still trapped at the bottom of the ocean. I throw out my hands, tossing the covers onto the ground.
My eyes dart to my legs. I move them freely. They’re not glued tight. I touch my neck, eyes, and hair. I’m soaked in cold sweat. Jared jumps off of the shelf he was sitting on and lands at the foot of my bed. He places his paw on my knee.
These dreams are trying to kill me...
“It was a bad dream. You’re okay,” he mutters as his ear twitches.
“It was…a dream? Right, yeah, a dream.”
“You’re fine,” Jare murmurs as he leaps away.
Today is Saturday. I totally forgot that Dawn is picking me up to go to Virginia Beach at two. Since we’re super far from the beach, we decided to get on the road a bit early and then shop and eat during the day. I reach over Jare to grab my cell and check the time.
10:00 a.m
Even on weekends, I tend to wake up earlier than I expected I would. I can’t sleep in longer than I should because it feels like my whole day is already over. I lower my gaze at the cellphone in my hands and squint at its glared screen.
“Wow, I must’ve really been knocked out, huh?”
“I wish.”
“What?”
He blinks. “Huh?”
I roll my eyes and bend down to grab the grimoire Mom gave me to study from under my bed. I plop on my pillow, cross my legs, and open it. The dry pages flutter open and I skim for the Mystic section, where all the magical creatures are mentioned.
Eventually, I find it. Mystic is in bold letters at the top of the page. I read about faeries.
“In order to kill a fairy, you must resist temptation and kill both of its hearts. There’s one on the right and one on the left, right under the nipple. This must be done by a broomstick or a dagger. Do not breathe in a fairy’s scent. This scent will cause your emotions to numb and you will be seduced to your own death.”
“Well, that isn’t easy at all.” I remember that nightmare I kept having about the corrupt fairy. Its scent wa
s really strong and appealing. I don’t know how anyone can avoid such a smell.
11:30 a.m.
I turn the page and read about mermaids. I immediately think about Ariel from The Little Mermaid and laugh to myself. Grinning, I read the description underneath the title. There’s a note scribbled next to a picture.
Mermaids are beautiful creatures. They sing everything they say. This immediately draws in their prey as their singing is so lovely. Don’t underestimate a mermaid because they’re the most dangerous kind of mystic to face. They must be killed in the water. However, they are saltwater creatures. If you encounter one out of water, it seems throwing salt on one helps with vanquishing.
11:45 a.m
My heart instantly sinks. How can they be the most dangerous? Ariel did have a beautiful voice. I think about how her voice definitely hooked me to paying attention to the movie. Such beauty and voice, stolen only to kill her prince charming.
I look at the time on my cell phone. It seems like I was reading the book all day. All of these interesting facts and tips are from my great aunts and cousins. It feels like they’re all talking to me, helping me understand who I am and what I’m meant to be. Nothing in here explains the whole mystical assassin thing, though.
I got so caught up in learning about these mystics, I lost track of time. I slide the grimoire under my bed and dart into the bathroom. I look at my hair and figure I’ll try to fix it for once.
Grabbing a bottle of mousse, I spray the foam on my hand and lather my wild hair. My hair immediately gets wavy as it hardens. I walk out of the bathroom to grab the black Bad Kitty shopping bag. I pull out my furry outfit, take a deep breath, and strip in the bathroom.
1:30 p.m.
I hear a loud honk from outside. Dawn is a half hour early. I throw clothes out of my drawer until I find a tan cardigan with large, stitched jagged holes. My bikini definitely matches the cardigan. I smile.
Perfect for the beach.
Mystical (The Mystical Trilogy Book 1) Page 8