Mystical (The Mystical Trilogy Book 1)

by Michael Weekly

  “You knew about me listening to the discussion in the shop. You said that something has already begun.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “It’s because of the rose?”

  She nods her head.

  Before I can get anything else out, the door slams open, crashing against the wall. Flower pots fall to the ground and break. Miss Canary looks at me and then moves in a flash. I didn’t even realize she was beside me until she tugged my sleeve and forced me out of my seat. She leads me to the back door of the house.

  She’s very calm as her eyes glow a light green. I glance at the flowers and the forest atmosphere. It’s comforting. I watch her graceful movements. It takes me minute to realize what’s going on.

  Heavy footsteps run toward us. Miss Canary turns around. There, standing in the middle of the hallway, is the witch that saved me from the mermaids.

  His thick, slick black hair is on the side of his head. His lips are trembling angrily, and his thumb is hovering over the red button on his broomstick, which he’s holding firmly. He looks like he has one thing on his mind and that’s killing whatever gets in the way.

  As he runs toward me, his broomstick morphs into a silver whip. He waves it in the air toward us as Miss Canary quickly pushes me behind her.

  “Go now, Eliza!” She shouts.

  The whip slithers in the air, swinging at Miss Canary, and, with stunning flexibility, she bends backwards, dodging the whip just in time. My mouth drops. It’s as if her age doesn’t affect her at all. It was amazing.

  The witch runs toward Miss Canary, giving up on the whip method. He throws a blue tinted dagger, stabbing the wall next to her. He darts toward Miss Canary, throwing his fists in an attempt to punch her. Ducking below his punches, she elbows his stomach as he grunts and falls to the ground.

  “Go.” She demands.

  I start to back away slowly, bumping into the brown door behind me as I watch Miss Canary fight for her life. She protected me from him. I feel like I need to help her. Before I can do anything, Miss Canary runs to an open window and back flips out of the house with ease.

  The guy snaps his face toward me in anger. Within that moment, I yank the door open and run outside, tripping down the stairs. Forcing myself back up, I make my way to the backyard.

  There’s a forest behind Miss Canary’s house. The guy bumps into me, pushing me to the ground as he chases after her. Miss Canary flips into the forest with branches swallowing her as he follows her.

  Breathing frantically, I run back toward the front of the house. I notice I’m in my old neighborhood again. My phone is ringing in my purse back inside Miss Canary’s house. I fix the white tight dress I’m wearing and rush inside to get my purse only to see a letter on the coffee table.

  Thanks for the rose.

  Christian.

  I place the note into my purse and rush out of the house, almost tripping on the steps. I hold onto the rail to stop myself from falling. Miss Canary’s door is still open. I don’t think of closing it. I run across the street, toward my mother’s home. I see a white cat on the steps in front of the house.

  I glance up, noticing that it’s Jared. He ran away that day when I told him that Mom has been going to the evil place he doesn’t want me to name. Jared seems to be waiting for someone until he meets my eyes. His fur rises from being shocked. I guess he didn’t think I’d be visiting back home anytime soon.

  I pull out my phone and call Dawn. She starts screaming something as soon as she answers, but the phone gets disconnected and turns off right away. I hit the glossy screen, trying to bring it back to life. Nothing is working. She’s probably freaking out because I kind of disappeared last night and left her in the club alone. I’ll have to call her back or see her as soon as I can.

  “Jared?” I say. He looks at me closely, like he still doesn’t believe it’s me talking to him. I walk to my brother, wondering why he’s here.

  “What’re you doing here? You know Dawn isn’t safe alone,” he says.

  “I’m pretty sure Dawn has her pepper spray at home to fight off any mystical boyfriend of hers.”

  “Go back home and stay away from this place,” he hisses.

  “You did not just hiss at me, Jare.”

  “I did too. I’m not playing around with you. It isn’t safe.”

  “I fell from a high staircase outside and I’m still alive. Markings are burning my skin, and you think a house like this isn’t safe for me?” I chuckle.

  “Yeah, about that…sorry. It’s just the transformation process. You’re gonna get marked. That’s just how things go, and they don’t come on too easily either.”

  “Ya think?” I take out my broomstick, “So why isn’t my own home safe?”

  I reach over him and he hisses once more. I glance down at him and wrap my palm around the door knob. It burns me immediately and I jerk my hand away from the knob in pain.

  “What the hell?”

  “Exactly. Go back home.”

  The real question that hasn’t been answered yet is why is Jared here in the first place? We’ve come so far in our relationship, now the one that we’re trying to build back up is crumbling back down. He was forced to lie to me about being my brother. Now he’s sneaking off back home and I’m confused.

  The door knob is heated. Could the house be burning inside?

  I glance up at the sky to see if there’s any smoke. There is none and I don’t smell a stench of dead flesh from the inside at all.

  Jared looks at me, then stares behind me as if he’s seen something. He turns to scratch at the door and then backs away slowly. He sniffles a cute little sneeze.

  “I have some business to take care of. Do you have—?”

  “Yes, Jare, I have my broomstick.”

  “Okay. Stay safe and get home safely,” Jared orders, darting to a nearby tree. He climbs up the bark and vanishes within the tree’s leaves.

  ***

  I walk to the nearest bus stop. On the way there, I take the battery out of my phone, shake it a little, and then click the parts of the phone back together. It lights back up. I hold out my cell phone.

  I check my apps as I walk down the sidewalk. Dawn calls me. She sounds just as panicked this time as she did when I called a half hour or so ago. She’s worried about where I’ve been and afraid I’m in trouble.

  “You didn’t call me back like you said!” Dawn says. “Girl, I’m so going to kill you myself.”

  “Trust me, I’m fine. Just needed to find some stuff out.”

  “You’re being reckless, hun.”

  The phone suddenly shuts off. Well, at least I got it to work for a little bit. I place the phone in my pocket.

  The bus stop is a few blocks ahead. The only thing I hear is the wind rustling the trees. I place my hands into the pockets of my jeans and calmly walk. Eventually, I get to the bus stop and wait quietly.

  It’s dark. The wind has stopped and the trees have become still. All the sounds have disappeared. Then, to my side, I hear steps on the tiny gravel. This new enhanced hearing is really starting to make me paranoid.

  I’m hearing almost everything, down to the slightest murmur. In my peripheral, I see a dark figure approaching me slowly. I grip my broomstick in my purse. My breathing slows.

  When will I get a break from these creatures?

  The figure is next to me, but I don’t think about looking up to it. I keep my eyes straight as I wait for the bus.

  I feel like something is about to happen. The predictive senses pinch within my head. I turn around, aiming my fist at the guy looking at me. He grabs my wrist instantly with the same reflex as mine. Familiar icy blue eyes stare down at me, and his markings begin to glow in the darkness surrounding us. First my mother’s markings were glowing and now his? What about mine?

  “You forgot this back at that elf’s house.” He hands me my dagger.

  I glance down and see my dagger in his hands. I take it and place the weapon in my bag. “Thanks,” I mut
ter. I wipe the tip of my nose and move my frizzy hair from in front of my eyes.

  “I didn’t think she’d respond like that,” I say. “Are they known to just run off into the woods?”

  “You really don’t know much about any of this, do you?”

  He looks up at me while he fixes his jacket. He doesn’t answer my question.

  “Kind of learning as I go.” My attention flicks to the road in front of us. The bus is approaching us slowly from a distance.

  “Here’s a tip. Stay out of my way. Don’t let being a rookie be the reason for me killing you.”

  I look up at him, shocked that he would say such a thing. The bus stops in front of me. Seconds later, the doors click open. My lips part at him. He looks away, seemingly uncomfortable about the whole situation.

  I tuck my dagger in the back of pocket and watch him walk away into the shadows. A sarcastic huff escapes my mouth as I roll my eyes and shake my head. I enter the bus and sit next to an old lady. I place my ear buds into my ears as the bus takes me home.

  ***

  I open the door to my house and walk in on a conversation between Dawn and Jare.

  “Jare, why are you wearing that? It makes you look—”

  “Gorgeous, please don’t flatter me,” Jared flirts.

  He is wearing some kind of cat outfit you’d buy for a pet from like a boutique store. I chuckle to myself. I’m still quite curious about why he ran off back to Mom’s place. I’ll find out the reason later, but right now I’m pretty tired from all that has happened. This new witch mark on my neck is still freezing and it’s making me drowsy.

  “Cat’s these days, talking ones at that! The life I live,” Dawn says, crossing her arms.

  “Yes, darling, I’m a cat. Would you like to pet me?” He licks his nose and purrs.

  “Jared!” I snap at him as I walk into the scene.

  “Okay, okay.” He leaps off the counter he was on. “Cat Blocker!” he mumbles as he runs out of the living room.

  I glance at Dawn. She tucks her hair behind her ear as she runs up to me and gives me a big hug.

  “Are you okay? I was so worried! I was executing the plan and…and…Stacy was gone when I turned around to look for you. I didn’t know what to do, because you were gone too!” She breathes, flopping her hands in the air.

  “David is a mystic. He’s a snake shifter and he was at the club that night. I think Stacy is one too and they had some sort of plan.”

  “Plan? What do you mean? Like plan to kill type of plan? Gotta elaborate here, Liz.”

  “All I remember is that the word is out about the rose being here.” I circle around the place, looking for anything unfamiliar. I furrow my eyebrows. “And that everyone knows about it.”

  “Everyone?”

  “I suppose other mystics. Dawn, things aren’t safe around here. I’ve been trying to tell you this.”

  “I’m ride or die. It’s all good, girl.”

  I tell Dawn about the fight I had with David fully formed as a snake and how I fell off the staircase only to land perfectly on the ground, unharmed. Her eyes grow wide and her hands fly up to her mouth. She slowly opens her mouth, as if she has something she wants to say. Suddenly, she snaps her mouth shut.

  “You know what? I’m not even going to ask.” She waves her hands in the air. I shrug.

  “Please, just, uhm, try to keep up with all that’s been happening,” I say. “I’m sorry again, Dawn.”

  “It’s okay, girl. You know I’m here for you. We got this.”

  I walk over to where my grimoire is and open it on the table next to us. As I flip the pages, Dawn walks to the side of me. She looks at the book, raising her fist.

  “So…what are we looking for?” She asks, determined to help me. I smile in relief.

  I skim through the many old pages, slowing down after I pass the Mystic page. I stop on Shifters.

  “This.” I slap my index finger on the picture in front of us. “This is what we’re looking for, Dawn.”

  “What the hell is, that?” she asks in disbelief.

  I tuck the lingering hairs hanging in front of my face behind my ear.

  “A shifter.” I trace my index finger over part of the description underneath the title.

  “One can only be turned if a corrupt shifter bites or scratches an innocent,” I recite to Dawn. “I saw David tonight with Stacy. Everyone knows that’s her boyfriend. He all of a sudden goes missing, only to turn up as a shifter.” I glance at Dawn.

  “That crazy…” Dawn covers her mouth from saying a bad word. “She was in our house!”

  “Exactly, but she was looking for the rose. We need to find out why both my mom and Stacy are so interested in finding it. I also think I know what it could be.”

  “And that is?” she wonders.

  I close the book and reposition myself so that I’m facing her.

  “Dawn, Stacy ordered David to kill me, and I’ve seen her eyes change to yellow more than once. She has to be the mystic who turned her own boyfriend.” I correct myself. “No, no, no, she is the mystic who turned him.”

  Dawn walks upstairs and disappears into her room. She comes out with the rose. “That means this is pretty special.”

  Her eyes wander around the room, landing on the grimoire. She looks like she’s deep in thought. I don’t want to touch the rose again, not after what happened when Jared gave it to me. I don’t want to feel the same burning pain again.

  “It most definitely is,” I reply, lifting my eyes up to her from the rose.

  I watch as Dawn twirls the glowing rose in between her fingers.

  Chapter 18

  David must’ve been bitten or scratched for him to be turned. There’s no way of proving it, but I already know he’s a mystic. His crazy girlfriend has a plan and I’m going to have to stop it before whatever is about to happen, happens. Dawn hands me the rose. I’m still puzzled as to why Miss Canary gave it to me in the first place.

  “We need to hide this somewhere safe before it falls into the wrong hands,” I say.

  Jared strides back into the living room, bouncing his way toward his bed. He stops to look at the rose and at the two of us. He knows something is up. That could be the reason why he went back to Mom’s place.

  “Jared, do you know about this rose?”

  He licks the tip of his nose and blinks his blue eyes at the scene we’re making. As I wait for him to answer me, I keep thinking about Stacy and her boyfriend.

  David was innocent. He resisted killing. I’ve been through a crap load of stuff, from saving my best friend from a fairy to my head being smashed against rocks underwater by mermaids, and none of those mystics were hesitant about trying to kill me, none at all.

  “All I have to say is just make sure a mystic doesn’t get it…”

  “You’re not telling me everything, Jare. You’re supposed to be helping. It seems like the only thing you’re doing is hiding stuff from me.”

  He steps back slowly. I sense he’s becoming nervous.

  “Why were you at Mom’s place?”

  Dawn notices that this is new information and she listens, focused on the cat in front of her.

  “Your mom is…I mean, our mom is having some complications and I was trying to help her out of it. She was inside the house, but I couldn’t enter.”

  “Why couldn’t you? Is she okay, Jare?”

  “From what I’ve been told, she’s fine, but I keep losing track of her.” Jared seems tired, and he’s limping.

  “Are you okay?” I glance down at his paws. He quickly coughs and hops into his bed.

  “I’m fine. Terese Canary is helping me trace Grace,” he says. The fact that he’s working with a mystic to track down our mom is weird because witches don’t work with mystics. We kill them.

  “She was in the club when I saw her. She must’ve left. The distance from where I live isn’t far from the club, but the distance from Mom’s house and here is pretty big. So how could she be in two pl
aces that quickly?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out myself,” Jared says.

  “That is…kind of weird, when you really think about it,” Dawn follows up.

  “Something must’ve been happening in that place. I need to go back to her house and see if Mom’s all right.”

  Jared hisses at my reckless plan.

  “You have to sort these things out before you jump into situations you are not aware of. I know you’re smarter than this. If your mom was in danger, I would have felt it. Witch instinct runs in the family, and I haven’t felt anything yet.”

  “You’re telling me I need to sit here and leave Mom in danger? You were sitting outside the house and didn’t even seem like you were at the least state of worry. How could you, Jare?”

  “Because I know more about these things then you will ever know.”

  “Well, maybe if someone cared to teach me anything, then I would know better.” I grab my purse. Dawn rushes to me and blocks the door.

  “Wait, wait, maybe your brother is right, Eliza. Maybe we’re just not ready for what’s to come? This could be, like…really dangerous, and I know pepper spray wouldn’t be enough for this.”

  I watch the two of them looking at me, worried, and I feel like I need to do something to release all the bottled up emotions. My lip hurts from me biting on it too hard.

  “You’re going to tell me why everyone is looking for this rose, Jared, and you’re going to tell me now.”

  He leaps onto a counter next to my side and says, “It’s a rare rose from Ellevil.”

  “What the hell is Ellevil?”

  Jared sighs. “It’s an elf kingdom. There are two others: Mervil and Faevil, the mermaid and fairy kingdoms.”

  “Why did she end up giving it to me at such a young age?”

  “I have no idea,” he says.

  “Well, we’re going to find out. I need to visit Miss Canary again.”

  Dawn places her hand on the top of my shoulder. “Can we do all of this tomorrow? I’m kind of beat.” She walks to her room and closes the door. Jared leaps off somewhere.