I lifted my eyebrows. “Vodka? They serve alcohol to minors here?”
“Nope. I buy the mix and add a little Chase flavor.” He smirked and pointed to the bulge in his back pocket which I assumed was a flask.
“Okay, how about some cranberry juice with the Chase special then?” I tried to act like this was normal. I actually had never had an alcoholic drink before, but I didn’t want to admit that to Chase. I wasn’t used to a guy being so friendly to me, and although it made my hands tremble slightly, it also made my insides warm.
Chase strolled over to the bar while Taylor and Jack started their own game of pool, entrenched in conversation and laughter. A mix of music rang out, and as I took a seat, I inhaled and exhaled deeply. For the first time in my life, I felt somewhat free—and then I remembered Aunt Eva.
I jumped up and ran outside telling Taylor I’d be right back. A wave of confusion crossed her face, so I held up my cell phone and said, “Aunt Eva.”
She nodded and pulled a face.
When I got outside, I saw there were three missed calls from home. Panicked, I dialed the number. On the first ring, Aunt Eva answered.
“Jewel!” she screamed into the phone so loudly I had to pull it away from my ear for a second.
I gave my head a shake and replaced the receiver to my ear. “Sorry, Aunt Eva. Cell phones aren’t allowed in the library. I had to put it on silent.”
She paused, as if considering my words. “Where’s Taylor?”
“She’s back in the library. I just stepped outside to call you.”
Aunt Eva inhaled a sharp breath. “Well, be home in an hour.”
I pressed the end button and even though I was relieved, I couldn’t help feeling irritated that Aunt Eva seemed to be taking over our house. I mean seriously, who the hell did she think she was anyway? And worse, it made me resent Mom for being so wimpy as to let her. Shaking my head, I went back inside where Chase stood looking dumbfounded holding a red drink.
He leaned against the pool table. “Something I said?”
I laughed and took the glass, gulping a mouthful to quench my sudden thirst. I tried not to wince at the strong flavor of the vodka as it burned going down my throat.
“Phone call,” I said, pounding my chest. I coughed and lifted the cup. “Thanks for the drink.”
“You’re beautiful, you know,” Chase said, taking me off guard. He reached out and took my hand. “And those eyes of yours…what color are they?”
“Bluish-gray,” I said, pushing my hair behind my ear. Chills tip-toed down my spine as his denim blues pierced mine.
“They remind me of the ocean.”
Nervously, I pulled my hand back and rubbed the back of my neck. I gulped down the remaining contents of my drink. What do I say to that? My face grew hot, until it felt like my cheeks would burst into flames. “I think you’ve had too much of that Chase special,” I finally said with a laugh.
“Okay, I’ll stop now,” he said, pushing away from the pool table.
“Sorry, Chase, I’m just not used to attention from such a—” I broke off, mouth open. Way to go, Spaz.
“A what?” he asked, turning and taking my hand again, his smile returning to his face.
Hottie. “N-nice guy,” I stammered. “And—and my life’s confusing right now,” I stammered.
A loud bang made me jump and I followed the sound to the stage at the back of the room. Roman looked up from his dropped amp and stared at me through the crowd. Behind him, another guy I assumed was the cousin Roman had mentioned, tuned up.
Retracting my hand from Chase, I waved at Roman.
“So, I’m the nice guy, huh? I guess bad boys are more your type then?” Chase asked, looking at Roman who had returned to setting up his equipment.
“It’s not like that,” I said, not liking how the conversation was going. I shook my head. “And Roman’s not a bad boy. He’s just my friend. Please don’t be mad.” I looked up into Chase’s eyes. I knew I shouldn’t even be there. I had bigger things to worry about like a biting snake-daggered book in my purse, my being a so-called Spectral—whatever that was—and people after me and my family at every turn. Why do I have to meet these boys now? Why do things have to be so complicated?
As if sensing my confusion, he sighed and hugged me. He felt warm against me, and goose bumps spread across my skin. I could feel his muscles tense against me as he breathed softly in my ear, the whisper of his breath tickling me. “Just be happy, True. I’ll be your friend or whatever you need. And your eyes are like the ocean.”
I hugged him back, grateful he was so cool and understanding. “Thanks, Chase.”
A loud twang sound came from the stage as Roman struck a chord on his guitar, startling everyone to attention.
“I gotta go,” Chase said. “See you at school on Monday.”
“You sure?” I reached for his arm as he walked away, worrying my lip between my teeth.
“Yeah. Take it easy. And I’m not leaving cause of him.” He ticked his head toward the stage. “I’ve got karate class.”
I watched him walk over to Jack giving him a fist bump, and then strolling out the door.
I hated being responsible for making him feel badly. I finished the last of my drink, grabbing the glass Chase left behind, downing that one too. By that time, my head was a little woozy. I made my way closer to the stage and listened as Roman’s cousin’s voice rang out in an amazing raspy tenor. Roman’s fingers moved swiftly along the guitar frets and I couldn’t help but think how sexy he looked standing there. The music vibrated the floorboards beneath me and through my body like waves crashing on the shore, carrying me out with the feeling of the tide. I imagined it took me to a faraway island, away from my mess of a life. As Roman played, he watched me sway to the music through wisps of his dark brown hair that hung down across his eyes. I mingled in the midst of several others who danced, carefree to the world.
They must have played for almost half an hour before they stopped to take a break. After a few moments of silence, a CD started playing. Softer notes carried across the room and the couples moved closer and slow danced together.
My stomach tied itself into a tight knot as Roman lay his guitar down and walked toward me.
I bit down on my lip. “You guys were awesome.”
“Hey there, little butterfly,” he said with a grin when he reached me. He held out his hand for me to dance with him. “May I?” he asked all proper like. His slight, but totally sexy accent, made me swoon.
“Um, sure.” I placed my hand in his and he drew me into him. Warmth radiated through his shirt and his familiar scent, ocean breeze mixed with cinnamon, tickled my nose. His lips twitched upward at the corners, and I imagined tracing my fingers across his mouth.
What’s wrong with me? Of course I’d had a few little crushes over the years, but this felt different. There was something about Roman that made me giddy whenever he was around.
He leaned down and whispered into my ear with a husky voice. “Were you drinking?”
“Just a little,” I said feeling my face flush hot. Then I added defensively, “It was the first real drink I ever had.” I didn’t want him to think I was reckless. Lightweight.
Roman leaned back to study me and his jaw relaxed. He pulled me against him again and thankfully he changed the topic. “Hey, thanks for coming.”
“No problem, I’m having a blast.” I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, and then wrapped my arms around his neck, entwining my hands behind him. He was a lot taller than me, so I stood on my tip-toes as he held me tightly. My shirt had shimmied up a bit, and I was totally aware of his warm hands against the bare skin on my lower back. His touch sent shivers down my spine.
We danced against each other, the music and neon lighting transforming our bodies into fluid rhythm. His toned chest through the soft fabric of his t-shirt and the gentle sway of his hips against mine was intoxicating.
I tried to gather my senses. “Where are you fro
m anyway?” I asked, realizing I didn’t know much about him.
“Italy originally. But I’ve been traveling around a bit.”
“Ah, that’s what it is.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your accent…I was wondering where you were from.”
He chuckled. “You’re the one who has an accent.”
“Touché…and I guess we have more in common than we first thought, huh?”
Amusement warmed his eyes. “Oh yeah? You’re from Italy, too?”
“No, not that part. The traveling around part. My family’s like a pack of gypsies you could say,” I forced a half smile.
“True?” His voice rose at the end of my name softly as he tilted my head up towards him.
I willed my eyes to stay focused on his as my heart rate climbed. “Yeah?” I asked, secretly hoping he would ask to kiss me, my eyes beginning to linger on his lips. I couldn’t tell if it was just the alcohol, or his total hotness that was making me swoon. Probably a combination of both.
“You’re not safe here.”
It took a second. I stared at his lips, watching the words form, then slowly they connected in my brain.
Wait. What?
Heart hammering, my eyes darted around the room. Taylor sipped soda while playing pool with Jack. A few people sat around chatting. Couples danced happily around us.
“Here?” I asked. “Looks pretty innocent to me.”
“No, not here, here. I mean in Pomona Park.”
A chill trickled through my veins. Crap. What does he know about me? I dropped my hands by my sides. Roman kept his arms around my waist. I narrowed my eyes, brows furrowing in the middle. “Why would you say that?”
“Let’s just say I know things and I care about you.”
Dread crept over me.
I looked over my shoulder trying to catch Taylor’s attention. Of course she ignored me, wrapped up in the male attention around her. I snapped my eyes back at him. “What could you possibly know about me? We just met.”
“Listen, I’m not trying to scare you. I just want to keep you safe. I’m your guardian, Jewel.” He reached down and took my hands, but I jerked them away.
Icicles plummeted down the back of my spine. “Wh-what did you just call me?” I looked back at Taylor again. She’d finally noticed me and now headed in our direction.
Roman slid an arm around my waist, pulling me closer. With his other hand, he made a big circular motion. Around us a filmy substance took shape. I pressed against the barrier, but its pliable force field sprung back. My jaw dropped. We were inside an enormous bubble like the kind I played with as a kid. I used to wish I’d be carried away with those bubbles—now I just wanted to escape from one. The sound of the music muffled as though we were under water and everyone in the room solidified, still as statues. My heart pounded. “What’s going on?” I asked, my throat growing tight. “Did someone send you here after me?”
“Well, yes,” he said, and my gaze snapped to him. He had the good sense to wince. “We’ve been trying to find you for a long time.”
“We’ve been trying?” I clasped my hand over my mouth, my mind racing. “Oh my God, oh my God,” I cried. “You’re gonna kill me, aren’t you?”
Roman frowned. “Jewel, what are you talking about?”
“Stop calling me that!” I shoved against the bubble again, harder this time, but its thick, gooey plasma held firm.
I was trapped.
“Well it’s your name, isn’t it?” He reached his arm toward me, but I batted it away. “Just listen to me a minute, will you?” he pleaded. “I’m not here to hurt you. I’m only here to help you. You’re in danger, Jewel—True, whatever you want me to call you. Things aren’t what they seem. I’ve been looking for you a long time.” He paused. “I’m your assigned guardian and I’ll do whatever you ask of me.”
“Are you with the mob?” I asked.
He twisted his eyebrows and shook his head. “The mob?”
“Wait—did you say you’ll do whatever I ask of you?”
He looked at me and groaned. “Yes. That’s what I said.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Then let me go right now.”
His face looked pained. “I just want to help—”
“Right now!”
The bubble popped and I stumbled backwards. The music grew loud again. Everyone resumed moving as if nothing had happened.
Taylor placed her hand on my back. “Hey, girl, you okay?”
My heart thundered in my ears, threatening to explode. I stared trance-like at the space where Roman once stood, but he’d completely vanished with the bubble, like a breath of fog blown away by a harsh, sudden wind.
Chapter Nine
After getting the third degree from Aunt Eva about the day’s events and somehow answering her questions—or should I say, interrogation—to her satisfaction, I excused myself to my room. I closed and locked the door, pressing my head against it a minute. My shoulders slumped as if heavy buckets of rocks sat on them. I dropped my bag and slid to the floor beside my bed. Somehow that day I’d managed to find an alien-like book I wasn’t sure what to make of, hurt a great guy’s feelings, and discovered another was far more than I’d expected.
It was too much information to sort through. Roman had said he was my guardian. But what was he guarding me from? I brooded over how he could have created the bubble surrounding us—and then freeze everyone else—like a force field or something. I thought about all the running and moving my family had done for as long as I could remember. I both hoped and worried at the same time that maybe it was over now. One part of me hoped, yearned for a normal existence. The other part of me, the one that worried, fixated that normal wasn’t a word in my vocabulary and now that someone found us, perhaps only the worst was yet to come.
I considered going downstairs and fessing up to my parents about what happened and then start the inevitable panic of packing and moving to some other isolated location. I didn’t know who Roman really was, and that scared me. Maybe taking off was a good idea after all.
But if Roman was part of my family’s tormenters, then why was I still alive and why did he let me go? If he were there to hurt me, he had every opportunity to, but didn’t. Besides, if I told my parents and we took off I’d still never know anything. They sure as hell wouldn’t tell me. I wondered what kind of magic he pulled off. It was like he conjured a kind of spell or something. Conjuration…I bolted upright. I remembered reading the same word from the odd book on ancient witchcraft.
My eyes shifted to my bag beside me on the floor. My stomach lurched as I reached for it and carefully lifted the flap, peering inside. The old book sat there, unmoving. I reached in, jerked it out, and tossed it onto the floor. Nothing. I sighed with relief. The snake coiled around the dagger looked as cheap and harmless as a dollar store trinket.
When I opened the crumbling book, I fanned through the decaying pages and an odor crept into my nostrils like smog off a swamp. The thought of what I’d find written on the pages electrified me. Both exciting and terrifying at the same time—like going down a roller coaster. I took a deep breath. On several pages were drawings. People sat around a table holding hands, glowing spheres, and caldrons emitting steam surrounded them. Typical folklore stuff. But then, as one page fanned by, I caught a glimpse of a girl holding a golden dagger.
A girl. Holding a dagger. With a snake on it.
I slammed the book shut, needing air. I rushed to my window and opened it, inhaling deeply, trying unsuccessfully to slow my heart rate. The backyard bloomed full of lush trees and an orange tree showed the promise of yielding tons of fruit soon. I knew I wouldn’t be around to see them grow. I could only imagine what it would be like to pick an orange from this yard. What I wouldn’t give for just one day of normalcy. But that wasn’t my life. I wound the handle on the window, closing it.
I glanced back at the book and balled my hands into fists. I didn’t want to live in denial any more.
My parents had subjected me to a shroud of naivety my whole life.
I dropped to my knees in front of the book, scanning through the pages until I found the one with the girl holding the snake dagger again. My hands trembled but I kept it open. The girl’s raven colored hair hung around her shoulders as she held the golden dagger above her head, pointing it up to a dark and star-filled sky. Encircling her stood a large group of intense looking people holding hands. A lightning bolt shot from the sky onto the pointed blade of the dagger, and the girl stared directly ahead as if through the page.
Straight at me.
My heart raced, pulsating in my ears, but I gripped my hands on the book tighter as I read the words written below the picture.
Once in every one thousand years, a celestial event occurs. A child is born during a total lunar eclipse that happens to coincide with the full moon of the summer solstice. This child will bear an identifying mark.
I swallowed. Hard. I was born during that unusual occurrence. I’d heard about it my whole life. My gaze leapt back down to the page.
Upon quickening on the child’s seventeenth birthday at midnight, this child will become a witch. Henceforth, said witch will inhabit all endowments of each member in the coven and any witch thereafter who dares attempt to use their powers against her. Consequently, such event begets becoming the most powerful witch of the millennium.
I pinched my eyes tight, feeling my heart racing again. I shuddered but re-opened them and continued.
Furthermore, the witch will enhance the endowment of each member of the coven, bringing immense power and blessings to the coven overall. This witch is so named the Spectral.
Wait a second here. My throat went dry and I drew in a ragged breath. I’m a witch? I didn’t know how that was possible when I felt so powerless against everything in my life. My mind raced, and I recalled that according to the book I wasn’t a witch until my seventeenth birthday at midnight. Midnight—right. Seriously though, it was like all the oddest things always happened at the scariest time of day. Until then, I figured I’d be a pre-witch or an almost witch.
A knock sounded at my door, and the doorknob twisted. I shoved the book under my bed, thankful I’d remembered to lock the door.
Spectral Page 5