The darkness in the room seemed to grow, and I became gripped with fear… and dread. “Claire? Can you hear me?”
She didn’t answer. I didn’t really expect her to because she seemed really into whatever she was doing, but I tried again. “Claire? You need to stop this. Something isn’t right. I have a really bad feeling, and will you please open your eyes so I can see?”
She stopped chanting and took a deep breath. “Shut up, you vile demon. I know you don’t want to be cast out, but it will happen nevertheless. So stop talking.”
Figuratively, I took a step back. She thought I was evil? Couldn’t she feel the ambiance she had created? Was she so far gone that it didn’t touch her? There was nothing I could do but wait and watch, my mind filled with doubt. But I couldn’t think like that. I had to have faith. I had to have hope. I couldn’t lose those qualities that made me a good guardian.
After a few minutes of chanting, Claire took the vial from the flame and held it with her metal clasp, pouring it into an antique pewter cup that was etched with strange markings around the outside. There was one rune I recognized. I remembered seeing it with a bunch of other unrecognizable symbols in the Book of Death that Lamia had read from so long ago, but I didn’t know what it signified.
An icy chill slithered through me at the recognition, and the memory of that night came back in full color. The terrifying sacrifice, how they had murdered Brecken, how they probably would have murdered my brother. I needed to do something before this went any further.
“Claire. Seriously. You need to stop. There’s a bad feeling here, and I have experience with this sort of—”
“Will you shut up? I can’t concentrate with you yammering inside my head!”
Her outburst silenced me… but for only a moment, because I realized if I could disrupt her concentration, maybe I could stop whatever she was about to do. However, instead of continuing her chant, she picked up the pewter cup and drank the entire contents down.
Just like that.
Even though I was not in control of her physical movements, I still tasted the vile, feces-like potion that slid down our collective throat. Not that I’d ever eaten poop, but this was how I imagined it tasting.
Nothing happened at first, and I heaved a sigh of relief. Good. It didn’t work. But then, after a moment, I felt something begin to burn deep in our belly. An ache that turned into a terrible cramp, like I’d eaten something really bad, and then the feeling morphed into excruciating pain and Claire doubled over, sweat beading our brow.
I felt everything she did.
And it felt like I was dying. Up and down the length of our body, molten lava—like a flooding, volcanic river—coursed through our veins. I begged God to let me die. Claire’s breath hitched as she gasped for air. Tears poured from her eyes. Razor blades sliced through her esophagus with each breath we took. I pulled back with all my might, trying to detach from this body, from this agony. If there was anything in the world that could make me leave, it was this noxious poison she’d purposefully ingested.
Try as I might though, I couldn’t escape. I resorted to imploring Raphael, Gram, and even Natty, to set me free, to release me from this torment, which seemed to go on forever. But I remained. I remained, enduring the entirety of this torture.
After an indeterminate amount of time—which felt eternal—we lay on the floor, Claire’s mouth against the chill cement floor as she gasped for air. She didn’t even care that it was dirty and neither did I. It just felt so good to have cold oxygen filling Claire’s lungs. The pain had retreated to a manageable degree, which was still terrible, but nowhere near what it was. Claire gripped her belly, and I yearned to make her grip it tighter, but she began to relax, and I realized it was almost over.
I didn’t talk. I couldn’t. Inside her mind, I was spent, and if I were to hazard a guess, I’d say nearly dead.
She began to cry. “It didn’t work.” Tears fell from Claire’s eyes. Not tears from pain, but from acute failure. I felt her disappointment as though it were my own. “I can’t believe it.” She wiped her mouth and rolled over, the tears sliding down the sides of her face and into her hair. “This spell should have driven out any kind of demon.”
“I told you, I’m not a demon. And I’m not ready to die.”
“You’re already dead,” she howled. “And the spell isn’t supposed to kill you, just kick you out.” She rolled over the other way, brought her knees to her chest, and cried. I almost felt sorry for her, but what she’d done to us… she had to have known she would feel it too.
“Don’t worry,” I said to reassure her. “It will all work out. I’m not supposed to be here, so I’m sure someone will come to help.”
She shook her head slowly as she lay there on the old, mussed blankets. “No. I did this. I called you here… on purpose. You can’t leave until I break the bond, the seal, or whatever it is, and I don’t know how to do that.”
24
~Obstacles~
Alisa
I was stunned, unable to even speak. I couldn’t get out of Claire’s body until she figured out how to do it? That couldn’t be right. I could be trapped in here forever! No. I would not accept this. I was done being passive. I’d been passive my whole life, and if there was one thing I’d learned from my experience guarding Brecken, it was that I was strong!
Concentrating, I pictured myself plowing my way through Claire’s mind to stand forefront at the helm, controlling our body. It didn’t work. Nothing ever seemed to work for me the first time.
Not wanting to wait a second longer, I jumped to where it seemed brightest in Claire’s mind, bursting through the barriers she had put up. I didn’t even realize I was in control until I made our body stand. She screamed out and a blinding headache bloomed, but I gritted my teeth and pushed past it. Stumbling up the stairs to the kitchen, I kept one arm wrapped around my belly. I felt like I’d thrown up all night.
I pushed through the front door. The sun was barely climbing above the hills to the east, and a pink flush breathed into the valley. It was so beautiful that I stopped in amazement to soak it in, feeling even more motivated to fix this mess. There was a reason for everything. A purpose for everything.
After a moment of inhaling the fresh, moist air my heart rate slowed, my breathing evened out, and my headache began to dissipate. I was feeling very zen by the time I got back to Claire’s bedroom, all the while listening to her curse and rail against me.
I showered and quietly ate breakfast as Claire’s shrieks continued. Her mom commented about the day’s coming events and she reminded me she wouldn’t be home until late that night. I nodded, but didn’t say much. I was trying to focus. Once I was out of the door, I finally let loose.
“Be quiet!” My hands covered my ears even though her voice was inside my head. “You’re so annoying!”
“I don’t care,” she yelled back. “This is my body! You have no right to do this! Get out!”
I was so glad no one else could hear her, and I wished I couldn’t either. What I wouldn’t have given to be back in Elysium, basking in its beauty and peacefulness. How I wished I could talk with Natty or Gram. I didn’t realize until that very moment how lucky I’d been to be up there at all, that I’d been given a second chance. How I wished I could go back right now. Why was it that I never appreciated where I was in life until I wasn’t there anymore?
“You okay?” a voice said from behind me.
I whirled around to see that really cute guy from across the street. The one who could kiss like… well, incredibly. “Um…”
“Jamie!” Claire breathed inside our head.
Relief. Now I knew his name. “Um, Jamie?”
“Yeah?” He frowned. “I heard you yell. You look like you have a headache. I can run home and grab some—”
“No! It’s fine.” I tried to sound reassuring as I patted his arm. “Really.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I’m sure.” I felt a blush creep up Claire’s creamy-whit
e neck to her face.
“Hey,” he said more cheerfully. “Can I get a ride with you to school? I was trying to catch you early… before you left.”
“No,” Claire said inside our mind. “You and I have things to talk about, demon.”
“Sure!” I told him as I clicked the remote to unlock the doors. Before Claire could respond, we were in her car and out of the driveway. I babbled, trying to drown out her majorly irritating voice. I didn’t even realize what I was doing until Jamie said, “Where are you going? School’s that way.” He pointed south.
“Huh?” Oh no. I’d missed the turn. I was headed to Ocean Side High. Not Hill Valley High. Oops.
“Claire,” he said, laughing. “Are you trying to ditch school? I could if you want, but I have a ton of important classes.”
Cute and smart. Lucky Claire. “Oh, right. I was daydreaming.” I flipped a U-turn and turned back. My mind raced through ways to get rid of Jamie once we got there, but before I could say anything, he slammed me with, “So, did you study for the test in first period? You better have since you’ve missed the last few days of school. Were you sick? You didn’t seem sick last night,” he said, a silly slyness in his voice.
I glanced over at him, and he was smiling so big, so cheery, so boy next door. I couldn’t help but smile back. He was so nice. A really good guy.
Claire had been silent since my U-turn, but she picked this moment to pipe up. “Where were you going before you turned around?”
I ignored her. “Let’s not worry about that. So, Jamie, tell me more about you.”
He laughed and shook his head, glancing out of the window, but his gaze came back, like he couldn’t get enough of me. I loved that feeling… at least when Brecken looked at me that way. I blushed when Jamie met my gaze, because I knew that expression. He liked Claire—a lot. More than a lot.
“You already know everything about me. We’ve known each other since kindergarten.”
“Yes, I do,” Claire answered.
“Well,” I said, “tell me something I don’t know.” I gave him a smile I knew he couldn’t resist.
“Stop leading him on!” Claire said. “I don’t like him that way.”
Uh oh. She was going to be pissed when I told her about the passionate kiss they’d shared last night. “Well, you should!” I answered back, annoyed.
“I should?” Jamie’s eyebrows pulled together, and he cocked his head to the side. “Okay, well, my biggest secret is out. I don’t have to tell you that now…” He looked away, bashful, blushing.
“What?” Claire screamed. “What is he talking about?”
I just drove… and smiled.
25
~New Instructions~
Alisa
Claire didn’t shut up the rest of the way to school, and it was nearly impossible to concentrate on driving, let alone concentrate on Jamie and answering him coherently. If I had to silently listen to Claire much longer, I swear I would kill myself… again.
She demanded I tell him the truth, that I cut him loose. She didn’t want to see him hurt. I thought she was stupid, and I would not ruin things between her and Jamie. She needed time to really think about it, and after that, she’d understand that they would make a great pair.
“I’m not going in,” I told Jamie as he opened his door. I didn’t have time for this nonsense, and I didn’t want to sit and explain it all to someone I hardly knew.
“What? Why?” His disappointment felt tangible. Guilt wrapped around me, trying to pull me out of the car just to make him happy.
With a sigh, I shook my head. “There’s something I have to do. It’s important.”
“What’s so important?” he said with a chuckle. “You’re going to be late, and you can’t miss a test.”
I could tell by the look on his face that the Claire he knew would never do something so incredulous.
“I have to see someone.”
“Who?”
“Jamie,” I said, frowning and frustrated. “I can’t talk about it right now.”
I left him standing there, stupefied, as I sped away like the hounds of hell were after me, and the funny thing was, it felt like they were. Claire’s voice continued to screech at me inside our head. I was going crazy. Really and truly. I understood now, how Brecken must have felt when people thought he was crazy, just because he’d admitted as a child that he could see and communicate with spirits. No wonder they forced pills down his throat.
While I was on the road to Ocean Side, a man suddenly appeared in the front seat beside me. It happened so fast I screamed bloody murder and adrenaline spiked to the tips of my fingers. I swerved, taking out a garbage can and narrowly missing a bicycler. The steering on Claire’s car was much looser than I was used to, and it took at least five seconds to get the car straightened out. By then, I had almost started to cry.
“Adam!” I screamed, my fingers still tingling. “You scared me half to death!”
“So sorry, Alisa, but it was imperative I speak with you.”
I glanced at him, feeling like there was too much caffeine in my veins. “Don’t ever do that again! You could have killed me… or Claire… or whatever!” I yelled, frightened.
“You are quite right. I’ll never appear so suddenly again. I truly am sorry. I’m still getting used to all of this. The administration side of things anyway.”
I took a deep, calming breath, trying not to be angry with him. “So you’re here because Claire and I can talk to each other now, right?”
“You can speak to one another?”
“You didn’t know?”
He heaved a heavy sigh. “No. We don’t keep such detailed tabs on guardians. There is too much to do.”
That seemed curious to me because Raphael always kept a detailed eye on everyone. In fact, everyone in Idir Shaol did. Not that there wasn’t any privacy, but everyone was so hard at work with the same goal—to save mankind and the world—that we were all focused on helping each other. Our whole existence was about bringing happiness, influencing good choices, and fighting against evil, but whatever. They had a new system now with new rules. I couldn’t keep comparing him to Raphael. It wasn’t fair to either of them.
“Well then,” I said. “What’s up?”
“Uh… I want you to perform a ceremony.”
“A ceremony?” I was kind of surprised because I’d never performed one before. Raphael was always in charge of that kind of thing. I didn’t know how to do them or what they were really even for.
“You’ll do fine. It’s easy and I’ll help you.”
“Okay. Cool, I guess.”
Claire had been quiet all this time, listening, and I kept waiting for her to interject. She did—right on cue, seemingly unconcerned about the strange man talking to us. At least, he should seem strange to her. She didn’t know him. “Ask him what kind of ceremony.”
I figured it couldn’t hurt, and I was curious too. “What kind of ceremony?”
He turned, excited, like he was about to share some deep, dark secret. His eyes lit up and his hands stretched out to pull me in with his fervor. “It’s a summoning ceremony. We’re trying to teach humans how to do it, so they can help in moving the work forward.”
“Huh.” This was way different from the way Raphael implemented things. Summoning sounded so… sinister to me, too black magic.
“It will be exciting, Alisa, and you will be a part of it. Center stage! You’ll learn and grow so much. You’ll be a powerful priestess.”
Yikes! I frowned, thinking of the women I knew who were priestesses. I didn’t know many. It took a long time to get there, a lot of experience, and you had to be a very good person, surpassing even an angel. Not even Gram was a priestess yet, but that was what she was working toward. I guess I was working for that also.
“I know summoning spells,” Claire said. “They aren’t hard, but I don’t know if I should try them with a demon inside of me.” She sounded like she was sulking.
Withou
t thinking, I said, “I’m not a demon, for the hundredth time!”
Adam glanced at me in surprise. “You’re… not a demon. I never said anything about demons.”
“Oh.” I laughed off my embarrassment, waving my hand in the air. “It’s nothing. Just Claire. She thinks I’m a demon. Stupid, right?”
“You can hear her right now?” He leaned toward me again, intrigued.
I nodded. “Yep.”
“Can you tell her something for me?”
“She can hear you. You can tell her yourself.”
“Right,” he said. Closing his eyes, he clasped his hands for a moment, thinking. “Claire?” He waited as though he expected her to speak, or less likely, that I’d let her speak.
“She can hear you,” I said again. Why didn’t he know this?
“Right. Claire, I know you study Elementalism, and that you are at the level of an apprentice. The worship of nature is a glorious practice and you have great potential in becoming a master. To help you move forward, we have allowed you to summon Alisa. I know her inhabiting your body wasn’t what you planned or wanted, but it is imperative that it be this way. You will soon learn why.”
“Tell him,” Claire said, “to prove that he is someone I can trust.”
She seemed paranoid, but whatever. I repeated what she said.
He thought for a moment, and then he said, “The fourth Blood Moon shall come to pass, and all creation will rejoice. The Masters of Ancient Wisdom will rise and all the world will be one at last.”
Claire was quiet for a moment, and I began to wonder if she’d heard him. His words didn’t have any significance to me, but what did I know about anything?
In a hushed voice, Claire said, “The sacred tokens shall be given.”
“What?” I asked, not sure I’d really even heard her.
Adam hurried to ask, “What did she say?”
He watched me, his gaze intense, but I kept my eyes mostly on the road. “She said the sacred tokens shall be given.”
He breathed a sigh, and then sat back against the seat. “That is right. I will be back tonight, for the ceremony. It will be just us three.”
The Elementalist Page 7