“How old was my mom when she first used magic?” Opal asked at last.
“She was five. It was shortly before that picture you found was taken. She was a natural, very gifted. She studied with our cousin, Lincoln Sanders.”
“He trained my mentor,” Mal said.
“He trained a lot of people,” Tanya said with a nod. “Even me, despite the fact that I couldn’t do magic. Father insisted that I go with my sister to lessons. He said it would be important to understand it all in case I one day had a child who had the gift.”
“Or a niece,” Opal said with a wan smile.
“As it turned out, yes.”
“If she was so good at it, what happened?” Opal asked.
“After her friend, Greg, was murdered, your mother stopped doing magic. I understood why, I respected it, but it killed me that she lost so much of what had been her. When she moved to Los Angeles I had hoped she’d get her spark back. I mean, if she never did magic again, that was fine, but I missed my sister. She was always so outgoing and vivacious. She never got that back, but she did meet and fall in love with your father. I thought maybe that would change things. At the very least I assumed she’d give him the opal necklace, our family’s stone.
“But she didn’t,” Opal said, reaching for the necklace and fingering the opal.
“No, she didn’t give him the opal because she refused to do the magic needed to give it the power to protect them both. I told her it was a mistake, but she was adamant.”
Tanya took a deep breath and then resumed. “Then, a couple years later, you were born. She became very afraid that you might be a magic user. She was obsessed. I tried to talk some sense into her, so did your father. She had forsaken magic and the thought that her daughter might have magic terrified her.”
“That’s when you got Lincoln to put the spell on the necklace and had her give it to me,” Opal filled in.
“Yes. It seemed to calm her down a bit, but then...then a couple months later she vanished.”
“That part I remember,” Opal said grimly.
Mal grabbed her hand and looked at her with such sorrow in his eyes. She forced a smile for his sake. “Who knows, though, maybe she is out there and now that I’m a magic user maybe I’ll be able to find her.”
“Well, first we have to find you a teacher,” Tanya said.
“I was planning on taking her to meet my teacher, Winston Sage.”
Tanya nodded. “Winston?”
“You know him?” Opal asked.
Tanya nodded. “I saw him several times at our cousin’s. Good magician. A bit eccentric, but she should be in good hands.”
Mal left after dinner. Tanya suggested and Opal agreed that it was a good idea that she stay home from school the next day. With her powers just manifesting and her emotions so raw it could be a dangerous combination. They both ended up going to bed as soon as Mal was gone.
They spent the next day scouring the house for every picture of Opal they could find. Once they had collected them all, they created a bonfire in the kitchen sink. As the pictures curled and turned to ash Opal couldn’t help but feel a wave of sorrow as they represented a life she was leaving behind. She then deleted every picture of her off her phone. When it was finished she couldn’t deny that she did feel different, not necessarily stronger, but freer.
“You okay?” Tanya asked when it was all over.
“I think so. It’s just a lot.”
“I know, sweetie,” Tanya said, giving her a quick hug.
“What’s next?”
“Well, you need to meet with Winston. Other than that, it’s time to get you a new wardrobe.”
“What’s wrong with my clothes?” Opal asked. It certainly wasn’t what she had expected her aunt to say. I’m sure they’re very stylish, but you’re an Apprentice now and until you get a hold on your new abilities you’re going to need some clothes that are a bit more...fire retardant.
Opal blinked at her in shock. “Like those sleepers for babies?”
“Yes, but a bit more heavy duty than that. Think the suits stuntmen wear in the movies.”
She stared at her aunt, waiting for the older woman to smile. She didn’t, though.
“You are joking, right?” she asked at last.
“I assure you I am quite serious.”
“But why?”
“New magic users tend to...set things on fire a lot.”
“Seriously?” Opal asked.
Tanya nodded. “For the first two years your mom was learning dad had a fire extinguisher in every room of the house. Which reminds me, I should pick up some for here.”
“I can’t even imagine clothes made out of some sort of fireproof cloth. They would be hideous. And where would you even find such a thing?” Opal asked.
“You’d be surprised at what you can buy in Salem, if you just know where to shop,” Tanya said with a wink.
Opal took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s go this weekend. I’d like to rest some more and then tomorrow night is the dance.”
“This weekend it is,” Tanya agreed.
As much as she didn’t want to Opal went to school on Friday. Everyone had no problem with the story that she’d had a cold. People were too busy buzzing about the dance that night to care about much else.
The other girls’ dates hadn’t wanted to share a limo with Mal and now Opal was just as glad. She wanted to hang out with her friends, but until she could get some training under her belt she felt very insecure about being around people who didn’t know what had happened to her.
To allay her own anxiety about that she let herself fixate on the dance as well. Hannah had some last minute drama since she had broken up with her boyfriend two days before. She already had a new date, though, and she insisted repeatedly that he was much cuter and a lot more fun. Opal wasn’t sure if the other girl actually believed that or was just putting on a brave face for everyone.
As soon as she got home from school she and her aunt had a quick dinner and then adjourned to the bathroom to work on Opal’s hair.
“Didn’t we just do this?” Opal joked.
“Yes, but dressing up is one of the joys of life, particularly when you’re young,” Tanya said.
At last, decked out in the dress she had bought shopping with the girls and with perfected hair and makeup she headed downstairs. She wasn’t in the mood to make the grand entrance, so she opened the door herself when Mal rang the bell.
He stepped inside and his eyes practically bulged out of his head. “You look amazing,” he said.
“Thank you. You look amazing, too.”
It was true. The tuxedo fit him very well. The suit the weekend before had been great but in the tux she realized he was the most handsome guy she’d ever seen.
“And this is for you,” he said, holding out a corsage box.
She could see through the clear top that it was made up of red roses. He passed his free hand slowly over it and the roses turned to deep blue with glittering rhinestones on them.
She gasped.
“Did I live up to the challenge?” he asked teasingly as he took it out of the box and slipped it on her wrist.
“Absolutely.”
“Okay, you two, let me get a...” Tanya drifted off with a frown and slowly lowered her phone. Opal thought she heard the older woman curse under her breath.
“I guess I’ll just have to take a mental picture,” she said with a frustrated sigh.
“Here, let me help,” Mal said, reaching out his hand toward her.
“How?” she asked curiously.
“I can give you a crystal clear memory. Truly a mental photograph that you can have for all time.”
“Wow, okay,” Tanya said, slowly reaching out and letting him take her hand.
“I didn’t know you could do that,” Opal said.
“I’m just full of surprises,” he said with a grin. “Now, face your aunt and smile,” he said as he slid his free arm around Opal’s waist.
&nbs
p; She squared off and smiled. It was weird, but she just pretended that her aunt was holding up a smart phone.
“Say cheese,” Tanya said with a smile.
“Cheese.”
Opal held the pose, waiting for Mal to tell her it was good. She stood, the huge grin starting to make her cheeks ache.
“Did you get it?” she asked at last, keeping her smile in place.
Only silence greeted her.
“Mal?”
Still no answer.
“Mal?”
She finally turned to look at him. Mal was gaping at Tanya, a look of horror on his face.
27
Opal looked back at her aunt who looked suddenly dazed and almost frozen in place.
“Mal, what’s wrong?” she demanded.
“Someone has altered her memories.”
“What? Who? Why? Which memories?”
“I’m trying to figure that out,” he said tersely. “Give me a minute.”
“Aunt Tanya,” Opal said, feeling panic surging through her.
“She can’t hear you at the moment.”
“Why?”
“I knocked her out in a fashion. I didn’t want her mind fighting me while I figure this out.”
“But-”
“Please, Opal, I need to concentrate. I’ll answer all of your questions later. I promise.”
She stood there, fear and uncertainty coursing through her. After another moment Mal let go of her waist and stepped closer to her aunt.
If someone tampered with her memories did they tamper with mine? Opal wondered.
Horrific scenarios started flooding her brain until she wanted to scream.
“Opal, please breathe,” Mal said quietly.
Finally with a gasp Mal stepped back.
Her aunt was still unmoving and Opal glanced anxiously from one to the other. “Well?” she asked finally.
He shook his head. “Whoever it was hid their tracks really well. All I could get was that it had something to do with her time in California, right around your father’s funeral.”
Opal felt something tighten in her chest. “What could it be? Who could have done this?”
“I don’t know, but I was afraid to push further, I didn’t want to hurt her.”
“We have to tell her. Maybe she can help us figure it out.”
He nodded. “That’s your call, but let’s not do it right now. I don’t want to upset her and then leave.”
“You’re right,” Opal said even though the thought of having to wait was galling.
“Okay. At least I put the picture in there so she won’t wonder what happened,” Mal said. He briefly touched Tanya’s hand.
She blinked and then shook her head slightly. “Wow, I can see a mental picture of the two of you. Thank you,” she said, smiling.
“It was the least I could do,” Mal said with a weak smile.
“Okay, let’s go,” Opal said, eager to leave before she felt compelled to tell her aunt what they’d discovered.
Once outside the house Mal apologized as he led her to his car. “I know you would have liked a limo, but this is a bit more secure.”
“It’s fine,” she said, much more concerned with her aunt.
Mal helped her into the car then went around and got in the driver’s seat. Seconds later they were on their way to the school.
“I’m scared knowing that someone did something to her,” Opal admitted.
“I don’t blame you,” he said. “There’s been a lot of things happening lately, seemingly random things, but I suspect a lot more of it is connected than we think.”
“I’m not sure if that’s comforting or not,” she said. “Any luck with finding the Tricksters that seem to have it in for us?”
“No, and I’ve been really trying,” he said grimly.
“I hate knowing that they’re out there, but not knowing where. I feel like I’m constantly on edge waiting for them to strike when I least expect it.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for dragging you into this world.”
“You didn’t drag me into it. Plus, apparently, I belong to this world, even if I didn’t know it.”
He took a deep breath. “I think tonight we both need to just relax and blow off some steam. I found out who the DJ is going to be and I’ve already bribed him to play several nice, slow songs we can dance to.”
“That sounds good,” she admitted, leaning her head back. “I could use a night off.”
“We both could. So, I declare tonight a night just for us.”
“You’ll get no objections from me.”
“I’m still trying to decide which dress I like better,” he said, glancing admiringly at her.
She smiled, pleased that she’d done so well with her choices. “Maybe I could wear one of them for the talent show,” she said.
He laughed. “Oh no, you’re not getting out of the skimpy outfit that easily.”
“Can’t blame a girl for trying,” she said.
“Don’t worry, I’ve been working out some ideas based on what we were coming up with in rehearsal. I think the least of your worries will be people talking about your skimpy costume.”
“Oh my. Should I be concerned?”
His grin was enormous. “Well, it was your idea to start some new rumors.”
Before she could respond to that they were pulling into the parking lot at school. Noise and light were already pouring out of the gymnasium. She could feel herself responding to it with excitement and what was almost a sense of relief. It was going to be nice to have a normal night, do normal high school things.
She walked into the dance on Mal’s arm, wearing a huge smile on her face. People around them turned and acknowledged them with nods and smiles. It made her feel good inside. It was the most normal she’d ever seen their classmates treat Mal. It looked like her friends had beaten them there. Hannah was already dancing with a guy who was considerably better looking than the guy she’d broken up with. She waved at Opal and pointed with a big grin to the new guy. Opal gave her a smile and a thumbs up.
“Hannah looks happy,” Mal noted.
“Yeah, that makes me glad.”
The song ended and the next one started, a slow, dreamy ballad. Mal led her to the dance floor and then pulled her into his arms and held her tight as they began to sway to the music. She leaned her head against him and breathed in his scent. She could feel a warm glow radiating throughout her and she closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation.
To her surprise the song was followed by a second slow one. That never happened at dances. “Just how much did you bribe the DJ?” she asked.
“Enough,” Mal said with a satisfied grin.
He spun her around the dance floor and then pulled her back into another tight embrace. She wanted to stay that way forever, forget about the world outside.
That was when everything exploded.
She heard the crackle of fire and a wave of heat hit her. It was so intense it felt like it sucked all the oxygen from her lungs. She panicked and latched on tighter to Mal who was spinning around, trying to see what was happening. People began to run, screaming from the building.
Not now, Opal thought in despair.
She turned her head and saw a man seemingly emerge from a wall of flames. She recognized him as Jonas, the man who had nearly killed Mal and who had been stalking her. Everything in her went white hot and then cold as rage and hatred settled in the pit of her stomach.
“I’ll kill him!” she hissed.
A man appeared out of the flames a step behind Jonas. She didn’t recognize him, but it was as though she could feel the evil radiating off of him.
“We’ve got more problems than just those two,” Mal said, voice tight.
She looked at him and saw that he was staring in the opposite direction. She turned to see what he was looking at. There on their other side was the man from the cemetery and the witch who had tried to kill her in the hospital parking lot.
“W
hat’s happening?” Opal shouted, the crackle of flames getting louder.
“An ambush. Get behind me,” he hissed.
Then she heard him inside her head. Don’t reveal that you have magic.
She was pretty sure whether or not she did was outside her control. Mal grabbed her arm and pulled her right behind him as he backed toward a wall so that he could get all four Tricksters in his sight at once.
Opal’s heart was racing and she was starting to sweat. It wasn’t fair. This was their night, her and Mal’s. She wanted to scream at the Tricksters to leave them alone.
“What do you want?” Mal bellowed, his voice louder than the crackling of the flames and filling the space.
“Your head,” the Trickster from the cemetery said evenly.
“And hers,” the old woman cackled.
Opal’s blood ran cold. This was her fight as much as Mal’s, but she didn’t know what to do, how to fight. She had been both afraid and excited at the thought of beginning her training and now she was regretting that the last two days had been wasted.
“Never going to happen,” Mal said. He was still backing toward an exit.
Hold on, she heard in her head.
He was going to teleport them out. She wrapped her arms around his waist. She could smell the lightning this time before she could see it beginning to swirl around them. In a second the blue was zipping all around. She squeezed tighter, waiting for the popping sound and the rush of wind.
Mal suddenly screamed in anguish as a bolt of green lightning seemed to shoot through him. Another of brown hit a moment later followed by an even darker colored one. In a flash the blue lightning disappeared and Mal staggered. She let go of him as he regained his balance.
“They’re keeping me here,” he shouted, his voice rough with panic. “We’re going to have to fight.”
Opal blinked, a fresh wave of terror coursing through as it registered that he’d included her in that. She didn’t know how, but she had to learn fast. “Tell me how!”
Mal threw his hand toward the ground and there was a sudden thick screen of smoke separating them from their attackers.
Now You See Me Page 25