“I must say, it is a very good theory. After I read your paper, I couldn’t help wondering why no one else had thought of it. Which is why when the elders put you forward as the next candidate to be entrusted with the Heart Crystal, it was a unanimous vote.”
Greg’s eyes widened. He could hardly believe what she’d just said. “Wait, you want me to go in search for the next crystal keeper?”
She nodded. “We want you to test your theory. We have located a tear in the veil. We are sending you to the human world. This will be no easy task. Do you accept?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Good. You know how important it is that we find Freya’s heir. We have lived with this darkness for far too long. We need to put an end to it.”
Greg nodded. “I understand.” This was what they were doing about the shadow, which meant they didn’t have the power to stop it on their own.
“Very well.” Lady Gabrielle flicked her wrist. “You should go prepare for your journey. You shall be given the crystal before you depart.”
Greg bowed before leaving. His head spun. He’d gone to the meeting expecting the worst, but it had been the exact opposite. It was a great honour to be selected for such an important job. This was his chance to prove his capabilities. If he managed to succeed where so many had failed before, it would bring great honour. Maybe his father was more interested in what he did than he thought. He was the only person that could have shown his paper to the rest of the council. He’d never dreamed that writing that paper would lead to this. This was his chance to do something great. He was going to find the new keeper of the Heart Crystal.
Greg sat across from his father. Their carriage bounced along the bumpy pathways of the forest. He turned the crystal over in his hand. Such a simple stone, yet it held so much power, but only in the right hands. His father had barely looked at him the whole journey and had only spoken to acknowledge his existence when he entered the carriage. Greg had so many questions he wanted to ask. How had they found the tear? How had they acquired the human currency they’d given him? How were they so sure the humans on the other side spoke English? However, he knew his questions would be met with disdain. His father had never been fond of questions. Greg was meant to do what he was told without ever asking why.
The carriage drew to a halt. Greg tied the crystal round his neck and looked out his window. They were no longer in the forest but atop a cliff. In the distance, he could see the ocean. They couldn’t be too far away from the water nymph city. The carriage door swung open, and the footman bowed as he and his father got out.
“This way,” said his father, walking to the cliffside. Greg quickly followed. His father halted on the edge. He pointed at a narrow gap between the rock. “Down there.”
“Down there what?” Greg asked.
His father arched a brow. “The tear is down there. No person has ever crossed it. You will be the first. We’ve only used it for research purposes.”
“What sort of research?”
His father scowled at him. “That is not your concern. This is where we part ways. I put my reputation on the line recommending you for this job. Do not embarrass me.” His father turned and walked back the way they’d come.
Greg clenched his jaw. “Goodbye to you too.”
He had no idea how long he would be gone. He could be gone for years, and all his father could say was “Do not embarrass me.” He didn’t know what he’d expected. His father had never been the emotional type. Maybe “Good luck, son” or some sort of well wishes. Greg shook his head. What was he thinking? He was a disappointment until he proved otherwise. He repositioned his bag on his shoulder and pushed his way through the rock. It was a tight squeeze, but he made it through into a small cave.
There was nothing inside except a small pool of water. Was that the tear? Greg dipped his toe in the pool. Nothing happened. It would’ve been nice if someone had given him a bit more detail on what to do. What exactly did a tear in the veil look like? Greg walked round the cave, dragging his hand across the wall. As he came back to the edge of the pool, something on the wall behind it caught his eye. He tilted his head and squinted. The wall was somehow distorted. That was it. That was the tear.
Holding his bag above his head, he waded through the water to the other side. He put his hand on the back wall, and it disappeared. Greg gasped, pulling his hand back. He looked it over, then reached for the wall. Once again, his hand disappeared. A smile spread across his face. It was amazing. His hand was on the other side of the veil. Greg patted the crystal under his shirt and stepped through.
He landed with a thud. The smell of fresh cut grass invaded his nostrils. He stood, dusting himself off. All he could see for miles was grass and more grass. In the distance was what looked like rocks stacked to make a shape. This was the human world. It didn’t seem too bad, but where were all the humans? Greg stepped forward. Suddenly, a high-pitched alarm went off. The grass around him rapidly grew and snaked its way round his arms and legs. He tried to fight it, but it was too strong. Out of nowhere, three men appeared.
“What is this?” Greg yelled.
The older man, who was holding a stick, stepped forward. He was average height with brown skin and short, dark, greying curls. “Tell your dark lord all the royals are long gone. We don’t know how to find them. Leave the rest of us in peace.”
Greg struggled against his restraints. “My what? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
The man jabbed him with his stick. “You cannot fool us. Others have come looking before. Just because you’ve made yourself look human doesn’t mean we’ll fall for your master’s tricks.”
“Seriously, I have no idea what you’re talking about. My name is Greg. I was sent by the council to find the heir to the elf throne and deliver the Heart to them.”
“I knew you’d come looking for the royals. You think you can trick us by claiming the council sent you.” He turned to the group behind him. “Tighten his binds, and take him to the dungeon.”
The grass binds tightened around Greg as the other two men walked toward him. Why wouldn’t they listen? He had barely started his search, and it had already gone wrong. On the bright side, he appeared to have found a group of elves. They may not be who he was looking for, but they seemed to know something. The two men reached to pick him up by his arms and feet. He gritted his teeth. He was not getting locked up. They had the advantage of numbers, so he had to move quickly. Greg shifted into a small bird, and the vines fell away. The men shouted. Greg hovered beside one of them. As he turned toward him, Greg transformed back. He grabbed the man’s arm, flipping him over. The man yelled, and Greg flicked his wrist, trapping him with a barrier. Greg shifted into a mouse and scurried through the grass. He ran up the other man’s leg. The man shouted, trying to swat him away. These men were obviously not trained to fight like he was. Greg shifted back to human form, taking the man’s legs out from under him. Before he could stand, Greg flicked his wrist, trapping the man with another barrier. Greg walked toward the older man.
“You’re—you’re a changeling,” stammered the older man, pointing his stick at Greg.
“Yes, I am,” Greg said. “I don’t know of this dark lord you speak of. I was sent by the council to find the elves. You’re an elf, right?”
The man narrowed his eyes. “How can I be sure you are telling the truth?”
Greg pulled the crystal from round his neck and held it up for the man to see. “Because I have this.”
The man’s jaw dropped. “But that’s—how?”
Greg tied the crystal back round his neck. “Like I said, the council sent me to deliver the Heart to its keeper.”
The man lowered his stick. “My name is Daniel. I am acting leader of the elves. We have much to talk about.”
Mellissa
Screams echo around me. The ground is shaking. The ceiling has caved in. I look up at the night sky. The moon is full. A shiver shoots down my spine. A man hovers above me.
I cannot see his face, but I know he’s bad news. Every urge in my body tells me to run away, but I don’t. He lands in front of me with a boom. The ground under his feet cracks.
“Thing’s don’t have to be like this,” I shout.
He looks at me, his eyes dark and cold. There is no emotion in them. “You made your choice. Now you must live with it.”
He runs at me with some sort of shadow sword. Swirls of light come to my aid. We both take flight, and our battle continues midair. So much damage. Everything is in ruins. We are evenly matched. I can’t win. Dropping to the ground, I whisper to a tree. As he comes at me again, the tree begins to glow. Its branches reach out and pull him in. I whisper to the tree again. It stops glowing. He is gone, trapped inside the tree. I drop to my knees, clutching my side. There’s so much blood. I don’t remember getting hit.
“Then what happens?” Matt asked, clutching the edge of his seat.
I shrugged. “I usually wake up.”
“Seriously? What sort of ending is that? We need to know if you make it.”
“I can’t help it. It’s a weird dream, and I can’t get back to sleep once I wake up.”
Matt put his arm round me. “And that’s why you’re such a grumpy beast today?”
I pushed his arm off me. “I am not grumpy.”
“Then why are you refusing to help me with my essay?”
“It’s not my fault you left your homework till the last minute again.”
Matt was always doing this—leaving his homework until the last second and coming to me for help. I, like a kind-hearted fool, always helped him. Maybe I was part of the problem, not forcing him to do it himself. I crossed my arms. “Ever think maybe I’m just tired of bailing you out?”
“Come on, Mel. This is our whole relationship. You help me with homework. I set you up on a date with one of my buddies.”
“Except I don’t want to date any of your buddies.”
He rolled his eyes. “Can’t blame me for trying to make you more social. Plus, my mates are way better than the usual nerds you date.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I don’t like your sort of socialising. Ever consider I might want to date someone with at least half a brain?” Matt liked to hang out with a bunch of meatheads. We probably wouldn’t be friends if I hadn’t known him before he became so popular. The art of being popular was pretending to be something you’re not. Luckily, I knew the real Matt.
“How about I buy you some chocolate?” Matt asked.
“Fine, but I also want ice cream.”
“Deal.” He shook my hand. “Too bad our homework isn’t to write a story. I would totally steal your dream for that assignment.” His brow lowered as he rubbed his chin. “Hey, Mel, what do you know about the Great War?”
“The what war? Like World War I or II? I thought we were doing English, not history.”
He pulled a pen and paper out of his bag. “Never mind. What should I write?”
“I’m not telling you what to write. I’m just offering guidance. Anyway, I want payment up front. I can’t trust you not to do a runner.” I got up and walked out of the room.
Matt ran after me. “That was, like, one time, but fine, we can go to the shop first.”
I pulled on my boots and jacket. “More like every time a pretty girl bats her eyelids at you.”
“Not true. I am a very good friend. I can’t help if the majority of your gender finds me irresistible.”
I groaned. As soon as we left the house, I regretted not putting on a proper coat. The cold air pierced my skin. I stuck my hands in my pockets and pulled inward, trying to make my jacket cover more of my body. My mistake was looking at how Matt was dressed and thinking that meant it was warm. He was wearing surfer shorts and a T-shirt. He always looked like he was dressed for a trip to the beach and seemed to be immune to the cold.
As soon as we got to the supermarket, I headed straight to the clothing section in search of a hat and scarf. Matt followed. “We are in the wrong section for chocolate and ice cream,” he said. “I also want sweets. Lots of sweets.”
I picked up a few hats and tried them on. “I don’t want ice cream anymore. I want cookies and hot chocolate. How do you stand walking around like that in this cold?”
He shrugged, leaning against a clothing rack. “I’m just hot stuff.”
I shook my head. He never gave me a proper answer to that question. I didn’t know why I still bothered to ask. Pulling on another hat, I frowned at myself in the mirror. It wasn’t easy to find a hat that would fit over my wild curls. They pretty much had a life of their own. I pulled my hair out of the ponytail it was in. My hair fell down my back, making it easier to flatten my unruly curls and get the hat on.
“You know, it really isn’t that cold,” Matt said, waving his hand at me but looking off into the distance. “Just get the green one. It goes with your eyes.”
“Since when does green go with brown?”
I didn’t get an answer. Something else had caught his attention. I went up onto my tiptoes to see what he was looking at. Some girl around our age was eyeing Matt up. I rolled my eyes as he gave her his signature sweet smile and a slight nod of his head. The girl blushed and giggled as she ran round the corner. I threw the pink hat in my basket and put the others back, then grabbed the matching scarf and tapped Matt on the shoulder. “I’ve got the stuff I want. Let’s get those snacks.”
A big grin, completely different from the one he’d just given the girl, spread across Matt’s face. It was more childish. This was the real Matt. Filling his belly was what he really cared about. As we weaved our way through people pushing trolleys, more girls ogled Matt. Wherever we went, he got a lot of attention from the opposite sex and occasionally from the same sex. I, on the other hand, would either get evil looks or treated as if I were invisible. Today, I was nonexistent. I didn’t understand why so many girls felt the need to throw themselves at him. I was fully aware that my best friend was well above average in the looks department. He was tall, blond with light blue eyes and well-toned, but they hardly knew him. They had no idea what sort of a person he was. I knew exactly what Matt was like—full of childlike wonder, great for a laugh but could never get anywhere on time. Matt was like the brother I never asked for but wouldn’t give up now that I had him.
We turned down an aisle full of sweets. Matt’s face lit up. “Now this is what I’m talking about.” He rubbed his hands together as he stalked along the shelves. “Once I get this homework out of the way, I can focus on writing my letter to Santa to let him know all the sweets I want. That should have been our homework. I could’ve done that without your help.”
“I can’t believe you still write a letter to Santa,” I said. Actually, I could. Matt loved the magic of Christmas, and so did I.
Someone kissed their teeth behind me. “Yes, Mellissa, he still writes to Santa, as he refuses to grow up.”
I recognised the disapproving voice straight away. It was Victoria. She brushed past me. I shivered at a sudden, cold chill on the back of my neck. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
Her arms were folded, and she looked as if she’d tasted something sour. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m getting some sweets to take to the cinema.”
Victoria was Matt’s twin sister. They looked almost identical. She was the kindest, loveliest person you could ever meet, if it benefitted her, and she had nothing to gain from being nice to me. She was harsh with her words, and she didn’t think much of me. I used to think since I got along with her brother so well, and with them being twins, we could be friends too. I’d been completely wrong. They may have been twins, but the only thing they had in common was their birthday.
Victoria turned her nose up as she waved her hands in our general direction. “Now, could you two move along before my friends get here? You’re bad for my image.”
Matt glared at her. “You don’t own the supermarket, Vicky. And you’re the one that started talking to us. We�
�ll take as much time as we want picking our sweets.”
“You two are so childish. It’s annoying. The way you act reflects badly on me. We’re almost eighteen. You should start acting more grown up.” She turned her gaze to me and pointed. “And you are even worse. What’s with the cat-ear hat? Aren’t you the oldest in our school year?”
I looked down at my basket. I didn’t see what was wrong with cat ears on a hat. It was cute. I wanted to come up with a smart response, but instead, I just frowned and said, “But I like cats.”
Matt stepped between me and Victoria. “You know what, Vicky? We may be childish, but at least we’re comfortable with who we are. You’re just a fake, too scared to show everyone the real you.”
Victoria clenched her fist. For a moment, I thought she was going to hit him. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. As usual, you’re too stupid to realise what is going on around you.” She gave Matt the most disgusted look I’d ever seen. Then she glanced my way, tilted her head back and huffed before walking away.
Matt let out a long breath once she was out of sight. “Sorry about her. I don’t know why she insists on disapproving of everything. I hate how she talks to me like I’m some little kid. She seems to forget that we’re twins, and she’s not my older sister. Hey, Mel, are you listening?”
I was only half listening. I was used to Victoria being rude, so it didn’t really bother me. Sometimes, I wished I could come up with better responses, but her opinion of me didn’t matter. At that moment in time, there was something else that had captured my attention. That was the first time I saw him. I thought I was imagining things. Rabbits aren’t meant to be hopping around supermarkets, yet this one was staring right at me. There was something odd about the rabbit. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Crystal Heart Page 2