After that less than stellar meeting with the Committee, I nearly raced to my internship in the Museum. I was already excited to begin work there.
I waved to the security guard, a different man this time, older and with a pot belly, who definitely wasn’t going to be awake at lunch.
“Morning, Professor Dacer,” I called, walking into the first quiet room. I came to a full stop when two familiar faces greeted me. Lealand and Trafton, two of the three transfers, were standing in the middle of the room.
“We’re getting a tour,” said Lealand by way of explanation.
“Oh,” I said. “They didn’t give me a tour.”
“Well,” said Trafton, grinning, “we’re special.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” I muttered.
“So, I was thinking that tonight after our epic battle in which everyone falls but me, we should have a little party in Airlee,” said Trafton.
Lealand, who was a pixie and not allowed in Airlee even if he wanted to be there (although I had a feeling that if there was a dorm he wanted to get into that he couldn’t, it was Cruor), shifted, frowning.
“That might not be the best idea,” he offered.
Trafton ignored him. “Everyone who matters can go,” he said. Giving me a sharp look he added, “Want me to invite Keller Erikson?”
I blushed, but was saved from having to respond by Professor Dacer coming around the corner. Seeing his ensemble for the day instantly put a smile on my face.
His suit was yellow with white polka dots. He looked like a flower, with light blue shoes and hair to match. He beamed. “Ah, I see trouble has arrived,” he said, but he wasn’t looking at me, he was looking at Trafton and Lealand. “I trust you two are enjoying Public?” he asked them.
Trafton nodded emphatically. “Thrilled to be here,” he said, grinning.
“Humph,” said Professor Dacer.
“It’s a wonderful educational opportunity,” Lealand offered.
Professor Dacer grinned. “That’s a good answer. I see you know how to flatter an old professor.”
“You’re hardly old,” I blurted out, then felt mortified when everyone grinned at me.
“My dear, I am one hundred and four years old, which is pretty much a spring chicken where vampires are concerned, but which by any normal standards could hardly be considered young.”
I nodded.
“Now,” he said, addressing the visitors, “although it’s a pleasure to have company in the Museum, we are not open yet, and my Charlotte here has a lot of work to finish before lunch. Shoo.”
Trafton and Lealand made their way to the door, Trafton turning around right before he went through and mouthing, “Party tonight.”
I shook my head. I would not be attending any parties. Trafton was trouble.
“Now,” said Professor Dacer happily, “let us retire to the elemental wing.”
I followed him through the museum galleries. In each room I noticed something I hadn’t noticed the day before. In the vampire room some of the masks appeared to be protected by a clear shield, and in the fallen angel room the wings drawn on the wall had tiny crystals.
“Airlee?” I asked, wondering about my former dorm.
“Take a look,” he said, indicating a door at the far end of the room we were in. When I walked into the gallery for Airlee masks, I instantly felt a calm peace envelop me. I guess I could still kind of relate to Airlee, even though I was now in Astra.
The Airlee gallery was stunning in its own way. It was large, larger than the others, probably because many different kinds of masks had to fit into it. There was even a darkness mask. I walked over the dark blue carpet to the black mask that hung on the wall. It was surrounded by wispy grey masks, but even among the masks of the dream givers it stood out. It looked as if it was covered in black, boiling sores, open wounds of boiling black blood and pus.
“That’s charming,” I murmured. “Lisabelle must be so proud.”
“You should bring Ms. Verlans with you sometime,” said Professor Dacer. “I hear she’s a hoot.”
“I’ve never heard that exact word used to describe her,” I said quietly.
“Her uncle is also the most formidable bounty hunter of the paranormals,” said Dacer thoughtfully. “Public is lucky to have him this semester.”
I nodded, momentarily distracted by the thought of the party that Trafton wanted to have that night, and how Lisabelle would react to a social occasion designed just for the sake of having fun. It was hard to imagine, and anyhow I needed to get back to the present.
Glancing around the rest of the room I saw that there were masks that looked to be covered in wolf hair, a mix of grays, browns, whites, and blacks. There were even some russet-colored ones. “Your friend Sip would look incredible in a mask,” said Dacer. “Those eyes of hers. . . .”
“I’ll have to bring them to see the Museum,” I said, “though I think Sip has been here before. She likes stuff like this.”
“You like history too, don’t you?” Dacer asked me, with his observant eyes trained on my face.
“Yes,” I said, “I guess I do.”
Happily, Dacer clapped his hands. “Back to the Astra masks,” he said. “I’m very excited about this semester.”
I grinned and followed him, realizing that I was excited too.
“So,” he said when we got back to the elemental room, “here’s what I want you to do.” He moved to stand next to some of the masks. “These are never taken off the wall unless by me, for cleaning or use. But I cannot do all of the magics necessary with them, just very basic stuff. I need you to do the more advanced magics that they are capable of.”
I raised my eyebrows at him. “Can I do that?” I asked. I wasn’t sure if I was asking out of fear or hope. “I haven’t done much elemental magic yet, mostly just the joining for the power of five. Can I use that much power?” I asked him tentatively.
He nodded. “I believe you can. I don’t know what sort of elemental powers you have. It is my understanding that you have yet to be tested in any real capacity. Well, that’s what you’re here for. It’s a gentle way to find out what sort of powers you have, and to be honest, it’s the best exposure you’ll have to advanced elemental magic of different kinds without actually having a senior elemental present.”
“What sort of elemental powers do you think I have?” I asked him. I had talked to Lambros a bit about this before I left for Christmas, but there hadn’t really been much she could tell me. Although a lot of the history of elementals was known and what they had DONE was known, the elementals had closely guarded HOW they had done everything, which, in hindsight, had been a mistake.
Dacer ran a manicured hand around the wall that held one of the air masks. “I think you’re powerful,” he said. “The ring you wear,” he indicated my finger and the colorful ring that I had worn since I took it out of the ballroom in Astra last December, “is a queen’s ring, and it recognizes you as master. That is not an indication of someone who does not have a lot of power. Which powers?” He shrugged. “Most elementals could only specialize in one of the four elements, but there were a few who were powerful in all.”
“Did you know my parents?” I asked him. “My father?”
Dacer looked at me sadly. “No, I didn’t. Many of the elementals were killed quickly, while others spent most of their lives in hiding. Once we paranormals realized that the demons were eliminating them at an alarming rate it became necessary to protect them, which meant keeping them away from other paranormals.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was hard to hear about my parents on the run.
“I’d like to know more about them,” I said quietly. Damn what Dove said.
“This is a good way to do that, too,” said Dacer, springing into action as if he was the happiest person in the world to be able to help. “Who knows what the masks will say to another elemental.”
“So, what do I do?” I asked, trying to keep calm at the thou
ght of wielding expansive paranormal power.
“You pick a mask,” said Dacer lovingly, “and you put it on.”
“Well, that sounds simple,” I muttered.
“Yes, and just for added help I asked someone to come along and to be there while you do it,” said Dacer, “because I have many other things to attend to. COME IN,” he yelled through the open door.
My heart nearly stopped when Keller stepped through the door. Together again.
Chapter Seventeen
“He heard I tutored you last semester and how much you thrived under my excellent direction,” said Keller, grinning. He was standing in front of me in jeans and a black sweater. “He thought you might be more comfortable if I was here.”
I tried very hard to focus on acting normally, not on how gorgeous he was or how his stance was so easy and confident. If Lisabelle had been here she’d have been laughing at me.
“Yeah, I think it would help,” I agreed.
And it probably would. Keller knew me as well as anyone on campus, especially my magic. He had spent long hours helping me try to make it work, and he had been one of the first to realize I was elemental.
“So,” said Dacer excitedly. “Pick a mask. Remember, you’re doing the masks as big a favor as they’re doing you. I’ll stay nearby today while you use it, but then, once you’re more comfortable, I’ll get to my other work. Also, today I only want you to do one mask. It will be very intense for you, and I don’t want you too tired tonight.”
I glanced around the room at the masks, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with the enormity of it all. There were probably fifty masks in the room, in varying shapes and sizes. How would I ever pick one to try first? And once I did, what if I put it on and nothing happened? I really hadn’t been allowed to do anything with my magic since the battle at the end of last semester. What if it turned out to be a one and done sort of deal, and I really couldn’t do magic at all?
“Breathe,” said Keller. He was standing closer to me now, and his face was soft as he looked at me. His physical presence threatened to overwhelm me. If I hadn’t been so distracted I might have thought it ironic that he was telling me to relax when the one thing that always sent my heart racing, Keller himself, was standing right next to me.
“You can do this,” he insisted. “Just pick a mask and breathe. I have complete faith in you.”
I glanced at Dacer, who was watching us with a small smile on his face. I was positive that he loved romance movies and cried at the endings. Stifling a snort I said, “Do you have a suggestion about which one I should pick?”
Dacer nodded. “Go for air or water, whichever feels more comfortable at the moment. It will be easier for you, and the other masks will get a better sense of your powers.”
“Alright,” I said, thinking back to last semester. “When Lough and I broke into Astra I did magic under the water, so water would probably be best.”
“That’s this wall,” said Dacer, moving like a dancer towards the wall to my right. “Any of these should do.”
All of the masks on that wall were either blue or gray.
“This one,” I said, picking one that was blue, but covered in white shells.
“I like this one,” Dacer beamed at me. “An excellent choice,” he affirmed. “Now, Mr. Erikson, take good care of our elemental. I don’t care what trouble your aunt is trying to cause. I will be just in the other room, only a yell away.”
“I thought you were going to stay,” I said, panic rising in my chest. “I need you to stay.”
“I’ll be right next door,” he said, “but I don’t want the mask to be distracted or confused by too many presences. It has been a long time since it was used properly. I will only be a holler away. Just have confidence. Everything will be fine.”
“Easy for you to say,” I muttered, watching him leave the room. He hadn’t even touched the mask.
“Keller . . .” I started. There was so much that hadn’t been said between us, but I wasn’t sure that having all of those emotions bubble to the surface was a good thing when I was trying out new elemental powers.
“Hey,” he said, stepping towards me, “you’re going to be fine.”
I nodded. I wasn’t sure I believed him, but I didn’t really have a choice. “I’m going to be fine.”
Stepping around Keller, I walked right up to the seashell mask. It looked inviting and comfortable, and feeling more confident, I reached up to take it down off its peg. When I touched the mask, power lit between my fingertips and the carved wood it was made of.
Deciding that standing while I was doing this was a bad idea, I quickly sat down cross-legged on the floor. Keller sat opposite me. Just seeing him so close made me smile. He grinned in return.
“Alright,” I said. “Here goes nothing.”
I turned the mask around so that the back surface was toward my face. The mask didn’t look horrifying or scary, and I tried to calm down. I told myself that the mask wasn’t going to eat my face, and the magic inside the mask wasn’t going to attack my skin and turn it into something that looked like the darkness I had just seen in the Airlee room.
I hoped.
Taking one last deep breath, I brought the smooth wood up to my face.
The last thing I saw before I shut my eyes tight was Keller watching me. He was sitting cross-legged, just like I was, his beautiful blue eyes intent on my face. He gave me an encouraging smile.
Instead of feeling cold, as I had expected, the mask warmed my cheeks. When I pulled it to within a few inches of my skin, the mask virtually leaped towards me as if it had a mind of its own. I found myself smiling. It wanted to be one with me as much as I wanted to be a part of it. Maybe, despite my fears, this was exactly right.
A sliding sensation came over me, as if water was being dumped over my face, and I felt the magic in the mask take hold of me and pull me along. I wasn’t sure where it was going, but I knew I had to follow.
The first thing I realized was that this mask had the power to control the tides. Unfortunately, there were no tides close to Public, but that didn’t seem to matter. In my mind I was transported to a beautiful beach, where the winter the wind whipping off the water was even icier than usual and the sand was dark brown and hard. I stared out at the ocean.
“What do I do?” I asked the mask.
“You tell me,” it chimed back to me. Slowly, I raised my face to the wind. Even here on this beach I could feel the mask covering my skin and my hand running over the smooth surface of the seashells.
“Come closer,” I said quietly, but I wasn’t talking to the mask. I was talking to the water.
With a great rush like a stampede of horses, the water came towards me like a tidal wave.
SLOW DOWN, I screamed, putting my hands out to defend myself against the onslaught. Something warm and strong and incredibly reassuring in its reality and strength grabbed my hands and held them tight. With that I was able to calm down, taking in great gulps of air as I forced myself to breathe.
“Let’s try that again,” I said to the mask, not wanting whatever was holding my hands to let go.
The water started to rise towards me more slowly. It came willingly, and although I could feel my magic herding it along it wasn’t hard. I could tell already that once this little exercise was over I wouldn’t be tired and my powers wouldn’t be depleted as they had been after the battle on the Dash field.
“Come on,” I ordered the water again, and the water came. I did this several more times, each time more boldly than the last. I grinned in spite of myself, and that slight movement brought my skin in closer contact with the material of the mask, reminding me that I wasn’t doing this on my own. It was important to remember that as a normal elemental I did not control the tides; it was only with the mask on that I had that power.
Finally, having brought the tide almost to touch my toes three times, in the end so easily that I barely had to think about it, I returned to the Museum and to Keller.
&n
bsp; While I had been preoccupied with practicing with the mask, Keller had moved closer to me . . . and taken my hands.
I gulped, looking down at our entwined fingers. I could tell them apart - he was paler than I was and his hands were larger - but somehow they fit perfectly.
Too perfectly.
I pulled away.
His aunt would be angry.
A little bit of the light in his eyes dimmed.
“How was it?” he asked. His voice was hoarse. He was trying to ignore what I had just done and hide the worry that was plain on his face.
“Good,” I said, taking the mask off. My face felt stiff and tight, as if it hadn’t moved in a long time. “I moved tides.”
Keller grinned. “Of course you did. You’re incredible.”
I blushed and looked down. Keller, still with his legs crossed under him, scooted closer, so that he was right in front of me. He used one hand, the hand that had just held my own, to tilt my chin up.
“Are you okay?” he whispered. His eyes reminded me of the ocean I’d just been standing in front of, only they were calm pools of protectiveness instead of a storm ready to rage to my will.
“Never better,” I croaked. I couldn’t look away. My chin was tingling where his fingers rested against my skin.
“Charlotte,” he started, “if something happened to you. . . .”
“No need to get dramatic,” I said quickly. “Nothing’s going to happen to me.”
“But if it did, the paranormal race would be all but extinct,” said Dacer’s voice from the doorway.
To my surprise, Keller waited a few seconds to release my chin. I guess he didn’t care who saw us together. At least that was one of us. When he did, it was with a sigh. “Mr. Erikson, how did she do?” Dacer asked.
“Splendidly,” said Keller, nodding. “She took to the mask like she was born to it.”
“Oh, delightfully splendid,” said Dacer. “Let me see.” He held out his hand for the mask, which I was still holding. I handed it to him.
When I saw the front surface, I gasped. It no longer was a dull blue but a blazing brightness. The seashells were white, as if they had been scrubbed clean.
Museum of Masks (Paranormal Public Series) Page 12
