Something Stolen, Something Found (The Magic Catalyst Chronicles Book 1)

by Jacie Douglass

  “Yup,” Clayton smiles and winks. “We’ve got Creative Writing Class together. Tell me that’s not all you brought for lunch…” he says, giving my granola bar a dubious look. I take another bit and shrug. It’s not like there is anything in the house to eat. I’m pretty sure Mom’s eaten out every day since we got here.

  “What’s she doing here?” a deep voice growls from behind me. I sigh and close my eyes. Of course they would all be friends with Jared. I sneak a peek over Sebastian’s shoulder and see Jared standing off to the side with a tray of food. If looks could kill, this would definitely be my last meal.

  “Lighten up, Jared,” Sebastian smirks, pulling me closer. “Sprite’s my lunch date.” I roll my eyes, while Jared grunts in response, grabbing a seat at the far end of the table. I am pretty sure “date” is not the right word for sitting with someone at lunch. “Where’s Ian, anyways? I thought he’d be here too?”

  “Hell if I know.” Jared shrugs, shooting me another glare. “Maybe he heard about your lunch “date”…”

  “I should go,” I say, shoving the last of my granola bar in my mouth.

  “What?” The Tank frowns, shooting Jared a look. “No way. Just ignore Jared; he can’t help being his normal assholey self. Apparently he still hasn’t gotten his caffeine fix. You are far better and prettier company than he is.” I roll my eyes and laugh.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” I say, slowing looking Jared over. “He’d be pretty, if he didn’t open his mouth,” Sebastian and the Tank bust out laughing, and even the Rock Star cracks a small smile. Jared rolls his eyes and focuses on eating his fries.

  “See Sprite, you fit right in.” Sebastian laughs, bumping his shoulder against mine. He leans closer, whispering my ear. “But I bet you already forgot everyone’s names.” I elbow him playfully in response, but don’t bother to deny it. It’s not my fault I’m bad with names.

  Friday, August 28th

  ∞

  TGIF. This has been the longest week ever. My brain has already checked out for the weekend and most of the morning passes in a blur. By the time Study Hall rolls around, I’m about to hit full zombie mode. I grab a seat at the head of a table upstairs and pull out the romance novel I’d started that morning.

  “Hey Sprite, mind if we join you?” Sebastian asks, popping up next to me.

  “Hey Bast,” I smile at him, glancing at his friends. I think I’ve got half their names down now, so that’s a plus. “Go for it. The more the merrier.” The energy in the air has definitely changed, but I’m not sure why.

  The silence amongst them is unnerving as Clayton grabs the seat closest to me, while Jared grabs the one directly across from him. Sebastian’s hand grazes my back and he throws me a wink before moving around to sit next to Clayton. The Nerd, who I haven’t officially met yet, grabs the spot next to his twin. The Rock Star sits at the far end of the table, directly across from me. None of them speak; the tension is hanging so thick that the air ripples with energy above the table.

  “Soooo…,” I break the silence. “Have you guys come to help me with my homework?” It’s unnerving to be the focus of all their attention. Clayton’s warm smile, Sebastian’s flirtatious grin, Jared’s hostile glare, the Nerd’s inquisitive gaze, and the Rock Star’s appraising mask. No one answers me, the tension ratcheting up higher. A rainbow of sparkles invades my vision, and I blink rapidly trying to clear them. Crap, it’s not working. I close my eyes and rub my temples, ignoring the guys, since they seem to be ignoring me. I try to focus on shielding myself, but it’s hard to concentrate with them here. Ignoring the tightening in my chest, I open my eyes and cradle my head in my hands. “Well ok then. Umm, I think I’ll just head downstairs. You guys enjoy the table.” I try to keep my voice light, refusing to give further acknowledgement to how weird this is. I move to stand, but Clayton grabs my hand. I stare at the connection, pushing aside the protected feeling that tries to wrap itself around me.

  “Stay Emily. Please.” Clayton rumbles softly. I meet his warm brown eyes that seem to be pleading with me. I sit back down and tap my nails on the table. The silence grows again, till I want to scream at them to tell me what they want. With the exception of Sebastian, I don’t know these guys, hell I can barely remember some of their names, let alone want to spend my time playing games with them.

  “Well?” I demand. “Is there something I can do for you? I hate to point out the obvious, but you’re kinda creeping me out here.”

  “Yes there is,” the Rock Star answers, his head tilted like I’m a puzzle he’s trying to decipher. “We’ve been trying to figure out if you’re actually who you say you are.”

  “Say what?” I shake my head in confusion, irritated that they interrupted my studying for cryptic word games. “Who the Hell would I be? Or for that matter, who would want to be me? I promise you, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

  “You’ve been in town, what… four weeks now?” the Rock Star asks raising his eyebrow. He’s clearly their appointed speaker. “And in that time, you haven’t responded to any of our invitations… This implies you’re either ignoring us... Or you’re not who you say you are. So, which is it Emily?”

  I blink in confusion, knowing it’s written clearly on my face. “What do you mean invitations?” I look around the table at them. “Did you mail them? I’m sure if I’d gotten mail, my Mom would have told me. But why would have been sending me invitations weeks ago when we just met this week.” I look over at Sebastian and catch his grin falter. The Nerd shifts in his chair, drawing my eye to him. His ocean blue eyes capture mine and the depth of pain and sadness reflected there breaks my heart. It pours off him in waves that break through my shield, causing my breath to catch in my throat.

  “Emmy…” his voice cracks with pain, and I fight the urge to get up and hug him. What the fuck is going on with me. I look up at the ceiling, trying to hold back the tears his pain triggered.

  “I told you this was pointless,” Jared bites out, turning to the Rock Star. “She abandoned us. If she gave a fuck, she would have found a way to contact us. It’s not like she hasn’t had plenty of time… God it’s been five years! I don’t know why we are even bothering with this conversation.” He’s practically vibrating with emotions I can’t identify, his knuckles turning white from his grip on the table. He turns his glare on me. “Give us one good reason we should even be talking to you after you ditched us?”

  The weight of his accusation hangs in the air and I feel their eyes on me. I look around the table, taking in each of them as Jared’s words and the Nerd’s pain sink in. The blood drains from my face as the implications snap together like a picture. Oh god, Mom told me we were moving “back” to the summer house, implying we’d stayed here before. How many summers had I spent here? Had these guys been my friends during the summer months? Did I have other friendships that the “incident” wiped away? Or even worse, had I forgotten and abandoned these boys before then? Jared said it had been five years… Guilt hits me like a sledgehammer. What kind of person was Emilienne?

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper, trying to hold back the tears. How could I have hurt them so much? Why would they even want to be my friend after all this? And when they heard about the “incident”, how would they look at me then? Until I met them, real friendship was something I’d seen on TV. But the connection, the trust and the bond I saw between them, I wanted that… and to know that I’d had it and lost it… it felt like my heart was breaking. I just needed to get out, get away from here, from them. “I’m so very sorry. I wish I had answers for you. I… I…” Unable to handle the guilt, I jump to my feet, the chair crashing to the floor. I dart down the closest aisle, heading towards the stairs. Tears burn my eyes and blur my vision.

  I crash into a wall of muscles, hands grabbing onto my arms to keep me from hitting the ground. The familiar sparks of Sebastian’s energy wrapping around me. I try to pull away, not deserving his kindness. I’m crying freely now and he pulls me closer, wrappin
g one arm around my waist. I bury my face in the soft cotton of his shirt and sob.

  “Shhh, I’ve got you, it’s going to be ok.” Sebastian soothes, gently stroking my hair. “We’re going to work it out. I promise you. We’ll fix this. Ok Sprite? You and me.” He rests his chin on my head and rocks us slowly. I drop my shield, letting his energy envelope me. Soaking in the warmth and connection it offers. For the first time since I woke up in the hospital, I feel truly safe.

  I can hear the others in the distance. Lowered voices, keys jingling, muffled footsteps, but I shut it out. Is this the break down the psychiatrist had been waiting for? Because here in this moment it’s clear that the “incident” stole something important, a history and connection with these guys that I’ll never get back.

  ∞

  I don’t remember leaving the library or getting home.

  Persistent knocking rouses me from my stupor. It takes me a minute to realize I’m lying on my bed in my bedroom. Maybe the entire conversation in the library was a bad dream.

  “Emilienne,” Mom’s voice is tight and angry. How long has she been knocking? It doesn’t matter. I close my eyes, determined to go back to sleep. “Emilienne, you have a visitor. Now stop embarrassing me, and get down stairs. You’ve got 5 minutes. Do you hear me?”

  Groaning, I drag myself out of the bed. I look at myself in the mirror, but I other than being a little rumpled, I look normal. Nothing in my reflection indicates the emptiness inside me.

  “I’ll be down in a minute,” I finally answer. I quickly fix my hair and brush the worst of the wrinkles out of my shirt. With a sigh, I head downstairs. Following the soft murmur of voices from the living room, I take a deep breath before entering. Please don’t let this be another unpleasant surprise.

  “There you are Emilienne,” Mom smiles brightly, her public face on. “Martha and her son came by to welcome us back to the neighborhood.” I force a smile at the woman seated on the coach. Impeccably dressed, her smile is brittle as she looks me over.

  “So nice to see you again Emilienne,” she says, the insincerity and disapproval radiating from her. “Sebastian told me you have some classes together.” Dismissing me she turns back to my Mom. “Lana, you should have called as soon as you got back in town. I’d have come by much sooner. We absolutely have to get your Country Club Membership reactivated. They’ve made so many improvements.”

  I tune out the conversation, wondering why I was dragged out of bed for this. I thought Mom said she brought her son. I turn back towards the door, suppressing a snort when I see Sebastian leaning in the corner near the door. He gives me a brilliant smile, his emerald eyes dancing with laughter. I roll my eyes at him and stick out my tongue. Straightening, he reaches out and takes my hand with a wink. The heat of his energy swirls around me, mingling with mine. I hadn’t bothered to put up a shield before coming down. And I’ve started to get used to the way Sebastian’s energy feels, although I wish I could ask him if he feels it too. But I’ve got enough strikes against me already. I don’t need to add crazy to the list.

  “Excuse me Mrs. Langmore,” they pause their conversation and turn to look at Sebastian. “Why don’t I take Emilienne on a walking tour of the area?”

  Mom gives him a grateful smile. “Why thank you Sebastian, that’s so very kind. Go enjoy yourselves.” Mom replies before resuming her story.

  Sebastian squeezes my hand, a secret smile in his eyes as he leads me from the room and out the back door. Once on the porch, he pulls me over to the far railing and points to the ground near the planter. I turn to look where he’s pointing. Someone had taken the clear oval quartz crystals out of the planter and arranged them in a circle again. I look back at Sebastian in confusion.

  “That’s the invitation you’ve been missing,” Sebastian explains with a rueful smile. “We would leave it for you so you’d know to join us at the beach that day.” He reaches into the planter and pulls out a hand full of the green ovals. Kneeling down, he switches out the pattern. “This one means for you to meet us in the forest. Since I live closest, I’m the one that usually ends up sneaking over to set them up.” He gives me a wink as he rises to his feet and brushes the dirt from his knees. “Now you know what to look for. We used to have other patterns, but these two are the ones that we’re still using.”

  “Ohh. I thought the neighborhood kids were playing with them,” I say, taking the clear crystals from him and putting them back in the planter, ignoring the rush of energy they bring with them.

  “Only if by neighborhood kids, you mean me,” Sebastian laughs. “If you hadn’t noticed, we don’t have many neighbors out this way, and even fewer kids. Now come on,” he says, moving his hand to my lower back. He guides us back to the stairs and into the yard. We veer off to the right, slipping into the woods instead of going straight down to the beach. “We’ve kept the others waiting long enough.”

  “Have we?” I ask, furrowing my brow. “It’s only been, what an hour or so since we left the library.”

  Sebastian stops walking and turns to look at me. Concern fills his emerald eyes and he searches my face. “It’s been two days since I brought you home from school,” his voice is gentle, like he’s scared he’ll spook me if not careful. The wind gently blows through the trees, blowing my hair in my face as I try to take in what he said. I can feel him watching me; his hand coming up to tuck the loose strands of hair behind my ear. “Today is Sunday, Sprite.”

  Sunday? Had it been two days? I don’t remember two days passing. Everything that has happened since the library seems fuzzy. I search my memory, but find nothing. Had I eaten? Showered? I’m sure I slept; I was lying on my bed after all… What the hell is wrong with me, how did I lose two days? Am I going to start losing new memories as well as what the “incident” has already taken? My heart races at the thought, and a wave of panic hits. I can’t lose more. I can’t.

  “Hey, hey it’s ok.” Sebastian leans closer, cupping my face in his hand. “Look at me Sprite. If you’re not ready to talk to them, I can try to push it off…” his voice is tentative though, as though he’s not sure he could really delay them, but just that he’s willing to try makes my heart lift. Looking into his eyes, I know I should do this. Get it over with, like ripping off a band aid. I didn’t have any excuses for the five years of silence… But I could at least explain why I didn’t remember them or recognize their crystal patterns for the invitations they were.

  “Where are we going?” I finally ask, gathering my courage.

  “They’re waiting for us at our meeting place on the beach,” he replies, taking my hand. “You ready for this?” I take a deep breath and nod determinedly. I can do this. He seems to sense my resolution and grins. “Come on Sprite.” Pulling me along, he resumes walking. The path through the woods widens the farther we get from my house, merging with another more heavily travelled path. Sebastian points down where the other path heads back towards the road. “That path will take you to my place, neighbor. You’re family used to spend every summer here. We were five that first summer. You just showed up one day… And after that we couldn’t get rid of you. It was like you had a sixth sense, every time we got together, you’d just pop up. At first we didn’t know where you came from. You were just there, inviting yourself along on our misadventures.” I smile at the idea, wishing I could remember those summers. Remember them. “Eventually we figured out where you lived… and we developed the message system so you would know when to meet us. Apparently you’d been hiding out in the woods and following me.”

  He tosses me a wink before continuing, his tone changing. “And then our 13th summer came, but your house stayed empty. Each year we kept waiting for you, but your family didn’t return. The house sat empty for the last five summers. When you finally showed up, we almost missed it. I’d stopped coming by as often. Once I realized you were back, I started leaving you messages… But when you didn’t respond… Well I, we, thought maybe you weren’t interested in our friendship.” He glances ov
er at me, and I’m caught off guard by the vulnerability in his eyes. I squeeze his hand reassuringly. “You’ll think me a stalker… but even after you didn’t meet us, I’d still come by sometimes. I’d see you put the crystals away. Watch you lay out in the sun or sit on the back porch and read.” A faint blush creeps over his cheeks and he stares at the ground as we walk. “Ugh, that sounds even worse out loud.” He groans, rubbing his free hand over his face.

  “It’s ok,” I smile, squeezing his hand again. “Sometimes… it felt like someone was watching… But it wasn’t creepy. It was…” I pause trying to find the right words for it. “It was reassuring. Like there was a guardian angel watching over me.” Sebastian flashes me a grateful smile.

  “When school started, and you acted like you didn’t know us… Well… we didn’t know what to think,” he pauses, pulling us to a stop. “The others are waiting for us over that rise, Sprite. Clayton and I want you back. You belong with us.” My heart’s pounding in my chest as he looks at me with those beautiful green eyes. “But the others… Well they need an explanation first. They need to know what happened… they want to know why… Whatever it is, I’m sure we can work it out.”

  Sebastian leans down, brushing his lips against my forehead, before turning back to the path. I consider asking for a minute so I can put up my energy shield. But it’s probably better to go without it. If I really want to rebuild a friendship with these guys, I need to be able to deal with the energy. His hand rests on the small of my back, urging me along. We crest the rise and I see the others sitting on the large rocks on the beach facing the path. The incoming tide provides a surprisingly soothing background. As we move closer, I look them over, trying to gage their moods.