by Amanda Ashby
“I’m sorry, but I really don’t think I can. I’ve got a crazy amount of schoolwork to get done,” she said as she ignored Curtis’s pointed glance and hopped into the taxi. She rolled down the window to say good-bye, but it wasn’t until the vehicle had pulled away from the curb that Curtis turned to her and raised a surprised eyebrow.
“So why do they think Induction’s been canceled?” he asked in a low voice so the driver wouldn’t hear. “Don’t you want them to come?”
“Oh sure, I’m just dying for them to see me be inducted as a fairy slayer. Maybe we can even get the local paper to run a story about it,” Emma retorted as an annoying pop song blared on the radio.
“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to rub it in.” Curtis flushed. “I just meant that maybe you should’ve given them the chance to decide if they wanted to go or not.”
“I didn’t tell them it was canceled in the first place,” Emma quickly replied since Curtis obviously thought she was the kind of person who lied on a regular basis.
“Oh. I guess your dad just didn’t strike me as the sort of guy who would miss it.”
“You don’t give up, do you?” Emma glared at him, then sighed. “Okay, so here’s the thing. For whatever reason, Olivia’s family is big on weddings. Very big, and her sister is getting married in New York on Sunday. Only problem is that at the start of the school year, Principal Kessler changed the date of Induction from last weekend to this weekend, which meant my dad started to freak out because Olivia’s a really bad flier. Anyway, he kept calling and texting me about it, and in the end I told him it was no big deal if he didn’t come. As for why he told Olivia that it was canceled, it was probably because he didn’t want her to worry. So now you know. Not only am I a stupid fairy slayer, I’ll also be the only sophomore without any parents at the induction ceremony. Laughingstock once again. Go, me.”
Curtis stopped and studied her. “Look, I’m sorry, Jones. That sucks.” He paused and looked down at the books. Then he studied her face before finally speaking. “Why didn’t you just ask your dad outright if your mom had ever mentioned the darkhel?”
“You think I should’ve asked him about an invisible fairy?” Emma folded her arms in annoyance, but when Curtis just raised an eyebrow at her, she finally sighed. “Fine, so the reason I didn’t ask him is because I don’t like talking about my mom with him. He’s got a new life and a new wife now. Talking isn’t really our thing.”
“That’s a shame.”
“It’s fine. Look, my mom’s been gone awhile now, so it’s not like this is new territory for me. Now, can we please just forget it?”
“Yes, but—”
“Seriously, Curtis. I know you’re trying to help, but since you have no idea what it’s like to be—”
“My folks won’t be there either,” he suddenly blurted out. However, the moment the words were out of his mouth, he winced, as if regretting his decision to say them.
She looked at him. “What? You’re joking.”
“Look, I didn’t mean to say that, I just didn’t want you to think that you were on your own. Now can we please just drop it?”
“Oh no.” She shook her head. “You’re not getting out of it that easily. If you know something about me, it’s only fair that I know something about you. Spill. What are the parents of the famous Curtis Green doing that is so important that they can’t make Induction?”
For a moment Curtis looked down before letting out a reluctant sigh. “My dad isn’t exactly a fan of what we do at Burtonwood.”
Emma stared at him blankly. “I don’t understand.”
“That’s because you’ve grown up in a house where it’s completely normal to talk about kreplin dragons and sword fighting.” Curtis seemed to be clenching his jaw. “The first time I told my dad that I thought there was something evil in the room he didn’t believe me. The second time I did it he smacked me around. The third time, well, I had enough sense to keep my mouth shut.”
“What?” Emma studied his eyes to see if there was any hint of joking in them, but he merely returned her gaze in a steady, unflinching way.
“The thing is, my dad’s spent most of his life working in a wood mill during the week, drinking his body weight in beer on the weekend, and hoping that the Vikings will win the Super Bowl. No one in my family has ever had the sight before, so it’s not exactly an easy thing for them to accept.”
“Your family’s sight-blind? Curtis, I had no idea.” She hadn’t been quite sure what he was going to tell her, but it certainly wasn’t this. She’d never even heard of someone being born to two sight-blind parents, and as far as she knew, she was the only one who had been born with just one sight-gifted parent.
“There’s no reason why you should.” He looked down at the cast on his leg. “Anyway, my dad pretty much disowned me when I came here, so I’m sort of on a scholarship. Now, seriously, can we please drop the subject?”
Emma ignored his request as she realized how wrong she had been about him. It also explained why he hadn’t even known what the Pure One was.
She softened her voice. “What about your mom? And do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“My mom left when I was just a kid and we haven’t heard from her since. And my younger brother died a few years ago.” He bowed his head and seemed to be studying his hands.
“Curtis,” Emma whispered, feeling her throat tighten.
He cut her off. “It’s fine, Jones. Can we just forget it?”
“Sure.” She quickly nodded.
“Right, folks, here we are,” the driver interrupted as the taxi came to a halt. “So how do you want to pay for that?” he asked as Emma glanced up to realize they’d arrived back at the parking lot by the lakes. For a moment she just blinked as she tried to digest what Curtis had told her, before the taxi driver started to tap his hand impatiently on the steering wheel.
“Um, cash,” she quickly said as she pulled some money out of her pocket and passed it over before getting her stuff together and getting out. Once the taxi had disappeared from sight and they’d made their way in silence over to a wooden picnic table, Emma started to carefully transfer the books into her slaying kit. She was fairly sure the minibus driver would want to know how they had managed to find a box of old books when they were observing troubadour dragons.
She had just finished when the minibus pulled into the parking lot. The group of seniors was already inside, looking a bit wet and worse for wear. All Emma longed to do was start reading her mom’s books, but instead she was forced to spend the whole trip back listening to what the older slayers had been through on their selkie patrol. However, the trip was made easier by the comfortable silence that had descended between her and Curtis. It was . . . nice.
Finally, the minibus pulled into Burtonwood and they both made their way back into the dark, silent Academy.
“So what now?” Curtis asked as they came to a halt at the entrance of her dorm.
“Now I go back to my room and start going through these books and hope I can find some mention of the darkhel,” she said as she hitched her slaying kit, weighted down with books, higher over her shoulder.
“Well, I’d offer to come and help you but I guess the last thing you need is to risk being caught with a guy in your room,” he said as he leaned forward on his crutches so that his face was almost level with hers. For a moment Emma found herself staring at his dark, velvety eyes, temporarily mesmerized at the intense swirling colors. She wasn’t sure how long it was before suddenly realizing he was waiting for her to answer. She felt her face start to heat.
“Oh yeah. It’s probably best if you don’t,” she agreed, her voice sounding breathy, even to her own ears. “And, look, I’m sorry I’ve been such a . . . well, less than nice to you. I guess I was so caught up in my own problems I didn’t really think anyone else had any.”
“Hey, Jones, we’ve talked about this. You know it freaks me out when you’re too nice to me. It makes me think you’re going soft,�
�� he teased as he shot her a lopsided grin.
“Hardly.” She found herself grinning back at him, her mood lighter than it had been all day. “As you will discover when we do our virtual tests tomorrow. Because, Mr. Green, I hate to inform you that I plan to whip your dragon-slaying butt.”
“Really?” His lips twitched in amusement. “I’ll have you know that just about the only time this stupid broken leg doesn’t hold me back is when I’m doing a simulation test.”
“Uh-huh. Sure.” Emma smiled and turned to walk away.
“Oh, and Jones?”
“Yes?” She turned back around for a moment to see that he was still grinning.
“Try not to stay up all night reading that stuff, because if you want to beat me, you’re going to need your sleep.”
“In your dreams,” she retorted as she watched him swing his way back toward his dorm. But it wasn’t until he was gone that she realized she was still smiling.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Thank God you’re back,” Loni announced fifteen minutes later as she walked into Emma’s room and collapsed on the chair by the window. “I swear I would rather listen to one of Professor Edwards’s boring lectures on why you will no doubt need to use pi every single day when you’re an adult than have to spend one more minute with Brenda. Especially since I just found out she’s a Scorpio.” She gave a dramatic shudder. “Anyway, now I completely understand why you were so upset about getting stuck with Curtis. There is nothing worse than working with someone who drives you insane.”
Emma looked up from the book she had been reading and smiled slightly. “Actually, turns out that Curtis isn’t so bad. Did you know that he’s from a sight-blind family and that his dad used to hit him just because he was different? Even worse, his mom left them and his brother died. It’s sort of hard to imagine, isn’t it? I mean, he seems so together, what with the hair and the attitude.”
For a moment Loni didn’t answer as she silently studied Emma’s face. Then she suddenly sat up bolt straight and widened her violet eyes. “Oh my God. You like him again. I knew it. I just knew you would change your mind. Man, I so should’ve taken that bet with Tyler.”
“What?” Emma demanded as she tried not to flinch under her friend’s piercing gaze. “Of course I don’t. Why do you think that?”
“Because I’m all-knowing and all-seeing,” Loni retorted. “Plus you’re doing that thing with your fingers which means you’re preoccupied. So what happened to the practice-range fiasco?”
“Don’t laugh, but he thought I was asking him to actually practice fighting demons and the only reason he said no was because he prefers to do his practice in the simulation labs,” Emma explained as she examined her fingers to see what thing she was supposedly doing.
“What?” Loni was momentarily distracted. “Who likes to fight pretend elementals when they can fight real ones?”
“I think you’re missing the point.” Emma coughed as she gave up studying her fingers. “The important thing is that he wasn’t blowing me off.”
“That’s true.” Loni clapped her hands in excitement. “And it also means I was right. There was a simple explanation for it. You know, I just never get sick of feeling right. Er, so why don’t you look happy?”
“I am happy,” Emma quickly assured her as she thought of Curtis’s gorgeous face. However, her mood dampened as she recalled the dark shadows that seemed to overtake it from time to time. “But—”
“There’s a ‘but’? Why’s there a ‘but’?”
“I’m not sure.” Emma wrinkled her nose. “When I hated him, I thought his attitude was merely because he didn’t want to hang out with a fairy slayer. Like it was beneath him. But since I’ve gotten to know him, I don’t think it’s that. But there is something. I just can’t put my finger on what.”
“Yes, it’s called a Y chromosome,” Loni retorted. “Guys aren’t supposed to be like girls because otherwise they would take up too much room at the mall and steal our makeup. I think you’re reading too much into this. He explained why he went all weird outside the simulation labs, so now you have nothing to worry about. You like him and I’m sure that he likes you. It’s perfect.”
“Well, except for the invisible fairy who knows my mom,” Emma corrected as she realized that she had let herself get sidetracked, and so she forced herself to push aside the conundrum that was Curtis Green. “How did you and Tyler make out with the wards?”
“Nothing.” Loni’s face instantly dropped and she shook her head in disappointment. “I checked every single one and the voltages were correct on all of them. I can’t believe it. I really thought our problems would be solved. But instead, we’re right back where we started.”
“Yes, but hopefully not for long.” Emma nodded to the heavy, leather-bound volumes that were stacked up on her desk.
“Wow, look at all of these,” Loni said, instantly reaching for a slim book called Elementals Through the Ages. “I just know we’re going to find something in one of them.”
“I hope so. And thanks for helping.” Emma shot her friend a grateful smile before turning her attention back to the book in her hands. It was so dumb, but even the sight of something that her mom had once touched made Emma catch her breath.
She’d had five years to get used to the idea that her mom was gone, but it still hadn’t happened, and secretly, in the back of her mind, Emma kept thinking she was just on a really long mission and one day she would walk back through the kitchen door. Of course if she did, the kitchen wouldn’t exactly be empty... it would be filled with Olivia and her giant bump, not to mention all the new furniture—
“Are you okay?” Loni asked, interrupting her thoughts. “Because you’re looking kind of weird.”
“No, I’m fine. I just want to find some answers.” Emma shook her head and forced herself to push her memories away and get back to work.
However, by the time she had gone through three incredibly boring textbooks that had far too much information about how riddick demons liked to relieve back itch in winter, she was starting to wonder if she’d made the whole thing up. After all, the school nurse had mentioned a possible concussion. Maybe the last few days had just been one big crazy dream?
“Found it,” Loni suddenly interrupted, and Emma felt her heart start to pound in excitement.
“What? Really?” She leaned over to see what her friend was reading. “What does it say about the darkhels? What are they? What do they want, and more importantly, how do you kill them?”
“Sorry.” Loni shot her an apologetic look. “I didn’t mean to get your hopes up. I just meant that next to this picture your mom wrote the words ‘found it.’”
“She did?” Emma said, her disappointment giving way to surprise.
“See.” Loni held up the book so that Emma could clearly see her mom’s loopy writing, and she had even underlined the words three times and then drawn an arrow toward a black-and-white pen sketch of a dragon curled up around a chest full of gems and jewelry that looked like they were glittering and gleaming, judging by the thin pen lines that were radiating out from them. Emma chewed her lip as she studied the picture, but she had no idea why her mom would’ve written found it like that.
It wasn’t big news that all dragons liked treasure. Especially since half of their kills were motivated by the wish to steal people’s wealth. And dragons were fire elementals, not air elementals like fairies, so her mom’s words couldn’t have anything to do with the two kinds of creatures being related. Plus she knew dragons and fairies didn’t share the same kill spot.
She turned the page to see if there were any more clues, but the book then went on to discuss things to avoid when dealing with an enraged banshee.
“At least it’s a start.” Loni was trying to sound encouraging.
“But how? I mean, what does a maskret dragon and its hoard have to do with a darkhel? It’s one impossible thing after another and the more I think about it, the less my brain seems to be working. I
feel like I’m swimming upstream in a river of mud.”
Loni stifled a yawn and looked at her watch. “That’s probably because it’s almost two in the morning.”
“It is?” Emma yelped. No wonder they were both having problems trying to figure it all out.
“So what do you want to do? Should we reread all of these books now in the hope we’ve missed something or start fresh in the morning?” Loni asked, and Emma reluctantly started to pack away the books.
“We’d better call it a night. The last thing I need is another detention for falling asleep in class. At least tomorrow’s Friday, so it’s almost the weekend. Then we’ll have more time to try and figure this thing out.”
“Except that it’s induction weekend, which means a dinner tomorrow night, an open day at Burtonwood on Saturday, and the ceremony on Sunday,” Loni reminded her as she got to her feet and headed for the door.
“Induction.” Emma finished stacking the rest of the books onto her desk and followed her friend over. “I can’t believe I forgot. Still, I guess I’ve finally discovered the one thing that is actually worse than being inducted as a fairy slayer—finding out that my mom had some sort of secret that I don’t know anything about.”
“Emma, we will get this figured out,” Loni said in a stern voice as she stepped out into the empty hallway. “And in the meantime, try and get some sleep. This whole thing will make a lot more sense tomorrow.”
Emma shot her friend a doubtful look before closing her door. She was tempted to keep working, but she knew that Loni was right and so she got ready for bed. She took one final look at her mom’s familiar handwriting, then shut the book and climbed into bed. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, she fell into a troubled sleep, which was full of dreams.
This time she was already fighting the darkhel, and after striking it in every kill spot she knew, she was still no closer to destroying the vile thing.
Is that the best you can do? Its voice was a sibilant hiss that made Emma long to fall to her knees and cry. But before she could do so, her mom suddenly wandered over and looked at them with interest.
