Mystical (The Mystical Trilogy Book 1)

by Michael Weekly

  Dawn’s pink hair definitely fits this type of club. A girl with white hair enters the club right after the triple couple. Stacy walks past the line of people waiting in front of the security guard. She is playing with the ends of her hair. She tilts her head, like she’s flirting.

  “What is she doing?” Dawn whispers.

  “The hell if I know.”

  I hold onto my black blazer. From a distance, I see a lady with black clothing turn to look around at the place. She is circling around an object with a red button.

  Mom? What’s she doing here?

  “Eliza…” Dawn says. I turn around. “What is she doing here?”

  My lips part slightly, I’m also looking for Jared, but he’s nowhere to be found.

  My mom is at an urban club this late? It’s way past eight, meaning mystics are out and about, lurking for innocence to devour. My tangled up bushy hair blows in front of my face thanks to the wild wind.

  “Let’s find out,” I reply.

  We catch up to Stacy and she turns around with a smile on her face.

  “Here they are right now. Thanks Jeff!”

  The guard nods at us as he opens the door behind him to allow access. The bass and music grinds out of the building. Red and blue lights beam against the darkness inside.

  A large, swirly staircase is in the middle of the dance floor. People are walking up to the next level. My eyebrows scrunch together as I try to see where my mom ran off to.

  “Guys, let’s get something to drink!” Stacy shouts against the bumping music.

  Stacy pulls me to the bar. I want to push her off of me because she’s really annoying. Is she already drunk? I look at Dawn. She nods her head. Stacy dances over to Dawn and bumps her hips against hers.

  “Let’s go and dance first, Stacy!” Dawn shouts.

  Dawn’s plan to distract her is a success. Two guys walk over to them. My best friend takes one of the guy’s hands and drags Stacy along with her to the dance floor. Dawn is seriously awesome.

  I rub my forehead and see a figure racing up the stairs. That must be my mother.

  I move through the dancing crowd, trying to find my mom. The people here have markings that are lighting up against the dark club. I catch a whiff of that same vinegar, rotten smell in the middle of the crowd. The smell goes away and comes back randomly. I see Dawn dancing with the guys she brought on the dance floor. Stacy is shocked. This must be the first time she’s ever seen Dawn dance. She looks like she’s almost disturbed by it.

  I am pushed by raging dancers and knocked against a wall. I recollect myself and see that Stacy is gone. The stairs in front of me are covered by the people in the club. Now it’s impossible for me to get through.

  I notice the ends of my mother’s hair swaying against the wind and disappearing upstairs. My ears perk up when I hear a door creak open. I’m surprised I can hear a door in spite of the heavy rap music the DJ is blasting. I slide my eyes to the right slowly and see Stacy exit the building, her blonde hair flying behind her.

  Dawn is still dancing, but she stops when she sees that Stacy has left her side. She is searching for me to tell me, but I can’t waste time. I need to place all of the clues to my puzzle together and follow Stacy out of the club. I brush myself through the sweaty people huddled up and grinding against one another.

  “Hey, watch it!” A girl shouts at me as I push my way through the crowd.

  “Move it!”

  “Ouch!” I stepped on someone’s toe.

  I lower my head to avoid eye contact and eventually make it up to the door she slipped out of. I open it and exit the club shortly after. I leave the door slightly ajar. It’s darker than ever outside.

  The heels I wear click clack on the gravel beneath them. With the ends of my fingers, I trace the wet wall next to me. Above my head is a rusty staircase that echoes against the wind. My nose flares as I smell the stench I’m well acquainted with now. I hear mumbles and the rust on the stairs trickling down from the metal. I smell perfume, but this perfume is covered with a vinegar scent. She must’ve been trying to mask her true shifter scent. Stacy must have gone up the stairs.

  I hold onto my purse tightly and open it to see if my broomstick is inside. I see its red dot glowing, so I know it’s somewhere in the mess that is in my purse. If only I knew how to activate it so that I can protect myself.

  I have a dagger I took from Witcher’s Place in my purse, so I think I’ll be fine. There’s a black road in front of me. I must be behind the club building. The whispers grow louder, but I can’t hear what’s being said. I need to walk up the staircase on the side of this building.

  I lift my legs up on the old stairs. Immediately, my bushy hair gets caught on metal. I cringe from the pain and untangle it swiftly. I look around to see if anyone is present or following me. My lips part as I breathe in slowly, calming myself down in preparation for what I might encounter.

  My ears perk at the same mumbling I’ve been hearing. The stairs start to wiggle around and I’m afraid that it might snap and cause me to fall. I hold on to the wet rail as the metal burns the inside of my palm. My heart is beating frantically as the motion slows to a stop.

  “What if a witch finds you?” Stacy whispers.

  I’m getting closer to the rooftop. I glance down. I’m pretty far up and afraid that I might fall. I close my eyes to stop myself from staring at what might very well be my death. My legs feel weak and I’m thinking I should climb back down to safety.

  “David, what do you think people are going to think of me if they see you like this?” Stacy says. She doesn’t sound pleased and I sense she’s nervous about the situation. It takes me a minute to realize that she’s talking to her mystic boyfriend. My heart feels like it stops beating. I’m in complete shock. She’s been aware of this situation the whole entire time. I feel the club’s bass thump against my chest.

  “She has it in her house. The word is out and everyone knows.”

  I cover my mouth so that my breathing isn’t so loud. I feel a vibration in my purse. My phone goes off. I quickly open my bag to see that Dawn is calling me. I am searching for the phone in my messy purse to turn it off.

  “What’s that noise? Is someone here?” Stacy whispers.

  Eventually, I find my phone and turn it off. I have this overwhelming feeling that I am being watched. I start to walk to where I need to climb down, but the stairs start shaking and frighten me. I hear hisses from above me. Claws scratch on the stair’s metal.

  I can’t explain it, but I get a strong feeling that something is about to grab my neck. I turn around briefly to see David’s claw slashing the air for me. I duck immediately as his yellow glare stings my face and his scaly cheeks glimmer within the night’s shadows. He’s full on green and ready to kill me. I turn away from his stare, and when I turn back to him, he’s in full snake form. He waves his head side to side, slowly stalking my every move.

  “Kill her before a witch comes,” Stacy hisses.

  David’s tongue slips out and it’s clear that running away was not in his thoughts this time. He slithers towards me, his rough, hard scales scratching the metal beneath us. Diamond pupils study me carefully as he waits for me to make a move. It becomes a stare down, just as a black mamba would do before striking. Each movement I make and sound could trigger him at any moment.

  “Kill her!” Stacy shouts furiously.

  David doesn’t wait any longer. He strikes through the air with his fangs bared. A handle breaks off from behind me. I let my emotions pour out and free fall, gripping on a rusty metal object. I swing my legs onto the next platform of the stairs and run for the next handles to climb down.

  I don’t know what caused me to not be afraid of falling to my death, but my reflexes were just dying to be used and enabled me to react swiftly. I see David’s fangs above me as he darts for my chest. I roll over as the sharp teeth pierce the stairway I was just at seconds before.

  I cover my head with my purse to block his next atta
ck. Venom seeps through my bag’s fabric. I side kick the monster’s body and proceed to climb down the staircase as fast as I can, but I trip over my heels and stumble down the steps.

  I feel wetness around the knuckles of my fingers. The feeling burns and sizzles my skin. I glance at my hands and see David’s slender tongue around them. He tightens his grip and flings me off the handles I’m holding on to. I grunt as I land on my back with my head slamming into the metal underneath me.

  He slams his thick tail through the air, aiming for my body. His tail begins to coil around my body, constricting me. I close my eyes and roll to my side. I am too slow and begin to choke from the intense pain he is causing me.

  My dagger is on the ground next to me. I glance at my weapon and at David. Stacy is out of sight. She must have run away. I reach out for my weapon, managing to get it before he snaps my thin body. His venomous slobber falls down on the ground. His eyes are filled with corruption, evil, confusion, and anger. He watches my every move. Then he releases me and swings his tail, breaking another piece off the stairs.

  I feel like we’re going to fall and he’s breaking the staircase on purpose. He might survive this, but I know I won’t, so I need to stop his plan. I twirl my dagger between my fingers. My bushy hair flows behind me as I run.

  I dive for him, aiming for his throat.

  His sharp tail wraps around my sides and holds me in the air. He makes a sound as if he is laughing. I grunt in pain as he holds me. My eyes are burning. I smell David’s vinegar flesh tearing apart. His grip loosens as I stab the back of his head.

  The mystic falls down against me as the staircase rips apart.

  Chapter 17

  Metal from the staircase breaks in front of me and the structures that broke apart rumble. I glance downright and see that we’re pretty high up. I kick David off of me and begin to run. I hold on to something as the stairs break, causing me to fall down with the heavy metal. I kick through a thin structure as I bite my bottom lip.

  I force myself out of the trap I almost got stuck in. I close my eyes and free fall with the hectic noise surrounding me.

  My hair flutters with the rusty wind.

  I open my eyes and land on one knee with the face of my palm on the dirt. A feeling surges through my body and my arm begins to sting once more. It’s the same burning and freezing pain I felt in my room when Jared gave me the rose to hold, but this time I feel it on the side of my neck.

  The large stairs from behind me fall right after I landed safely. My purse falls beside me. I’m so confused. How was I able to jump from a tall staircase and land without dying? It was like an adrenaline rush that kept pumping through my body. I fall to my side and brush the side of my neck. Frost freezes the tips of my fingers.

  I feel my mind drift away slowly.

  ***

  The smell of blooming fresh flowers travels up my nostrils. Crisp linen tickles the tiny hairs on my skin. I slowly open my eyes and see a yellow room. I am in a soft bed surrounded by flowers and the smell of warm, lovely baked cookies on the table next to me.

  Biting my lip, I notice my purse is on the table. I reach over to grab it and look for my broomstick. It didn’t fall out of my bag. It was still tucked in the deep mess. I exhale slowly, not believing what happened and what, exactly, I fought. I look up at the ceiling and mutter to myself, “I guess this is how a witch’s life must be…”

  I place my hand over my heart, so worried I might’ve lost it during my fall. I hold on to my purse. I don’t know where I am and who brought me here.

  I turn to sit, letting my legs droop over the bed. In a mirror not too far from me, I see a new set of swirly, silver markings on my neck. This is the second tattoo to appear on my skin. I’m guessing this is part of my witch transformation, but Jare really didn’t warn me about them coming in so harshly.

  “Drink this. It will help the pain,” says a light voice from behind me.

  I turn around quickly. Miss Canary is standing quietly, waiting for me to calm down. She lays the cup of tea on the table next to me. I grab the handle of the cup while studying her. She leaves the room gracefully. This old lady kidnapped me, but at least it doesn’t seem like murder is in her agenda.

  I don’t know what kind of poison she mixed in this tea, so I’m not going to drink it. I wonder what other secret she’s hiding from me. She’s a secret weapon dealer at a witch shop and now this. Why was she out and about around the time I collapsed?

  I need answers.

  I take my purse and pour the cup of tea in one of the many flowers in this room. I walk out of this room and head toward the living room. My shoulders brush a long leaf. This hallway feels like a clean forest. The floor is well-maintained and the wallpapers have a grassy feel to it.

  She glances at me and says, “Come in, dear.”

  I pass her medium-sized kitchen. It’s not as large as mine. She glides into the living room and sits in a large, white chair. Flower wallpaper lays across the house with plants of all kinds scattered artistically on the window shelves and tables, giving her house a natural smell.

  “Nice place.”

  She grins, “I like to bring the forest with me.”

  I sit across from her, crossing my legs.

  “How did you—?”

  “Tea, darling?” She smiles, glancing down at the tea pot and playing with her fancy little tea cups as the glass sparkles from the lights above. She patiently waits for me to reply.

  “Yes, please,” I finally answer. Miss Canary gracefully pours the tea into the deep cup as she hums a melody.

  I clear my throat. “Miss Canary, I wanted to ask—“

  “Sugar, dear?”

  “Two,” I replied. “You were in the witch shop, then behind the club—.”

  “Cream?” Her light, melodic voice fills the air around us.

  I reposition myself and directly face her. Miss Canary’s eyes flutter up from the tea cups as she watches me carefully.

  “I know why you’re here, Eliza Rose.” She pours tea into her cup slowly.

  “How would you know?” I mutter underneath my breath.

  “I’m sorry, but what you wish to ask of me,” she says, glancing back at the door, “is something I cannot help you with.”

  She grins, pinching her pink lips together. Her blonde hair flows over her shoulders. She places her hands strategically on her lap.

  I hold onto my tea cup, knowing she’s keeping something from me, something I need to know. I glance at my cup, then back at Miss Canary. I squint at her. I’m not going to drink anything she gives me.

  Vinegar scent travels through my nostrils and makes them flare. The smell is distinct, and it’s coming off of Miss Canary, I’m sure of it.

  I clear my throat and slowly hold my arm out in front of me a little to the left, over the arm of my chair. I direct my attention to Miss Canary and mimic her grin, tilting my head to the right.

  “Answers,” I say dryly. “You knew what happened to me last night, and you knew about me eavesdropping at the shop.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Eliza,” Miss Canary says calmly, forcing a smile across her face and patting her dress.

  I blink at her, innocently letting go of my tea cup. It falls out of my hand.

  “Oops.”

  Swift air slices against my cheek and the rotten scent shocks my senses. I witness Miss Canary sliding across the floor and catching the tea cup. It lands in the palm of her hand. She exhales in relief and slowly lifts her head to look at me. She glares at me with her immaculate green eyes.

  “You’re a mystic,” I whisper.

  Miss Canary tightly crooks her neck as she stares back at me with a blank expression. She glances at the door behind me. I turn around and see no one.

  When I turn back around to Miss Canary, she’s sitting down in her chair with her legs crossed. Her long fingernails tickle the tiny hairs on her cheek as I stare back at her, breathing slowly in disbelief.

  Why did
my mom want me to talk to an elf?

  I reposition myself in my chair.

  “What happened to your husband?” I mutter.

  She’s glaring at me. I can tell she wishes I hadn’t seen what I saw. I feel the pain and regret flowing inside her body. I feel her emotions punching me. She clenches the fabric of her dress. There’s nothing she can do. I saw what I saw, and now I know she’s definitely a mystic.

  I stab her face with my eyes. “You’re corrupt…”

  She looks around her home worriedly.

  “No, I am not,” she finally says.

  “Then what happened to him?” I ask, clenching my fingers onto my purse and digging my hand into it. I keep a close eye on her as I try to find my broomstick.

  “He was…c-corrupt,” she stutters as the memory flashes through her eyes, her face slowly becoming hurt. I don’t know much about corrupt mystics, just that they’re more nefarious than your typical pure mystic.

  David isn’t pure and neither is Stacy. I know Stacy must’ve turned her boyfriend into a mystic. They thought I was just a regular, naïve girl. That night proved them wrong.

  “You…killed him.”

  Miss Canary straightens up as if I offended her. She glares at me fiercely.

  “I did not. The corruption was far too deep to save him.” She glances down at her tea cups. “It was either me or him,” she whispers, her eyes fluttering past me and at the door.

  “What kind—” I start.

  “Eliza, you must go,” she blurts. “It isn’t safe here.”

  I carefully follow her gaze and, in the process, find my broomstick in my purse. I wrap my fingers around it just in case. Not like it’s going to do anything for me…

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I say.

  “As long as you have the rose I gave to you when you were a child, you will be safe.”

  What’s the big deal about this rare rose she gave me? Why do Stacy and my mom want it?