She traces the ends of my counter. She grins as she grabs scissors from on top of my dresser.
“Let’s spice it up a little bit, shall we?” she says, cutting the air with the scissors.
Laying out the leather pants on my bed, Dawn proceeds to cut slim strips across the legs and thighs so some skin can show. She flips the pants over, cutting two strips right on the back side of the thighs.
I smile. This is extremely thrilling. Dawn circles around me, twirling the ends of her pink hair. “Why are you wearing your glasses? I thought your vision was fine.”
“I don’t need my glasses. My sight has been fine the past week. I’ve just been wearing them to...stay out of the crowd,” I mutter, fixing them.
“Your boobs are getting bigger too. I didn’t want to say anything.” She laughs, glancing at my chest. “Your skin is clearer. You look so pretty,” she says. “Are you sure you don’t need your glasses?”
Before I can answer her, she grabs my crooked glasses and snaps them in half. I gasp. Then I close my mouth and stare at her.
She tosses the glasses out of the window.
“No need for them anymore.” She shrugs.
“But I—”
“Nope...Liza, if you’re going to do this, we’re going to do it all the way,” she says. “Do you want to save your mom?” She asks impatiently.
“Well, yeah.” I avoid eye contact.
“Honey, you need to look the part.” She whips her hair.
After she’s done cutting my clothes, she places the mask on one of my counters. Dawn leaves instructions for my hair and mascara in the morning for school.
“Not too much makeup. You’re naturally beautiful. You got this.” She smiles. “You already have nice clothes. Don’t worry about that. Tomorrow is Friday and I’m leaving early for one of my classes, so I’ll see you on campus.”
I watch her leave my room and shut the door. This night has been completely insane, and we kind of…well, we just stole a bunch of items from Witcher’s Place. My mom vanished in my sight, and my friend is helping me save her and everyone else who might be in danger.
I love it. I totally love it.
There is a knock on the door. “I got it!” Dawn shouts from downstairs. She must be in the kitchen. I grab my broomstick, which had been lying on top of the leathery witch outfit.
I hear Dawn say, “Oh…Who are you?” The way Dawn sounds, it’s almost as if she’s interested in the person at the front door. I walk down the stairs slowly, curious to see who is in the entrance of my house.
I brush my hair with my fingers. I’m wearing a white crop top Dawn provided me with as a gift.
“I’m looking for someone.” His raspy voice tingles in my ears. I can hear his breathing with my new skills. I hold onto the rail as I stand in the middle of my staircase, eavesdropping.
“Okay, give me one second,” Dawn says.
I hear her walking toward me. She stops midstep, a shocked expression on her face. I must’ve frightened her from standing so still. She pinches her chin with the tip of her thumb and index finger.
She looks up at me. “I suppose you know him, then?”
“Yeah. We met a while ago.”
“Okay, well, I’ll be in my room if you need anything.” She smiles, skipping up the stairs.
I hear the guy clearing his throat. I turn around and see Dawn disappear into her room. One step at a time, I walk down the stairs, eventually standing in front of the guy. He walks into my home and closes the door behind him.
“I didn’t invite you in…”
“Doesn’t matter,” he says.
I purse my lips at him and cross my arms. “Why are you here?”
He holds his broomstick in his hands and traces the walls. He turns around and opens the door again. He sniffs the clear space in front of him. “You’ve had mystics over here, huh?”
I nod. “Quite a few.”
“Who killed them for you?” He chuckles.
“Well…I killed them myself. Funny how you think I’m not capable of doing these things.”
“You’re not.” He turns around to look at me. He points his thumb back at the door behind him and says, “Your door’s charmed.”
“Yup, I know. Is that all you wanted to see? You followed me to my home. I guess you really are a creep.”
“It’s not as creepy as it sounds. I wanted to see if you were all right. I’m not the only witch around this area. I have you here now to screw shit up for me.”
I glance down at my tan moccasins and then up at him as I lead the witch to my door. Opening it, I tell him he can leave, but he looks at me and grabs my arm, forcing me outside.
“Let go of me!”
“Calm down. I need to show you a place,” he says, closing my door.
My house slowly fades away from my vision. We wait at a streetlight to cross over. He glances at me. We make eye contact and then look away awkwardly. I don’t have my broomstick with me, so if he tries anything, I would have to fight him weaponless.
“Where are you taking me?”
It seems like we’re walking to the city. A bunch of goons are ahead of us. My hand feels something soft grasp around it. He’s holding my hand.
“Don’t let go,” he says under his breath.
The goons stop joking around amongst each other to look up at me. “’Sup, Donovan.” One spits on the ground. “Got’cha self some bait?”
Another goon kicks over a trashcan as a car swishes by. My ears perk from all of the noise in this area. My heart is starting to beat faster. Donovan was that his name? He squeezes my hand. I decide to listen to him and don’t let go.
He guides me in the middle of the group of goons. I lower my eyes to the ground, avoiding eye contact.
“She’s pretty cute. What d’ya think, boys?” One of them gropes my ass. I turn around and glare at the guy who grabbed me. “You tryna share with the group, Don?” he says, looking down at me.
“Don’t touch me,” I say through clenched teeth. He brushes against me and Don steps in to push him back.
“Nah, I’m not sharing shit.”
The guys in the group don’t seem too happy about Donovan’s answer.
Another guy rubs my waist. Donovan turns around and punches him in the face.
“Back up,” he says.
The group of goons back up a bit. Donovan’s nose flares and I hear him trying to control his breathing. The markings around his neck are glowing.
“This freak is glowing again. Let’s get out of here.”
The goons walk off into the darkness ahead of us. Donovan pulls on my arm, walking me down the street and helping me cross the road.
“So, your name’s Donovan, huh?”
He slides his gaze at me I part my lips, looking away. “Word gets around in this city.”
“What do you mean?”
“The gangs and gangsters.” He looks up ahead. “The goons. They all know about the guy who murders.” He clears his throat, pulling out his broomstick and holding it out by his side. “The guy who isn’t afraid to do the dirty work.”
“And how are you keeping mystics a secret?”
“I don’t. They see what happens. I just don’t fix their memories, so they know not to fuck around with me.” He looks up, pressing his thick lips together, and then looks behind and to his side.
“What are you looking for?”
“Mystics,” he says. He lets go of my hand. “We’re here.”
I see a tall, dark building in front of us. There isn’t a reason for me to run away now. His hair moves along with the wind and his silvery markings are beaming. I look down at mine and see that they aren’t alive.
“Your markings are glowing,” I say.
“Yeah…and?”
“Well, mine never seem to continuously glow. Is something wrong with me?”
“Everything.”
“Well, then.” I roll my eyes. “Thanks.”
He looks at me and then back at th
e building in front of us. I shake my head. He’s so rude. I did nothing wrong but try and protect myself from the many creatures after me.
It is kind of nice to have another of my kind alive and beside me. He tells me to wait outside of the building. The witch then walks up to the door and enters cautiously.
A minute or two passes by quickly. He comes out and motions for me to enter. I see him walking up a flight of stairs, his black jacket and glowing markings leading the way for me. It’s really dusty. I pick the cobwebs from my hair. When I sneeze loudly, he says, “Really? Can you be any louder?”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Shut up and just follow me.”
“You know…showing up at someone’s house only to take them to a creepy old building doesn’t really—”
“Shut up.”
“I have every right to—”
“Shut up? Exactly.”
I gasp, irritated. He opens a door leading out to what seems to be the roof. Glowing street lights and buildings light up the sky. Some flick on and off as employees leave their jobs. I hear honks from the cars full of people rushing to their destinations. A single bird flutters across my eyes as a cold crisp of wind rubs the tip of my nose.
Donovan walks to the edge and throws his legs over to sit. It’s really dangerous to be this high and sitting on the edge like this. He’s obviously not afraid of falling and has been here more than once.
I slowly walk to him. He takes off his hood. The markings on his neck glimmer. Standing next to him, I breathe in the wind.
“I can see everything up here. It’s where I find most of my mystics.”
“Do you ever take a break?”
“Do they? Whenever they take a break from killing these stupid people around here, then I will.”
“It’s not like we’re superheroes or anything.”
He looks at me as if I said something dumb. I close my mouth and turn away from him.
“It’s just what we’re bred to do, to protect, and fight against corruption. Seriously, if you don’t know any of this, you shouldn’t be out and about trying to force a fight.”
“I kind of have to now.” I hold up my broomstick and trace its swirly markings with my fingers.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well…my mother sort of got sucked into somewhere and I have to find out why.”
His eyebrows scrunch together. I can tell he is in deep thought about something. I don’t know where he’s from or how he can follow everywhere I go. He’s definitely a different kind of witch.
“She could be anywhere,” he says. “There are a lot of unusual worlds out there.”
“And where do you come from?”
“Doesn’t matter where I’m from. The reason why I brought you up here is to warn you.”
“About what?”
“About what’s to come. I can feel an evil energy boiling. I can’t pinpoint it, and since you’re the only witch here that I know exists, we’re going to have to work together.”
Why would I work with such a jerk?
He presses the red button on his broomstick as a sword slides out of its hole. With the tip of his blade, he traces the cement on his side. He then looks up at me and places his hood back over his head.
“I’ll check up on you to see if you’re alive from time to time.”
The wind blows my hair from my face. His deep voice really intrigues me. Just his mysterious aura altogether is really interesting.
“Until then, watch yourself, rookie.”
He purposefully falls over the edge. My heart immediately drops. This guy is crazy. I race to where he fell off, afraid I’ll see his dead body on the pavement.
He’s gone.
Chapter 20
This morning feels like it’s dragging. I couldn’t fall asleep last night. All I can think about at the moment is Donovan even though he’s very rude and inconsiderate about rookie witches. He’s opened up enough to at least feel the need to watch over me. I’m thankful for the help and I’m guessing I’ll experience what it’s like to be a witch if I befriend this guy. Maybe I should ask him where I can go to get trained, or if he’ll train me. I’m confused. I’m not sure if we’ve made it to that stage yet.
I pick the crust out of the cracks of my eyes and attempt to walk into my bathroom. Today is Friday and I’m pretty sure my teachers have dropped me from their classes. I figured I’d go to campus just to see what I can do about the situation. Maybe I can come up with a lie about grieving. I mean, it wouldn’t be that much of a lie. People have died in front of me. Well, not people, mystical creatures. And their murderer? Me.
“Okay, I can do this.” I take a deep breath and glance at the mirror. “I am a girl, right? I should know how to do this.” I chuckle to myself as the girl in the mirror shakes her head.
“Thanks,” I say, narrowing my eyes at her, and grabbing the items Dawn gave to me to prep myself for school. She’d be so disappointed if I didn’t go through with the outfit on. It’s important for her to know that I can look like an assassin and not some girl with a fur ball on the top of her skull.
Deciding to start with the famous fur ball, I spray some sort of heat protectant and straightener stuff on it. While I heat the flat iron, Dawn instructed me to use some mascara, so I trace the edges of my eyes, trying to create the wing look.
I fail miserably. Most of the mascara got into my eyes. Now my eyes are red. I turn on the faucet to splash water on my face. Apparently, splashing water on a face full of makeup isn’t a good idea. I freak out when I see myself in the mirror. I look like a total clown.
I decide not to do eyeliner because that’s like an intermediate task. I need something just for beginners, so I do the whole foundation thing and manage to look a little decent.
Deep breath. You got this.
I wonder how other girls do this. Makeup is so hard. My eyelashes are heavy, and my skin feels matted. The flat iron must be heated by now.
“Help make my hair sexy,” I mutter, grabbing it. My finger accidentally slides on the heated metal part. I jerk my hand back and scream in pain.
“Ow!” I cry. I wave my hand in the air, turn on the faucet, and thrust my finger in the water. Wow, pretty hurts. I sigh.
I place my smoothed out strands of hair in the middle of the iron and begin to straighten my wild, auburn hair. Flat ironing is actually pretty easy.
After I finish with my hair, I glance at the mirror. My reflection isn’t believable at all. This girl looking at me is not me. Slick, long hair stops above my belly button. I trace my warm hair, the girl in the mirror doing the same. The makeup she’s wearing makes her light green eyes pop vibrantly.
Exhaling in disbelief, I touch the mirror and then my face. I cover my mouth with my hands and stare at the face in the mirror. It’s amazing what just a bit of effort can do for you. Beauty and anything to do with it never really mattered to me before. This is all so new to me
Before I can take off the clothes I’m wearing, I glance at my counter, looking for my glasses. Then I remember that Dawn broke them.
With everything that’s happening, I really do need to stay out of the crowd. Dawn went shopping for a new look for me. She bought me more casual outfits for when I’m not fighting mystics.
I find the pumps that match the outfit I’m wearing and put them on. Carefully, I run out of the house and to my car.
Let’s just say...I can’t run in heels.
Holding onto my purse, I jump into my car. I look at the rearview mirror. I want to pick at my eyes so badly. That mascara still hurts. I sigh irritably.
***
Wind brushes my hair to my back as I step slowly on the gravel beneath me. My cellphone buzzes. When I pull it out of my purse, I see a text from Dawn.
Dawn: How did it go?
I roll my eyes, my heart racing and my veins pumping because of my quickened pulse. The sun gleams against the tan heels I’m wearing, and my warm hair bounces as I walk up
the steps toward the entrance. One long strand of hair lingers in front of my face.
Smiling to myself, I look at the ground and continue to walk inside the school.
I click-clack down the hallway, my heels singing gracefully. People stop talking to one another and begin to whisper. Keeping my face down, I can feel wondering eyes burning against my back, curiously searching to find out who I am.
“I haven’t seen her around here before.”
“Who’s that?” one person says.
“Hottie!”
Guys whistle, chuckling amongst their friends.
This is so staying out of the crowd.
Hurriedly, I walk toward the student center.
“Oh my God,” someone blurts. I turn around and glance up to see that Dawn is in front of me, staring in disbelief. Biting my bottom lip, I look behind me. A bunch of people quickly turn to avoid eye contact.
“Eliza, you fucking did it,” she says, throwing out her arms to hug me. “You look…wow, you look amazing!” she cries.
“Stop it.”
“Look at your hair! Oh my God.” She runs her fingers through the loose strands. She pulls back her hand and looks at it. “Unbelievable, my hand didn’t get caught. What is this life?” She snickers.
“Shut up.” I cover my smile as I walk toward the counselor’s office. Dawn turns me around so I can look at everyone near us at that moment.
“So, the group of cheerleaders over there.” She points. “They’re going to Stacy’s party. However…” She looks up at me. “I can’t find Stacy on campus.”
I crinkle my nose. “She’s here. She didn’t do a good job covering her scent.”
“Scent? What are you talking about?” Dawn says.
“Each time we encounter a mystic or something, they always have this distinct stench.”
She sniffs around like a dog.
“Dawn, you’re making a scene. Stop it.” I pinch her arm.
“Ow!” she yelps.
I place the palm of my hand across my forehead and lower my eyes to the floor. “It’s a witch thing. It’s like a mixture of vinegar and dead flesh.”
Mystical (The Mystical Trilogy Book 1) Page 19
