Mystical (The Mystical Trilogy Book 1)

by Michael Weekly

  “Right, I knew that. I was just testing you.” She gives me a thumbs up. She closes her lip as her expression turns to a look of worry. “Did you bring your rose with you or leave it at home?”

  I forgot which one of us actually had the rose to begin with.

  “I thought you had it.”

  “I did?” she asks herself.

  “Dawn.”

  “You’re right! I did have it. It’s locked in my drawer.”

  “Dawn, do you know how many mystics have entered our house and we didn’t even know it?”

  “I thought your mom ‘enchanted’ the condo or something.”

  I remember when Eric couldn’t get in my house that one night after the rave. I didn’t want to think he was some kind of mystic. I honestly don’t know why we suddenly just stopped talking. I notice him walking down a hallway with a blue haired girl.

  “Isn’t that Eric?” Dawn asks.

  “Yeah. But anyway,” I change the topic, “text me the address just in case you end up going to the party with someone else.”

  “I was just going to tag along with some other friends of mine. You can come with us.”

  “I need to figure some stuff out first.”

  Eric is still in the hallway with his new girl toy, his arms wrapped around her waist. I feel like I’ve just been played big time by the dude who’s been talking with my mother behind my back.

  Why were they hanging around with each other? I know, for a fact, that he sent the mermaids for me at the Virginia Beach rave. My only assumption is he must be involved with the Verel. They work with evil mystics and use female witches. Could mom’s boyfriend be working with Eric?

  Dawn clears her throat, and I snap out of my thoughts. “Us? You have a date?” I ask.

  “No. They’re just friends, Eliza.” Dawn lowers her gaze at me. She looks confused. “I just told you that? Are you okay?” She feels my forehead.

  “Yeah, just thinking about some things. Mom and stuff.”

  “I’m sure Jared has it under control. Remember, you aren’t ready for all of this yet.”

  She reaches in her pockets. I hear the sound of vibration. Dawn pulls out her phone to answer it. She smiles when whoever is on the phone starts talking.

  “Liz, I’ll catch you later, okay?” she says, covering the receiving end of the phone. I don’t even get a chance to reply when she walks off.

  “Yeah…catch you later,” I mumble.

  ***

  After meeting up with my counselor, it was official that I missed too many classes to continue this semester. I knew this would happen and I was aware of it. I just thought, somehow, my lie would work, but it didn’t.

  The school’s hallways and populated areas are now quiet. It’s getting late. Outside of the offices, I see a figure leaning against the wall, one of his boots comfortably on the wall. His hands are in his pockets and his black hood is covering his face.

  “Took you a minute…” His voice is calm with a hint of rasp to it. It’s familiar, and now I realize who the figure is.

  “You’re stalking me now?”

  “Nah, just scoping the school out for mystics.”

  Lifting my purse around my right shoulder, I ignore him and walk by. He follows. I stop and turn around. “Do you mind? I’m really not in the mood to deal with you.”

  “You’re going to have to get used to it because I’m not going anywhere. Everywhere you go, you draw in mystics, so it’s best to follow you around. It’s because you’re new to the game and they love fresh witch meat.” His tongue with his teeth, smirking at his joke.

  He looks at the place we are in. Computers are scattered across campus and the sparkling clean tiles beneath us gleam on our skin.

  “So what? You’re trying to fit in and go to school?” he says. I’m surprised at how well he’s managed to cover his witch markings.

  “I don’t think a school is where you need to be,” he continues. “Humans aren’t too keen on people carrying weapons and wearing hoods in public.”

  I walk down the hallway and see Eric kissing the girl he’s with. My heart drops. I don’t want to feel the way I’m feeling. Seeing him kissing this new girl shocks me out of the moment with Donovan. I feel like I’m going to fall to the ground from loss of balance.

  “Aye, rookie. First things first, always know where your broomstick is.”

  Donovan grabs my arm, keeping me from crashing to the floor.

  “You okay?” he says, looking at me.

  “What are you talking about?” I look in my purse. “It’s right in here…” I finger around the mess inside. “I don’t know where, but it’s in here. Look, I don’t have time for this.”

  “Hey,” he says.

  My broomstick is in his hand. I’m completely puzzled how he stole it from me. Immediately I snatch my weapon away from him. It may be useless to me, but it’s still mine.

  He turns around and points at the chair I was sitting on in the counselor area. “You left it there earlier when you were called.”

  He glances behind me. I turn around to see Eric quickening his pace and vanishing out of the building.

  I turn back around to say something to my witch stalker, but he’s gone too. My lips part in confusion.

  I walk out of the school, seeing Eric lean against his car with his blue-haired girlfriend. Slowly, I approach the two of them, but the girl snaps her neck, glaring at me angrily as if I’ve interrupted a conversation.

  Eric looks at me up and down. He’s checking out my new look.

  “I just want to give my…thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “For saving me. You know, at the rave?” The same overwhelming vinegar scent punches my face. “I’m pretty sure you’re the one who dragged me out of the water, right?” I tilt my neck and look at the girl beside him.

  Of course I know he wasn’t the one who saved me. It was Donovan, my stalker. All I want to know is what Eric is planning with my mother. When she was with him, she seemed a bit brainwashed. She was stuck somewhere else in her head. She’s stuck in corruption and he’s taking advantage of it.

  The features of the blue-haired girl’s face trigger a memory. The scent, the anger, and everything about her are coming in clean to me.

  Eric’s blue-haired girlfriend is a mermaid.

  Chapter 21

  “Who is this?” she says, the end of her upper lip curling. Glancing at Eric, she rubs the top of his shoulder. She knows I’m the one she tried to kill before, but what is holding her back from repeating the murder? Surely, it can’t be because of Eric.

  “It’s—” he starts to say, looking back at me. “—no one, Tori. It’s no one.”

  He signals her to go into the car. Tori leaves his side, strutting past him and staring at me curiously

  “I think I’m someone to you if you’re trying to talk to both my mother and your little girlfriend.” I cross my arms, narrowing my eyes.

  “That wasn’t paint behind your ear, was it?” I ask carefully, watching the mermaid sit in his polished car.

  “Yes, it was. What else could it have been?”

  “Whatever. You’re hiding something from me, Eric. I don’t know why you’re acting like this. Was that night nothing to you? Nothing at all?” I spit.

  He crosses his arms in front of his chest, then kicks the gravel beneath his shoes. He laughs under his breath, lifting his eyes up at me from the ground.

  “Did you actually think that was a date, Eliza?” he says, leaning closer to me.

  “Apparently it wasn’t. You were playing me all along.”

  “I wasn’t playing you. We never were together.”

  “So you’re not together with Tori? Right, got it.” I laugh, shake my head, and lean in closer to him. “I’ll figure you out.”

  “You look hot when you’re mad.” He smirks.

  “You look pathetic when you lie,” I growl. I walk back to my car and zoom off the same way he’s done to me every time.

&
nbsp; ***

  “Bradley’s going to the party with you? What…Wait, what?” Dawn yells through the phone.

  I move my face away from the phone, waiting for her to calm down. She must’ve heard some false gossip from her new group of friends. Dawn and I are planning on crashing Stacy’s party, and I’m pretty sure I’m just going alone.

  “Uh, who’s Bradley? And when did anyone ever need a date to a house party?” I sigh, walking toward my condo.

  “Oh…” Her voice fades off.

  “Dawn, is that a personal phone call?” Her boss mumbles in the background.

  The phone clicks off. I look at my phone and see that the call has ended. I laugh at the awkwardness of that call and place my hood over my head. I put my phone in my pocket and find my keys so I can open my door.

  I look at a mirror in our living room and run my fingers through my hair. I place my hands on my hips and turn to look at my sides.

  “Well, I guess change is good,” I murmur at the mirror.

  Suddenly, I remember that the rose is in Dawn’s drawer. I walk upstairs and head to her drawer, but it’s locked. I purse my lips, trying to find the key she has for it. I get stressed out and my silky, straight hair starts to annoy me. I don’t know why mystics are after the rose and why it’s so special to them. I stop, looking around Dawn’s room. A bright gold key is hanging from a pin on her wall. I walk over to grab it, and unlock the drawer. I open and see that the rose is gone, it’s red petals left behind. My heart drops and I struggle to breathe for a quick second. I finger through the drawer, feeling for the rose but it isn’t here.

  Several people come to mind with who might’ve stolen it. My mother was sucked into our bookcase, so she’s out of the option. I need to talk to Miss Canary about it. Mom always told me to go to her if anything was to happen. Now would be the perfect time to turn to the elf. I close Dawn’s drawer, maybe I’m thinking too much. Maybe Dawn came back home and took the rose from the drawer?

  I look around my empty home. I can’t believe I actually moved and haven’t had the time to settle in and soak in the reality of it.

  I take the moment to do so, allowing my eyes to trace the wallpaper Mom picked out for us. The wall is white with engraved markings. Our carpet is plush and I enjoy feeling the fabric between my toes. I see Jare’s bed next to our own bookcase.

  My brother hasn’t been home since…I honestly don’t know. I hope he’s all right, wherever he is.

  I figure I’d have a little fun tonight. I pull out my pen-sized broomstick and rub it with my thumb. I gaze out of my room and witness the sunset. I open my window and wind brushes against my face, blowing my hair in front of my eyes.

  I hold on tightly to my broomstick as I breathe in slowly.

  “Please work…” I say to it.

  Fiercely, my eyes dart to the woods behind the houses.

  “It’s easier for me to travel in the woods at night…” Miss Canary’s voice rings in my memories.

  I strut to my drawer and pull out three empty, tiny clear bottles and my new dagger. I slip on the leather, ripped black clothes Dawn styled for me. I place the hood over my hair and put my mask over my mouth.

  After sinking my feet into the knee high studded boots and strapping my black belt around my waist, I stab the dagger through one of the hooks on the leather strand.

  I walk downstairs and fill the clear bottles with salt in case I encounter any mermaids. I watch the tiny grains of salt fill the bottles. Then I turn my attention to the grimoire on the table.

  I flip the book open and search for the shifter section. Eventually, I find it and learn that I have to cut off their head to completely vanquish them. I must’ve missed this important procedure for killing a shifter the first time I read this section. I rub the palm of my hand over my forehead, Jared actually told me before that I had to cut of a shifter’s head. I only stabbed David’s head…which means he’s still alive. My heart drops as I close the book. Stacy and David must have the rose. After all, they were discussing it at the club that night.

  Sticking my hands into the black gloves, I turn around to see Jared limping on the ground. Dark red blood drips onto the floor.

  “What are you doing?” He coughs.

  “Jared! Oh my God.”

  He lies down on the floor. I move to him and lay my hands gently on his side to see if the wound is deep and serious.

  “J-Just don’t touch it, Liza. It’ll crystalize,” he hisses.

  “Jared, you’re hurt. I have to help you.”

  “No, you don’t. I’m fine. It’s okay,” he mumbles. “Why in the hell were you at Witcher’s Place? Are you seriously asking to die?”

  “So that was you,” I say. “How in the hell are you supposed to just heal? I need to get you to a veterinarian or something.”

  “No shit it was me,” he mocks. “And no, you don’t.”

  “That scent…that other cat chasing you must’ve been a mystic,” I say, thinking back to the scent I caught back at the shop.

  “It was a shifter,” he said. “I don’t know what you’re up to, Eliza, but it’s getting far too dangerous out there.”

  “Mom is missing. I’m going to see Miss Canary for answers,” I say, lowering my eyes at him.

  “She’s what?” He coughs. “What do you mean she’s missing?”

  “She got sucked into that creepy bookcase back at home.”

  Jared’s ears perk up. Suddenly, he’s interested in what I’m saying. His wound glows silver. I can tell it’s healing slowly. I take a towel from the kitchen and pat the blood on the ground, trying to clean it up.

  He looks up at me and says, “Ravamere…it’s too late.”

  “What?”

  “Look, don’t go back to that area.”

  And with that, I hold on to my broomstick, tuck the tiny bottles filled with salt in my jacket, and leave the house.

  Jare curses behind me, but I don’t care

  ***

  I close the door, fix my mask over my mouth, and close my eyes. My hand lingers on the doorknob, closing the door shut. I take a deep breath as I let go. Then I jog down the sidewalk. I run and run as the wind tickles my skin.

  A mystical scent slides into my nose.

  Perfect.

  Following the scent in the air, I race down the sidewalk, carefully keeping my balance on my heels. My newfound agility helps me with that, and the scent becomes stronger, indicating that the creature is closer each second. I breathe in the cold wind as my lungs thud against the air inside of me. The skin on my thighs begin to irritate from my legs moving against each other at such a fast pace.

  In front of me, a blonde girl stands near an alley while a dark skinned man passes her. The lady plays with her hair and moves her shoulders around flirtatiously. The man watching her, stops in place and walks toward her. She begins to mouth some words, but I can’t quite tell what she’s saying. He leans closer to her, his hands wandering on her thin body.

  “Come play with me,” she sings. She walks to a car, takes out her keys, and unlocks the door. She slides into her car. Then she pulls on the guy’s collar, causing him to enter the vehicle. My ears perk when I hear the door slam shut.

  The windows immediately get foggy and I hear the muffled melody from inside her car. A couple walks by the vehicle, but they don’t seem to notice what’s going on. Could the car be charmed so regular humans won’t hear or see anything? The couple disappears into the city’s lights.

  I look both ways before crossing the street. I race toward the car, taking my broomstick out of my pocket. The car is now in front of me, and I hear her singing pull against my ears. I press the button with my thumb. My weapon resizes. If I don’t hurry and react to what’s going on in the car, that guy will die.

  I smash the end of my broomstick against the window. The glass shatters, and the mermaid’s blue, glowing eyes dart up at me. The singing stops. The guy’s eyes are rolled back, white, and lifeless. Suddenly, the color from his eyes darke
ns back to normal. The mystic turns to look at him. She starts singing once more. Slowly, he dazes off again.

  I pull the mystic’s hair. She snarls, crawling out of the window’s opening. I hear the metal of my broomstick mash against her wet face. I lift my foot to kick her against the car, but she grabs my ankle and chucks me into a brick wall next to the sidewalk.

  I lose my grip on my broomstick as it lands on the ground. Her car’s alarm sounds, and the guy from inside is fully awake, startled and unaware of what’s going on.

  The man stumbles out of the car and runs off, his eyes wide open and hand jetting up to the blue markings around his neck. The mermaid turns around to stare at me, her eyes beaming and her lips curled back, showing her teeth. The light blue markings on her skin are glowing furiously.

  She races over to me, and I roll over to get my broomstick from the ground. She lands on top of me, chucking my back against the sidewalk I’m on. Her screech rings in my ears. I bite on my bottom lip as I knee her in the gut.

  I grapple her neck with my hands, releasing a loud grunt. I manage to throw her off of me. I crawl to get my weapon. I know it’s not going to turn into any sort of sword, whip, or dagger. This normal bar state it’s in will have to be enough.

  I stand up and she waits from a distance in front of me. She turns and runs across the street, as a car beeps at her. I hold on to my salt bottle and broomstick. This one is mine.

  I follow her scent across the city. The lights fade away and I run into a neighborhood. Some of the motion sensing house security lights flick on when I walk by.

  There’s a playground at the end of the corner. I hear the metal of the swings colliding into one another. My nose flares. I know she’s the one causing the swings to make that noise.

  “Your innocence is tasteful,” she sings as I walk onto the mulch. Her fingers trace the metal of the swing. I see frost developing slowly as she circles around the barriers of the playground.

  “A new witch in the city. This should be fun,” she sings. “I hope you know you can’t kill a mermaid out of water.” She bares her teeth.