Mortiswood: Kaelia Awakening (Mortiswood Tales)

by Gina Dickerson

  Kaelia, none the wiser as to who they were, realised she needed to fear them anyway. Beside her, Bay moved. ‘He’s opening his eyes!’

  Bay’s eyes flickered open. ‘Did I slip or something?’ He struggled to pull himself into a sitting position.

  Kaelia flung her arms around him. ‘You’re okay!’

  Bay groaned. ‘My head really hurts.’

  Kaelia’s father knelt beside him and disentangled his daughter’s arms from the boy. ‘Rest, Bay. I’ll fetch your father. Don’t move, you hit your head when you fell and knocked yourself out.’ He beckoned Kaelia to him and indicated for her to walk with him.

  ‘I want to stay with Bay!’ Kaelia stuck out her bottom lip.

  ‘In a minute, I have something I want to tell you first and he can’t hear this. No-one can. You are special, Kaelia. You can never use your power again. Now you know you have it you must keep it hidden. Every time you use it, they can sense it and they will come for you.’

  ‘Who are they?’

  ‘You won’t understand yet, you’re too young. I’ll tell you when you are older. Now, you go back to Bay and remember, no light.’

  Kaelia nodded. Her head pounded although she had not been the one who had fallen. Slowly, she walked towards Bay. Her father watched her, his short auburn hair illuminated by the rays of the summer sun. He waved at Kaelia, a reassuring smile on his tanned face. Suddenly the look turned to one of surprised horror as he saw, a split second too late, a speeding car tearing across the grass towards him. He started, beginning to run but the vehicle hit him with an almighty bang, sweeping him off his feet, tossing him high into the air. His scream carried in arc, abruptly stopping as he crashed down behind the vehicle, head bent at a grotesque angle.

  Kaelia wondered who was wailing pitifully as she raced to her father. She had never heard such an outburst of sheer, emotional pain before. It was only when she reached her father’s crumpled body that she became aware the wails were her own. Remembering her father’s warning of never using the light power, but no longer caring, she laid her hands on his blood-soaked t-shirt. The orange-red light glowed once more around her hands yet no matter how hard she tried, her father would not wake up. People began to run across from the football match at the other side of the park. Bay’s father led the scattered group, his face already red with exertion.

  Kaelia stared agog at the car; its bonnet concertinaed with the force of hitting her father. The interior was empty.

  Six Months Ago ~ Service station, Kent

  The coach drew into a slip road leading to a sparsely occupied car park. The coach’s passengers, a mix of teenagers, excited with having completed their end of year exams at the local college were returning from their final excursion to a stately home and zoo called Huntington Park, and this rest stop was the last, being thirty minutes away from their college.

  ‘You have fifteen minutes,’ the tutor’s voice rose to be heard above the chatter. ‘You can use the toilets and buy a snack in the shop.’ She consulted her watch before clapping her hands. ‘Chop, chop, don’t waste the time!’

  A blonde haired girl pushed her way along the aisle from the back seat. ‘Bay, are you coming with me?’ Elegantly groomed eyebrows rose questioningly.

  Bay ran a hand through his floppy, chocolate-toffee hair. ‘Georgina, I already told you earlier, no.’

  Georgina’s cold eyes settled on Kaelia, seated beside Bay. ‘You’re really choosing her over me? She’s a spotty, albino carrot!’

  Kaelia, used to such taunts over her pale complexion, red freckles, and fiery hair, grinned. ‘At least I’m all natural.’ She eyed Georgina coolly. ‘Hair colour from a bottle, tan from a bottle. Can you get brains from a bottle? Oh no, if that were possible, you’d be super-smart but as you aren’t ...’ She let her voice trail off meaningfully.

  Georgina’s rosebud mouth withered. ‘You’ve always been jealous because Bay chose me. He prefers liquid caramel to carrot. Well, he did before you poisoned him against me!’ She stalked off, pushing her way through the throng of students.

  Kaelia shoved her hand under her legs, hiding the sparks fizzling from her right palm before Bay could see. ‘I hate her! Let me poke her eyes out with a pencil!’

  ‘That’d be kind of gross,’ Bay replied. ‘Forget her. She’s acting up because she’s not getting everything her own way. Do you want anything to eat?’ He guided Kaelia from her seat and off the coach.

  Kaelia slung her bag over her shoulder, shaking her head. ‘I still have a banana and a packet of crisps left.’

  ‘What flavour crisps?’ Bay’s soft, brown eyes were hopeful.

  Kaelia laughed. ‘Pickled onion puffs.’

  ‘My favourite.’ Bay rubbed his stomach over his t-shirt.

  ‘That’s exactly why I’m eating them. You can watch and be jealous!’ Kaelia teased. ‘Race you to the top!’

  Bay watched Kaelia sprint off in the direction of the cliff top sloping up from the car park and shop. He admired the way her slender legs flexed from beneath short denim cut-offs and how the twists of her fiery hair streamed behind her. Georgina may take the piss over Kaelia’s freckly skin but, Bay thought as he watched Kaelia run, he found the freckles and moles cute. Today was the day to tell Kaelia he wanted to be more than friends. His heart butterflied inside his chest at the mere thought of it as he charged after her. Collapsing onto the soft grass beside her, Bay rolled over until he was propped on his elbows with grass tickling them. He cleared his throat.

  ‘I really like you,’ he began nervously.

  Kaelia’s flushed face grinned up at him from where she sprawled, flat out, amid clusters of daisies. She’d kicked her sandals off, her toenails sporting a neon-pink polish. ‘I was going to give you the crisps anyway, you don’t need to beg!’

  ‘I’d forgotten about the crisps,’ Bay admitted truthfully.

  ‘Yeah, sure!’ Kaelia raised her eyebrows. ‘You’re always thinking about crisps so don’t lie!’

  ‘I’m not.’ Bay lowered his face closer to hers. ‘I’m thinking about you. I’m always thinking about you.’ He tugged at one of her curls. ‘It took being with Georgina to make me realise how stupid I’ve been.’

  He was so close Kaelia could see the shadow of facial hair where he hadn’t shaved that day. ‘Are you trying to grow a beard?’ She rubbed a hand against his bristly cheek.

  Bay grasped her hand. ‘I’m being serious. I really like you.’

  ‘I like you too, we’re best friends!’ Kaelia’s heart flipped into her mouth. The way Bay was looking at her did something funny to her insides. Then she realised. She loved him. She always had, ever since they were young.

  ‘Kaelia,’ Bay whispered as his lips sought hers. ‘I love you. It’s only ever been you. I was stupid not to have realised it sooner.’

  ‘Me too,’ Kaelia replied dizzily. ‘Both love and stupid.’

  Bay smoothed her hair from her forehead, kissing the mole poking out from her right eyebrow. ‘I want to be with you. We’ve finished college and can do whatever we want. We should get a flat together!’

  Kaelia gasped. ‘I’m not even nineteen yet and I don’t have any money. Don’t be silly, we both want to go to university. We can’t afford a flat. I can barely afford to pay my mum twenty-quid towards shopping!’

  Bay covered her lips with his, stealing her words. ‘We can do it all, Kaelia. We make a great team and we can make anything work, including our dreams. Let’s share the same dream.’

  Kaelia, intoxicated by the electricity of his body pressed against hers, nodded. ‘And Georgina?’ Pain pierced into her heart.

  ‘We’ve broken up for good this time.’

  The icy stab of pain in Kaelia’s heart began to thaw. ‘When?’

  Bay rocked back onto his knees. ‘Around the time she hooked up with her art tutor.’

  ‘You’re joking!’

  ‘Nope, apparently she can be naturally creative around him but I suck her artistic spirit from her. Her word
s, not mine.’

  ‘What a load of crap!’

  Bay encircled her in his embrace. ‘I should never have gone out with Georgina in the first place. She was never right for me. She wasn’t you.’ Nerves tightened his throat again and he coughed to clear it. ‘There’s something else I need to tell you but promise you won’t laugh, or think I’m crazy.’

  ‘Does it involve Georgina?’

  Bay shook his head.

  ‘Then it can wait.’ Kaelia melted against Bay, her hands running through the thick softness of his chocolate-toffee hair, lips tingling with the touch of his. She’d dreamt of this moment, kissed Bay a thousand times in her dreams but nothing compared to the real thing. Tremors of excitement surged through her body, awakening every sense, making each inch of her body sensitive. She stroked Bay’s cheek, smiling at the tender look on his face. Then, aghast, she wrenched free as the unmistakable orange-red glow encased her right hand.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Hurt swum in Bay’s eyes.

  ‘It’s too much.’ Kaelia concentrated on controlling her breath to a steady pace while keeping her hand hidden and praying Bay hadn’t noticed anything odd.

  ‘I know.’ Bay gently kissed the mole on her eyebrow. ‘You’re so beautiful to me, I don’t know if I can trust myself to stop.’

  Kaelia lied, ‘Exactly what I was thinking, except me about you.’ She peered cautiously at her right hand, relieved to find it had returned to normal. ‘I’m thirsty. Do you want a drink from the shop?’ She turned away, taking a few steps back down the slope, wanting to hurry to the toilet and make certain her hand wasn’t about to explode or anything.

  Bay nodded. ‘A beer would go down nicely now.’

  Kaelia laughed. ‘We’ll go to the pub when we get back. I’ll treat you to a plate of nachos as well.’

  Bay blissfully rolled his eyes. ‘Nachos, booze, and you. What a great combo!’

  Kaelia giggled, her own cheeks flushing. ‘Shut up!’

  ‘Can’t help it if I find my girlfriend really fit.’

  ‘Girlfriend?’ A glow inside warmed Kaelia, not the magic kind, just the normal he likes me kind of glow.

  ‘Yup.’ Bay pointed at her. ‘You’re mine, meaning you have to buy me loads of pickled onion puffs whenever I want them. Talking of crisps, where is the bag you promised me?’

  Kaelia rolled her eyes. ‘I told you you’re always thinking about crisps!’ Pulling the crisp packet from her bag she tossed it towards Bay, laughing as it sailed over his head.

  ‘Hey!’ Bay scrambled to his feet, chasing after the packet.

  A sudden gale-force gust of wind spun Kaelia around, knocking her over before sweeping Bay clean off his feet. The wind twisted Bay around and around, swallowing his screams and treating him as if he were no more than an empty, discarded crisp packet. The unseen force dragged Bay to the edge of the cliff and he struggled, arms and legs flailing uselessly. It swirled him in mid air before abruptly releasing him. Bay remained suspended for a split second, long enough for his terrified eyes to fix on Kaelia’s, before he catapulted down, a scream trail marking his descent.

  ‘No!’ Kaelia raced towards the cliff edge. ‘Bay!’

  The wind returned and Kaelia held her palms outwards, tensing as the force scooped up the packet of crisps before spitting them out towards her. Consumed with a cocktail of anger and grief, streams of ice-blue light shot painlessly from Kaelia’s palms and clashed with the wind. Buckling under the pressure of tackling the unseen force head-on, Kaelia fell to her knees. Her hands shook but she was determined to fight. Instinct told her it was them, the unknown terror that had killed her father, had now claimed Bay.

  ‘You will not win!’ Kaelia screamed.

  Bringing her splayed hands side by side, thumbs touching, the two streams of blue light merged into one, forming a twirling mix of blue-white. With an almighty roar, a torrent of power rushed from within Kaelia, shooting down her arms and out through her hands, defeating the wind with a ferocious bang. Skies above darkened from blue to a stormy grey, crying with her as she finally broke into tears, wracking sobs shaking her numb body.

  * * *

  ‘He didn’t jump!’ Kaelia struggled to control the rise in her voice.

  The policewoman’s face was blank. ‘Were you and Mr Masters carrying out a suicide pact?’

  Kaelia shook her head, crying. ‘You’re not listening. I already told you, Bay didn’t jump!’ She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand.

  The policewoman arched one eyebrow and tapped her notes with her pen. ‘Ms Steel, I’ll give you another opportunity to tell me the truth or do you still maintain a sudden gust of wind appeared from nowhere and dragged Mr Masters over the cliff?’

  Kaelia nodded fervently. ‘Exactly.’ She knew how surreal her story sounded but she couldn’t help it from tumbling out of her mouth. Maybe she should have lied instead of being honest.

  ‘But you were strong enough to fight off this supernatural, ultra-strength wind?’ The policewoman’s lips twitched.

  Frustrated, Kaelia gritted her teeth. She knew the policewoman didn’t believe her; she had already been over the story four times. ‘I’m not making this up!’

  ‘No,’ replied the policewoman, enunciating slowly. ‘Of course you’re not. When did you and Mr Masters decide to make a suicide pact?’

  ‘It wasn’t a suicide pact!’

  ‘Is someone coming for you?’ The policewoman looked around the remainder of the students, many had been collected by parents or were re-boarding the student coach.

  ‘Yes.’ Kaelia’s mother, overhearing the policewoman’s question, joined them at the edge of the police cordon. ‘Kaelia, are you okay?’

  Kaelia’s face crumpled and she slumped into her mother’s arms. ‘It’s Bay. He’s gone!’

  ‘I’m concerned about your daughter,’ the policewoman said. ‘She keeps saying a strange wind gusted over and dragged her friend off the cliff.’

  Kaelia’s mother hooked a finger under Kaelia’s chin and gently lifted her head up. ‘Is this true?’

  Kaelia looked from her mother’s loving face to the policewoman’s, which was a medley of disbelief and apprehension, and quickly realised she had to stop harping on about a magical wind before the policewoman declared her crazy or suicidal, or both, and had her carted off to a psychiatric hospital.

  ‘It was horrible!’ Kaelia wailed. ‘It was such a shock, I didn’t know what was happening. I threw Bay a packet of crisps and he missed them, the next thing I knew he had fallen!’

  The policewoman nodded slowly. ‘So it was an accident not suicide?’

  Kaelia hoped Bay would forgive her the small lie. ‘Yes,’ she whispered, not entirely dishonestly, ‘it was an accident.’

  The policewoman jotted in her pad. ‘We have your details. You will need to come to the station to make a formal statement.’ Her face mellowed. ‘You can do the statement tomorrow, take some time to come to terms with the tragedy.’

  Kaelia and her mother watched the policewoman join her colleagues on the opposite side of the taped off area.

  ‘I want to sit here for a while.’ Kaelia folded her arms over her chest. ‘I’m not ready to leave yet.’

  Kaelia’s mother touched her on the shoulder. ‘I’ll be in the car when you’re ready.’ She kissed her daughter on the top of her head before making her way back to the car park.

  Kaelia, sitting as close to the edge of the cliff as the police cordon would allow, felt empty inside. It was as if something had forced its hand through her ribcage and wrenched her still-beating heart straight out. Wordlessly, she watched several of her fellow students leave the service station. A few wailed with grief, others were pale-faced and silent. Kaelia resented them all their emotions. She was the one in love with Bay and she was the one he loved. Worst of all, though, no-one believed her about the wind. She knew why the police assumed Bay had committed suicide. The area was a magnet for such deaths. The precipitous drop to the rocks and sea below
guaranteed death was the only likely outcome for anyone who leapt over the edge.

  * * *

  Georgina was the last of the others to leave the edge of the taped cordon. Mascara ran tracks down her cheeks and her rosebud mouth quivered with emotion. Kaelia glared at Georgina’s retreating back. It had made her angry enough to see the others weeping over the loss of Bay but to witness Georgina’s masquerade pushed Kaelia to the limit. She raced after Georgina, grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around.

  ‘What right have you to cry over him?’ Anger boiled within Kaelia. ‘You don’t care for him!’

  Georgina dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and sniffed. ‘You’re not the only one who’s upset.’

  Kaelia clenched her fists, already feeling the tingles of magic dancing beneath the skin. ‘You cheated on him!’

  ‘It was one time!’ Georgina screamed.

  ‘So you screwed your art tutor to show Bay how much you love him?’

  ‘I loved him!’

  Kaelia’s lip curled. ‘Loved?’ she echoed. ‘Don’t you mean love? If you were in love with him, you wouldn’t already be using the past tense!’

  Georgina’s hand hit Kaelia’s cheek before either of them knew it. ‘You turned Bay against me!’

  Kaelia’s palms heated up. ‘He deserved better than you!’

  ‘Like you, you mean?’ Georgina’s tone was scornful. ‘You were always jealous of me, ever since we started college. You will always be a loser, Bay only hung around with you because he’d known you since you were both babies. He felt sorry for you.’

  ‘Shut up!’ Kaelia shoved Georgina in the chest. ‘You’re lying!’

  ‘Look at yourself.’ Georgina shoved Kaelia back. ‘Your skin’s as pale as milk and your freckles are red. Who else have you seen who has red freckles? Even the manky mole on your eyebrow looks red.’ She leered in Kaelia’s face. ‘Oh my god, even your eyelashes are red. No wonder no-one ever wanted to talk to you. You’re a complete freak!’