by H. K. Varian
Ray shook his head. “You’re hallucinating. We must both be hallucinating.”
“No, we’re Changers,” Darren said. He started to ramble. “I found out on the first day of school. It runs in families, and I thought I was the only one in our family, but then I found out there was a curse that blocked your powers, I guess, and Esi said it wouldn’t work, but it did, and now you’re one of us, and . . .”
Darren stopped and took a deep breath, but Ray didn’t look any less scared and confused than he had a minute ago. There were still sparks crackling from the tips of his fingers.
“What’s an Esi? What are you talking about?” Ray demanded.
I’m no good at explaining this, Darren thought. He had so longed for a family member, especially Ray, to share this new world with. He had just never thought about having to be the one to explain it all. I need to get in touch with Ms. Therian. If anyone knows how to explain this—and how to keep Ray in check—it’s her, he thought.
Darren was about to call Ms. Therian when the front door slammed open.
Please don’t be Mom, he thought over and over again. He didn’t want to explain to his mom why her kids were suddenly enveloped in a lightning storm.
“Darren? Darren?” came a voice.
Darren recognized that voice. Thankfully, it wasn’t his mom at all—it was Fiona!
For a brief second Darren was happy to hear her, but that was soon replaced with a new worry. I don’t know if I can hold the force field much longer, Darren worried. Fiona could accidentally get hurt.
“Fiona!” Darren shouted back. “It’s not safe. Call Ms. Therian.”
“Fiona?” Ray repeated. “Your friend from school? Oh, don’t tell me she’s an impun—”
Ray’s question was cut off by Fiona herself, soaking wet from the storm that raged over their house. She wove a water shield around herself and took a look at Ray.
“Is Ray . . . ?” Fiona asked.
“Yes,” Darren said.
“So the curse is . . .”
“Broken.”
There was a beat of silence. Then Fiona’s face brightened.
“Professor Zwane can work the protection spell now, Darren,” she said earnestly. “You’ll be protected from Sakura!”
“Yes, that’s great,” Darren said, “but right now we need to get Ms. Therian. Ray needs her help.”
Fiona dropped her water shield and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Mrs. Therian, but there was no answer. Then she dialed again. Still no answer.
“She’s always by her phone,” Fiona said. “Where could she be?”
An exhausted Darren dropped his guard for a second, and that was all it took. Ray’s powers were too unwieldy to control. A stray bolt of lightning burst from Ray’s fingertips and zipped past Darren—right to Fiona.
“Ack!” Fiona screamed.
It all happened in an instant.
Fire. Something smelled like fire. The room was covered in yellow light and then darkened into black. For a brief pause no lightning emanated from Ray. It was like the world froze still.
“Fiona!” Darren yelled.
Was she hurt? Darren could barely see her—all he could smell was ash. Like something—or rather, someone—had just been burned.
Thankfully, he heard Fiona’s voice.
“I’m . . . okay,” Fiona replied breathlessly.
Whew. Fiona was already working on putting out the fire with water when Darren noticed what Ray had hit. It was Fiona’s hair! Fiona’s hair was completely buzzed on one side. For a moment he was scared, but then he couldn’t help but think it looked, well, cool.
But there was more where that came from. Lightning ping-ponged from the wall to the ceiling and back again.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Ray kept yelling, doing his best to cover up his hands, but the lightning just wouldn’t stop. With each “sorry,” another jolt came out.
Fiona ducked into the hall to try calling Ms. Therian again while Darren worked on building a new—and hopefully, more durable—force field. The smell of singed hair filled his nostrils.
Darren remembered the time he almost killed Fiona in the ancillary gym where they had their Changer training. He had shot a lightning arrow that missed its mark, shattered an overhead light, and nearly fell into the saltwater pool where Fiona was training. It missed by less than an inch—and Darren felt terrible.
Thankfully, he’d had Ms. Therian’s help then. Darren knew he needed her help again now, more than anything.
Fiona kept calling and calling, but there was no response. It was so unlike Ms. Therian. Fiona tried a few other numbers, but nothing seemed to work.
Darren didn’t know what was going on.
Where are you, Ms. Therian? Darren wondered.
About the Author
H. K. VARIAN has always loved reading about ancient mythology, ruins, and magic. Though H. K. once dreamed of having awesome powers like in the Hidden World of Changers series, writing became kind of like magic in and of itself. Today H. K. lives, writes, and has adventures in both North Carolina and New York City, though most of them don’t involve battling warlocks, storming castles, or retrieving enchanted objects.
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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This Simon Spotlight edition July 2017
Copyright © 2017 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Text by Laurie Calkhoven
Illustrations by Tony Foti
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Designed by Nick Sciacca
Jacket illustrations by Tony Foti copyright © 2017 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
The text of this book was set in Celestia Antiqua.
ISBN 978-1-4814-9826-5 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4814-9827-2 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-9828-9 (eBook)
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2016952972
