by B. J. Smash
Suddenly, her body contorted back and forth in an unnatural way, and there she stood, inches from my face. I could see in her eyes a deep sorrow beyond words, and an empty pit of darkness. It’s probably not what was really in there, but it was what she wanted me to see.
Without sucking in breath, she let out a scream from hell itself, and her hands were on my shoulders, shaking me with such force my knees almost buckled. Before I knew what happened, she had her hands around my neck, and she was squeezing the life right out of my body. My hands flew up to hers to pry them away. They were cold hands, deadly hands. No matter how I tried, no air could reach my lungs beyond her grasp. The pain swept through me as I choked, and my head felt like it would burst.
Quickly, Zinnia, I thought to myself. Quickly. I reached into the part of my brain where I had stored the spells I’d seen earlier in Izadora’s grimoire. I pulled the four spells to the front of my mind as if they lay on a table, and I scanned over them until I found the one I needed. Within seconds, I read the spell. Oh, and this ghost was about to be sorry.
I stopped gasping and the edges of my mouth slowly curved into a smile, and my own eyes held nothing but contempt. She stopped screaming and she stood there, dumbfounded. Gripping harder, she squeezed my neck.
Reciting the words in my head, I could feel the energy, the magic swelling up inside me like the helium balloons I had blown up earlier. I didn’t mean to, but I tapped into that darker side—that side of me that I had tamped down with my newfound humbleness. And the force that left my hands when I placed them on her shoulders was fierce. Something to be reckoned with.
She flew back like a lion had attacked her, and landed on her back. I could tell by the way she writhed beneath my invisible energy that she was trying to disappear. To get away. Far away.
I walked forward, my hands still held out, casting forth the energy that held her down. “You don’t ever attack me like that again. You don’t know who I am. You don’t know a single thing about me, except what you have heard from others.” I could hear something fast approaching from behind me. I knew who it was. But I said to the ghostly figure on the ground, “You leave me alone.”
I was knocked to the ground by my sister. Falling hard, I hit my head on the grass and bit into my tongue. The pain didn’t faze me as much as the thought of being knocked down by my sister. She’d done this a few times in the past.
“Ouch! What is it with you knocking me down?” I asked, maneuvering my way out from underneath her body.
She ignored my question. “I heard the screams. I came as fast as I could.” Her voice was panicked. “Zinnia! What were you doing to Silvie? She looked like she was going to explode into a million pieces.” She sat up and stared at me wide-eyed.
“She started it. She was throttling the life from me,” I said in my defense, rubbing my neck.
At first I thought she’d take Silvie’s side, but then she saw my neck and was taken aback. “You’ve got bruises forming.”
“I told you. She was trying to kill me.”
Ivy shook her head in disbelief. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why she did this to you. But by the looks of things, she won’t be doing that again.” She let out a steady stream of air and turned to Silvie, who lay on the ground glaring at us. Then Silvie up and disappeared. Poof!
I once knew how to do that myself, and for a few seconds I was jealous.
I saw my sister visibly shake as a chill ran through her body. It was evident that she didn’t care for Silvie too much. It took a moment, but soon Ivy’s focus was back on me.
“Who the heck is Silvie anyway?” I asked.
“Oh, its Ian’s dead sister. She was Unseelie once.”
This piqued my interest. “Unseelie, you say? Just like me. Or just like I was,” I corrected myself right away. My plan was to never have contact with the Seelie or the Unseelie, ever again.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s a long story. I’ll fill you in later,” she said. “By the way, how did you manage to hold her down like that? I thought they erased all spells from your memory.”
There was something deep inside me that wanted to come clean. Then there was something at the surface that just wanted to hold onto those spells, just a little bit longer. But in the end, I came clean. Well, I compromised. I told half of the truth, that I’d seen two spells in Izadora’s grimoire.
“I didn’t mean to see the spells in Izadora’s book—you know that. You were there. The wind flipped the pages,” I said.
“Yes, I know. And I know you have a photographic memory, but how in heck did you remember those two spells so fast? You didn’t even get a chance to read them.” She was puzzled. “You must remember stuff instantly—faster than I believed you could.”
“I don’t know. But who cares. Are you going to tell Izadora? It’s not like I am going to use them, unless I need to.”
We continued to sit in the grass, the earth damp and cool. She finally said, “No. I suppose not. But you better behave yourself, Zinnia. Your history with having any power is scary. You just can’t seem to control yourself…but then again, I never wanted you to have to live on Magella’s houseboat without any magic to defend yourself.”
“Believe me when I tell you this. I’ve changed.”
I could see it in her eyes that she did not truly believe it. She wanted to, but she didn’t. Especially after what she’d just seen me do to Silvie. And to be honest, I couldn’t tell you if I’d fully let my old self go. She just wouldn’t leave me alone.
Chapter Six
“Do that dance again!” Granddad called out from his seat of honor that was nestled in between two trees filled with magical fairy lights. He wore a red-and-black checkered flannel shirt, and he sat there clapping his hands to the skirl of bagpipe music the McCallister men were performing. He had a yellow bow stuck on the top of his head, taken from one of the presents. Gran had placed it there. A bonfire roared about ten feet from his chair.
My father, who was seated next to him, yelled, “Where did you girls learn that dance?”
The answer had to be obvious, but I reluctantly answered, “From the Fae.” It was a dance that they had done when I had been bound to them. Ivy had been present, and although she didn’t remember it as good as me, she wasn’t doing too badly. I don’t know why I decided to do the dance, which had a lot of jumping and kicking. It was Ivy who had pulled me out of my chair.
Izadora stood on her balcony, leaning on the railing and observing us like we were some sort of science experiment. She sipped a cup of tea and nibbled at a scone. I couldn’t tell if she was happy, mad, or neither. She showed no emotion.
“Play that song again, boys.” Granddad waved his hand at the McCallisters. Adam, the oldest, held his hand out for everyone to stop playing so that he could hear.
“What’s that again?” he said, cupping his ear.
“Play that there song you had going a minute ago,” Granddad said.
“Oh. Aye,” Adam said, and they started from the top.
Ian wasn’t playing tonight, although I heard that he could play up a storm. Instead he was sitting next to Aunt Clover, occasionally bursting out into laughter.
My Aunt Clover had ridden her four-wheeler here, taking the ten-mile trip through Hunter’s Hollow. She could have gone through Ian’s, but apparently she had her reasons for not wanting to go that way. It probably had something to do with Silvie. When she had arrived, she had spotted me right away, and before she had even set Granddad’s present down, she had walked briskly to my side and pulled me into a hug. I had always liked my Aunt Clover. She had a wild side like me.
Adam, Trent, and Alexander continued to play the bagpipes, while Hugh and Lucian hit the drums. I had to admit to myself, the McCallister men were a handsome bunch. Especially Lucian. I had flirted with him on the boat on the way back from the land of the elven. My hope was to gain him as an ally. I might have overdone it though, as I was distraught over the news that I’d be spending a year on Magella’s boat. And
in hindsight, I had embarrassed myself. Plain and simple.
Still, he had been nice to me. He was a gentleman—the kind of gentleman that makes you swoon. He had consoled me as best as he could. But it had been clear to me that he only had eyes for my sister. Yet she seemed to only have eyes for Drumm.
I hadn’t seen Drumm during my visit. Ivy said that he was running some sort of errand for Izadora. Of course I had wondered what that entailed, but I didn’t ask. For all I knew, he was out scouting for the Unseelie or buying magical coffee beans in the enchanted city of Merribay. It was just as well that he wasn’t here. I knew he didn’t like me. After all, I had almost taken his people out with that storm I had brewed back in the land of the elven. But I have already stated my take on that. Rodinand made me do it.
Ivy pulled on my arm, pulling me into the here and now. I forced myself to look proud, and we did our dance, keeping our bodies and arms straight while our legs flew all over the place. It was traditional step dancing, and it was rather fun.
Gran lit the candles on the cake that was set out on a small folding table, and the McCallisters stopped playing the bagpipes. We all fell in to sing “Happy Birthday,” and afterward, a few people called out, “Make a wish!” Granddad, with his huge smile, scanned the crowd. Then his eyes landed on me. Somehow, his smile got even wider.
“I already did!” he bellowed out, and leaned down toward the cake. You could see the yellow flames from the candles reflecting in his glasses. To add to the atmosphere, the bonfire and the fairy lights made it seem as though the sun were out. Everything glowed a yellow orange, and gave off the feelings of happiness, warmness, and peace.
He blew out all sixty-eight candles on the cake, with one big, overextended whoosh. The old man had a good set of lungs! After clapping, we fell in to get our pieces. I sat down next to Aunt Clover, and we chatted a bit about nothing in particular. New recipes at the café, her new fingernail polish, and how she needed a vacation. What was weird was, she didn’t mention her fiancé and the fact that she’d be getting married next year. I think that something must have happened between her and her fiancé. It was the vibe I was getting from her. She wasn’t as peppy as she used to be, and she seemed like something was on her mind.
Granddad opened our present and held it up for everyone to see. The gleam in his eyes told me that he really liked it. He opened his remaining presents, and the area was filled with paper and bows. My sister got a trash bag and proceeded to fill it up. She had always made harmless fun of Aunt Cora, my other aunt, saying that she was a neat freak. What she didn’t realize was that she, herself, was a lot like our Aunt Cora.
Lucian sat next to me. He smiled charmingly at me and started chatting about his new hobby: “collecting old books.” Now I love to read, but collecting old books seemed like a bore to me. Then he had to say it; he had to say those words: old magic grimoires.
My ears perked up. “Magic grimoires, you say?”
“Yep.”
My grandparents went toward Izadora’s stairs, carrying a piece of cake. My father stood up and decided to go along with them. I watched as they walked off; Granddad waddled like a penguin. When they were out of sight, I looked up to see that Izadora had been watching me the whole time. It made me feel weird.
When our gazes met, she didn’t look away but continued to stare at me, frowning. Feeling uneasy, I turned back to Lucian, who hadn’t noticed our exchange. He kept on jabbering and I pretended to listen, but I knew that something wasn’t right.
Then it happened.
“Zinnia,” Ian called. I could vaguely hear him, and the world seemed distant. “Zinnia,” he repeated.
I focused on him. “Yes?”
“I hear that you had a run-in with my sister Silvie,” he said, smiling apologetically.
I swallowed over what seemed like a walnut in my throat. “She attacked me, yes.”
“Zinnia had to defend herself.” Ivy stood close by, her hands on her hips.
My Aunt Clover had walked over to talk to Hugh. The only ones that could hear were Ivy and Lucian. I noticed that Izadora had stepped inside, probably to greet my dad and grandparents.
“She must have found you threatening for some reason. But I do apologize on her behalf,” he stated. “The problem is—”
Lucian stopped gobbling his cake, and mid-chew he watched my expression.
“The problem is what?” I said a bit too harshly. Immediately, I smiled to smooth things over.
“Well, the problem seems to be that you aren’t supposed to have any powers, and yet you knocked her to the ground.”
For the moment, I hated Ian for calling me out. In his defense, I understood why he thought I could be a threat. The past has a way of sneaking up on you, inching its way in to your present, if you’re not careful.
“It was an accident. I didn’t mean to…to…” How could I tell him that I didn’t mean to memorize a spell in five seconds?
“To what? Can you explain to me just how you knew that spell? And you know I’m sorry to say this, but it looks like you must partake of the forgetting tea again,” he said boldly.
He couldn’t have deflated me any more than he already had. I felt like a whoopee cushion that someone just sat their big butt on, pressing the air right out of me. I stood my ground though and said, “Do you want to know what you can do with that forgetting tea?”
I thought for sure he’d take offense. He didn’t. Instead, he laughed. A minute later he said, “Oh c’mon, now. Don’t be like that.” His shoulders shook as he said, “You’re a live wire. That I do know.”
I’d heard someone else called a “live wire” just recently. Aggie. My grandfather had referred to her as a live wire.
“Ian!” Ivy’s voice rose. “She has to live with Magella. Can’t she keep a spell or two for emergencies?”
Ian rubbed his temples, indicating that he was deep in thought—and perhaps this conversation pained him in some way. “I’d love to say yes, but who is to say that we can sleep safely in our beds at night, knowing that she has any knowledge of the magical arts?”
Ivy’s mouth dropped open. Cake fell out of Lucian’s mouth and dropped onto his plate.
My mind told me to quickly diffuse this conversation. I snorted. “What is it with the drama? Some people have the willpower to change. I’ve changed.”
It was now time for him to snort at me. “I hope so. I truly hope so, Zinnia. For your sake as well as our own. We cannot keep chasing after you, fixing your mistakes.”
This caused me to sulk. He was right. He might be acting like a big jerk, but Ian McCallister was one hundred percent correct. I could swear up and down that I’ve changed, but had I? Thinking back to when I had Silvie pinned to the ground, I think I had enjoyed it. She had taken a shot at me—and I had wanted to make her suffer.
No more was said on the matter. My Aunt Clover came over and began chatting away, taking over the conversation. She wanted to buy an RV and travel the country. I could only laugh at her carefree lifestyle, while I was soon headed back to Magella’s boat to sleep in my ramshackle hut.
I excused myself. Ivy was going to follow me but I put my hand up and told her I was going to use the restroom, and she remained with the others. I slowly walked the stairs and the planks to Izadora’s. My head was hung low, and I couldn’t bring it up. I’d made a sure mess out of my life. How was I going to rectify it?
Approaching the doorway, I heard voices from the kitchen. I stood back behind a giant tomato plant and listened. “Isn’t there anything—anything at all—that you can do to help my Zinnia?” Granddad asked.
Izadora cleared her throat. “Zinnia chose to play with magic, and if you want to play with magic, if you want to play with the dark side, you must be prepared for the consequences. So, no. It is a lost cause to keep pestering me about this. There is nothing I can do for Zinnia. She must see this through for herself.”
“But I fear that she did not know what she was getting herself into,” Gran
pleaded.
“You never do, until it’s too late. She had two paths. One that led to the good side, and one that led to the bad, and she chose her path. No one can impose on another’s will. Her will stemmed from her very own heart. Can she change? Sure. But is there anything I can do to smooth things over? NO! I will say it one more time: she must see this through for herself,” Izadora said.
End of story.
I was on my own.
But wait. I leaned in closer. She wasn’t done speaking yet.
“Only one person can intervene. But I highly doubt they will,” she said. Then all I heard was a few whispers, and it was over. I willed them to keep talking about it, but no, they didn’t. The subject was changed to birthday cake.
I decided to walk away but was brought back when Izadora called out, “it’s okay, Zinnia. You can come in.”
Nothing passed this woman. An invisibility spell would have come in handy about now, but I turned back and went inside.
The place was warm and cozy, with a small fire burning in the hearth of the living room. The area was lit by hundreds of candles scattered around various places of the rooms. I had never noticed these candles during the daytime. Did she bring them out only at night? Did she just snap her fingers to make them appear? I set out to ask her, but instead she bade me to sit down in a lilac chair adjacent to my father’s.
Gran and Granddad sat on a lilac-colored loveseat to the side of me. They held hands like two high school sweethearts. Gran had a pink chiffon scarf wrapped around her neck, and her cheeks were rosy red. Granddad continued to smile and act like the world was his oyster, even though I could tell he was worried. He’d always been able to do that—act like he could do anything, be anything. Regardless of how they were feeling inside, they put on a good front. And between the two of them, they looked like they belonged on a Valentine’s Day card.
My father watched me, a concerned look on his face. His eyes were shadowed by his brow. He was worried about me, too. About the future. And I could have just died right there, knowing that I was the cause of everyone’s pain and worry.
