Banished: Book 1 of The Grimm Laws

by Jennifer Youngblood

  “And since when do we concern ourselves with social circles?” Elle wanted to know.

  Lynessa let out an incredulous laugh and looked at her like she’d sprouted another head. “You wrote the book on social circles, Elle. I don’t know what happened to you during your …” she made quotation marks in the air “… accident, but this is too much.” She shook her head. “Who are you?”

  “I’m starting to wonder,” Brooke said, dragging her nails through her long hair.

  Elle’s eyes narrowed and she had the unreasonable urge to stand up and scream at the top of her lungs. Had she been as shallow as these girls? Lynessa was savoring the last bite of yogurt, her tongue lingering on the spoon like a cat lapping up the final drop of milk from the bowl. There was something predatory about the wretched girl that set her on edge. And at the moment, the cat was having her fun tormenting the mouse. Elle straightened in her chair. She flat out refused to be anyone’s mouse or prey. She wanted to take that spoon Lynessa was holding and shove it up her nose.

  Lynessa placed the spoon on the plate and started peeling off the layers of an orange. Her voice became thoughtful … calculating. “The question is—where does that leave poor Edward?” Her eyes met Elle’s. “I think it’s terrible the way you treated Edward,” she purred. “He’s such a good person, and to think you chose him,” she cast a hateful look to where Rush was sitting, “over Edward.” She shuddered. “Horrid!”

  Rush seemed to sense their attention. He cast a blistering look at Lynessa who laughed. “The brooding type! I love it!” Interest sparked in her black eyes, and she lifted a sculpted eyebrow. “I’ll have to keep my eye on that one,” she murmured.

  Elle threw down her fork with a loud plink, causing Lynessa to flinch. She’d had about enough of this hateful diva for one day. “Not that it’s any of your business,” she countered hotly. “But if poor Edward had been a real man and escorted me onto the field like he said he would, then none of this would’ve happened.” She leaned forward into Lynessa’s space, her voice honing in on the kill. “What’s the problem, Lynessa? Are you interested in Edward? Is that what this is all about?” She looked pointedly in Rush’s direction. “Or are you just gathering a collection of my leftover crumbs?”

  Lynessa started blinking rapidly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re way out of line.”

  Elle felt a swell of vindication when she heard the tremor in Lynessa’s voice, but then she saw the shocked expressions on Mindy and Brooke’s faces. Rae looked more disappointed than shocked. She’d gone too far. Perhaps she was the terrible person that Josselyn accused her of being.

  She turned to Lynessa, her voice taking on a kindness that she didn’t feel. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. Things have been a little tense since the accident.”

  Rae put a hand over hers, and Elle could tell from her soft expression that all was instantly forgiven and forgotten. “No worries, Elle. We’re just so glad you’re back with us, aren’t we?”

  “Yes,” Rae and Mindy chimed.

  Lynessa nodded, but Elle could see the malice brimming in her black eyes. It was crystal clear that she was anything but glad that Elle had come back. Well, she could add Lynessa to the long list of enemies that was piling up faster than the cafeteria garbage cans over in the corner.

  Chapter Eight

  The Job

  Just as she had feared, her day went from bad to worse. Cheerleading practice was a complete disaster, much to Lynessa’s delight. Elle couldn’t remember the first thing about cheering, or jumping, or turning flips, or building pyramids, or anything else that went along with that ridiculous sport. It was all a gigantic blank. She’d hoped that some of it would come back to her, but it hadn’t. Left with no other option, she’d been forced to turn the practice over to Lynessa and Brooke who were all too happy to take over. Edward avoided her like the plague, which was a feat considering that they shared a locker and were forced to interact with each other in order to get their books between classes. Rae kept reassuring her that everything would return to normal soon, but Elle could see the doubt in her eyes. It was a lost cause. She hated her life! Hated school! Hated cheerleading! But most of all, she hated the woman standing in front of her—Sera! The woman was impossible!

  The minute she walked through the door, Sera had started yapping. In fact, the woman hounded her so much that she was starting to tune her out.

  Sera got up in her face. “Don’t you act like you didn’t hear what I just said!”

  “What?” Had Sera been jabbering the entire time she’d been lost in thought? Elle looked at Sera and tried to concentrate on what she was saying, despite the fact that her head was starting to pound.

  “You are going to have to get a job.” Sera perched a hand on her bony hip. “I’ll not have you lounging around this house, doing nothing! You will earn your keep!”

  Earn her keep? The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. “Between school, cheerleading practice, and homework, how am I supposed to find time to work?” She looked to her dad for help, but he was sitting in his recliner, glued to some documentary on the Discovery Channel. “Dad!” she exclaimed, “I don’t have time to get a job.”

  It took some effort, but he managed to tear himself away from the documentary long enough to respond. “Now, honey,” he began. “A job’s not so bad. It’ll teach you how to be responsible.”

  “That’s right,” Sera piped in. “A bit of responsibility is what you need.”

  Her whole family was crazy. “I have cheerleading practice after school four days a week. It doesn’t get over until 5:30 p.m. How do you propose that I fit a job into that schedule?”

  “I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Sera said crisply. “If you have to give up cheerleading then so be it.”

  Yes, Sera would love that. It was probably what she was hoping for. Elle looked over at Josselyn who was looking all too happy about the job thing. Her eyes narrowed. “What about her? Does she have to get a job too?”

  “Josselyn is my assistant,” Sera countered, lifting her chin. “She follows up with my real estate appointments, picks up the dry cleaning, and does myriads of other things that I don’t have time to do.”

  Elle rolled her eyes. “Sure she does.”

  “Don’t you dare talk back to me, young lady,” Sera seethed. She looked at Elle’s dad. “Malcolm, did you hear what your daughter just said to me?”

  Red blotches started climbing his neck, and he looked like he’d like to be anywhere but in the middle of an argument between Sera and Elle. He pulled at his collar. “Now, Elle, don’t be rude to Sera.”

  Elle put on her best innocent face. “But Dad, I wasn’t being rude. I was just saying that I’m sure Josselyn does all of those things for Sera.”

  He looked relieved. “Oh … well … then …” He gave Sera a pleading look.

  Sera’s face went dark, and she shot a death glare at Malcolm. “Useless,” she muttered under her breath. “As I was saying about the job, I spoke to Lynn Mitchell down the street. She’s looking for a babysitter for her twins, and she needs someone to clean the house. I told her that—”

  The doorbell rang.

  Elle jumped up, glad to have an excuse to end the conversation. “I’ll get it,” she chimed unnecessarily, throwing open the door. There was no one there. She looked down and saw a box wrapped in metallic gold with an envelope resting on top. Elle was scrawled across the envelope in fancy script.

  “What is that?” Josselyn craned her neck to see.

  Elle looked at the box and envelope in her hands. “I’m not sure.”

  Sera reached for the box. “Give me that!”

  Begrudgingly, Elle handed her the box but held onto the envelope. “It’s addressed to me.”

  Sera frowned and sat down on the couch where she proceeded to rip the paper unceremoniously from the box. She lifted the lid and looked inside. “What the—” She looked accusingly at Elle. “Is this some kind of joke?”

>   Elle’s eyebrows shot up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. What is it?”

  She held the box up for them to see. “It’s empty. Why would someone give us an empty box?” She motioned. “Open the envelope.”

  Elle slid her finger along the top edge. There was a single piece of paper inside. She scanned it and couldn’t stop the ghost of a smile from forming on her lips.

  “Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” Sera spat. “Read it!”

  Elle, darling,

  It has come to my attention that you are in need of a job. It just so happens that I have an opening at The Chocolate Fountain. You may start tomorrow, immediately following cheerleading practice. Or perhaps you’re growing tired of fraternizing with those feather-brained, knit-wit cheerleaders? If so, you may come earlier. (It’s okay to stop wasting your time and to move on to more meaningful matters.) Oh, drats! I’m meddling again. At any rate, the job is yours. See you tomorrow.

  Your loving Aunt,

  Adele

  “What?” Sera’s face wrinkled into itself, and she looked like she could spit nails. “How did she?” she sputtered. “How dare that woman interfere with our lives!”

  “I think it’s wonderful.” Later Elle would wonder how the box and envelope suddenly appeared on the doorstep at the very instant she needed them most, but here and now, it was a delicious victory. One that she would relish with pleasure. She flashed a smile at Sera. “You told me to get a job, and now I have one.” She shrugged. “Problem solved.”

  Sera came off the couch. “I’ll not allow you to work for that coot!”

  All of Elle’s hopes dashed to the floor.

  “Now wait just a minute, Sera,” Malcolm said, his voice growing stern. “I’ll not have you talking that way about my sister.”

  If a bolt of lightning had suddenly split the house, Sera wouldn’t have been more surprised. Malcolm had stood up to her. Wow! Her dad did have a backbone after all. Elle was impressed.

  “The woman’s crazy!” Sera fumed. “Look, she sent us an empty box.” She shoved the box at Malcolm.

  He looked inside and chuckled. “She is eccentric, I’ll give her that.” There was something akin to admiration in his voice.

  Elle’s eyes met her dad’s, and for the first time since the accident, she felt a kinship with him. “I like her,” she insisted.

  He gave her an appraising look. “Well, she certainly seems to like you too.” He clapped his hands. “Good, then it’s all settled. You’ll start to work there tomorrow.”

  Sera’s jaw started working. “But—”

  He held up a finger. “You said she needed a job, and now she has one. You should be pleased, Sera.” There was an edge to his voice—a dangerous edge that suggested that Sera would do well to hold her tongue.

  She clamped her thin lips shut, her eyes smoldering.

  Josselyn made a face. “But what about me? I want to work at The Chocolate Fountain too.”

  “You already have a job. You’re Sera’s assistant, remember?” Elle didn’t bother hiding the triumphant look in her eyes.

  “But that’s not fair!” Josselyn looked at Sera. “Mother! Tell her!”

  Sera’s face puckered like she’d bitten into something rotten. “You don’t want to work for that woman, Joss. You work for me. I need your help.”

  “I hate working for you! It’s boring!” Her lips turned down into a pout. “I want to work at The Chocolate Fountain!”

  Sera looked at Malcolm for help, but he only shrugged.

  “Please,” Josselyn implored.

  Sera’s resolve seemed to give way. “Fine,” she said under her breath. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave Malcolm a pointed look. “I think it’s only fair that you ask Adele to hire both of the girls.”

  Elle couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. First Sera was calling Adele a coot and now she wanted her to hire Josselyn. Malcolm and Sera started arguing back and forth. Elle was about to jump into the conversation but stopped short when she saw the words. She looked at the paper in her hands and then did a double-take, not believing what was happening. Words were forming on the bottom of the page. It was like someone was writing with an invisible pen. “There’s more to the letter,” she said, her voice tinged with awe.

  Everyone stopped.

  Elle waited until the first sentence had been formed.

  Regrettably, I only have need of one person and that’s you, Elle darling.

  “You’re lying! It doesn’t say that,” Josselyn said.

  “Oh, yes it does. Wait! There’s more!” Elle’s eyes grew big and she chuckled. “Never mind, I don’t think you want to hear the rest of it.”

  “Don’t get smart, of course we want to hear the rest of it,” Sera snapped. “Read it, now!”

  Elle shrugged. “Okay, if you insist.”

  Tell that bag of brittle bones my brother calls a wife that I’ll not have her daughter, that cow, in my shop, eating up all the profits.

  It was all Elle could do to keep a straight face.

  “What!” Sera jumped up and grabbed the paper out of Elle’s hands. There was a crazed look in her eyes. She let out a string of curses. “How dare she!” She spun around and thrust the paper at Malcolm. “Your sister is a terrible person! Do something!”

  A look of horror twisted over Josselyn’s face. “How could she say such a mean thing?” She burst into tears and ran out of the room.

  Sera shot Malcolm a withering look. “Now, honey, don’t pay any attention to that old bag,” she said, going after Josselyn.

  This left Elle and Malcolm in the room, looking at each other. Then Malcolm’s lower lip quivered, and his shoulders started to shake. Tears were flowing down his face, and he was holding his hand to his mouth. At first, Elle thought he was crying, but then she realized he was laughing. Soon Elle was laughing too. A dam broke loose inside of her, releasing all of the pent-up emotions she’d experienced over the past few days. Her laughter bubbled up and consumed her. She laughed so hard that her stomach hurt. Finally, when the laughter died down, Malcolm lifted his glasses and wiped at the tears. “Well, I’ve got to hand it to your Aunt Adele. She certainly knows how to clear a room,” he said, his eyes twinkling. He handed Elle the empty box. “Okay, I think we’ve had enough fun for one night.” He stood, and the heaviness of his situation seemed to descend upon his shoulders as he glanced toward the doorway through which Sera had gone. “Time to go and ease the ruffled feathers,” he said speaking mostly to himself. He flipped off the TV and began straightening the pillows on the couch. “Goodnight, Elle.”

  “Goodnight, Dad.” She felt a smidgen of sympathy for this bookish man that had somehow ended up in Sera’s clutches. It had taken a great effort on his part to stand up to her, but he’d done it. He’d done it for her, and that counted for something. She watched him walk out of the room, clutching a James Patterson novel under his arm. “Dad,” she called after him.

  He turned.

  She gave him a tentative smile. “Thanks.”

  His eyes softened and he looked as though he might say something, but merely nodded before turning and leaving the room. She shook her head and chuckled, reliving the moment when she’d read that sentence about Josselyn. The words on the page. Had they been there all along? She looked down at the empty box and gasped. It was suddenly full of the most exquisite truffles she’d ever seen. Half of the box was filled with white chocolate truffles and the other half milk chocolate. There was a small card tucked in the side. She pulled it out.

  A white chocolate truffle makes the perfect bedtime snack. A word of caution—only one per night … please.

  Chapter Nine

  The Roof

  Elle chewed on her pencil while reading the algebra problem again for the umpteenth time. It might as well have been Greek. She blew out a breath. Her phone buzzed, and she reached for it. It was a text from Rae.

  Hey, there’s something I need to sh
ow u after practice 2 mro.

  Elle responded back. Sorry, no can do. I have a new job at The Chocolate Fountain starting 2 mro.

  ??? Was Rae’s reply. She could imagine Rae, furiously pounding on the keypad on her phone.

  She typed back one word that explained it all. Sera

  Great! Rae typed back. We’ll work around it. CU 2 mro.

  K. Elle responded.

  She put down the phone and tried to concentrate on the math homework once more, but it was no use. Her mind kept going back to the words that appeared, as if by magic, on the page and the empty box that was suddenly filled with chocolate. She glanced at the box of chocolate resting on the dresser. It looked so delectable that she was tempted to dig into it, but the instructions had been so specific—only eat one before bedtime. She frowned. Adele was so eccentric. Still, she liked her. Elle smiled. She certainly knew how to keep Sera and Josselyn in check.

  She pulled at the long-sleeved shirt she was wearing. The room felt stuffy and hot, and she was restless. She went to the window and unlocked it. With a little effort, she was able to lift it. The cool air that splashed against her face was refreshing. She looked up at the velvety sky and twinkling stars before leaning out the window and looking down. The roofline for the first story jutted out about two feet below the window. Before she could talk herself out of it, she grabbed the box of chocolate and climbed through the window and onto the roof. She sat down and scooted so that her back was resting against the side of the house with the box of chocolate beside her. There was something calming about being out here, up above the world. It gave her a chance to think clearly. In the open sky, her problems seemed less threatening. She looked up, recognizing at once the big dipper. Her practiced eyes trailed up from the corner of the cup until she found Polaris, the North Star. Ruefully, she shook her head. How could she remember how to find the North Star and yet not be able to remember anything about her life?