“Hello. What can I do for you?”
“I’m here to see Ms. Walters.” Crystal enjoyed toying with the new receptionists. They would always get in trouble when they tried to keep her from seeing her mother.
“I’m sorry, miss. Ms. Walters is out to lunch at the moment. I can take a message and have her give you a call when she returns.”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll just wait in her office.”
“You absolutely will not.” The woman sounded appalled at the idea.
Crystal had gotten as far as putting her hand on the doorknob to her mother’s door, when the woman wrapped her hand around her wrist.
The door flung open and Elle stood there staring down her receptionist. Crystal thought her mother would be the perfect choice to model for the business woman Barbie doll. Her blonde hair was slicked back into a French twist, and not her usual bun. Her ears were adorned with small pearl earrings that matched the thin string of them around her neck, and her gray pinstriped skirt suit gave her that sleek hourglass look.
“What in the world is going on out here?” Elle's gaze went to Crystal’s shocked face and then to the mousy brunette, whose hand was still holding Crystal’s wrist. “Take your hand off of my daughter.” She moved to the brunette and grabbed her by the elbow, making her release Crystal's arm. The brunette stumbled backwards.
Crystal pulled her wrist back to her chest and rubbed where the skin was pink from being squeezed. Her mother went to her. Crystal would never say her mother didn’t care for her children, because nothing could be further from the truth. She just didn’t have a lot of time for them.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Walters. I didn’t know this was your daughter. So, when she said she’d wait for you in your office and attempted to just walk in… I just reacted.”
Crystal looked at the small-framed woman, who was attempting to tuck her plain blouse back into her skirt's waistband.
“Has anyone else ever tried to come into my office without you’re okay, or mine?”
“Well… No, I guess not.”
“You guess not? Of course not!” Elle yelled at the woman who was using the chair at her desk as a way to slink away from her well-poised employer. Elle then moved to investigate the wrist her daughter was still rubbing. “Are you hurt?”
“No, I think it’s okay…just a little red.”
“Okay, go sit inside. I’ll be right there.”
Crystal made her way into her mother’s office without closing the door. She liked to mess with the receptionists, but it had never escalated to that extreme. Usually, they’d just get a little flustered, and by the time she opened her mother’s office door, they were trying to explain why someone had rushed through the closed door. Her mother would just dismiss the receptionist and Crystal would give them a “Haha” look as she left. This time was so much different. She could hear her mother’s words as she spoke to the woman in the reception area through the still-open door. Crystal guessed her mother would have yet another new receptionist by the end of the day.
“I hired you to keep my enemies out. Not my child,” Crystal heard Elle say to the woman.
“Yes, you did. When they don’t announce who they are, I have no way of knowing. Do you have any more surprise children I should know about before they come to see you?” The woman’s icy tone surprised Crystal, and also made her wish she hadn’t come to the office at all.
“Yes, my son, Peter. I’ll show you the pictures I have in my office. Later.”
Crystal’s eyes moved to the picture of her and her older brother on a table, set next to a wall, across from where she sat. The office was much bigger than the reception area. The room was painted light gray, and Crystal thought maybe her mother’s suit would act as a camouflage. Then she had to laugh at the mental picture in her head.
The crème carpet was a nice contrast against the dark walnut desk facing the door. In front of the desk sat two dark brown leather armchairs. Behind them were two love seats, arranged parallel to each other, with a dark brown coffee table in between. The wood in the office was so shiny, she thought she’d be able to see her reflection in the surfaces.
She hadn’t heard the rest of the conversation between the two women in the other room and had forgotten about the confrontation until her mother stepped in the office and shut the door firmly behind her.
“Crystal, you know I hate it when you show up unannounced.”
“Sorry, mother. I needed to see you, and it can’t wait till you get home.” She looked down at her lap, waiting for her mother to scold her for raising her voice. Yet, it did not come, so she continued when she saw that Elle was sitting at her desk sifting through papers. “Mother, I need to speak to you about Elyse.”
Her mother’s head snapped up so fast, Crystal thought for sure all her hair had fallen from the pins holding it, but not a hair moved. Elle stood from her desk and took the Bluetooth speaker from her ear, pushed a button on her large phone that matched the one the brunette had on her desk, and spoke to the receptionist. “Tabitha, hold all my calls.”
She looked up to Crystal as Tabitha spoke on the other end with a clear, “Okay, ma’am." Elle unbuttoned her jacket, removed it, and hung it neatly over the back of her desk chair. Then she joined Crystal on the love seat, opposite from her daughter.
“Okay, what about Elyse? Is she okay?” She heard her mother’s concern, but something else sat just on the cusp of her words.
“No!” Crystal’s cry was immediate. “No, she's fine. It’s just…” Her words started to fail her. She had no idea how she was going to ask the question she needed to. This was her mother, after all. How could she believe she had switched sides from her friends and endangered her own children in the process? Didn’t she know dark magic had consequences?
“Well, Crystal, I don’t have all day.” She gestured to the phone that had just begun to ring, and Crystal knew it would continue like that until the office was closed.
“She found the stone under her bed.”
“You’ve told me that already. Did you replace it?”
“Yes-”
Her mother cut her off and began to rise from the sofa. “Good then. I don’t see what we have to talk about. This discussion is over,” she said as she walked back over to her desk.
“No, she’s found that one as well, and what’s more is Chad had asked his father what it was,” Crystal blurted and saw her mother stop in her tracks.
“And what has Chester told her?”
“That it’s a tool used by witches to extract magic from other witches…drain their powers.” Crystal didn’t remember standing, but she was. Her fists were clenched at her sides and she could feel the color and heat in her face. “What have you made me do?”
Elle looked like she was contemplating her answer. Just as Crystal thought she would come up with an elaborate lie, her mother surprised her again…with truth.
“I made you do what was necessary. Draining her would ensure your survival…yours and Peter’s. I had no choice. Therefore, as my child, neither do you.” Her face became its usual cold, stern self and Crystal shuddered.
“I don’t care who you think you were protecting. Draining the power of my High Priestess is not going to make me safe. There are laws for coven members who work agai-” She thought of what she was saying. If she didn’t come clean to her friends, she knew she could be stripped of her magic. “Oh, you’ve destroyed me.” Crystal started backing towards the door, but it was just her body on autopilot.
“No, Crystal. You're wrong. Sabina will help us gain more powers. We will never lose anything.” Elle started moving around the desk again, going for her daughter.
“Sabina?”
“Yes, she’s the one who wanted the stones placed in Elyse’s room. So, she can absorb her powers.”
“That’s what she wants? Elyse’s powers?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. She could take them whenever she wants to. She’s going to get the book.” Crystal could see her mo
ther’s cool blue eyes turn cold as she walked toward her.
“What book?”
“Elyse doesn’t even know about it. It’s the book of the mother goddess. Passed down from generation to generation. A legacy turned into legend. It’s been dormant for so long, but now it's waking.”
“What do you mean 'it's waking?'”
“That brat’s parents did something that was forbidden for a reason. They had a child together. Now, the power has been made whole, and they didn’t even get a chance to warn her. Mother goddess has been dormant for far too long, but with our help, Sabina will harness it and we will all become powerful.”
Crystal could feel tears running down her face as her mother started walking toward her. She knew Elle would pull her into a hug and try to soothe her tears, but she couldn’t let her. She knew she had to reach Elyse. She had to explain everything before her mother could get to her. She turned on her heels and ran from the room.
“Crystal?” she heard her mother call after her as the door to the front office started to close and bells began to chime again.
What in the world had she just heard? Her mother was working with Sabina? Her day just went from excitement about graduating, the upcoming party, and anxiety about the trip to Dublin, to complete terror. Could she really tell Elyse everything she just found out and risk her hatred for helping Sabina, the bat-shit-crazy-aunt who was trying to suck the life outta her?“Oh shit, of course I have to.” She heard herself talking as she ran to her VW.
Chapter Seven
Clara finished putting the finishing touches on her hair and stepped back to admire her handiwork. It didn’t matter what she wore. It was all about the hair and make-up. Even though her dress was an amazing teal chiffon with spaghetti straps and a heart-shaped bodice, she wouldn’t be able to show it off until after the ceremony. She was glad Elyse told the rents they had to move up the party, so they could leave at first light Saturday morning. Mrs. Andrews had more of a problem with it than the rest, only because she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her daughter yet. She just didn’t see what one day's difference meant, but the rest of them did.
Since the two books of power were in the same place–for their own good–it was more apparent that it was the biggest mistake they could have made. Really though, Clara thought to herself, it was more like the biggest mistake Elyse had made, but she wasn’t about to point that out. They were a team. Besides, they had called a truce to their lifelong enemy status. She didn’t mind, of course. Clara thought Elyse was pretty cool, and she’d actually hate to be in her position. The girl couldn’t even have a proper conversation without worrying about blowing some poor sap up these days.
“Clara!”
Clara snapped around to see that Crystal had made her way through the house and up to her bedroom and was knocking on the open door.
“What are you doing here? I thought we were all meeting at the school?”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been struggling with some stuff for a couple of days now, and I need to tell Elyse, but I don’t know how.” Crystal thought of the past two days. She’d spent most of her time at the library. When she was home, she was holed up in her room with the door locked. Every time her mother knocked to try and talk to her, Crystal heard the familiar buzzing of her Elle’s phone, and she disappeared into her office.
Clara and Crystal hadn’t actually ever become besties, but she felt for the girl who was the best friend of the world’s most powerful High Priestess. When was she going to be able to make time for shopping and all the boy stuff? Well, there was Chad, so she pretty much had the boy stuff under control.
“So, go tell Elyse and get out of my bedroom.” Clara spun once more to make sure her hair looked perfect for the pictures at the ceremony.
“Would you stop? Your hair looks great. As always. I need you to help me, or I might not get the courage to tell her, which means she might be in real danger.”
Hair forgotten, Clara turned on the girl. Her eyes squinted at Crystal and burned a bright gold as she called her power to her. “How? And what did you do?”
“What makes you think I did anything?”
“Because, if it wasn’t you, you’d have no problem telling her. So, what did you do?” Crystal felt Clara’s last few words like jabs to her chest with each pounding syllable.
Her knees began to shake, and she pushed past Clara to sit on the bed. She started at the beginning, telling her how it was her mother’s idea to put the stones in Elyse’s room to help keep her centered and develop her powers.
“Mother said she needed to be at her strongest when Sabina came for her. She lied to me. She tried to get me to hurt my own best friend, but-”
“But…she’s your mother, and mothers are not supposed to lie to their children,” Clara blurted.
“Yeah, that.” Crystal fell backwards on the bed.
“Get up. We still have graduation and the party tonight, so we can leave tomorrow morning…first light,” Clara said, pulling Crystal up.
“We are?”
“Nobody told you?”
“Yeah, well with Peter home, Matt doesn’t come over much.” She looked nervously at her hands.
“What?”
“Well, since the talk with my mother, I haven’t exactly taken any of Elyse’s calls. Kinda sorta.” She flung herself back on the bed.
“Well…we can use this to our advantage. Your mother thinks the party is in a few days. Sabina probably thinks that now, too. She’ll probably use the cover of the party to go after the books, since we will be too busy to worry about her.” Clara started to pace the room and Crystal just looked on after her. She had sat back up and was attempting to figure out what Clara was trying to say.
“When she thinks we will be here partying it up, we will already be in Dublin. So when Sabina tries to go after the book, she’ll change her mind and try to think of a new tactic. With us and all the rents there, minus mommy dearest, she won’t be able to get close enough.” Clara felt like patting herself on the back for coming up with an ingenious plan on the spot. “So, we need to get a hold of Chester and make sure he knows what’s going on, and that nobody updates your mother on our plans.”
“Or…” They spun around to see Adelle Blackwood standing in the doorway. “We put a spell on her, which keeps her from repeating anything that has to do with Elyse. Tell your mother about the party tonight. Tell her it starts at 3:00. She’ll be here at 2:30…early like always, and eager to hear of our new plans.” Adelle started to smile at the girls and Clara caught her meaning.
“A fama spell.” Clara gasped as she said it. “That sounds like fun. Can I-”
“No, you’re going to enjoy your party. She’s not even going to know what’s hit her until she tries talking to Sabina. My guess is that conversation will happen at the end of the night, after you guys have already left.”
“Already left?” Crystal asked.
“Yes,” Adelle continued. “Now, you must leave tonight.”
“Good thing I’ve already packed.” Crystal fell back on the bed again.
“Yeah, me too.” Clara looked over at Crystal's messy hair. “Do you want to look halfway decent for graduation? All this other stuff is just temporary. You don’t want to look back on pictures for today and curse Sabina for your messy hair, do you?”
“I suppose not.” Crystal got up and sat where Clara was pointing. “So, when do we tell Elyse?”
“How about right before the party? She won’t have enough time to hate you,” Clara teased.
“You really think she’ll hate me?” Crystal raised one of her perfect blonde eyebrows.
“No, not really, but don’t be hurt if she’s a little upset. My mother is working for the enemy isn’t really an excuse for not telling her stuff,” Clara said, and Crystal knew she had a point. Crystal wouldn’t be too hurt if Elyse was just mad at her. She could wait out mad.
Chapter Eight
I couldn’t tell if my stomach was rolling or if my head wa
s pounding, but it was one or the other. I had a hell of a time convincing the Andrews to allow me to go on this camping trip with my friends. As if dealing with the rents weren’t bad enough, Michelle was standing in the middle of my room telling me she wanted to go too. How the hell was I going to gently say I didn’t want her to go? It’s not that I didn’t. It’s just that if she did go, I’d have to tell her about the part of me that can actually make it rain, and sleet, and turn boys into actual toads. I didn’t think it was a good idea until she opened her mouth again.
“I saw what happened to mom on that ladder. You used your hands, or your mind, or something, to help her land softer, or moved the ladder so she wouldn’t land on the pavement. I saw it. The blue glow, I saw it.” Her eyes burned into me.
“Come on, Michelle. We’re going to be late for graduation.” I grabbed the little purple satchel that matched my dark purple dress, which had black flowers, crawling from the hem at my knees up to my waist. Helen said purple was my color. Just as Michelle stood before me in a pale pink sundress with a white spiral pattern, mimicking mine.
“Why can’t you just admit it? You’re some kind of witch or something, aren’t you?” She looked ridiculous standing there with her hands on her hips, like the stance alone could simply get me to tell her what she wanted to hear.
“Michelle, we don’t have time for fairy tales. Whatever you think you saw is wrong. Now, we have to go.” I fled as quickly as possible from the room, and she was still on my case, following me quickly down the stairs and through the house, yelling at a whisper.
“I’m going and that’s the end of it. If you don’t let me, I’m telling mom and dad.” She finally stomped off. Her usual temper tantrum allowing her the last word before leaving the house.
The only reason I was able to make it to graduation without blowing up my car was because Chad had offered to drive Cooper. My parents had made a big deal about driving both Michelle and myself, but I just said I wasn’t feeling good. That, and coupled with the fact that I would be going to Chad’s after graduation, I needed my car. That didn’t really work since he lived four houses away from us, but he said something to my parents that seemed to back them off.
Power Surge (The Crawford Witch Chronicles Book 2) Page 7
