“Thank you. That would be awesome,” Emersyn said with a relieved smile.
* * *
After twenty minutes of tripping and fumbling in the dark, I finally saw the hint of an orange glow flickering up ahead. I took a deep breath and inhaled the smell of burning wood. If I concentrated hard enough, there was a low rumble of voices nearby. We had to be getting close. I bit my lip and tried to stay calm. After months of planning and waiting, it was finally within my reach. My whole body tingled and buzzed with wild, anxious energy. After a few more steps, I couldn’t take it any longer. I tightened my grip on my flashlight and charged forward in a sprint.
I gracefully glided over broken branches and around bushes until I rounded a huge tree and spotted the actual opening. I slid to a halt. My heart did somersaults in my chest. I leaned against a tree, gasping for air. “I found it.”
A few seconds later, Emersyn appeared in my peripheral vision. She exhaled. “Whoa, you found it.”
About three feet in front of us was a huge clearing in the woods. From a bird’s eye view, it would look like those markings in cornfields people claimed were done by aliens.
“Isn’t it incredible?” I asked without looking away.
“Wow,” Emersyn whispered. “How did we not hear this from the parking lot?”
“I know, right?”
There had to be at least a hundred people, probably more. Several bonfires burned all at once, flickering across people’s faces as they laughed and danced. There were no artificial lights, only the fires and moon above. It was primitive and natural, like stepping into a time machine.
“It’s probably late to ask this,” Emersyn said with a chuckle. “But what’s the story behind this Gathering party?”
“Urban legend says on this night, some unknown tribe was slaughtered in a battle against the witches fleeing the Salem witch trials in 1692. Since then, this land has been cursed.” I shrugged. “Most people use it as an excuse to party and tell ghost stories.”
“Oh…” Emersyn mumbled.
“I know. Let’s get in there,” I whispered. I glanced over my shoulder to grin at Emersyn. Just behind her, Bettina and the other girls stepped into the clearing with their jaws dropped.
I took a step forward. Then another, and another. I knew I needed to stop and talk to Bettina to make a plan. To see if she’d calmed down and what she wanted to do…but I couldn’t stop my feet from carrying me forward. I was compelled, by what I had no idea. There was some kind of force pulling me in, like an invisible hand reaching out and yanking me in. My body moved on its own volition.
The fog surrounded the clearing like some force field hovering on the edges, waiting for a sacrifice. Lightning cracked across the night sky. Directly above us, the sky twinkled with little diamonds, but over the trees were thick, thunderous clouds. It looked like the fog was seeping upwards and pouring into the sky.
It was creepy as hell, and I absolutely loved it. My attention snapped left to right, right to left as I tried to soak in every detail at once. I felt my lips curl into an involuntary smile. I reached out to my sides and tugged on Bettina’s and Emersyn’s sleeves. A group of strangers shouted as they passed drinks around and danced in circles.
“Amazing,” I mumbled, mesmerized by the firelight.
We’d walked to the center of the clearing in the middle of all the bonfires. A few feet in front of us were large cauldrons that people ran up to and dipped their cups inside. There were people in long robes, cloaks, girls barefoot in maxi dresses with flowers wrapped around their foreheads like vines, and a whole lot of folks dressed in all black. The whole thing felt so…so…fantastical. Is that even a word?
“Bettina,” I whispered. “Bettina! Oh my God, we made it. We’re here. Aren’t you happy you came now?”
“Wow,” Bettina whispered back.
I took a deep breath as the weight on my chest lifted. Bettina stood beside me with wide eyes, but now they sparkled with interest instead of terror. I knew she’d be okay once we got here. She was fine, except for the mud clumped in her dirty blonde bob.
I spun in a circle, surveying the crowd around us. We couldn’t stand here gaping all night. We needed to get in the action. I just wasn’t sure where to start. My heart raced and my head felt light and woozy. Maybe I needed to start slow.
I turned back to my little group and smiled. “You guys wanna go over there and join the group by the big bonfire?”
“You mean the one with the crazy people linking arms and dancing around in a circle like lunatics?” Tiffany asked, eyebrows arched as she pointed one French-manicured finger across the clearing. Her red hair looked like fire atop her judgmental head.
“Yeah, and?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“I don’t think so. They look weird.” Tiffany wrinkled her nose in distaste.
“Yeah, let’s just stay over here with these normal-looking people,” Mia said. Her short black hair swayed as she nodded in agreement.
Just like that, the two girls turned and walked back to the bonfire behind them, all without saying any form of good-bye. They didn’t even acknowledge Bettina standing in their path. They simply walked around her.
Manners anyone? I did just lead you here. Unbelievable.
“Guys, really? Are you kidding me right now?” Emersyn shouted after her friends. She turned back to me. “Tegan, Bettina, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what just happened. I think they’re just freaked out.”
“Or maybe those people are just weird.” Bettina curled her fingers in a quotation gesture.
“You know…” I chuckled, bringing Emersyn’s gaze back to me. “If there’s anything I’ve learned from books, it’s the normal ones you’ve gotta keep your eyes on.”
“I’m sorry.” Emersyn’s cheeks flushed bright pink as she stepped away from us.
I shrugged. “It’s okay, go ahead. Have fun!”
There was no way in hell I was going to let anyone ruin this night for me. It was my birthday. My sixteenth birthday, and I was at an infamous ghost party in the mountains based on the real Salem witches. This couldn’t have been more my vibe if I tried. Rain or shine, this parade was marching on in all its glory.
I waved then turned away from Emersyn to let her leave without feeling worse about her crappy friends. I had Bettina. I was set.
Bettina elbowed my softly. “Why aren’t we in there dancing?”
I grinned so wide my jaw popped. “Best damn question you’ve asked all night.” I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the ring of people dancing in a circle around the bonfire.
Somewhere around the fifteenth lap, I moved out of the dancing circle and peeled my long hair off my face, but I still moved in rhythm with the crowd. Bettina’s laugh a few feet away made me look over. She was smiling and linking arms with the stranger in front of her. I danced a few more feet out of the way to tie my hair up and slammed into something huge and solid. I cursed and threw my arms out to try and catch my fall when someone gripped my elbows and pulled.
I looked up…and gasped.
If the guy hadn’t been holding me up by my elbows, I would’ve melted into a puddle at his feet. The heat coming off his palms seared through my hoodie into my skin. My knees buckled, but his grip kept me upright. He was tall and lean, with chiseled biceps stretching the sleeves of his black V-neck T-shirt. His hair was black as night, falling in loose waves to his jaw. My fingers itched with the need to push it back out of his face. Tan skin glowed in the firelight like a jar of honey.
When I looked up to meet his eyes, my heart fluttered. He had the most spectacular eyes I’d ever seen. One was a brilliant green, like fresh grass in the spring. The other was a blue only the ocean could mimic. They shimmered like starlight. Goose bumps spread across my skin, and a shiver ran down my spine. My chest was so tight it burned. Was I even breathing? I didn’t know. I didn’t care.
He licked his lips, and I almost whined out loud, or maybe I did. I wasn’t sure. I blinked, completely d
azzled. Overwhelmingly so. I struggled to remember my own name. The world around me got a little hazy, my head floating atop my neck like a balloon on a string.
“Hi…” His gravelly voice was low and deep.
It was the most amazing sound I’d ever heard.
I watched his lips, waiting for him to say something else. Speak, Tegan. He’s waiting for you to say something! “Hi…”
That wasn’t good enough. Communicate. Full sentences! I licked my lips, then swallowed, trying to relieve the dryness in my mouth. For the first time in my sixteen years of life, I was completely and utterly speechless. What’s happening to me? I didn’t recognize my own body and the way it reacted to him. This kind of thing had never happened before. I stared into his perfect, mismatched eyes, praying he had the answer. Or at least the same confusion.
His lips parted. Maybe he, too, struggled to breathe. His eyes glowed and his gaze stayed latched onto mine like I was a source of energy. Heat swarmed from within my chest. My limbs tingled with awareness. His palms slid from my elbows up the backs of my arms and I shivered.
What is he doing to me? I reached forward with my hands to…to…I didn’t know what. But I wanted to touch him, to hold on to him. His lips curved, pulling up in one corner as a sideways grin slowly formed. My heart fluttered to a stop, or maybe it was trying to restart?
I took a step forward, wanting to close the distance between us. The burn searing through my chest suggested I hadn’t been breathing. His gaze scanned over my body once, like he needed to make sure I was okay. Heat flushed to my face. My cheeks burned almost as hot as my chest. I smiled up at him. I opened my mouth to say something when an ear-splitting scream ripped through the clearing.
I hope you enjoyed your sneak peak of THE LOST WITCH! CLICK HERE to read the whole book now!
About the Author
Chandelle was born and raised in South Florida. She is the ultimate fangirl. Her love of Twilight and The Mortal Instruments inspired her to write her own books. When she’s not writing she’s on the beach soaking up the sun with a book in her hand. Her favorite things in life are dogs, pizza, slurps, and anything that sparkles. She suffers from wanderlust and hopes to travel to every country in the world on day.
www.ChandelleLaVaun.com
Copyright © 2018 by Chandelle Lavaun
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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