Spellbound (Spellbringers Book 1) (10 page)

“Do magical people always marry other
magical people?” I blurted before I could help myself.

“No. Well, yes. I think,” he replied.
“Actually, I don’t know any Spellbringers who married a human. But
I don’t think there’s a law against it. Why?”

I could have kicked myself for asking
such a question. I didn’t want Jace to think I’d been scamming on
him. After all, he’d never shown any interest in me as anything
other than a friend. I tried to formulate a careful response. “I
don’t know. Just wondering. If Rachel has magic, she had to have
gotten it from somewhere. What if one parent has magic and the
other doesn’t? It’s possible, right?”

“Maybe. So, who’s gonna ask her to
come over for dinner?” he asked as he turned onto my street. Tires
squealed as he took the turn a bit too sharply. The bottom of the
car scraped against the bump going up into my driveway. I almost
laughed remembering Bryce’s declaration that he’d rather let me
drive his truck than to allow Jace to get behind the wheel. The
Georgia State driving test apparently wasn’t very difficult if Jace
had been given a license.

“You. It’s your house. You ask,” I
said.

“But what if she gets the wrong
idea?”

I breathed a sigh of relief. Wrong
idea? That must mean he wasn’t interested in her. At least, that’s
what I hoped. “That’s a chance you’ll have to take. I’ll see you
tomorrow?” I asked, hopping out of the car.

“Bright and early. Goodnight, Alisa.
Sweet dreams,” he said, flashing a crooked smile.

I knew what I’d be dreaming about that
night. I chewed my bottom lip as I thought about the tentative
plans for dinner at his house the next day. Hopefully, Rachel would
be joining us. Well, the Alexanders were hoping. I was
ambivalent.

Chapter
Ten

Rachel

I was completely shocked when Jace
asked me to come to his house for dinner. Usually, people go out a
few times before parents are thrown into the equation. As soon as I
knocked on Jace’s door, I realized my mistake. Jace wasn’t asking
me out, at least not in a boyfriend/girlfriend way. When Jace
opened the door, Alisa was standing behind him. He invited me
inside and introduced me to his parents, while I struggled to
figure out what was going on.

“Rachel, we’re so glad to have you,”
Mrs. Alexander said.

She invited me to have a seat in the
living room and offered me a cold drink. When she stepped into the
kitchen, I looked around the beautifully decorated room with
admiration. I noticed Alisa seemed completely comfortable here. It
was obvious she was a frequent visitor. I made awkward small talk
with Alisa and Jace while his parents finished making dinner. When
they led me into the kitchen, I was still trying to figure out why
I’d been invited. Conversation was kept light throughout dinner.
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander did not ask the obvious questions about
school and the dance, although I suspected they had a hidden
agenda.

Abe, Jace, and I chatted for a few
minutes while Jerica and Alisa cleared the table and prepared
dessert. I liked Mr. Alexander—Abe. He was intelligent with a great
sense of humor. I could see a lot of him in Jace. After meeting
Jace’s family and hearing stories about some of their travels, it
was hard to imagine them willingly moving to this town. Oaktree was
not exactly a bustling hub of culture.

Mrs. Alexander surprised me by sitting
down, looking directly at me, and getting right to the point.
“Rachel, I’ll bet you’re curious about why we invited you here for
dinner. I’m not one to beat around the bush, and you seem like a
pretty straightforward young woman, so I’m just going to put it out
there. Jace told me about what happened at the dance.”

My head began to throb. I shouldn’t
have been caught off guard. Part of me suspected this might
happen.

“Everyone in our family has special
skills of some sort, Jace included. Abe and I try to help people
like you who are beginning to tap into their abilities. Without
exception, everyone we’ve tried to help has been frightened by
their newfound talent. You seem to have a handle on your gift which
is rare for someone with a psychic ability so strong, but I suspect
you may still benefit from some guidance.”

I could have denied it. I could have
stormed out and never spoke to them again. But I took a deep breath
and said, “It’s nothing. I don’t think I need any help. A lot of
people are intuitive, but I wouldn’t use the word
psychic.”

“Rachel, I think we can both agree
that mind-reading is more than being intuitive,” Jerica said
gently.

“I wouldn’t call it mind-reading. I
sometimes pick up on people’s thoughts. No big deal.”

“So, the incident at the dance wasn’t
the first time you’d experienced something like this? Can you tell
us about the first time it happened?” Jerica asked.

I stammered out a brief explanation,
trying to downplay how overwhelming my psychic curse was at first,
and how terrified I’d been that I was losing my mind. For the first
time in weeks, I didn’t think I was crazy. Jace obviously had
psychic abilities and so did his family. As I spoke, relief
loosened my tongue and I found myself describing my feelings of
being watched, and my increasing awareness of the thoughts and
feelings of others.

All eyes were on me as I relayed my
version of the incident at the Homecoming Dance and I found myself
beginning to fidget under their close scrutiny. I nervously twisted
the chain on my necklace, and when my fingertips touched the
pendant, a comforting pulse of energy rushed through me. I took a
deep breath, sat up straighter, and lowered my hands back to the
table in front of me. Jerica’s eyes settled on my
necklace.

“What a beautiful pendant,” she said.
“May I see it?” I held it up, but she didn’t lean forward to look
more closely. I suspected she meant for me to take it off.
Everything in me rebelled at the idea of handing it over, but I’d
always been told to respect my elders, so I unfastened the chain. I
felt a familiar jolt as my hand brushed against hers, followed by
her sense of astonishment.

“Fluorite,” she murmured. She turned
the stone over and peered closely from every angle, even holding it
up to the light. Finally, she held the necklace tightly in her fist
and closed her eyes. “This necklace is charmed. I’m very curious
about its origin.”

“My father gave it to me before he
died. He said it had been passed down from generation to
generation. He said…” I trailed off, embarrassed. I didn’t want to
finish my sentence, but four faces peered at me expectantly,
waiting for me to finish. “He said it would keep my migraines away
and to wear it always. He died shortly after, and I’ve worn it
every day for the past five years. Well, until recently. Actually,
the first day I experienced my problem, I’d accidentally left it
behind.” It felt weird admitting this to the Alexanders. I’d never
told anyone why my father gave me the necklace.

“I’m sorry about your father,” Abe
said. I gave a little nod. “Can you tell us a little about your
family?”

“My mother’s family is from around
here. I don’t know anything about my father’s relatives. Every time
I try to ask my mother about it, she changes the subject. I don’t
know if that’s because she doesn’t have the answers, or if it just
hurts her too much to talk about him.”

Recently, I’d begun to regret never
pressing my father for more information about his family, but I was
only eleven when he died and most kids that age don’t think about
that sort of thing. I had always been surrounded by my mother’s
family, so I’d never felt like anything was missing. Not until
recently.

“Rachel,” Abe said, “I don’t want to
push, but I’m very interested in the origin of this necklace. I’d
like to find out more about your heritage. If you don’t feel
comfortable asking your mother, would you object to me trying to
find out more on my own?”

I could tell this was important to
him. It was important to me too. Not only because of the necklace,
but because I wanted to find out if I had any relatives or distant
cousins I’d never met.

“What type of research are you
suggesting?” I wasn’t objecting, just curious about the methods. My
father led a pretty boring life. There wouldn’t be any dirt to dig
up, no skeletons hidden in the closet.

“All I need from you is his full name,
date of birth, and the date your parents married. From there, I
would check out his birth certificate and those of his parents.
It’s all public information. Basically, I’ll put together a family
tree and then go from there,” Abe explained. “I’ll keep you posted
every step of the way, and if at any point you want me to stop
looking, I will. Would you like for me to get started on
this?”

I was thrilled at the prospect of
having a complete family tree of my paternal ancestors. “Yes, I’d
like that.”

Jerica handed my necklace back to me
and said, “Rachel, I think it’s important for you to keep wearing
this, at least for the time being. I believe your father gave it to
you for protection and to hide your abilities from others.
Unfortunately, this type of protection doesn’t last forever—just
until the person wearing it is old enough to learn to protect
themselves. Would you be willing to let me help you with this?”
Jerica asked carefully. “I can help you gain greater control over
your gift. I can also help you discover if there are more of these
surprises in store for you.”

“What kind of surprises?” I
asked.

“I’m not sure. Magical abilities can
manifest without warning. It’s better to be introduced to your
newfound powers in a controlled environment.” Jerica glanced at Abe
as she said this.

“Magic?” I whispered, “Are you sure
that’s what this is? Is that what you have?”

“Magic has been passed down from
generation to generation in our family,” Abe explained. “It’s
nothing bad or shameful. We’re born this way, just like some people
are natural born athletes or musicians.”

“I don’t know,” I said, backpedaling.
“I don’t think I have any magic. I’m just extra sensitive to
feelings right now. It’s just a phase.” Anxiety constricted my
lungs. I looked around the room at these seemingly normal people.
“Does Alisa have magic too?” I wondered if that was the thread that
tied her to this family.

“No, Rachel,” Alisa said. “I don’t.
But I’ve seen enough to believe in it and to know it’s not
bad.”

“Can I think this over?” I asked,
ready to escape.

“Of course,” Jerica said, her green
eyes holding mine in a penetrating stare. “But I need to warn you.
Now that your magic has come to the surface, there are people and
other beings who will try to steal it. Wear your necklace always.
Never take it off. It’s your only protection right now.”

Fear tore through me, raising goose
bumps on my arms. I remembered all the times I’d felt like I was
being watched. Now I knew these incidents were not figments of my
imagination.

“Rachel,” Jerica said, leaning toward
me. “We can assign a Protector to keep you safe…”

“What? You mean, like, a guard?” I
stammered.

“Something like that. It’s the best
way to ensure your safety,” she said.

“No. That’s…no,” I said, shaking my
head from side to side. I was finished. Done. The conversation was
over. I’d never allow someone to follow me around everywhere I
went. It didn’t matter anyway, because it was all a big
mistake.

Jerica reached over and grasped my
hand. I didn’t know if she was trying to reassure me, or if she was
giving me a chance to read her. I allowed her aura to flow through
me, her feelings becoming my own. I could feel her concern and
fear, her regret at having to frighten me, and her determination to
protect me at all costs. Not only was this something she’d done
before, protecting others like myself, it was her life calling. In
the instant before I released her hand, I caught one word she
passed unintentionally. Spellbringer.

Is that what I am?
What
we
are? I’d
always known I was different, but thought it was a good thing. I
believed what set me apart was my drive and determination to leave
this town and achieve my goals, but I was wrong. I was abnormal, an
abomination, a freak. Just the word
magic
set off a series of warning
bells inside my brain. Murmuring my appreciation for dinner, I
apologized for having to leave so suddenly, and fled.

***

For the second time this school year,
I woke up and considered skipping school. That in itself was an
indication my life was falling apart, crumbling away. I felt like I
had nothing to hold on to or to keep me together. My mother had
always tried to instill a sense of confidence and independence in
Jeffrey and me. She told me I was a strong, intelligent young
woman. I believed her when she told me I could do anything I
wanted. I believed her when she told me I was a good person. Now I
wasn’t sure. My family was very religious. Our church believed
magic was evil. Did the part of me that had magic make me bad?
Evil?

I crawled out of bed and got ready for
school. I was already seated in first period when Jace and Alisa
arrived. Thankfully, some students entered right behind them, so
Jace didn’t have time to approach me. I could tell he wanted to say
something, but I wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. My thoughts kept
drifting back to Jace, his family, and how I fit in with them. I
couldn’t help but feel my life was now intertwined with
theirs.