Enlightened A Light Tamer Novel (The Light Tamer) (2 page)

Miss
Raine
sighs in exasperation.  “You
Light Tamers
are all the same.  Do you have any idea how many times I’ve
explained this
?  Trust
me;
you won’t be disturbed by any
Dark Ones
in here.  This room is enchanted, and
if they’d tell you at a younger age
, you’d
know better
.  But
no
, you think the alchemist
is an idiot
.  Now,
Mr
Wood
son
,
please
turn out the light.”

Amber takes her fingers in the shape of a gun and fake shoots
Miss
Raine
in the back.  We stifle gigg
les only to be shot right
back…
with
Miss
Raine
’s
stink eye.
  Thorne reaches up and pulls the string.  Amber and I are armed with our fancy pink flashlights Caleb
insisted we carry with us
. 
The teacher
shakes her
head in disbelief at us. 
Looking up, we gasp at the never ending supply of potions.  Many of the jars
are
glowing as if filled with a thousand
lightning
bugs.

“
What’s up with the jars
?” I ask.

“Why are we still standing in a closet, is what I want to know,” Amber
says as she gnaws on her cuticle
.

“
We
are about to leave the closet
Miss
Edwards
.”
 
Miss
Raine
replies
and slides a piece of paper in her white linen pants pocket.  Amber shifts
to face
me and
smiles with her teeth gritted and eyes bugging out.
  “Any time you’re at school,
everyone is
protected from the Dark Ones. 
By the time this class is over, you’ll know how to create the same enchantment for protection.”

“You realize working with chemicals is hazardous to my nails.  This is bunk.” 
Car
men says as she tucks her short curly hair behind her ear.
 
Her perfect
French manicure
is highlighted by her dark tan
.

I watch as Amber watches Thorne watching Carmen and feel the dread of a love triangle brewing.

“She looks like a tan version of Selena Gomez
without extensions
, doesn’t she?” I whisper to Amber.

She
rolls her eyes so far back in her head
,
and
for a
split second
,
she looked like a zombie.  “
I guess maybe a little, except for the blue eyes.  How much do you want to bet she wears colored contacts?”

“You always think everyone has colored contacts on.”

“How many Hispanics do you know that have light
-
colored eyes?
  I mean,
please
…give
me a break.
”

“Ladies, as compelling of a conversation you’re having
,
we need to get going.  Derrick, pull the handle on the mop bucket.”
 
Miss
Raine
reaches in her pocket and pulls out a small
vial and tosses it at the bucket as he pulls the handle
.

Instantly the wall with all
the jars rotates around
, exposing an entry to a secret passage
. 
Where’s
Scooby Doo
? 
All we need now is a ghost and some Scooby Snacks.
 
Jinkies!
  Zoinks, how creepy is that!
 

“Come on kids, I need to get back to my classroom.”

We
all walk into a stairwell
,
down a flight of stairs
,
through
a hallway
,
and past two doors on either side of the hall. 
We approach the end, it splits into a T.  Turning right, we take
the first door on the left.  The classroom is an exact duplicate of
Miss
Raine
’s room. 
Taking
it
in,
I see
two kids sitting at their desk and a rather peculiar looking man in a monk’s robe standing at
a podium
.

The
round bald
headed
man announces we can take a seat wherever we want.
  His accent sounds British
mixed with
a Southern drawl, an interesting combination.
 
Miss
Raine
leaves
, not
before
telling
she
’ll be back in exactly one hour and thirty minutes.

“Chop, chop, we won’t learn anything if everyone is too
busy gawking at me in my habit.”  He
says and
wipes his forehead with a handkerchief
. 
He clears
h
is
throat
, which sounds like a cat coughing up a hairball.
“I’m
Mr
Jesse James and no, I am not related to your American outlaw
or
to a biker
.”  His head tilts to the side as he talks.
  “This is Enhanced Alchemy.  What is it, you might ask yourself
?
  This is an intense
methodical
form
of the art in alchemy.  Yes, art. 
Although your young brain might be t
hinking science, and I agree
;
however,
it’s
an art of precision.
  I’m not going to bore you to death over the details, you’ll understand
as the school year progresses
. 
In your desk
,
you’ll find a journal and a textbook.  Please pull them out and personalize them.  They are yours to keep.” 

The sound of books slapping the desk fills the room.  “Excuse me
Mr
James,
I thought all of our books are
electronic textbooks for our I-pads. 
We have to lug around this giant book?”  I ask while clicking the end of my ink-pen over and over nervously.

He
gives
me an annoyed look
.
“Yes,
Miss
Lucente
, you have to
carry
a school
book, just like the old days,” he says sharply.  “Everyone, open
your
book
,
and
I want you to read the first chapter.  You have five minutes to read it and then you’ll take a test.”
We all
make
a
sound of
aggravation.

“Can you believe this guy?  What a
douchebag
, that was totally rude of him,” Amber says
.
  She picked the seat behind me so
I can hear her
commentary about the class.

“Less talking and more reading
Miss
Edwards.”

“Like I said, douche,” she whispers to the back of my head.  I mentally pray he didn’t hear her. 
I hunch over my book trying to let my hair fall into a curtain so
Mr
James won’t talk to me again. 

A
lchemy
(al-kuh-mee)

N
oun
, plural alchemies

A form of chemistry practiced in Renaissance time.  The art of transmuting baser metals into gold. 

The use of chemicals for magical elements.  The art of mixing compounds into potions for healing.

The chapter
is
four pages long
,
but
promise
s
by the end of the book, we’d be able to identify and create potions
.
I’ll be lucky not to cause an explosion
by the end of the book
.  I look over and
note
Thorne never open
ed his book.  I wonder if
Mr
James will say anything.

“
Miss
Lucente
, take one and pass
them on
,”
I
grab the stack
and give
it
to Amber
.  I
see
Thorne is smirking in my direction.  I shift quickly and stare down at my test.
  I
miss the announcement to
start
. 

Five minutes later
I get up to hand
my work to the teacher
.
As
I
turn to go back to my desk
,
I
run smack into
Thorne
.
 
Good going grace.
  “Sorry, I have a clumsy gene.”

“No sweat,” he replies
and winks at me
.
 
Did he just wink? 
No
, it’s my imagination.  Maybe I know him through my grandma. 
I’d remember him…wouldn’t I?
  His rugged look works for him.  Amber’s going to have a field day with his eyes once she sees
they’re
gray.  Deep and
crystal clear
with
long
black eyelashes
. 
Why do guys always have
great
eyelashes and girls get stuck with wimpy flimsy
ones
?
 
He is staring back at me
,
and
for a moment
,
I forget what I’m doing.
I bet he’s
a
terrific
kisser
with his perfect lips
.  Oops, why did I say
that…think
that? 

Derrick is the last to turn in his test
.  I hate being last; I always
feel everyone thinks I’m stupid.  Mom would say
,
someone has to be last. 
T
rue, but it doesn’t make
me feel
better.

“I am pleased to inform everyone that all of you passed the test with a 100. 
For
a reward, I’m going give you four chapters to read tonight instead of two
.
”

“What the hell?”  Amber mutters. 

“Oh no
Miss
Edwards, hell is college,”
says
Mr
James.
 
“I’m going to teach you how to make a protection potion.  It won’t be hard, and I’ll give you the ingredients to
t
ake
home
.  You will be given a pop quiz
later
week. 
I’ll
grade you on both finesse and speed. 
Mr
Wood
son
, it will behoove you to practice and actually
read
the chapters.
 
Form a single file
line by the back
door. W
e’re going to the lab.”

“Hey, I need your help,” Amber says.

This can’t be
good
.  “With what?”

“I’m going to make out with Thorne today.”

Breathe in. 
“Wow, that’s ambitious.”

“I’m freakin’ serious.  Look at him, he’s all sexified in his
hoodie
and I think it’ll make a statement.”

“Statement?”

“I’ve never talked to anyone at this school other than Caleb.  Now you’re here, I don’t want people to think I went soft over the summer.
  You know, hanging out with the gorgeous new girl takes away my edge.
  He’ll prove to everyone that I’m still bad-ass.”

“
You think I’m gorgeous, ah that’s sweet
?
  I don’t believe the bad-ass for one minute
Miss
Edwards. 
Are you planning on kissing him at school?” 
I study her face and
see s
he is
intent
on her quest.