Love Struck (14 page)

It felt like the musical express at Great Adventure. Only this ride didn't show any signs of stopping. Lou was turning all of us into mini-tornadoes.

“What's going on?” someone shouted.

“Just part of the documentary fun,” Lou called back.

“Lou, let them go,” I begged. “Please, do it for me, your little sister.”

He sneered at me. “Do it yourself, if you can,” he said. “You seem to love messing with my special gift. Let's see what you've got.”

“I want to get down,” one woman cried.

“Me too,” several others echoed.

There were screams all around.

So I took Lou up on his offer. I tried to lower everyone using my powers. But it was hard to do while I was still spinning. My aim was off. Instead of sending them back to the ground, I caused them to collide into one another.

“Hmm,” Lou said. “I guess you're no match for me.”

“Maybe not. But I can try.”

I grabbed onto Lou's shoulder to try and stop myself from spinning. Then I passed my hand up from the ground to the ceiling. I had powers, too. And this time they were spot on. I hit my target. My mother. And she went flying above the rest of the crowd.

She let out a scream. “Lou, get me down from here.”

He did as he was told. The devil was under my mother's spell.

“I'm so sorry,” he told her once she was back on the ground. “She'll pay for that.”

Before he had a chance to live up to that promise, I sent a few people spinning in my mother's direction. She started screaming again.

“Lou, just knock it off,” she yelled, covering her head with her hands. “Put them down already. It's not funny anymore. It's messing with my hair. That girl's shoe actually grazed my head. And their screaming is giving me a headache.”

My mom's vanity paid off. In an instant, everyone was back on the ground.

“This is going to be one crazy documentary,” Jaydin said, holding onto the wall to steady herself.

“I think I want out,” Lana said. “This is freaky.”

She could say that again.

Lana wasn't the only one who wanted out of Lou's wild ride. A lot of people were starting to leave. Finally, something was going right.

“Guess Lance is more powerful than you after all,” Mom told Lou as more people vacated the area.

“He's nothing compared to me.”

“Sure doesn't seem that way,” she said.

Why did she have to goad him? Teen Mom was a nightmare.

“I'll get them back. You'll see,” he said.

Lou was willing to do anything to prove to her how cool he was. He was smitten. “You love her,” I said more to myself than to him.

“No, I don't,” he said. But I was pretty sure he was lying. “I don't love anyone.” He smiled again. “But in a second they're all going to love me! Better than love. They'll respect me. They'll worship me. They'll do whatever I want.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, even though I had a feeling I already knew.

“I'm going to cast a little spell—make the whole world go crazy over me. Then she'll see. Everyone will hand over their souls for nothing. It's perfect.”

My heart was beating so fast, it felt like it was going fifty miles per hour on a treadmill. “You can't do that!”

“Actually, I can,” he said.

This was all my mom's fault. He was doing this to impress her. Flirting was dangerous.

“Don't. You'll hate it. It's not fun having everyone chasing after you,” I said. “Besides, you don't want the whole world to love you. You just want your family to love you. They're the people that care about you.” I watched his face as I spoke. I hoped maybe I'd get through to him. That my words would trigger the old Lou. The Lou that said having a daughter was the most important thing in his life.

The new Lou didn't say anything. He just watched me. For half a second I thought I'd made a breakthrough.

I hoped it was recognition of the bond we had shared. But it wasn't. It was a slow build to an evil laugh.

“Who needs a family's love, or anyone's love for that matter, when you can have adoration and servitude from the entire universe?!” he asked.

The answer was me. I needed my family's love. I didn't like having a snobby mother who didn't even know she was a mom and a dad who wanted to control the planet.

But in a few moments it wasn't going to matter. I was going to be under the devil's spell just like the rest of the world was about to be. I'd be his willing sidekick—ready to use my powers for whatever he wanted.

And then there'd be no one to stop him—or me.

I had to get away—somewhere where the devil's love spell wouldn't affect me. But that spot didn't exist. He was going to send his spell across the world.

Nothing was safe. There was nowhere to hide.

Gabi and Cole rushed over to me.

“How do you know that guy?” Cole asked me. “Is he for real?”

I nodded. “He is. That's why you have to go.”

“I already told you,” he said. “Not without you.”

“Let me talk some sense into her,” Gabi told him. “I can get her to come with us. Just give us a few minutes.”

Cole hesitated, but finally agreed, leaving Gabi and me alone.

“You have to stop Lou,” she said, looking around to make sure no one was listening. “I heard what he said. You need to fix this!”

“I don't know how!” I needed some sort of shield or some magical body armor—only I was clueless about how to create it. “I need more time.”

“Lou,” Gabi called out. “I changed my mind. I would like to make that wish now.”

“What are you doing?” I shrieked.

“Buying you some extra time.”

Buying it with her life. “Gabi, no,” I pleaded.

“Yes,” she said. “Trust me, Angel. I trust you. I know you'll figure something out.”

Lou sauntered right up to Gabi. “Knew you'd come around. But I don't need you now. Pretty soon, you'll be begging me to take your soul. I won't even need to grant you a wish.”

“I should have known you were all talk,” she countered, her voice slightly shaking. “You probably don't know how to grant a wish, anyway.”

“Of course I do.”

“Yeah, right,” she said. Gabi was taking a move straight from my playbook. Reverse psychology. He couldn't stand it when anyone doubted his abilities. “If you knew how, you would do it, instead of just talking about it.”

“Fine,” he said. “Make your stupid wish. What do you want?”

“First, tell me how this whole thing works again.”

Tears were welling up in my eyes. Gabi was trying to stall Lou to give me a few extra minutes. If he figured out what she was up to, it'd be seriously dangerous for her. Worse than signing over her soul. Lou'd be out to get her.

I watched Gabi scrutinize the contract Lou handed her. There was only so long she could keep the devil waiting. I needed to get somewhere safe, somewhere I couldn't be affected by Lou's spell. I closed my eyes and focused.
Take me somewhere safe. Where I won't be in danger. Where I can still help!

When I opened my eyes I was standing outside the backstage area where Lance and his mother were.

No!!!! What was I doing there?
I needed to be somewhere safe, not the other side of the mall. And definitely not anywhere near Harmony Gold. The woman wanted nothing to do with me, and after the way she treated me, I wanted nothing to do with her, either. She wasn't going to help. It was just a waste of time. Time that I didn't have. Because while Gabi could talk more than anyone I knew, even she couldn't keep the devil distracted forever.

I jogged toward the exit of the mall.
Take me somewhere safe, take me somewhere safe, take me somewhere safe
, I commanded my powers. The next thing I knew I was being dragged back to the backstage door. It was like a magnet pulling me. I tried to fight it, but the force was too much.

“I said somewhere safe!” I took a few steps forward, but my body was thrust back against the door.

I tried again, but the same thing happened. My body kept smacking the entrance.

The thuds drew the attention of one of the guards. “Get away from there,” he yelled.

Like I wasn't trying?!? Getting whacked against a piece of plywood was not exactly fun. I was sure to have a bunch of black-and-blues.

Somewhere safe, somewhere safe, somewhere safe!
I kept thinking. But it didn't change my surroundings. I was still stuck there. Which wasn't only irritating me, but the guard, too.

He marched right over to me and tried to pull me away. Only he couldn't. The magnetic force was too strong. But that didn't stop him from trying. He yanked at my arms. I moved forward a few inches just to be whipped right back.

I felt like a yo-yo or a boomerang because no matter where I tried to go, I went ricocheting back to where I started from.

“How are you doing this?” he asked me as he continued to tug.

“I don't know.” It was the truth. I wanted to get away from there as much as he did.

“Somewhere safe, somewhere safe,” I said, not even caring that the guard heard. He was already completely confused. “Somewhere where Lou's spell won't affect me.” But no matter how many times I said it, I wasn't budging.

The guard kept pulling at me with all his might. I actually got about ten feet away from the door. For three whole seconds. It was as if there were a magnetic pull between me (and now the guard) and the door.

The guard rubbed his head. He looked scared. “I don't know what you're up to or how you're pulling this off,” he mumbled. “But I'm out of here.” Then he just left me.

“Wait,” I yelled after him. “You're supposed to be security. You need to help me.” He didn't stop. I tried to follow him, but I just got sucked backward.

“Come on, powers,” I muttered. “I need to be somewhere safe.”

Not hanging
outside
of somewhere safe. Harmony Gold's protection shield would have been just the ticket. But, as we all know, it was created especially to keep me away. So there was no way I could get past the doors. I needed to find another safe haven. I turned my body around and tried to push myself away from the door. Bad move! I ended up getting thrust forward—headfirst.

I let out a huge grunt and tried again. Same result. I pounded at the door. “Stupid, stupid, stupid powers.” But I wasn't about to give up. If I couldn't move forward and I couldn't move backward, I'd try moving to the side. With my body smashed against the wall, I shimmied to the right. I made it all the way to the corner, but the second I tried to step away from the wall, I was thrown back.

“Noooooooooooooo!”

But my scream was met by laughter. Lots of it. Harmony Gold was practically convulsing with giggles.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to peel myself away once again. The sight just made her laugh harder.

“I heard all the commotion and popped out to see what was going on.” By
popped
she must have meant teleported. Because she definitely didn't use the door. That, I would have seen.

“What is going on,” I said, “is that I'm trying to get somewhere safe before Lou makes me and everyone else in the world worship him.” I leaped forward, but mid-jump, I was pulled back. Now not only was I stuck to the door, but I was stuck to the door a foot off the ground. “Just great,” I said, trying to kick my way down.

Harmony didn't even try to stifle her guffaws. “I haven't laughed this hard in ages.”

“Glad I could help,” I said, with as much sarcasm as I could. “Not that you would know anything about
helping
!” I tried to move again, but I was stuck like glue.

“All right, Angel,” she said, taking my hand. “You win.” The next thing I knew we were in the backstage area. She had teleported me!

“You wore me down,” she said with a smile. “And the sight of you fighting with your powers . . .” She laughed again. “Well, let's just say I'd be a discredit to my angel race if I had ignored you.”

Understatement.

“Wh-what is going on here?” Lance asked. I hadn't seen him standing there. Neither had his mom.

“I thought I told you to stay in the office!” she told him.

He was looking at us like we had appeared out of thin air—which we basically had. “This is crazy. How did you guys pop in here? And what is this about powers?” He rubbed his temples.

I had forgotten he didn't know the truth about himself. And Harmony had risked her secret for me. The least I could do was try and cover for her. “It was a magic trick. Pretty awesome, huh? I'd tell you how I did it, but we magicians take an oath. I'd get beheaded or something.”

Harmony shook her head. “It's okay, Angel. There's no keeping the truth from him now. He's seen and heard too much today. It's time for him to know.”

“Know what?” Lance asked.

“I'll explain it all in a minute,” Harmony said to her son. “Let me just talk to her for a second. Angel and I have some unfinished business.”

“But—,” he objected.

“Trust me,” she said.

I didn't blame him for wanting to know what was going on. I would have been demanding an answer if I were him. Lance didn't say anything, he also didn't move. He wanted to hear what his mom had to tell me. And she didn't make him leave.