The Moonstone (Enchantment Book 1) (13 page)

Once arrived at the end of the corridor, we enter a large, round, cement room. Around the room are long, rough wooden bleachers that extend from the cement wall as if they were floating. To break up what would otherwise be a creepy ambiance, there is a large crystal chandelier hanging majestically in the center of the room and it reflects the light coming in from the windows that resemble arrow slits from medieval castles.

"If this room could talk...I’ve been here to witness a few selections, but also a few failures. My brother tried to get in, but failed."

"Is it that hard to get in? What if I fail? What do we do then?"

"Lou, you won't fail, you’re Ether, you’ve a right to your own team without even having to pass your exams!"

"So, it's Ether, is it? Wonderful!" says a distinguished voice from the entrance of the room."

"Bethany," says Charles, walking with a firm step towards the woman.

Simply put, she is drop-dead gorgeous. Bethany is one of those women who make you feel invisible in the presence of men. She is one of those women who by their presence alone, changes the center of gravity as her charisma absorbs everything around it, like a black hole."

She’s leaning on the doorframe and wearing a shimmering black dress, a little like mine, but much more distinguished. Her dress goes up on her shoulders and drops to the floor, dragging behind her for a foot or two. Her hair is amber colored like the ashes of a hot fire, her full lips are bright red and her deep green eyes are rimmed with long black lashes. An incredible necklace holding a green and purple stone sits in the middle of a long and elegant neck.

"So, you're Charles protégée? What an absolute pleasure to meet you." Her words surround me, like a slowly approaching snake about to swallow its prey, while weighing its every move. She tilts her head and stares at me for a moment. Gracefully extending her hand, she reaches out to touch my necklace and smiles in a way that could only be called creepy.

She places her gloved hand under my chin and lifts it so she can force me to look her directly in the eyes.

"Ether is the strongest of the signs, I feel that you and I will become good friends, Lou. But tell me, what is your gift?"

"I, I, can manipulate time," I answer uncertain of the tone that I should adopt when faced with such confidence.

"Time! Well, that’s incredible! Charles, why didn't you bring her to me sooner? I can't remember the last person who could control time here at the Academy. What luck! I’ll take care of her, have no worries about that."

She grabs my hand and pulls me along through the room, moving slightly less elegantly than on her arrival.

"Let's go see your room, Lou. It's too bad that we can't have two people with the same sign on the same team because I could really have used your gift on my team."

I turn to look at Charles, confused, thinking that all this is going a little too fast for me. He looks back at me, amused, with a look that tells me that everything will be fine. I almost feel that he’s having a little fun at my expense.

"Lou, I am the principal of this Academy and my absolute priority is to create the most powerful teams possible. I must retain the title of the best Academy of the world of magic and to that end, I only accept the best of the best. I’m a bit of a collector that way, and I have a great fascination with the various gifts."

Despite her hurry, she maintains the perfect demeanor.

"I won't ask you to demonstrate your gifts for me immediately, but I do insist on being your private coach, certainly when it comes to your gift of persuasion. By the way, you’ll be the only student with Ether as a sign during this training session so I’ll be able to dedicate all my time to you and only you. I must hurry, as Charles must have told you that tonight will be our introductory ball and I must get to the manor as soon as possible.”

Deep in thought, she runs a hand through her hair and then stops walking and turns to me.

"You know, Lou, I know you were raised by humans but I hope you will feel at home here now and that we are like family. I hope you understand why humans are but roots that prevent us from getting to where we need to be. Tell me, should I ever doubt you? Will you ever betray us to those little humans of yours? Pick your side, Lou, because I don't have time to waste on you, otherwise."

She and Charles both stare me square in the eye.

"No, there's no danger of that, I’m finally finding my place among you. I feel as if I’m finally complete."

This was not a lie, but not the complete truth, either.

Charles seemed to relax a bit.

"Perfect! You can be sure I don't have any pity for traitors", she said, in a venomous tone.

"Follow me, Lou, it's over this way."

She opens another door, revealing a hall that is completely different from the rest of the Academy. Entering, I feel as if I've been plunged into an old manor of a bygone era. The hallway contains a multitude of massive wooden doors and walls that are covered with wood paneling and tapestries. The wooden floor cracks under our feet, telling us stories of all that has happened within these walls.

"I like to retain a sense of nostalgia here; it helps our foreign students feel a little more at home among us. Here is your room; we'll fill out the paperwork tomorrow. I must go now, but please, make yourself at home."

Bethany guides me inside and leaves as discreetly as she appeared. I look around the magnificent room that seems to be pulled right out of a period novel. A majestic canopy bed occupies the center of the room and, as it looks so comfortable, I can't resist throwing myself down onto the mattress.

"I texted Flicka, she should be here in a couple of minutes. Don't let Bethany get to you; she won't have any influence over you. Don't let her stain your goodness, Lou; always remember why you’re here. I'm never far away. If ever you have a problem, don't hesitate to call me, whatever the reason."

"Everything will be fine, Charles! Thanks for doing all this for me."

"It's we who thank you, darling."

He wraps me in a hug while kissing my hair and then leaves me with a wave that is a bit over the top for my taste. I find myself alone in the immensity of my room, in the infinite void of this unknown life that knocked on my door only a few hours earlier. One day later, and my whole world has been turned upside-down.

I approach the immense windows and open one to let in some fresh air; I need to find something tangible, something real.

A few feet away, a young man is trimming the branches of a shrub. I can't help but admire his concentration and attention to his work; he takes care to study the angle of each branch before cutting it. I can't see his face because he has his back to me, but from the way his muscular arms extend from his t-shirt, he seems fairly tall and well built. At that very instant, probably because he heard me whimper, he turns around.

Oh my God! He really is as superb from the front as from the back! He has slightly messy, beautiful auburn hair, and a smile to take your breath away. A smile, he saw me, and he's smiling...at me. I need to hide. I flatten myself against the wall beside the window, hoping he will forget about me and return to his meticulous work, but unfortunately, he comes over to my window and pops his head in, looking from side to side, revealing me in my hiding place.

"Hello!" he says, extending his hand to me.

"My name is Zach," he then says, using me to pull himself up into my room.

"What are you doing? Didn't your parents ever teach you to knock before entering a room, and more importantly, to use the door?"

"Maybe they would have had I known them a little longer."

I feel instantly guilty; he's an orphan like me.

"Sorry, I'm..."

He cuts me off mid-sentence.

"Lou, yeah, I know. Bethany asked me to make sure you have everything you need."

He gets closer and pins me against the wall, putting an arm on either side of me, instantly turning me to stone. It's been a long time since I 've been around a man, let alone one as seductive as Zach.

"And nothing would please me more."

He can sense my discomfort and lets me out by lifting one of his encircling arms.

"So, you work for Bethany?" I say, putting some space between us, stumbling slightly and trying to hide the blush that must certainly be rising in my cheeks.

"In a matter of speaking. She's kind of like my adoptive mother."

His adoptive mother...she doesn't seem to be more than thirty years old. I keep forgetting about the fact that enchanters don't age like humans do.

"Why do you say 'kind of'?"

He gets closer to me, hands in the pockets of his worn jeans and leans up against the dresser near me, all the while chewing on his lip and staring at me. He is absolutely de-stabilizing.

"She doesn't want me to call her ‘mother’. She found me when I was twelve years old, lost in the forest near here. I think she was in need of company, but she's never been very close to me. Anyway, I like to keep to myself and she lets me do what I want."

I can hardly imagine the cold Bethany as anything other than distant. But she must have some kind of heart to have saved the life of a poor, lost child.

"How did you get lost in the forest and where was your family? Didn't you have an uncle, or aunt, or friends to take you in?"

"I don't know; I don't really have any memory of how I got here. My last memory is of my parent's death; it was a car accident and they were both killed instantly. I was with them and I woke up in the woods, frostbitten, in the middle of January. I didn't have any other family, as my parents were both only children like me. My grandparents had passed away years before. I know, it's pretty rare to have no family, but it's the truth. I found my family here, Lou."

I've never had so much personal information from someone in such a short period of time and I have to say, I like it. Apart from being intimidating, Zach seems to be very...human...if I can base it on his emotions. I can't imagine how upset he must have been to wake up in the middle of the woods after losing his parents.

"I still don't understand why Bethany decided to adopt you. She seems so...cold."

He grinned, rolling his eyes as if to approve of my statement.

"That's the truth, but she's a little bit of a collector and likes to control things on every level. You know how for the most part, enchanters detest humans? Bethany isn’t an exception to that rule. How better to have complete control but to have control over your enemy?"

"You don't mean...? No, that can't be possible! You mean you're human?"

He approaches, still staring at me and grinning, forcing me to sit down on the mattress. He advances some more, positioning himself over me, hands on either side of me on the bed and whispers gently in my face.

"I think that you, more than anyone else, could have figured that out. Little enchanter raised among monsters."

"You...they're not monsters."

He backs up and jumps onto the mattress, stretching out to his full length and crossing his arms behind his head, leaning comfortably against the decorative pillows.

"You may not think like that now, but eventually, you'll see, you'll think like them. Isn’t that why you’re at the Academy? To fight humans?"

"I...it's not like that! Well, I guess, sort of, but mainly I'm here to learn more about the world that I belong to. And you, why do you stay here? Why did you decide to live here if we are such a threat to you?"

He laughs and looks up at the ceiling while patting the bed beside him, inviting me to join him.

"There's no way I'm going to lie down next to you, after all, we hardly know each other and you don't seem to really appreciate who I am."

"Lou, I didn't choose to be here, but life gave me this family and Bethany is the only person I have left. She was the one who was there for me when I needed it the most and, no matter her motive, she's always been good to me. I have a roof over my head and I can do more or less whatever I want as long as I do a few chores for her here and there. Also, she sometimes sends me off to spy on humans around the world, all expenses paid. Who would complain about that?"

"You really are a nasty piece of work. You bite the hand that feeds you and then you go and spy on your own people. Don't you have scruples?"

"Oh, I think that you can keep your comments to yourself, “Miss-I-was-adopted-by-humans-but-now-I-abandon-everything-the-minute-enchanters-enter-my-life." You're betraying your own people."

I sit there, open-mouthed and speechless, his words sting. He doesn't know how completely torn I am, stuck as I am between the two hemispheres of my heart. How cruel!

"Ok, I'm sorry", he says, standing up and tapping me on the back.

"It's just that Bethany explained the context of your arrival to me and I was really anxious to meet someone who understands me. You're like a mirror, Lou. You and I have experienced the same things, just from different sides. How about we start from scratch?"

He stands in front of me, offering me his hand.

I take it tentatively, not sure what to make of the walking paradox that is Zach.