The Moonstone (Enchantment Book 1) (15 page)

Once we get back to the Academy, my new friend helps me off the bike.

"If Lord Black is snooping on you, it's best to be discreet. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow at your combat lesson."

"Great! Do what he says, you little insect. If you truly want to become an enchanter, cut your ties to your old life now," says Lord Black's voice in my head.

When is he going to leave me alone? I certainly won't be cutting ties with my parents.

Zach walks me to my room and wishes me a good night, staring into my eyes and hesitating a few seconds before finally leaving the dormitory.

I stretch out on my bed, trying to make sense of everything that just happened. I try to keep my mind from anything compromising, not sure if he can read my thoughts too.

"Are you afraid? Fear is food for weaklings, Lou. Are you a weakling?"

I hear myself cry out "leave me alone!" in my head.

No answer from Black, I presume that he has finally understood.

"I didn't get an answer. Are you weak, Lou?"

He speaks with such authority and stubbornness that he forces me to answer out loud.

"No, I'm not weak. Don't you have anyone else to harass? Get out of my head."

"Oh, I think you're lying, Lou. I suspect you’re petrified."

So, he can hear what I say out loud, but he doesn't seem to be able to read my thoughts. I need to speak to Charles about this. He'll tell me what to do about it. I know that he'll hear the whole conversation, but I don't have a choice. I grab my cell phone and find the number that he left for me to reach him.

"Darling! I'm so happy you called. Is everything ok?"

His relaxing tone of voice is so completely different than the one in my head that it calms me.

"Charles, I need to tell you what's happening to me and I need you to wait to answer until I've finished speaking."

I take his silence for agreement and so I tell him what's been going on, giving him details of the whole evening.

"The cocktail must have had a penetrator in it. I'm so sorry, that's one of my creations. It was created mainly to help in the working world. It's a way for the boss to dictate exact instructions to employees during important operations, as they can see what the person sees. You're right, he can't read your thoughts, but he can see through your eyes and can communicate with your soul. The effects will last for about twenty-four hours, so you should be rid of him by tomorrow."

"But not until tomorrow night! I need him out of my head now."

"Oh, my poor dear, don't worry so much. I have better things to do than spend the next twenty-four hours watching your every move," he said, in a deep voice.

"So leave me alone!" I answer out loud.

"Lou, my dear, are you ok? Try not to think about him. Just be careful what you do. I'm so sorry, but I don't have an antidote and I'm afraid my potions are usually pretty potent."

"That's ok, Charles, I'll be alright. Good night then."

"Good night. I'm sorry to be so far away. Call me whenever, whatever the time. And don't worry about him, he won’t dare hurt you."

I hang up and look around the room as if he were still there with me.

The phone rings and I answer quickly, without even looking to see who is calling.

"Lou? Where in the world are you? Bethany told me that you weren't feeling well. Are you back at the Academy?"

"I'm so sorry, Flicka, I forgot to call you. I'm really not feeling very well. I think it must be the accumulated effects of the stress of the last couple of days. Don't worry, though, I had fun while I was there. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok...you can tell me what a sensation you caused in your dress. I'll come by to pick you up for class around eight, ok?"

"Sure, perfect, have a great evening."

"See you tomorrow, Lou, get some rest."

I didn't want to worry her by giving her all the details of my misadventure and I certainly didn't want to stretch out the conversation while we had an audience spying on my every word and action.

I go to the dressing table to release my hair from the pins that have been holding it up all evening. Sitting down, I look at my face, embellished by Flicka. I pull the pins, one by one, out of my hair that falls in waves onto my shoulders. I feel as if I hear a grumbling, then nothing. I start to unzip myself when I suddenly remember that he can see whatever I see.

"Don't stop for me, little woman, there's nothing there that would interest me."

That’s it; he’s gone too far!! I sit myself down in front of the mirror of the dressing table and decide it's time to set things straight. I look into my own eyes and say, "Look, Mr. Black, I know that you think that your power gives you the right to decide other people's fate, but believe me, I'm not here to impress you or to win any favors. I want to find the part of me that has always been unknown, but never will I deny my past or abandon my adoptive family. Do we understand each other? And if that makes you hate me, so be it. I’m stuck with you until tomorrow night, but after that, I will melt into the crowd and you'll never hear from me again. Now, leave me alone, there's nothing I do that should interest you in any way."

"On the contrary, what my enemies are up to is what I am most interested in."

"I am not your enemy, nor am I your friend. I am just simply myself and if you’ll excuse me, I would like to go to sleep now."

No answer, nothing. I notice only silence and my breathing, now loud in my ears because of my deep emotions. I don't remember ever having raised my voice like that before. I take a last deep breath, staring deeply into my own eyes reflected in the mirror. I take out one of my nightgowns and go to the washroom. I turn off the light to prevent him from to admiring the body of his enemy. Once changed, I go back into my room and get under the covers.

I take my phone to listen to a little bit of music and fall upon the song
Human Emotion
by Digital Daggers. I play the song as a special dedication to the visitor in my body. Listening to it, I realize the irony of each of the words and to what point they are being reflected in what I am going through. After a couple of songs, I fall deep asleep without hearing another word from Lord Black.

“I have nothing to fear but fear itself."
Franklin D. Roosevelt

In the morning, I wake up feeling well rested. I slept through another night without a nightmare. Obviously becoming an enchanter is doing wonders for me! I look at the clock: seven-thirty, I slept for almost twelve hours! I wonder why Charles told me I wouldn't be sleeping as much as before? I guess I still need to recover from all the events of the last couple days. I should get ready quickly because Flicka will be here soon and I still feel a little shaky and nervous after the events of last night.

Looking in my closet I notice a bag labeled
Monday
in big, bold letters. Digging a little deeper, I find that Flicka has indeed put together bags for the next four days as well. I find it incredible that she was so thoughtful to put together outfits for me for the whole week! I lock myself once more in the dark bathroom and put on outfit number one. It's certainly no easy task and I immediately see the problem when I turn the lights on and realize how badly I’ve buttoned up the lacy white blouse. Once readjusted in front of the mirror, I struggle to get my unruly hair into a bun. Just as my stomach begins to rumble, there’s a knock on the door. I open to find Flicka, my savior, coffee and a chocolate croissant in her hands.

"I'm here a little earlier than expected. I was worried you might do something like that to your hair," she said, shoving the croissant into my mouth and forcing me to sit down on the dressing table’s velvet cushioned seat.

"You still look like a human," echoes the voice in my head; and here I was hoping he would leave me alone today. I refuse to answer him because I don't feel like explaining my predicament to Flicka. I also don't want to ruin her contagious good mood. I decide the best I can do is to stare him down in the mirror, hoping that he'll get the point.

"There, that's perfect! You haven't seen the last of me yet. I'm having so much fun with your makeover and it gives me all the more reason to shop. We should really go out shopping together one of these days."

"I don’t have the money to keep up with you."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Lou. My parents are quite well off and they never give me a hard time about spending money. Whatever makes me happy, makes them happy."

"We'll see..."

"Ok, come on, it’s time to go to the arena for the welcome cocktail party; they'll be introducing all the professors. It's so exciting, I've been dreaming of this for so long!"

We walk over to the arena where Bethany greets us, handing us colored badges labeled with our names and a symbol representing our sign. Mine is white and the symbol is a star.

She offers us a glass of champagne and invites us into the room, which is already quite full. I return the glass to Bethany, telling her that I don't really feel like having anything to drink after the events of last night and she nods, motioning me towards the room. I can’t be sure of the contents of the glass and I won't be twice fooled.

"Come on, let's try to meet a few people and do some networking. You'll be choosing your team before long and you'll want to make an informed decision."

I spot Zach out of the corner of my eye; he’s busy putting together a small display of weapons. He sees me, winks and grins and then goes back to his preparation.

I notice one boy standing outside the group; he’s sitting on one of the benches, seemingly lost in thought. He’s obviously of Asian descent and probably in his early twenties. His messy black mid-length hair and his outfit are in complete contrast with the others; he's wearing a relaxed white linen top and bottom and he’s barefoot. He looks as if he’s just come from yoga on the beach. His isolation from the group piques my curiosity, probably because, like me, he seems different from the others; otherwise, he would have joined them. I take Flicka by the hand and pull her toward him.

"Come on, let's go over and get to know this guy."

"Well, ok, I guess…" she answers, resigned to my stubbornness.

"Hi, I'm Lou and this is Flicka. What's your name?"

The boy stands and I do a double take; it almost looks as if his feet are floating above the ground. He runs his fingers through his hair and smiles, first at Flicka, then at me.

"My name is Pax. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Why aren't you with the rest of the group? Are you anti-social?" says Flicka, with her usual lack of discretion.

"No, no! Not at all, quite the contrary! I was meditating. You see, I come from China and the enchanters in my country find their strength in meditation. As I got back to my room quite late last night, I didn't have the time to do it and I want to be at my best for the demonstration later."

"The demonstration?" I asked, confused.

"Yes, Lou, we all have to present our skills to show how developed our capacities are. This allows the others to start making decisions about who to pick for their team.”

“Lou was raised by humans,” she says to Pax, nonchalantly, as if it were an entirely usual statement to make.

“Oh! So she’s an outsider!” he laughs.

“ Hey! I’m not an outsider! Ok, well my sign is Ether and from what I’ve been told, I’ll be able to choose my own team members, so go easy with those little snarky comments,” I answer with a mocking tone.

“Oh! Are you serious? You really need me on your team. My sign is Air; I’m a master of illusion and I can float on air. I’ll show you later and I’ll show you, too, Flicka,” he says, looking at us both and starting to blush. I could be wrong, but from what I can see, Pax has a crush on Flicka but she seems clueless.

Looking around, I notice that Bethany is deep in discussion with a fairly tall man who has his back to us. They’re standing a few feet away and I find myself hoping he’ll turn around so I can see this man who is obviously monopolizing Bethany’s attention. She’s holding his arms with her gloved hands, talking to him and she's even smiling. She brings him over to what must be the group of professors, given their badges that are golden like hers. Walking in the direction of the group, he turns his head slightly toward me as if he can sense my eyes on him and then continues his way over to the teachers. The professors greet him with what looks liked forced good humor, raising their glasses in salute and smiling mechanically.

"Go on, turn around," I say out loud to myself, finding it impossible to look away.

I hear Pax and Flicka in awkward conversation behind me, which is perfect because it gives me time to find out more about the stranger.

As if hearing me, he turns around. It only takes one glance and my world collapses all around me. The activity in the room slows, my heart is in my throat and I hold my breath. Never, never in my life have I felt something so profound. I don't know if it's his beauty or his aura, but this man is completely hypnotizing. He’s roughly six-foot-two, has broad shoulders and auburn hair that falls in waves around his ears. His two or three-day stubble contrasts with his otherwise perfectly put-together look. All this goes through my mind in an instant, a single moment in time when his eyes catch mine. I suddenly realize that I must look like a moron, so I snap shut my mouth that's been hanging open and just like that, my handsome stranger looks nonchalantly back toward Bethany. Unattainable, that's surely what he is. I should content myself with knowing I’ve looked into his dreamy eyes; they are of such a light blue color that incredibly, they are almost white.

Never have I felt an attraction so strong, like an ignorant moth attracted by the dooming light. At this moment, and given her insistence on rubbing his arm, my only wish is to be one of Bethany's gloves. A feeling of glee and a sense of victory wash over me when I see him remove her hand, cutting all her contact between her and his divine appendage. I have to do something; he must notice me watching him. I watch as a server approaches the group of professors with a tray full of bubbly and chocolate-covered strawberries.

"Be strong, I need you now," I say, steeling myself. I ball my hands into fists and start a quick march toward him, desperate, like a groupie going toward her favorite singer.

"One step at a time, Lou, you can do it," I tell myself convincingly.

When I reach the stage, I see that the whole group is deep in discussion, unaware of my presence. Grabbing a glass of champagne in one hand and a strawberry in the other, I stare at the group, not sure what I should do to attract his attention. I realize the ridiculousness of my situation, a chocolate covered strawberry...I certainly can't go into a sensual come-on in front of this group. Throwing caution to the wind, I decide to eat it in one bite. As I'm desperately trying to keep the pieces of strawberry and a mouthful of champagne from escaping my mouth, Mr. X turns to look at me, his gaze cold and impassive. He stares at me for a moment longer, then grabs Bethany's arm, steering her to the front of the room. What was he thinking as he looked at me with such intensity? Did the champagne dribbling down my chin or my overfull mouth disgust him? It might have been cute if it weren't for my apparent awkwardness. Embarrassed and self-conscious, I return to Pax and Flicka trying to regain some of my composure.

"Lou, dear, what did you do to your face? You’re like a Picasso painting. Come here, let me fix you up, you're ruining my creation," says Flicka, taking out a tissue from her purse and wiping me roughly the way a baker kneads his dough. Pax, relaxing against the stage, watches her, grinning. I'm anxious to be alone with her so I can ask her what the two of them talked about.

The lights go out and the room is suddenly plunged into complete darkness. A fresh breeze blows through and a light misting of water droplets fills the space like a gentle fog. An animal's fierce roar rings out and I flatten myself against Flicka who is giggling and tapping me on the shoulder. What am I not getting? The ground rumbles under our feet and the room is suddenly lit with flashes of lightning that seem to be coming from one of the professors. Suddenly all of our personal effects rise to the ceiling at the hand signal of a woman not far from Mr. X. In the fraction of a second, the whole ceiling is transformed into a starry sky and an incredible music fills the room. Everyone claps and shouts as the room returns to its original configuration and lighting. Our things gently descend and take their places at our feet.

"Dear friends, please give a hand to our team of professors for the excellent introduction to our welcome gathering."

Wow! That was far better than any concert special effects I've ever seen!

Bethany continues her speech, speaking through what looks like a glass Horn of Plenty. She seems to be speaking at hardly more than a whisper, but her voice is projected through the whole space.

"You're all here for the same reason, you wish to become warriors; proud representatives of our people. If, or rather, when the war breaks out between humans and enchanters, we, the soldiers, will be there and will defend our rights to the death. Over the next two weeks you will be tested to your limits and only the best will be chosen for a team. Be proud of your gifts and show them off! This morning, I will present the professors to you and then you will be separated into classes based on your gifts. Other than these training sessions which will hone your skills, you will also train in human hand to hand combat and this course will be taught by our inside human, Zach."

Zach raises his hand and salutes the crowd, following this with a bow. Standing back up he stares right at me and acknowledges me with a huge grin.

"You must do one hour of combat training per day to master the art of human fighting better than humans themselves. You will also have access to the arena every night; you may organize friendly battles between yourselves. In this way you will be able to show off what you've learned and reinforce your combat instinct. At the end of the second week, you will be given one day to present your talents to us; the strongest will become captains and will choose their own team. At the end of the two weeks the teams will be complete and will be issued missions within the community."

Despite the noise, the laughter and the smiling surrounding me, I can't help but feel sudden fear. The way that Bethany describes the imminent war and the passion she evokes in her macabre speech brings me screeching back to reality. I’m just a mouse in a cat's body. Am I the hunter or Moby Dick? I’m sure I’ll have to face this dilemma sooner or later. Looking up into the sky, my head and my heart full of uncertainty, my eyes catch the penetrating gaze of Mr. X. He stares at me, frowning as if he resents me. He probably noticed that I look different from the others...I've been unmasked. I come out of my trance and turn toward Flicka, smiling as if everything going on in my life were normal. Mr. X looks away and turns his attention back to Bethany.

"...So please give a heartfelt welcome to our dear professors and when you hear which one you are to be working with, please gather around him or her and we will begin to see the great diversity we are working with this summer. Let's start with Fire sign! For those who are gifted with the talent of the blacksmith and his incredible magical weapons, here is Colin."

The man who steps forward is well built, his head closely shaven and his arms covered in tatoos. He looks like a fierce fighter who wouldn't give the advantage to any adversary. He is holding a sculpted mace and bangs it against his other hand, grunting loudly as a salute. The hulking man then walks to the extreme left of the room where a few other individuals join him.