Under A Blood Moon (Elemental Enchanters) (14 page)

She sent Thomas a text message telling him she was on her way to the cabin.
Ava needed to talk to them. And Melissa, whom Ava felt her worry.

The talk with
Savina and Colden certainly uplifted Ava’s spirits. She was grateful to have an understanding and to have been chosen to be a part of a strong group. But she still didn’t know what was up with Melissa.

When Ava pulled up to the cabin and got out of the car, Melissa ran to her. Her cheeks were tear-stained. Ava wasn’t sure she was ready to face Melissa. It would take a while before she could forgive her, but for now she would practice as much as she could.

She stopped inches from Ava.
“I’m so sorry,” she cried. “I don’t even know why I said it. It-it just came out.”

“
It really hurt. I don’t know why you have to be so cruel.”

“
You have to know that I would never think that.”

“I’ve tried understanding what could make you say such a thing.”

“I don’t know. Please, you have to believe me.” Her eyes were so sincere. Melissa could be cruel, but nothing like this. Was it their powers that made them crazy or amplified feelings or thoughts?

“I talked to Savina and Colden just now.”

“What? Did you tell them what I said?”

“No.
I’ve just been scared of all this. But now I’m ready.”

Melissa
look surprised. “You are?”

“We need to talk. All of us.”

“Okay. Do you forgive me? I have been feeling awful.”

“I know. I feel you. Come on, let’s go inside.”

Melissa looped her arm with Ava as they walked to the porch. “By the way, what I think Thomas meant was, for you to feel like you are meant for this, you gotta give in. You’re holding yourself back because you want other things.” Melissa stopped her. “You gotta let go of Peter. And you have to block thoughts of your mom. These Enchanters can use it against you.”

“I know.”

“We’re your friends. We care about you a lot. Let us in.”

Ava nodded. “I will.
But don’t ever say anything like that again.”

Her eyes watered and she nodded. “I know. I’m sorry.”

T
hey entered the cabin, and Thomas immediately rushed to her. He stroked her hair, and kissed her forehead. She pulled away and sat down on the hearth and he sat next to her. The heat from the fire was hot against her back, but she welcomed it. Lance, Gillian, Jeremy and Melissa sat across from them on the couch and loveseat.

“
I talked to Savina and Colden today and I understand so much more now,” she said. “I’m alive because of her. We all are. My mom wanted me in this Aureole and we need to protect the Ephemerals and us. I also asked about our abilities.”

“
What did they say?” Melissa asked.

“She said the more we practice, the more we’ll be able to learn what we can do.
She said you can produce poison.”

Her mouth fell open. “What?”

“Yeah.”

“What about the rest of us?” Thomas asked.

“She said that all we needed was to think of our element and what you can do with it. Since I’m Water, I can drown people. I just imagine that person drowning until they die.”

Thomas raised his eyebrows. “Now
that’s
cool.”

“
How exactly are we to practice?” Gillian asked.

“
We just use our abilities on each other. If we get hurt badly enough, she can heal us.”

Melissa eyes widened. “Let’s go practice now.”

Ava looked at the time. Seven-thirty. Peter was coming over tonight, and she didn’t want to be late. She just somehow needed to explain that they couldn’t hang out anymore. “I can’t. I have a huge project—.”

“
Uh uh.” Melissa shook her head. “I don’t want to wait any longer.”

“Something could happen.”

“You worry too much,” Gillian said. “We’re just calling our powers.”

Ava
reluctantly followed them into the room. Once they crossed the threshold, the candles flickered alive.

“Okay, let’s get started,” Melissa
said.

Standing
around the glowing white circle, Ava closed her eyes, and thought of the ocean. The salty air she breathed was so real it felt as if she were at the beach. She could feel the heat warming her skin, the slight breeze through her hair, the soft sand beneath her, the sun lighting her way, and the moon calming her. Each Element giving her strength.

T
hen she focused solely on the waves, and they grew high above her, crashing powerfully against the shore. She opened her eyes and peered around the room at the others. All their necklaces glowed.

Ava
tilted her head sideways, peering at Thomas. He grabbed her hand. A slight burning sensation filled her palm. It didn’t hurt her though. They all held hands, completing the circle. Then tried focusing their energies again, starting with Melissa.

With her eyes closed,
Ava saw each of them, in her mind, standing in a waist-high meadow. The skies were bright blue and just beyond the field, the ocean played. Melissa smiled as she handed them each a rose of a different color. Ava’s was a light blue, like the ocean. She inhaled its floral aroma, and then realized that poison raced inside her. Her heart sped, and her air was slowly depleting. A few seconds later, it disappeared.

Lance
walked beside each one of them, draining them of their powers. A pulling sensation pricked her body as her powers dissipated. Then, they reappeared.

Gillian
stared at Ava, and forced thoughts inside. Darkness loomed above her. It was so intense that she felt depressed. A large gust of wind billowed around her, like a tornado, and cut her skin. She watched the blood slowly creep from her arms. She looked to the ocean, and commanded the water to rush toward everyone. The water rose higher and higher until all of them were under, except her. Suddenly, a stinging, searing pain shot through her hand.

“
Ow!” Ava cried, and jerked her hand from Thomas, breaking everyone’s focus. She examined it. A burn in the shape of Thomas’s hand covered hers. The pain throbbed with every heartbeat.

“What?”
Thomas asked.

“My hand
,” she yelled. “You
burned
it.”

Melissa gasped.
She carefully lifted Ava’s shaking arm and studied it. “Does it still hurt?”

“Yes!
”

Gillian moved closer.
“Thomas, what did you do?”

“I
don’t know. I’m so sorry.” He held his hair back and his mouth was agape.

Ava looked
up at Jeremy. “Did your hand burn?”

“Only for a little bit,” he said. “
But like everything else, it faded.”

“Did you feel my drowning?
I felt it all—your tornado-like winds, Melissa’s poison, Gillian’s thoughts, Lance taking my powers, but as soon as I felt them, it vanished, except yours, Thomas.”

“I felt everything, too,
” Jeremy said.

“Yeah, same,” Lance agreed.

“Maybe you weren’t focusing hard enough,” Gillian said.

“What
?”

“
Come on, don’t fight.” Melissa cradled Ava’s arm, and steered her to the kitchen. “Let’s get something to wrap this.” She opened several cabinets, but they were all empty.

“Do we even have anything?” Ava asked.

“Doesn’t look like it,” she said, and searched the last cabinet.

“It’s okay.
”

Thomas carefully lifted her arm.
“How bad is it?”

“It feels like I pressed my hand onto a hot
stove eye.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”

“I’ll just go to Savina’s. Maybe she’ll—.”

“No,” Thomas
interrupted. “Please. She’ll be upset. I didn’t mean it. I’ll take you home and bandage you up.”

She was going to protest, but then
the left side of her head pulsated. Ava squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the pain that built. “I feel a migraine coming on.”

“Whoa.” Melissa steadied herself with the counter. “My head is killing me.”

“Mine, too,” Lance said.

“Who’s doing this?” Gillian asked and
plopped down on the couch with her head in her hands. Jeremy moved beside her.

When the pain subsided, Ava took a deep breath. “I don’t think anyone is. I think we started too soon.”

“It’s been weeks though,” Gillian said.

“That’s enough for tonight,” Melissa said. “We’ll try again tomorrow.”

Thomas took Ava’s other hand. “Come on.”

“No, Thomas. It’s okay. I’ll just—.”

“I want to,” he cut her off.

Much to her chagrin
, Thomas followed her home. She didn’t understand his insistence. She could take care of herself. Ava had to tell Peter not to come over, but driving with one hand, prevented her from calling.

When she pulled into her driveway, Thomas parked behind her, almost blinding her with his lights. Then, he rushed to her side.

“It’s just a burn,” she told him. “It’s not like I’m bleeding all over the place.”

“
I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose. Don’t be mad.”

“
I’m not.” Not about that at least.

“What does this mean?”

Ava shrugged, and walked to the front door.

“Don’t say anything to your dad. I don’t need him hating me more.”

She looked up at him. “You want me to lie to my dad?”

“Please, Ava. I don’t want anyone to be angry.”

Of course. Everything was always about him. She sighed, lowered her arm, and then pushed open the door. Thomas conveniently positioned himself to hide her hand. They entered the dimly lit living room. The TV was on, but her dad was fast asleep.

“Hey, Dad.”

Her father jerked his eyes open. “Hey,” he acknowledged them both. “Did you have a good day?”

“
Sure. Thomas and I are going to watch a movie.”

Her dad raised his eyebrows. “Okay.
”

Ava knew he could tell she was acting suspicious.
She tried not to sound so rushed, but she had to do something soon. The pain ached too much. She and Thomas made their way to the stairs.

“Don’t stay up past
ten-thirty,” her father called. Ava knew that was his secret code for Thomas to be gone by then.

“Okay,” she called back
, and then trudged upstairs.

Once in her room, she
glanced at the clock on her nightstand. Eight forty-five. Peter would be off soon and on his way. Ava went to the medicine cabinet in her bathroom, and grabbed a tube of ointment. She had to think of a way to get Thomas out of there or call Peter.

“Shouldn’t you run it under water first?” Thomas asked.

“I don’t want anything stinging it,” she said, and tried opening the tube one-handed. “Here, I’ll do it.”

“I got it
.”

Thomas sighed. “Give it to me.” He snatched it from her hand.

“I’m not disabled, you know.”

“What is with you? I said I was sorry.”
He took her hand, squeezed some clear ointment out of a tube, and rubbed it over the imprint of his hand. “I can’t believe I did this.” He shook his head. Anger seeped into his rubbing. “How could I have done—?”

“Ow!
Not so rough.”

“Sorry.
Do you have a bandage?”

Ava grabbed a wrap from the cabinet and put it in his hand.
He needed to hurry up and leave. She shifted her weight and bit her lip.

“Will you stop fidgeting?”

She hadn’t even realized she had been twirling her ring. “Sorry.”

He unraveled the bandage and wrapped it around her hand. “What are you so worried about
anyway?”

Ava forgot he could feel her worry. “Nothing.”

He pinned the bandage from coming loose. “There. I hope it heals soon.” He kissed her injured hand.

“Me, too.”
Of course, they could have avoided all this had they gone to Savina’s.

“I don’t understand what we did to get headaches like this.
It feels like someone just hit me with a bat fifty times.”

She handed him a bottle of headache medicine.
“Here.”

“I don’t need it.”

Ava rolled her eyes. “Of course not.” She popped open the bottle, and swallowed two pills.

“I’d rather try something
else.” He leaned down, and kissed her softly.

She pulled back
. “Thomas, you should go.”

“
What? I won’t be so rough.”

“
Please.”

“Let’s just watch a movie. Come on.”

“No. My head is killing me.”
And I need to call Peter
.

He exhaled.
“I’m not going to try anything.”