Strange Magic (15 page)

          I had been expecting something more impressive.  The Crystal of Devotion was not even very big, which made it the perfect size for a pendant that hung on a silver chain.  It looked like something that anyone could buy at the mall. Certainly, it wasn’t the kind of thing that I would expect a rich girl like Anna to wear.  It was hard to believe that she had tried to kill me over something that looked so ordinary.

          “I remember this.  I’ve seen Anna wear this before,” Duncan said.

          “So have I,” Mrs. Mkkenna said.  “That’s why I knew what I was looking for.”

          “How did you get into her house?”

          “It was easy enough to read the housekeeper’s mind and learn the security code.”

          “Wow.”  Caitlin was listening in fascination to this conversation between Duncan and his mom.  She had been invited to this meeting since she was now involved in this after Anna attacked me at her birthday party.

          Amazingly, I had slept through the night as if I didn’t have a care in the world.  The fight with Anna had tired me out more than I had realized.  Now I was sitting in Mrs. Mkkenna’s kitchen and sipping tea while she showed us the crystal.

          “I can’t see another way out of this,” Duncan said.  “We have to give it back to her.”

          “No!” Mrs. Mkkenna and I protested in unison.

          “We have to.  It’s the only way she’ll leave Susannah alone.”

          “I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Caitlin said.  “She’s been obsessed with Suzy from the beginning.  Think about it, Duncan.  You dumped her.  A girl like Anna isn’t used to that.  Now she knows that you like Suzy, and she can’t stand it.”

          “I’m afraid she’s right.”  Mrs. Mkkenna’s eyes, the exact same shade of pale blue as Duncan’s, were filled with concern.  “That also rules out our other option of moving again.”

          “We can’t keep running from her.  Maybe I can make some kind of deal with her.”

          Caitlin pointed out the obvious.  “Once you give her the crystal, you have nothing left to bargain with.”

          “I think I should keep it.”

          They all turned their attention to me.  Duncan spoke.  “What?”

          “The crystal.  This is the first place she’ll look for it.  Maybe if she doesn’t find it, she’ll think one of her other—victims has it.”

          Duncan immediately began to argue.  “It’s too dangerous.”

          “We’ve already decided that I’m in danger.  Anyway, you said she couldn’t touch me.”

          “Susannah is the most powerful of all of us,” Mrs. Mkkenna said, almost talking to herself.

          “I don’t like it.”

          “Nobody likes it, Duncan, but we have to keep it from her.”  I instinctively knew this to be true.

          “I still think we should destroy it.”

          “That’ll just make her even more mad,” Caitlin said.

          “So that’s it?” Duncan asked.  “We just pass it on to Susannah and hope that Anna gives up?”

          “The main thing is to act normal,” Caitlin instructed us.  “You guys moving is probably what tipped her off in the first place that you were the ones who took it.  Everybody keep to their normal schedules.  Different is what makes you look guilty.”

          Caitlin left shortly after that to go to a movie with Alex.  Mrs. Mkkenna went upstairs to continue working on her latest painting.  Duncan and I sat in the living room and continued talking.  I had put on the necklace and hidden the crystal beneath my shirt.  I didn’t really expect Anna to come bursting through the door, but I wasn’t taking any chances.

          “So, you didn’t tell me that we can move objects with our minds too.”

          “According to Anna, that’s a much rarer ability than reading minds.  I didn’t even know that I could do it until she insisted that I try.  She had me practice everyday for two weeks.  Staring at that feather made me feel ridiculous, but Anna kept urging me to give it more time.  She was so excited when I succeeded in lifting it off the table.  Now I know why it was so important to her.”

          “That’s how she got that power?  From you?” I asked.

           “Not all of it.  I was never able to lift something as heavy as a couch.  I think that’s a combination of what she took from several different people.  Who knows how many she had to steal from to get that powerful.”

          “She said something about you recovering.  Does that mean you’re getting your ability back?”

          “It takes time, but Mom says I’ll build it all back up again.  She read that there are rumors of rare instances where a person’s power was permanently drained by the crystal, but nobody knows if that’s true.  The ones who increase their power, though, keep it for life.”

          “How much more does she need?”  I couldn’t understand why she was so obsessed with getting more.

          “Need has nothing to do with it.  With Anna, it’s all about what she wants.”

          “Maybe we should try talking to her dad,” I suggested.

          “I told you, Susannah.  He doesn’t believe in any of it.”

          “We could just say that she’s stalking you.  Maybe he would make her leave Ohio.”

          “He’s probably not even here,” Duncan said.

          “You mean she’s here by herself?”  I couldn’t imagine my parents allowing me to do something like that.

          “I’m sure he’s arranged for some kind of guardian to look after her while she’s here.”

          “Well, at least we don’t have to be apart anymore.  I really missed you, Duncan.”

          “I missed you, too.  I couldn’t stop thinking about you, Susannah.”

          I thought that he was going to kiss me then, but he talked about our plans for after school tomorrow.  He was going to drive me to the mall and drive me home after work.  “The less time you spend by yourself, the better.”

          The following day, Duncan was back to sitting with us during lunch.  We waited to see what Anna would do and breathed a sigh of relief when she went to sit with Brad and his group.  Alex stopped by to tell us that he had asked Anna about hypnotizing us.

          “I couldn’t find the video on YouTube.  She said she pressed the wrong button, and it didn’t record.  Seemed pretty mad about it, too.”

          “Alex!”  His buddies were calling him from the table where he always sat.  He looked at Caitlin apologetically.

          “Go ahead.”  She waved him on.  “I’ll see you later.”

          Nobody knew that I had worn the Crystal of Devotion to school.  I had been uneasy with the thought of leaving it at home when both my parents were at work.  In the end, I had put it on and hid it under my sweater.  It was my responsibility to keep it safe, and I had quickly become protective of it.

          For four days, Anna left all of us alone.  Duncan and I settled into a routine of school and work.  Several times when we were alone together in his car, I had thought that he was going to kiss me, but he seemed to be holding himself in check.  I was just glad that we were able to spend time together again, so my disappointment was short-lived.

          It was on Thursday night, when I was taking out the garbage, that Anna showed up in my yard.  “It’s time that you and I talked.”

          “Hold on a minute.”  I went to get the next garbage can, but it started rolling up my driveway.  Soon, all the cans were by the curb.

          “You can’t do that!  If somebody saw that—“

          “It’s done, and nobody saw it.  You could at least have said thank you, but you weren’t raised with manners apparently,” Anna said.

          “Well, excuse me for being rude, but you tried to kill me a few days ago, so etiquette is not really at the top of my list right now.”

          “Good, you remember.  Now just give me back my crystal, and we can avoid any further unpleasantness.”

         “I don’t know what—“

          Anna cut me off.  “Apparently, you did forget one thing about me.  I can read minds, and Caitlin has no clue how to shield her thoughts from me.  I didn’t find it in your house, so that means you must be wearing it.”

          I was going to ask how she got in my house, but I realized that locks meant nothing to Anna.  She could just think them open.  It was bizarre to know that I had this same ability.  “Don’t you see how many problems it’s caused in your life?  You lost Duncan because of it.”

          “I lost Duncan because of you!”

          I stared at her.  “He didn’t even know me when you broke up.”

          “He was upset and not thinking straight.  He would have come back to me eventually.  I gave him some time to cool off and start to miss me.  Instead, I find him here with you chasing after him.  Then you expect me to just stand back and let you have my crystal, too.”

          I was walking down the driveway and into my backyard as she followed me.  I turned around to face her again.  “Look, Anna, let’s just—“

          “Give it back to me!”

          “I can’t.”

          “Duncan isn’t here to protect you now.  I’m giving you one last chance to give it back.”

          My mouth had gone dry, and my heart was pounding with fear.  Mutely, I shook my head.

          Anna lunged at me.  I wasn’t sure if she was trying to physically take the crystal, or if she had just lost her temper.  Instinctively, I pushed with my mind.

          Anna stumbled but held her balance.  Her eyes narrowed.  “Well, well.  What have we here?  No wonder Duncan is drooling over you.  I thought he was your hero, but it seems you worked together to stop that furniture from hitting you.”

          My arms had been at my sides the entire time.  Now I raised one to pull the crystal out from under my sweater.  “You’ve done enough damage with this, and you don’t deserve it back.  I think it’s time for you to leave now.”

          Without waiting for a reply, I turned around to walk toward the house.  That’s when I felt a force behind me, and I stopped and turned around.  The basketball hoop was leaning inches from my head.  It had been suspended in the process of crashing into the back of my skull.  I watched as it gently straightened back into place.  Anna’s mouth was open, and her green eyes were staring at me with disbelief.

          “I don’t just mean my yard either.  It’s time for you to leave Ohio.”  Then I continued walking back into my house and closed the door.

          I was at work the day after Anna’s visit when I heard her talking to Duncan.  Luckily, I was on my break when it happened.  Duncan and I always tried to take our breaks together now.  I was on my way to meet him when I heard Anna’s voice in my head.  I sat down on a bench beside the fountain and listened.

          “We need to talk.”

          “I already told you that I don’t have your crystal,” Duncan said.

          “I know,” Anna replied calmly.  “Susannah does.”

          “Why would you think that?”

          “She showed it to me last night,” Anna answered in the same even and reasonable tone.

          “She what?” Duncan asked.

          “That’s why we’re speaking this way.  I knew you’d freak out.”

          Duncan was still denying everything.  “You’re making this up.  You’re trying to trick me, and I’m not falling for it.”

          “Duncan, please give me some credit.  All I had to do was listen to Caitlin’s thoughts to find out Susannah has my crystal.  That’s not the only secret you’ve been keeping from me.  You never told me how powerful Susannah is.  When I tried to take the crystal from her, she pushed me back with her mind.”

          “So you came to make a deal?”

          “No,” Anna said.  “I came to convince you to come back to California with me.”

          He was incredulous.  “After what you did to me?  You expect me to get back together with you?”

          “Nothing that I did was permanent.  You still have your abilities, and they’ll be back at full strength soon.  In fact, you can become even more powerful.”

          “Like you?  By stealing from other people?”

          “Only the one,” Anna said.  “Susannah is more powerful than anyone I’ve ever met.  She had her back turned and still sensed what was coming at her.  She stopped it in mid-air before she even turned around.  You can have her power for yourself, and she’ll still have hers.  Just use the crystal.”

          “If you think that I would do that to Susannah, then you don’t know me at all.”

          “What’s the big deal?  I don’t understand why you’re making it out to be some horrible thing.  Just think of it, Duncan.  We won’t have to follow any rules anymore.  We can do whatever we want.  You were happy with me once, and it can be that way again.”

          “You stole my power and cheated on me with Tyler.  Worst of all, you tried to kill Susannah.  Nothing can ever be the way it was.  I don’t love you anymore.”

          “It’s your loss, Duncan.  In that case, just bring me the crystal.”

          “And you’ll leave Susannah alone?”

          “I promise,” Anna said.

          “I’ve heard your promises before, and I don’t trust you to keep this one either.”

          “Then we have a real problem.”

          “Anna!” Duncan shouted.

          “You made your choice, Duncan.  I’ll see you when you bring me the crystal.”

          She must have left, because I no longer heard their voices in my head.  It wasn’t long before an agitated Duncan found me.  I stood up to greet him, a happy smile playing over my lips because he had told Anna that he didn’t want to be with her.  He strode toward me, his eyes blazing with a pale blue fire.  I was sure that he was going to kiss me.  His hand snaked beneath my hair and slid under the chain at the back of my neck.  He pulled it out from beneath my sweater until the crystal was revealed.

          “You have it on you!  What were you thinking?” Duncan fumed.

          “It’s the only way to keep it safe,” I reasoned.

          “Why didn’t you tell me that you saw Anna last night?”

          “I handled it.”  My confidence was soaring as I continued to best Anna.

          “You can’t keep things like that from me.  Anna was just here.”

          “I know.  I heard you talking.”

          “But we were…”  He gazed at me with wonder.  “You heard us communicating that way?”

          “Every word.  Just like at Caitlin’s party, and at the play.”

          “That’s remarkable.  I didn’t even try to reach you.”  He came out of his reverie and remembered that he was upset.  “She said something about attacking you again.”

          “I stopped her.  You don’t have to worry, because I think she knows that she can’t beat me.  That’s why she’s trying to get you to bring the crystal to her.”

          “I do have to worry,” he insisted.  “She’s already tried to kill you twice.”

          “She failed, and now she failed to change your mind, too.  Pretty soon she’ll get tired of trying and give up.”

          “I hope it’s that easy.”  He looked at his watch.  “Damn, my break is almost over.  I’ll see you after work.”

          “Yeah, I have to get back too.  See you later.”

          I was in a great mood the rest of the evening.  Everything was going well between us, and I felt more confident and sure of myself than I ever had before.  I was holding my own against Anna, and that made me feel strong.  Duncan noticed my contentment as he drove me home from the mall.  He pulled into my driveway and smiled at me.  I smiled back and gazed at him, marveling that he had come into my life as a vision in a dream and then altered my reality when he awakened my hidden abilities.

          My smile faded as something in his eyes shifted and changed the way he was looking at me.  My lips parted as Duncan drew closer to me and kissed me with all the passion I remembered from our previous encounters.  My longing for him made me respond with an intensity that I had never known before.  Before long, we were both breathless.

          “Duncan,” I gasped.  I waited for my breathing to steady.  “What took you so long?”

          “I didn’t want to get distracted.”

          “You can distract me anytime.”

          He sucked in a breath and looked away from me.  “Susannah.”  His voice wasn’t quite steady.  “We can’t forget that we have a very real threat to deal with.”

          “Yes, the big, bad wolf.  Well she’s huffed, and she’s puffed, and she still hasn’t blown my house down.”

          “I hope you’re right,” he said.  “I hope she’s finally met her match.”

          We made plans to hang out tomorrow and said goodnight.  I was so high on my kisses with Duncan that I practically floated into the house.  My parents invited me to watch TV with them, but I wanted to be alone with all of my lovely, romantic thoughts.  When my new cell phone rang, I recognized Anna’s number.  Briefly, I wondered how she had learned my new phone number, and then I realized that she could find out just about anything she wanted from reading people’s minds.

          “What do you want?”

          “No time for pleasantries I see,” Anna said.  “Since you already know what I want, I’ll ask you what you want.”

          “Oh, you’re going to bargain with me now?  Don’t bother offering me money, because the crystal is not for sale.”

          “Susannah, Susannah,” she tsked.  “I’m not going to pay for my own property, you silly girl.  This is the way it works.  You take something from me, and I take something from you.”

          I immediately looked and saw that my lightning necklace was still in my jewelry box.  It was special to me, and I would have hated to lose it to Anna.

          “The question is,” she continued.  “Which one is more valuable to you?”

          “Whatever it is, you can keep it.  I’m not giving up the crystal.”

          “Are you sure about that?” Anna asked.

          “Very.”

          “Well, I have to say I’m surprised.  I guess you’re not as good of a friend as Caitlin believed you were.”

          I stood frozen in the grip of ice cold terror.  My lips could barely form the words I forced through them.  “What did you do to Caitlin?”

          “Go and find out.  Then decide if the crystal is worth more than the lives of your friends.”