First Magic - Raven Steele (read along books txt) 📗

When we returned home, I walked straight to my bedroom and closed the door. The mirror on the opposite wall reflected my image, and I shook my head in disgust. I was an illusion. I kept myself hidden beneath a hat, I ran at the first sign of trouble, and most of all, I denied the power of Light. It was a strength that could protect me if I learned how to use it. And not the way Sophie wanted me to.

Surely Light could be used for more than creating beautiful things and making people feel good. I’d already sensed that and had practiced many times creating my balls of light in hopes they could be used for something more. Now was the time to find out.

I’d barely finished breakfast when the doorbell rang. I was hoping it would be Christian, but instead Heidi walked in. She gave me a hug and asked how I was. I gave the usual answer, then faked being tired and disappeared to my room again. It’s not that I didn’t want to see her, I just didn’t feel like talking about what had happened, and I could tell she was dying to ask. I laid down in bed and put headphones on to drown out any sounds coming from the living room.

I thought about the Vyken being in my hospital room and couldn’t help but shiver. I had almost been killed by a Vyken. I wondered if my mother had been as frightened and helpless as I had. I turned over, letting my mind ask questions it would never have answers to.

A gentle touch on my shoulder startle me. I opened my eyes and rolled over. Sitting on the bed next to me was Christian. I don’t know why I did it, but all of a sudden I burst into tears and threw myself into his chest. His arms came around me, holding me tight.

“It’s okay. Everything’s all right now,” he whispered as he stroked the back of my hair.

I cried for several minutes until I forced myself to sober up. I had so many questions that needed answering and blubbering wasn’t going to get me any closer to the truth. I pulled away and wiped my eyes.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

“It’s okay. How do you feel?”

“My body feels great, but my head is a mess.”

“I’m sure you have a ton of questions.”

I nodded.

“Then ask.”

I sucked in a deep breath and let the air out slowly as I tried to decide which question to ask first. I began with what I thought would be the simplest one to answer. “Who are you?”

“I’m your assigned guardian.”

I opened my mouth to laugh, but he said it with such a serious expression that I quickly closed it again.

“My what?” I asked again, thinking maybe I’d heard wrong.

“Your guardian.”

“Like a godfather or something?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “I was assigned to be your guardian by the Council, the same Council your aunt sits on.”

He stopped me when I started to ask another question. “Before you bombard me with more questions, let me explain. Every Aura, except for you of course, is assigned a guardian at age twenty when they leave Lucent Academy. The guardian’s duties are to protect their wards from Vykens. We serve for three years, and then are transferred to a new Aura. I’ve been training to be one since the age of ten under the direction of my father who is also a guardian.”

“Is that why your father doesn’t like me, because he’s sick of Auras?” I asked.

“It’s not that he doesn’t like you. He’s just big on following the rules.”

“What rules?”

“I’ll get to that. But first, I want to tell you our history. The first guardians were an elite group of men, specifically chosen by Auras for their bravery. The Auras blessed these wise men with special abilities so that they could help protect them from Vykens.”

“What kind of abilities?”

“We’re faster and stronger than normal humans, but nothing too crazy. Just enough to put us on an equal playing field with a Vyken. It takes a lot of hard work to get to that level, but when we do, we get to teach the upcoming generation of guardians until we’re assigned to an Aura. When I turned eighteen, I was assigned to you.”

“Woah!” I interrupted. “You’re already eighteen?”

“My birthday was in the summer.”

“How did you get into school?”

He glanced away, embarrassed. “I told them I was held back in the first grade.” His eyes turned to mine. “It was the only way I could keep an eye you! No guardian has ever had a ward as young as you before.”

“Why?”

“Because at your age, they’re at Lucent where they can be protected. They don’t need a guardian until later.”

“Surely there are other girls out there who have chosen not to go to Lucent. I can’t be the only one.”

“As far as I know, you are. And if for some crazy reason there is a girl out there who doesn’t know she’s an Aura, the Council has ways of finding her. It takes little convincing to get them to go to Lucent, especially when they start feeling Light.”

“I don’t get why everyone makes such a big deal about Lucent,” I said.

“Don’t knock what you don’t know. Those girls learn a lot.”

“Like what? Like how to grow flowers and light up the dark?”

“There’s more to it than that. You have no idea how far behind you are.”

“I’m not behind,” I mumbled.

“Your mother went to Lucent.”

“What do you know of her?”

“Everyone knows, or has at least heard of, your mother.”

“Why’s that?’

“She went against the Council—the same Council her sister, your aunt, sat on. It was a big deal back then. In fact, people still talk about her. They use her as an example of what not to do.”

“But my mother was never anything but kind to everyone she met! What could she possibly have done that was so horrible?”

He paused before answering, and I noticed that when he did, he wouldn’t look at me. “She married her guardian.”

My jaw dropped. “My father was her guardian?”

He nodded. “It’s strictly forbidden for guardians to become involved with their wards, let alone marry them.”

“Why?”

“A guardian cannot effectively protect their ward if they’re in love with them. Their judgment becomes clouded.”

“Is that what happened to my father?”

“I don’t know. Just like your mother, no one knows the circumstances behind your father’s death. He was one of the best guardians so everyone was surprised when he died.”

I balled my hands into tight fists. “My father died in a car accident.”

“What?” His eyes widened. “You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“Your father was killed by a Vyken. The council suspects by the same Vyken who killed your mother.”

It took a moment for his words to sink in. “How could I have not known about this?”

“Your aunt was probably trying to protect you.”

“But why didn’t Jake tell me?”

“Maybe she convinced him not to. She can be very persuasive.”

“So my father was my mother’s guardian and they fell in love,” I repeated slowly, my mind processing the words. I looked up at Christian. “That’s why you’ve been acting strange and staying away from me.”

“I was never away from you, just out of sight, but yes. I found myself—” he struggled to find the right words— "caring for you more than I should.”

I shook my head in disbelief. Everything made sense now: his constant yo-yo behavior, his stalker-like movements and our bizarre almost make-out session.

“I’m sorry for putting you through all my shi—crap,” Christian corrected quickly, as if I was too special to curse in front of. “I know it was hard on you. It just took me a while to convince myself that all we could ever be is friends.”

“You’ve convinced yourself? Now that’s a load of shit.” I emphasized the swear word so he’d know not to treat me differently.

“Point taken.” He rose from his chair. “I want you to know that this has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Every time I look at you, I just want to—”