Under A Blood Moon (Elemental Enchanters) (6 page)

A month passed and
school was anything but normal. If the disappearance and sudden reappearance of Kristen and Link wasn’t enough, three more students had disappeared and come back as if nothing happened. Scott Tingle, Liza Butler, and Nicole Eckrich had returned, dropped their friends, and joined Xavier. All of their parents dropped their cases and the police strangely concluded that everything was fine again. It didn’t make any sense.

Ava constantly watched Xavier’s demeanor, confused by how he
controlled Kristen as if she were his property. They all acted as if they belonged together. And what was with their enormous personality change? They walked the halls of the school like kings and queens of a court but kept to themselves. Each one of them
hated
everyone else. They ignored them, pushed them, vandalized their cars, called them names—the list was endless, and somehow they never were caught. Xavier had started a gang, and it frightened several students, including Peter.

He slid into the chair next to Ava without a greeting. She looked up and saw his face twisted in bewilderment. He balled his hand into a fist and punched the desk.

“Peter? What’s wrong?” She placed a hand on his shoulder. He was shaking.

“I
can’t believe this.”

“What?”

“Seth is now Xavier’s friend.”

Ava was shocked. “What?”

“I thought he was sick, and that’s why he’d missed the last three days. And then I saw him this morning. He completely ignored me, and told Amanda to leave him alone. Just this weekend they finally kissed.”

She gripped his shaking hand, uncertain as ho
w to calm him. “I’m so sorry.”

“And then this morning,
Andre Hill went to talk to Xavier because they wrote trash on his sister’s car. Xavier laughed, and then they circled Andre. Then, he fell onto the floor. Just…collapsed. No one touched him to make him fall.”

Ava thought of Thomas. “Maybe he just fainted.”

Peter shook his head. “While he was out, Xavier stood back while Link, Scott, and Seth kicked him. And then left him there. If they can do that to him, what would they do to someone like me?”

“
I-I don’t know.”

“And
Andre remembers nothing. I was there, Ava. I stayed hidden in the bathroom stall. It happened so fast, I couldn’t help him. After they left, I came out and woke him up.”

Thomas
hadn’t remembered anything after he fainted either.

“I’ve had enough of this,” she said. “I’m going to talk to
Xavier today.”

He met her eyes.
“You can’t.”

“I want to know what’s going on. You don’t just come to school, not knowing a single person
, and then kidnap students and suddenly they’re your friends and then start bullying everyone who isn’t in your gang or whatever. I want to know what he’s up to.”

“Please don’t,” he
said.

“Why?”

“Because he could—you could be next.”

“I won’t let that happen.”

“Ava—.”

“He c
an’t keep doing this and get away with it.”

“He will
hurt
you,” he said, and then blushed. “I couldn’t take that.”

“I’ll talk to him after class. Would he attack me with all those kids there?”

“I’m coming with you. If something happens to you, I’d rather be there so that I can try to protect you.”

“You shouldn’t be there.”

“Neither should you.”

“You’re so stubborn.”

He raised his eyebrows. “
I’m
stubborn?”

When the incredibly dull lesson ended, the bell rang, Ava and Peter walked side-by-side out into the crowded hall. She knew he was scared
, but he didn’t let it show. Some students were already leaning against lockers, talking or kissing. Some were frantically trying to beat the late bell. Ava scanned the crowd for Xavier. Then, she saw him standing at the end of the hall against a wall of lockers, arm locked around Kristen, and laughing with his new friends, Seth included.

Peter cursed. Ava marched toward Xavier, her heart pounding, but she wasn’t about to let him see her fear. She knew Thomas wouldn’t see her standing by her locker and knew he’d be upset, but she had to know the truth.

As soon as Xavier saw Ava, his smile disappeared, and his eyes darkened. “What do you want?” His sallow face held so much darkness.

“What are you doing to these people?”

“What? I’m not allowed to have friends?” Xavier removed his arm from around Kristen and crossed it with his other in front of his chest. He straightened his stance, making him tower over Ava.

“You know what I mean,” she said through clenched teeth.

“He didn’t do anything, okay?” Kristen smiled. “We all just started talking, and well, he saved me. He saved all of us.” She gazed up at him.

“What are you talking about?”

The late bell rang as the hallway cleared of the students, but Ava ignored it. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from Xavier’s eyes. The same frustrated look contorted his face as before.

“You should leave before this gets ugly,” he said.

Ava glared at him. “I’m not afraid of you.”

Xavier shortened the distance between them
, and his thin lips stretched into a menacing grin. “That will change soon.”

“Why did you beat up Andre? Why are you terrorizing these people?”

Peter tugged on her arm. “Come on, Ava. Let’s go.”

“I will find out.”

“No doubt,” Xavier said.

“I will put an end to this.” She let Peter pull her
away.

“I’d like to see you try.”

Ava stopped and turned back, ready to accept his provocation, but Peter jerked her away. They walked down the empty hallway, turned a corner, and headed straight for the cafeteria. Ava relaxed.

“What is he doing with those
kids?” she asked. “It’s like he’s completely brainwashed them. They are all so different now.”

“
Did you see Seth? He looked at me like we’d never been friends.”

“I’m so sorry
, Peter. Mel thinks they’re doing drugs, but I don’t agree. I’ll find out.”

He stopped her outside the cafeteria. “
Please don’t do anything. If we don’t entice him, maybe he’ll leave us alone. I mean, I can fight him, but I don’t think I could take seven of them.”

His eyes pleaded.

Ava loved how he cared about her. But he was right. If Xavier was meddling with something dangerous, she didn’t want to make it worse. She cared about Peter, too, which was why she wanted to help Seth. “Okay.”

“Come on.”

“Um, you should enter first. I don’t want Thomas thinking anything.”

“Does he know we’re just friends?”

“Yes. It’s easier this way. I don’t want him badgering me with questions, and I don’t feel like dealing with his temper.”

“Of course.” He rolled his eyes
, and then opened the door, leaving Ava outside.

She hated hiding
, but she knew how Thomas would react by her showing up late to lunch with Peter. Ava waited a few seconds outside but then heard footsteps behind. She twisted her head and saw Xavier and his gang walking closer. She quickly placed her hand on the door handle. Just then, a blinding flash burst in her head, and then nothing.

Ava’s face stung as it pressed against something cold and hard
, and her head throbbed intensely. She felt a dull ache in her jaw, but had no recollection of anything. 

“Ava, wake up.” She heard Peter’s voice.
He sounded worried.

She felt his
fingers carefully sweep her hair aside, which sent shivers down her spine. Then, her head stopped throbbing. The dull ache in her jaw vanished. Ava felt no pain. It was as if it disappeared at his touch.

“Ava?”

She opened her eyes slowly and realized she was lying face down on the white concrete floor at school in an empty hallway.

“Are you okay?” He helped her sit up. “What happened?”
His worried expression changed to relief.

She touched the right side of her head and winced at its tenderness. “I don’t know.”

“Were you feeling lightheaded?”

“No.
Not at all.”

“You don’t remember anything? I came into the lunchroom before you, but you never came in. And after a few minutes, you still weren’t there. I just walked out here and found you sprawled on the ground.” She felt him stiffen. “It was Xavier, wasn’t it? Did he hurt you?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“I knew he would.” He checked the back of her head. “You aren’t bleeding. But you have a knot now. I’d still get that checked out. You
must have been hit pretty hard if you can’t remember—and since you totally blacked out. Do you hurt anywhere else?”

“No,” she said. His touch stirred the butterflies in her stomach. “I don’t feel any pain.”

“I’m sure it’ll start hurting soon. Come on, I’ll take you to the nurse.”

The bell shrilly sounded, echoing in the hallway, followed by loud voices over voices and
the shuffling of students exiting the lunchroom. Just as Peter helped Ava to her feet, Thomas pushed him aside, and grasped her.

“What did you do to her?” Thomas demanded Peter while the rest of her friends circled around her.

Ava pressed her hand against his chest. “Thomas, don’t.”

“What? What is it, Babe?”

“What happened?” Melissa asked.

“I think Xavier knocked her out,” Peter said.

“And I think we can handle it from here,” Thomas replied.

Ava met Peter’s eyes and silently apologized.

“Why would Xavier hit you?” Jeremy asked.

“I can’t remember.”

Thomas pulled her into an embrace. “I’ll take care of him. He won’t hurt you again.”

He smoothed her hair and kissed her forehead. She loosened his grip slightly to tell Peter she’d talk to him later, but he had already walked away. The throbbing returned. Ava buried her head into
Thomas’s chest to ease the pain, but it only got worse.

“My head.” She winced.

“Here.” Gillian reached in her purse and then dumped two pills in Ava’s hand. “Take these.”

“Do you remember anything at all?” Melissa asked.

“I sorta remember talking to Xavier. Trying to figure out what he was doing.”

“You shouldn’t have been talking to him,” Gillian said. “Why can’t you just leave it alone? It doesn’t concern you. We don’t need you to go disappearing on us and suddenly wind up in his court, okay?”

“Okay. But I saw him,” Ava said. “That day you fainted.” She looked up at Thomas. “He walked by at the same time. And then you couldn’t remember anything. Could he…could he be like us?”

“Like us? How?” Melissa asked.

“Wait, you fainted?” Lance raised his eyebrows.

They all looked at Thomas.

“It might have happened. I don’t remember.”

Ava rolled her eyes and removed herself from his crushing grasp.

Jeremy pushed his glasses up. “I don’t think he’s like us. I think he’s just some manipulative bully who persuaded Kristen and the rest to be his friends.”

“I don’t understand why he’s doing this.” Ava shook her head. “I’m going home.”

“I’ll take you.” Thomas took her hand.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll just see you later.”

He sighed. “Why won’t you let me help you?”

“Not now. I’ll call you later.”

Lance grabbed his shoulder. “Come on, man, we’ve got practice.”

Ava walked toward the door as the bell rang and out to her car. Who was Xavier Holstone? Was he like them? Did he have powers, too?
Had the same thing happened to Thomas, Andre, and her?

Ava awoke to the sound of a car door closing. She raised her head to see the time. Five thirty. Sleep had erased her headache, for now at least. She yawned but then cried out. The side of her jaw throbbed intensely. Her hands flew to her face and it felt puffy and tight.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered and went into the bathroom.

Ava flicked on the light and gasped. The ghastly bruise was a deep dark purple. There was no hiding this. What was that kid’s problem? Did he get off on bullying people?

With a sigh, she slapped the light
switch off and then met her father downstairs. “Hey.”

H
e raised his eyebrows, and grimaced. “What happened to you?” he asked, his voice rough.

“I don’t really know.”

“Did someone hit you?”

“I don’t remember. I woke up on the floor. And I had a bruise on my face and a knot on my head.”

“Who did that to you? Did you go see the nurse? Go to the doctor?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Except that you can’t remember anything. Come on.”

“I’m fine. I remember everything except that. And my head doesn’t hurt anymore.”

He let out a conceding sigh and then sank into his recliner and removed his shoes.

“Dad, could
an Enchanter make someone just pass out?”

He looked away and thought for a minute. “I can’t say I ever knew one
who could. Why?”

Ava sat on the couch facing his side. “This guy at school is terrorizing students. All these people went missing
, and they returned like nothing happened, and they’re all different. It’s so weird. Including one of Peter’s friends.”

He looked up. “How different?”

“Like Kristen used to be so conservative and nice. Now, she picks on kids with her new gang, and she doesn’t even dress the same. Seth used to be this laid-back, nice guy, but he just beat up some kid today.”

Her father narrowed
his eyes. “Did this kid start a cult or something?”

“I don’t know.
I confronted Xavier, but he acted all high and mighty. Then Peter and I walked to lunch, and the next thing I know I’m on the floor facedown with Peter waking me. He said he saw Xavier come into the lunchroom a few seconds after him.”

“
Didn’t he see what happened?”

Ava shifted on the old blue couch.
There was certain spot on it that already had a divot made after so many years. “He went inside before me.”

Her father raised his eyebrows.
“He just left you out there?”

“
No, I told him to go ahead of me.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t want Thomas seeing us walk in together.”

“Ava.”

“
Come on, Dad. Thomas gets jealous.”

He shook his head, and s
he knew he was disappointed in her.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m a
n Enchanter, and I guess you should know my powers developed.”

“Really?” His face lit
, but she didn’t see what all the fuss was about.

“Don’t get too excited. I can breathe underwater.”

“And?”

“And that’s it.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Something’s not right.”

“What?”

“That can’t be all you can do.”

“
What else is there? Other than the climate-control and strength.”

“Well
, all Enchanters have those. And soon you’ll have incredible agility, stamina, speed, and your reflexes will be so quick.” His eyes lit up like a kid in a theme park, and Ava couldn’t help but smile.

“When does all this happen?” she asked.

“The more you practice.” He looked away wistfully and took his time answering. “Your mom was a Water Enchanter. She controlled it.”

“Really?” Ava had never known what kind of powers her mother possessed. They ha
dn’t talked a lot about her mom.

“
She made it do whatever she wanted. She could generate it. Create rogue waves. She could absorb it so that if someone attacked her with say, a sword, it would just go right through her without damaging her.”

“Wow.
” Just thinking about it made Ava excited. “So, I can do all those things too?”

“Every person is different. Only you will be able to figure that out. When do you see Savina
and Colden?”

“Sunday. I
’ll be glad when it’s over.”

“
When what’s over?”

“
You know. This whole Initiation thing. I just wanna be done with it so I can get back to…” She briefly thought Peter, but knew that probably wouldn’t bode well for her father. “Normalcy. It’s all Mel can talk about.”

“This is our life, Ava.
” His stern voice told her she’d crossed a line. “It never ends.”

“I know that.”
He’d rarely gotten angry with her, but when he did, she always felt guilty.

He shook his head in disappointment.
“You should be proud of who and what you are.”

“I never said I wasn’t. I mean, I have been dreading
all of it.”

“Dreading?
” he spat and narrowed his eyes. “Do you understand what you’re saying?”

Ava was taken
aback. “Dad—.”

“Your mother never regretted who she was.”

“I only meant I was dreading the change.” She tried to ease the tension.

“Ava,
I know it must be a scary thing to suddenly wake up with powers. But remember what your ancestors and your mother went through so you could live free.” His tone was sharp.

“I’m sorry
.”

“
Think about that the next time you dread it.” His eyes moved to the TV, and he flipped it on, signaling the end of the conversation.

Ava swallowed the lump and
released the pillow that she apparently had been gripping. She left, hoping he wouldn’t notice her. When she reached her room, she closed the door and sat on her bed against the headboard with her knees to her chest.

Her dad had never spoken about her mom like that. Had he thought
about her more because Ava was going to see Savina and Colden soon?

She picked up the picture of her and her parents from
the nightstand. She had no idea who had taken it, but her dad was behind her mom and Ava, hugging them. Her mother’s smile was pure happiness, and Ava wondered if any of her own ever looked so content. She loved the natural beauty and the absolute confidence her mother possessed. Though Ava shared her mother’s almond-shaped gray eyes, she doubted they ever held such self-assurance. She had the same pale freckles across her cheeks and the copper hair, but Ava’s was longer.

She wished she could remember more of her, and felt as time moved on, she’d forgotten too much. As she stared at the picture, guilt weighed even more on her. She hadn’t meant to hurt her father’s feelings, but she needed to take her heritage more seriously. She was an Enchanter. This was who she was. Nothing could change that.