Читать книгу Stolen Halo - Mackenzie Grace - Страница 7

1

Sixteen years later.

“Bella?” Sydney, one of the witches, popped her head into my room. “Hey, I was looking for you.”

I slid off my bed and smiled politely at her. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Oh, it was just that I have been meaning to talk to you.” She stepped into my room and shut the door behind her.

“About what?” I questioned.

“I just wanted to warn you, Keeper has been around here and was talking with Lacy, I’m not sure what it was about, but I know how you get around him.”

“Oh.” I nodded awkwardly. “Thanks for the warning.” I smiled. She was right, though, I hated Keeper, and I have no clue why, but I could not stand the demon.

Sydney studied me with her black eyes. To me, she seemed more understanding than everyone else, she was sane. The other witches, not so much, but who was I to judge. I wouldn’t know what normal looks like, I have been banned from any outside connections. I have only ever left the witch coven twice; once for a checkup with Keeper when I was six, and another when I was thirteen. I ran, but obviously, it didn’t work out for me. I got a big talking to, and the Keeper even came down—big mistake.

“Anything else?” I said in the silence.

“Dinner.” She sighed, and I obediently followed her out of the room. “We’re having salad and chicken,” she said.

“Oh,” I mumbled, and we walked down the stairs and swiftly made our way to the kitchen where everyone sat—all of the twelve other witches. I grumbled at the thought. You see, I was not truly a witch until I unlocked my powers, and that should have happened a while ago. I was just a slow bloomer, I guess, a very slow one.

“Bella, Sydney.” We were greeted by a chorus of voices.

“Hey, everyone!” I chirped as I jumped into my chair and started shoveling food into my mouth.

I paused for a second and looked up at everyone—dark tan skin, black hair and eyes. They were all Italian; all the strongest witches always were. I obviously didn’t get the Italian memo, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I was as white as paper, and my hair was platinum-blond, and the only thing that was colorful about me were my dark-purple eyes. But I did speak Italian. I had originally learned it to feel closer to my family, but I later learned no one actually spoke it, so I now used it as my own silent rebellion. I sighed and slowed my eating down. Not only was I an oddball, I was also a late bloomer, I had no witchy powers. I couldn’t even do a basic spell even with a wand.

“Bella.” Nora, one of the witches, smiled at me. “Are you excited for your familiar?”

“Yes!” I giggled. I was thrilled to get my familiar, they were like little animal helper that had powers that everyone got a week before their seventeenth birthday. I was turning seventeen a week from today, and tomorrow was my ceremony for my familiar. I was hoping for a cat; the witches tend to get similar one—toads, crows, or cats. I wanted a cat. Maybe, it would make me fit in more with the others. “I can’t wait!” I smiled.

“When I got Sleep,” she pointed to her crow, “I could not wait to see his powers,” Nora said.

I nodded my head, and Lacy, our oldest witch, watched me. “Keeper is supposed to come tomorrow for your familiar reveal.”

I stiffened, and the smile fell off my face. “What? Why?”

“He said he expects your reveal to be a big one.” Lacy smiled. Everyone broke into a chatter after that, about why he would come and what my familiar would be. I got up and excused myself.

We call him the Keeper, but he is better known as the Keeper of Souls; he is pure evil. I’m not talking push a kid off a bike and laugh, it’s more like taking the kid’s soul and offer it to Lucifer. But as every other witch coven, we must have a supreme leader, and ours would be the Keeper of Souls.

He creeped me out, for some reason. Whenever I was around him, I felt like I needed to run and scream. I felt like a light turned on, and I had to watch his every step and just to reassure myself I do.

I dragged my focus from Keeper and instead focused on getting ready for bed; just because Keeper would be there doesn’t mean I can’t be excited. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror and brushed my teeth. I put on a night gown and went to sleep with thoughts of keeper and familiars in my head.

When I got up in the morning, it was to a knock on my door. “Come in.” I yawned.

It was Sydney who walked in. “Bella, Lacy sent me in to help you get ready for today. Keeper is going to be here in about two hours.”

“Okay” was all I said. I got out of my bed, and Sydney went into my closet to look for something nice for me to wear. Sydney was a nice girl, she was always really quiet around the others. She is two years older than me and has always been there for me.

“Why don’t you go take your pill, and I will find you something cute to wear,” she said. I nodded and went to my bathroom. I opened the cupboard and popped the thin tan pill in my mouth. The Keeper recommended the pills to me to help my skin not get any lighter. I was considered albino, and the pills just made sure I did not turn invisible. I smirked as I popped the pill into my mouth, thinking, It would be pretty cool to be invisible, I could go out and see the world, and the coven would never be able to find me.

Walking out of the bathroom, I saw my clothes all over the floor. I sighed. “Can you at least try to not make a mess.”

Sydney looked up and smirked. “I have to find the perfect thing.” She continued digging around for something. She stopped when she pulled out a black lace panel dress that was flowy at the bottom. I hated dresses.

I wrinkled my nose. “A dress!” I complained. “Why a dress, there must be hundreds of clothes in that pile, and you pick a dress!” I complained, exasperated.

“Yeah, it’s cute.” She smiled again. “And it’s the dress or nothing,” she continued.

“Says who?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Lacy said to find you one.”

Of course. “Fine.” I rolled out the e. I was acting childish, but I could do that with Sydney. I grabbed the dress out of her skinny hand and went back in the bathroom. I slipped on the dress and looked at myself. Black was a good color on me; it made my eyes pop, and my skin went okay with it. I smiled. I actually kinda liked this dress, not that I would ever say that out loud.

I came out of the bathroom and heard Sydney’s sharp intake of breath. “Wow,” she said, “you look beautiful. Black is a nice color on you.” She smiled at me.

I smiled back. “Thanks,” I said quietly.

She patted a chair, and I went to sit. “What do you think we should do with this mess?” She gestured to my hair.

“Hey!” I laughed. “Don’t judge, we can’t all have perfect hair in the morning.”

“Obviously not!” She laughed. “Just look at this awful bird’s nest on your head.”

“Oh, really!” I playfully smacked her hands away. “Are you going to spend the whole time judging me, or are you going to fix it?” I asked her.

“Fix it, duh.” She picked up a brush, and I turned around.

She spent about an hour and a half on my hair, and when she was done, I wish I could’ve run a lap. Sitting still was not one of my best qualities.

“Finalmente,” I murmured in Italian as I looked in the mirror. She fixed my hair back into a slick ponytail, and she curled my hair in loose curls at the bottom. I nodded. “I like it!”

“Good, because that’s what you’re getting,” Sydney stated and walked into my closet. “Shoes,” I heard her mutter, and as soon as she walked in, she walked out holding a pair of purple flats that matched my eyes. “Okay, put these on, and let’s go downstairs, I’m sure everyone is waiting.”

I slid the shoes on, and we made our way downstairs. I walked behind Sydney because I could sense Keeper was downstairs, I could practically smell the evil from my position on the stairs. Once we reached the bottom of the stairs, I stopped to prepare myself for the evil I was about to come face-to-face with.

I turned the corner, and he was there, sitting on the couch with his legs propped up and his arms behind his head, and he smiled flashing, blinding white teeth at me when I walked in. He had black hair and leather skin, and his eyes were all red with no pupils. When he was in his true form, he supposedly had coal-black wings and horns, but I have never seen him in his true form, only his coverup.

“Bella,” he greeted, his British accent thick in his voice, “big day today, eh?”

“Y-yeah,” I said.

He eyed me from head to toe and smiled bigger. “Excited?” he asked.

“Yes, very.” I smiled politely and went to sit down next to Lacy, Sydney followed. The whole coven was roaming around the sitting room, and I was starting to get self-conscious with everyone staring at me. I looked down, fiddling with my hands and tried not to stare at Keeper.

“I think we ought to do the reveal at noon,” said Lacy. “Then lunch?” She looked at Keeper for his okay.

“Well,” he cleared his throat, and all eyes were on him, “I think it would be best if we ate first then did the reveal, can’t have our new heir be hungry.” He looked at me.

I would be that heir. I sunk back into the couch as everyone’s eyes swung to me. They called the people who are trusted with familiars heirs, every magical being gets one—the witches, demons, fae, even angels get them.

“Very well.” Lacy stood on her fragile legs. “Let’s eat.” She left, and we all followed suit. For lunch, we had potato salad and turkey. Keeper basically ate the whole turkey, and we all watched patiently, waiting for him to finish, all the while, waiting made me nervous. Would it hurt? Would it be like waking up from a really good dream or a nightmare?

Keeper hopped up, startling us all. “Okay, let’s get started.” He excused everyone.

I was the last to leave the room, and we all made our way into the sitting room once more. When I walked into the room, everyone was standing and waiting patiently for me to make my way to the middle of the room. I quickly scampered to the middle, wishing more than anything everyone would stop staring at me.

I was met by Keeper and Lacy in the middle. Normally, the oldest witch would be the one to perform the ceremony, but Keeper had higher ranking than Lacy, so he would do it. I looked up into Keepers full red eyes and held my breath as all the lights shut off in the room, and one at a time, red candles appeared and formed a circle.

Keeper lead me to the center of the circle of candles, and I listened as he started the ceremony. “Bella,” his voice echoed off—of what, I don’t know—but it was so loud, my ears felt like they would shatter, “do you feel deep in your heart and soul, a piece of you is gone?”

“Yes,” I said, and I did. I felt like a piece of me was missing, wanting for its second half to come and find it.

Keeper nodded. “We are asking which ever spirits may be listing to help this child complete herself by finding her second half, her familiar,” he went on. “Bella, by accepting the burden of the familiar, you are accepting your second half, and it will survive off of you and you of it, whatever it may be do, you swear to protect it with your life and only yours?”

“I do, on my life and only mine,” I said the words I have dreamed of saying since I was old enough to think.

“Then, so be it, Bella. I grant you your second half, your familiar.” He stepped out of the circle, so I was alone, and everyone started chanting in an ancient language I didn’t know. It was beautiful, though, and it rolled off their tongues like they were born to say the words and those words only.

I felt a sense of peace and calm sweep through my body and closed my eyes at the pleasure of it, and as soon as my eyes snapped shut, it felt like I was floating high in the sky, and as soon as the sky came, it was gone, taken by the devil himself. I felt a scorching pain go from the back of my neck to my tailbone; it felt like tiny needles poking me all at once. I was on fire, and it just got hotter and hotter until I became the sun, then it stopped, and I was cold and freezing—an ice cube. The coldness slowed, and the heat stopped, and I felt peace once again. Through my closed eyes, I saw a beautiful blue sunset that was pink and purple and orange. It was breathtaking. I sat alone, watching the sunset, and I continued watching as the sun slowly went down and the moon came out. Out of the moon came a white leopard; she jumped and played with the stars. She didn’t see me at first. She just continued to jump and play. Just watching her be happy made me happy.

She is like an angel, I thought as she played with the stars and the moon. She could touch the sky and bring peace, it was like nothing I had ever seen. She stopped her playing and turned to me, her purple eyes looked just like mine, and I knew right then, this was her—my trinity, my second half, my guardian angel and my savior, my familiar.

She took a step toward me, and I took one toward her, and then, she took one, then me, and we met in the middle. She dove into my arms, and I went down onto my knees, giving her a friendly hug. She purred into my arms, and I smiled as I petted her head. She was beautiful, and I had no idea what I did to deserve her. “Trinity,” I murmured, “do you like that name?” I asked her, knowing she should have a choice. The leopard nodded her head, and I smiled. “Trinity.” She rubbed her face against my arm and then put her nose on my back as I guided my hand down her spine and her tail. She pushed her nose against my back, and I felt a sense of calm stop all at once, and I gasped for my next breath. I was running out of oxygen, but I was not going to die, not yet. I fell back, and Trinity was gone somewhere. She is safe, I thought. Where she is, is a better place than where I am and better than where I would be going, she will be safe. I closed my eyes.

As I gasped for breath, my eyes slowly opened to the light, and I saw a man with wings. He had beautiful floppy blond hair and eyes so blue they could have been part of the sky. He had white skin like mine, almost albino, and he wore a pair of white jeans. Next to him was a woman who was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. She had long platinum hair and albino skin, and her eyes were green like the grass. She, too, had huge wings that looked like dove wings, and she wore a loose white tank top and white shorts. The two people both wore crosses and had their hands clasped together. They were angels, I realized. They both looked at me and smiled sweetly, and the girl was crying a little. The man gathered her up in a hug as she wept into his chest, and she kept repeating one word over and over; she was saying my name—Bella. The man’s eyes met mine, and he whispered the words, but I could hear them clearly. “You are coming home soon, don’t worry, Bella, you will be home soon,” he whispered, and I felt a ripple of shock go through me.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “I am home, at the coven,” I explained.

“No,” the man said sadly. “That is no home to you, not with the demons,” he said.

“We have to get her back!” the woman cried.

The man soothed her and muttered something I could not hear in her ear, and they both looked at me.

“Who are you?” I asked, but they didn’t answer, they were fading away like a lost memory. “Hey!” I called out. “Who are you!” I asked again, feeling lost.

“Don’t trust Keeper,” the man uttered before they were both gone, and darkness consumed my sight.

I shot up and opened my eyes. I was back at the coven, and I felt different. It was hard to describe. Happy would not quite put it into words; complete, that’s how I felt, complete. But there was also a little bit of confusion. I also felt her. Trinity was there on my back, my second half. I smiled and looked up, half expecting to see the stars and the moon or maybe the sun and the beautiful sky or the angels again, but all I saw were twelve black eyes and one hateful pair of all red, and a voice rang through my head like bells. Don’t trust Keeper, it said, and I quickly turned my attention to him.

“So?” said Lacy, startling me. “What did you get?” she asked.

“A cat?” said one of the witches.

“A toad, I bet,” said another.

“It has to be a crow!” shouted another, and a round of words were thrown around the room.

“Silence!” The Keepers voice boomed. “Tell us.” He looked at me with strict eyes. “Now!”

I flinched, and I felt Trinity’s tail flick on my side. “A… It’s a…” I stuttered. I didn’t want to tell them, it felt like I was breaking some sort of rule if I told them. Might as well let out all of my secrets like how I cuss or tell them to get hit by a car in Latin, and they don’t even know, or how I would give anything to go out and see the world or how much I hated Keeper, and I was terrified of all of them for no reason. I could not tell them about Trinity, ever.

I got off the floor and watched Keeper with a hateful glare. I took a deep breath and got ready to put on my big girl pants. I glanced around the room looking for some sort of safe exit and saw one, right behind Lacy. It was an exit for the backyard. “Accidenti,” I whispered.

Keeper cleared his throat. “Well, are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to beat it out of you?” He sighed, exasperated.

“No, it’s a c-cat!” I told him.

“Really?” He smiled. “Are you being honest?” he asked, and he studied my reaction. “Because I know when people lie, and that, Bella, was a lie.” He smirked. “Now, tell me, what was it, really?”

“No, I-I’m not going to tell you.” I shook my head. I could not believe I was doing this. Keeper gave me an order, and I did not obey.

“Not going to tell me?” He raised his brow.

I shook my head again.

“Why?” He threw his arms in the air, and heat flared in his eyes. “Why not?”

“She is mine! I’m protecting her from you and all of them! Just like I promised.” I sighed, satisfied with myself.

“Protecting her from us? We have given you no problem to protect her from.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“You’re a problem.” I shrugged and shocked myself by my boldness. “I don’t feel safe around you, and that means something,” I continued, not sure where I was going with this. He has never actually harmed me, but he is evil, and sometimes, when I focus really hard, I can see his aura, and all I see is coal-blacks and blood-reds, and that’s what I told him. “You’re pure evil, I can see it in your aura!” I saw his eyes widen.

“You see auras?” he said. “What else have you not told us?” he asked, and I could feel the anger pouring off him, and I saw in his eyes; they were turning from their normal blood-red to black.

“Nothing, I can’t do anything! I have no powers, and now, I have a freaking familiar, and you can’t touch her! None of you can!” I yelled. “Iasciaci soli!” I yelled again.

“Why are you being like this?” said Serena, one of the witches. “We have given you no problem to worry about,” she said calmly.

The truth was I had no idea why I was acting out like this. I was pissed, and I felt very protective right now, and then, it hit me. Trinity was scared, and I was feeling her emotions. I was on my guard because she couldn’t be.

I looked at Serena. “She is scared. Terrified, honestly, and you are the cause of it, all of you are, and I might not know why, but I trust her.” I looked at them all. “You ask what I am hiding from you?” I dragged in a ragged breath. “But what are you guys hiding from me?”

“No!” says Keeper. “I ask the questions!” He yelled, “You are mine, no familiar can come here and change that!” He stalked up to me. “Take the familiar off, she is causing trouble!”

“No!” I looked him in the eye even, though my face met his shoulder.

He pushed me back, and I hit the wall. “You don’t get to tell me no.” Keeper growled. He grabbed my arms and looked me in the eyes. “Now, you take that damn familiar off, or I will take it off you myself,” he threatened. “And I swear, if this is all over a toad, I’m going to smash it!”

“You can’t make me do anything!” I yelled at him, and I was proud that my voice didn’t crack or show any of the fear I was feeling.

“What is that supposed to mean?” he asked with voice so steady it was terrifying.

I looked away. “You can’t make me do anything,” I said again, blandly.

He swore under his breath. “I didn’t want to do this yet, but you have left me no choice, Bella, you are coming back to my home with me.”

“What! No!” I tried to back away from him, but he tightened his hold on my arms.

He looked at me deep in my eyes, and by the time I knew what he was doing, it was too late. I shook my head, but he whispered the words, “Sleep and wake only when I tell you to do so.” And then, there was nothing.