Wraithsong

  Chapter 9

  Back home, I pick at my dinner plate with my fork. Homemade lasagna is usually one of my favorite meals, but today, not even ice cream for dinner would have tempted me. I want to ask my mom about Anthony and why my flair didn’t work on him, figuring that maybe it’s different when I use my flair on a boy. I know my mom would be furious if I admitted to kissing a boy, even if it was only on the cheek, but if I don’t tell her, I might never find out.

  “You don’t have to keep sulking over my decision about the prom. It’s not going to make me change my mind.” My mom sits down next to me. She’s been unusually moody since she found out that her sister vanished and the Huldras were killed. I don’t blame her; I just wish there was something I could say to help her through this tough time, but I have a hard time finding the right words.

  “That’s not why I’m upset,” I say.

  “No?”

  “No. I’m just tired, that’s all.” I look out the window, over the man-made lake behind our house. The lake is smooth, with nearly no disturbances on its glass-like surface.

  “Do you feel sick?” she asks.

  “Maybe.” I should skip school on Monday. It will be embarrassing if I meet Anthony in the hallway, especially if he’s with that blonde bimbo. I even consider skipping school for the rest of the year and just leave for Kensington. “I’ve been thinking about Kensington.”

  “Yes?”

  “I guess I’m kind of excited to go.” I’m not too excited, but there’s not much for me here in Sarasota at the moment and I think getting away will feel good.

  “Oh?” My mom’s eyes light up and she sounds pleased.

  “I have a question for you, but it’s kind of random,” I finally say.

  “Sure, go ahead.” She takes a bite of lasagna.

  “I’ve been wondering, are there any people who are immune to a Huldra’s flair? I mean, if they were just really strong-minded individuals or something that make them different from the average person?”

  She smiles. “Well, if there are, I’ve never met one.”

  “What about you and Dad? I know you were in love, but wasn’t he immune?” I ask.

  “Yes, but that was because I gave him the antidote even before we shared our first kiss,” she says.

  “What’s the antidote?” I think my mom will dodge my question, like she has so many times before.

  She pauses and takes a sip of her white wine. “I suppose it can’t hurt if I tell you now. It’s not part of the ceremony, so I don’t think I’d be breaking any rules by telling you. The antidote comes from the Tree of Life.”

  “Like the Tree of Life from the Bible?” I have heard about it in religion class, and I lean forward, eager to hear more.

  She nods. “Yes, the very one.” She traces the edges of her wine glass with her middle finger.

  “But no one knows where the tree is,” I say, not really knowing if that’s a fact or not.

  My mom smiles. “That’s true, but we still have the elixir.”

  “So are Huldras the only ones who have that elixir?” I’m trying to figure out if Anthony might have it. He does seem very into Huldras, since he had a drawing of one in his treasure chest.

  “Yes, only the Huldras received it,” she says.

  I gather that Anthony definitely doesn’t have the elixir then, so my question remains unanswered. Why hasn’t he responded to me? Maybe there’s something wrong with me. “So, is there a way I could lose my flair?”

  “No, of course not. It’s something you’re born with. You can’t lose your genetic code, now can you?”

  “I guess not.” Then I have an idea. “Savannah hasn’t been as…subservient as I thought she’d be.”

  My mom’s eyebrows rise. “Oh?”

  “No, I asked her to do me a favor, and she rejected me,” I say with a huff.

  She squints her eyes. “Are you sure you were clear in your communication with her?”

  “Yes, crystal clear.” I’ve been very clear with Anthony, and he still rejected me—majorly.

  “That does sound suspicious. The only other beings that are immune to a Huldra are other Huldras.”

  I feel like I’ve got my mom on a roll now and I hope she tells me more. Well Anthony’s a guy, so he can’t be a Huldra, but then a thought pops into my mind. “There aren’t any guy Huldras, are there?”

  “There have been eleven that we have known of in the history of the world, but five of them mysteriously vanished and the rest of them died during wars throughout history. They’re called Huldus.”

  Is it possible that Anthony is a Huldu? The thought seems almost too far-fetched.

  “I’ve never met one, but my sister has,” my mom says. “The one who went mi—” She doesn’t finish the sentence, but her bottom lip starts trembling. She takes a deep breath as if to compose herself and continues. “Contrary to what myths say, Huldus are not ugly at all. Supposedly, they are as stunningly handsome as Huldras are beautiful and even Huldras find them irresistible.”

  That’s the only explanation that fits so far and even though it sounds outlandish and highly improbable, I’m going to find out if Anthony is indeed a Huldu. I take my mom’s hand in mine and squeeze it gently. “I really hope they find your sister…my aunt.”