“She should be fine,” Spencer said. “I can’t believe I missed actual magic. It was my major. You’d better get her number. I have a hundred questions.”
“Yeah, yeah. First things first.”
The inside of the tent was as garish as the outside. There were lots of heart-shaped lights and perfumes promising to attract perfect lovers. There were red candles and a crystal ball on a velvet-draped table, and a cloud of incense. There was also a large basket filled with silk roses and heart-shaped bottles filled with red glitter and silver confetti.
“That’s what she sold me,” Vanessa confirmed.
“Did you know her? Did she know about your powers?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.” She shrugged. “She had a fake accent and hoop earrings and the whole deal. I told you, it’s just a carnival joke.”
I held up all the bottles. “I think these are just full of tap water and glitter,” I told Spencer. “Tacky, but not fatal. So it really was just bad luck.”
“I have charms for that,” Spencer replied.
“Is there one I can give Vanessa?”
“Find a citrine.”
“Sure.” I made a face at the phone. “What the hell’s a citrine?”
He chuckled. “It’s a crystal, yellowish or lime green. There’s probably a bunch in that tent; all the carnivals hawk crystals in this town, don’t they?”
There weren’t any in the tent, but Vanessa and I found a booth selling crystals and incense. They were even labeled, so I knew I was making Vanessa buy the right kind.
“It’s ugly,” she said dubiously, slipping the pale yellow-green crystal over her head.
“It’s citrine,” I explained. “If you wear it, it’ll block you from taking too much energy from other people. And from, you know, stopping time accidentally.”
Spencer swore again. “Man, I miss all the fun.”
“Oh yeah,” I said drily. “It was loads of fun. Can you explain it, by the way?”
“Side effect from the vampire blood in the magic.” I could imagine him shrugging through the phone.
“Is that why the broken carousel Lucy and Nicholas were on did the opposite and sped up?”
“Probably a reaction to Nicholas. And if he and Lucy were kissing like you said, it sparked off the kiss Vanessa gave Brent. And made a big mess.”
“Will the citrine work?”
“Of course it’ll work,” Spencer said. “I got straight As before I died, remember?”
I glanced at Vanessa. “Are you going to be okay now?” She nodded, looking sad but relatively calm. “Good. We’ll be watching you.” I felt stupid saying it, but she had to know she couldn’t just go around draining people.
“Ooh, very Bellwood,” Spencer said with a laugh in my ear, referring to our school’s scary headmistress before hanging up.
By the time I debriefed to the main agent in charge, it was past midnight and she insisted on driving me back to school. Chloe was awake, typing away on her laptop as usual. Her eyes were wide.
“Dude. I just talked to Spencer.”
I dropped my bag wearily. “Yeah, some night.” I kicked off my sneakers, shrugged out of my jacket, and turned toward my bed. Chloe swiveled in her chair to watch my reaction, smirking.
My bed was covered in flowers. Not roses—they were too common for Quinn. Instead, there were lilies and daisies and black-eyed Susans scattered over my blanket, under my pillow, and on the floor all around the bed. I smiled a goofy smile I was pretty sure I’d never smiled before.
“He came in through the window. Luckily, he called me first so I didn’t stake him.” Chloe shook her head, grinning. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Where can I get a Drake brother of my very own?”
Lucy
The cool wind and the feel of Nicholas’s back supporting me chased away the last of the jittery adrenaline. He took me back to the Drake farm, but bypassed the main drive to the house, keeping to the fields instead. He stopped the bike at the edge of the woods. It was quiet, with just the wind and the frogs singing from a distant pond. His hand was cool in mine as he led me to a huge gnarled maple tree. The leaves were already starting to change color, like little pieces of sunshine even in the middle of the night.
“The tree fort,” I whispered. “I’d forgotten all about it.”
It was a series of platforms with slanted roofs and little railings. Solange and I spent an entire winter launching snowball wars on the boys from the highest platform. We still hung out in one of the oak trees on the other side of the farm since it was closest to the road and my house, but I hadn’t been back to the tree fort in years.
“I’m calling a do-over on tonight,” Nicholas said softly, leading me up the ladder into the tree branches. The leaves rustled gently. There were candles in lanterns that he lit, and cushions scattered around. “I still come here a lot,” he admitted. “When things get complicated.”
And lately things were always complicated. Except for right now. I sat next to him, our legs dangling over the edge. He put his arm around my shoulder until I was tucked against his side. The warm candlelight gleamed in his pale eyes.
We didn’t bicker or banter, we just sat there, swinging our feet and smiling as the last of summer faded away. He glanced down at me, smiling wickedly.
“So, about prom . . .”
Copyright © 2012 by Alexandra Harvey
All rights reserved. You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise
make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means
(including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying,
printing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the
publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
First published in the United States of America in February 2012
by Walker Publishing Company, Inc., a division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.
www.bloomsburyteens.com
For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, Walker BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
ISBN 978-0-8027-3425-9 (e-book)
Alyxandra Harvey, A Killer First Date
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends