scene between the younger Alex and I, I couldn’t help but think how grown up we were acting for being so young. And look at us now, arguing all the time, lying to one another. It made this moment—although peaceful—almost painful to watch, because I knew that right after this happened everything would change. This Alex and Gemma would be no more.
“I have an idea,” Alex said, pulling a small, silver pocket knife out of his pocket “How about you and I become blood brothers.”
Little Gemma scowled at him. “I’m not a boy.”
Alex laughed. “Okay, how about blood friends?”
The tears in her eyes escaped down her cheeks. “What do I have to do to become one?”
“I’ll make a little cut on my hand and on yours and then we press them together and make a promise, okay?”
She looked wary. “Will it hurt?”
“Only for a minute.”
She wiped the tears away from her cheeks and looked at Alex with confidence. “Okay, let’s do it.”
She gave her hand to Alex and he carefully made a small cut in the palm of her hand. She winced ever so slightly, but didn’t put up a fuss. I glanced down at my hand, looking closer at the palm of it, and sure enough, right in the center there was a trace of a very thin, small white scar. Strange…I’d never noticed it before.
Alex made a small cut in his palm and then he raised his hand out in front of him. “Okay, put yours up to mine.”
She did, and they pressed their palms together.
“Forem,” Alex said. “Now you say it.”
She took a deep breath. “Forem.”
Alex dropped his hand and so did she. “There, that’s all it takes.”
“But what does forem mean,” Little Gemma asked.
“It means—”
Someone yelled from above. It was too muffled to understand exactly what the person yelled, but the deepness of the voice told me it belonged to a man.
The children’s eyes went round, and Alex jumped to his feet. “We have to go,” he said, holding out his hand to help little Gemma to her feet.
“Do you think you’re dad will be mad at us,” little Gemma asked, panicking. “for us disappearing?”
“I don’t know…” Alex sounded scared. “Let’s just hurry up, okay.”
Little Gemma, all big eyed and sad, nodded. Then she glanced around at the little hideout, taking one last look as if she knew she’d never return. “Okay.”
They climbed up the ladder, and I followed up after them. I stepped out from the behind the violet bush just in time to see Stephan waving his finger violently as he scolded Alex and me for wandering off. Then he marched them back through the trees, toward the castle. I didn’t follow. I didn’t want to see what happened next. I couldn’t watch my soul get ripped away. I couldn’t watch the little girl with the sad violet eyes be no more. So I sat down on the ground and shut my eyes, waiting to be yanked away.
Chapter 11
Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. I was stuck. Yes, stuck. Stuck inside the vision. Not only did this have me worried, but it also made me furious because I wanted to get back to Nicholas and the Ira crystal ball so I could start training to save my mom.
But nope. Instead, I was tromping through the forest, leaves and twigs and grass crunching loudly beneath my angry steps as I charged for the castle. I could see the grey stone tower of it sticking up from above the trees, like an arrow pointing to the sky, and I kept my eyes on it as I shoved my way through the bushes, finally stepping out of the forest with an ungraceful stumble.
The sky had shifted a deathly grey and the wind had begun to howl, causing the waves of the lake to roar up against the shore and leaves to whip through the air. Thunder boomed in the distance, and I could almost feel the terror waiting for me inside the castle.
With a loud breath I started up the hill, trying hard not to look at the lake, but it seemed to be calling me, taunting me with its whisper. I glanced over at it, and through the dark, murky water, I could make out faint white figures. Water Faeries. For a split second—and I mean, a split micro of a second—I actually contemplated going into the water, wondering if I did so, if the Water Faeries would take hold of me and drag