and forth across the bumps of the design, my mind trying to grasp the concept of what it really is.
Unexpectedly, the pendant warms under my touch. The tarnished edges slowly fade away and warm golden undertones spread elegantly across the surface. A rush of electricity hits me like a wave. I shiver and a gush of breath escapes my lips. Zoë stares at me with a look of astonishment on her face. “What was that?” she asks me, her tone barely above a whisper.
“I have no idea.”
“Emma? Is everything alright?” my dad asks.
“Something… strange, just happened with the pendant.”
“It’s responding to you, to your touch. The spell that it carries is meant to be unlocked by only you.”
“What do I do?” I feel clueless. I have never felt like I have known less in my life.
“The pendant will guide you through everything you need to know, when you need to know it. It contains eight lifetimes of information. Listen to what it teaches you. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. When you sleep tonight, it will do its job. Make sure you read through as much of the written journal as time allows. The illustrations are also incredibly important. They will teach you about the creatures that live in the caligo. The charm that the pendant carries already holds a great deal of information, but reading the journals will arm you with even more. Have you looked through the third journal at all yet?”
Zoë shuffles through the small pile of items on the bed to find it. “No, we haven’t. Why?”
“The third journal is the grimoire.”
“The grimoire?” I ask. “What is that?”
Zoë locates the book and pulls it onto her lap as my dad explains, “the grimoire is a book of light and shadows that has been passed on from generation to generation. Many important lessons can be learned from the grimoire.”
Zoë runs her fingers over the gold etching on the black leather cover. Centered on the cover is a blood red leather square. On top of the square is the same elaborate design on my pendant, carved from some type of bronze tinted metal and fused to the leather.
“You need to guard the grimoire with your lives. When you girls saw Alexander on our street today, he had just left Zoë’s house. He tore the house apart from basement to attic looking for that grimoire. He somehow managed to break through the protection spell that Nora & Jefferson had on the house. He is very old and very connected to Isabel. Stay away from him at all costs. His goal is to bring the caligo to you.”
“Are my parents okay?” Zoë asks, worriedly.
“They’re fine. They weren’t home at the time.”
“Do they know where I am?”
“Yes, Zoë. I’ve spoken with them. Your mother, of course, already knew before I said anything. Her binding to you is very strong.”
“Can I talk to them?”
“It is not safe for you to have contact with them right now.”
I reach my hand out and place it on top of Zoë’s to offer whatever comfort I can. I know how badly she wants to reach out to her mom.
“What are you going to tell everyone happened to us?" she asks. "We won’t be at school, Mrs. Owens will freak out when she finds out Emma is gone.”
“We’ve had a plan formulated for quite some time. We knew this day was coming soon. We will have no choice but to report you missing. As far as Emma’s mother is concerned, Emma is spending the night at your house, Zoë. Tomorrow evening, when you haven’t returned home from school, we will file missing person reports. That should give you enough time to reach the colony before anyone along the way will recognize you from the alert.”
“How are you going to pull off a lie like that?” I ask.
“Technically, it won’t be a lie. You will be missing, in a way. I won’t have any idea where you are or if you are safe. There won’t be much acting involved. I know this is a lot for you two to take in all at once. But trust me when I say that you’re ready for this. There have been so many preparations made for this day. There are a lot of people rooting for you and prepared to keep you safe. You’re not just saving Natalie. You’re saving all of us.”
Zoë and I look at each other. “I had no idea we were such superheroes, Em.”