Magicorum Box Set (Books 1-5)

2. Chapter Two

2

Chapter Two

Bryar Rose

Long after Madame is gone, I find myself staring at the closed steel door. When I finally become aware of my surroundings again, I realize that Elle and I are the only ones left in the room.

My best friend gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Madame is weird. Don’t let her get to you.”

A twinge of fear tightens my insides. “I can’t stop thinking about Blanche, though. Remember how she told the group that her dreams changed, too? She saw pelicans or something.”

“It was falcons.”

“Yeah. And right after that, Madame gave out brochures and sign-off sheets. Then Blanche disappeared.”

Elle’s blue eyes fill with understanding. “So, what do you want to do? I can stay at your side as a bodyguard.”

I chuckle. “Last time that happened, you picked the pockets of my aunties and all their friends from the Summer Fairy Court.”

“What? They had too much stuff. I was just trying to show them what was really important in life.”

“To fairies?” I try to all-out laugh, but I can’t. Instead, my pulse speeds up. Blanche’s body was never found. My eyelids droop. Silver spots cloud my vision. The walls seem to move in closer. Deep inside my soul, I feel that familiar sensation. It’s as if someone placed a lockbox in the core of my being. Inside that impenetrable safe sits the spell from Colonel Mallory. Right now, that lockbox is shifting inside me. It wants to break free. That can only mean one thing.

Another episode is coming on.

Elle grabs my purse and pulls out my inhaler. “Quick, take your medicine.”

I uncover the top of the small device, set it in my mouth, and give myself a puff of medicated air. This stuff tastes terrible, but I start feeling more alert again. “Thanks.”

Elle narrows her big blue eyes. “You shouldn’t be alone. I’m staying in my condo this week. Why don’t you hang with me?” Elle has her own apartment in the Village under an assumed name. “We can do some recon work on my latest target. I’ll even give you access to my good computer. You’re a way better hacker than I am.” My aunties might not have let me attend a regular school, but they did get me a computer with high-speed Internet access. Over the years, I’ve become quite good at being a bad girl online.

“It’s tempting.” I worry my lower lip with my teeth. “But I’m supposed to join Philpot later at his Wednesday night soiree.” I make little quotation marks with my fingers when I say “soiree.”

“Blow him off. Philpot is a total tool.”

“I know, but it’s just easier if I pretend that I’m still considering marrying him someday. Don’t judge. You know my aunties.”

“I’ve met them.” Elle sighs. “No judgment.” She doesn’t need to mention the real reason why I do whatever my aunties say. They’re the only ones who can make my magical meds. Trust me, I’ve tried to find alternate sources. No go. My aunties are it. Until I’m eighteen and don’t need meds any more, I have to deal with them. But once my birthday is over, so is my curse. There will be no more sleeping sickness, no more Philpot, and best of all, no more aunties.

My breath catches. Crap, I forgot all about my aunties.

I stare at the metal door. No doubt, all three of them are waiting in the hallway outside. If I don’t leave soon, they’ll barge in for sure. I have to finalize plans with Elle—and fast. “Want to go with me to the party tonight? Philpot’s penthouse is right next door to the LeCharme Building.” LeCharme is only the biggest and fanciest jeweler in New York. In fact, easy access to the LeCharme HQ is one of the only advantages of fake-dating Philpot.

“I’ll pass.”

“What? You’ve always gone with me before.”

And by “gone with me,” I mean breaking and entering. Elle and I have hit the LeCharme Building a ton of times. The bottom floors have jewels galore, many of which fit Elle’s theft profile. You see, Elle specializes in reacquiring jewels that have already been stolen. She returns them to their rightful owners and collects the reward. She calls the entire process “un-stealing,” which is total Elle-think, but I don’t judge. After all, a girl’s gotta eat and avoid her evil stepfamily. For my part, I’m interested in the top floors of the building. That’s where the LeCharme family lives and keeps their offices. Their eldest son, Alec, likes to collect rare papyri from ancient Egypt. Super-unusual stuff, too. Whenever we break in, Elle gets jewels while I take photos of rare hieroglyphs. It’s always been a win-win.

Elle sighs. “Don’t get me wrong; I’d love to break and enter with you. Just not tonight.”

I shake my head. “I can’t believe you’re taking a pass.”

“Let’s just say I’ve been spending too much time with the LeCharme inventory lately. I need to give them some space. Plus, I have another huge job I’m working on. It’s—”

“I don’t want to know.”

“Probably for the best. Still, you should totally skip the Philpot soiree. Come hang with me at my place. Like I said, you’ll get to use my good computer.”

Which is no small gift. Elle’s so-called good computer is tricked out with every hacking app the black market has to offer. The only system that beats it is the one I built in her cabin in the Adirondacks.

“It’s tempting.” I worry my lower lip with my teeth as I think about the papyri that are supposed to be in Alec’s office right now. “Sorry, I have to pass. Alec just got a new shipment of papyri. You know his system. He only keeps them around for a few days before sending them someplace even I can’t find. There’s no way I can pass up the chance to make copies.”

Elle picks at some stray threads on her torn dress. Her normally bright features droop with fear. “I don’t the idea of you going there alone.”

My eyebrows lift. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid?” Elle’s scared of nothing.

“I’m protective of you.” She puffs out her lower lip. “There’s a difference.”

Now, if Elle told me everything would be fine, I might have skipped the party, hung out at her condo, and hacked the night away. But since Elle worries that I can’t handle this alone, it makes my rebellion-reflex kick in. All my life, I’ve been told that I can’t do stuff because of my episodes. Sure, anything I do is a risk, but staying home and hiding out? That means missing out on my life. Not an option.

“Don’t worry, Elle. I’ll be fine.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. Will you have my back?”

Elle perks right up. “Always.”

“Thanks. In that case, can you be on phone duty tonight? Say I’m sleeping over at your place?”

This is all part of a scam that Elle and I worked out years ago. I have two phones. My aunties bought me the first cell, which has GPS software on it so they can trace my location. I loaded the app myself and showed them how to use it. As fairies, they aren’t what you call tech savvy. Looking at my location on a computer gives them an unreasonable sense of comfort about me going places without them. Plus, with magic draining from the world, they have to save their spells for extreme situations. The second phone is my latest burner. Only Elle gets that number.

“No problem.” Elle hands me her cell, and I program in the number of my temp phone. These are pretty much untraceable, and I get a new one every week. Once the new number is entered, I give Elle my “official auntie phone” for safekeeping.

Elle slips my main phone into her raggedy pocket. “After the party, are you going to the cabin?” This is Elle’s place in the Adirondacks. She lets me keep my master computer setup there. It’s mighty sweet. I even added a wall of monitors that are perfect for looking at papyri.

“Where else? I’ll want to look through the latest hieroglyphs. Besides, the quiet will be good. My aunties are making me crazy.” I stare at the closed door. Any minute now, they’ll burst through.

“Do you need anything to break into the LeCharme Building? Access cards? Codes?”

“Nah, I’ve got all the stuff from last time. Those should still work, right?”

“Oh, yeah.” When it comes to acquiring tools for breaking and entering, Elle has the best underworld contacts in the business.

“In that case, I’m all set.” I pat my purse, where I carry all my goodies.

Elle doesn’t reply, though. Instead, she winds a strand of filthy hair around her finger. She’s still worried. “If you still insist on going—”

“I do.”

“Just promise me that you’ll take your meds. You can’t have an episode while you’re driving.”

“I always take my meds. You know how careful I am.”

Suddenly, the door flies open, and my aunties rush in. Like many fairies, they are petite with quick, bird-like movements. First, there’s Lauralei. She’s got light gray hair and a body that reminds me of a flamingo: skinny with long legs, a short torso, and a nose that can only be described as beak-like. My second auntie, Fanna, looks pretty similar to Lauralei, except her hair is black and streaked with gray. And third, there’s Mirabelle. To continue with the bird analogy, Auntie Mira always reminds me of a plump red hen. She’s got a round body, small black eyes, and red hair that’s pulled back into a bun. Mostly, she and Fanna cluck about in the background while Lauralei does all the talking.

Speaking of Lauralei, she’s the first to rush into the room. The woman is a flurry of movement with her long legs and pink Chanel pantsuit. “You’re still in here. We were gravely concerned.”

“Nothing to worry about.” My voice sounds fake-calm, even to me. “I was just talking to Elle.”

Lauralei freezes. Since Fanna and Mirabelle were following closely behind her, they almost slam into Lauralei’s back. “You.” Lauralei points to Elle. “You’re in rags.”

Elle grins. “Isn’t it wonderful? I got the lead in the Magicorum Academy production of Oliver.” For the record, Elle has my aunties convinced she goes to a high school for elite Magicorum kids. Don’t ask. “I’m just practicing getting in character.”

Elle is so awesome. I’m sure she made that up on the fly.

“How clever!” Lauralei gasps and turns to Fanna and Mirabelle. “Don’t you both think so?” My other aunties agree, but Lauralei doesn’t stop to listen. “Now, what are you two girls doing tonight?”

“Going to Philpot’s party,” I say.

Lauralei keeps staring at Elle. “I assumed that part, but what about after?”

“We’ll stay at my family’s condo in the Village,” explains Elle. In this case, Elle is her own family—not that my aunties know that. “We’ll watch TV. Maybe indulge in low-fat frozen yogurt. The usual.”

Lauralei shrugs. “That’s fine. So long as she’s back to the penthouse by Saturday at midnight, that’s all I care about.” My aunties are throwing me a birthday party of some kind. Those always start at midnight and end with the penthouse being trashed. Say what you want about my aunties, but fairies know how to party.

“Queen Nyxa is coming and everything,” adds Fanna.

Elle and I share a long look. Queen Nyxa leads the Fairy Summer Court, or what’s left of it, considering how magic is dying and all. But what Nyxa lacks in power, she more than makes up for in crazy. Mostly she asks odd riddles with bizarre consequences for getting the answers wrong. I’ve made it an art form to stay out of her way.

Ugh. But she’ll be at my birthday party again this year. What a disaster.

I lift my chin. Still, it’s a disaster that I don’t have to worry about until Saturday, and that’s all thanks to Elle. Without her vouching for me, I’d be locked in my room to read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for the hundredth time. It’s the only book that calms me when my aunties are near. I suppose that’s because it’s the story of a typical girl who gets pulled into a land of madness. Alice is my soul sister.

I stand up and stretch my arms. “Guess we better get going. I need to spend a lot of quality time getting ready for the party. Elle’s loaning me a dress and doing my makeup.”

“Good.” Lauralei exhales. “You’ll look presentable, then.”

Anger tightens up my spine. Those kinds of comments always get to me. It’s bad enough that I have no freedom and a fake boyfriend. But the constant sniping about my appearance pushes me over the edge. “I always look presentable.”

Lauralei narrows her tiny eyes. “I’ll be the judge of that. I still don’t understand why you won’t marry Philpot on Saturday. It would fulfill your life template.”

“Not happening, Lauralei. I’m trying to date him. That’s all. We’ll see how it goes. If I like him, then maybe I’ll marry him. But that’s someday far off in the future.”

Lauralei looks down her long nose at me. “As you say.” There’s a gleam in her tiny bird-like eyes that I don’t like at all. She’s up to something. That said, she’s given me that look for years. With only three days left before my birthday, I can’t start letting it get to me.

“And do you have your phone with you?” asks Mirabelle. Actually, it’s more like she clucks out the words from behind Lauralei.

“Always.” It feels good to lie to them. Not sure what that says about me as a person.

“We have to go,” says Elle brightly. “Lots of work to do.”

Elle marches me out the door and away from my aunties. The three fairies watch us leave in awed silence. If there’s any proof that Elle is part of the Magicorum, it’s how she can con anyone, anywhere, and at any time. She’s the best.

As we head out of the Denarii League, all my previous worries melt away. Midtown Manhattan is a bustle of movement as office workers stream out of their skyscrapers and trudge across the sidewalk. The scent of hotdogs and sausage wafts toward me from a nearby pushcart. Big white clouds roll overhead in a deep-blue sky. A sense of calm washes through my soul. What a great night this will be. I’ll get digital copies of some new papyri, which is always good reading. And after that, it’s only three days before my birthday and freedom.

I smile. After Saturday, I’m an adult. No more Philpot. No more aunties. And if I wanted to, I could even move in with Elle. She invites me often enough. I just haven’t wanted to jinx anything by making solid plans.

But who knows? With so many choices opening up, maybe I will find my happily ever after—and soon. At this moment, anything seems possible.