A Life Unexpected: Holly Nather Book One (Holly Nather Series) (24 page)

“What happened?” I say feebly while unsuccessfully trying to sit up. I give up and lay back down. I feel like I’ve been run over… at least a thousand times.

“You lost control.” Arlo says while sitting down beside me.

“Really? Because I thought I did well.” I say sarcastically. No one laughs. Guess it’s not time for jokes.

Arlo is shaking his head and sighs in frustration. “Holly…”

“There is no hope for me to learn is there? I’m going to totally suck at this forever, aren’t I?” I sigh and close my eyes.

“No. I was just going to say maybe we tried this too soon. Mallory said she could sense you had inner thoughts that upset you. What could possibly have upset you that much, to make you lose control?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I lie. I know
exactly
what he is talking about. I was consumed with thoughts of Luke and how angry I am at him. Not only angry, but hurt. Extremely hurt.

“She’s lying…”
Gee thanks Mallory!

Arlo looks at me, unconvinced. “What is going on? We both know you are lying.” I take a deep breath in and almost forget to let it out. I just almost killed Arlo. So telling them who I really am is not going to go over well. Once they find out that I’m the princess they aren’t going to trust me. They are going to think I actually
tried
to kill Arlo.

Trying to change the subject, I ask, “How long have I been asleep?”

“Two days.” Mallory says with a half-smile.

“TWO DAYS!” I yell. Even though I still don’t feel well enough to get in a standing position, I am on my feet in an instant. I stumble a little, but Arlo catches me in his arms.

“You are going to have to sit down. Mallory had to use a lot of magic to stop you from killing me. You are strong, and when you finally get control of your magic, you are going to kick ass.” I listen to Arlo and find a tree to lean against. I slowly make my way to the ground and lean my head against the tree. I smile at the thought of being strong.

“I’m sorry I almost killed you…I—”

“I know—you lost control. Obviously you are not going to tell us what had you so upset, but if Mallory thinks you can be trusted, I won’t hold it against you. Not yet anyway. You are going to have to tell us the truth at some point.”

I nod my head in agreement. “I was really asleep for two days?” Mallory and Arlo nod their heads and laugh a little.

“You must be hungry!” Mallory says while standing up like she is about to cook in an invisible kitchen. Honestly, I haven’t thought about food, but I do need to eat. My growling stomach just confirmed that.

Placing my hand over my begging stomach, I laugh and say, “Yeah, I guess I am!”

While we are eating our magically created pizza, Arlo talks to me about magical abilities I may or not be capable of. “Energy sourcing is the ability to draw power from large or small but abundant sources of energy. For example, turning kinetic energy into physical blasts or converting solar energy into other forms. Depending on your proximity to the source, you can sometimes store it for future use.” I just keep nodding like I’m paying attention when really, all I can think about, is Luke.
I wonder what he is doing. Is he looking for me? Why did he just let me leave so easily?
I start to feel my magic boil as my anger grows.

Arlo stops talking and anger fills his eyes. “Why are you pulling magic!?” He yells.

“Something she is thinking about is causing her to be angry.”
Mallory, could you keep your thoughts to yourself! GEEZ!

“Mallory is right, but I’m not talking about it. Can we just finish eating while you explain what I may or may not be able to do?” What I say causes two pairs of eyes to glare in my direction.

Arlo sighs and rubs the back of his neck in frustration. “Fine. Then more training.
Then
you will be telling us the truth about you.”

“Okay.” I agree even though I don’t want to tell them one bit of the truth. I like Mallory and Arlo.
Great, the only friends I have in Terre, and they are going to hate me.
We finish eating, and everything is cleaned up with the wave of Mallory’s hand. That’s convenient.

“Before we get started, I want you to remember to try to think fast. I know it is not easy, but without practice you will never get better at this.”

“Thinking too fast seems to get me into trouble.” Thinking too fast and not thinking long enough got me into this whole mess with Luke. Changing the subject before too many questions are asked about my previous statement, I ask, “You said there may be things I can’t do. How do I know?”

“If you are trying to do something, and you don’t feel your magic burning inside, that means your magic is rejecting it, which means you can’t do it.”
That is simple enough to understand
. “And you will have to learn to
not
get yourself into trouble and think before you
think.”
Whhaaatt? Think before I think? Is that even possible?
I scratch my head in confusion and look at Mallory for a better answer. She’s got nothing….

“It’s getting late, and soon we are going to have to sleep.” Mallory informs us while yawning.

“Wait! I still haven’t learned how to create a protection barrier. Plus I’ve been sleeping for two days!”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Mallory says, “You have slept, but we haven’t. We have stayed up to keep watch over you.”

“Oh… Sorry about that. Can we at least try the protection barrier before we call it a night?”

“Yes, it is important you learn that.” Turning to Mallory, Arlo says, “Mallory, I promise we will get some rest after we try this.” Turning back to me he says, “A protection barrier is created the same way you do everything else. When you tried to create one the other day, did you feel magic?”

“Yes, but it still didn’t work.”

“Then you must not be concentrating hard enough. Try again.”

“Okay, but how will I know if it works?”

“If we can’t see you or track your magic.”

“Okay.” I start to concentrate on being safe and invisible in my own little bubble where no one else can harm me, but I’m interrupted by a horrible pain in my head that makes me fall to my knees.

“Chloe, are you okay?!?” Mallory screams and runs over to me. I want to answer her, but I can‘t. It is like I’m paralyzed and can’t do anything. The pain in my head is killer, and my limbs refuse to move.

“Arlo, what do we do? What is happening??” Mallory screams at Arlo.

“I don’t know!” I hear him yell. I can feel them trying to do things with their magic to try to help, but nothing is working. Then, all of a sudden, everything around me disappears, and I can see Luke. He is eating dinner with his parents. His dad and mom are talking about their plans now that the gateway is open and about how I need to be found before I cause any interference.

“Luke, are you listening to me?!?” His father yells. Luke is sitting there not saying a word.

“LUKE!” His father yells again.

“What?” Luke answers as if being woken up from a dream.

“Are you listening to anything that I am saying?”

“Forgive me father, but I’m not able to concentrate on a thing right now. Holly’s been gone for—”

“You will have to get over her, son. Our plans are far more important and will make us even greater. Isn‘t that what you want?” His mom says with an evil smile plastered on her face.

“How are we great, mother? Does it make you feel good to do so much bad to others? And as for Holly… I love her. I will NEVER get over her.” Luke’s tone is on the verge of indignation. He stands up from the table and glares at her.

“Luke, if you have any intentions of ruining our plan you will be stripped of your powers, and I will no longer call you son!” His father says as he forcefully stands up from the table causing his chair to fall backward.

Luke doesn’t say a word. Instead, his chair flies up and hits the wall on the other side of the dining room with so much force that it shatters to pieces. Then the table flips over, and stuff goes flying everywhere. Luke’s parents are getting ready to fight when Luke throws up his hands and pushes both of his parents up against the wall with his magic.

“I couldn’t care less if you never called me son again! I am ecstatic at the prospect! And remember—I am stronger than the both of you put together! If this is what I have to look forward to when I take the throne, then I don’t want it!” Luke is as close to his dad’s face as he can get without touching him. Then Luke storms out of the dining room.

All of a sudden, everything goes black again. When I open my eyes, I am looking at two Versipellis freaking out above me. Luke
was
telling me the truth. I stand up and rub my head.

“Oh my gosh! Chloe! Don’t ever do that again! Are you okay? What happened??” Mallory asks while throwing her hands around like a crazy person. I want to tell her what I saw, but then I’ll have to explain who I am. I’m not sure if that is a good idea. I just stare at her and Arlo, trying to decide what to tell them. Looking into their worried and confused faces, I come to the conclusion that I am going to have to tell them the truth.

“I JUST NEED
a minute.” I say as I walk away. When I get far enough away from them, I fall to my knees and start crying. Luke wasn’t lying to me! It doesn’t excuse the fact that he didn’t tell me everything when he should have, but he was telling me the truth! His parents are probably going to be on the hunt for me now. His dad did say they had to find me before I caused trouble. Now that their son has turned on them, I bet Luke and I are both in a lot of trouble. Luke did say he was stronger than both of them, though, so that’s good. I just want his arms around me right now. I need to feel his touch. I need to tell him I believe him. I need to tell him about Mallory and Arlo and our plans. First, I have some explaining to do to my new friends. I get myself together and wipe my tears away. Mission intent, I walk back to Mallory and Arlo who are sitting in front of a camp fire.

“Are you okay?” Mallory asks.

“I will be.”

“So are you going to explain what the hell just happened?” Mallory asks and crosses her arms across her chest.

“Ummm…” is all I can seem to utter.

“Explain.” Arlo says with serious eyes.

“Ummm…I…I don’t know if it is best I explain this right now.” I am afraid to tell them. I walked over here with the confidence to tell them, but now I am afraid that what little bit of friendship we have will go straight down the drain once they know the truth.

“We are helping to train you, are ready to fight by your side, and yet you are unwilling to tell us what seems to be very important information?” Arlo stands up after saying this and motions for Mallory to come stand beside him.

“He is right. You have lied about your name, and you know nothing about magic. I think we have a right to know.” Mallory is right. I just don’t know how to tell them. I know Mallory can sense emotions, and she will know I’m telling the truth. What I fear is that they will be so angry when I tell them who I really am that they won’t give me a chance to explain further.

“You two are right. I just don’t know
how
to explain anything about me right now. It is really,
really
complicated.”

Arlo sighs in frustration. “I am not helping you anymore if you do not explain.” Mallory nods in agreement with him.

“Earth.” I say and then look down at the ground. I don’t want to see what their expressions look like right now.

“Earth? What about Earth?” Mallory asks.

“That is where I am from.”

“Is she lying?” Arlo quickly asks.

Mallory looks at me like she is looking into my soul, seeing all its bearings and intricacies. I can’t help but to feel exposed and vulnerable. I have to look away from her, because her staring at me so intently is making me uncomfortable. “Nope, she is telling the truth.”

Okay, time to drop the truth bomb. “My name is Holly. Princess Holly Denton.” After I say that, both of them stand up straighter than they already were. I can sense their magic starting to boil. I don’t blame them for getting defensive. I put my hands up quickly in surrender and say, “I’m totally against Queen Estella and King Lucas. That is why I’m here.” It takes a minute of me convincing them, but Mallory must finally sense that I’m telling the truth, because she is backing off with her magic. Arlo, however, is not.