Smoke and Wishes (Best Wishes #1)(14)
Looking into some of the deepest sapphire eyes I had ever seen, my question was clear on my face. When she handed the coin to me to look at, I gripped her fingers, holding them in place while I examined it. Her skin was silky and cool under my fingers, and the gold coin held a fleur-de-lis circled by the French phrase “Meilleurs V?ux”. In my examination of the chain, I caught sight of the start of another scar sticking out under the neckline of her white shirt as well as a hint of black script on the very top of her right shoulder, mostly obscured by her jacket.
What is it about this girl? I don’t care about people, other than my friends, so what makes her so unique? I rubbed my thumb over the front of the coin, brushing her fingers with each pass. The metal was cold despite both of us holding it, the face was slightly rough where the letters and fleur-de-lis were raised on the metal. On the third pass of my thumb, an electric tingling raced through my fingers, up my arm, and spread to cover my entire body.
Shocked, I looked up to Lucie’s face, but instead of seeing her mesmerizing dark jeweled eyes, they had taken on a pearl-like quality. Light blues, greys, even pinks and purples swirling in a white expanse covering her entire eye. The longer Professor George and I watched Lucie, the more insubstantial she became. Iridescent smoke started at her hands and feet, creeping towards her hips and torso.
“Best wishes, Hudson, you have invoked one wish,” Lucie’s normally quiet voice was strong, resonating with power and authority. Her upper body, heart-shaped face, and pearled eyes were some of the only parts of her that remained corporeal. Her blonde hair darkened into an inky black, the ends curled into wisps of smoke. I had absolutely no idea what to wish for. So naturally, I said the first thing that came to me.
“I wish to take you out on a date.” Professor George chuckled and rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything.
“As you wish it,” her eyes closed and she started to pulse with power. On the third pulse, I felt a tug in the middle of my chest and saw a thin pearly string connecting me to the middle of Lucie’s chest. “Once the wish has been fulfilled, the bond will be severed,” her voice slowly transitioned back to its usual timbre, her body began to solidify. Pearl eyes shifted back to their deep blue, and blackened tresses lightened to blonde.
“Hey, Lucie,” Professor George’s voice was soft, as though he was speaking to a frightened animal. “Do you remember what just happened?”Nodding her head, she brushed away a strand of hair that had escaped from her ponytail. She looked at me with a small smile and laughter in her eyes.
“A date? Really?” She laughed as she shook her head, “you are unbelievable.” Walking over to her bag, she dug around quickly and pulled out a small black box with a fleur-de-lis in a pearled sheen on top. It almost looked like a jewelry box. “There was a letter, Adel… my birth mother wrote that I shouldn’t attempt to open this box until I came into my powers. I have absolutely no idea what’s in it or what will happen.” Her voice broke, the sadness it held made my heart feel heavy. “I don’t want to risk either of you getting hurt, so would it be alright if I did this alone in here? You can stand right outside.”
Professor George agreed as he collected his pen and clipboard before heading to the door, but I decided to lower my mental shields just enough to feel her emotions without overwhelming myself, or possibly alerting her to my power. They were much more turbulent than I had expected. I was flooded with relief, grief, and sadness. There was something else there as well, something buried, a crippling amount of fear.
The emotion was cold, dark. It sent a shiver down my spine while at the same time I felt sweat beading on the back of my neck. Holy fuck. It wasn’t the kind of fear from a current situation where it was in the forefront of her mind. This was the kind of fear ingrained into a psyche. I had felt something similar on Saturday, but it was so much more apparent today. Then I had thought it was caused by the confrontation, but the depths of what I was feeling has me second guessing that. Maybe the confrontation itself had brought up the memories to which these feelings originated? Does it have anything to do with her scars? The twins mentioned she was skittish. What happened to her?
“While I appreciate your concern, Lucie, I‘d feel better staying in here with you. Plus, I can have my fae dust at the ready. In case anything happens.” I could tell she was going to protest my offer, so I cut her off before she could get a word out, “from what you’ve told us you haven’t had much experience in the way of magic. I would hate to see anything happen to you if I could prevent it.” Half truths, my mind whispered, you just want time alone with her. She hesitated, but finally gave in with a nod. The door was closed quietly after the professor exited the room and I couldn’t let the opportunity slip me by.
“Besides, if something happens to you then I won’t get my date.” I winked at the end of my statement and got the desired effect when she burst out laughing, happiness and warmth bled over her previous negative emotions. Unfortunately, that bone-deep fear was still present. Interesting, but damn do I love that musical laugh.
She took the box, holding it in her left hand, and closed her eyes. Wanting to be prepared, I slipped my hand into the pouch hooked on my belt where my dust stores were and grabbed a small handful, ready to toss if necessary. Nothing happened after a few silent moments. Her free hand moved to fiddle with her coin, brows furrowing as she opened her eyes to look at me.