Chapter 11
When the pixie gold ring first arrived, Gemma thought Killian should be the one to wear it. He had a better grasp on how to open a portal then Kiara. The poor girl was trying very hard, but she just couldn't get the thing to open. However, when Clare arrived with the ring one morning, Killian passed it over to Kiara.
"She needs it more than I do," he said looking at Gemma. "I won't be transporting to the bottom of the ocean or to any battlefields."
"Good call," Clare agreed as she slipped the ring onto Kiara's finger. "Turn it to the left three times and think of the place you want to visit."
"Let's try," Gemma smiled.
"Maybe I'll have better luck with this one," Kiara held up her hand and admired the ring on her finger.
She spotted Killian through the space between her fingers and her heart slightly skipped a beat. His dark hair was pushed back out of his face to show off his piercing dark blue eyes. The white of his shirt only made the color stand out even more as he stood with his arms folded over his chest. Kiara wanted to lean against him and feel his warm skin against her. Her stomach tightened and the butterflies fluttered every time she caught his gaze.
"Okay," Gemma clapped her hand, snapping the girl out of her head. "Imagine a place you would like to visit. Think about the scent, think about the layout of the space, think about the colors."
Kiara took in a deep breath as she began to spin the ring on her finger.
"As you spin the ring, imagine a portal opening up," Gemma's soothing voice guided. "Do you remember how sparks form when a portal is opened?"
Kiara nodded, "Yes."
"Think about that," Gemma took a small step back.
Kiara inhaled a lung full of air as she spun the ring for the third time on her finger and imagined a portal opening up. She pushed back all the thoughts in her head and emptied her mind as she did everything Gemma told her too.
"Try again," Clare said when nothing happened.
Kiara spun the ring again.
"Keep visualizing the place you want to go to," Gemma said. "Do you feel the ring heating up?"
"Yes," Kiara said as she spun the gold ring.
She repeated the process over and over but with no result. The ring would heat up, small specks of sparks would start to fly in the air, but then it would all slip out of her hands. Within a second the ring would turn ice cold and Kiara would have to start all over again. But of course, unlike her, Killian got it on his first try.
"Where are we?" Gemma asked as she smiled and stepped into the portal Killian opened.
"Mala," he said. "Small fishing island off the coast of South America."
"It's beautiful," Clare peeked in.
"It's so sunny," Kiara complained as she squinted her eyes and jumped back into the room.
The portal closed and Killian took the ring off. He slipped it onto Kiara's finger before taking a firm hold of her shoulder and turning her around. Kiara held her breath as the boy positioned her and pressed her back to his chest.
"Let's try again," he said as he raised Kiara's hand. "You can do this."
Kiara felt shivers run down her spine as Killian's low voice entered her ear. He held her shoulder as if trying to keep her from running off. The edge of his face grazed over the top of her head every time he spoke. Her knees were beginning to feel weak and her eyelids wanted to flutter close.
