The MirrorMasters

Chapter 6

"You've got it bad, girl!" Kara laughed, linking arms with me as we made our way down the sandy slope to Stanford Square.

"I do not!" I protested with a chuckle. The sea breeze blew my hair in my face, and I tamed my loose locks with a side braid to stop it from bothering me. I could feel it coming; Kara was going to tease me mercilessly just because a guy had shown some interest. But why? She had never shown this much excitement when the police chief's son, Jason, had basically stalked me all last year, and Brian was far more dangerous. Jason's main problem was his inability to take no for an answer.

"Yes, you do. You had the whole starry-eyed-I-can't-take-my-eyes-off-you thing going, and you couldn't tear your hand away from him. Face it. You were drawn to him like a magnet. And it was just as hard to pry the two of you apart!"

Heat warmed my cheeks, and I must've flushed crimson. "Lay off, okay? I'm not getting involved."

"Why not? You were totally into him. And he was obviously into you, too."

"Remember that vision I had last night, Kara? He was in it," I whispered, not wanting the others to hear. Her eyes got huge, but she let the subject drop.

"You think? Nobody does the hand-kiss thing with that much intensity unless they are," Kevin cut in.

Jenny nodded. "Yeah, he did seem like kind of an intense guy, and there's something mysterious about him."

"Exactly! Mysterious is the word for it. I think he's got an...interesting past." I turned to look back at Jenny, and we shared a smile as our eyes met.

"That wouldn't surprise me," Jenny said. "I mean, moving around so much and all that." By this point, we were nearing the boardwalk shops, and I asked, "So, what do you guys want to do first?"

"I'm going to go check my schedule for the week at the main lifeguard house. See you guys on the beach in a few," Kevin said.

"Hey, let's go to the Spirit Shoppe," Kara suggested as soon as Kevin disappeared from view. "I'd like you all to meet Madame Helena, my boss."

****

A tinkling chime sounded as Kara led the way inside, where air-conditioning chilled and refreshed my skin after our walk in the midday sun. The shop was bright and spacious, with pale grey-blue walls. Front display tables showcased odds and ends such as scented candles, pendants, and bookmarks. Some sort of spicy fragrance, a mix of cinnamon and ginger incense, permeated the air. One corner of the shop housed a small cafe and lounge, called the Zen Nook, complete with a fountain and Zen garden. I smiled, feeling right at home in the serenity of this place.

Kara dragged Jenny over to the bookshelves, but I didn't go with them. I wanted to check out the glass cases that housed ancient books, the kind bound with leather and inscribed with gold. Inside one case rested an ornately carved wooden box with a dark, polished finish. The symbols carved into that box were like nothing I'd ever seen before, but they reminded me of hieroglyphics. Mesmerized and unable to tear my gaze away, I trailed my fingers along the glass covering the box. How I wished I could reach inside. For a second, I could have sworn the symbols on the box glowed green. Then the glow disappeared, leaving me uncertain whether I'd actually seen it, or if it had been a trick of light playing through the stained glass window.

That got Kara's attention, and she came over with Jenny in tow, a stack of books in her arms and her eyes wide. "Did that box just glow? It did, didn't it?"

"So, the box proves as unique as I've always believed. It has never reacted that way to anyone else."

I snatched my hand back from the glass and turned to face the speaker, a tall, willowy woman who had come up behind the counter on my left. Madame Helena dressed in a flowing white maxi dress. Her long, dark hair was swept up into a casual bun. She had a kind face and warm brown eyes.