“I’m not sure I’ll be able to wear the blazer. The handle is poking out too high above myshoulder,” Victor mentions as he picks up his blazer off the bed. He looks back in the mirror after he slips his blazer over his shoulders. “Whoa! It’s like I don’t have a sword at all. How?”
“Magic,” Leo jokes as he sparkles his fingers around in a circle. “You ready?”
“Where are we going?” Victor asks.
Leo walks over to a mirror on the opposite wall. “Time for you to learn Fire Magic. And the big island has the best source of fire.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Victor and Leo walk through a mirror into a tiny shop. Half of the store resembles a convenience store, offering food and drinks, while the other half serves as a gift shop with a wide selection of Hawaiian-themed items. The shop owner sits behind the counter on a tall chair, reading his magazine while listening to the radio. He doesn’t bother looking up when they arrive.
“Aloha, Koa,” Leo says as he and Victor approach him.
Koa doesn’t look up and gives Leo a little wave. If you would call raising your hand off the counter and fluttering your fingers in the air a “wave.” As soon as Victor is about to step outside, he stops suddenly. He turns around and begins scanning around the shop.
Leo is already walking away from the shop. He turns around when he notices Victor is not next to him. He looks back and spots Victor looking around. Leo walks back up to the entrance. “What is it?”
Victor looks around the shop until he notices a rack of necklaces and bracelets against a wall. When he walks over, his vision begins to blur. This time, he focuses on the energy given off by many of the items in the shop. One in particular catches his attention. A red hue surrounds the small charm hanging on a hook.
Leo steps up beside Victor, asking softly, “What do you see?”
“This charm,” Victor responds as he points to it. A Hawaiian fishhook made out of lava rock from the island. It is an inch and a half long, and gleaming. Unlike the other charms, it is not attached to a necklace.
“Pele must like you,” Koa says. Victor and Leo jump out of their skins because they didn’t hear Koa walk up behind them.
“DON’T DO THAT!” Victor shouts as he holds onto his chest. “Why does everyone have to sneak up on me?”
“And you’re the empath,” Leo jokes.
Victor fixes his breathing as he returns his soul back into his body. “What do you mean by ‘Pele must like you?’” Victor asks Koa.
Koa takes the charm off the hook. “Pele is the Goddess of Volcanoes and Fire. She does not allow anyone to remove native pieces from these islands, like the lava rocks or sand. If you do, you will be cursed with bad luck until you return it.”
Leo gives Koa a skeptical look. “That’s just a myth.”
“I would trust what Koa is saying,” Victor says as Koa hands him the charm. “I’ve been on flights to Hawai’i, carrying mail and boxes filled with lava rocks being returned because someone started having bad luck when they got home from their holiday.”
“Seriously?” Leo questions.
“Don’t tell me that Mr. Leo over here doesn’t believe in superstitions,” Victor jokes. “I’m sure Brazil has a few, like if someone sweeps your feet with a broom or if you leave your flip-flops upside down.”
Leo gives Victor a pointed look. “Don’t you dare joke about those things.”
“So, will this charm be for you?” Koa asks as he studies Victor.
“What kind of charm is it?” Victor inquires as he examines the charm in the palm of his hand.
“This charm is perfect for those who are gifted with Fire. It helps it burn hotter andbrighter.” Koa leans in, speaking in a lower register, “It is also said that if it is a gift, the receiver will have a strong bond with the one who offered it to them.”
Victor studies the power stored inside the tiny fishhook made from lava rock. “I’ll take it.”
Moments later, Victor and Leo walk out of the shop. As Victor looks at the charm, he purposely walks slower than Leo. Once Leo’s in front of him, he says, “Hold on. Let me fix yourtag. “
“My tag?” Leo questions.
Victor walks up behind Leo and pretends to fix Leo’s shirt tag. With quick hands, he unclasps Leo’s necklace and slips the charm on it. He attaches the chain and allows the charm to drop forward.
“What the . . .” Leo is startled when he feels the charm fall down his chest. He looks down, holding it with his fingertips, and says, “I should have known you were up to something.”
