I turned to her, confused. What in the heavens was she rambling on about?
“A Spellbinder has the power to control. He can make you believe, think, or do whatever he pleases.”
I laughed. “Really? You’re kidding, right?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m dead serious. He’ll have you under his control before you know it. He’ll hypnotize you and you won’t even know it. He’s pretty powerful.”
I was intrigued.
“Rumor is… he convinced a girl to jump off a cliff, and she crashed to her death. It was an ex-girlfriend who had cheated on him. Well, that’s the rumor anyway.”
My heart pounded. I’m not one to believe everything I hear but I was curious.
“He’s also a master at astral projection,” she added.
I acted like I knew what she was talking about. “Oh yeah… cool.”
“He can induce out-of-body experiences, bring you back to your past. And he can make you see things that aren’t there.”
I thought about my fifth grade teacher. I’d clearly seen her in the media center. And those naked people a few minutes before. I was officially freaked out. I laughed a nervous chuckle. “Well, I better stay away from him, then.”
She smiled. “Yes, you better.”
I offered my hand. “I’m Anna, by the way. I’m new here.”
She smiled, but it wasn’t convincing. “I know,” she said. “I’m Brianna.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, but I was sure the feeling was not mutual.
She shot me another tight smile. “Well, off I go. See you later, Anna.”
I’d already had one drink and I was nursing my second. I was already feeling a little woozy, which might have had something to do with this being my first time drinking. I was considering calling it an early night because I had no one to talk to. That’s the problem with being the new kid in town – everyone already had their besties, their cliques. Alicia was cozying up with the tall beautiful boy, sitting on a log by the fire. I was watching them, feeling wistful, and I didn’t even notice that he was sitting next to them.
It was only when the fire exploded into a huge circle against the black sky that I saw him, the boy with the red aura. He was controlling the fire with the tip of his finger, like an orchestra conductor, like I used to do with ember tipped sticks at the campfire when I was a kid, but this was so much more… this was breathtaking.
The crowd roared. Hands clapped. I inched closer to get a closer look. He was beautiful against the glow of the flames. His dark hair was messy as always, the silver hoop hanging from his nose and brow sparkled under the moonlight. He wore a plain white tee and dark jeans, the silver cross splayed over his chest. And those beautiful soulful chocolate eyes…
He did it again, but the circle grew larger. The crowd roared again, leaning back into the sandy ground, backing away from the flames. The heat against my face and limbs felt amazing.Do it again, I silently begged.
He did it once more; a curly cue, a heart, a cross. The girls were going wild for it. Alicia had mentioned a showman who played with fire… Leo, she called him. It had to be him.
A playful grin stretched across his face as he showed off. But then something caught him off guard.
Me.
As soon as he spotted me, his smile faded, and he was motionless for a moment.
“Keep going, Leo,” a perky redhead pleaded. “One more.”
He hesitated for a moment and his eyes were glued to me as he lifted his finger. His movements were swift and precise, and a butterfly appeared, as wide as the midnight sky.
A butterfly. I wondered if it was a coincidence. Did he know I love butterflies?
Heat filled my entire body, hot liquid pouring through me. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before.
A soft smile traced the curve of his lips as his gaze lingered on me. The spell was broken when the girl with the red hair tugged at his arm, asking for more.
I was a goner.
