Spellbound (Spellbringers Book 1)

  Spellbound

  The Spellbringers: Book One

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  SPELLBOUND Copyright © 2014 by Tricia Drammeh

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: [email protected]

  Cover Art by Maegan Provan

  Stock art by Deposit Photos

  Smashwords Edition, 2014

  Published in the United States of America

  DEDICATION

  To Maegan, Amy, and Sophie for your unending support

  Table of Contents

  Front Matter

  Chapter One (Alisa)

  Chapter Two (Rachel)

  Chapter Three (Alisa)

  Chapter Four (Rachel)

  Chapter Five (Alisa)

  Chapter Six (Rachel)

  Chapter Seven (Alisa)

  Chapter Eight (Rachel)

  Chapter Nine (Alisa)

  Chapter Ten (Rachel)

  Chapter Eleven (Alisa)

  Chapter Twelve (Rachel)

  Chapter Thirteen (Alisa)

  Chapter Fourteen (Rachel)

  Chapter Fifteen (Alisa)

  Chapter Sixteen (Rachel)

  Chapter Seventeen (Alisa)

  Chapter Eighteen (Rachel)

  Chapter Nineteen (Alisa)

  Chapter Twenty (Rachel)

  Chapter Twenty-One (Alisa)

  Chapter Twenty-Two (Rachel)

  Chapter Twenty-Three (Alisa)

  Chapter Twenty-Four (Rachel)

  Chapter Twenty-Five (Alisa)

  Chapter Twenty-Six (Rachel)

  Chapter Twenty-Seven (Alisa)

  Chapter Twenty-Eight (Rachel)

  Chapter Twenty-Nine (Alisa)

  The Spellbringers Series

  Glossary of Terms

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Note to Reader

  Chapter One

  Alisa

  From my lonely seat in the back of the classroom, I watched my conniving cousin flirt with the guy I loved. With a flip of her golden, highlighted hair, Becky pasted on a friendly smile and turned to face Cooper High’s newest student. When she crossed her legs, her short skirt crept up, exposing a few additional inches of her tanned thighs. Becky had never quite mastered the art of playing hard to get.

  A jolt of jealousy ripped through me, but recognizing this feeling as irrational and unjust, I tried to beat the green-eyed monster into submission. After all, Jace and I had never actually spoken. It was only the first day of school and he probably didn’t even know my name. So far, our relationship was fairly one-sided.

  He smiled at Becky and I sighed in resignation. She always managed to entice the hottest guys in school, whereas I routinely repelled them. With great difficulty, I tore my gaze away from Jace’s tall, athletic form and absentmindedly doodled in my notebook. I tried to conjure up a favorite daydream to get lost in, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Jace. It was pointless to fantasize about Jace Alexander. He was so far out of my league, he would probably reject me in my dreams.

  “So, where are you from?” Becky asked, leaning forward until her cleavage was displayed to its best advantage.

  “We just moved here from Colorado,” he replied.

  “Ooh, Colorado. That’s so interesting,” she said.

  I wondered if she even knew where Colorado was. She probably thought it was in another country, or on a tropical island somewhere.

  “I have cheerleading practice after school, but if you want to hang out later, I can give you my phone number,” she said.

  I couldn’t help but wonder what she planned to do if Jace actually asked her out. My Aunt Leanne would automatically disapprove of Jace because of his skin color. I guessed Becky just liked the chase.

  “Sure, I…” he trailed off when Becky shot me a nasty glance over her shoulder.

  “What are you looking at, freak?” she snapped in my direction. Snickers filled the half-empty classroom. I blushed and looked back down at my notebook, embarrassed to be caught staring at a guy who would never return my interest. A million different come-backs and insults flashed through my mind, retaliatory comments far more creative than anything Becky could devise. But I never defended myself. I was too much of a coward.

  Becky turned back to Jace. “So, about this afternoon…”

  “Actually, I can’t today. But thanks,” Jace said. He didn’t press her for the phone number she offered.

  I settled back in my seat and tried to calm my nerves. By lunchtime, the whole school would probably be talking about how I’d tried to scam on Jace, and by the end of the day, the story would be inflated and embellished to the point where everyone would believe I’d asked him to marry me. Becky would make sure of it.

  When the bell rang, Becky followed Jace into the hallway. It was only a matter of time before he succumbed to her feminine charms. A few laughs and cruel comments followed me down the hall, but I was used to being tormented by Becky’s followers. All I could think about was Jace and the fact that he didn’t laugh at me. Not once.

  ***

  I fantasized about Jace all morning, watching him when no one else was looking. He had a certain ease about him, a sense of self confidence unusual in someone our age. Most guys I knew were cocky and smug, but Jace wasn’t like that. He was funny without being snarky or mean.

  “Jace, come sit by me,” Becky shrieked across the crowded cafeteria. Her entourage trailed behind her, watching their mentor as she staked her claim on the new guy.

  I sat down at a lunch table in the corner—alone except for a couple of marching-band dudes with bad complexions. They didn’t speak to me, but at least they tolerated my presence. If Becky happened to turn her attention my way, my tablemates would probably scatter. They’d been recipients of her cruelty in the past. But for now, my cousin’s energy was focused on Jace. I silently thanked him for distracting her, and plucked a novel from my backpack.

  “What are you doing this weekend?” Becky’s voice wafted across the lunch room along with the nauseating smell of overcooked cafeteria food. Maybe it was only Becky’s voice that was nauseating. It was hard to tell.

  “We’re unpacking and I have to help my dad with something,” Jace replied.

  “Well, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you snuck away for a little while.”

  “I’m sure he’d kill me if I bailed. Why don’t you introduce me to everyone? I think I’ve only met Chance and Katie,” Jace said.

  I glanced up from my book in time to see a pout pucker Becky’s flawless face. I swallowed a chuckle. Becky hated to have the attention diverted from her, but how could she ignore Jace’s request without looking like an attention-whore?

  “This is Sydney, Justin, Amanda, Robert, and my best friend in the whole wide world, Rachel,” she said, pointing to each person in turn. “Rachel, can you be a sweetie and get me a bottle of water?”

  Becky turned her attention back to Jace just before Rachel rolled her eyes at her “very best friend in the whole wide world.” She mouthed the word “sweetie” as she pushed her seat back from the table and rose to do Becky’s bidding. With a final act of rebellion, she stuck her tongue out at the back of Becky’s head. Rachel was usually so calm, so mature, her uncharacteristic act caught me by surprise and I laughe
d out loud. Bad move.

  Heads swiveled toward me. Becky’s eyes narrowed and her cruel mouth twisted in an evil grin. “And, of course, you’ve met Alisa. She’s the girl who was totally drooling over you in first period. Watch out for her. She’s mental.”

  Laughter rang out. I blushed, humiliated to be singled out in front of Jace. It was ridiculous. Becky wasn’t particularly funny or clever. Why was everyone still laughing at the same crap she’d been saying since middle school?

  “Seriously,” Becky continued. “Back in eighth grade…”

  “Here’s your water,” Rachel said, interrupting Becky’s story.

  “Thanks, sweetie. I was just telling Jace about the time in middle school when…”

  Again, Becky was interrupted, but this time by Jace. “So, what is there to do around here? What do you usually do on the weekends?”

  With shining eyes and a brilliant smile, Becky listed all the “awesome” things our small town of Oaktree had to offer. Again, I silently thanked Jace for distracting my cousin. Whether it was intentional or not, the result was the same. Becky wasn’t tormenting me.

  When the bell rang, chair legs scraped the floor as clusters of students disbanded. Just to be safe, I waited for Becky to leave the immediate area before I stood up. With my backpack in hand, I turned around, nearly crashing into Jace. Where was Becky? I thought she’d become permanently attached to his side. How did Jace escape her?

  “Forgot my book,” he said in response to my unasked question. “You don’t seem mental to me. Nice to meet you, Alisa.”

  By the time I managed to close my gaping mouth and still my roiling emotions, Jace was already at the cafeteria door heading toward the south hallway. At last, I propelled my feet forward and left the empty cafeteria. I didn’t care if I was late for class. I didn’t care if Becky tormented me every day for the rest of the year. Jace was nice to me. And he knew my name.

  Maybe my junior year wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  Chapter Two

  Rachel

  I didn’t want to spend the school year being Becky’s “best friend in the whole wide world.” Nor did I want to be her “sweetie.” Becky was already on my last nerve and it was only the first day of school. I couldn’t figure out why I was so irritable. Maybe it was the heat. Or maybe I was stressed out. Maybe I was just tired of Becky.

  She burned up my cell phone all day long, and almost every single text mentioned Jace. I finally put my phone on silent mode and stopped reading her texts. There’d be hell to pay later for ignoring her, but the punishment would be far worse if my phone was confiscated by a teacher and they called my mother to pick it up from the office. I wasn’t about to lose my phone, my car, and the few freedoms I’d earned this year—not over Becky’s new crush.

  Jace was cute. Okay, he was hot. But he was just a guy. A guy with sculpted muscles. Deep brown, intelligent eyes. Smooth mocha skin, just a shade darker than my own. Just a guy. I already had a boyfriend, so I had no business thirsting over Jace. As my mother always said, boys were a dime a dozen and there were lots of fish in the sea. It was stupid to get carried away over a boy.

  After school, I stowed my books in my locker and trudged outside to the football field for cheerleading practice. I tried to participate in as many extracurricular activities as possible because my mother said it would look good on college applications. In addition to activities and sports, I also kept my grades up and did volunteer work, all the things I was assured would help me get a scholarship to a good school. My mother could probably afford to pay my tuition, but it would be tough. As she constantly reminded me, money doesn’t grow on trees. She loved clichés and used them liberally.

  It was the only thing liberal about her. My mother was strict. To the casual outsider, it might seem like I had everything I wanted, and for the most part, that was true. I didn’t lack for anything. I had a car, a cell phone, nice clothes—and a list of chores a mile long. I had church work, bible study, and family obligations too. While my friends partied non-stop on the weekends, I had to earn my freedom. I had to ask before I made plans. I had to earn the keys to my car and the money for the gas to drive it.

  My friends felt sorry for me because I had such an overzealous mother watching over me. My boyfriend, Robert, complained about her on a regular basis. He wanted a girlfriend he could stay out late with. A girlfriend who didn’t have to call her mama every two hours. Sometimes I feared he’d break up with me. Sometimes I hoped he would.

  Becky, our cheerleading captain, was already outside standing by the bleachers. Girls milled around, whining about the ninety-five degree heat, drinking from plastic water bottles, and swiping at ribbons of sweat slithering down bare necks and midriffs.

  “I texted you a million times,” Becky complained.

  “Sorry. You know how Mr. Mills is. I didn’t want to lose my phone.”

  “Jace is in my Geography class.”

  “Cool.”

  “Isn’t he hot?” she asked sitting down on the grass and reaching out to grasp her ankle with both hands.

  “He’s cute.” I sat down next to her and began my stretches.

  “He’s more than cute. Do you think he knows I’m interested?”

  I bit back a laugh. “Girl, I think everyone knows you’re interested.”

  “Whatever. I need to make sure he knows I’m available before one of these other girls snatches him up.” She shot a nasty look at our fellow cheerleaders as if they were already plotting to steal her man.

  “Ask him out,” I said.

  “I don’t ask guys out. They ask me out.” She stood up and motioned for the other girls to line up.

  During warm-ups, a tall, dark figure at the edge of the field caught my eye. Jace cut across the empty field behind the school, presumably on his way home. Why didn’t he have a car? Maybe he hadn’t turned sixteen yet. Or maybe he didn’t have his license. He probably wouldn’t have to walk home for long. In no time, he’d have girls clamoring to give him rides home. Of course, if Becky had anything to do with it, Jace wouldn’t talk to any other girls but her. Jealousy simmered under my burning skin, making the heat more uncomfortable than it already was. Why did I care about how Jace got home from school, or who he chose for a girlfriend? It was none of my business.

  Another dark figure appeared at the tree line of the woods bordering the field and seemed to skirt along the edge. Dizziness assaulted me as I watched him, and I staggered, almost falling over. I blinked to clear my vision. When I peered into the woods again, the dark figure had disappeared. My eyes were playing tricks on me. It had been happening a lot lately, probably a result of the extreme heat. Another wave of dizziness passed over me and I missed a step in the routine we were practicing.

  “Rachel, you okay?” Coach Patrice asked. “Girls, let’s take a break and hydrate. Everyone needs to bring a water bottle to practice. I don’t want anyone passing out.”

  I sat down on the bleachers and took a huge swig from my water bottle. Squinting into the distance, I could barely see Jace. Another person trudged across the field, but it wasn’t the same dark, hulking figure I’d seen before. This person was smaller, shorter, and had a mop of brunette hair. Alisa. I’d seen her walk that way last school year. Always alone.

  I felt sorry for Alisa. Becky always tormented her cousin for no reason at all. The rivalry started in middle school, but in all honesty, Becky had never been nice to her. I couldn’t remember why Becky decided to hate Alisa—it might have been a dispute over a crush.

  Then again, I couldn’t remember when it had been decided I was Becky’s best friend. It was certainly not a conscious decision on my part. Becky chose her best friends based on convenience, and though I’d been declared her Bestie today, she might choose someone else tomorrow. There had been a time in ninth grade when it was an honor to be Becky’s best friend, but, for me, most of the glamour had departed long ago. Being Becky’s best friend meant fetching bottled water, listening to her rants, and lendi
ng her a favorite garment or purse she might never return.

  At Coach Patrice’s summons, I stood up and followed the other girls back to the field. My gaze searched the field for Jace, but I couldn’t see him anymore. A fleeting feeling of disappointment washed over me. I wanted to see him one last time. But it was for the best. Jace was a distraction and even though he probably didn’t know it, he practically belonged to Becky. He’d been claimed.

  Chapter Three

  Alisa

  The temperatures during the first week of school reached record highs and the walk home on Friday was beyond miserable. I’d been too apathetic to take my driver’s test. Consequently, I was practically the only junior at Cooper High who was forced to either take the bus or hoof it. I cut through the field behind school to get home faster.

  I noticed two figures just ahead of me and nearly turned back. I’d seen Jace walking this way a few times, but he was usually alone. Since I had no social skills to speak of, I usually hung back, skulking along the edges of the woods, avoiding contact. There were a couple of times I’d been tempted to increase my gait, to catch up with him and start a conversation, but I’d never actually worked up the courage to do so.