Chapter 331

Tessa’s POV

“Mom, that necklace around your neck? What is it?” Ruby surprised me by asking.

Instinctively, Amelia wrapped her hands around the purple pendant and her face blanched. Her eyes met her daughter and narrowed.

“Why do you ask, Ruby?” She asked, her voice even as she tried not to give too much of a reaction to Ruby’s question.

Ruby’s brows pinched together in confusion; she could clearly see through the fact that her mother was bothered by something.

“Because I think it was mentioned in a vision I had,” she shocked me once again by saying.

My jaw nearly hit the ground.

“You had another vision? Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked her, a little more forward than I would have liked.

She looked at me.

“It happened today,” she answered. “After the vision, I was summoned here.”

“What was this vision?” Amelia asked, stopping our conversation. Her face was full of seriousness, and I could see a slight edge in her demeanor. Her fingers were still wrapped around the pendant as if her life depended on it.

“I didn’t actually see it,” Ruby admitted. “But I think it was mentioned. Is there significance to that purple crystal?”

Amelia swallowed hard.

“It’s very important,” Amelia said in a rushed tone. “Now, answer the question. What was your vision.”

Ruby was hesitant for a moment but then she looked at me and I could see her pale her face was.

“It was about your stepmother,” Ruby told me, making me suck in a sharp intake of breath.

“Don’t call her that,” I said through my teeth. “Call her either Penny or Eevee. But she is not my stepmother. She is not family.”

“Who are you talking about?” Amelia asked, sounding very impatient now. It was clear she didn’t like to be left in the dark; Ruby shared that trait.

“Someone who might want that crystal.” This time, it was Joseph who spoke. His eyes narrowed and I realized he’s been staring at that crystal for quite a while now.

“It’s the elemental crystal, right?” I asked.

From the shocked look on Amelia’s face, I knew I was spot on. She shook and her mouth was open so wide I thought it was going to fall off the rest of her face. She didn’t have to answer us to know we were right.

“What do you know about the elemental crystals?” She asked.

“We know that the purple one represents spirit,” I said without missing a beat. “We also know my grandmother gave each of the crystals to her closest allies formally from her coven to keep them protected. We also know that once those crystals are reunited with one another, any curse can be broken, including my mother’s curse that made everyone forget about what I am. Once they do know, a war will break out…”

Joseph grabbed my arm, silencing the rest of my words. It was clear I had said too much already and by the look on Amelia’s face, she was confused and alarmed at the same time. Her fingers were still tightly around the crystal, protecting it with everything she had.

“What exactly does that mean? What are you?” She asked, her eyes narrowed.

I glanced at Ruby who looked pale. She had been silently listening to our conversation observing each word spoken, and I knew she was consumed and terrified at the same time. I wanted to explain more to her without her mother’s presence.

“Someone powerful enough to make the world forget I existed,” I told her, wrapping my arms around my body. “Once the spell is broken, there will be a war and their goal is to get me.”

Amelia’s eyes narrowed.

“And you think this Penny wants this spell to be broken? Why? What good would starting a war do?” She asked, shaking her with disbelief evident on her face.

“She’s unable to get Tessa herself,” Joseph explained. “So, she’s trying to break the spell so others can get her and do all the hard work for her. Then, she will take what she needs for herself.”

“She recently went missing. We thought she was doing something else, but now I’m thinking she was going around and collecting these crystals,” I continued.

Amelia's brows pinched together.

“Impossible; nobody would just give them their crystal,” Amelia said shaking her head. “We were meant to protect these with our lives.”

“But they did,” Ruby said quickly, breaking her silence. “That’s what my vision was about. It makes sense now. She was looking in a small black pouch and different colors were dancing off her complexion. I wasn’t sure what was in the bag and she put it away before I could actually look. But she mentioned all she needed was the purple one.”

Amelia gasped and took a step back.

“I’m not sure how she was able to get the other crystals. But I have to believe it isn’t true. If it is… we are in some serious danger. These crystals are no joke.”

“Exactly,” I agreed. “Which means we need to do everything in our power to make sure she doesn’t get that crystal.”

“She won’t,” Amelia said with finality. “I’ll lay my life on the line for this crystal. Penny won’t get anywhere near it.”

Her words were strong and had finality in them. It was no wonder my grandmother trusted her to care for one of the crystals, but it made me wonder about the others. How were they able to lose their crystals if they were meant to protect them with their lives?

“Penny is halfway across the world though,” Ruby said, deep in thought. “She’s not meant to be here until Monday…”

I shook my head.

“No, attack my father on his farm on Monday when the bloodlust gets too much,” I told her. “But she’s back in town now.”

Penny and Amelia gasped at the same time and also spoke at the same time.

“Bloodlust?! She’s a vampire??—”

“She’s already back in town??—”

I nodded to both of their questions.

“Yes, I saw her in the city. She just got back to town. We were trying to figure out why she’s here so soon,” I said, my eyes finding Amelia’s. “But now I think I know why. She’s following you.”

Amelia’s face went pale.

“Great, a vampire is following me,” she muttered. “Just what I wanted right now.”

“We should hide my mother then,” Ruby said in a rushed tone as she jumped to her feet from the table. “We can’t let Penny get to her.”

“I’m not hiding from anybody. Certainly not a vampire,” Amelia said, folding her arms across her chest. “If she wants this crystal, Penny will have to fight me for it.”

“Mom!” Ruby complained, her eyes revealing just how horrified she was.

“We will help you,” I said quickly before Amelia could say anything in response to Ruby’s terror. “We aren’t going to let her get that last crystal.”

Amelia nodded as she met my eyes.

“Do you have a plan?”

I looked up at Joseph and saw that he was lost in thought, trying to process all this information. Then, I looked back at Amelia.

“Not yet,” I admitted. “But we will think of something. In the meantime, you should lay low for a few days.”

Amelia shook her head.

“I’m pretty well known; it’s hard to lay low,” she admitted. “Plus, I have Megan Huxley’s banquet to attend this weekend. I’m going to be in the eyes of the public and probably the center of attention. This could be a good or a bad thing. On the one hand, it’ll be hard to make a move on me in front of everybody. On the other hand, it won’t be hard to find me which means it won’t be hard to find the crystal.”

“Can you hide it somewhere?” Joseph finally asked.

“No!” Amelia said, looking shocked at his question. “I won’t take it off or leave it unattended.”

I nodded in understanding.

“Okay, we will figure it out. But I know one thing for sure; Penny will most likely be at the banquet. We need to find her before she finds Amelia.”

We all nodded in agreement.

“I can’t keep you guys in here for much longer,” the headmaster said from the doorway. He was kind enough to step into the hallway while she talked.

I nodded and then looked at Ruby who had tears in her eyes. I knew this whole thing was scaring her and I hated that I couldn’t provide her with the comfort she desperately needed.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close to me.

“I love you,” I told her. “Stay safe and if you have any more visions, try to contact one of us.”

She nodded, her eyes strong as they wrapped around my body and kept me in place.

“Please be safe, Tessa. I can’t lose you. You are my best friend… you are my sister. If anything happened to you—”

“Don’t think like that,” I said sharply. “Nothing is going to happen to me. Nothing will happen to any of us. We will figure this out.”

She nodded, forcing a smile as she looked at Joseph.

“Protect her,” she ordered, her eyes narrowed and her voice hardening.

Joseph wrapped a protective arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side.

“With my life,” he agreed.

She nodded and then turned to her mother who was still standing in the corner with her arms folded across her chest. Amelia’s face had hardened as she looked at her daughter. It was clear she still didn’t approve of what Ruby had become, even though it was out of Ruby’s control.

“Mom,” Ruby said, her voice dry.

Amelia nodded at her.

“We aren’t finished with this conversation about what you are now,” Amelia finally said after a long pause. “But you are my daughter and I love you, Ruby.”

Ruby nodded, her eyes shifting to the ground.

“Love you too, Mom.”

After we said our final goodbyes, we finally left Amelia trailing behind us.

“Can we bring you somewhere, Ms. Conrad?” Joseph asked once we were past the gates of the school.

Amelia shook her head and held up her car keys.

“I have a car,” she said. “But promise me we will stop Penny from whatever she’s planning. Because I have a feeling things are about to get so much worse.”

I nodded.

“Yeah, it’s only the beginning.”