"I'm sorry, love. I really wish I didn't have to take your memories from you."
Gram's eyes shone with tears.
Hugging her tightly, I cried. "I understand, but no more secrets, ok?" I broke away, and our gaze locked onto each other.
"Now that you remember the magic I took from you, it is time for you to decide if you are ready for it. You're right. No more secrets," Gram vowed.
Chapter
Four
Gram brought me to her bedroom. The space was bright and airy.
Lavender, vanilla, and cinnamon faintly scented the air. The walls
were bare, except for a large oval mirror. The silver frame had a
straw-like design. To me, it looked like it was cradled inside a bird's nest.
Gram pulled out a silver chest from under her king-size mahogany bed. I had
seen the chest as a young girl, snooping around. When I found it, I asked about
the names engraved on it. She told me it was very special, and that mine would,
one day, be on it, too. I begged for her to put my name on it, then and there. She
laughed and promised I would learn more when it was time – the right time.
Gram set it before me. "Open the chest, love. It is time you learn who we are
and what's inside. This box was given to me by my mother. Each of the women
on this chest promised to keep the elemental magic safe from those who would
misuse it.”
I traced the names with my fingertip. The name Genevieve felt warm and tingled as if it was a song. Tracing my grandmother's name, I felt the same warmth along with a rush of peace and tranquility. When I moved to the next one
below Gram's, I stopped and stared. Eliza was icy and made my heart beat faster.
“Why does her name feel so cold? Does it mean she's dead, Gram?” I
whispered.
“Open the chest, and you will have answers to your questions,” she
promised, unable to hide the sadness in her voice.
When I opened the lid, the chest began to glow with a lavender light so
intense that it lit up the room. Deep inside the box, resting on a satin bed, was a ring. Braided silver surrounded the robin egg blue stone. I picked it up and held
it.
Looking back into the chest, I saw a dark-haired woman smiling as she
placed a ring. It looked like the same piece of jewelry, except for her purple stone. Her image faded.
When the next woman appeared, I gasped as I recognized her. It was my
grandmother. She was a teenager with long brown hair pulled into a delicate braid. White flowers were laced throughout the twisted locks. Her soft brown eyes shined as she held a dark blue ring in front of her and said, “I promise to
always protect this magic. I vow only to use it to protect and guide, never for self-benefit.”
The first woman appeared again. She spoke in a firm voice as she gazed deep
into my eyes. “Marina Addisyn Stone, do you promise to protect this magic from
those who would misuse it? Will you stand strong, and defend the magic when
the time comes?”
Before I could say a word, an image of a young girl appeared. It was
undeniably my mother, Eliza. Her dark red hair flowed down her back in loose
curls, and her green eyes shone proudly as she swore her oath as a protector while holding a ring with a light pink stone.
