Chapter One

The Pendants

 

"Tomorrow, you will receive your Elixirs."

That sentence made me wake up from my during-class-hours nap. Oh shite, I thought. Instinctively, my head turned to the direction of Julia's desk. Her blank expression hid her fear--her fear of getting a stupid, useless power--and her excitement. She noticed me looking at her, and she turned her head to me and offered me a sad smile. She knew my secret--that I had lost my Pendant and replaced it with a silly gem I found in my attic.

The only thought I could form at that moment was: I'm screwed.

We weren't supposed to receive our Elixirs until we were eighteen, but majority of us here are either fourteen or fifteen, which means something must have happened for the Rules to be changed. Something bad.

"Now," continues the teacher. "We all know what these Elixirs will do. They are the Elixirs of Release, which means your powers will finally be released from your Pendants. Now, be honest, who doesn't have a Pendant?"

My hand shot up in the air. "I lost my Pendant, ma'am."

"Then what is that you are wearing?" she asked, her eyes showing that she was clearly annoyed.

"It is simply a stone I found in my attic."

She gave a small humph, then she said, "You must claim a new one at the Pendant Council Headquarters before tomorrow afternoon."

"Yes, ma'am."

***

You wouldn't imagine how relieved I was to hear the bell ring for free period.

"Angel!" Julia called, running toward me, her blue eyes concerned. "Are you okay? You look really sick--"

"I'm fine," I say. "Could you, er, come with me to get a new Pendant? I can't ask my parents to go, they don't even know I lost it. But, really, it's okay if you don't come with me. I'm sure I can handle it on my own."

She smiles at me. "I know the procedures to get a new one. Louise needed a new one before, when they thought that her Pendant had a weak power because its color was white." Ah, Louise. Louise is Julia's little sister, whom I think is around eleven years old right now.

"I miss her," I say truthfully. "Louise is so fun to be around."

"I could always ask her to come with us."

***

Fifteen minutes later, we were at the lobby of the Pendant Council Headquarters, with little Louise with us. Louise was playing with her hair, twirling strands of it between her soft, chubby fingers.

"Did you miss me, Lou?" I asked her. The last time I saw her was three years ago, when she came to my house for Trick-or-Treating.

She smiled and handed me a toy. It was a wooden figure of a girl. The girl was wearing a ball gown, but the awkward part was, she was holding a gun in one hand, and a sword in the other. Her hair was tied in a thick braid behind her head. "I missed you a lot, Angie. I even made this toy for you. It's a lot like Julia. She has a bad side and a polite side." Her grin was wicked while she spoke about her older sister.

I couldn't help it, I chuckled. "Yes, it is a lot like her."

"Miss Angel Silverheart?" The girl who spoke my name had long, curly brown hair. Her mascara and eye shadow bringing out her charcoal eyes.

"Yes? That's me," I say.

She gestures for me to follow her. "Come, come. Please do hurry."

We enter a small room with plain white walls. There are at least eight large shelves surrounding the chairs and desk at the middle of the room. On each shelf, there are jars and labels, and inside the jars are the different Pendants.

"Sit down, Miss Silverheart," says the boy behind the desk. "Please fill out this form to claim a Pendant."

Name: Angel Tegan Silverheart

Age: Fourteen (14)

Date of Birth: April 15th

Parents: William Silverheart, Anna Silverheart

Your Symbol: A heart with a halo

After filling out the form, I gave the paper to him and he inspected it. "I checked your records, and you qualify for a Pendant. I was told you lost your old one, so the only thing you need to do now is to state the color of your old Pendant."

I tried to picture my old Pendant. It was light green, shaped a little like a dove. "It was light green. Shaped like a dove."

He nods. He walks to a shelf and picks up a jar filled with Pendants that resemble my previous one. "Pick one randomly," he says.

I put my hand inside the jar and feel around it. I pick up the one in the bottom center. "Is this it? May I leave with it now?"

"Yes, that is all. Remember to attach it to the chain around your neck."

"Thanks," I say, and I walk out the door with my new pendant.