Chapter Two

Kalum

I pace up and down the beach. My magic runs wild underneath my skin, sometimes breaking through and flashing sea-green as it swirls around my hands and arms. The Fifteen sits spread out on the beach, the large bonfire giving them each long shadows. But we are only thirteen. Emira, my soulmate, and her father have not been with us for over a year. The only times we heard from them were when he had his monthly check-ins. Emira, of course, had no idea that he had them. Even if she did, she had no idea who he was talking to. I look at the pink vines and heart-shaped crystal that adorn my right wrist, the symbol of our soulmate bond as my last memory of my sweet Emira flashes through my mind. Last year, we were preparing her and her twin's sixteenth birthday party. Emira is the kind of girl who can make everyone feel happy and safe. She is a light wherever she goes. She is beautiful and smart. And she is powerful. She is the Aether Witch. Emira and her twin, Stella, were going to have a fun surprise party. But whilst we were planning it, Emira screamed in our minds. She cried for help. She was under attack by a greater demon. We raced to the beach. All of The Fifteen gathered to fight this demon. But it paid no attention to us. All it wanted was Emira. No matter what we did, it went after Emira. We tried to cloak her, create duplicate images of her to confuse the demon, but nothing worked. We fought long and hard. Each time it retreated, we rested, but it always came back and went after Emira. It could sense her magic and was drawn to it. Emira, being the sweetest and kindest soul on the planet, was worried that everyone was in danger because of her, so she came up with a plan. It was crazy and reckless and broke my heart. But after a lot of convincing and a couple more attacks, we acted on her plan. We spent a long time in each other's arms, trying to find a way to say goodbye. We had no idea how long we were going to be separated. But we set the plan in action anyway. We blocked her memories of us and magic. The magic that was placed on her was so strong that she passed out. That was the last time I held her. She was limp and unconscious in my arms and I placed a kiss on her head. She looked so fragile and breakable. She always felt so little as she barely reached my chin, but seeing her unconscious like that was hard. Then her father drove off with her, to New York City. Up until this morning, I thought that I wouldn't see her for years. But the phone call this morning was panicked and rushed. Now here we are. I pace consistently. My friends are drawing a pentagram, preparing for the spell that will be cast once Emira and her father arrive.

"Kalum!" I turn to the sound of my name. The group stares at me.

"What?" I ask. Eddie, a tall guy with ash-blond hair and cobalt blue eyes, laughs and pats my shoulder.

"Look at the ground, my friend. You've paced into a hole." I look down and find that I have, indeed, walked back and forth so many times that my path is deeper than the rest of the sand. I open my mouth to speak, but I don't know what I'm going to say.

"Leave him alone Eddie!" All eyes turn from me to the one who scolded Eddie. Our eyes find Stella Spring, Eddie's soulmate. "He hasn't seen Emira, his soulmate, in over a year! How would you feel if you were in his shoes." Eddie looks at Stella for a long time, then turns his eyes back to me. A look of sadness and understanding passes through his eyes as he places himself in my shoes for a moment. He sighs and apologizes. I pat his shoulder.

"It's ok, I'll see her soon enough." I turn to Stella. She looks so much like Emira that it can sometimes be hard to look at her without missing Emira. They both have long platinum white hair and pale skin. The only thing separating them is their eye color. Stella's is a golden color to represent her sun magic, whilst Emira's are a vibrant pink, the color of the Aether Magic. "How are you not pacing next to me? She's your twin." She smiles sadly.

"I know," She sighs. "I am keeping a calm facade for my mom, but inside I am freaking out. My dad and my twin, both of whom I haven't seen for over a year, are coming home today. And one of them won't remember me." She wraps her arms around her torso in a self hug. Eddie walks over to her and pulls her into a hug.

"It's ok my love." He says as he rests his chin on her head. "Emira will remember you soon." I pull a necklace out of my front pocket. I let it hang in front of my eyes, the moonlight shines through the rough crystal hanging at the bottom of a silver chain.

"Is that?" Stella asks. She runs up to me and lets the crystal rest in her hand. The excitement in her eyes reminds me of Emira. Once again she reminds me of her sister. I smile and nod. The crystal necklace is actually the Book of Shadows for our coven. Emira was chosen to be the keeper of it and when she was forced to leave, she wanted us to still have it, so she transformed it into this necklace so that we could keep it safe until she returned.

"Yes. It's the Book of Shadows. Emira transformed it and left it with me before we blocked her. And I plan on returning it today."

"You mean now?" Eddie points at the road, more accurately, at a car coming towards us. My heart flutters and a feeling of relief settles in me. My soulmate is almost home. My Emira.