Read Spellbound (the Spellbound Series Book 1) for Free Online

inwardly; this isn’t going as expected. I want to get to the interesting stuff immediately, not go through Krystal’s weird initiation process. Regardless, I close my eyes, and focus my energy inward as instructed. After only a few seconds, I find what Krystal was talking about; I can feel a massive current of energy flowing through me, but the majority of it is being blocked by some invisible force. I press against this “wall” tentatively, and it gives a little, so I press a bit harder. I break into a sweat, and almost lose my concentration more than once, but I push and push, until finally, the wall begins to splinter. Bits of energy trickle through the cracks, until the wall shatters completely, and it all washes over me in one massive wave. I can feel the power pulsing through every part of my body; I’ve only felt this in short bursts in the burnt-out building by my school, but never to this degree. It’s becoming clear that I have much more strength than I had ever dreamed.
    My eyes fly open, and for a moment, I’m blinded by a bright blue light. I realize it’s coming from the flat-screen TV across the room, reflecting the light blue aura that now surrounds me. A terrifyingly strong wind rips through the room, blowing papers and magazines all around, and tearing paintings from the walls. Krystal and Nick gaze at me in awe, their hair being blown to and fro as well, and slowly, my aura begins to dim, and fades back into nonexistence.
    My feet touch the ground – I must have been floating an inch or two above it – at which point, I realize that I no longer feel fatigued at all. In fact, I feel like I could run laps around Central Park. I want to say something profound to make the moment feel more significant than it already is, but what actually comes out of my mouth is, “Sorry about the mess.”
    Krystal laughs, and assures me that it’s fine, then instructs me to follow her onto the roof while Nick carries in the groceries. We take the elevator up to the top floor, and walk up a flight of stairs, and then we’re outside. We’re high up enough that no one could possibly see us from the surrounding buildings, which is to our advantage, but just a peek over the wall surrounding the roof is enough to make me want to head back inside. Krystal leads me over to an unsurprisingly barren rooftop garden, where we find nothing but tiny rocks and the signs that told everyone which vegetables were being grown and where. Krystal picks up a pebble at random, and says, “We’ll start small. I want you to try and lift the pebble from my palm.”
    I ask, “Don’t I need to say the magic words? Or wave my wand, or something?”
    Krystal shakes her head. “The power comes from you. We don’t need twigs and made up words.”
    “So, what you’re telling me is…”
    “No, there will be no foolish wand-waving, or silly incantations in this class.”
    I stare at the pebble in Krystal’s palm, and focus intently on making it move, but the best I can do is make it shudder. I try again, and it floats for about a second before plopping down on her palm. “I can’t do it,” I say. “But… I just destroyed your living room, this should be a breeze.”
    “It’s alright; you’re doing better than most people on their first try. Lifting the pebble is an exercise in both focus and precision. You need to concentrate on every spell you ever perform, or the end result may be disastrous. And you’ve already shown a flair for destruction, so this is an important lesson for you.”
    Nick, who had been watching from outside the garden, comes up beside me to get a better look, and any hope I had of focusing goes out the window. Krystal seems to sense this as well, and glares at Nick as she says, “I want you to take this pebble home, and practice with it. Then, make your way back here when you can make it move from one point to another with precision. I’m sure Nick will keep in touch with you, and bring you back when