Pentacle

Glowing Eyes and Glaring Questions

Under Acacia's fingertips, the next page revealed the same celestial symbol as the cover—a star encircled by a ring. The sole difference was that each point of the star was marked by a pair of glowing eyes, each in a different hue. One pair, in particular, caught Acacia's attention—stormy gray irises streaked with azure undertones that eerily mirrored the ones she saw reflected in the mirror each day.

"What—what is it?" Harper asked, her voice trembling as her hands wring together nervously.

Acacia's gaze flickered to her, her heart skipping a beat when she noticed Harper's watery amber eyes—not unlike those displayed in the book—staring back at her.

"Earth to Gothica," Jace said, breaking the silence as he ran a hand through his hair and lounged back in the antique armchair.

Jace's jade eyes pierced Acacia, his gaze as sharp as freshly honed steel. She returned her attention to the book, her pulse racing as she studied the green and fiery eyes sitting adjacent to distinct points of the star.

This is too weird, Acacia thought, her fingers twitching to close the book. But as she tried to shut it, an invisible force pushed back against her as if the book itself was resisting.

She pressed harder on the cover, not wanting to know why or how she was having a muscle competition with a book. Triumph surged through her as she started to win, a smug grin curling her lips. But just as the cover was about to slam shut, the pentacle shimmered and sent a spark arcing from it to her fingers.

"Ouch!" Acacia yelped, pulling her hand back and bringing her singed fingers to her lips. She snarled as the book snapped open in her lap, flipping to a blank page. "Bitch."

"Are you okay?" Harper asked, her voice edged with worry. "What ha—"

Harper's words trailed off as she became captivated by the spectral images slowly materializing on the once-blank page. The girls stared, transfixed, as ten shadowy figures appeared around the star, two at each point. Each pair of figures bore the same vibrant eyes Acacia had seen on the previous page. The figures clasped hands, encircling the star as it glowed so brightly that it forced the girls to squint. Then, the scene shifted: half of the figures vanished, causing the circle to shrink and its light to dim.

The girls watched, riveted, as shadowy creatures slithered from the page's inky borders, launching an assault on the remaining figures. Overhead, a sun and moon alternated. Acacia assumed it marked the passage of time because, with each oscillation, more silhouettes joined the fray, rushing to aid colorful-eyed figures. With every few celestial rotations, the number of aiding figures fluctuated, and the star's luminosity ebbed and flowed accordingly. Its radiance intensified whenever many figures fought the monsters and dulled when only a small handful linked with the color-eyed figures' power.

The cycle repeated until only four figures remained, their eyes glowing purple, amber, gray, and blue. Suddenly, another figure appeared, a guardian of two little figures; its eyes shone purple. The original four encircled the newcomer, who then disappeared, leaving the two small figures behind. Of the two little figures, one had purple eyes while the other's were blue. The larger color-eyed figures laid hands on the taller purple-eyed figure as it held the smaller ones. Gradually, the vivid color of the smaller figures' eyes drained into the taller purple-eyed figure, and the tiny figures collapsed into a peaceful slumber.

"What is this?" Harper whispered, her voice trembling as awe and fear widened her eyes at the vivid animation unfolded on the page.

"Shh," Acacia hushed, her attention unwavering, captivated by the story blossoming before them.

As the two small figures slept, even smaller, color-eyed figures approached the elders. Once again, the purple-eyed figure absorbed the vibrant colors from their irises one by one, causing them to fall into a deep, sleep-like state. The elder figures gently lifted the small ones, placing each on a distinct point of the star. In response, the star shone its brightest yet, compelling Harper and Acacia to shield their eyes again. When they opened their eyes, the small figures lay scattered across the page, still in a deep slumber.

Then, one by one, the elder figures disappeared until only the purple-eyed one remained to fend off the encroaching monstrous shadows. The star now flickered weakly, its light fading, while the lone figure looked battered and worn. As the lone figure crumbled to the ground, the small figures began to stir, sitting up with their eyes flickering with the colors that had been taken from them.

"Hey!" Jace's voice intruded, piqued with curiosity. He shoved Harper aside to see what had them so enthralled. His face twisted in disappointment when all he saw was nothing more than a lame painting of shadow figures. They hadn't been ignoring him over some literary masterpiece; they were just ignoring him. A growl rumbled in his throat as he flung the book to the floor.

"What the hell?" Acacia shouted, her voice a mix of anger and disbelief as she reached for the fallen book. To her dismay, the images on the page ceased to move. She flipped through the rest of the book, only to find the pages blank. Page after page of nothingness. She spun toward Jace, her anger reigniting as she stood to shove him. "You ruined it! There's seriously something wrong with you."

A smirk danced on Jace's lips, basking in Acacia's rage. Maybe next time, she'd think twice about ignoring him.

"I'm not the one who was gawking at some stupid shadow painting for five minutes," Jace said with a shrug.

"There was more—it wasn't just a painting—that is to say it...moved," Harper whispered, biting her thumbnail and shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

"Look! You broke Mary," Jace said, gesturing at Harper as he headed for the door. "Now, let's go before she's called to confession and spills everything about our little adventure to the old lady."

He stepped aside, making way for them to pass, but Acacia's attention returned to the book.

She traced the now-static images, trying to will them to replay the story they unveiled, but they remained stubbornly still. She yearned to see it again. She knew it held some significance, some crucial piece of information. But what?

"We were so close.... I was so close," she whispered, a new sense of loss washing over her. She was on the cusp of gaining the answers she craved. She wished the book would tell her something—anything—about what was happening to her...who she was.

As if hearing her silent plea, the book sprang to life, its pages flooding with words and images as they started flipping on their own.

"Hey, crazy!" Jace called, his hand clumped on Acacia's shoulder. He quickly released her, recoiling from the self-animated book. "What the fuck?"

The pages stopped, and Acacia grinned, holding the book up as she turned to the two terrified teens. She turned the book to face them so they could read the page for themselves.

Jace's eyes caught the bold calligraphy at the top of the page, and he read aloud, "Reclaim Lost Powers." He quickly regained his composure, raising a skeptical brow at Acacia. "Seriously?"

"Is that a-a spell?" Harper stuttered, her eyes widening.

Acacia's smile broadened.

"Ready to take back what was taken from us?" she asked, her voice imbued with newfound vigor.