Wraithsong by E. J. Squires

didn’t my kiss work? I think back to the meeting
with Principal Jenkins where my mom only had to grace her finger
with saliva and touch Principal Jenkins’s hand and then he
conformed to her wishes nicely and in an instant. I, however,
planted a kiss on Anthony’s cheek, so it should have been more
potent. Maybe it’s harder to use my flair than I thought, or maybe
there’s such a thing as an immune human.
     
     
     

Chapter 9
     
    Back home, I pick at my
dinner plate with my fork. Homemade lasagna is usually one of my
favorite meals, but today, not even ice cream for dinner would have
tempted me. I want to ask my mom about Anthony and why my flair
didn’t work on him, figuring that maybe it’s different when I use
my flair on a boy. I know my mom would be furious if I admitted to
kissing a boy, even if it was only on the cheek, but if I don’t
tell her, I might never find out.
    “ You don’t have to keep
sulking over my decision about the prom. It’s not going to make me
change my mind.” My mom sits down next to me. She’s been unusually
moody since she found out that her sister vanished and the Huldras
were killed. I don’t blame her; I just wish there was something I
could say to help her through this tough time, but I have a hard
time finding the right words.
    “ That’s not why I’m upset,”
I say.
    “ No?”
    “ No. I’m just tired, that’s
all.” I look out the window, over the man-made lake behind our
house. The lake is smooth, with nearly no disturbances on its
glass-like surface.
    “ Do you feel sick?” she
asks.
    “ Maybe.” I should skip
school on Monday. It will be embarrassing if I meet Anthony in the
hallway, especially if he’s with that blonde bimbo. I even consider
skipping school for the rest of the year and just leave for
Kensington. “I’ve been thinking about Kensington.”
    “ Yes?”
    “ I guess I’m kind of
excited to go.” I’m not too excited, but there’s not much for me
here in Sarasota at the moment and I think getting away will feel
good.
    “ Oh?” My mom’s eyes light
up and she sounds pleased.
    “ I have a question for you,
but it’s kind of random,” I finally say.
    “ Sure, go ahead.” She takes
a bite of lasagna.
    “ I’ve been wondering, are
there any people who are immune to a Huldra’s flair? I mean, if
they were just really strong-minded individuals or something that
make them different from the average person?”
    She smiles. “Well, if there
are, I’ve never met one.”
    “ What about you and Dad? I
know you were in love, but wasn’t he immune?” I ask.
    “ Yes, but that was because
I gave him the antidote even before we shared our first kiss,” she
says.
    “ What’s the antidote?” I
think my mom will dodge my question, like she has so many times
before.
    She pauses and takes a sip
of her white wine. “I suppose it can’t hurt if I tell you now. It’s
not part of the ceremony, so I don’t think I’d be breaking any
rules by telling you. The antidote comes from the Tree of
Life.”
    “ Like the Tree of Life from
the Bible?” I have heard about it in religion class, and I lean
forward, eager to hear more.
    She nods. “Yes, the very
one.” She traces the edges of her wine glass with her middle
finger.
    “ But no one knows where the
tree is,” I say, not really knowing if that’s a fact or
not.
    My mom smiles. “That’s
true, but we still have the elixir.”
    “ So are Huldras the only
ones who have that elixir?” I’m trying to figure out if Anthony
might have it. He does seem very into Huldras, since he had a
drawing of one in his treasure chest.
    “ Yes, only the Huldras
received it,” she says.
    I gather that Anthony
definitely doesn’t have the elixir then, so my question remains
unanswered. Why hasn’t he responded to me? Maybe there’s something
wrong with me. “So, is there a way I could lose my
flair?”
    “ No, of course not. It’s
something you’re born with. You can’t lose your genetic