Free Sinners of Magic by Lynette Creswell Page B

placed at the centre. One
by one they each became engrossed in what Tremlon was saying.
    ‘ Hello guys!’
came a cheery voice, startling them all. ‘What are you doing hiding
down here?’
    Taken by surprise, Crystal spun
round in her chair. Tremlon’s eyes grew wide at the intrusion,
instantly transmuting back into a dove. He flapped his wings,
taking flight before Crystal had a chance to pin him down again,
and he flew to the safety of the rafters, hiding along the wooden
beams.
    Crystal gasped, screwing her
eyes up to try to catch a glimpse of him, but he was nowhere to be
seen. Fury filled her heart and, consumed with anger, Crystal
turned on the intruder. Her rage fell on her victim like boiling
water poured over an unsuspecting ant.
    ‘ You stupid,
stupid idiot!’ she cried. ‘Have you any idea what you’ve just
done!’
    ‘ Err, I’m
really sorry,’ said a trembling voice. ‘I didn’t realise I was
interrupting anything important.’
    Matt jumped out of his seat and
viewed the young girl standing before him with angry eyes.
    ‘ She’s my
sister!’ he revealed, showing obvious contempt. ‘Camilla, what the
hell are you doing here?’
    ‘ Why? What’s
the big deal,’ his sister replied, suddenly pouting like a spoilt
child. Her large, brown eyes locked onto his when she added, ‘I
didn’t realise it was against the law to come and find my
brother.’
    ‘ But you
never come here,’ Matt insisted, grinding his teeth. ‘Why choose
today of all days to change a habit of a lifetime?’
    Camilla bit her lip and looked
sulkily at the floor.
    Exasperated, Crystal bolted
forward, pushing the girl aside, and it was Alfie who reached out
and grabbed her. Her face was shiny with tears and she paused,
mid-step, at his touch.
    ‘ Oh, what
does it all matter?’ she muttered, trying to make light of the
heartbreak she was feeling inside. ‘Tremlon’s probably gone for
good and so I’ll never know the truth now.’ Alfie stared at her
with his sad, puppy dog eyes but Crystal’s head was so scrambled
with damning revelations that she didn’t see the pity welling
inside them.
    Her exposure was no real
surprise to her; in fact it was nothing more than an unexpected
confirmation of what she had always known. It was a secret she had
held at arm’s length, the whisper she had kept silent for so long.
The skin around her beautiful blue eyes tightened just a little
whilst she accepted who she might be. In reality though, who was
she? Was she different because of her father? The father she had
never met, the man who had died before she was born? Was he the one
from this other world, an Elvin creature like Tremlon? She had been
so close to a major discovery about herself, but now any chance of
finding her real identity was shattered. She brushed Alfie’s hand
away and, without looking back, walked from the library and into
the arms of a torrential downpour.
    Matt watched her leave. He
wanted to rush after her and tell her it would all work out, but he
didn’t know that for sure and he realised she probably needed time
alone.
    ‘ I really
feel for her,’ he said, raking his fingers through his dark hair,
‘she’s in a place we don’t even know exists.’ He turned towards his
fourteen-year-old sister, a look of disdain glowing inside his
eyes. ‘I could quite easily murder you right now,’ he said, finally
allowing his anger to escape.
    ‘ What did I
do?’ Camilla wailed, clearly unaware of the dilemma she’d just
caused.
    ‘ You followed
me here!’ Matt snapped, pointing an accusing finger. ‘And to think,
you’ve never read a book in your life!’
    ‘ Dad told me
where you’d gone actually,’ she blurted, sounding a little hurt.
‘All I wanted was someone to hang out with.’
    Matt bit his lip when he caught
her wretched expression.
    ‘ It’s time we
left,’ he said, dropping his gaze. ‘You’ve done more than enough
damage for one day.’ He marched off down the corridor, with Alfie
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