Free A Diamond in My Pocket by Lorena Angell

take away their ability to
kill by thought.”
    Harold pulled out a small box from
his jacket pocket and opened the lid for all to survey. Inside, on a black
velvet cushion, sat an identical diamond to the one in my pocket. So which one
was the real diamond? The one in my pocket or the one held by the diamond
cutting master?
    I remembered the instructions of
not telling or showing anyone I had the stone, so I kept my mouth shut. Justin
seemed to have no memory of seeing the stone and I fully realized at that
moment what had just happened. The woman was a witch and she bewitched Justin’s
mind to forget. She cast spells on my mind too for both protection and strength,
and the power of the diamond emanated through my being. I foresaw a vision of
the future. I read her mind.
    I realized I had delved deeper into
the woman’s mind than I first thought. Her name was Maetha and she’s a well known
witch. Some call her a sorceress or evil spell-caster; both of which carry a leery
connotation. Her mind had opened and the experience was like sitting in front
of a giant jumbo-tron screen watching her speak to me with all these other
little screens positioned around showing other memories. One of those memories
was of my mother.
    I saw Maetha watching her when my
mother was a girl. My mother had once been considered to carry out this mission
but things weren’t completely in line for success. After my birth Maetha
started watching me too. She bewitched me that fateful day at the district
track meet. My speed was an enchantment so I’d get recognized by Mrs. Winter
and be brought here. I’d be fast enough to be spotted, but slow enough to be
the weakest member of the team to ensure I met with Harold Bates. Maetha had cast
spells on my parents also. That explained why they didn’t pitch a fit about me
going away. They were being controlled.
    I’m human—an enchanted human. What
a letdown! And yet, not much of a surprise.
    “Do you want to hold the diamond?”
Chris pulled me out of my thoughts with his unusual pleasantness. Apparently they
were taking turns holding the simulated diamond, inspecting the masterpiece.
    I took the beautiful stone into my
hands like I’d done in the reception area with Maetha. Nothing was special
about this one; in fact, the stone looked more like cut glass than a real
diamond. It was the same dimension and weight and had the same inscription on
the bottom, but was obviously a fake. Chris and Justin were completely
enthralled, thinking they were viewing an extremely valuable prize. I handed
the faux stone to Mr. Bates who placed the stone back in the box and closed the
top.
    Mr. Bates leaned forward in his
chair, “If the Death Clan believes for a second you are not going to deliver
the stone, well, I don’t think I need to tell you how horrible that would be. The
three of you must be together when the stone is delivered,” he faced me
directly and said, “They will need to trust they are not receiving a
counterfeit diamond.”
    Chris asked, “Why would they think
we’d be giving them a fake?”
    “The Sanguine Diamond possesses unimaginable
powers, and the idea someone might try stealing it is perfectly plausible. Your
clan is respectable and reliable, and your reputation as a whole is clean,
everyone knows this. But this is an assignment like no other and the Death Clan
understands all too well the temptation inherent with this delivery.”
    “How do we convince them it’s not a
counterfeit?” Justin asked.
    “Sometimes, the weakest can be the
strongest. All three must be present at the delivery of the diamond otherwise
the clan will suspect treachery between you. Treachery equals greed, greed
equals counterfeiting for gain. Three Runners, one weak, one average and one
strong must answer to each other and in doing so, ensure honesty. In this sense
you are all equals. Speed doesn’t matter when it comes to trust. Keeping your
trio together will convince them of the authenticity.”
    His