The Crystal Chronicles

Chapter 3 part 2: Surfs Up

Hi everyone!! As mentioned in my profile The Crystal Chronicles is a published novel and available for purchase if you would like to read ahead ( a lot of people have been asking lol). If you are interested in purchasing the book please click the external link at the bottom of this page which will send you to the bookstore on my website! Happy reading everyone! Xoxo

Feel free to check out my YouTube channel below! l I make videos about writing, publishing, lifestyle, and true crime. If any of that interests you, feel free to subscribe to my channel! (I post every Tuesday)

***

On the morning of my departure, everything was calm. I woke up calm, without an ounce of fear about leaving my home behind. I suppose it was hard to miss a home when it had never really felt like one. Life here was uneventful—a melting pot of days and weeks and years. Even the last two days had passed rather meaninglessly. School had ended just as boring as it started, with the exception of the bathroom incident, and yesterday had been all about packing. I decided to bring little with me. If entering a new life was what I was being forced to do, I wanted to do it with no extra baggage.

"Are you ready?" My mother watched me with soft eyes from her place at the kitchen table, twiddling her thumbs nervously. I swallowed. I may not have minded leaving my home, but I was nervous about entering a world that I knew nothing about.

"Ready for something I know nothing about? No. But I'm going anyway, so what does it matter?" I tried not to sound bitter. I couldn't even speak about what I did to Tori, because I knew what I did was wrong. In fact, it was better that they knew nothing at all.

"Attending Magnorium is a privilege," my dad said defensively.

"I never said I didn't feel privileged," I said dryly. It felt like every little thing my parents did or said now made them feel even more like a pair of strangers.

The doorbell rang, reverberating through the silence of the house, and my dad rose from his seat to grab the door. The faint sound of excited chatter carried its way to the kitchen, and he returned a moment later with a strange man in tow.

The man was ridiculously tall; in fact, his height was so staggering that he barely fit through the kitchen doorway. His body was covered in thick, ropey muscle, his wide frame taking up my entire line of vision. Only when I looked up did I meet his eyes, a dull grey that seemed to somehow compliment the shiny baldness of his head. He was proportionately large everywhere except for his head, which was oddly small. I couldn't help but be reminded of a giant egg with tiny eyes, because that was exactly what he looked like. The man held out a meaty hand in front of my nose, clearing his throat.

"Hello Miss Brooks. My name is Mondo and I'm Magnorium's personal escorter."

I nodded, tentatively taking his hand and hoping it wouldn't break mine. "Hello."

The scowl on his face prevented me from forming another intelligent thing to say. He swooped down to grab my duffel bag from the floor, and swung it over his shoulder.

"So you're the newbie. That sort of thing is rare, but hey, Magnorium takes in everyone."

"What?" I asked curiously. "My case is rare?"

"Most Elementals are aware of their powers and develop them intentionally from a very young age. Very few people keep their children in the dark, it's seen as a disadvantage. Besides most children come to Magnorium at thirteen. You're a bit overdue."