Elicia's Ice-A Descendants Novel BOOK 1

Aftermath

"Ellie," Carlos starts yet again. "It said we had a week. We can figure this out!" he says desperately. 

I point to the page again, jamming my finger on the paper. "No cure. No cure. Says it plain and clear. There is no cure."

"But---"

"Carlos, what's the point?" I rub the cut on my hand, smearing blue blood on my skin. "We've looked through every stinking book on curses in this library. There is nothing on cures."

"But we---"

"Stop it!" I snap. "There's nothing we can do."

I'm reacting very differently than I thought I would. I'm not scared. I'm angry. I'm snapping at every little thing, and just from slamming books closed too hard I've given myself three new cuts that are glowing blue. The one time I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror, my eyes were a brilliant sapphire blue. I'm a sickly pale, and whatever makeup I had had on had been washed away when I'd splashed my face in my sink. 

Carlos is reacting different than I would have expected too. He's optimistic, and terrified. He tries to hide it, though not very well. He's torn through every book and website he could find, but nothing from it. 

We've been in this stupid library for four hours, and only now do I remember my promise to get Ben the book. I sigh and rub my face, getting off the ground and grabbing my Aunt Anna's book.

"Where're you going?" Carlos asks, scrambling up.

"I forgot... I have to give this to Ben." I mumble, walking to the door. It opens before I can get there, and Audrey, back from her stupid spa trip, walks in. She stops laughing when she sees me and puts and arm out to stop her friend Poppy Pan from coming in. Audrey slowly pulls her sunglasses down to get a better look at me.

"You look like you're dying." she scoffs. 

It takes all I have in me not to scream at her. Carlos comes up behind me and puts a hand on my shoulder. 

"Stop it , Audrey. Contrary to what you think, the world doesn't revolve around you." Carlos says firmly. 

I look up at him in surprise. Audrey's mouth drops open. Poppy looks ready to laugh but loses it as soon as Audrey glares at her. She whips her sunglasses off.

"Excuse me, who do you think you are?" She sniffs bossily. 

"I'm not you, and that's enough." I snap, walking forward and deliberately hitting her shoulder with mine on my way out. But outside isn't much better. 

"Hey, Ells, where're you been?" Hector appears out of nowhere and gawks at my appearance. "Woah, what happened to you?"

"None of your business, Hector." I say, pushing past him. Carlos catches up and walks on one side of me, Hector joining the other. 

"Why do you look like that?" he asks. 

"None of you business!" I repeat. 

"Hector, why can't you just go away?" Carlos complains. "You always show up when we hate it most."

Hector just skips next to us with his hands in his pockets. "Because she hangs out with you. She shouldn't be with a villain kid, she's a hero!"

"Excuse me, she is right here and can hear every word!" I tell him. 

He just shrugs. "So?"

"So, I can pick who I hand out with, and it's definitely not you!" I say. He shrugs again and notices my book. 

"Hey, what's that?" He grabs it and looks at the cover.