20. That Electric Spark
Chapter 20
That Electric Spark
I t’s torture kicking Noah out of my apartment in the morning, but I was told I’m not allowed any absences. And I’m not risking pissing Grandma off.
Despite my desire to lie on top of Noah like Rosie the cat and refuse to let him leave.
Once I finally get him out of the door, I change and bounce downstairs to the shop. I’m practically dancing through her office and into the main area of the store.
Grandma, however, stands straight with her arms folded across her chest. Her stare stops me in my tracks.
“You are five minutes late.”
Shit.
My gaze falls to the floor. “I’m sorry, Grandma.”
I see her shoes as she approaches me. “I don’t mean to be a taskmaster. I just want you to learn all that you’ve missed, and I suppose I’m motivated by more than a little guilt.”
That captures my attention. I lift my eyes to meet her blue ones, laced with turmoil. “Guilt for what?”
“Many things,” she huffs a laugh that has more stress than levity in it. “For now, tell me about the past few days. Have you had any manifestations of your element? Have you been meditating?”
I open my mouth to say no, and then...
Oh shit. It happened. I manifested my element last night. When Noah was...
My cheeks heat so quickly I’m almost lightheaded.
I levitated while he was...while I was...Not the image I want in my head while trying to have a conversation with my grandma.
“I levitated once.”
She smirks. It’s an evil, knowing grin that I very much do not appreciate. Lock that shit up, Grandma, I’m not talking about this with you.
“That would confirm that your element is air, like I assumed earlier. It makes sense for you.” She nods, winking at me. Ew.
I lift my chin with the little dignity I have left. “So what does that mean?”
“It means we have made a wonderful step forward. Sit down. Let’s meditate and see if we can further connect you.”
We sit as we did in our other lessons and go through the relaxation process. Contracting and releasing every muscle in our bodies until the world is calm and still.
“The air,” she whispers into the silence between us. “It is your connection. It runs through every part of you and re-centers you. It takes you back to this place, to this level of relaxation and calm. The air is in the breeze as it sweeps over your skin. It is how we breathe, how we live. Feel it as you drag it into your lungs, as you release it back into the world.”
I am weightless. Air rushes through my body in my bloodstream. It is the very essence of my ability to live, to thrive.
“How do you feel?” she asks.
I smile softly. “At peace.”
“You’re levitating. You have found your center, your connection.”
I open my eyes to find I’m a few inches off the pillow. And I am at peace.
“Grandma, I have a question for you.” Peace loosens my tongue apparently. “It’s about Noah.”
“You can ask me anything,” she says with the kind of composure I can only dream of having. She’s the epitome of calm, cool, and collected. I doubt the woman has ever been surprised in her life.
“When I touch him...” My cheeks heat at the very thought of his touch. “Ever since the first time, it has been electric. Literally electric. There’s this connection between us. It started as a jolt with every accidental brush, but now it’s grown. Sometimes it’s a gentle hum, and sometimes it’s a strong buzz. Do you know anything about that?”
Grandma’s eyebrows jump into her hairline as every single candle extinguishes simultaneously. Her mouth drops.
“Grandma?” I ask after a few long moments of silence.
She shakes her head, her eyebrows coming down but not hitting their normal height. “Give me a moment.”
The pillow is suddenly beneath me as I drop painfully onto my tailbone. I’ve come down and not just physically. Despite how amazing the electricity feels, her reaction can’t mean anything good. Grandma has never been speechless.
A sniffle snaps my gaze back to her face. She’s...crying? A few tears roll down her smiling cheeks.
Wait. Smiling?
“Grandma, please,” I beg, grabbing her hands. “You’re scaring me.”
She pulls me into a hug, grasping me close to her. “I’m so happy for you.”
“What?”
“Oh, sweetheart.” She leans back to smile at me, choking on a sob. “You’ve found your soulmate.”
Grandma’s words reverberate through my head for what seems like hours.
Soulmate. Soulmate.
Soulmate.
It doesn’t even sound like a word anymore. But it is. It’s the word to describe Noah.
Soulmate. Mate of my soul.
Grandma brushes a lock of auburn hair from my face. “My joy is truly indescribable, Hazel. You deserve a world of happiness.”
“Sorry, Grandma, I’m still kind of wrapping my head around this whole thing,” I reply, a hysterical screech in my tone.
I think my brain may explode. I think my brain has exploded, because there is no way this is actually happening.
Grandma meditated me into a coma and this is some sort of magic-fueled hallucination.
I could really use a fuzzy blanket right now.
“You’ve read some of our history—is this really that much of a surprise to you? How did Elizabeth Pruitt, her daughter Abigail even, describe their relationship with their husbands? They described their bond as buzzing like bees’ wings , sweet girl, for a reason. And that’s because electricity hadn’t been invented yet and it was the closest description they had. It’s a unique blessing Elizabeth passed on to her line, along with her magic. We are able to find the person who fits us like a puzzle piece.”
The paragraphs I read come swirling through my mind like a windstorm. It was there, for me to see, all this time. If only I had paid attention.
“I’ve been drawing his eyes for months,” I blabber. “I only just met him, but I knew his eyes already.”
Her smile is kind, eyes full of tears. “That doesn’t surprise me. You have always had such a beautiful connection with your art. It makes sense that your magic would speak to you through it.”
She’s got a way with words sometimes. The urge to flee lessens as I absorb some of her joy, her glee.
“A unique blessing for our line?”
She nods. “Something you’ll learn as you submerge yourself in our world is that the Pruitt line is well respected for a reason. We are the only ones who can find our soulmates through the electric touch.”
“Was Dad...” I gulp down the lump in my throat. “Was Dad Mom’s soulmate?”
I know the answer before Grandma can nod her head. “Their bond was special. It was a blessing watching them grow in their love for so many years.”
“Grandpa. He left when Mom was so young...He couldn’t have been?”
“No, Grandpa wasn’t my soulmate. While I loved him with my whole heart, I have not been blessed with finding mine.” The sadness in her eyes pulls fresh tears to my own. “He came quite close, though.”
My arms are around her before I consciously decide to hug her. Her embrace is a balm on my frayed nerves.
“Don’t be sad for me, sweetheart. I mourned long ago, and I can find joy in watching my beautiful girls finding their love. Now, you must tell me all about Noah. I also expect to meet him shortly.”
I chuckle—it’s a watery, happy, emotional thing. “It may be a little soon for meeting everyone.”
“Nonsense.” She shakes her head, wiping a tear from my cheek with her thumb. “He’s family now.”
Jesus . That hits me like a gut punch. I would love to have Noah in my life for as long as I can, of course. It’s not the concept of forever with him that scares me...It’s the fact that I could lose him. Just like Mom lost Dad.
“Here is your homework for the next week,” Grandma says, drawing my attention back from that destructive line of thinking. “You’re coming with me to the market tomorrow, but in your free time you should connect with your element. Work on what that looks like to you. Spend some time in nature. Listen to the wind. Come back on Tuesday and we’ll take another step forward.”
“Yes, ma’am.” We stand and a wave of fatigue rolls through me. I turn toward the back of the shop, toward my bed.
“And Hazel?”
“Yes?”
“I expect to see Noah in the shop this week.”