Crystal Chaos, page 1
To my brilliant editors Mattie Whitehead and Karelle
Tobias who have both added so much to Magic Keepers and who have made writing it so much fun! – L. C.
To the child who believes in magic – H. G.
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Sneak Peek
About the Author
About the Illustrator
Copyright
Ava pushed open the heavy door and peered into the enormous room. It had a high, domed ceiling with huge, old-fashioned windows that were framed by dusty velvet curtains. The October sun shone in through the dirty glass, casting patterns on the wooden floor and on the faded blue sofa at the far end of the room. There were bookcases crammed with leather-bound books, a large oak desk and a set of shelves filled with strange objects.
Pepper, Ava’s Tibetan terrier, trotted inside, her ears pricked.
“Stay close, Pepper,” Ava said. Pepper ignored her and bounded straight to one of the windows, where she put her front paws on the windowsill and looked out. Ava grinned. She had taken Pepper to training classes when she’d been a puppy, but they’d been asked to leave because she wouldn’t do as she was told. Ava didn’t care though, she loved Pepper to bits and didn’t mind that she was naughty – Ava wasn’t always very good at doing what she was told either!
The door creaked shut behind her. “It’s seriously creepy in here, isn’t it, Pepper?” Ava said, looking round at the vast room.
Ava’s mum’s great-aunt Enid had been a famous archaeologist who had worked all over the world and this room held her private collection of curios – unusual objects that she’d been given or had found over the years. When Great-Aunt Enid died, she had left the house to Ava’s mum on the condition that the collection was to remain in the house and not be sold. In her will, she had said that although the curios were not particularly valuable she hoped one day one of her relatives would realize how special they were.
When Ava had asked her mum what they were going to do with the curios, her mum had just shrugged. “Heaven knows! I think I’ll just leave them for now. There’s so much else that needs sorting. The whole house needs redecorating and re-wiring.”
Ava agreed that the house definitely needed a makeover. It was huge, with eight bedrooms spread over two upstairs floors, but the wallpaper was peeling off, the paintwork was chipped, and the rugs covering the wooden floors were threadbare. The kitchen hadn’t been updated in a long time and outside was just as neglected. The garden was overgrown with rusty metal gates and a crumbling brick wall separating it from the street.
Ava, her mum and Pepper had moved into Curio House just a few days ago during Ava’s half-term break. It was two hours away from their cosy, terraced house in Nottingham and Ava still felt like they were on holiday and would be going home soon.
It might start to feel more real when I go to school tomorrow, she thought. Ava was a little nervous about starting at a new school in Year Six when everyone already had their friends but she liked meeting new people so she hoped it would be OK.
Her footsteps echoed in the silent room as she approached the shelves that held the curios. The air was very still and she suddenly had the feeling she was being watched. Ava glanced over her shoulder but of course there was no one there. She smiled to herself. The room was really creeping her out!
The curios were all different shapes and sizes and each had a handwritten label. There was a chipped stone plaque carved with an ugly face, and an ornate metal goblet with strange markings; a fan with greying ostrich feathers; dusty figurines; pieces of old jewellery and a large, crouching stone gargoyle, among other things. Ava couldn’t help feeling puzzled. Why had Great-Aunt Enid said the curios were special? They just looked old and broken to her.
Curiously, she picked up an object that was wrapped in old brown bandages. It was about fifty centimetres long with a flat dark snout poking out of one end. What was it? She was about to read the label when she heard a muffled noise behind her and swung round.
A-CHOO! Pepper backed out from behind one of the dusty curtains, sneezing.
Ava’s shoulders relaxed. “Pepper! You made me jump!”
Pepper sneezed again, shook her head and trotted over to the desk. With her heart gradually slowing to normal speed, Ava read the label of the bandaged object she was holding: Baby crocodile mummy. Ancient Egypt.
A mummified crocodile – ick!
Hastily putting it down, she picked up a figurine with a human body and a cat head wearing a very stern expression. Ava grinned and waggled it from side to side. “What’s the matter with you then?” she said. “Cat got your tongue?”
A pulse like a heartbeat throbbed through her fingers and she almost dropped the figurine in surprise. What had just happened? She stared at the figurine, waiting to see if the strange pulsing would happen again.
Nothing.
A shiver crossed her skin and she glanced uneasily at the rest of the curios. She had the sensation that they were watching her, waiting for something to happen.
Don’t be a doughnut, she told herself firmly. It’s just one of your odd feelings. Ignore it.
Ever since she’d been little she’d had strange feelings about things. If she was in a forest she would feel as if the trees were trying to talk to her, or if she touched an animal she would instinctively know whether it was hurt or not. Her mum said it was because she was imaginative and intuitive but other people seemed to think it was weird so she’d learned not to talk about it.
CRASH!
Ava swung round but saw it was just Pepper again. The dog had jumped on to the desk, knocking a leather-covered box on to the floor. Putting the figurine down, Ava went over. “Oh, Pepper, you’re such trouble!”
Pepper gave her a doggy smile, her fringe flopping over her face and her tongue hanging out.
Ava lifted her off the desk. “Come on, down you get.”
Pepper licked Ava’s chin and then wriggled out of her arms and trotted over to the curios.
Ava picked the box off the floor. There were some words in gold writing stamped into the leather lid.
“Mag…” she said, attempting to sound out the first word. “Mag-yck.” Did it say magic? Ava was sure the word magic was spelled differently but she wasn’t great at reading. She continued on. “Magyck Crystals for…” It looked like there had been some more words after ‘for’ but they had rubbed away.
A flicker of curiosity ran through Ava. Magyck crystals sounded interesting. Though of course they won’t really be magic, she told herself quickly. Magic isn’t real. It must be some kind of game.
Wondering why the box had been on the desk and not with the other curios, Ava opened the lid. Inside there was a grid of square compartments, each with a round, shiny crystal inside, nestling on a bed of purple silk. On the right-hand side of the grid there was a single, larger compartment of red silk with a big, oval stone – one side black and one side white – on the left-hand side there was a compartment of white silk that contained a gold necklace with a pendant, and below the grid was a compartment with a long, slim, clear crystal shaped like a pencil in it.
Someone had written notes on the inside of the box lid but the writing was tiny and Ava quickly gave up trying to read it. Instead, she picked up one of the crystals, a dark one with red patches. As her fingers closed on it, a powerful surge of energy rushed through her and when Pepper made a snuffling noise behind her, she found herself leaping high into the air. “Whoa!” she exclaimed, blinking in surprise. She was being seriously jumpy today!
Putting the crystal down, Ava felt the energy fade. Picking up another crystal, a glossy green one with a dark purple stripe, a wave of calm instantly fell over her. Her muscles relaxed, her breathing steadied and she found her chin lifting and her shoulders dropping.
It’s the crystal. Ava’s thoughts suddenly became clearer and more certain than they’d ever been before. It’s making me feel like this.
She put it down, wondering what was going on. How could crystals change the way she was feeling? Her gaze fell on the black-and-white stone in the single red compartment. What would happen if she picked that one up?
The second Ava touched it, a chill prickled down her spine and she felt as though an army of spiders was running over her skin.
The sensation was so horrible that she dropped the stone and it thudded to the floor.
Ava was just steeling herself to pick it up so she could put it back in the box when she noticed Pepper going round in circles nearby with something in her mouth. Her shaggy tail was curled over her back and she was wagging it slowly from side to side, looking very pleased with herself.
“What have you got—?” Ava broke off as she saw a bandaged shape sticking out of Pepper’s mouth. Oh no! It was the crocodile mummy!
“Pepper, you can’t have that! Drop it!” she said in alarm, forgetting about the crystals for the moment.
Pepper gave her a look as if to say, No, it’s mine!
“Pepper, I’m being serious. Come here,” warned Ava, stepping towards her.
Brown eyes sparkling with mischief, the little terrier darted away!
“Pepper!” Ava called, chasing after the dog. “That’s not a toy. Give it back!”
Pepper stopped in a play bow at the far end of the room, bottom in the air, her tail wagging.
Ava skidded to a halt too. She knew that if she charged, Pepper would race off again, thinking it was a game.
“Stay!” Ava said firmly, edging closer and wishing she’d worked harder on practising the obedience commands they’d learned in puppy training.
Still watching her, Pepper started to pull at the loose bandages.
Ava gulped. Pepper loved to rip dog toys apart and she had a sudden, horrible image of the ancient crocodile mummy scattered around the room in tiny bits.
“Ava? Where are you?” Hearing her mum calling from the depths of the house, Ava froze. Although Mum didn’t seem too bothered by the curios, Ava was sure she wouldn’t be happy if she found Pepper chewing one!
“Pepper, give me that crocodile now,” she hissed.
“Ava?”
“Just a minute, Mum!” Ava called desperately.
Giving up her ‘approach cautiously’ plan, she darted towards Pepper. Pepper jumped up but Ava threw herself at the terrier and grabbed her collar. “Got you!” she said triumphantly. Pepper rolled on her back. Ava tried to pull the crocodile from her mouth but Pepper hung on tight.
“GRRR!” the dog play-growled, thinking it was a game.
Finally, Ava managed to prise the crocodile away and she scrambled to her feet just as the door opened.
“There you are, sweetie,” her mum said. “It’s easy to lose you in this house!”
“Hi, Mum,” Ava said brightly, holding the now rather soggy crocodile mummy behind her back with one hand. Pepper danced around, trying to jump up to get at it.
“What have you been doing?” Mum asked, pushing back her hair. She and Ava looked very alike – they were both tall with eyes the colour of conkers and thick, dark hair. They shared the same hair and eye colouring as Ava’s grandparents who were originally from Italy. Ava’s dad looked very different – he had sandy-blonde hair and green eyes. He and her mum had split up when Ava was just a baby and he now lived in the north of Scotland with his new wife and their baby son, Fergus. Ava saw him a few times a year when she went to stay with them in the school holidays, but most of the time she lived with her mum.
“Just looking round,” said Ava innocently. She noticed the black-and-white stone lying on the floor near her feet. Pants! She hoped Mum wouldn’t start asking questions about why it was out of its box. She quickly stepped in front of the stone to block it from her mum’s sight. Ava was very curious about the strange crystals and the last thing she wanted was Mum saying they were not to be played with and deciding to take them away.
“Whatever’s the matter with Pepper?” her mum said, looking at the terrier, who was still jumping up and down behind Ava.
“I don’t know,” said Ava, her voice coming out as a squeak. “I think she needs a walk. I’ll take her out now.”
“Great, could you call in at the corner shop for me at the same time?” her mum said. “We need onions and a tin of tomatoes for the pasta sauce tonight.”
“OK,” gasped Ava as Pepper’s teeth snapped just below the mummy.
Her mum smiled. “Thanks, sweetie. I’ll get you some money.” She turned away.
Sighing in relief, Ava quickly shoved the crocodile on a shelf and scooped up the stone. As she touched it, an icy feeling swept over her. She hastily put it on the shelf beside the mummy and the strange feeling faded. “Come on, Pepper, walkies!” she said.
Pepper woofed happily and ran to the door.
With one last look at the box of mysterious crystals, Ava followed her out.
Ava stopped at the shop at the end of their street and then crossed the main road and took Pepper for a run beside the river. The river wound its way through open parkland, heading into town in one direction and out into countryside in the other. Ava headed along the path towards town, throwing a ball for Pepper. Every time she threw it and told Pepper to fetch, Pepper looked at her as if to say, You threw it, you get it!
“Pepper, this is supposed to be fun for you,” Ava said. “Dogs like to fetch.” She threw the ball again. “Go on, go get it!” she encouraged.
Pepper turned and trotted off in the opposite direction.
Ava gave up and stuffed the ball in her coat pocket. Ahead of her there was a bridge where she could see two adults playing a game with a young boy and girl. They were throwing sticks in the water and then hurrying to the other side of the bridge to see whose stick came out first.
“Pepper, come here!” Ava called, not wanting Pepper to see them in case she decided to grab one of the sticks and run away with it. She might not like playing fetch but she did like being involved in anything fun that was going on! Ava took a packet of Pepper’s favourite meaty dog treats out of her pocket – she always carried some, just in case she needed them. Hearing the packet rustle, Pepper came bounding over. Ava fed her a couple of treats and guided her away from the bridge. On a nearby bench, a girl was reading a thick book. She was wearing a padded pink coat and had a woolly hat over her long dark hair. She was turning the pages quickly, her eyes skimming easily over the words. How can she read that fast? Ava thought as she got closer.
Pepper trotted over to say hello. The girl exclaimed in surprise as Pepper jumped up and put her muddy paws on the girl’s knees.
“I’m sorry!” Ava called, breaking into a run. “Pepper! Down!”
“It’s OK,” the girl said, stroking Pepper. “I like dogs.” Pepper pushed her damp nose towards the girl’s face. “And you’re beautiful, aren’t you?” she cooed, scratching Pepper behind the ears. Pepper wagged her tail and gave Ava a smug look.
Ava reached them and clipped Pepper’s lead on. “Sorry,” she apologized again as she caught sight of the muddy pawprints on the girl’s jeans. “I do try to train her but she never listens.”
The girl giggled. “It really is OK. I don’t mind. What’s her name?”
“She’s Pepper and I’m Ava.”
“I’m Lily,” the girl said. “I live on Fentiman Road, just over there.” She pointed across the main road.
“Same as me!” said Ava. “My mum and I have just moved into Curio House.”
“That’s the big house at the top of the street, isn’t it?” Lily said.
Ava nodded and sat down beside her. With half-term and moving, it felt like ages since she’d actually talked to someone her own age. “What are you reading?” she asked.
Lily showed the book. “It’s called Magyck.”
So magic can be spelled like that, Ava realized, thinking about the crystals.
Lily flashed her a shy smile. “I love reading,” she carried on. “Particularly books about magic. I mean, I know magic isn’t real of course,” she added hastily, her cheeks going a little pink. “But wouldn’t it be amazing if it was?”
“Yes!” said Ava. For a moment she considered telling Lily about the unusual crystals she’d found but decided it might sound too strange. “What school do you go to?” she asked instead.
“St Mary’s,” said Lily.
“That’s where I’m going!” said Ava, pleased.
“What year?” Lily asked.
“Six,” said Ava.
“Me too,” said Lily, her brown eyes lighting up. “We’ll be in the same class.”
They smiled at each other.
“Lily! Time to go home!” the man on the bridge called.
Lily got to her feet. “I’d better go. I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”
“Yep, see you then,” said Ava with another smile.
Lily gave Pepper a last stroke and then ran to join her parents and younger brother and sister. When she reached them, she waved shyly at Ava.
Ava waved back enthusiastically. “I’ve made a new friend,” she told Pepper.
Pepper woofed.
“OK, we’ve both made a new friend,” Ava said, stroking her.
She walked back to Curio House feeling happier and lighter than she had done in a while. It was great to have met someone her own age, particularly someone who seemed nice and would be at school with her. It made the thought of starting school the next day much more fun!
