Descendants Academy: Young Adult Urban Fantasy Belle Malory (highly recommended books .txt) 📖

Then there was the promise he made to my mom, that he wouldn’t fall in love with me. She made him make that promise for a reason, one I really wished I knew.

I looked at Xander, unsure, and that was enough answer for both of us.

“Hey, this was your idea.” He cleared his throat, shaking away from the tension. “For tonight, can we just agree to have fun and forget about everything else?”

I glanced up at the starry sky and back at him. It would be a shame to let this opportunity go to waste.

I tilted my head to the side. “So you’re saying what happens on Twilight Island stays on Twilight Island?”

He laughed, the sound warm and inviting. “Sure.”

I really hated this whole secret-friend business, but at least Xander was honest about where he stood. It was a lot more than Connor ever gave me. I let out a breath. “Okay then, Mr. Let’s Have Fun. You better not let me down.”

He grinned. “I would never.”

Once we decided to forget everything else, Xander took me inside the tall building. He paid at the ticket booth, and the cashier unlocked the gate. Up ahead, people were laughing—and screaming—excitedly. Music vibrated against the walls. I glanced back at Xander, wondering what we were getting ourselves into.

“You’ve come this far,” he said, nudging me forward.

Once we stepped into the main room, the ceiling disappeared. The entire center of the building was one big, open courtyard space. Disco lights flashed in every direction, making it hard to see what was going on. I saw a trampoline and figured this was one of those trampoline parks, the kind where eleven-year-olds had their birthday parties. How mortal.

People were actually floating, and my gaze slowly drifted up. “Xander,” I said, swallowing. “What is that? Are those bubbles?”

“That’s right,” he said, watching my expression. “Enchanted bubbles.”

Those bubbles carried people inside of them.

Some of the mages danced. Some did tricks, cartwheels, flips, and spins. The surface tension of the bubbles didn’t last long. The rider would eventually slip through, and they’d either topple onto another bubble—or into it. Or, if the rider couldn’t get hold of another bubble fast enough, they fell to the trampoline, bouncing against the net.

One mage’s bubble popped from several stories up, and they took a massive nosedive. Good grief—this was clearly where the adrenaline junkies of Mythos liked to hang out.

“Hope you’re not afraid of heights.” There was a gleam in Xander’s eyes. I wasn’t afraid of heights—I was afraid of falling from them. But by the looks of things, there was no way around that. Everyone fell at one point or another.

I so did not want to do this.

Those people might laugh as they fell, but clearly, they were all insane. Xander stared at me like he brought me to the mecca of fun, and I forced a smile.

It didn’t make any sense. I was an Ares descendant. I should be running full-speed toward those bubbles, hopping into one without a care in the world, just like the other mages were doing. But I was terrified.

Xander grabbed my arm, pulling me in the direction of the bubbles. “Come on, let’s get in there.”

I dug my heels into the ground. “Ah, Xander, I’m not feeling well. I don’t think I’m up for this.”

“Seriously?” He looked back at me like I’d lost my mind. “Wait a sec—don’t tell me you’re chicken.”

Oh, the nerve.

I mean, yeah. Okay, it was sort of, kind of, true. But he shouldn’t just assume that about me.

“My ah”—I looked down, trying to come up with something believable—“my stomach! That potion the Curse Breaker gave me is getting to my stomach again.”

Xander shook his head. Then he bwaked at me. The infuriating jerk actually bwaked like a chicken.

“I’m not afraid.” As much as I tried to hide it, I couldn’t help but sound a little hysterical.

“Prove it.” He tried pulling me forward again.

I stayed right where I was, refusing to budge. “I’m serious. Unless you want me to barf grilled cheese and popcorn all over the place, I can’t go in there. It’s not safe for anyone.”

Xander turned around to face me. He sighed and pulled me aside, moving out of the path to the entrance. “Sheridan, sometimes the terrifying moments are the most worthwhile. Your life is already one big question mark. Aren’t you tired of watching everything happen to you? This can be a moment you choose. Something you decide for no other reason but for the thrill of it.”

I stood there, at a loss. He might be crazy, but it was hard to argue with that logic. I bit my lip, watching the mages fall from their bubbles, enjoying themselves. They didn’t worry about hard landings—they simply enjoyed the fall.

“Those bubbles are enchanted,” I pointed out. “I don’t trust anything under a spell, including myself.”

There it was, the real reason for my fear. The revelation took us both by surprise.

He nodded. “I can see why you would feel that way.”

My vision blurred as I considered everything magical that had backfired on me so far. The Curse Breaker, my own magic, my sister’s magic, and the school in general. I didn’t fit into Ares or Aphrodite, and even simple things like pretty bracelets turned out to be poisonous. I wasn’t sure what or who I could trust anymore.

Xander gripped my shoulders. His handsome face crystallized. “Sooner or later, you have to trust someone,” he said, and I knew he was right. “Have I ever lied to you?”

I thought back, remembering the way he used the ollodipher to prove I could trust him. I didn’t always like what he had to say, but the guy had never lied.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Then let me be your anchor. Even if you can’t trust yourself, trust me.”

I pressed my lips together, looking over at the bubble pit. The mages inside seemed so happy and carefree.