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Chapter 1
It had been calling to her all day.
Celeste carefully unwrapped the tissue, revealing the clear quartz crystal she’d bought that afternoon at Crystal Dreams. Reverently, she picked it up and stared into its liquid depths. She felt as if she’d found a long-lost treasure. More than that, she had the profound feeling that this stone had the power to change her life.
A beautiful imperfection inside obscured the clarity, but as she held the crystal up to the light, a rainbow of iridescent flecks glittered in its depths.
A powerful feeling unsettled her. As she cradled the crystal in her hand, warmth emanated from it and it seemed to pulse with life. She stared deeper into the crystal, mesmerized.
The sound of the telephone snapped her back to reality. She snatched the phone from the end table beside her.
“Hello?”
“Celeste, you’re single and home on a Friday night? Pretty lame, Sis.”
Celeste slumped back on the couch and drummed her fingers on the table.
“What happened to ‘Hi, Celeste. How’s it going?’” she asked.
“It’s obvious how it’s going. You know, with your looks you could get any guy you want, yet here you are on a Friday night with no date.” Concern laced her sister Helen’s words, softening Celeste’s building irritation. “You have a great body and a lovely face, but you insist on wearing your hair pink and spiky.”
“It’s not pink. It’s violet with magenta streaks.”
“You know, if you’d let your hair go back to its natural blonde and grow it long, you’d have to beat them off with a stick.”
Celeste shrugged. “If a guy doesn’t accept me for who I am—”
Helen snorted. “Yeah, right. If Mr. Perfect walked into your life right now, you wouldn’t even give him a chance.”
Celeste glared at the phone, annoyance sparking inside her.
“Well, that’ll never happen, Helen, because Mr. Perfect doesn’t exist.” She gulped a sip of her root beer. “Look, is there a reason you called, other than to badger me about not having a man?”
At the silence on the other end of the phone, Celeste felt her insides tighten.
“Well, I called to tell you… I’ve left George.”
Celeste’s heart compressed.Again.She couldn’t bring herself to say she was sorry to hear it. Her sister had left her husband twice before, and Celeste hoped it was for good this time.
“I’ll be staying at Mum’s for a while. I’ll be going to the lake with her and Graham this weekend to help them open the cottage. I’ll talk to you next week.”
“Okay. Take care.”
Celeste placed the phone on the table, then slumped back on the couch. Helen deserved better than that bum George. As far as Celeste knew, he’d never hit her sister, but his verbal abuse made Celeste sick.
Ain’t love grand.
Of course, Helen chose to stay with Mum rather than Celeste because Mum would talk her into going back. Apparently, it didn’t matter how bad the guy was or how unhappy he made you, if you loved him you couldn’t leave. Or so their mother claimed.
Celeste, on the other hand, would help Helen see reason.Which, of course, is why she doesn’t come here.
She reached for her crystal again and held it up to the light, staring at the subtle, glittering rainbow inside. Fingerprints marred the view, so she rubbed the crystal on the soft wool of her sweater to polish the surface.
Again, the crystal seemed to pulse in her hand. The air felt thicker around it, like a fuzzy, charged force-field. A quiver trembled up her arm and through her body. She plunked the crystal onto the coffee table, eyeing it uncertainly. A rumble, like thunder in the distance, accompanied a crackling sound. The air seemed electrified and a slight smell of ozone tickled her nose. Corners of papers on her maple side table stirred, then fluttered as air swirled through the room. Growing uneasiness quivered through her.
What in heaven’s name was going on?
The rumbling increased and a sharp clap accompanied by a brilliant flash sent her heart rate accelerating as she shielded her eyes with her hand. Good heavens, had lightning struck?
