The Changeling Princess Read Free Page A

box containing the red Vascadon Stone on the table. Every Clan had its own ceremonial stone that was used to celebrate when a member reached the age of maturity. This was my time in the age-old tradition of Clan acceptance. If I married and had children, my children would go through the same ceremony when they reached their sixteenth birthday.
    My father removed the Vascadon Ceremonial Stone and placed it directly in the center of the table. When the minute hand of the grandfather clock approached twelve o’clock, everyone at the table joined hands. When the clock struck twelve, my father began the ritual that had been passed down through the ages by members of the Vascadon Clan who had preceded him.
    “ We, the remaining members of the Vascadon Clan, have gathered together because the time of rebirth is upon us. We welcome Janis French to her time of maturity and we rejoice in accepting Mother Earth as our spiritual leader. It is our hope that this ceremony will open Janis’s heart to the traditional teachings that have kept our Clan intact. We implore the spirits of our Clan to accept this newest member and gift her with all the power and love you have to offer.”
    The lights suddenly dimmed and the red Vascadon Stone began glowing. The glow was faint at first, gradually growing brighter until everyone seated at the table was spellbound. My instincts told me that no one seated at this table had ever seen the stone this bright before.
    A beam of light shot out from the stone and hit me directly in the chest. My entire body was glowing and the light surrounding me was as bright as the ceremonial stone itself. I turned transparent, but only for an instant. Suddenly, the glow was gone and everything returned to normal. No one spoke at first, unsure of what had just taken place.
    “ Has anyone ever seen anything like this before?” asked my father.
    Everyone appeared speechless as they shook their heads. “What I really find intriguing is that Janis’s entire body took on a red glow,” said Grandpa Greer.
    “ Yeah, that was really something,” said my mother. “It has to have a special meaning.”
    Pauline stood up. “There’s only one way to find out. We have to have a test. Janis, please join me in the center of the living room. Everyone else, please be seated in the living room and make yourselves comfortable.”
    I stood motionless as Pauline made a circle around me and looked me over. She paused and then asked, “Janis, please try to make yourself invisible.”
    I concentrated as hard as I could, but all I could do was make myself transparent. It was the best I ’d ever done, but I wasn’t invisible.
    “ Okay, Janis, concentrate on reading my mind. What am I thinking right now?”
    I went into deep concentration, but I couldn ’t hear any thoughts. “I don’t hear anything, Grandma.”
    “ Okay, try to change your appearance by looking ten to fifteen years older.”
    I did the best I could, but I only aged a year or two. “I guess I’m not doing very well, Grandma.”
    “ Don’t be discouraged. It may take several days for your new powers to improve.”
    Pauline ’s right,” said Grandpa French. “It took me almost two weeks before I received my full powers.”
    “ I went through the same thing,” said Grandmother Greer. “It takes time, so hang in there until your powers blossom.”
    I put on a fake smile to give the impression everything was okay. I was disheartened, but perhaps tomorrow would be better. I hugged everyone and thanked them for coming to my ceremony.
    I was lucky to have family members who cared about me. My mother had always told me that family and friends are your most valuable assets. As I would soon learn, my mother was a very wise lady.

 
     
     
    CHAPTER 4
     
    I slept until ten o’clock the next morning. I recalled the midnight ceremony and how my entire body had taken on a red glow that no one could explain. I looked down to see that Missy had left the foot of the