I rolled over and glanced at the clock: 8:00 a.m. Way too early for any day that we didn’t have school, but J and I had dresses to buy. I shook her. She didn’t budge. Juniper was a heavy sleeper, and this was the worst part of sleepovers.
I shook her again. “Juniper.”
She groaned a little and rolled over. I was a very light sleeper, so it was frustrating to wake someone else. I heard Mrs. Parks in the hall. Maybe she could bring me a water bottle to throw on J.
“Hey, Mrs. Parks, how do I wake your daughter?” I called out.
This got to Juniper. She sat straight up and looked like she could kill me.
“Don’t say that to her. She’ll bring ice water or an air horn or something ridiculous like that,” she said sleepily.
“Ha ha. Well, get up, sleepy head. We’ve got clothing to try on.”
“Ok, ok.” She groaned and fell down, throwing the pillow over her head.
I crawled to the floor, creeping to her head under the pillow and yelled, “Juniper.”
She jumped, smacking me with the pillow, and sulked to the bathroom.
I threw on jeans and a black tank top. I didn’t bother with make-up and left my hair naturally wild and wavy. Before I was finished, J came back and silently got dressed. She would wake up once we started driving. She just couldn’t come awake and talk at the same time.
“Ok, I’m ready, Miss Early Bird Sunshine.”
I smiled and grabbed my bag, “Ok, then let’s go.”
“Breakfast on the way?”
“Of course, J. You pick, though.”
“Mmk.”
It was a twenty minute drive to Loudon Heights. We stopped and bought biscuits and gravy. J’s BMW was silver and glided along the road to the town. The trees were coming alive in the spring weather, like a fire fed gasoline. Something about nature was so calming. Seeing the growth in spring made me want to go in an empty field, far away from everyone and everything. Breathing in the fresh air, feeling soft grass between my toes, smelling the fresh flowers…nature was the best place to meditate.
Lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t notice Juniper pulling into Anna’s parking lot. The building was white with big windows on the sides to display dresses. Blue, green, yellow, and pink gowns lined the windows. Prom and dance season was in full swing. Any passerby could tell by looking at the building. We opened the door and were greeted by a chiming bell. We immediately smelled freshly baked cupcakes and brownies. Anna always had yummy snacks.
“Hello, ladies,” Anna said as she came from the back room.
Wearing a long brown skirt and a royal blue shirt, she looked wonderful. The top’s color perfectly matched her eyes. She was a short lady with hair that was beginning to gray. Something about her was just so warm and kind. I loved shopping here.
“Miss Anna,” we both exclaimed together and went to hug her.
She had always been like a grandmother. Our mothers brought us here when we were little girls to get our holiday attire.
“What are you ladies here for today?”
“Well, we have a spring dance we’re going to, and we both have to have new dresses. We want to look our best,” Juniper said giving her the biggest smile imaginable.
“Oh, a dance. How exciting. Well, I have a great one in mind for you, young lady,” she said to Juniper.
We walked around the racks to a black dress. It was gorgeous. Long and strapless, with a slit in the leg. On either side of the slit, there was a silver trim of little diamonds. It came with elbow length gloves with a matching trim around the top. It screamed Juniper and was almost as beautiful as her.
“J, you have to get that one. It’s so lovely and perfect for you,” I said while admiring the wonder in front of me.
“I’m going to try it on,” she said.
She was still admiring the wonder she held while walking to the fitting curtain.
“Now, for you…” Miss Anna let her voice trail off as she looked around.
Her sights stopped on a white dress across the room. It was knee length, with tulle underneath the bottom. It kind of looked like a teacup around your waist, upside down. The top was sleeveless, with rouching on the shoulders. The material went out and down into a V, landing below the breasts and going halfway down the back. My breath caught in my throat. The fabric fit me perfectly. It was sexy, but not too sexy, and very girly.
“Well, I can tell by the look on your face that you like it too. Let’s get it so you can try it on,” she said with a big smile on her face.
As we were walking across the shop, Juniper came out. She looked drop dead gorgeous. Her face was lit up; she knew she looked beautiful. “This is it,” she said with excitement in her voice.
She picked out some silver heels. They matched the trim exactly, and made her quite a bit taller. I took my choice and went behind the curtain. I stripped down to my panties , taking my bra off too to get the full effect. I pulled it over my head and gasped. It fit perfectly and made me look like I was curvier than I truly was. I pulled the curtain and stepped out. Juniper and Anna both looked at me, eyes and smiles wide.
“It’s perfect,” they both exclaimed at the same time.
I laughed and walked to look in the multi view mirror. The shape accented my breasts and legs perfectly. It was official. I was in love with the amazing fabric. I spun a few times, feeling like a kid in a puffy frock. Giggling, I walked to the shoes to pick out a coral pair with a lovely bow on the top. The heel on them wasn’t too tall but enough to lift me at least two inches. I chose them and went to change back.
As we purchased our gowns and shoes, I noticed some beautiful flowers behind the counter.
“Oh, Anna, those flowers…where did you get them?” I asked.
“Oh, they’re from my garden. I just love blossoms. They’re such fun to grow,” she said, as she smiled at me. “It’ll be $242.55 for you, Olivia, and $255.87 for you, Juniper.”
We gave her our parents’ debit cards, making small chit chat as she rung us up. She wrapped our packages, and we sat to snack on her desserts.
“Olivia, I think you should meet my grandson,” Miss Anna said sweetly.
“Oh, really? Why do you think that?” I was convinced she’s going to try to set me up.
I glanced at Juniper for help. She just shrugged her shoulders.
“Well, he’s very sweet and handsome. I think you two would get along well.”
“Maybe I will soon,” I said with a smile in her direction.
I didn’t have any other events anytime in the near future, so perhaps she would forget about it before I saw her again.
“Miss Anna, these brownies were delicious, but we must get going. Our parents will expect us home soon,” Juniper said as she decided to come to my rescue.
“Oh, of course, my dears. Please take pictures of you two at the dance. I would love to see them,” she said as she hugged each of us.
“We will,” we both agreed as we took our purchases. We walked to the car, ready to go back to Juniper’s house.
Scott
I helped my grandma at her dress boutique on Thursday mornings and weekends. She was ancient, so she had picked up a few hobbies in her time. She opened the store because it was her most recent favorite. She actually made all of the clothing. Some of them were from years ago, while some of them were recent creations. Either way, people seemed to love her shop. She had been open for the past fifteen years. In order to deflect people questioning her age, she actually dyed her hair with bits of gray as the years passed. The things we had to do as sorcerers to ward off humans finding out was magnificent.
When I turned eighteen, I decided to get a job. I wanted to when I was in high school, but my parents wouldn’t allow it. After looking around town for some time, I went to her to talk about it. She felt sorry for me and needed some help, so we decided I would help out in the back. I unloaded boxes and arranged fabrics and supplies. Today, I was running late. I had overslept after the dream walking last nigh
t. I pulled into the gravel parking lot and almost hit a silver BMW. The silly horn honked and the tires squealed as the driver slid out onto the pavement. My truck almost slammed into the side of the little car. I felt a wave of nausea flash through my stomach as I thought about the potential accident. Parking the car, I lay my head on the steering wheel, wondering just how much worse this day could get.
Regaining my composure, I opened the door and slid out. I went around the back of the building, passing the dumpsters and bales of boxes to recycle. I opened the door and got to work arranging the boxes. She got inventory in on Friday, so on Saturday I always arranged it into categories she had determined.
As I was checking off the inventory list, Grandma came in the doorway, “Little one, we need to talk about The Crimson Calamitous.”
I’d known she would question me. “Don’t you have customers, Grandma? One tried to run me down a few seconds ago.” I was hoping to deflect her questions. I didn’t even look her way.
“They left. Now, come on. Come sit and let us chat.” She gently laid her hand on my back and guided me into the shop.
The check-out counter was covered in bags and flowers. The racks filled with gowns of all varieties. The shoe section was on the right side of the front door. The middle of the shop was the area that made the whole place so homely. There, a round table sat with fresh baked goods. This is where she led me to sit and talk.
“Now, little one, you need to listen to me and listen good. The Crimson Calamitous is not someone to mess with. If he hurts you, I can’t heal you. He has powers unlike any we’ve ever seen, and it’s basically impossible to defeat him. It would take some very powerful and old spells to do it. I’m not sure why you were asking, but I suspect it has something to do with your Livvie. Is she in danger?”
“Yeah, Grandma, she is. Could be he’s in Arrow Rock.”
She stared at me, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Here?”
“Yes. I saw someone while I was espying Livvie…his aura was completely red.” I looked at her desperately.
I needed her to believe me and help.
“You’re sure? All red? Maybe the inner was pink?”
She was trying to make excuses, but she knew I saw him.
“No, Grandma, no.” I shook my head.
“Go back to work. We’ll talk more later.”
I slowly lifted myself out of the chair skidding the legs on the hardwood floor. I placed my hand on her shoulder for just a second and walked to the storage room. Looking back for a moment I saw her still sitting there, hands folded and eyes staring into space. I knew she was trying to think of a plan to save us all. But also she was worrying about my involvement. I walked on quietly so I wouldn’t disturb her thoughts.
The mirrors were cleaned and everything looked dusted already, so today would consist of stock organizing. I grabbed my clipboard. At the pallets of boxes, I opened each one and checked off what we received. Then I placed it in the appropriate container. As my body worked, I still couldn’t redirect my thoughts from Livvie. Her face flashed in my head. I wanted to hold her. To know she was safe, and she wasn’t falling in love with someone else. I couldn’t make Livvie fall for me, or she would die in roughly ten months. And I couldn’t fight The Crimson Calamitous without knowing how. I felt lost and discouraged. I took my frustrations out on the heavy boxes needing to be crushed.
Olivia
I was outside. The moon was high and glowing. There were trees all around. This was a new location. I looked around for Mr. Sexy…but I couldn’t see him anywhere because it was too dark. I realized this place was familiar. Wait…I was in the field I was daydreaming about earlier. The soft green grass is silk between my toes. There were yellow daisies everywhere. Trees lined the perimeter. I felt like I was in a box. I wore only shorts and a camisole, but I wasn’t cold. The wind blew just enough to ruffle my hair. “Hello?” I called timidly. I was answered with complete silence. Not even the birds were chirping. I glanced around and walked forward. My arms wrapped around the front of me, not for warmth but comfort. I knew I was dreaming, but this was still kind of scary. There was a deer to my left, simply watching me. She was beautiful and majestic. She came towards me the moment I wished I could pet her. My hand slowly reached out and touched her course coat. Huge brown eyes looked into mine. There was no fear.
“You’re lovely,” I whispered.
“So are you,” a deep voice said from behind me.
I turned violently, scaring the deer off into the trees. Mr. Sexy was standing five feet in front of me. Jeans and a fitted white t-shirt clothed his fit body.
“You’re here.”
“Of course I am, where else would I be?”
“I thought…well, I wasn’t sure if this was our dream or just mine.”
“It’s ours Livvie. It’s ours. Always ours.”
“Can I know your name or do I need to keep calling you Mr. Sexy?”
“Keep calling me Mr. Sexy. I like that.”
The completely adorable grin on his face was too much for me. I took three steps and jumped in his arms.
“I want to meet you in person. Assuming you’re real, that is.”
“You will. It’s…complicated. But, Livvie…you have to be careful. You could be in danger.”
I slid down his body, standing again.
“Danger?”
“Yes. I can’t tell you much, but just be careful. With people at school and in town…”
He knew something I didn’t.
“Any specific person, Mr. Sexy?”
“Yes, of course. But I can’t tell you any more, Livvie. It could put you in even more danger, love.”
“Can you tell me what kind of danger? What I should look for? Signs or something…”
“I’ll try. This may be difficult to believe, but I’m a sorcerer, Livvie. I have powers. It’s how I meet you in your dreams.”
He was gauging my reaction. His eyes were cast down and his hands fidgeting. He ran his long fingers through his silky black hair. “I told you before that I would have to wait to tell you everything. But I’m going to go ahead. If…well, if something happens, it won’t matter anyway.”
I reached up and put my hand on his cheek. He leaned his head in and the look he gave me melted my insides. “Go ahead, Mr. Sexy.”
“There are evil sorcerers in the world. I think one may be after us. I can’t meet you in person yet because a long time ago, a curse was set on my family. If we meet the ones we love before they are 17 and six months, they will die on their 18th birthdays. I can’t meet you just to lose you, Livvie. Do you understand?” His eyes darted between mine, searching for understanding. What could I say to that?
“So…you meet me and I’ll die. You don’t meet me. And I could still die because an evil sorcerer is out there and could possibly harm me… or you… or us.” This was not good.
“Livvie, I don’t want you to worry, ok? I will take care of it. I’m going to fix the problem. And in October, we will finally meet. I’m in love with you, Livvie. I also have other powers. Sometimes…I come and check on you. Just to make sure you’re ok. I really, really hope you don’t think I’m creepy for doing that.”
He did seem to love me.
“It’s not creepy, Mr. Sexy. It’s kind of romantic. I mean, this hot guy is so in love with me that he visits me in my dreams. And checks on me during the day. Wait…why have I never seen you checking on me?” I would have noticed him lurking around.
“Well, it’s not my body. It’s just my spirit. Kind of like these dreams, it’s just my spirit now, too.”
His spirit. Well, I really liked his spirit.
“Sit with me?”
He smiled and sat in the grass. We lay on our backs, staring up at the sky.
“It’s so beautiful out here. Did you know that I was daydreaming about nature today?”
“No, but I can tap into your wants. This is where the dream led us. I have to admit this place is gorgeous. I’m glad you wanted i
t tonight.”
I turned to study him. His face glowed, and his dark hair shone in the moonlight. His facial features were strong. He was manly. His skin was a few shades darker than mine. Maybe he spent a lot of time outside.
“What do you do, Mr. Sexy? Do you have a job?”
“Kind of. I help out my grandma on the weekends. I study some college courses, too. I haven’t decided what I want to do with my life, but I know I want you there.”
Could he get any more perfect? “What classes are you taking?”
“A couple of basics. Math, English, and a couple of art classes. I like to paint a lot and I think learning more about it would be fun.”
“An artist…makes you even more attractive.”
He laughed. It was heavenly, deep, and contagious. “I’ve painted you, Livvie. Quite a few times actually.”
“Can I see?”
“Mmmhmm…I’ve already left you one. It’s under your bed.”
“How do you do that?” I giggled as I asked.
“I’m a sorcerer. And a sexy one at that.”
We both laughed. We were holding hands. His hand was bigger and much stronger than mine. His fingers were long and the skin rough, but he held my hands tenderly. He seemed afraid he may hurt them if he didn’t treat them like something small and delicate. However, our hands fit together perfectly. He looked at me and kissed me. Not a passionate kiss like we usually shared, but a soft, loving kiss. Full of promise and hope.
“I have to go now, Livvie. It’s almost time for you to wake up.”
“Already? Why does our time feel so short?”
“I don’t know, Livvie. But be careful. Please watch out for yourself. I’ll be on alert as well. And I’m researching the evil sorcerer. I will defeat him, and we will be safe, love.”
He gave me one last kiss and was gone. I saw the deer as everything faded from my mind. She was watching me from the edge of the woods.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! I slid out of bed and turned the clock off. Stumbling back, I rested on the foot of the mattress. I rubbed my eyes and recollected the dream from last night. I ran around to the side of my bed, falling on my knees to look under it. There was a 9 by 11 canvas with my face painted on it. It looked so much like me. The strokes weren’t even visible. It looked like a photo from a camera. At the bottom, it was signed, “To my Livvie, love, Mr. Sexy.” I rested back on my feet, staring at the painting. My fingers touched the canvas, thinking of how he had painted this with his strong hands. I heard chirping and looked up to three birds perched outside my window. They were looking at me. Their eyes stared into mine like they were trying to tell me something. To warn me of something.
The White Aura (The White Aura Series) Page 5