Scott
No one in my immediate family had dealt with The Crimson Calamitous. It worried me, because I hated to put them into any danger. We were very close. My mother and father met when they were in their early twenties, my father a sorcerer and my mother not. I had three siblings. Twin brothers who were sixteen and a sister who was fifteen. Santos, Sebastian, and Sadie. I couldn’t stand the thought of bringing harm to any of them, but I was going to have to ask for help. Sadie was talented with charms, so I planned to ask her for protection charms for Livvie. I thought if Sadie put enough around The Whitehead house, Aiden wouldn’t be able to go there. Santos was going to be my backup on research. He and Sebastian were awesome students, both of them, surprisingly. Perhaps Santos would find something I hadn’t. Sebastian wasn’t as close to the rest of us. He liked to exclude himself from everything. Asking him would probably be a bad idea. I just wanted to find a way to protect Livvie or save her before The Crimson Calamitous did whatever he was planning. Which reminded me, I was going to espy him today. I needed to see if I could find anything out.
I sat in my chair and began the techniques. I closed my eyes, relaxed my body, and concentrated on Aiden. It was after school hours, so I was hoping he was in his natural state. I tingled and began to see red. I felt my spirit leaving my body and realized I was in a cave. Lit with an intensity not natural. It was no doubt that The Crimson Calamitous had been here. I smelled something stale, like a moldy piece of furniture sitting around for years. I heard water in the distance. I glanced to my right and noticed him standing over a table made of rock. He was deep in thought reading something. I stepped closer, and his head jerked up. He looked right at me, like he could see me.
“Is someone there?” he asked in a hoarse whisper.
I was undetectable to humans in my spirit state. I hadn’t considered someone as powerful as The Crimson Calamitous might be able to sense me. There was a strong possibility he knew. I decided I’d better work fast and stepped closer to the table. He was reading a book seemingly older than my grandma. On the left there was a picture of a young girl with red hair. On the right was print about her. A girl named Delana. It said she was murdered and since the death was unjust, she could be resurrected. But only if a sacrifice were made. A virgin child. No younger than thirteen but no older than eighteen. My heart began pounding, and my spirit was sucked back.
I jerked home, still tingling and breathing hard. My body landed on the rug beside my door with a hard thump. He was going to kill Livvie to resurrect his dead lover. This had to be his plan. Livvie was only seventeen, and she was a virgin. I thought I was having a panic attack. My chest was tight and it was difficult to breathe.
Santos walked in the room and said, “Bro…are you ok?”
He got on his knees in front of me shaking my arms. I couldn’t talk. I was too stunned. His dark eyes drove into my soul, like he was trying to get a reading. His fingers tightened on my arms, and his nails dug into my flesh. He yelled for our mother and father. I just shook my head. He stared at me for what seems like hours.
“She’s…he’s…a virgin sacrifice….”
I couldn’t talk in complete sentences. It was obvious he has no idea what in the world I was talking about.
“Grandma…call her,” I screamed at my parents as they walked in the room.
Sadie came in as well, gifted with a touch of Grandma’s healing powers. I began to calm. “Tell me what’s wrong, Scottie.” Her voice was gentle and concerned.
“Sadie…my Livvie…she’s in grave danger. The Crimson Calamitous is after her. He’s going to sacrifice her to bring back his dead lover, Delana.”
I hadn’t told the other members of my family anything about this yet. Only Grandma. I could tell they were all shocked by the stunned faces staring at me.
“Did you say The Crimson Calamitous?”
“Who is Livvie?”
“A virgin sacrifice? Are we back in time?”
“Are you having an attack?”
“Have you been hit on your head?”
Questions bombarded me from all directions. Yep, my family members were definitely in shock.
Olivia
School had always been interesting to me. I usually ended up in classes with Juniper and later on with Mark. They made the days pass faster. Once we got in high school, I became interested in track. Running was fun and a way to get out of the house. My parents and I weren’t as close as other kids and their parents. For as long as I could remember, they worked long hours and weren’t home much. If I had a school activity during the day, they were never available to come. But if it was at night, they were there. I knew deep down they cared, but I always wondered why they worked so much. Our home was nice and they didn’t seem to be struggling with money. I wasn’t sure why I was always put on the back burner to their jobs. In fact, I wasn’t even sure what they did all day. My mom simply said she was a consultant. When I asked her any questions, the subject always magically changed. My father…well he was even more secretive about his job. All I knew was he was an important person in an important company. Or so they told me.
They had been acting strange lately. They were gone on the weekends more often than in the past. And they were asking me more questions than normally. They inquired about my health every day, and they were watching me, waiting for something to happen. Honestly, it made me a little crazy for feeling that way, but I couldn’t help it.
So far, tonight was a boring Friday night. I was sitting home alone, again, waiting for Juniper to come and get me. She had asked me to go to a movie with her, but she was picking up Mark first. I hadn’t gotten ready, just threw on a long sleeve shirt and jeans. It wasn’t quite summer yet, but the temps were higher during the day. At night it was still chilly. And movie theaters were known for being cold.
Sitting on the couch, I flipped through the home and living magazine my mother left on the coffee table. Half way through the magazine, a paper floated into my lap. It was a small piece with my mother’s handwriting scribbled softly on it.
“11 months to eighteen. No signs of change. No questioning.”
Confused, I read it again. My birthday would be in eleven months. But what change was she talking about? And what wasn’t I questioning? Before I could ponder anymore, I heard a honk from outside. I slipped the paper back into the magazine exactly where it was. I didn’t want my mother to know I found her paper.
I hurried out in the nippy air. Mark was standing outside the car with the seat already pulled up for me to climb in. Juniper had the heat turned up on high, because she apparently was freezing while the rest of us were simply cool.
“Hey, guys,” I exclaimed while warming my hands.
“Heeeey, Liv! Are you excited? I’m excited.”
“Yes, J. I am. I love hanging out with you two.”
Mark turned to look at me and said, “Well, of course you do. You know why? Because I’m awesome and it makes you two awesome by association.”
Juniper playfully punched his arm and swerved the car a little bit.
“J, pay attention,” we both yelled in unison.
“Sorry.”
I grabbed my phone when I felt it buzzed in my pocket and received a text from Aiden. He said he was bored, so I took a big chance and invited him to the movies with us. “Going to movies with J and Mark. Come if you want.”
“Sounds good. Meet you there in ten.”
I bit my lip as I read his reply. I didn’t think he would come, and now I wasn’t sure how Juniper would react. Mark had always been friendly, so I didn’t think it would be an issue for him. But Juniper was still protective and indecisive about the whole thing.
“Uh…guys?”
“Yeah, Liv?”
“I invited Aiden to come with us. Hope that’s ok.”
The car went silent. Mark glanced at Juniper, looking at her like he wasn’t sure if she was going to explode like a bomb or not. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel making her knuckles
white. I saw her eyes darting around in the mirror. Anxiety crossed her face, but then it all seemed to disappear.
“Ok.”
“Ok?”
“Ok.”
Mark glanced back at me and gave a little shrug like he had no clue what was going on. I didn’t really know either, so I just leaned back for the last few minutes of the car ride.
Scott
The Tabors always had “family night” on Fridays. We would watch a movie, go bowling, or find some other activity we could all do together. Tonight, we were all settled at Grandma’s house. She, Sadie, and my father were in the kitchen cooking an full course meal that would be delicious. I could smell some veggies, maybe green beans and carrots. Also, my nose detected some kind of pasta sauce my father was more than likely making from scratch. My mother and I played cards while Santos observed. Sebastian sat in the far chair looking bored. He never really liked to participate in family night. We all tried our hardest to include him in the things we did, but he never seemed interested. No matter how hard we tried, how much we did for him, or how caring we were, Sebastian always seemed to be an outsider.
“Scott,” my father yelled from the kitchen, “come here, please.”
“Hey, Santos, keep an eye on Mom. Don’t let her look at my cards.”
“Got it, Captain,” he said with a salute.
I jogged into the kitchen and witnessed the worst mess of my life. My sister stood off to the side, trying to hide her giggles, while my grandma stood fuming, staring at my father.
“Uh, Dad?”
“Listen, son, there was a little problem. The sauce was on too high and went everywhere. I need you to run to the store to get a few more ingredients.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. The white stove top was now covered in red sauce. My father was splattered. And my grandma…well she wasn’t doused in sauce, but she was red from anger. She hated to let anyone else cook in her kitchen. When something like this happened, she got furious. Which wasn’t good, because when sorcerers got upset, their powers could get out of control.
“Grandma? It’s ok. We’ll clean it up,” I said when I regained my composure.
“I told him to turn it down, but did he? Ooooh, no. He said he knew what he was doing. and I needed to leave him alone. He said he had everything under control. He said…” She was cut off by my father putting his hand up to stop her.
“Mom, I said I was sorry. I will clean it up. Now please calm down before you make the house explode or something.”
He turned to get a rag and began to take care of the mess. He nodded at the kitchen table and said the list I needed was there.
“Sadie, you wanna come with?”
“Sure.”
I grabbed the list and keys, and we headed towards the front door.
“Hey, Santos, take my place, ok? We have to run to the store.”
He nodded and glanced over my cards, checking each one to see what kind of hand he was getting. Just as Sadie and I got to the door, Sebastian called out to us. “I want to go with you.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. Sebastian never wanted to go anywhere with me. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, so I turned slowly. “Say that again?”
“I said I want to go with you. Is that ok?”
He had a look on his face that was a mixture of boredom and cockiness.
“Yeah, sure it is, Sebas. Come on,” Sadie said as she gave me a look saying let’s see what he’s up to. We all walked to my truck in silence and climbed in. I drove us to the store in a cab filled with eerie quiet.
Olivia
Aiden was waiting for us when we arrived at the theater. He and Mark exchanged pleasant but short hellos. Juniper hadn’t said anything to anyone since “Ok.” The theater was crowded, and we had to stand in line for what seemed like forever. Aiden paid for my ticket, and we walked to the concessions. Juniper was waiting to order popcorn when I finally decided we had to discuss this before the night was ruined.
“J, will you go to the restroom with me?”
She didn’t say anything, only nodded.
We walked away, leaving the boys in line with our orders.
“Are you mad?”
“Kind of. I thought you didn’t like him. Now you’re inviting him out with us.”
“I’m sorry, J,” I said as I pushed the door open.
“Do you like him or not? That’s all I want to know. I just don’t want him to hurt you or him to turn out weird or something.”
“I don’t think I want to date him, no. But I don’t see why we can’t be friends. He’s been really nice here lately. And I need to talk to him, find out what he thinks is going on and everything.”
“Ok, ok. I’ll be nice then. Or at least I’ll try,” she said with a grin on her face.
I shook my head as I laughed, “Thank you so much, J. I know this worries you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s get back to the boys. I’m not so sure they like each other.”
We made our way out of the crowded restroom, giggling about the thought of the boys waiting for us. Making guys wait on a date, while girls went anywhere together was fun. It seemed like the male species commented that girls liked to go places in packs. So, feeding the mindset was quite entertaining. Mark and Aiden were standing beside the concessions holding popcorn and drinks. They looked anxious for our return.
“Hey, guys, need a hand?” Juniper asked while sneakily letting her fingers slide over Mark’s arm and leaning her body closer to him.
“Yes,” Mark said while his eyes moved appreciatively over her.
I knew he liked her. I wondered why he wasn’t doing anything about it.
“You gonna help me, Whitehead?”
“Oh, sure,” I exclaimed, grabbing the drinks from Aiden’s hand.
He gave me a sly grin and a wink as his stride aligned with mine. I was unsure why, but he made me nervous. Yes, he was good looking. Yes, he was a bit intimidating with all his athletic skills, but why did I get butterflies in my stomach around him. I didn’t feel much attraction to him. But I couldn’t deny there was some. I couldn’t push the thought of Mr. Sexy from my mind.
A part of me couldn’t help but wonder if the dreams I’d been having were false. Perhaps I was crazy and wanted someone that badly. But another aspect of me deep within knew he was a part of my life. He had given me a rose and a painting. I just didn’t know if I would ever meet him.
“Whitehead?”
I snapped back to the present. My thoughts jumbled from focusing on Aiden’s face inches from mine. His breath was slow and deep, his stormy gray eyes were boring into my soul. My heart raced. I gasped a little and stepped back from him. My body was reacting to him, and it scared me.
“Yeah,” I stammered, trying to break his gaze. My eyes just couldn’t seem to move away from his.
“I was talking to you, but it seems like you’re in a completely different world. You ok?” he asked with concern. His hand reached out to caress my arm.
I shuddered. “Yeah, fine.”
“Ok. Well, Juniper and Mark went in to find us seats. We should probably go in,” he said. He opened the theater door for me.
“Wait,” I said and put my hand up to stop him.
Turning, he let the door shut. He looked at me patiently, waiting for whatever it was I was going to say.
“I wanted to ask you something, Aiden. How did you know where I live?”
“Everyone knows where you live. It’s Arrow Rock, Whitehead,” he said with a chuckle.
“So, you aren’t stalking me or something?”
“What? No. I thought we were friends,” he said sounding disheartened.
“Yeah, we are. I just got worried is all. I don’t know how I feel about you, Aiden…I don’t want to lead you on or anything.”
“I know. And it’s fine. I told you I would prove myself.”
“Ok. Well let’s go in now.”
“Alright, Whitehead, after you,” he said, opening the door wide.<
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The theater was full--it was Friday night after all--and the closest seats J and Mark could find were two on one row and two on the row below it. That meant we would be divided. My heart was still beating like a drum from the close encounter with Aiden. My palms were sweating a little bit at the thought of being separated from my friends. “We’ll sit on the bottom two,” I said as I moved through the crowded aisle.
Aiden followed closely behind me. We sat and our hands brushed when we both reached for the same arm rest. I giggled with embarrassment and moved to the opposite rest instead. I breathed deeply, trying to relax myself before the theater went dark. I moved my eyes slightly, trying to get a sideways glance at Aiden. His chiseled face looked stormy and dangerous from the side, kind of how his eyes did from the front. I studied him. He seemed to sense me because he turned to me. His eyes seemed to swallow my soul and my hand moved towards his. Just before I gripped his fingers, J cleared her throat behind me.
My thoughts seemed to clear like fog lifting from the ground. I turned slowly. My mind and body were not my own anymore. I looked at J. My eyes stared deeply into hers but everything still felt disconnected. I was screaming inside. I was trapped in my own body.
“Liv?”
The voice coming from mouth didn’t seem like my own. It sounded distant and foreign. “Yeah?”
She gripped me tightly and shook me. “Liv, what’s wrong?”
I glanced back at Aiden, still looking like a wild storm brewing, and I shrugged in confusion.
The White Aura (The White Aura Series) Page 6