The White Aura

by Felicia Tatum

  My major was still undecided, but I knew I wanted to work with art; whether creating it, teaching it, or selling it. Picking a definitive career path wasn’t the easiest decision I would make, but I continued to remind myself I could always go back to school to try again if I didn’t like it. I wouldn’t age for a while, so it wouldn’t be like the other students would know and create an awkward situation. Snorting as I finished the last of the stairs, I thought to how cool it would be to look so young while being so much older and wiser. Not to mention the magical abilities.

  Skidding to a halt at room 325, I flung the door open, hitting someone on the other side. Abashed, I slowly dropped my hand from the knob and looked around the door, right into the stern face of my not-so-amused professor. My mouth dropped open and I muttered an apology. Horrified by almost knocking my professor out, I rushed to my seat. Grabbing my notebook, I attempted to be as quiet as possible. It didn’t really work because I accidentally dropped my backpack on the floor. Professor Galloway gave me a look designed to stop my heart: brows creased, eyes slit narrowly, and mouth pursed tightly. I lifted my hand in an apology.

  He was an older man, his skin aged and wrinkled, hair white and thinning. He wasn’t the largest of men, but his presence filled the room and he held himself in such a manner that everyone listened when he spoke. His voice was loud and demanding, not matching his outer appearance in the slightest. Each word boomed from his mouth, causing the class to sit tall and focus on him. No one dared use their phones in his class. Only one student was brave enough to bring a computer, the rest of us handwriting our notes. As terrifying as he was, I respected Dr. Galloway.

  Nonetheless, I found myself drifting off, spending the rest of the class lost in thoughts about Livvie. How was I going to survive the next five months and some odd days? I longed to be able to talk to her, to hold her in real life, and to just enjoy her company. Our dreamwalking didn’t allow me to get to know her as much as I desired. I wanted to know everything there was to know about her. Her favorite places, her favorite foods, her favorite subject in school. Everything. Visiting her in dreams wouldn’t help me accomplish that. In fact, I wasn’t sure she even believed I was real.

  How could I convince her? Living in pure torture for the coming months wouldn’t do. My heart was fragile as it was, and if Livvie didn’t believe, didn’t know my love was true and something she could have for eternity…well, I couldn’t imagine what I would do. Not only must I keep my distance and manage to survive, but now I must find a way to prove to her I am more than a part of her dream world. Prove I would be a part of her waking world in a few months.

  The shuffling of book bags and people moving broke my trance. Glancing down at my wrist, I saw class ran over and I’d missed most of it. Stuffing my blank notebook back in my bag, I moved my way to the front of the class, stopping to apologize to Professor Galloway one last time. This would probably affect my grade in the long run. As long as I passed, I guessed it didn’t really matter.

  OLIVIA

  Lying on my stomach on my bed, I flipped through the songs on my mp3 player. I was frustrated that I couldn’t find one to fit my mood. Not that I knew what my mood was. I was upset with Juniper for implying Aiden was showing interest in me, though I wasn’t quite sure why that made me upset…perhaps because deep down I knew it to be true. I was also annoyed with my parents for working too much. Most of all, the most important factor of my mood, was the fact that I was dreaming about some strange person and I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I mean, who does that?

  The phone rang and J’s picture popped up on the screen. Sliding the screen, I answered.

  “Hey, J.”

  “Hey, Liv, are you still upset with me? I was calling after you while you were at your locker.”

  I knew that sound. It was caution and sadness mixed together. I picked lint off of my skirt.

  “No, J, I’m not mad. I dunno what’s up with me today. I didn’t hear you,” I lied.“Hey, why did you say that stuff about Aiden? He doesn’t like me,” I said it so sharply that it sounded angry. What if Aiden did like me? What could I do about it? I couldn’t stand the guy most days, but the thought of hurting him upset me. A lot. Connections were a weird thing, happening randomly and without warning, and for some reason, I thought I had one with Aiden.

  “Wellllllllll…..” she started with her I-know-something-you-don’t-know-but-will-want-to voice.

  Oh, fantastic.

  “He asked me for your number today after school. And I gave it to him.”

  “You did what? Without asking me first?” I asked in shock. Jumping to my feet, I paced the floor. And even kicked the wall, which bruised my toe. Why would he ask her? He waited for me after practice and didn’t say anything about it. “I can’t believe you did that!” Trust was something I thought I had with Juniper, but this was making me wonder.

  “Liv…I think you’re just scared, but I’m going to help you…” She was cut off by a beep. Call waiting. A number I didn’t know. Hmm, wonder who that could be.

  “Gotta go, J. My mom is calling.” I hung up before she could protest.

  “Hello,” I said timidly.

  A deep voice answered, “Hello, is this Olivia?”

  Oh, dear.

  “Yes, it is. May I ask who is speaking?”

  “This is Aiden. I hope you don’t mind, but I asked that music girl you hang around with for your number.”

  “Music girl?” He didn’t even know her name. “She’s called Juniper, and I guess it’s ok…though, I’m not sure why you didn’t just ask me after practice today.” I hoped he would tell me why he wanted to talk.

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I don’t know what I was thinking. Sooo…uhh…I was wondering if you…listen, I know you don’t like me very much, and that’s weird to me, because all of the girls like me, but I was wondering if you wanted to go to the spring formal with me?”

  It all came out in a very fast breath. Was he nervous?

  “Umm…well, you’re right. I don’t like you very much. You’re cocky and arrogant, in my opinion.”

  I couldn’t be anything but blunt, no matter how hard I tried. I had been a difficult child to raise, or so I had been told. My parents had great stories of my abrupt manner at some of our holiday parties. He laughed deeply, and I realized he didn’t sound so bad on the phone.

  “Well, I want a chance to change your opinion. Will you let me try?” His deep voice rumbled through the earpiece, and my heart jumped.

  I did need a date to the formal…and I would take any excuse to buy a new dress.

  “Ok, Cavalier, I’ll consider giving you a chance, but if you do something between now and then to totally turn me off, our deal is off,” I spat. “And this isn’t a yes, this is a consideration.” I quickly hung up the phone. What was going on with me? I was some kind of crazy lady lately.

  Aiden had transferred to our school when I was a freshman and had immediately attracted everyone’s attention. The girls all wanted him, the boys all wanted to be him. He had always seemed full of himself though, using his athletic standing to his advantage in every way he could think of: missing tests, skipping classes, sometimes even skipping school. It was ridiculous. I kind of thought that maybe he had a hard home life, because no one ever showed up for him at games and ceremonies we held. He also never spoke of any siblings, so it was like he didn’t have anyone. I almost pitied him. When my parents weren’t around, I at least had Juniper to talk to. He didn’t seem close to anyone like that. I threw the phone on the nightstand and flung an arm over my eyes. Then I heard the front door open, so I got off of bed to greet my mother.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  “Hey, baby girl. How was your day?” She reached out to hug me, a rare thing these days.

  I led her to the kitchen table, and I told her about everything that happened. From the sleepover request to the odd interactions with Aiden. She listened intently, and when I finished, asked me a question that floored me.

>   “Are you sure you aren’t interested in this boy, Olivia?”

  I just stared at her. Maybe she wasn’t listening intently after all.

  “Mom…I just said he’s in love with himself and snobby. Why would I like him?”

  “Well…you did just say yes to the spring formal…doesn’t sound like you’re entirely disgusted by him. Just an observation.”

  She winked and stood up to start making dinner. Pots hit the counters with thumps, and silverware sliced the vegetables on the cutting tray. Oh, my gosh, everyone in my life was mental today. I stood and walked to the island in the middle of our kitchen. I chopped onions for our sauce, deciding I would just ignore her comments for now.

  “How was work?” I asked.

  “Fine,” she stated, turning from me to stir something bubbling in the pot.

  “Did anything happen?” Asking questions about her job were difficult since she rarely told me anything about what she did, and never told me about who she worked with.

  She shook her head, still facing away. “No.”

  Talking to her was like trying to pull teeth. I sighed, not knowing what else to say and leaving it at that.

  “How is Juniper?” she questioned.

  “Fine,” I replied, hoping a dose of her own medicine would make her realize how truly annoying her attitude was.

  “Is the sleepover here or at her house?” she asked, finally giving me a glance.

  “Her house, I think,” I responded. We took turns, often spending every weekend together in one way or another. “We were here last weekend.”

  She nodded. “Be careful, Olivia. There are bad people in this world and I worry about you,” she said, brushing my hair from my face.

  Her words were simple, but there was such worry behind them it caused me to think twice. What was going on? Were my parents in the mafia or something? Why would she warn me like that? “Umm…ok.”

  She snapped back to herself, distancing us and refocusing on the meal. “Will you set the table, please? Only two, your father won’t be in until late.”

  “Oh? Where is he?” I quizzed.

  “Working,” she responded curtly.

  And that was the end of any mother daughter bonding we may have stumbled into. Why my parents were so obscure, I couldn’t tell you, but it sucked. Would I ever feel like they cared?

  SCOTT

  “Dammit!!!” I threw a book across the room. Pacing with my hands in my hair, I tried my best to not punch the wall. I had plugged in just as Livvie and her friend had started talking. I couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation, but I noticed she was frustrated. Then she talked to someone else, and I knew it wasn’t her mother like she told her friend, because she seemed nervous, and the conversation wasn’t the kind you have with someone like a parent. She spoke to the person on the other line about proving himself. At least, I suspected it was a male, and Olivia confirmed my suspicions when her mother actually came home. She had a date. For the dance. The one I absolutely couldn’t take her to because it was in two weeks.

  Picking up the book, I stuffed it in my backpack. I went back to campus because I’d forgotten to turn in a project to my art professor. The quietness convinced me to stay and study.

  I was in my second year of college and needed to pick a major soon. Painting was my passion, but I wanted to major in something financially acceptable. I needed to start putting away money. After all, I had a very long life ahead of me. More than one degree was certainly an option, but what to do first was the question.

  I found this little nook on the top floor of the library one day last week when I was looking for some reference materials. I noticed the open door, away from the books and computers, and stuck my head in to have a look. The small room contained a comfy chair and a long table. I assumed it was meant for studying, but I never saw anyone else using it.

  It was perfect for when I needed some quiet time to study or to check on Livvie. When I espied, I looked like I was simply resting my eyes, but if someone tried to talk to me, I couldn’t respond. For this reason, it was best if I did it someplace with little or no human traffic.

  I glanced around to make sure everything was as when I arrived, then headed home.

  ###

  After turning on every light in the apartment, I sat on my bed. Resting my head in my hands, I just stared at the floor. I had no idea what to do. Going to her was out of the question. I couldn’t physically meet and make her fall for me. Not yet, anyway. I blindly looked around the room when a book caught my eye. Not the large, torn black text I threw, but another. One of the accounts of my family’s history. Was telling her the truth an option?

  Loopholes were tricky things, and with her life on the line, I walked a slippery slope. I didn’t want to do anything that could cause the curse to be activated even sooner. I strode across the room, lifting the brown, leather-bound volume from the shelf. It was wide and heavy, the binding torn and worn down. The pages were yellow and weathered by age, which was expected. It had been in the Tabors family for many years.

  Opening the cover, I saw where each fifth generation sorcerer before me signed the pages just inside the front. I did this myself when my family had presented it to me on my fourteenth birthday. It had been a big deal, with my parents throwing a get-together and everyone celebrating the occasion. I smiled at the memory, but shook my head to bring my focus back to my task.

  I leafed through the pages, looking for something to forbid me from doing this. I really didn’t want her to die, so I had to make sure it was safe first. Of course, her falling in love with someone else would be as hard on me emotionally. Regardless, I wanted Livvie to live a long, full life.

  The book was full of spells that were special to our family. Spells that had been used in defeating powerful beings in the past. There was information about our war with vampires a few centuries ago. The race of beings had been brutal when first created, many of them killing and exposing their nature at every corner. It was then the council was created, to prevent the different beings from putting all of us in danger. No one knew why we existed, we just did, but if anyone found out it all could be put in jeopardy.

  There was even a chapter on how to survive if you met your heart mate at thirteen, like my great-great-great grandmother had. I riffled through the pages, careful not to rip any, to find the information about our curse, the details on what could happen and what could not. There were at least fifty dedicated to the subject, so I decided to just study the passages until it was close to time for her to sleep…then I could see her.

  OLIVIA

  I was lying in my oversized bed, with the fluffy covers pulled up to my face and my eyes closed, trying to drift off to sleep. Only, sleep wouldn’t come to me. I was worrying about school tomorrow. What was I going to do when Aiden tried to prove himself to me? I tossed to the other side. Why did I care so much? And why did I say yes to his invitation? Staring out the window, I noticed how the stars were so mesmerizing. If only life could be as simple as the stars in the sky. Simply being, surviving, even thriving, without all this stress. They would always be in the sky, but people...well people were not that predictable. I closed my eyes yet again, willing myself to sleep.

  The familiar sensation of my dreams engulfed my body. It was like I was floating… but not. I felt completely safe, yet I didn’t even know where I was. I looked around, realizing the dream was new this time. I usually started out kissing Mr. Sexy, but this time I was in a room by myself. Looking around, I noticed it was familiar from previous dreams. It was the normal medium bedroom size, with dark blue walls. By the door on the far wall sat a desk with two computer screens and lots of office supplies. A shelf with a ton of ancient looking books sat next to the desk. The bed I was resting on had a bedspread the same color as the walls and a few very fluffy pillows. There was a TV with a gaming system by the closet and a window to my left. A window! I leapt off the bed and looked out to see if I recognized where I was. I was taking it all in when I
heard something—or rather, someone—behind me.

  I spun and he was already inches from my face. He was so close that I could smell him, and he smelled delicious, like a fresh showered scent with a hint of outdoors. Manly and sexy, in my opinion.

  “Where am I? Who are you?” I asked him quietly.

  His deep eyes looked into mine. “My Livvie, I can’t tell you yet. But I can let you know other stuff about me, if you wish,” he said.

  His voice was deep and alluring and made me weak in the knees. He had called me his Livvie. No one had ever called me that before.

  “Yes! I want to know everything about you, but how do I know you’re real? I can’t stop thinking about you, and it makes me feel like I’m losing it.” I let my voice trail off, hoping he didn’t think I was crazy. “Is this real?” I was worried about the possible fake dream guy thinking I was losing it…I truly was.

  “Yes,” he nodded. “Ok, my Livvie, I am twenty years old. I live in the city next to you, but I don’t think you’ve ever seen me. I fell in love with you when you walked by the coffee shop I was in a little over a year ago. The Triple Perk, on 4th Street. And…this is real, Livvie. All of the dreams truly happen. You are asleep, but I’m actually here with you.”

  I let it all sink in. This was real. I walked over to the desk and sat in the chair. This was probably the safest place for me, so I didn’t end up making out with him again. I wanted to, but I also wanted to know what was going on. Ohmygosh, did he say this was real? Clenching my eyes shut, I pinched the bridge of my nose. I’d made out with some dude, for real, in my dreams. We’d kissed, touched, enjoyed each other. I’d practically fallen for him. Opening my eyes, I slowly lifted my head and looked at him.