The White Aura

by Felicia Tatum

  OLIVIA

  Do you ever get the feeling you aren’t alone? Sometimes I felt like someone was watching me. Not in a creepy way, though, more like I sensed a presence. I couldn’t really explain the feeling. I just knew I wasn’t alone all the time. Occasionally, the impression was so strong that I was convinced if I reached my hand out, I could touch a face. I hadn’t tried to do it yet, mainly because I felt this way when people were around me, like this morning during my breakfast with Aiden.

  Glancing at the clock, I realized there were only twenty-two minutes of school left. The day slowly trudged along, the clouded sky making for a depressing and dreary day. Sighing, I doodled on my paper and thought back to this morning. Aiden had been very strange. He wanted me to like and approve of him, almost desperately. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but something didn’t feel right.

  In the car, he had been trying way too hard. He said all the right things, but they just seemed…wrong, well, coming from him anyway. Did he expect me to believe he had a sudden interest in art and all of my favorite movies? The boy was as dense as they come. There was no way he understood art, and I loved chick flicks, but what guy would admit that freely?

  Breakfast had been easier, because he hadn’t seemed to be as nervous. He was more natural. I still wasn’t sure what to think of it all. I needed to talk to Juniper. Even though she was all, Oh, Aiden and swoony over the idea, she was my best friend and if I could get her past the excitement of it, I knew she’d listen. The bell rang, and I set out to find J.

  I hopped up to her locker, hitting the door with my fist. She jumped in surprise and smothered a scream. It made me laugh, like always, that she got scared so easily. And her reactions made it an easy decision to keep scaring her. “What’s up, J?”

  “Nothing, Liv. I’m getting my stuff so we can go par-tay,” she said with a wide grin. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt and bit her lip as she stared me down.

  “Ok, I have to talk to you about something important on the way to your house.”

  “Important? Oh, come on, noooooo! Not today. It’s sleepover night. Important can wait,” she said with a wave of her hand, as if she were just wiping the conversation away.

  “J, listen. This is really important. Aiden is giving me weird feelings. Something isn’t right, and I don’t know what to do,” I said in an urgent whisper. I didn’t want him to overhear.

  She looked at me, her eyes wide and confused, and nodded. We walked to her car in silence. I was afraid he would overhear if we talked about it before we were in the safety of her vehicle. I climbed in the passenger seat, waiting until she was in before looking at her.

  “Ok, Liv, what do you mean by bad feelings? He makes you want to throw up, or there’s some internal alarm system going off?”

  “An alarm. I feel like he’s trying really hard to make me like him, but I don’t know why. He just showed up at my house this morning with breakfast, which was kind of sweet, but how did he know where I live? And he just kind of expected me to fall at his feet because he showed interest in me…” I trailed off. I didn’t know how else to explain letting that I really was kind of unsure about this whole situation, but couldn’t base it on anything more than a feeling.

  “I told him I would probably go to the dance with him when he called last night, J.” She squealed at that one. “But now I don’t know if that was the best idea. What if he thinks we’re dating? I barely know him.”

  “Liv, calm down. First, I can’t believe you said yes and didn’t call and tell me. Second, I know I was all for Aiden yesterday, but something happened today. I don’t know about this dance either. I overheard him talking outside of the bio lab this morning. He didn’t know I was at my locker.” She looked at me, her big brown eyes full of concern.

  I didn’t think this was something I wanted to hear. “First, I said probably, and second, what did he say, J?”

  “Well, he was on his phone…he kept saying ‘She is the one, and she will be the one to free Delana.’ Now I don’t know who in the hell Delana is, but if he likes you, he needs to move on from this chick.”

  She was getting into her overprotective mode. Now I was really worried. J didn’t act like a guard dog unless things were serious, and she thought this was.

  “Delana…do we have anyone at the school named Delana?”

  “No, I already checked. I can’t find anyone by that name on his friend pages, the yearbook, or anywhere. The name is just up in the air. I don’t want him to hurt you, though, Liv. You deserve so much better than someone hung up on another girl,” she threw her hands up in defeat.

  “Let’s just go to your house. We can talk about this more. I think he’s watching us.” And he was. I could see him in J’s mirror. We were sitting in her little BMW. Did I mention her parents are very generous? He was standing two rows away from the parking spot, slouched against his Jeep and just staring at Juniper’s car. It almost felt like he was staring right at me.

  “Let’s get far away from Mr. Popular/Stalker/Potential Creeper,” she said as she put the car in reverse.

  “J, I don’t know what to do,” I said as I glanced in the rearview mirror. I was worried that he would follow us. Not that it mattered. He already knew where I lived, thanks to our small town. So I doubted it would be difficult for him to find Juniper’s house, considering she was just two streets over.

  “Well, I’m going with you. Mark and I will double date with you. I don’t want you alone with him.”

  Mark was our guy friend/guy she liked. He was a geeky type, on the debate team and a Star Wars fanatic. He was tall with dark hair and green eyes. He was also very muscular, like he worked out a lot. Personally, I thought he was really attractive, and J needed to just date him already. But she was worried about ruining friendships and awkward moments. I was hoping the dance would change that for them.

  “Wait a minute…you and Mark?” I asked with a sly grin.

  She blushed and nodded. It took about two seconds for me to start bouncing up and down in my seat, squealing with delight. It took about two more seconds for her to do the same.

  “Details. Now.”

  “Ok, ok. He came over to study last night, and I just casually mentioned that I wanted to go and didn’t want to go alone. He was quiet for a few minutes and then asked if I wanted us to go together. Ohmygosh, Liv, he seemed nervous! Maybe he does like me,” she said, her voice rising with excitement.

  “I’ve been telling you that for forever now, J. If you’d only listen to me,” I said with a punch to her arm.

  “Hey! No hitting, I have to look rockin’ for the dance.”

  “Oh, like that did anything to your arm,” I said with another punch.

  “Stop it, Olivia Myla Whitehead,” she shouted at me.

  We burst into giggles. She sounded like a parent using my full name.

  “Ok, ok. You win. I’ll let you look hot and stuff for the dance. Are you going to tell him you like him?”

  “Maybe. Depends on what happens. I want him to tell me first, Liv.”

  “I get that. I think he will,” I said with a wide smile. I had thought Mark had the hots for her since sophomore year, but she wouldn’t listen to me.

  My phone rang, distracting me from the moment. I looked down and saw it was Aiden. We were pulling into her driveway, and I declined the call. I wasn’t even sure what to say at this point. Just so I wasn’t rude, I sent a quick text saying I was with a friend and couldn’t talk. Still, I glanced around as I stepped out, expecting him to be waiting behind one of the bushes or something weird like that. “J, he just called.”

  She looked as worried and confused as I felt when we walked to the house. Something about this whole situation felt wrong. I kept saying and thinking that, but I had no idea why. The off feelings only surfaced when I was away from him. When we spent time together, the dread and uneasiness wasn’t apparent at all. We went to the kitchen and made a snack—crackers with grapes and cheese. I looked at J. Today, she
was wearing glasses, but they were clear lenses. She thought they made her look smarter. Her hair was pinned back on the sides, and her earrings were her signature quarter notes.

  I knew I needed to decide what to do about Aiden. Either way, I was going to the dance, but I wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. Plus, I needed to talk to Aiden about his creepiness.

  Juniper interrupted my thoughts. “We need to buy dresses,” she said through a mouthful of grapes.

  “Tomorrow. We’ll go to Anna’s tomorrow. You have to get something totally sexy for your night with Mark,” I said with a wink.

  She threw a grape at me, her mouth open wide in shock as she fumbled to keep her chewed grapes in.

  “We won’t be doing anything like that, Olivia,” she shouted.

  “J, I know that. I’m just playing. Anna’s tomorrow. Sexy dress so you can drive him crazzzzzy.”

  Our giggles were back, and I knew it was going to be a great sleepover.

  Anna’s was the dress shop in the next town, Loudon Heights. Anna was an older lady, about fifty or sixty, and the sweetest person ever. I loved going to her boutique because she always had some sort of baked good for customers. And we knew we could find the perfect outfit for any occasion at her place. I had to remember to call and ask my dad for some money when he got home from work.

  SCOTT

  Aiden was evil. If Grandma was right, and I was guessing she was, he had been around for a long time and possessed a bad record. In all of our family books, there was only one sorcerer with a completely red aura. In his beginning days, they called him the Crimson Calamitous. Born over a thousand years ago, he had destroyed over 200 sorcerers and two council homes. Our council was between ten to twenty older sorcerers. They lived in a discreet location, guarded by protection wards, curses, and a plethora of other security measures surrounding the home. The often moved around, keeping safe from the dangers out there. It was almost impossible to get in the building, but it had been accomplished. Twice. The red sorcerer was dangerous. Now it was possible he was here and after Livvie. My head hurt thinking about it.

  The Crimson Calamitous never had an actual name in the legends, but he did have a lover, Delana. She was killed by one of the family members of a sorcerer he murdered. This powerful and evil sorcerer could conjure anything he wanted, withstand the powers of a whole clan, and change himself into any form. He possessed a multitude of powers, and after Delana was murdered, he went crazy. He vowed revenge. After killing everyone he could, he disappeared for quite some time. He hadn’t been heard of in years, but now here he was. And I was seeing him.

  The clock said it was almost midnight. Livvie should be sleeping soon, so I needed to get ready to go to her. No talking tonight. She asked way too many questions last night. I decided to espy her first to make sure she was asleep. Relaxing on my bed, I leaned my head against the wall and breathed in deeply, concentrating on her bright green eyes and wavy red hair.

  “Juniper, stop.”

  Livvie was shouting at her friend, who had a camera in her hand. Livvie was in a tank top and pajama pants with horses on them. They apparently were having a sleepover and decided to put that green stuff on their faces. I deciphered that Juniper was trying to get pictures for future blackmailing purposes.

  “I won’t show anyone. I just need it for…ya know…fond memory purposes,” Juniper said as she darted around.

  In seconds, she was in Livvie’s face and clicked the camera twice, blinding her and stopping her from turning away.

  “Juniper Grace Parks, I can’t believe you just did that,” Livvie yelled as she dove at her, trying to grab the camera.

  Getting to see Livvie in this environment was entertaining. The doorknob turned and a young face poked its way in. The girl looked a little like Juniper, with longer hair. She was probably thirteen or so, I guessed.

  "Guys…mom is going to wake up if you don’t be quiet,” the girl said.

  She looked around, trying to figure out what caused the commotion.

  “Chelsea, why aren’t you in bed?” Juniper asked in a bossy voice.

  “Because you two woke me up.”

  Silence. Livvie looked uncomfortable and Juniper annoyed. Livvie started toward her, putting her hand out to Juniper in a way that said: stop, I’ll handle her. “Sorry, Chels. We didn’t mean to wake you up. We’ll be quieter from now on, ok?”

  Chelsea nodded. She gave one last look around. It seemed to me she wanted to be included, but knew she was too young. She closed the door softly behind her.

  “She drives me crazy, Liv.”

  “Oh, J, she just looks up to you. Stop it. We should include her next time.”

  “We’ll include her when she stops running to tell my parents every single thing we say or do.”

  I decided this was a good time to leave. My spirit slowly returned to my body. I forgot about leaning my head back and bumped it against the wall with a thud. Rubbing the spot with my hand, I picked up my textbook to study a bit before Livvie went to sleep.

  ###

  Two hours later, my brain hurt from studying the history of Spain. Frustrated with the classes I was taking, I promised myself to decide on a major this semester. I closed my book, throwing it in the floor beside my bed. I flipped the light switch and lay back, exhausted and wanting to see Livvie. I said the spell allowing me to dream walk:

  In a state to not be disturbed

  I walk and exist as I am in life

  Take me to the land of her dreams

  Where things stay the way they seem

  My eyes began to close. The spell put me into a deep trance. I could feel myself in Livvie’s room. She was lying in her bed in a blue nightgown. I lay beside her. Her wide green eyes opened, and a smile spread across her lips. I leaned in and kissed her softly, my teeth tugging at her lips and my tongue exploring her mouth. A low moan escaped her and sent my mind reeling. My hands caressed her thighs, and she grasped at my chest. Heat flooded my body as my need for her grew stronger and stronger.

  “Livvie,” I whispered softly in her hair.

  Soft hands tugged at my pants, trying to free my body of them. Eyes full of need gazed deep into mine, and I knew I must stop her. I couldn’t make love to her like this. My lips found her neck and kissed and sucked on velvet skin. Sharp nails suddenly sunk deeper into my shoulder muscles, and teeth bit down on my lips. When she released her grip, my lips trailed my way to hers. She kissed me deeply. I knew I had to go now. The need for her was too much. I took one last longing look at her.

  I came out of the trance slowly. My surroundings were fuzzy at first, but my room gradually became visible. I woke up in the floor. I always came to in different locations within my apartment after our expeditions. My body was still aching for Livvie. Her touch had lit every inch of me on fire. I glanced at the clock, noticing I was in the dream for almost two hours. It felt like five minutes.

  I walked to the bathroom, rubbing my shoulder along the way. She really dug her nails in. After turning on the light, I pulled my shirt off to look. Deep scratches started at my shoulder blade and went up to my neck. Those were gonna hurt when I showered. I stripped off the rest of my clothing and turned the water on cold. I needed to relax my mind and reduce the heat simmering inside me. A cold shower was the perfect remedy, and hopefully the cool stream of water wouldn’t burn my love wounds.

  OLIVIA

  Sleepovers with Juniper felt like wild parties, well, for us anyway. We watched movies, ate a lot of junk food, and talked non-stop. Last night had been a night of facials, music, and musicals. We talked a little about the Aiden situation, but I still wasn’t sure what I was going to do. The conversation revolved mostly around Mark. Juniper had liked him since we were twelve or so.

  He was in our class and became friends with us during an assembly one day. There was a kid in our class—Rob—who was always picked on by the popular kids. He was really small then. Scrawny and pimple faced, but at twelve, most kids were. At the assembly that
cold winter morning, Rob sat in the far corner of our section. He tried his hardest to ignore the bullies. The most popular guy in the class, Kevin, walked up to Rob’s seat and started picking on him. Juniper and I moved closer to him, trying to deflect the attention, but it didn’t work. Kevin kept on and on, making fun of everything from Rob’s face to his parents’ vehicles.

  That’s when Mark stepped in. He was still new. He had just moved to Arrow Rock that previous fall. He sat beside Rob and looked Kevin straight in the eye. His voice didn’t waver at all when he said, “That’s enough. There’s no need to make fun of someone else to make yourself feel better.” We all were friends after that. And Rob? Well he wasn’t scrawny and nerdy anymore, and most of the kids who bullied him wanted to be his friend now.

  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, smacked me with the pillow, and sulked to the bathroom.

  I threw on jeans and a black tank top. I didn’t bother with makeup 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.