Jatred stopped chewing his food and concentrated on the Jasmira’s face.
She briefly looked away, frowning, her lips pressed together. “Jatred,” she quietly answered her grandmother’s question. Her eyes and jaws squeezed shut, as if she strained against pain.
Jatred put his fork down and reached for Jasmira’s hand. She looked at him with troubled eyes and put the cell phone away.
“Well, she knows now. She came back from her trip early, and my car was nicely parked in the garage.”
Jatred swore under his breath, his hands closing over Jasmira’s. “We should have taken your car, not mine.”
“You think? That was a really stupid thing to do.”
“Now what?”
“Now she wants me to come back home, and we will have a little talk.” Jasmira scowled, the corners of her lips curled down.
Jatred pulled her close. She put her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him, inhaling deeply. They sat like this for a few moments, almost motionless, without talking.
“Ugh, I hate this,” she whispered. “Why do we have to hide? Why can’t we just be together without the rest of the world jumping in to separate us?”
“What exactly did she say?”
“She was shocked, not only because I am here with a boy but… you know—this crazy Race thing. She knows very well who you are and, of course, she was furious. She wants me to come home right away.” There was a scowl on Jasmira’s face as she let out a derisive snort.
Jatred reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He leaned in and kissed the spot on the top of her cheekbone, right next to her eye. “J, I love you. I don’t ever want to leave you, even if they try to drag us away from each other.”
“I love you too.”
CHAPTER 5
Human World, August 2.
“I can’t believe your grandma grounded you. It’s just not like her.” Penelope stood with her back to the window. She wore a white Stella McCartney tennis-style skirt and a blue sleeveless shirt. A thin pink vintage sweater was loosely tied around her shoulders. Her hair was pulled into a neat pony tail with a small white scarf. A pair of white canvas sneakers completed her outfit.
“I can’t believe it either. It’s not like Jatred and I were doing it. And she knows that.” Jasmira sat on her bed, pouting, her legs and arms crossed.
“Then what’s her problem?”
“The stupid Race thing. He’s the Winter guy and I’m the Summer girl, so we can’t date. Have you ever heard of the mental bond the Shifters create when they’re together?”
“Sure, my parents told me. Or maybe it was my grandpa, I don’t remember. Do you guys have it?” Penelope crossed the large bedroom and sat on the bed next to her friend. She stretched out her legs, the toes of her shoes pointing toward the ceiling. She lowered herself onto the bed, leaning back on her elbows.
“We do. I can sense what he feels. It was weird at first, but then I got used to it. It gets super freaky if he’s scared or something. One time he got really angry, and I felt it going through me. It really shook me up. And we weren’t, like, next to each other—I was at school and he was home that day.”
“Wow, totally weird.” Penelope shook her head. “So, now what? How long are you grounded for?”
“Two weeks! Can you imagine? School starts in a month. It’s summer. It’s hot and sunny, and I have to stay home.”
“That sucks big time. Can you at least call him?” Penelope bent her right knee and rested the side of her foot on top of her left knee.
“No. Grandma took my cell, and I’m not allowed to use the land line, unless she’s in the room with me.”
“What? You can’t be serious. Your grandma did that?”
“She completely freaked out. She said we’re the Royal heads of the opposite Races, and there is no way she’ll let me see him again,” Jasmira said quietly, her head hanging low. “You’re the only person who can visit me.”
“I feel privileged.” Penelope snorted. “Sorry, you know what I mean. I wish we could go to the beach or to the mall.”
“Keep wishing, not a chance. I even told her I need to buy new clothes for school, but she only said this can easily wait two weeks.”
“Painful.” Penelope sighed. “Nordstrom still has good things on sale. Tell her we have to go.”
“Yeah, good luck with that. She will say to buy online.”
“But you need to try the stuff on. What if something doesn’t fit? It’s such a pain to return it.” Penelope stood up and walked to the window. The sun was high in the sky but a few large clouds gathered on the horizon. “It’s gonna rain tonight. Blah, I hate hate the rain.”
“Pen, you say this every time it rains. It’s Seattle after all.” Jasmira shrugged and walked to the window to stand next to her friend.
“My dad’s job is here, so we’re stuck. Believe me, Mom wants to move somewhere warm so badly, but he makes really good money. Besides, our school is the best school for Shifter kids in the country. I can’t imagine going anywhere else.”
“See? You’re not the only one—my grandma says this is the main reason why so many of the double-natured live here. But I sometimes wonder how it would be to go to a regular high school. You know, with the human kids. I mean, we have human kids in our school, but since the owners and the teachers are all Shifters it can’t be the same. And the whole thing is so secretive that the humans could never even suspect anything.”
“Oh, come on. I can’t believe you’ve got nothing better to talk about. Missing school already? You could Skype Jatred instead.”
“I thought about it, but Grandma has those stupid parental controls on my laptop. I’m not allowed on Skype now. She made me promise that I won’t email him either.”
“Call him from my cell then.”
Jasmira looked sharply at Penelope. “That’s a thought. Grandma’s out and won’t be back for a while.”
Penelope took the phone out from her Coach wristlet bag, and, with a grin, handed it to Jasmira.
“What?” Jasmira laughed in surprise.
“What would you do without me, Princess?” Penelope wiggled her eyebrows.
“I would die in the highest room of the tallest tower.”
“I’m going to the kitchen to search for some cookies. Want some?”
“No, but help yourself. Ana baked some yesterday, I think chocolate chip.”
“Yes, I know.” Penelope rolled her eyes. “I can smell yesterday’s baking as if it was done a minute ago.” She walked toward the door, but then she stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around, a triumphant look on her face.
“What?”
“I have an idea.” Penelope bit her lower lip, smiling. “Make the call fast and have him drive over here—”
“Are you crazy—” Jasmira interrupted, but Penelope held up her hand.
“Shush. Have him park away, so his truck is not anywhere close to the house. When you’re done talking to him, I’ll call your grandma and see where she’s at and when she’s coming back. I gotta make that call, otherwise she might suspect something fishy is going on if you call from my cell. Jatred can jump over that huge fence of yours in his wolf form. It shouldn’t be any problem for him. I’ve done it more than once, just for kicks.”
Jasmira stood motionless, her lips parted. “You are a genius.” She hugged her friend.
“You can thank me later. Now hurry up and don’t talk long on that phone. If this works, he might be able to come here more often, when Grandma’s away. You just need me here to stand watch.”
“You never stop amazing me, Pen.”
“Listen, this is how you do it—call him and tell him to drive here fast. Then he needs to wait in the truck for your second call, which you will make after I talk with your grandma to see when she’s coming back. You got it?” Penelope arched her brows.
“Got it.”
“I need a cookie. In fact, I need a few and some chocolate milk,” Penelo
pe muttered, walking out of the room.
***
The black wolf trotted slowly along the tall iron fence. His coat was thick, his deep-blue eyes looked focused and alert. The wolf stopped and lifted his head to sniff the air, his muzzle working.
In the distance the old mansion stood silent, circled by the manicured gardens. The wolf slowly approached the gate, peeking cautiously through the iron spikes. There was no movement anywhere and no people or animals were visible. His ears swiveled, trying to catch any suspicious noise. They twitched when he strained to distinguish between the sounds he heard. But besides the rustle of leaves, the birds’ songs, and the rush of water from the large three-tiered fountain, he didn’t hear anything else. He snorted and turned, then slowly walked away from the gate.
The gate itself was an architectural gem. It stood prominently between two white stone posts, each topped with three horizontal blocks. Each of the blocks protruded out a few inches more than the lower one, which resulted in a formation of the thick, inverted step-like platforms. Upon the platforms sat statues of solemn-looking leopards. The huge figures looked down as if examining a visitor who dared to get too close to the gate. Each leopard bore on its massive chest a large gold-colored pendant of a sun-face. The pendants hung on thick stone chains, permanently attached to their bearers’ necks.
The wolf stood under the trees, several yards from the fence. His eyes were fixed on the stone statues. He growled and took a few slow steps back. Then he sprang forward and ran full speed toward the gate. His upper lip drew back, showing sharp, long canines. He jumped over the spikes of the fence, his belly inches away from the pointed iron finials. The wolf landed on the other side and left large paw prints on the freshly mowed grass. He lost his balance but regained it momentarily.
He heard her footsteps even before he heard her voice.
“Jatred!” From the house Jasmira ran toward him. Her long curly hair billowed behind her. “J, you made it. You made it.”
The wolf whimpered and trotted forward to meet her. Without slowing down, she threw herself onto him. Her hands grabbed his thick fur. His body was massive, and Jasmira looked like a child hugging an uncommonly large dog. The air around them pulsed and shivered. Jatred shifted into his human form and fell onto his back. Jasmira sprawled on top of him. Holding his face in her hands, she kissed him. His face broke into a broad smile.
“When is your grandma coming back?”
“She told Pen she’s gonna have lunch with a friend in Bellevue, and then do some shopping. I’m thinking, we have a few hours.” Jasmira grinned.
“I missed you.” His smile disappeared, replaced by longing in his blue eyes.
“I missed you too. Terribly.” Her breath caught in her throat. She looked at him intently. “Let’s go inside.”
They walked, holding hands and stealing quick glances to the sides, as if they expected someone to catch them at any moment. The housekeeper was off, and the only other person there was Penelope, who watched them from the front door. Leaning against the door frame, she sipped from a can of soda.
Halfway through their walk Jatred raised his hand in a greeting. Penelope waved back. He took in the beautiful architecture of the house. On top of the stairs, four massive white Ionic columns supported a burden of an immense white pediment. Embedded on the tympanum was an intricate image of a sun face. Thick green and bloody-brown vines grew around the columns like fat snakes, weaving themselves in and out, looking for prey. White frames of the front façade windows contrasted with their dark-brown wooden shutters.
“J, I’m sorry,” Jatred said quietly.
“About?”
“About all this mess. About you being grounded. About us not allowed to see each other.”
Jasmira smiled and leaned toward him. “We’ll figure things out. Maybe my Goddess can help?”
“Are you kidding me? Amber will be the first to say we can’t be together. Same with my Goddess.” Jatred barked a humorless laugh.
“I know. Everyone says Crystal is so cold. She really is the Winter Goddess, it suits her. But Amber always helps us, no matter what.”
“Fine, ask her. But I wouldn’t expect much.” Jatred shook his head, frowning.
“Are you kids having fun? It surely doesn’t look like it,” Penelope shouted from the door. “I thought you’d be jumping with joy to see each other.”
“We totally are.” Jasmira smiled.
“Really.” The redhead snorted. “It’s more like watching folks at a funeral.”
Jatred laughed at that, pulling Jasmira close and kissing her hair. She circled her arms around him, pressing her cheek onto his chest. They walked up the front stairs, tripping and almost falling, finally letting go of each other.
“Kids.” Penelope rolled her eyes and walked inside, straight toward the enormous kitchen. She casually crushed the empty soda can in her hand, rolling it into a tight shape between her fingers. “Neat.” Penelope smiled and tossed what used to be a can into the recycling bin.
Jasmira and Jatred raced up the wide spiral wrought-iron staircase, laughing and pushing each other out of the way.
CHAPTER 6
The Summer Realm.
That evening, after Jatred and Penelope left the mansion, the Summer Goddess summoned Jasmira to her Realm.
“You haven’t brought me here in so long. I’ve missed the Summer Realm,” Jasmira said, her eyes opened wide in awe. She shivered when she felt a caress of warm, gentle breeze on her skin. The sun was high in the cloudless sky, bathing the Realm in an aura of gold. The birds’ songs and the buzzing of honey bees filled the air.
The Summer Goddess stood under a cluster of mature birch trees. Her body gave the impression of being both physical and ethereal at the same time. She was tall and slender, and this time her pale-blonde hair was braided into a single plait on the back of her head. White and yellow flowers were woven into the braid and also made into a thin crown, resting above her temples. She wore a simple white tunic embroidered in small silver blossoms and a pair of loose fitting white pants.
“Come, child. I’m happy to see you.” Jasmira heard Amber’s voice in her mind.
The Goddess walked toward her. She took Jasmira’s hands in her own and gave them a squeeze.
“It’s pretty in here, isn’t it? But I like the Human World better. It’s definitely more exciting than this.”
A large meadow of tall grass and colorful blossoms stretched to the left. Jasmira inhaled a fragrant scent of flowers that lingered in the air. She turned right and saw a mature orchard in the distance. An abundance of ripe fruit of many kinds hung from the branches. The butterflies, bees, and hordes of vibrantly-colored birds, busily flew around. Some circled over the water of a small pond at the edge of the meadow.
“It’s really beautiful and so peaceful,” said Jasmira. “It’s like… uhm, a computer-generated picture.”
Amber laughed, studying Jasmira. “A very long time ago there was a group of incredibly skilled Magicians. I will tell you about them and their work some other time. They have helped me with the creation of this Realm.”
Jasmira stared at the Goddess, but before she could ask to hear more about those powerful Magicians, Amber motioned for her to follow. Jasmira felt disappointed. She sensed the Magicians played some significant role, and for some unsettling reason Amber wanted to keep that knowledge a secret.
“I want you to meet someone special.” The Goddess walked in the direction of the pond.
They passed the pond and continued toward the forest behind. The tall trees stood close together as if guarding something precious. Jasmira’s footsteps sounded muffled. The soles of her Toms shoes were thin, and she felt the softness of the forest floor covered in pine needles. Knotted roots protruded from the ground in places, and thick vines ran between some of the tree trunks. As they walked, the vines parted, pine cones rolled to the sides, and the soil swallowed the roots, leaving the path flat and obstacle-free for them to pass through. After t
hey walked by, all of the objects hurriedly returned to their previous positions.
Jasmira kept turning her head, watching in amazement the scene around and behind her. The sun squeezed its bright rays through the thick canopy of trees. Long arrows of light shot down to the forest floor, illuminating in its way the butterflies and colorful bugs. She heard gentle buzzing of the bugs’ wings and the sweet notes of the birds singing above.
They were deep in the forest where the trees grew close to each other. Amber lifted her hands, and the tree trunks right in front of them arched to the sides, widening the path. Jasmira gasped in surprise, watching the trees bounce back upright, behind them. Jasmira felt again like a five-year-old, when she was summoned to the Summer Realm for the first time. Her parents had to take her to Disneyland immediately afterwards to cover up for the girl’s stories about “the world of magic”, that she liked to tell everyone.
The women came to a clearing in the woods, where a pond shimmered, encircled by a thick row of colorful flowers. A few white water lilies dotted the surface of the water, their large leaves providing a resting spot for huge dragonflies.
Jasmira opened her mouth in awe. Amber watched her, smiling.
“Does this look like a computer-generated scene too?”
Jasmira gave a shaky laugh, unsure if Amber was making fun of her, or if the question was genuine. She decided it was a joke, and relaxed. Amber motioned for her to follow toward the pond.
Jasmira gasped—now the water lilies were clustered at the opposite edges of the pond, like a curtain that just opened to reveal a main stage behind. An image of several leopards playfully chasing each other appeared on the surface. The pond radiated a soft light, and the image retained a fluid-like look of the water.
“What is this?”
“Watch,” Amber whispered.
Right above the water appeared a shimmering, vapor-like substance. Long thin wisps of vapor swirled lazily around. It reminded Jasmira of a ghost, and she glanced at Amber, unsure of what to expect. Standing by the edge of the pond, the Goddess whispered something in a language long forgotten. The foggy matter slowly rose and sculpted itself into a translucent form of a slim woman, her hair cascading down to the water. Right next to her, the figure of a young man started to form and lift. His hair was shoulder length, and he was taller than the woman.
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