by Valia Lind
"Brooklyn."
"As in New York?" I gasp, and Nolan chuckles.
"Yes, as in New York."
"Oh, I've always wanted to visit," I gush, all of my reservations forgotten for a moment. I've never been outside of Hawthorne. I've never had a reason. But big cities have always fascinated me. And terrified me. I can't imagine being bombarded by so many emotions, all at the same time.
"Maybe one day you can," Nolan's voice is soft, as if he understands my fears on the subject. I glance over at him and my eyes catch on his. He's so fascinating, on many different levels, and I can't stop the pull I feel towards him. So I do the smart thing and ignore the almost unspoken invitation.
"It must've been interesting, growing up in a big city."
"It is. It helps that there are many parks. But we travel to upstate quite often. Just to run."
There's a wistfulness in his voice and a faraway look in his eyes. There's a story there and maybe one day I'll be comfortable enough to ask more, but not right now.
"I have to be honest, I don't know much about fox shifters. Only wolf shifters live in Hawthorne, and bear shifters have visited before. But I've only read about your kind."
"And what have you read?" Nolan seems to have shrugged off the melancholy, as he smiles down at me once more.
"That your fox form is huge, sometimes the size of a horse. And that you carry elemental magic."
"Both of those things are true."
At that moment, a group of tourists step around us, and Nolan grabs my hand and pulls me towards him and out of the way. The moment our skin touches, I'm lost in the sensation of him. My body curls into him, as I push to be closer, while his hand traces pathways up and down my arm. The group passes, but we stay like that, lost in the moment.
"What have we got here?" Harper's voice breaks through my fascination and I hastily take a step back. My friend and her boyfriend are coming up the sidewalk, hand in hand and grinning ear to ear.
"Harper. Connor. Have you met Nolan?"
The wolf shifter and fox shifter eye each other carefully, and Harper and I stay still as they boys do their thing. Before Connor, I wasn't very familiar with shifters. They lived in the forest around Hawthorne, and came into town at times, but witches and wolves were never meant to be more than acquaintances. That all changed when Harper and Connor fell in love.
We have learned a lot more about their practices since then, which is why my friend and I both know we need to give the guys space as they do their assessment.
After what seems like forever, the two step forward and shake hands. Harper and I breathe easier immediately.
"It's nice to meet you both," Nolan says, after he shakes Harper's hand as well.
"You too," she replies, snuggling back up to Connor. "What are you two up to?"
"I was just giving Nolan a quick tour of the city." Harper and Connor exchange a look at that and I know instantly something is brewing. I don't even need my reader magic for that.
"Why don't you both join us for dinner?" Connor asks, taking me by surprise. I didn't see that coming. And before I can say a word, Nolan replies.
"We'd love to."
4
We make our way to the Hawthorne Diner. We are that town that names everything after its official name. But I love it and wouldn't have it any other way.
As we take our seats, I end up next to Nolan in the booth. He scoots in, close enough that I can feel his body heat reaching out to mine. We're not touching, but I am so acutely aware of him that I'm going to be distracted the whole time.
"So, Nolan. I heard you come from the big city," Connor starts after we order our drinks.
"News travels fast," Nolan replies, as I look at Connor. I didn't know that until a few minutes ago, so how does he know. He must read the question on my face.
"Meredith told us."
I am not surprised. I'm sure Meredith gave Harper all the information on our guest and when I look over at my friend, she manages to wiggle her eyebrows at me without anyone else seeing it. I chuckle under my breath but the shifters hear it.
"Well, Nolan," I hurry to say when the boys turn their attention to me, "This might not be the Big Apple, but we have our share of fun around here."
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"Well, there's the cafe, of course. Whitney, the owner, puts together a game night, or a karaoke night every once in a while. Everything is a competition though, so it can get pretty rowdy in there."
"We do have a pretty fancy movie theater," Harper picks up where I left off, "They show old and new movies there throughout the week. Once a month they do a surprise film, which basically means you buy a ticket to a movie and you only find out what it is after the previews end. It's pretty fun."
"I enjoy the festivals. There's one almost every month," Connor says, after taking a sip of his water. "There is a lot of good food at those vendors. And they put up different games and competitions."
"Yes, Connor here loves to show off," Harper teases, snuggling closer to her boyfriend. Connor looks over at her and the intensity of his love for her almost blinds me. Even as I try to keep my magic muted, they always sneak through. That's just what soulmate magic is. It's more powerful than anything we've ever seen before.
"It sounds like it would be fun." Nolan comments, just as the waitress comes back over. Quickly, we look over the menus and place our order. Before Connor picks up where we left off.
"We actually have a festival coming up in a few weeks."
"August Eve," Nolan says, stunning both Harper and Connor into silence.
"Oh yeah, he knows things," I comment, grinning at my friends. "His community intermingles with witches all the time."
"I've been to a celebration or two," Nolan grins at me, before turning to my friends. "Although, I would love to hear how you celebrate. I know the basics are typically the same, but communities do it differently." He turns to me when he says that part, so I take up the tour, so to speak.
"August Eve, or Sabbat Lammas, is August first. Which I'm sure is when you celebrate it," Nolan nods, so I continue. "We set up quite a few booths across Main Street, most of which are bread and pastries. We also have a few stations where people can try their hand in making bread. We of course have a circle ceremony. There's dancing, and a bonfire, much like for Litha. It's one of our biggest celebrations, before the tourism dies down for the Autumn and Winter times."
"Well, maybe you can show me yourself, in a few weeks."
Just like that, it's as if we're the only two people in the diner. I don't understand how he can make me feel so important with such simple words and a look, but I can't deny it. What he just said registers and I sit up a little straighter.
"You'll be here in a few weeks?" I ask tentatively, hoping my voice doesn't come out as breathy as I feel. There's something to the possibility that he'll be around for a while.
"I'm planning to stay indefinitely," he replies, still looking only at me. It's as if he's telling me that he'll be here and I can't help the spread of warmth through my body.
"You don't have anywhere to be?" Connor's voice breaks through my weird reaction and I turn to the shifter and the suspicion creeping into his voice. Nolan turns as well, giving his full attention to the Alpha in training.
"I think I am best served here," Nolan replies, not blinking or shrinking away. I can feel their shifter magic in the air, the natural challenge between the species. "If there is a war, I want to be where I can be used."
"There is already a war," Harper whispers and I feel her fear and worry like an arrow to my heart. Reaching across the table, I place my hand over hers, squeezing gently.
"Your family will be okay," I say, knowing it's the worry for her dad and sisters is what's making her so worried.
"I know, and so will yours. I just..."
"Worry. I know. Me too. But we'll get through this, Harper."
And I believe that with every fiber of my being. I glance at the guy sitting beside me and for
some reason, I believe it even more now. We share a small smile, just as the food arrives.
The rest of the meal goes by in small talk and a lot of laughs. I haven't felt this carefree in a long time and I've forgotten what it's like. We don't get many quiet days in Hawthorne anymore. Not since every time we step outside our house, we're terrified that something will attack us. We travel in pairs the moment the sun starts going down. There was a curfew for a while, but how do you explain to the tourists that we're only trying to protect them. So instead, Meredith and the council put together nightly activities and we monitor them regularly.
But in this moment, sitting with my best friend and her boyfriend and our new guest, talking about all the small aspects of our lives, I finally have the assurance I needed that life can get back to normal. Nolan looks over at me, giving me one of his signature smiles and my heart expands with the possibilities.
We will come through this. Whatever it takes.
I find myself in the middle of Main Street, feet bare and only a camisole and sleep shorts covering my body.
Slowly and deliberately I turn in a full circle, trying to study my surroundings as best as I can through the darkness. Confusion shakes my body, because the last thing I remember was coming home from our dinner. And then I was here.
There isn't a soul outside, but I can feel the gentle breeze ruffling my hair. I close my eyes and reach out with my magic, to see if I can feel someone, but there's nothing.
That's when I realize I'm dreaming.
Magic is always depleted in dreams, as if it's being used through a filter. Typically when I dream, I'm aware right away, but this feels so different. Suddenly, an overwhelming amount of emotions rush over me, making me stumble where I stand. I land on my hands and knees, gasping for air.
Looking up, I try to see the source of these emotions, but there's nothing. Pushing for my magic, I try to decipher the various feelings flowing over me.
There's pain.
Anger.
Love.
Fear.
Madness.
That last one makes my head spin, and I push it away the best I can. But it only works for a moment, before it's slamming into me with enough force to knock me on my butt. It's like the feelings are assaulting me directly and I can't put up strong enough shields to push them away.
But just as suddenly as they come, they disappear.
I sit on the ground, gasping, sweat dripping down my neck. My camisole is completely soaked through, my hair sticking against my back and shoulders. After another few moment, I push to my feet, unsure if they can even hold me. I feel more exhausted than I have in ages, and it's a physical weight that presses down on me. I close my eyes, willing myself to wake up, but nothing happens.
Unsure of what to do, I take a step toward the town's hall, hoping that maybe if I find whatever brought me here, I can break through. When I move toward the building, I am suddenly blinded by a thousand lights coming on all at the same time. Twisting around, I see that every building and every tree and every light pole is covered in white Christmas lights, and they're all on.
The humming from the lights surrounds me, and I swear I can feel heat coming off them as if they're the sun. The lights hide whatever is out there better than the darkness did. I push forward anyway, hoping I'm still walking in the right direction. I'm not sure why I'm determined to reach the town's hall. It just seems since a lot of magic resides there in real world, maybe a lot of it resides in the dream world as well.
When I finally make it to the stairs, my body feels like it won't move another inch. I stumble to the stairs, sitting down carefully, before I lean back on my elbows and close my eyes.
The emotions come again, this time, one at a time.
With my eyes closed, I try to focus on each one, mulling over it in my head and running my fingers through it like I would run my hands through my hair. The emotions are powerful, more powerful than the magic inside of me.
I don't understand where it's coming from or why I'm channeling it so intensely. This dream, it's not my own. I'm in someone else's mind and it's that individual who displays this amount of magic. If I don't find a way to wake myself up, I may be stuck here indefinitely.
"Think, Krista. Think," I say out loud, just to hear something besides the hum of the electricity around me. And just like that, an idea starts up. Dragging myself to a standing position, I move over to the small courtyard next to the town's hall. If this place is exactly like Hawthorne, then there will be a flower pot at the corner. When I reach it, I'm happy to see it filled with pebbles.
"Okay, let's see what happens when I do this," I mumble, smiling.
Reaching for a few rocks, I turn and toss them as hard as I can at the lights nearby. Some of the pebbles miss, but a few land right where I want them, shattering the bulbs. I wait, but nothing happens. So I pick up more rocks, and with whatever strength I have left, I keep throwing them at the lights.
"What are you doing?" The booming voice comes from my left and I jump, dropping the rest of the pebbles. When I turn, all I see is an outline of a man or a woman, I can't tell. Even squinting, the lights are too bright and I am too tired.
"I don't belong here," I manage, barely holding on from exhaustion. I lean against the planter, trying to stay as upright as possible. "Let me out."
"I did not call you here. This is my place."
"You called me somehow. Undo it." There's a long pause and then the person speaks again.
"You cannot order me around."
"Please, you have to. Or I'll die here."
Even now, I can feel my body fading.
"This is my dream." The person bathed in light says. There's a tad of hardness to his or her voice, but also a tad of wonder. "You should not be here."
"Then we agree."
"But I like it that you are," The person interrupts me. There's curiosity in him or her now, and I realize the emotions I was feeling earlier were coming from this creature.
"Please, you have to let me go," I'm begging now, but I don't care. I can feel my body burning from the lights, my sweat staining the ground around me. "You have to see how it's affecting me."
There is a long pause and then the emotions I'm feeling intensify into one.
Mischief.
"But I think I like it," the creature almost hisses and I realize this is not a good place. It might be as bright as the sun, but it carries darkness within it and I'm speaking to it.
I open my mouth to beg once more, but stop. I won't give it the satisfaction. I will die quietly if this is what it takes. The creature moves towards me, as I slide down to the ground, my back against the planter. He's coming closer and closer and I think I will be able to see his or her face any minute. But before I do, I'm yanked back and out.
I come back to my senses with a scream. There are arms wrapped around me and as my mind focuses I realize my mother is sitting on my bed, holding me tightly against her body.
"Krista, you're back," she whispers, running her hands over my face.
"What happened?" I ask, as I glance down at myself, sweat soiling the sheets of my bed.
"You were throwing incredible amount of magic. I've never felt anything like it. And then I couldn't pull you out of your dream."
The worry on her face squeezes my heart, as it slowly comes back to regular speed.
"Mama," I say, fear coating my voice. "I don't think that was a dream.”
5
The next morning, I'm scheduled at the clinic.
Mama was worried about leaving me alone, but I managed to convince her that her duties are important. The council has been trying various protection spells, and she, as one of the most powerful Readers known to our communities, needs to be present.
I'd be lying if I said the dream, or whatever that was, didn't freak me out. My magic has been hyperaware since the moment I walked into the clinic this morning. It provides for very accurate diagnosis, but it's also exhausting. I'm so attuned to every patient,
my head feels like it's about to explode.
"You know what shrimp does to your stomach, Mrs. Stevens," I say now, leading the elderly woman out of the exam room. For as long as I've been helping Mama at the clinic, Mrs. Stevens has been coming in with stomachaches. All from eating any kind of seafood, with shrimp being her favorite.
"I know, honey. But I didn't eat any shrimp. It must be something else." I smile at her blatant lie, but I'm also used to it.
"Just take some of this charcoal for your stomach, and drink a lot of water," I say, handing her a bottle with pills. "If it persists, come see us then."
"Thank you, honey. You are as kind as your mother." She pets my cheek before turning to hobble away. The door to the clinic opens before she can reach it, and I hear her gushing as she thanks whoever is on the other side. When Nolan steps in a second later, I'm not particularly surprised. A part of me has been expecting him.
"Hi," he says, stopping just a few feet in front of me. There's a tentative smile on his face, as if he's unsure of his welcome.
"Hi. What brings you here?"
"Your mom sent me." I give him a puzzled look and he hurries on to add. "I mean, I asked where you were and she mentioned you were taking care of the patients today and I asked if it would be okay if I came and helped out and she said it would be a good idea." He shrugs, tucking his hands into his front pockets and I can't help but grin. He looks so unsure of his welcome, it's a bit endearing.
"You can stay," I reply, "I'm not sure of your medical expertise though. What are your credentials?"
"I've had quite a bit experience cleaning up scrapes and cuts. My greatest strengths lie in being an errand boy though. I can provide quite a few references."
We stare at each other, grinning ear to ear, and something solidifies between us right then and there. I'm not sure who long we would've stood right there, if Alice didn't come over and interrupted us.
"I'm sorry, Krista. But your next patient just arrived." She gives us both an apologetic look, but I don't miss the gleam of interest in her eye when she looks at Nolan.