Mount Coronet Cracks the 'C' in it [EDITING]

Fourteen: Messages Sent

Not only did I have to put up with one of the longest days of school I've ever felt I had period, I had competitive dance classes that night to put the icing on the exhaustion cake.

The lights of the main street in our small town shone bright in the cloudy night like miniature beacons. I sat in our small red Chevy Impala quietly, gazing out into the sky of the starless night feeling still slightly warm and tired in my dancer attire. My mother sat in the driver's seat beside me, her eyes focused on the road. We both said nothing as we cruised down the long road. I was just too lazy and sleepy to even open my mouth.

Natsia and I had been talking telepathically ever since I stepped out of the busy dance studio. I had run to the burger place (how ironic) next door to grab a bottle of iced tea to cool me down on the hot car ride home. Currently it sat beside me in the cup holder that was positioned behind the car's leather gear-stick. The inside of the bottle was filling up with condensation due to the slight heat of the car. Mom obviously forgot to turn the A/C on.

"So, toots... How did you feel about that whole interview Logan had given you today?" Nat asked sounded jokingly.

"Geez... Do you even know how embarrassing yet awkward that was? He had just walked up to me while I was in the middle of the game and pulled me out to ask some personal questions that 'definitely-did-not-sound-almost-creepy-at-all'!" I shook my head and rolled my eyes mentally out of remembering the crazy experience from today's second recess. "But you know what was even weirder? He didn't bring up anything about the auras. Not, one, bit."

"Huh... Well that isn't suspicious at all..." Nat used her infamous sarcasm. "But what did you think of him? Did it look like his aura could have been acting up?"

"Not from what I saw at least." I sighed on the outside, lowering my hand that propped my head up against the ledge of the car window and leaned back on the head cushion of the passenger seat. "Honestly I have no idea. I can't sense auras being used or activated on the inside like you or Logan can. Of all the powers I get, sensing not included... just because, eh?"

"It can be possible for you. You just haven't practiced with it at all yet. Logan's is a bit more developed than yours because of his inner Ribbon transformation and more use. I'm a spirit guide, so I've been using it for a pre-etty long time. You just found out about your other side barely even a week ago, so relax. You have plenty of time to practice for yourself."

"Yeah," I scoffed. "Especially while I'm fighting Logan's half-undead clones, you know?"

"Oh shush. That sensing is going to help like a million dollars fell out of the sky into the palms of your hands when a hybrid Nega tries to sneak up and get their hands on you to take you to their leader."

Those past remarks began to remind me of Austin who was unfortunately bitten. "Hey Nat... Do you suppose Austin and the potential others are doing okay right now?"

Nat sighed. I could picture her shaking her head with it facing the ground. "That's what I was meaning to talk to you about."

I wanted to gasp out loud. "You don't mean...!"

"Shh, shh... Austin and the others are doing fine transferring and adjusting to the Nega corruptions of their auras, but I meant something else." Nat reassured.

"What do you mean?" I was beginning to get quite puzzled.

"I haven't explained to you about the extent of Logan's power yet... have I?"

"No...?"

"Alright, let's start from the beginning here if you want a nice and thorough understanding, okay? So, you know about the pure aura to dull auras, dull to Nega, etcetera, etcetera. Well, Logan can cause those pure auras manually to go straight to the Nega stage at his own will. By draining a good chunk of their powers along with a tidbit of blood, their auras are corrupted into the Nega stage which messes with their whole aura system. Basically, the Nega stage is the twisted equivalent of the selected-few-reserved Ribbon stage."