Legends Reborn

Tessa- Ch. I

~/ 1 \~

The sound of rubber squeaking on the cold gym floor. A herd of elephants chasing an orange globe. Leading the group was a grey blur, holding the rubber sphere. A nest of orange almost camouflaged the ball as the figure breathed in. Racing across the court, she leaped, dunking it in, and raised her  hands in glory. A mascara-clad, brown-haired girl sighed. "Look, Alex-" she breathed.

"It's Tessa. You should know that, Rachael. I've been on this team almost two years."

Rachael flipped her hair. "Yea, yea. I remember. Great work on the court, but can you tone it a little down when we're practicing? We'll need energy like that when our big game comes, alright?"

"Yes ma'am. I just get excited in the moment of the game." Tessa replied. It had become a running joke when a teammate had accidentally mistook Rachael for his mom. But when she has her glasses on, Rachael looks by far the most mom-like. And including her mammoth height, plus almost strict attitude, the joke stuck. "I'll go get changed."

~/ 2 \~

After biking home, Tessa stomped up two flights of stairs up to the carving room. It's heavily-padded walls kept out the repetitive 'chink' of metal against stone. Around the room were big blocks of marble and a storage cabinet for all of her tools. Footprints covered the floor, outlined by the white powder all across the room. A cork board lined one of the walls, with multiple layers of references and nature scenes. It was her obsession. With both of her parents being sculptors, Tessa had carved ever since she was young. On the other hand, her brother Kaden had hardly even touched a chisel since he was nine. But Tessa was quite the opposite in many ways. Along with sports and homework, it was a wonder how she even managed to finish anything.

A knock at the heavy wooden door made Tessa's heart jam. "Come in!" she yelled. A rhythm of thuds led up the stairway, a teenager with freckles dotting his face and gorgeous blue eyes. His hair was tightly curled but it looked like he hardly cared about his appearance. If they weren't related, she would have fallen for him a long time ago. Poised against the banister, he called out across the room, which was quite unnecessary. Tessa could hear him from ten feet away just fine.

"It's dinner, Alex. Your favorite, chicken quesadillas and oranges. Mom said to set the table." He disappeared downstairs, the only sound he made was the door closing. It really creeped people out when her brother seemed to 'appear' in a room. But after a while you start hearing him before seeing him. Most of the time.

"It's Tessa," she murmured. No one ever seemed to remember; more than two syllables was hard for most teenaged brains. She started using her middle name after a traumatizing event in first grade. Tessa set down her chisel and ran downstairs. You don't want to make her mother mad...

~/ 3 \~

A taller, thinner version of Tessa sat across the long, wooden table from her. It was Gwen, her mother. She was the most beautiful person without wearing makeup or plastic surgery. It was almost unreal, how she looked. And her father was deeply in love with her. They made silly little poems about each other and held each other's hands, like magnets with opposing poles.

Tessa's father on the other hand, was broad, with wind-blown brown hair that never tangled. Peter could pick his wife up easily, and had a patience truly unmatched by anyone. Often the twins wondered how their parents even found each other; almost as if Gwen was the statue he had fallen in love with and carved to perfection.

But sitting next to her, Kaden was the complete opposite of the rest of the family. Always overshadowed by Tessa, he never had a real say in the family. Most of the time he was reading, listening to music, or summoning minor demons. But his bouts of anger covered the quietness, and made him not as boring to hang out with. He got straight A's but never really had a crowd to hang out with.

An awkward silence filled the room, save for Peter's never ending appetite. Kaden's stomach growled in that minute and his cheeks turned red. Now that she noticed it, Kaden hardly ever ate his food. Did he have a secret food stash!? Tessa had to investigate.

"May I be excused from the table?" The twins said, standing up at the same time.

Gwen hesitated for a moment. "Of course you can, I'll clean up dinner, then." she noted. Just as she finished, Kaden raced to the bathroom, and Tessa to his room. The treasures awaiting her could last a few months, if she could time herself, that is.