Awakening The Forgotten

Chapter 7 - "Mate, are you kidding me?!"

The planned movie night had not gone exactly as organised. There wasn't a movie in Cassandra's collection that didn't evoke some kind of emotional response, so they had settled instead for a few card games. Which until now had kept Cassandra perfectly distracted, but there are only so many games of Monopoly cards one can play before the mind starts to wander, and Cassandra's was wandering; wandering into dangerous territories.

Cassandra had begun thinking about her powers. Now that she knew about the emotion controlling powers that she apparently possessed, maybe she could use them. It seemed that she had been given the drugs she'd been taking for so long because people were worried she couldn't control herself. Cassandra was determined to prove everyone wrong.

She concentrated on Erica. Trying to channel and share Erica's feelings in order to sway them at will. With her mind only slightly on the game at hand she focussed on Erica's breathing, trying to synch herself in as many ways as she could with her friend. She felt rather silly listening to her friends breathing then mimicking it, but raw determination over-rode her embarrassment and she continued, her resolve held steadfast.

Once achieving synchronisation with Erica, Cassandra let her own guards down. The mental walls so thick they were almost tangible that she had put up in order to protect herself as a child and whilst growing up. Almost instantly she could feel Erica, Cassandra felt more exposed now than she had ever before, she felt like a child again; unprotected and vulnerable. But none of this stopped her as she began exploring Erica's aura, without the drugs to dull her senses she felt a new surge of bravery. Instinct alone told Cassandra that 'aura' was the title of the ever shifting soft coloured glow that surrounded Erica as she sat staring at the cards in her hands debating her next tactical move. It was something she could only see what she focussed.

Cassandra could not differentiate between where Erica and her aura met and parted, making Erica seem much less like a person but rather a mesmerising and addictive light. She felt as if she were a moth and the aura were a flame. Cassandra was irrevocably drawn towards it. She wanted to touch it, wanted to possess it but most of all she felt an insane need to control it.

Cassandra analysed the aura, not realising at the time how odd it was that she already knew exactly what she were doing, as she had been set to auto pilot. She did not feel at all as if this was her first time using magic; she did not feel at all out of control. In fact, she felt more in control within these very moments than she ever had before. Cassandra could tell from watching the aura that Erica's emotions were currently a mix of slight nerves, a touch of relaxation, a barely contained anger at her consistent loss of Uno and a vast amount of genuine contentment.

Erica was happy with her life. Even though it had been devoted mainly to helping Cassandra, Erica told the truth when she said that did not mind that the path upon which walked had been mapped out for her. She was devoted to her link with the past witches so much so that Cassandra had a strange feeling that they could ask her to do anything and she would be all too willing to comply. Cassandra shuddered at the thought of that kind of blind devotion.

Cassandra still wasn't sure exactly how the whole 'control' thing worked. She gave a slight giggle at the memory of Erica saying she could be dangerous, how could she could ever be a threat to anyone? As she giggled she noticed that sparks of gold began to shine within Erica's aura. Amusement. Cassandra concentrated herself upon those flecks and thought about laughter, she thought of all of the funny things she and Erica had ever witnessed together. She concentrated so hard on the emotion of joy and the act of laughter that a slight ache began behind her eyes, but within no longer than a minute she heard it. Erica. She was laughing.

Cassandra was brought quickly back to reality by the sound of Erica laughing uncontrollably that she almost lost her connection. But she found that if she continued holding that image of laughter firm that she could still see Erica's aura and its mass which was now flickering with shards of dancing gold. Erica was doubled over laughing so hard that she actually snorted. Cassandra began to laugh too, at not only the sight before her but also the fact that she had in fact successfully caused this, she was quite proud of herself.