Don't be afraid of pointing out mistakes. As much as I try to edit this, I always seem to miss something. So I'm willing to fix anything that would also bother me.
Thank you to @XxEasyLovexX for making a new cover.
Tempest's pendant---------->
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Chapter 12
Aura
Tempest's POV
A knock sounds against my bedroom door just as I finish my morning meditation. "Come in," I call out, putting out the burning incense on my personal altar.
"Tempy?" Amber softly whispers after she opens the door. "Can you do my hair?"
Not even looking at her, I can still practically feel the anxiety radiating off of her. Always so afraid of asking for something. "Of course, just grab a pillow and give me a second," I answer, picking up my pendant from the altar. The smooth black onyx absorbs all light while bound by silver to connect it to the chain around my neck. The large stone resting above my protection charm with the cool comforting feeling of the silver pentagram resting against my chest.
I turn around to see Amber sitting on my bed and Snooty sitting comfortably in her lap. "Not feeling very colorful today, little cub?" I ask, taking in the sight of her black outfit. Black jeans hug her short little legs. Her black spotted hoodie matches Karno's coat perfectly with a pair of ears on the hood and a tail on the back. I remember when Dad gave it to her on the day of her adoption as a reminder that she will always be his little cub.
"Today's a dark day," she mumbles, holding out her hair brush.
"But not your darkest," I reply, taking the brush and sitting next to her. "What you do want done?"
"Braid please," she answers.
"Sounds good, little sister," I say with a smile as I start to part her red hair. "Do you know what happened between Dad and Leon yesterday? They were acting really weird around each other when Basil and I came home." And Dad kept on acting weird after he left. Much more tense and anxious as his aura suggests.
"I don't know. When I came back from using the potty, the room's mood felt really strange. Daddy wouldn't look at Leon and stayed in the kitchen while Leon and I watched TV until you guys came home."
"And Leon practically fled once we got there," I finish the recap.
"I hope nothing bad happened. I really like Leon. He's nice," she says, playing with Snooty's ears.
"I'm sure everything will be fine." I hope. I decide to change the subject. "So I hear you're not going to school today?"
"Yeah," Amber mumbles. "Daddy says the school is working on my schedule. They're gonna move me to a different class."
"That's good. It means you won't be near that mean boy. Once his suspension is over, that is," I say, finishing the French braid with a couple of hair pins. "All done."
Amber scrambles off my bed to the dresser mirror. "It's perfect. Thank you, Tempest," she says, hugging me tight before darting out of my room and back up stairs to Dad.
I cover the mirror with a sheet so I can start getting dressed. Yesterday's embarrassing event flashes through my mind. I take off the worn T-shirt that work as my pajamas and look at my bandaged waist. So close. I'm so close to finding the right combination for my potion. A potion to get rid of the reminders. The scars. Not just for me but for Dad as well. But until I find it, I should just cover up and make sure no more questions get asked.
I decide to wear an oversized gray sweater with a black heart on the front and some light blue jeans. As I finish lacing up my converse, the delicious smell of Nutella hits my senses. Summoning me out of the basement and into the kitchen.
"Took you long enough to notice," Amber giggles, bouncing in her seat impatiently.
"So sorry for not having supernatural senses," I say, sticking my tongue out at her and taking my seat at the table.
"Be glad it took you so long, Tempest" Dad interjects, holding a warm pan full of Nutella sticky buns drizzled with icing and finely chopped nuts. "Amber's been hovering around me since I pulled them out of the oven."
"Are they cool enough to eat yet, Daddy?" she asks with a pout.
"Yes, they are," Dad says, setting the pan on the table. "But I think we should wait for Basil-"
"I'll get him," Amber shouts, bolting out of the room.
I hear Dad chuckle as he starts slicing into the sticky buns. My stomach growls as a new wave of the sweet scent hits me. "So wanna tell me what happened between you and Leon last night?" I ask, feigning innocence.
His grip on the knife slips for a moment. "What do you mean? Nothing happened."
Now it was my turn to laugh. "Then why did Leon run out of here? I could practically see his tail tucked between his legs when he left. So what happened?" I gasp, "Don't tell me you guys kissed?"
"N-nothing like that," he stammers, a blush staining his cheeks. "We just had an awkward moment. It was nothing, Tempest."
He's lying. I know he's lying. I haven't seen him this jumpy in months. Whatever happened with Leon spooked him good. "I'm not letting this issue go, Dad. I'm just putting it on hold for now," I promise, concerned, as I hear Basil and Amber's footsteps coming down the stairs.
He gives me a short nod as my adopted siblings enter the room. "I still don't understand you two's obsession with Nutella," Basil sighs as Amber drags him into the kitchen.
"Bite your tongue. Nutella is love. Nutella is life," she declares, returning to her seat. I think I've created a monster.
"That's enough, you two," Dad intervenes, placing a sticky bun on each of our plates and silencing all conversation. I can hear Amber kick her feet with each bite to express her extreme satisfaction. "Sweetie, you're getting all messy," he says, wiping off some of the icing that coats her chin.
Amber whines in protest, "Daddy, you could have just told me. I would have licked it off." She pushes his hands away.
He chuckles. "All right, I'll leave you to your breakfast. I need to check up on the greenhouse. Come and get me when you're finished," Dad says, leaving us to our meal.
I wait until I hear the sliding patio door close before turning to my brother. "So we're interrogating Leon at school, right?"
"Of course," Basil says with a smirk, taking other bite.
"Interrogate? Like what cops do?" Amber asks, tilting her head at us. "Why? Did Leon do something bad?"
"That's why we're interrogating him. To figure out what he did," he explains.
"And we need you to keep this from Dad. Okay? He's got enough to worry about as it is," I add on.
"Like a secret?" Amber says softly. A smile spreads across her lips before she turns to Basil. "Does that mean this works like the other secret?"
"Other secret?" I repeat, confused.
Basil blushes before attempting to turn it into a scowl. "Dante's been a bad influence on you," he sighs, taking out a dollar from his wallet and handing it out to her.
"Thank you," Amber responds, plucking the money from his hand. She finishes the last of her sticky bun then hops out of her chair and places her dirty dishes in the sink. "I'm gonna watch some TV. Bye," Amber says, cheerfully skipping out of the kitchen.
"Do I even want to know?" I ask, looking at Basil who's avoiding eye contact.
"Dante's an idiot who doesn't learn from past mistakes. Amber found out about us the same way you did," he quickly explains, getting up from his seat.
Now it was my time to smirk. "Oh, sure, Dante's the idiot," I provoke. If there's one thing I know about Basil and Dante, it's that Basil always makes the first move. I focus in on Basil so his aura starts becoming visible to me. My smile widens as I see a wave of love and embarrassment crash over him.
"Shut up, Tempest," Basil huffs, storming out of the room. He left me with his dishes but it was worth it. That cold mask of his must get really uncomfortable.
I gather up the remaining dishes and place them into the sink. I grab my backpack and slip back down the stairs to the basement and to my room. I get my sketchbook and tuck it into my bag. An odd shiver runs down my spine as I start to leave making me look back.
My eyes land on a small leather case sitting on my altar. Maybe I should bring my cards with me today.
"Tempest! Time to go," Dad shouts from upstairs. Or maybe not.
"Coming," I yell back, running up the stairs.
* * * * *
"Bonjour Mes Amis," I greet my friends as Basil abandons me to call Dante. An echo of heys and hellos chime back at me. I brush off the worried glances I receive from a few of them. I guess the memory of yesterday is still fresh in their minds.
"Um, Tempest," a timid female voice barely catches my attention.
I give Rachel a small smile before sitting next to her. For once, I don't see a book in her hand. "Yes?"
"Um, do you think Leon will sit with us again?" she asks, avoiding eye contact.
"Don't you mean Nikolai?" another girl, Harper I think, calls out. A flood of awwws fill the air as everyone else respond to her, making Rachel blush a bright pink.
"I'm sure both of them will sit with us again," I assure her.
"Honestly, I was really surprised when they joined us yesterday," Olivier admits. I frown at the number of people who nod in agreement.
"Yeah, they tend to keep to themselves," Harper adds.
"Mainly Leon though. I see Niko hang out with a bunch of people after school. But Leon is a lone wolf most of the time," Olivier concludes. Such odd behavior for an Alpha.
"He hasn't always been like that," Rachel voices, gaining everyone's attention.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"When we were all kids, Leon used to be really outgoing and approachable. It wasn't until more recently Leon started becoming more withdrawn. I'd say within the last year or so," she explains, tilting her head in thought.
"Why-"
"Shhhh, I see them," Harper cuts me off.
We all turn our heads to see Leon lagging behind the two brothers who are hurrying over to our group. I move over to give Niko the spot next to Rachel. Ander sits beside me. And Leon sits across from me. "Sorry, we're a bit late. I overslept," he apologizes before letting out a long yawn.
"Maybe you should have stayed asleep, Leon. You look exhausted," I say, noticing the bags under his eyes.
"Yeah, I've just been having a hard time falling asleep recently," he sighs. Sounds familiar.
"Huh," I ponder for a minute. "Try lemon balm or valerian root tea before going to bed. They're both natural treatments for insomnia."
"And how do you know this?" Ander asks, raising his eyebrow at me.
"Our dad studied herbal medicine in school," my brother's disembodied voice comes from out of nowhere, making everyone jump.
"For fuck's sake, Basil," Niko curses, clutching his heart. "You're gonna give me heart attack. Could you make some noise next time? Step on a twig or something."
Basil just shrugs and sits down next to Leon. "Maybe you should pay more attention to your surroundings."
"How about you be Sasuke for the Halloween party, Basil? You're practically a ninja already," Harper jokes.
"Party?" Basil and I question, simultaneously.
"Leon, did you seriously not tell them about your family's annual Halloween party?" Niko asks.
"I just forgot about it," he grumbles, running his hand through his already mussed hair.
"You forgot your own birthday party?" Olivier says, confused.
Leon blushes. "My memory hasn't been the best as of late. I blame the lack of sleep," he explains. "Shit. In all of the fuss yesterday, I completely forgot to ask," he stops to look at Basil. "My mom wants to your whole family over for dinner soon."
"Okay, I'll make sure to ask Dad about it and text you his answer," he says with a nod.
"Oh, I just remembered something," I say with a laugh. I dig around in my backpack and pull out my sketchbook. "Ander, you wanted to see some of my older drawings. Right?"
He nods shyly, taking the book from me.
"I want to see them, too," Leon reveals, moving next to Ander. As I watch their expressions while they flip through the book, their auras start becoming visible. I smile at the shining positivity and compassion that is Ander's aura but my smile is quickly lost at seeing at the dark and murky cloud surrounding Leon.
The hint of dark energy I saw when I first met him had developed much further than I thought possible. Anxiety. Anger. Frustration. Fear. All wrapped up in such a repressed self-deprecating negative energy. But it wasn't all bad though, the persistent emotion of love still flourishes amid the darkness. Suddenly a bright new energy appears out of love and pierces the dark veil almost tearing it in two as Ander and Leon reach a new page.
"Stop," Leon practically growls. His voice sounding rough almost strangled. His eyes flash gold before returning to their normal amber hue. As the gold fades so does the new energy swallowed up by the darkness. "Tempest, what's this-" he croaks before starting to cough.
As everyone asks Leon if he's alright, I make eye contact with Basil. Seeing his questioning gaze, I mouth the word "later" to him. I'm still not quite sure what I just witnessed.
"I'm fine, guys. No need to worry," Leon says once his coughing stops. "Tempest, what's this picture of?" he asks.
I look over and see the sketch of Karno I did awhile back. "A black leopard I saw at the zoo," I lie.
"Black leopard," he repeats, studying the picture.
"If you like it, you can keep it," I offer.
Smiling, Leon stares at the image a bit longer. "I love it. He's such a gorgeous creature," he breathes, his dark aura brightens with happiness.
"Great, I just need to do some final touches to it first. Come find me after school and I'll give it to you," I tell him just as the bell rings to head to class.
I take my sketchbook back from Leon and head to class with Ander.
* * * * *
"Tempest?" the art teacher calls out, breaking my concentration on my latest doodle.
"Yes, Ms. Verde," I say, looking up from the dapper cartoon fox wearing a top hat I drew. I glance at the clock, just a few more minutes until the final bell. Most of my classmates have already packed up their stuff and are waiting by the door, eager to leave and start their weekends.
"I wanted to ask you about joining art club before you leave. I think we would really use your talent," she says.
"Sounds good. When do we meet?" I ask. Dad suggested joining a club anyway.
"Our next meeting is Monday after school. We are going to be discussing Halloween designs for the window painting we offer to the downtown shops during the holidays," Ms. Verde informs me, writing the details on a sticky note and handing it to me.
"Thanks," I reply, tucking the note into my sketchbook just as the bell rings. "I'll see you Monday, Ms. Verde. Bye," I say after gathering my things together.
I wander down the halls until I see a familiar head of brown hair. His back facing me as he rummages through his locker. "Hey Ander," I murmur, draping myself over his back. It's nice having a guy who doesn't react badly to surprise hugs. In the past, both Dad and Basil have flipped me over their shoulder when I tried to hug them from behind.
I hear Ander chuckle. "Hey, Tempest. Ready to go meet up with Leon?"
"Yeah, where do you think he is?" I ask, letting go him so I can lean against the lockers.
"Maybe we should just wait for him outside near the parking lot," he suggests.
"Make him find us. Great idea," I agree with a smile. "Let's go," I say, grabbing his hand to pull him with me as I start walking down the hall.
We get a couple stares from people but Ander never pulls his hand free. Although I notice his gaze never shifts away from the floor either. His aura starts becoming clouded. "Do you want me to let go?"
His head jerks up with a flash of panic in his chocolate brown eyes. "No. I mean, maybe? I'm just not used to all this attention from everyone."
"First off, do you want to get used it? Secondly, I don't think you should even care. It's none of their fucking business really," I put forward, glaring back at a few of onlookers who veer their gaze away from us.
A spark of clarity ignites within him. "You're right," he says with renewed confidence, now matching my stride.
I'm not quite sure how to define our relationship. Dad said our thread is only copper which the color of friends, but relationships much like auras aren't set in stone. They are both under constant change due to our thoughts, actions, and even the interference of others. I guess we'll just have to see what happens in due time.
"So my dad said you could come over to my house tomorrow to start the self-defense lessons I mentioned," I inform him as we walk outside and towards the student parking lot.
"Right, I'll make sure to be there. What kind of things will we be doing?" Ander asks.
I shrug my shoulders. "Probably just the basics. How to see the starting signs of a physical fight. Where to hit..." I stop as I feel my pendant pulse with raw energy.
I drop his hand to clasp the black stone with both hands and hold it up. My vision blurs as I focus on the small scrying mirror. Sound becomes muffled as my reflection shifts to reveal Leon staring back at me. His eyes glowing gold and his face twisted into one of anger.
"Tempest?" Ander's concerned voice breaks through. I feel his hand on my shoulder, bringing me reeling back to reality. My eyes wide with overstimulation as everyone's auras became visible to me all at once. I shake off the stunned feeling, knowing that I will regain control of my magic in a few minutes.
"Something bad is about to happen," I whisper as I turn around and start sprinting back towards the school.
"Tempest?!?! Wait! What do you mean? Where are you going?" I hear him yell.
I let my magic connection to Leon's charm lead me around the back of the school. A few of the people I pass have a distant look in their eyes. Their auras glow brighter than normal, indicating to me that their pack links are in use. Simultaneously, they snap back into focus and start heading in the same direction as me.
Turning a corner, I notice a loud group of students gathered around something. As I got closer, their cries became more discernible to my human ears.
"Alpha!"
"Leon! Stop!"
"You've made your point! Now stop it!"
I push past them to see Leon wailing on another boy who was attempting to defend himself. A few of the other teens were already sporting bloody noses and bruises from trying to stop the fight. The sight of Leon's fluctuating aura grinds me to a halt. It didn't feel like I was seeing one aura but two. Each one tainted by anger and violently clashing against the other.
Leon's arm pulls back for another punch. Before I can think, I lunge forward, grabbing his arm and dig my heels into the dirt as an attempt to hold him in place. "Leon, stop this please," I plead, letting what little magic I have seep into my words.
One of the two auras flashes with regret and is quickly engulfed by the other. The gold in his eyes dissipates and his muscles go lax. "Tempest?" he croaks, stumbling back from other battered teenager. Leon's lip is bleeding crimson and his knuckles are severely bruised and scraped up. My control comes back to me and everyone's auras fade from my vision.
"Let me through," Niko shouts as he parts the crowd with Ander following behind him. "What happened here?" he snaps.
The few injured guys shrink back. "We were just talking some sense into Leon and he just went ballistic for no reason," one of them grumbles.
Leon tenses causing me to tighten my grip. "By saying sense, you mean saying I shouldn't hang out with a faggot," he growls, spitting at their feet.
I dig my nails into his shoulder to get his attention. Once I have it, I remind him, "Basil can fight his own battles."
Another one of them puffs up his chest in false bravado. "It's not like what we said was wro-" he stops as a fist connects to his solar plexus.
"Basil is my friend too, Drew. Now I recommend to all of you to rethink your statements," Niko says, calmly, flexing out his hand. "Or they might prove to be detrimental to your future. After all, you never know who might turn out to be gay." His eyes shift to Leon just long enough to get his point across.
And with that, the crowd disperses in hushed conversations, leaving me alone with Leon, Nikolai, and Ander.
The brothers take their weary Alpha from me. Digging through my backpack, I pull out some band-aids. "Jeez, Leon. You really did a number on yourself," I comment, covering some of the cuts on his hands.
"Yeah," he says with half-hearted chuckle. His eyes still searching the ground like he's still trying to find all the pieces that make up the last half hour.
"Come on, man. Let's get you home," Niko says, making sure Leon was stable on his own feet before leading him away.
"I should probably go with them," Ander says, posing it like a question.
"Probably," I sigh, leaning against the school.
"Are you gonna be okay by yourself? Do you need me to find Basil?" he asks, squeezing my hand.
I hear the flutter of wings and glance up at one of the few trees planted by the school. A familiar pair of white eyes stares back at me. "I think I'll be fine."
"Um, about what happened back there?" he starts.
"I promise I'll answer your questions tomorrow as long as you can keep a secret. Okay?" I say, squeezing his hand back.
"Of course," he whispers back, pulling me in for a quick hug. "I'll see you later."
"Later," I say, waving goodbye as he sprints to catch up with them. I wait until they turn the corner before calling out, "So where's your stuff at, birdbrain?"
My brother squawks at me before flying off towards a cluster of trees on the far side of the school property.
By the time I get there, Basil has already shifted back and in processing of putting his shoes. "So what were you doing? Spying on people?" I question him.
"Just gathering intel," he snickers, lifting his head up to reveal his still white irises.
"Hi Luca," I greet my brother's raven. "Shouldn't you be sleeping or something?"
"We animal spirits have just the same right to control this cumbersome form as our partners," he grumbles. "Basil is watching from the sidelines for now."
"Whatever. Just make sure to change your eyes back to normal if we come across anyone," I remind him as we start heading in the direction of downtown.
"Of course. So are we going to tell Noel of today's events?" he asks.
"I think it would be best if we kept the fight a secret. He's already spooked. Let's not make it worse," I suggest.
Luca tilts his head before replying, "Basil agrees with you and so do I. Is there anything else we should know about? Perhaps something we were not able to see?"
"Leon's aura is troubling. I've never really seen an aura behave like his before," I explain. "I think I'm out of my depth on this one."
"Should you try contacting your father?" Luca asks. "Maybe he knows."
"I'll try calling him tonight but no promises he's gonna answer. Last time he called, he mentioned something about going off the grid. Somewhere in Europe I think," I groan.
"I think your father is perpetually stuck in his mid-life crisis," he laughs, jogging ahead of me.
"He's not even forty yet!" I yell, chasing after him and towards Dad's shop.
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Are these chapters getting longer? I feel like they're getting longer.
So I'm not gonna set a rough date for the next update. I can never seem to keep them anyway. But I will leave you with this information. I never stop working on this so don't worry about me forgetting it. It just takes me awhile to find the right words.