Eyes of Light

Shocked wasn’t the correct word. Confused, maybe. But I couldn’t really tell what I was feeling. What exactly was Nick saying? It was hard to understand when he was so stone-faced and serious, hardly any emotion in his eyes, but I could see that spark of gold… so I knew it was important.

That feeling of crying came back. I was just so frustrated. Why was everything happening to me? I wanted to be normal… I’d do anything to just find out all this magic and otherworldly things were just a dream. I bit my lip and turned around, knowing I’d have to ask Eve to teach me something before tomorrow morning. No matter what confusion Nick gave me, I was still going.

I slowly made my way back into the dark and empty hallway, my thoughts once again swirling around Nick. Didn’t he just admit to liking me? Well, tolerating would probably be the best word. I smiled to myself suddenly, my mood swings being a bit over the top, but I didn’t care for a moment. Biting my lip, I then realized that, if I brought it up, he was more likely to hide and add to his rude behavior.

I pushed through the curtain and glanced over the empty entry way, the fireplace crackling light, the warmth spreading to me; it wasn’t the same warmth I had received from my glow though, whenever Nick was around. I sighed and stepped to the side, my eyes zoning out the window. The air seemed groggy, the sky gray. I could see the trees rustling in the breeze and I hoped that everything would be okay for a moment.

My eyes settled on Nick’s slumped figure. He was sitting on a bench in the distance, his elbow on his knee holding his chin, and his other hand was digging into his curls. He looked so deep in thought and I wanted to talk to him… but asking for help would be better: a proper reason to bug him. I couldn’t find Eve, Sheba, or Coimbra… but he didn’t have to know that I didn’t bother to look.

I inhaled deeply and pushed out the door, the cool wind hitting my skin immediately. I shivered and realized that I still hadn’t taken my wet clothes off, but it could wait. I pushed my air dried hair away and wrapped my arms around myself, making my stiff pant legs stretch to walk across the grass. Nick didn’t look up as I approached, probably too deep in thought to hear my feet crunch over a few dry leaves. As I got closer, my glow brightened and that feeling came back. It was something I’d have to get used to.

“Nick?” I cleared my throat, stepping closer. He glanced up with a bored expression, raising an eyebrow. I noticed that his muscles tensed despite his lack of reaction, but he stayed in his slumped posture. I realized I wasn’t going to get an acknowledgment out of him, so I continued. “Can you teach me how to do something? Anything you know at all…” I trailed off, hope filling me.

He blinked in surprise and sat up. He probably expected me to bring up his last statement to me, but I wasn’t going to. I wanted to--not yet, anyway. “Why can’t you have Eve help you?” he finally muttered, dropping his hands to his thighs.

“I couldn’t find her,” I shrugged, smiling slightly. He looked at me skeptically but shrugged, knowing it’d help everyone if he just did it.

“Yeah, sure,” he grumbled, standing up. I caught a glimpse of his softer eyes for a moment before he stepped past me, grabbing my arm. I knew I secretly wanted to feel the roughness of his fingertips and the softness of his palm again, but that was only natural, wasn’t it? He was my soul mate after all… could I keep using that excuse? Or was I really falling for the stubborn, rude, serious, caring, and beautiful Nick Jonas? It didn’t matter anyway.

“What exactly are you going to teach me?” I managed to ask, clearing my throat. That seemed to always be a nervous habit for me and I hated it. Being around Nick made me feel so weak, in so many different ways. He was stronger, obviously, and he was taller. We could argue over who was more mature, but I’d give it to him: he didn’t seem seventeen. He knew about his history and he knew about things that were important, but it got me thinking: did he even know anything about himself?

He tugged me across the lawn and stopped abruptly, my body almost slamming into his. He steadied me and stepped back, his cheeks flushing. Running his fingers through his curls, his eyes locked with mine, staring at me intensely.

“We’ve established that you work off thoughts,” he said clearly, “and apparently you can knock a tree down. So… manipulate.”

I stared at him in shock and glanced around slowly: no one was around. Turning my head back to face him, I cleared my throat and furrowed my eyebrows, crossing my arms. “Manipulate what exactly?”

I was surprised to see him smile. It wasn’t wide or happy, but it was a smile. “Me,” he answered shortly.

“How do I do that?”

“You’re the witch,” he shrugged, “figure it out.”

I opened my mouth, ready to correct him on his teaching, but I paused. Maybe this was the best way to go. He had to know he was making me frustrated. Maybe… he knew that, if I just gave it a simple and concentrated thought, I could do something.

Taking a deep breath, I narrowed my eyes on his still figure and proceeded to think about something… anything. How could I manipulate him? What did that even mean? Was he actually allowing me to make him do something? Maybe I could make him take off his shirt. I felt myself blush and I bit my lip, trying not to laugh at my own thoughts.

Sighing again, I shifted my weight and tapped my chin. A flash of a thought entered my mind and before I knew it, I was being tackled to the ground. I screamed in surprise and winced, my back hitting the ground with a thud. My heart thudded uncontrollably and I opened my eyes wide, settling on Nick’s completely surprised face. His lips were parted and his face was only inches from mine, his warm breath making me shiver.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked quickly, his eyes dark, but soft with… worry. His knees were on either side of my waist and his arms were flexed, doing their best to hold him up.

“N-no,” I stuttered, doing my best to shake off the new feeling running through me. I sucked in a deep breath and cleared my throat yet again, clutching my fists together by my side. He was looking at me in one of the strangest ways, but it seemed so mesmerizing.

“What the hell were you thinking? He snapped suddenly, his words strained. I knew he meant it literally. What was I thinking?

“I… don’t know,” I blurted breathlessly, not even bothering to push the hair off of my face. He opened his mouth to speak but was quickly interrupted, his curls bouncing as he looked up.

“Oh look Eve, the mutt’s mating,” Sheba’s voice sounded, a snicker following. I turned my head the best I could from my lying position and spotted all three of them with a few bags full of unknown contents. I felt Nick place his hands on my forearms and squeeze slightly, my eyes locking on his flushed and angered face.

“Oh, Sheba. Leave them alone,” Eve giggled, handing the bag she was holding to Coimbra. “They’re soul mates.”

“Would you be quiet?” Nick snapped, everyone’s eyes locking on him, including my fascinated ones. “I’m trying to teach her how to use her magic.”

“You don’t know anything about magic you mongrel,” Sheba snorted. I tried my best not to squirm, seeing as he didn’t lift himself up, but he was too busy arguing with Sheba now.

“Exactly. Wow, look at that: the battle-ax finally knows something,” he smirked, his face lighting up with amusement as she scowled, crossing her arms. I could see Eve roll her eyes when I carefully turned my head, trying to get a view of something other than Nick’s beautiful face--it was angry now, though.

“Do I have to lock you two up together just so you can learn to get along?” Eve sighed, shaking her head.

“Not unless you want me dead,” Nick snorted, his eyes flickering to mine for a moment. I think it was then he realized that I was still lying underneath him.

“Sheba wouldn’t kill you,” Eve corrected, setting her hands on her lips.

“Not her. I’d kill myself if I had to look at that for more than an hour,” he muttered, his eyes still connected to me. I looked away from his intense gaze and breathed deeply once he lifted himself off of me.

“Go ahead and laugh dog, just wait and see what happens when you’re asleep,” she threatened. I sat up quickly and shivered from the eeriness in her voice. Nick stared at her with a clenched jaw and held out his hand, pulling me up quickly.

“Sheba, leave him alone, please,” I begged, suddenly finding my voice. I turned away from Nick and faced her, sighing. “He’s just trying to help me. He wouldn’t say anything if you didn’t antagonize him. I get that wolves and witches aren’t supposed to be friends, but we aren’t the first ones. My mom and his dad were friends too, remember? And they helped each other. They helped each other for you… for everyone else. Nick is helping me; what’s so wrong with us?”

It was silent for a moment, my eyes trailing over everyone, excluding Nick who was standing by me. I knew he was close, my glow bright. Eve was hiding a smile, but I could see her eyes glowing with mixed emotions; excitement, happiness, relief. Coimbra stayed by her side obediently and remained blank. Sheba, on the other hand, stepped forward with a cold stare, locking her gaze between the two of us.

“It’s… disgusting, to see you two together.”

“We haven’t even been together in any way,” Nick spoke up, but I couldn’t really hear any assurance in his voice, like it wasn’t exactly true… or it wasn’t going to be. I sucked in a silent breath of shock and did my best not to look back at him.

“A witch and a wolf as soul mates? It’s unheard of… despicable.”

“Is that what this is all about?” Nick laughed dryly, making me face him. He shook his head and wiped his hands on his pants roughly, his eyes dark. “What is it with you and soul mates? Are you that bitter? It isn’t my fault that you killed your soul mate off; now you’re trying to write me off as some bad person. I didn’t ask to be her soul mate, you know. It’s not like I get to pick what happens in this world,” he exploded, his voice booming through the trees. I cringed: not because he was scary, but because of his words. Was I really that bad? I knew this wasn’t really about me… but still.

“Who told you that!?” Sheba gasped, her eyes widening with both anger and shock. I could see her fists tightening and I suddenly became wary, frightened that she’d do something.

“Is there one person that doesn’t know what you did? What, are you angry because Lonnie doesn’t want to kill me? Or just jealous because she actually has someone that cares for her even the slightest?” he continued, pushing his boundaries.

Sheba shook her head and Eve looked just as worried as I felt. So many things were being said, but my mind immediately caught on to what he was saying. He did care about me. And although it looked like they were about to kill each other, I had to do my best not to smile. I felt butterflies erupt through my stomach and even though I knew it didn’t mean much, it gave me hope that maybe things could get better, if all went well with the black magic, that is.

“Don’t… go there with me,” she said icily, her jaw clenched. I could see the green glow around her hands darkening, catching my eye, and I furrowed my eyebrows.

“I’ve already started and I plan on continuing ,” he said with a dry laugh, his curls bouncing as he shook his head and his full lips stretched into a fine line, his eyes daring almost.

In a flash, Sheba lifted her dark hands and I quickly stepped forward, focusing on her as the glow shot out. I shut my eyes tight and felt the wind brush past me, almost like ripples in water--continuous. I did my best to catch my breath and made sure I concentrated, telling myself not to drop it. I was protecting Nick, but I certainly didn’t want to hurt myself again.

I could feel the push against me get rougher and my hands shaking in front of me. This wasn’t something I was used to… it wasn’t something normal people did: I wasn’t normal. It wasn’t even a moment later that the push seemed to subside and a pull started, coming from me. My eyes flew open, my mind still in focus, and I gasped. My gold glow was rippling forward, becoming brighter, and pushing against the dark green cloud coming from her. It was like my magic was cutting through hers. The wind continued to blow my hair and my eyes flickered to her concentrated face, my breathing becoming uneven.

I felt the push stop and I almost toppled forward, shooting out a bolt of gold when I gasped. Sheba cringed as it hit her and I steadied myself. I shivered and slowly pushed my hair back, staring out in shock. Eve’s voice suddenly cut through the silence, shock apparent.

“Sheba… you need to calm down. Coimbra, take her inside, please,” she instructed softly. Coimbra nodded and motioned Sheba forward. She quickly obeyed, almost racing into the house to be away from all of us. Eve strolled over quickly, making me turn to face her and Nick now. His eyes burned holes into me and Eve’s were soft, smiling.

The next thing I knew, my ears were taking in two distinct sentences at the same time: “Are you crazy?!” and “That was amazing!” it was easy to tell who said which by just the words.

“What?” I gasped, trying to catch my breath. I rubbed my temples and blinked repeatedly, knowing I’d have to get used to using magic if I wanted to last.

The two broke out rambling, both trying to get their words across. My eyes trailed between the two, catching the shine in Eve’s eyes and what looked like masked concern in Nick’s. I opened my mouth several times to speak, only stopping when they continued. It took a moment before they decided that this was going nowhere and breathed deeply.

“Listen to me,” Nick demanded, and I actually listened. “Can’t you see she’s trying to hurt you? She knows you’re going to protect me. Don’t be stupid.”

“Stupid?” I scoffed, blinking in surprise, but Eve interrupted.

“Sheba isn’t out to get her, Nick. We’re all in this to rid the world of black magic.”

“Right. Because she’s just so lovely. Why doesn’t she recycle while she’s at it?” he rolled his eyes. “There’s something not right about her and I honestly don’t care how long you’ve known her. I’m part wolf and we have instincts, something witches often lack.”

“Stupid?” I repeated, catching them off guard. I knew we were talking about more pressing matters--such as the black magic and whether or not Sheba knew something--but did Nick really think I was stupid? Was anything about caring for me even true?

“What?” Nick shook his head, sighing deeply. “Get on the topic, please.”

“How can I when you think I’m stupid!” I shouted, Nick’s jaw tightening. I felt like I wanted to cry again and I wondered why I was dwelling on his every word lately.

“Please! I think we all need to take a minute to breathe, to calm down,” Eve said clearly, breathing in deeply and slowly letting it out. I followed hesitantly, seeing Nick standing still, almost moping. “Nick,” Eve prompted, getting him to huff, but he obliged and breathed in deeply, his muscular chest slowly rising and falling. It seemed to get him to settle down, but he wasn’t calm.

I took a step forward and set my hand on his shoulder, not bothering to wait for any protest of his before I cleared my mind and focused on calming him. My glow softened and I realized that it followed his mood, his posture loosening. What did it mean when it was bright, then? I still had so much to learn.

“Now, isn’t that better?” Eve smiled, Nick’s mouth opening, but I shot him a glare and he sighed deeply. “Since you’re going to visit the great wolf in the morning, I have a little request…” she trailed off, smiling at Nick kindly.

“What is it?” Nick asked reluctantly, his eyebrows raising.

“Now,” she giggled, clapping. “When you introduce Lonnie, please don’t make it seem as if you two aren’t getting along because we all have to get together in the near future.”

“Why?” Nick and I asked in unison, our eyes locking for a moment before focusing back on Eve’s features.

“Well, you two are the forbidden soul mates-”

“I meant why, as in, what reason will we all be getting together?” he interrupted, slight intrigue piquing through his soft eyes. I realized that my hand was still on his shoulder and I pulled it away quickly, sticking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“For the wedding, silly!” she shook her head, nudging me with a look that said ‘duh.’

“W-what?” Nick stuttered, his cheeks flushing only slightly. I knew I had the same reaction.

“As soul mates of your stature, you have to get married and have children sometime. It’s in the rules.” Neither of us had a clue what she was talking about, which was new for him. His confused look was… kind of cute. I shook my head and quickly looked away. Eve sighed again and pushed her long hair back. “You see, the great witch and the great wolf are the leaders, of their creatures and are also role models to all. But theirs is a council and the disciples of each creature are apart of the council.

“The council is in charge of making sure that everything is going along. They make sure no spells are being done to harm anybody and they are very caring. I’m on the council, so I know all about the weddings and the babies and-”

“Please, no more,” Nick begged, holding out his hand and shaking his head.

I rolled my eyes and decided to give him a glare and, to my surprise, he looked surprised. Everything was so complicated.

“Oh, alright, but I need you to mention it to him…you’ll be in wolf form to hear him, which is even easier because Lonnie can hear you! Don’t you just love it when things start to unfold? Oh and tell him I said hi. I miss the days where Rosalind, Paul and I could just sit around and laugh…” she trailed off shaking her head.

I bit my lip and looked down. I hated being moody and from what I’ve seen, that’s all witches seemed to be. There were just so many things; rules, magic, people, tales, facts, places… would I ever learn? I missed my mom and I missed my dad, and I missed having normal friends. Sure, I sort of liked the excitement; not so much about the black magic, but more about the chase. And of course I would miss, if I were to ever go back, all the stories and information Nick shared. Not to mention Nick in general… but I needed to be mad at him. Who did he think he was? Telling me, oh-so-discreetly that he cared about me, then admitting it almost fully, and then calling me stupid. What was going on!

I sighed heavily and turned towards the house, unsure of exactly what to do. This was my life and I just had to deal with it.