Eyes of Light

He slowly pulled himself up, rubbing his hands on his jeans, and kept his harsh gaze focused on me. I would’ve been scared if I wasn’t so shocked. How could this be? What did this stuff even mean? This world had creatures that no one knew could be real, but they were, and Nick was one of them; what did that mean for me?

“Get up,” he said through gritted teeth, his eyes now fully chocolate brown, his chest rising up and down slowly. I stared at him in shock, my mouth hanging open. “Get up!” he repeated, yelling almost.

I jumped and scrambled to my feet, wiping more blood off my forehead with my aching wrist. I didn’t even have a chance to step forward before he reached forward, his warm hand sending a spark through me as he gripped my arm tightly, jerking me towards him. I plunged forward, falling back down to my knees with a yelp, but he just pulled me back up with ease and led me away swiftly. I ran to keep up with his fast pace, knowing that, if I tried to lag, his grip would get tighter and he’d probably end up dragging me.

“Nick, where are we going?” I asked frantically, my eyes scanning the silent forest, the branches crunching underneath our rapid footsteps. He didn’t say a word. He kept his face forward and kept on pulling me, never easing his grip. I gulped and settled my eyes on his back, small bloodstains seeping through the thin, tight fabric of his now ripped and dirtied t-shirt.

I bit my lip and refrained from saying another word as he turned onto a path that led deeper into the trees, turning again swiftly. I narrowly missed the log that he jumped over, my foot hitting it lightly. I breathed out heavily, zeroing on a small shack ahead. It was surrounded by big bushes and dying trees, the wood looking faded and about ready to fall. He tugged me onward, closer and closer. The shack was small and messy, dry leaves and mud everywhere. I watched my step, my head beginning to pound from the hit and the fast pace. He was deathly silent; I couldn’t even hear his breathing.

“What is this place?” I managed to choke out as he jumped up the creaking steps, finally letting my arm go so I wouldn’t trip up them. There wasn’t a red spot like I had expected there to be, there was just… glowing, and a warmth that dissolved with a tickle as soon as he let go.

“Home,” he grunted, pushing the door open with a sigh. I furrowed my eyebrows and took a wary step in, my eyes scanning the small room. There was a bed in the corner, and a table to the left. Books upon books were splayed everywhere; old ones, new ones, vintage looking ones, torn ones. His backpack was on a wooden chair that sat by the table and I as I stepped farther in, a beat-up dresser sat at the foot of the rather large bed, clothes sticking out as if he had shoved them in. There was also a small fridge in the corner with an old stove placed next to it, a sink on a short counter and two cabinets. I spotted a little turn, an open door peeking out, and knew it was probably a tiny bathroom: it was hardly a place to call home.

“You… live here?” I asked in disbelief, looking around frantically. “Where’s your family?”

“They don’t live here, and neither will I for long, but that’s changing now,” he muttered, moving over to the sink with quick strides. I watched him grab a towel and turn the water on with a squeak, shoving it under quickly. He was probably going to clean his back up, more blood was seeping through his shirt by the second.

“What do you mean?” I asked, my voice shaky as I took another step in, his body turning after a moment. He shut the water off and pushed forward, my eyes widening as he set the towel on my head. I winced as it touched the cut and pulled away, frowning.

“Don’t be a baby. You could’ve been killed and you’re worried about a little cut?” he grunted, pushing the towel back up against my head, but he was a little more gentle this time. I felt my face flush as I settled on his blank face, swallowing hard.

“Shouldn’t you take care of yourself? You-you’re bleeding…” I sniffled, feeling a little light headed when he took the towel away, the blood bright on the fabric.

“I am?” he raised an eyebrow, shrugging.

“Your back. It’s going through your shirt.”

He sighed heavily and stepped back, pulling his shirt off in one swift movement. I tried not to stare, but his chest was so toned… how old was this boy? He looked so mature, but he didn’t look like an adult. He was a senior, so he had to be around seventeen. I shook my head and took a deep breath, watching his eyes scan over the bloody shirt before he threw it to the floor.

“What do you mean?” I repeated, rubbing my wrist. “About your family? Where are they then?”

He stepped towards the dresser and pulled out another shirt, pulling it over his head quickly, his curls becoming even more disheveled. It didn’t look bad though, I had to admit. He turned to his bed, still silent, and pushed through the different books, finally grabbing one and flipping through the pages. It was as if then my question had finally processed through his mind and he answered.

“They’re… around,” he said carefully.

“Are they wolves? Like you?”

He sighed and glanced up, his eyes meeting mine. He pursed his lips and looked back to the book, still flipping the pages.

“No. Just… my dad.”

I let out a small gasp, his eyes trailing to me once again. “Are you the great wolf’s son then?”

His face went a little blank and he tightened his jaw, but gave a solid nod. “The only son of the great wolf who can phase.” He didn’t sound proud like I thought he would. He seemed to read the confusion on my face. “I was born while the black magic began to surface again; I have no choice in what I am…and, despite my lack of witch knowledge-” he snorted, his eyes narrowing on me, “I’d say you have no choice, either.”

I stared at him in shock for what seemed like the millionth time, my feet taking me forward. “What… what are you talking about?”

“You glow, Lonnie. You can see it, I can see it. Humans don’t glow-”

“Witches do,” I whispered, looking down at my feet. I swallowed hard again and focused on the dirt that now lay on my shoes. “So you’re saying I’m a witch?”

“I’d imagine so,” he sighed, doing a double take. His eyes zeroed in on me and I looked down, catching sight of the orb necklace. “Where’d you get that?” he asked, his voice almost uninterested, like he knew the answer already.

“My-”

“Mother?” he interrupted, raising his thin eyebrows. I nodded and licked my dry lips, scratching my head. “I’m not the keeper of information, but I think your mother was the great witch.”

My vision seemed to zone out, my breath shaky. A flash of my mother’s face came into view, her eyes bright, her hair curled. She was smiling like she always seemed, but then I caught another vision: her in the forest of my dream. I hadn’t paid attention to it then, but now, if I remembered correctly, she wasn’t wearing her beloved necklace… and that smoke or black magic, whatever it was, hadn’t attacked me until I put it on.

“I was sent here,” he continued when I didn’t speak, “to protect an unknown object… or a person. It looks like I found what the black magic was looking for: the great witches daughter.”

I felt a chill run up my spine, the seriousness in his voice telling me there was danger ahead, and that there was no way I could get out of it. I looked up at him, shaking my head in disbelief, my voice almost failing me.

“What… I don’t know what this all means!” I sighed desperately, trying my hardest to understand.

“I have to take you to Sheba and Eve,” he said with what seemed like disgust, his face twisting with discomfort.

“Who?” I felt completely idiotic.

“Sheba and Eve are witches, two of the most powerful today, besides the great witch. They know all of witch history and of the creatures, they know things that I and even the great wolf don’t. But I guess it’s easy for them; a snap of their fingers and they’re in hiding,” he seethed, clenching his fists.

I had a feeling he wasn’t one for them… or witches, pushing me farther off of his friend list. He looked back down at the book and scratched his head, running his fingers through his messy curls. He shut the book suddenly and reached forward, grabbing another one, a smaller black one. He flipped through the thin pages quickly and stopped a minute later, tearing the beige page out in one pull. I watched him fold it up and shove it into his pocket.

He turned back around and grabbed his backpack, dumping all the school products out before shoving in a few things before I could even see them. I recognized a few as clothes and I stepped forward, wondering what I was supposed to do.

“Where do… Sheba and Eve live? How long are we supposed to stay there because I don’t have anything…”

“Don’t worry about it. Sheba and Eve were personal fans of the great witch, they’ll practically worship you, even though you’re just a child.”

“I am not,” I argued, crossing my arms. He rolled his eyes and zipped the bag up, stepping closer to me. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw my skin begin to glow lightly, a shaky breath falling out of my parted lips again.

“They’ll explain everything that I should know, along with you,” he muttered, stepping away warily.

“Are we going to see the great wolf too?”

“No,” he said harshly. “My dad is in hiding, he doesn’t want to see anyone but me, and that’s only because I have to communicate with him.”

“But wh-”

“Stop asking questions!” he growled, throwing his hands up. I shut my mouth and followed him out the door, cringing when he slammed it shut. He set the backpack by his feet once he bounced down the stairs, his irritation apparent. I followed slowly, trying not to ask another question, but I just had to.

“How are we supposed to get to them?”

“I’m phasing,” Nick notified, holding out his hand to halt me.

“What about me? Do you expect me to walk the whole way?”

“They aren’t that far, about ten miles. I think your mother moved you here to be closer to Eve or something, so just stay back for a minute.”

I did as he said with a sigh, my hair whipping around in the slow and, now peaceful, wind. He shut his eyes tight and his body began to shake a little and it looked as if he were dropping to his knees, but in one swift movement forward, a wolf appeared with a small growl, it’s feet plopping to the ground. I blinked in surprise, a shock of breath flying out of me, and I smiled in amazement.

The wolf-Nick-turned it’s head, whining a little before nudging the bag. I picked it up and cradled it to my chest and followed him as he sauntered through the trees, his gold eyes alert. I found my own skin glowing the same color and knew that was a question I’d have to ask one of the two witches.

Witches.

This was so… unreal. I was going to see two witches that knew my mother, who was apparently the great witch, with a werewolf that I knew as Nick. I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn’t be a witch. I didn’t have it in me. Sure, Nick was a great werewolf, that seemed to be his mentality, but I wasn’t cut out to be a witch; I wasn’t even cut out to be a human.

Human. Josh.

“Oh no, Josh…” I muttered, biting my lip as we continued forward, allowing myself to follow… Nick. That would take some getting used too, if I had to get used to it, anyway.

“Josh?” that voice in my mind grumbled. I knew it was Nick for sure, but how could that be.

“I was supposed to meet him before I got attacked by that… black magic or whatever that thing was,” I continued shakily, hoping to see if it really was Nick, or if I were just imagining it.

“He’s an idiot.”

“How would you know?” I questioned, the wolf… Nick… stopping. He turned his head, his gold eyes bright, and looked at me strangely. I blushed and scratched my head, holding the backpack closer to me. “How… would you know he was an idiot?”

If a wolf’s face could go blank then I witnessed it. He blinked, it’s ears twitching slightly, it’s large tail moving slowly in the wind.

“What?” the voice was more airy, shocked even. “You…”

“Yeah, I can hear you. Didn’t you know that?” I questioned, taking another step towards it. My hands had a surge of warmth, my leg touching it’s fur gently as I moved.

“That isn’t supposed to happen,”it almost snarled, his eyes narrowing.

“I… I heard you, even in my dreams,” I stuttered, gulping.

Nick pushed forward, everything becoming silent, until a moment later. “The only place I can get away, and now somehow you’re there too.”

“I’m sorry-” I started, shutting up when he turned to glare. It didn’t change the fact that he was beautiful, though… the animal, I mean.

[&&light]

We seemed to walk in silence for over an hour, my feet killing me, my legs aching. I could feel the cut on my head burn and my wrist still ached, needing to be moved. The scrapes on my knees hurt every time I stepped forward: I was being tortured. I only heard Nick mumble to himself lowly, the sound barely echoing through my head, and he growled every once in a while, getting a sense of our surroundings. I didn’t stop glowing though, and his eyes stayed bright, the chocolate ring wide.

The wind blew through his fur and my hair, but there was no sign of that black magic. I wondered why it disappeared at the sound of Nick’s howl. Did that hurt it or something? It only made me feel tingly.

“How much longer?” I whined, sighing heavily. Nick snorted and I knew he was probably thinking of me as even more of a baby, which I did care about, but he had four legs to walk on and I only had two: how was that fair.

He stopped suddenly, jerking his head around, his nose twitching with the wind. I waited silently, biting my lip: silence.

“What?” I finally whispered, his eyes meeting mine.

“We’re close,” he muttered, still disturbed that I could hear what seemed to be his thoughts… in wolf form. I didn’t understand any of this, so it was all weird to me.

He pounced forward and jumped gracefully over the logs, landing on a small hilltop. I sighed in desperation and tried to quickly climb over the log, the lace on my skirt catching on a branch. I heard it rip a little and I turned, my eyes widening. The skirt was now torn raggedly to my thighs, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. I tugged myself forward almost falling to my knees, Nick’s wide eyes staring at me. His wolf face was blank, but I could see surprise in his eyes before he quickly looked away and bounded down the hill gracefully.

I sighed heavily and hurried forward, digging the bottom of my shoes into the dirt so I didn’t fall back down the path. I reached the hill and looked down, the wind a little heavier from the height. It was a large slope, the bottom holding only a few small, flowering trees, the grass bright green and the dirt dark brown, the path leading to a small, clean cottage. It was definitely out of place in the middle, or the bottom, of a forest. I would have never of guessed it to be here.

I pulled the backpack over my shoulder like I should’ve an hour ago and tried to pull down my short skirt a little, but it wasn’t going to work. I stared down, Nick sitting silently at the bottom, staring up at me.

“Slide down.”

I looked down at the slope again, sighing with relief at the sight of soft looking grass. I sat down and pushed myself forward, surprised at the smooth sliding. The wind whipped through me and I saw my glow coming back, my feet digging into the dirt to come to a stop before I bumped into Nick. I stood and wiped off the back of my legs, clearing my throat.

Nick sauntered away from me a few feet, it’s body shaking just a little. The same sight unfolded, only faster: he became slightly transparent, his body re-appearing almost instantly in a standing form. I sighed and took him in again, his eyes dulling out to the same chocolate brown.

“Come on,” he muttered, taking another step forward to grab the backpack from me. He shoved it onto his shoulder and stepped forward, almost hesitantly towards the cottage.

I followed, clasping my hands in front of me, looking around. Little flowers lined the pathway, a few stone steps leading up to the large oval door. There was a stained glass window on the front oddly, the picture showing to orbs: one green and one red. There was also a tiny blue one in the middle, but it looked faded, and immediately reminded me of my mother.

Before Nick could even take the first step up, the door flung open and a man with red hair and pale skin came into view, his burgundy eyes going wide. A devilish smile appeared on his lips and he seemed to not even notice Nick, stepping closer to me. I backed up slowly, gasping when Nick’s hand shot out, pushing the man back. He quickly stepped in front of the red head, his back now to me.

“Who are you?” Nick grunted, his voice almost angry.

“Oh, pardon me,” the man smiled, crinkling his nose. “I don’t want you dog-” he stopped, sniffing the air. He stared at me with almost wide eyes again and stepped back. “Excuse me… I thought I smelled a human.”

“I a-”

“She’s a witch. Don’t Sheba and Eve live here?” he cut me off taking a step back from the mysterious looking man. He was tall and lanky, a bored look appearing over his face.

“How do you know Sheba and my Eve?”

“Your Eve?” Nick scoffed. “So witches have a thing against wolves but not the undead?” I could see Nick roll his eyes before he turned, motioning me forward.

“What business do you two have here?” he almost hissed, Nick’s head snapping forward.

“This business doesn’t involve you, so just run along,” Nick hissed right back, his fist clenching.

Suddenly, two women came into view. They both had dark hair and tanner skin. One had a red glow, bright as it neared the… vampire with red hair, and the other was barely glowing green.

“No need for a confrontation Coimbra,” the younger one smiled, her eyes settling on me. She raised her eyebrows and stepped forward, cocking her head. “My, my, my; you look so much like Rosalind… you must be her daughter, Lilliani? The last time I saw you… you were around six years old,” she spoke softly, reaching her hand out.

Another image flashed into my mind and I remembered both the man and this woman at my house, speaking to my father the day he told me mom had died. I turned my head to face Nick but he just shrugged and kept a slight distance from the man named Coimbra.

“Oh my, and your glow is magnificent! Rosalind always said you’d glow gold.”

“So… I am a witch?” I whispered, looking between the two women, The other one broke out laughing, the sound loud, but Eve’s laugh was a little lighter and she set her hand on me.

“Oh, yes my dear-” she paused, her eyes trailing over to the other woman. Her eyes were narrowed on Nick, his eyes narrowed on her in return. “Sheba, please. The wolf boy came with our dear Lilliani.”

The woman known as Sheba gave a short nod, but smiled genuinely at me before Eve spoke again.

“You must be the great wolfs’ son, am I correct?” she questioned Nick; he simply nodded and stepped hesitantly closer. I felt my skin grow tingly and warm again, my glow brightening. Sheba gasped in almost horror and I looked up, alarmed. Eve blinked in surprise but smiled still, resting her palm on her cheek.

“She’s… glowing, with that mutt,” Sheba spoke, her voice dry. I furrowed my eyebrows and glanced at an equally confused Nick, Eve speaking next.

“Now Sheba, just because your Mortimer is gone doesn’t mean every witch around can’t glow with happiness,” she laughed lightly, pushing Coimbra back and away from us.

“What are you talking about? You’re dealing with a wolf and a witch that didn’t even know she was one until earlier, when the black magic attacked,” Nick said hastily, crossing his arms, the backpack hanging loosely on his back.

Eve gasped, her eyes turning dark, her glow somewhat fading as Coimbra disappeared. “The black magic is back? Although I’m not surprised, it still is a light shock. And you…” she trailed off, refraining from using the term ‘wolf’ to address Nick.

“Nick,” he muttered, running his hand through his thick curls.

“Nick,” she smiled kindly, moving back to stand by Sheba. “You must have been appointed to this area. Lucky you, found the great witch’s daughter, although she must be the great witch now. Us witches are grateful that you saved her, so please, do come in.” Sheba scowled but stepped back, allowing Nick up the steps first. He looked at them skeptically but obliged and entered the warm looking cottage slowly.

“Oh Lilliani-”

“Lonnie, please,” I corrected softly, watching my skin’s glow disappear as Nick did.

“Lonnie,” Eve smiled with a sigh, setting her hand on my shoulders. “I suppose you’d like Sheba and I to explain everything to you?”

“That would… help,” I smiled weakly, knowing nothing was going to ever be the same again.