Light in the Storm

I blinked a few times, my cheeks flushing at who was standing before us.

“Mr. Cornell?” I asked in confusion, glancing over at Nick. He looked skeptical, his eyes hard and his hands tight on my waist. He helped me slide off the bookshelf, keeping his eyes to my teacher. Nick liked Mr. Cornell, and he liked Nick, but he no doubt wanted to know why my teacher was here.

“Lilliani, Nicholas,” he nodded politely, stepping in closer once the door was shut tight. I moved forward but Nick quickly grabbed my arm, pulling me behind him protectively. I couldn’t help but smile before peering over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, I mean absolutely no harm,” he insisted, holding up his hands.

“What’re you doing here?” Nick murmured. I could tell by his voice that he knew something I didn’t. Nick had hunches, and his hunches were usually right, so this didn’t surprise me as much as it would have. I was just completely confused.

“I followed you two,” he said calmly. I placed my hand on Nick’s back, getting him to turn and look down at me. I gave him a questioning look before turning to Mr. Cornell.

“Why?” I really wanted to ask how he knew about this, but if he didn’t, I didn’t want to be the one giving that information away. I had learned from Nick that sometimes it was best to be quiet.

“I suppose I have some explaining to do, huh?” he sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“Yeah; you do,” Nick answered dryly, his voice void of any emotion. He was in that protective mode, that factual mode.

“And I hope it isn’t too much to ask that you explain, too. You aren’t supposed to be here, in the council…” he trailed off. I bit my lip.

“You know… about the council?” I questioned timidly. Nick’s hand clasped around mine and he moved us closer, finding Mr. Cornell to be harmless. He probably used his animal instincts.

“I know more than you think,” he chuckled nervously, licking his lips. He turned towards the bookshelf and absentmindedly ran his fingertips over the spine of the books, his shoulders slouching some as he spoke. “You see, when you first came Lonnie, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was told to teach at Clarence High because Nicholas would be coming in, in search for you. Lucas had nothing to do with that set up, it was Eve and Paul that decided upon it. I was to make sure that Nick stayed safe while he was in search for the great witch. It made my job much easier when I realized you two were soul mates,” he chuckled, turning to face us.

I stared at him in shock, not quite understanding how he fit into this whole mess. Nick gave my hand a squeeze, standing up a little straighter as he directed Mr. Cornell.

“But you’re not part of the council.”

“Not necessarily, no,” he agreed, clearing his throat. How did Nick know these things? I felt completely stupid. Here we were, getting closer and closer to becoming the official great witch and great wolf, and I didn’t even know the little things. Maybe it was just my instincts that needed help. I sighed.

“Then why are you communicating with them?” Nick didn’t seem to understand this part; he wasn’t alone.

“I was never really important, at the beginning…” he started off, trying to find the exact words he wanted. My eyes followed him as he pushed away from the bookshelves and slowly glided towards the center of the room. Nick yet again pulled me forward, stopping to the side of him. He loosened his grip, letting me know I could step forward if I wanted to, but I chose to stay by his side--he was warm and his scent drew me in. But I really did have to focus. “I was directed to stay away from your fight with the black magic.”

“Why?” I blurted out, knitting my eyebrows together in confusion. Mr. Cornell caught my eye for a moment and he sighed again, unsure of if he wanted to tell us or not.

“Lucas is one of the only known male witches of our world. He’s strong and capable of things no one could imagine. He’ll use people to get what he wants, and now that he knows what Lonnie’s deepest weakness is… he’ll go after it.”

“How do you know so much about this?” Nick piped up, scratching his head. I glanced at the side of his smooth face for a moment before nodding, directing my attention back to Mr. Cornell to ask him my own question.

“And what’s my deepest weakness?”

“Okay,” he breathed, cracking his knuckles. He swallowed and stood silent for a moment, getting his perfect answers ready. This was a lot for us to take in, but it was also a lot for him to explain. “I know Lucas personally. He was never a normal being, besides the whole witch thing. He was sick and twisted and only ever wanted power. That’s why he went after Rosalind. He wanted her so he could have her power, but she was of the wise. She fled quickly and ended up meeting your father in the process.

“Lucas couldn’t easily track her because he didn’t have the council connections of the time. As of all with a power, you stop aging once you reach the immediate start. Lucas was power hungry and he went on with a scheme that would hold him in his younger years for quite some time. Forgetting about Rosalind for the moment, he found a whole new source of power: the council. He wanted to become part of the council, but he had to act carefully. No one knew of a male witch; he decided to portray a regular human. The council considered a human leader because they didn’t want any biased acts, and Lucas apparently proved himself worthy. This is about the time Jeremy comes in.

“As Nicholas has said, Jeremy is much like Lucas, although they are no where in relation. Jeremy wanted to be the great wolf and he was able to be transformed into a wolf, but his power and genes didn’t allow him the strength that Nick’s pack has, and no where near the abilities Nick has. He doesn’t have that sense of instinct or drive, and he has no animalistic instincts. He doesn’t know how to protect on command--Lucas had to teach him. And although he knows the tactics of a good fight, he doesn’t have the drive Nick has.”

“What’s Nick’s drive?” I asked softly, meeting his eyes for a moment. The look in them told me that he knew exactly what drove him everyday, exactly what he lived for. It made my heart flutter, especially when he answered instead of Mr. Cornell.

“You,” he murmured softly, his voice almost inaudible. I could feel the butterflies eating at my stomach and the smile dying to stretch across my lips. His hand slid out of mine and he snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me into his side. He kissed my forehead and brushed my hair back lovingly, leaning away after a second to prompt Mr. Cornell to continue.

“As Lucas informed Jeremy of his plan, he promised him the power of Nick’s job. He reigned in Coimbra and Sheba, blocking out Eve because he knew she would never go under an evil power such as his. He offered them a spot by his throne and they accepted. Sheba understood that it wasn’t what she wanted, being used to hurt others. She knew what it was like to lose someone and she was starting to realize that power meant nothing if you didn’t have friendship. That’s what Rosalind taught her. But Coimbra on the other hand… he cared for Eve deeply, but he’s a vampire who wants power in the world, he’d go for anything. And he’s still on the run… he’s either looking for Lucas or plotting with him already,” Mr. Cornell informed quickly, all his words sinking in. I was sure Nick had a better understanding than I had, but I got the overall meaning of this conversation. It gave me the chills.

“I’m still confused… what does my deepest weakness have to do with this?” I questioned again.

“Nick’s drive is for you, Lonnie. He’ll do anything to protect you--not only because it’s his job, but because he loves you deeply. And you feel the same for Nick. Lucas knows what gets you to focus and he’s willing to do anything to stop you from banishing him and the dark magic completely.”

“What are you saying?” I asked quickly, standing up a little taller, at attention. Nick could sense my quickening heart and he placed his hand on the small of my back, trying to tell me to calm down.

“Lucas knows that, by eliminating Nick first, he’ll have a clear shot at you. Without Nick, you can’t function properly. That’s the way it is.”

I stared at Mr. Cornell for a moment, not quite sure if I was actually breathing. He just added more things to my list of worry: did I have to worry about my nightmares coming true? Did I have to obsess over Nick getting hurt or disappearing? Was I going to have to pay even more attention to my surroundings now, wondering if Lucas or one of his partners were around?

It took me a moment to realize that Nick was telling me to breathe and that I was now sitting on one of the large, velvety chairs, my hands engulfed by his warm ones. I felt a pain in my head and I wondered if I had fainted in such a short time of shock. When my eyes resettled on my surroundings, Nick’s soft face was the first thing to jolt my heart back up.

“I know this is a lot for you to take in… and I’m not quite sure I’m supposed to be telling you this information,” Mr. Cornell apologized, slowly standing from his kneeled spot beside me. Nick stayed in front of me, his hands on my knees as he tilted his head. All I could do was just stare at him, eventually offering a small smile. He knew I was worried and he knew he really couldn’t say anything at the moment.

“If you know so much about the black magic and Lucas, why can’t you help us?” I managed, scratching my head. That’s when he sighed again, looking down to his feet.

“Lucas isn’t the only male witch.” It took me a moment to decipher his words, but Nick was quick to ask.

“What?”

“I’m also a witch.”

It took me a moment to actually realize what he had said--it seemed to take me a while to realize anything. Before I could even ask anything else, one question came to mind.

“Wait--does that mean you hurt Josh?” Nick looked at me with confusion.

“No,” Mr. Cornell responded, smiling slowly. “That was you.”

“What?” Nick asked again, turning to face me. “You hurt Josh?”

“I think I may have shocked him or something…” I muttered, giving a shrug. I saw Nick’s lips begin to twitch up, his eyes holding amusement. I almost laughed. But this was serious. I could deal with Josh later.

“But what does this have to do with you knowing so much about Lucas?”

Mr. Cornell nodded and clasped his hands together, rocking back and forth on his heels nervously. “Lucas Plaster is my brother.”

I had barely any time to think before Nick shot up, his protective mode coming back into play. I grabbed his arm gently and held him close to me, pulling myself back onto my feet.

“Your brother?” he spat, his jaw tight and his eyes stern. I did my best to focus on calming him down.

“I meant what I said, about meaning you no harm. Lucas may be my brother but I support nothing of him. My magic is used, if at all, for the greater good. I’m here to help,” he defended softly, his eyes pleading with us to believe him.

We all just stood there for a moment, silent. Nick looked somewhat convinced and I was already sure that Mr. Cornell was on our side. It was weird knowing that he was my teacher and that he was also a witch. I knew I could definitely speak to him more; we were on the same page. I just didn’t know what to think… about Lucas, about everything. Did Mr. Cornell know more about the black storm and would Eve talk to us about it if we asked? I bit my lip and heaved a sigh, my eyes widening when I heard the door suddenly open.

Our eyes settled on Eve as she entered with a look of surprise, a smile covering her lips when she spotted Nick and I together. She always got excited whenever she saw we were getting along. She seemed to smile when Nick held my hand or kissed me or pulled me closer. She was happy for us; I wanted to be happy for her. But as soon as she smiled, her face dropped as she realized that we weren’t supposed to be here.

We were caught.

“Lonnie, Nick… what’re you doing here? You aren’t supposed to be here,” she said calmly, slowly stepping into the room. She pushed her hair back and offered a smile to Mr. Cornell, stepping closer to us. Nick and I looked at each other, eyes wide: neither of us said a word. “You know you aren’t supposed to be here…” she sighed, shaking her head.

“I was… curious,” I muttered, smiling nervously. She chuckled and shrugged, crossing her arms.

“You two need to get home. I think I’ll stop by and talk to your dad later.”

“Well, go ahead; I’m already grounded for forever,” I smiled, getting her to laugh again. Nick shook his head, holding back his smile.

I didn’t want to ask Eve about this, not now. Nick didn’t either, so I knew we could wait until she came over.

“Come on,” Nick whispered, his breath hitting my ear.

I was ready to get out of there.

[&&light]

Nick drove us home in a comfortable silence, but it gave me an unwanted time to think. I tried to push all those unwanted thoughts away, but it was hard. I didn’t want to think about the possibility of Nick disappearing as real. I didn’t want to know that Lucas was definitely out to get us. I didn’t want any of this, but at the same time, I did. I wanted to be a witch; I wanted to be with Nick. I’d have to make sacrifices and stay strong. I had to just breathe.

When we got back, I had to tell my dad that I skipped the rest of school to go with Nick to investigate the council. Needless to say, he wasn’t too thrilled. I also had to inform him that he’d be getting a special visit soon--he sent me to my room. Now… he didn’t say Nick couldn’t come with me.

And like with all stressful situations, I decided to take a shower.

As soon as I got out, I felt better, but it was nothing drastic. I guess I couldn’t rely on simple things to fix my problems--just Nick. I immediately broke out into a smile and finished dressing, making me way back into my room. Shutting the door behind me, my eyes immediately settled on Nick. He was spread across my bed, leaning up against the pillow, a book in his hands. His gaze was focused on it intently, his eyes spreading across the page quickly. His full lips parted and his fingertips brushed the page as he began to turn it, his tongue wetting his dry lips.

I smiled and hurried over, jumping on the bed. He glanced up slowly, a small smile on his lips. He chuckled lightly and turned his attention back to the book, mumbling to me.

“I don’t understand why you wanted me to stay in your room.”

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, leaning forward to see what he was reading. He flinched, pushing my wet hair out of his face. I giggled. “What are you reading?” I wasn’t exactly interested, but I knew he was.

“Oh, uh-” he started, but I quickly cut him off.

“Oops, sorry-” I grinned, ripping the book out of his hands. He reached for it reflexively but I quickly threw it behind me, hearing it land with a small thud to the floor. His eyes trailed after it before he turned to me, huffing.

“You’re such a… I don’t even know,” he grumbled, crossing his arms tightly over his chest. I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t be a grouch.”

“I’m not a grouch.”

“You are too,” I argued.

He shook his head, holding back a smile, and leaned forward to get up--probably to retrieve his book. Resting my hand on his chest, I leaned forward and settled my lips on his. I kissed him softly, running the fabric of his shirt through my fingers. He settled after a moment and wrapped his arm around my waist, leaning back against the pillow, pulling me down a little closer. I didn’t know what it was, but I loved being around him. I knew it always made me feel safe and warm, but now it was different. Now it made me feel like he wanted me as much as I wanted him, like he liked being around me. It was a satisfying feeling.

I slid my other arm behind his neck and dug my hands into his curls, pulling him closer to me. He didn’t object. His other hand slid up my side gently, cupping my cheek to hold me securely. I liked how he always kept things slow, how he let me know we had all the time in the world.

But then I realized that maybe wasn’t true.

My thoughts suddenly clicked with my actions and I found myself kissing him harder, removing my hand from his chest to slide around to his back. I pressed myself against him and tightened my grip on his curls, wrapping my legs around the back of his knees. He seemed a little caught off guard, maybe even a little flustered--I knew I was. But I kept going. Gripping the end of his shirt, I managed to successfully pull it over his head within a second of breaking our kiss, smashing my lips back onto his before he could do anything but grunt. He fell back onto the pillow, his hands curling around the bedspread tightly. I set my hand back on his chest, getting him to shiver. Placing my hand over his heart, I could feel his warmth and how fast it was beating, giving me realization that mine was beating just as fast, and that I needed to breathe.

His hands settled on my hips sternly and he managed to lift me up after a moment of hesitation, turning his head away from me once our kiss was broken. I could feel my face heat up and my skin was burning. I wondered if my glow was blinding him. He blinked repeatedly, his lips staying parted before he turned back to face me with darker eyes. He heaved a long sigh.

“Lonnie, what’re you doing?” he asked in one breath, lowering me a little. He took one hand off me and used it to push his curls back, sliding back to sit up. I stared at him, not quite sure how to explain what I was thinking to him.

“What?” I breathed shakily, running my hands over my face. He gripped my wrists and brought them down to my sides, his eyes staring intently into mind.

“You can’t just do that to me,” he shook his head. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion ad managed to pull my hands away, dropping onto my shins.

“Do what to you?” I knew I was taking it the wrong way and he quickly shook his head, reaching out for me again. I didn’t pull away; I could never pull away.

“Sometimes I won’t be able to stop,” he responded, bypassing my question. I knew what he meant though. I blushed, looking down at our connected hands.

“That’s the point,” I murmured, glancing up to see his expression.

“No,” he retorted, “it’s not. We already broke that rule, and now we could be in trouble for something else. I’m not going to risk anything else. We wait until after we’re… married.” He didn’t hesitate on the word like he had previously before, but he had a more thoughtful tone to it, his soft eyes connecting with mine. I didn’t exactly want to agree, but Nick would get his way anyway. He was stronger willed than I was.

“Okay,” I whispered. And I just stared at him. I noticed every little detail, and I could tell someone exactly how he looked by memory because he was so beautiful. I’d never want to forget it. And then I found myself wanting to cry.

“Don’t cry,” he said sternly, but there was a softness to his voice. I looked up, my eyes hazy.

“I-I’m sorry,” I quivered, realizing I had been crying way too much lately. But he shook his head again, leaning forward.

“Don’t be sorry, either.” He broke his hands away from mine to slide his arms around my waist, pulling me into him for a tight embrace. His hand rubbed my back soothingly, his curls tickling my cheek as I rested my head on his shoulder. He mumbled soft words to me, placing feathery kisses to my neck. It was amazing, how he knew how I worked. Even if he was a little awkward about the whole comforting thing, he was getting used to it.

“I’m scared Nick,” I sobbed suddenly, his soft gestures making me feel even worse. I wrapped my arms tighter around him, clutching him as close as I could. His warm chest and back felt calming against the bare parts of my own skin.

“Why are you scared?” he questioned. “You have nothing to be scared about.”

“Nick, you heard Mr. Cornell. Lucas knows that I need you. I’m having nightmares… they’ll come true. I can’t lose you.” I was aware of how weak I sounded and after all I’ve been through, I should be ashamed of myself for being so emotional, but Nick never said a word. He understood me, whether he was aware of it or not. We clicked in a way that I would never understand and I was thankful, so very thankful that he was my soul mate, my forever. It was cheesy, but I wouldn’t be able to live without him.

Probably almost literally.

Nick sighed, his hot breath tickling my skin, and held me for another few seconds before pulling back. He slid his hands up my arms and rested them there, only moving once to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “Listen, I know that I can’t tell you things will be alright anymore--I know they won’t be. Honestly, they’ll be hard and I don’t know how this will work. But I do know that I’ll be there, I’ll be by your side. And I know that I love you. I can’t tell you that I’m not going anywhere, because maybe I am. But don’t you think that I’m scared? Don’t you think that I need you probably more than you need me? If something happens to me, then fine; I’ll take it and I’ll be okay. But I won’t ever be okay knowing I let something happen to you. If I disappear or go away, or whatever it is that you’re dreaming about, then it’ll happen. But you have to remember something for me, okay?” he whispered, his voice soft and strong.

I refused to believe anything would happen to him, but if Nick could be strong about it, I had to at least try. I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded weakly, unable to take my eyes away from his.

“You have to remember that, no matter what, I’ll always find my way back to you. You keep me going, Lonnie. As long as you’re okay, I’ll be just fine. Remember that, alright?”

“Alright,” I managed feebly, dropping my head to rest on his shoulder.

“I love you,” he murmured, unable to mask the emotion in his own voice.

We’d be strong. We’d get through this. We’d learn and prepare and fight, and we’d win.

“I love you too, Nick. So much.”