Light in the Storm

I knew I wasn’t asleep for long when my eyes decided to open, my blurry vision taking in the sight of my dimly lit room. I felt tired and warm, and I turned my head slowly to see Nick’s sleeping face. He looked so peaceful, his head tilted to lie against the pillow, all his muscles loose. His lips were parted and his chest gently moved up and down with each slow breath. He was probably more tired than I was. Shifting easily, I curled up closer to him, nudging my head to rest underneath his chin. He didn’t even twitch. I smiled.

Sleeping had become sort of an enemy for me, but I guess staying awake wasn’t the best anymore either. I’d still have nightmares, no matter what I did. It was a little unreal to believe, but the sights I had saw no more than an hour ago were still lingering in my mind, the fuzziness slowly becoming clearer the longer I stayed awake. What was I supposed to do? I was human. There wasn’t a spell to make bad things go away.

I had to deal with it.

Sighing heavily, I took the moment to actually realize that I was a witch. I had gotten used to the fact, but I hadn’t really thought about it lately or used any of my powers. I had gotten so caught up in being a normal teenager in love that I had forgotten all about my duties, Nick’s duties. It slipped my mind. I had questions to ask Eve; about the black storm, about the fight. Questions about when exactly this wedding was and when exactly we’d have to start fulfilling duties. There were things I didn’t understand, things I needed to know, but those things seemed so distant compared to what was coming.

I shut my eyes tight and took a deep breath, the sweet scent of Nick filling my nose. That’s when I realized that there were things about this life--about my life--that I didn’t want to know.

I didn’t want to know what the black storm was capable of. I didn’t want to know what I was incapable of. I didn’t want to know about the dangers that Nick could be in. There were things I wish could just go away, but even I couldn’t make that happen. I guess my life really was like a movie with two possible endings. I could fix everything, or die trying.

I felt sick.

Deciding to throw those thoughts away, I settled my hand on Nick’s side and gripped his soft shirt, trying to allow the calmness to take me under. But there were footsteps coming closer. Before I could close my eyes to pretend to be asleep, the door opened slowly and Eve’s head popped in. Her eyes immediately locked mine and she smiled kindly, stepping in. I sighed.

“Good,” she whispered, “you’re awake.” Her eyes trailed over Nick’s sleeping figure and her smile widened, her soft eyes locking on me. Nick was too adorable for words. “Can you come downstairs? There are some things we should talk about…”

No. I didn’t want to go down there without Nick. I’d end up saying something stupid, something I knew nothing about. I frowned. Glancing down at Nick’s sleeping figure, I was tempted to wake him up. But then I saw how peaceful he looked and I didn’t have the heart to do it.

Unless I found my camera…

No.

Sighing, I slowly lifted myself up and over Nick, doing my best not to knee him. He grunted and rolled over, his arms collecting up my pillow and pulling it against his chest. I watched him bury his face in the blanket and I smiled, biting my lip as my feet hit the ground. Eve stood patiently and opened the door back up, motioning for me to go first.

I didn’t exactly know what she wanted to talk to me about. Did she want me to tell her what I had seen? Did she want me to relieve that horrible vision? I understood that she needed to know what was going on, but I didn’t quite understand why I had to be the informer. So what if I was the great witch? I didn’t ask to be. But then my mind flashed to my mother and I looked down at the steps I was descending. She didn’t want this either; she died so I could have this. I gulped.

I did it once before, I could do it again… couldn’t I?

I inched my way into the living room, almost freezing when I saw who was there. It wasn’t just my dad, but also Agatha and Atchison and even Mr. Cornell. So now I needed an audience whenever I spoke? I could feel my face flush and I began to feel nervous. Eve set a gentle hand on my shoulder, prompting me to take in her kind smile and move. I shuffled towards the couch and sat down next to my dad, sighing when he pulled me into a tight hug, but he didn’t speak. I could feel all of their eyes on me and I shut my own tight, hugging my dad the best I could.

“I know this is hard Lonnie,” Eve started, her voice sympathetic, “but we need to know exactly what you saw. You’re stronger than any of us expected; you’re powers can’t be overlooked.”

Where was I supposed to start?

“I think it would be easier if you told us what really got you first,” Agatha spoke up, her voice surprisingly soft, like Eve’s.

I licked my dry lips and pulled away from my dad, running my fingers through my hair nervously. I wasn’t the same. I wasn’t the same Lonnie I was freshman year, no. I was different, different in so many ways. I had gone into high school thinking the usual drama would suffice, but this was so much more--so much worse. My mind started reeling with the idea of what would’ve happened if I never talked to Nick. Would he have found me like was trying to? Would he have gone away empty handed and maybe died? Would I have even realized that there was something out there that had killed my mother? I knew that, without Nick, I probably wouldn’t be here anymore. And I also knew that, without Nick, I’d be empty. Nick was my glow in all reality. He was what kept me going. I wouldn’t have a sense of direction without him, and Lonnie Stewart needed direction beyond anything and everything. Except love. I needed that more than direction.

Without Nick, I’d be lost. I’d have powers that would stay idle and I would have no part in anything. I’d be useless, just a face in the midst of all the danger. I wouldn’t know what to do or how to handle it. You can’t take direction away from an already klutzy girl or powers from a witch, or even love from a cliché teenager. But that’s what Lucas was going to do. He was going to take Nick away and Nick was all those things an more. I was going to be empty.

Blinking myself back into reality, I let my eyes wander across the patient faces in the room, my heart pounding with nerves. I cleared my throat and pushed my bangs back, focusing on the coffee mug that sat on the coffee table. It took me a moment to realize Nick’s things were gone and I furrowed my eyebrows, my eyes shooting up to meet my dad’s.

“Where’s-” I started, quickly being cut off by him.

“I put his things in your room,” he answered slowly, pushing his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose. I blinked in surprise, furrowing my eyebrows. I didn’t see his things in there… but I really wasn’t looking for them. Before I could even ask, he continued. “I figured that you wouldn’t exactly want to be alone…”

Who has the coolest dad? I smiled.

“Thanks dad.” I could see Eve’s wondering face from the corner of my eye and, even though I loved being on the subject of Nick, she’d get suspicious. I didn’t exactly want to get in trouble for admitting that I couldn’t control my teenage hormones and that Nick and I had already, well… yeah.

He nodded slowly and rubbed my back comfortingly, quickly looking away. He wasn’t the best at comforting--he was a guy. But, like Nick, he was learning; that’s all I could ask. But there was something that told me he knew more than he was letting on. Did he know…?

Oh good lord.

I quickly looked away and bit my lip, heaving a sigh as I sat up. Taking a quick glance around the room, I focused my eyes on the stack of movies that sat next to the coffee mug and rubbed my cheek.

“I, um, the worst part… of all the dreams, is that Nick, he’s always gone. I’m by myself,” I whispered, peeking up to see the expressions.

“I think he’s playing with your mind,” Atchison spoke up, his words sounding as if they were the answer to everything. I chewed the inside of my cheek and tensed up a bit, shaking my head. Eve agreed with me.

“Her visions come true. He’s probably helping create the visions somehow…”

“But why?” Agatha interrupted. “I mean, why in the world would he want her to see what he’s going to do? He’s losing, not only the element of surprise, but the chance of getting whatever his plan is to work. Don’t you think he’s smarter than that?”

Why did I have to get caught up in this?

“I agree,” Eve sighed, rubbing her temples, “Why would he make her see these things?”

“Because he’s a sadistic creep,” a husky voice murmured. All eyes shot to the stairs, including mine, and landed on Nick. I sighed with some sort of relief--he as safe.

He stood in the middle of the staircase, his fist rubbing his tired eye while his fingers tugged at his messy curls. His cheeks were flushed as he took in all the stares and he quickly looked down, concentrating on taking the steps slowly.

“What?” Eve questioned, turning in her seat to face him.

He stood by the stair rail for a moment, shrugging.

“He’s doing this intentionally. He’s a witch. He has powers that aren’t for the good, so he’ll naturally try to use them in a way that can kick start his plan.” He sounded so knowledgeable. It was hard not to stare at him admiringly.

“What are you talking about mutt?” Atchison grumbled, becoming agitated. Nick rolled his eyes and pushed himself away from the rail, inching himself closer to the group.

“If you’d listen, you’d know,” he snapped, his eyes burning into the vampire. Even if we were all here it didn’t mean that they had to like each other. I sighed.

Agatha grabbed Atchison’s hand in hopes to calm him, Nick’s smirk slowly creeping across his lips. I had a feeling he liked getting Atchison worked up, just like he did with Sheba and Coimbra.

I missed Sheba.

“He wants Lonnie to see what’s going to happen because it’ll throw her off. If she knows what’s going to happen, she’s the one who’s going to lose the element of surprise. When she was fighting the black magic, she worked off her instincts. She can’t do that now.

“He’s showing her what he’s planning to do; not to trick her, but to create a hindrance. Ever since she found out she was a witch she’s been working off rules and instincts. He’s blocking her from that familiarity. By shoving these visions down her throat he’ll be able to distract her. He’s smarter than we think.”

I didn’t know how he did it, but Nick’s words always seemed to make the most sense. It was amazing and I wanted to ask him how he knew so much. I didn’t notice until now how much I was looking forward to the actual journey to the village.

Eve blinked in surprise and bit her lip, her long blonde hair swishing around as she turned to face Agatha. Nick slid down next to me, offering a soft smile, but his eyes were a little droopy; he was tired. Smiling in return, I leaned closer to him, trying not to be obvious.

“That actually makes a lot of sense Nicholas,” Eve nodded, clasping her hands together.

“You’re taking advice from some dog?” Atchison spat. Now I understood why Coimbra was so quick to temper--his brother was the same way. I could see my dad flinch slightly at his words, his eyes telling me that he wondered why it didn’t bother Nick. I didn’t even know.

“Nicholas is very intelligent,” Eve defended softly, her voice holding some sternness. “He has to know a lot in order to protect Lonnie properly.”

“He’s a wolf! Witches and wolves aren’t supposed to be together, but here these two sit…” he trailed off, his face scrunching up with disgust, like we looked different then just two regular teenagers, “and you act as if it doesn’t bother you.”

I knew that would come out sometime. I had almost forgotten that witches and wolves weren’t supposed to like each other. Did everything have to be complicated?

Eve sighed heavily and rubbed her temples again, her eyes slowly closing. This had to be a lot of stress for her, throwing herself into all of this council business.

I watched Nick shift in his seat.

“And what happens when they have children?”

There was that blush again.

“Atchison, please-” Eve sighed, but he continued.

“Are you going to let those hybrids take over for us? You don’t know how they’ll turn out, just because you have the great witch and some rotten dog.”

“He’s the great wolf Atchison, I think you’re forgetting,” Eve spat suddenly, her eyes narrowing. Both Nick and I were surprised by the way she was sticking up for him. “I know you weren’t too keen on his father, but why do you show so much hatred to his son? Just because he’s with a witch? He didn’t get to choose--they’re soul mates.”

“Besides,” Nick cut in quickly, his voice low with anger. “You’re coward of a brother walked out on Eve. When’s your turn?”

Atchison jumped up suddenly, his anger flashing across his pale face. His bright eyes sparked with a certain fire, a growl rippling through the air; even Eve coward back. Atchison’s eyes darted to me and he growled again, flashing forward when I buried myself farther into the couch. Nick was up in an instant though, his angry face inches away from the taller vampire. Nick easily toward over him though, creating a flash of fear through Atchison.

“You better watch what you say mutt,” he growled lowly, his voice venomous. I watched with wide, frightful eyes.

“Or what?” Nick spat back, a guttural laugh following. “Gonna run? I’ll catch you.” I knew he would, too.

I had never really seen Nick this angry; not with Sheba or Coimbra, or even the black magic.

“I’ll have to resort to the girl,” he hissed almost hungrily, his voice almost inaudible. But I heard him. I heard him loud and clear and I shivered, ignoring my dad’s tug on my arm.

A creepy smile pulled across his frail lips and it reminded me of Coimbra, but I knew Atchison wasn’t going to betray us. He was a vampire though--that was something he couldn’t control. He backed up some but then almost leaped towards me, Nick’s body pushing forward to stop him. He held his stone-like shoulder tightly, his heavy breathing letting me know that it was only a matter of time before he lost control and phased.

“You touch her and I swear-” he growled with so much anger, I was almost afraid.

“You swear what?” he hissed back, but his voice wasn’t nearly as strong.

“This second life you’re living will be gone too.”

I didn’t think Nick was capable of killing someone, but his voice didn’t waver and he didn’t twitch. I sucked in a breath, watching the scene play out in front of me. Nick’s hand snaked up around Atchison’s neck, getting a hold on it firmly, but not too tight. His hand was smaller than Atchison’s, but it could do damage. I tried not to notice my frightened father next to me. If he ever questioned Nick’s protection for me… well, he was sure to be convinced now.

“You wouldn’t,” Atchison spoke, his voice almost shaky. I couldn’t help but wonder why Eve hadn’t broken this up, even Agatha--they both stared on in shock.

“You touch my soul mate and I will.”

I don’t know, there was something so incredibly cliché and beautiful about Nick saying that--it was one of those things that made this worth it. I guess I was easily distracted by him, but he was always looking out for me.

“Guys, settle down. Come on now,” Eve finally tried, standing slowly. Agatha rushed to Atchison and pulled him back, whispering words to calm him down. I knew I should’ve done something, especially with the way Nick looked so shocked. He couldn’t believe he just threatened someone’s, even a vampire’s, life over me. I watched him swallow hard and sit back down slowly, a blank look on his face. I, for once, couldn’t say anything and took his hand instead, hoping to be some sort of comfort. That’s what I focused on: comforting him.

“I’m so sorry. He hasn’t hunted in a while…” Agatha sighed, her apologetic glance being focused on my dad, Nick, and myself. I managed a nod while the other two sat still, almost holding their breaths. “But before we go, Eve… please tell us what you think.”

I was suddenly completely interested in what she had to say, my mind reeling with all of the things that could come out of her mouth. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. I wasn’t even sure if what Agatha wanted to know was going to apply to me, but I needed something--anything to keep me sane.

She struggled for a moment, realizing that whatever she said would be held against her, and then she glanced up. “What do you think?” she asked Mr. Cornell. I had completely forgotten he was there, completely forgotten that my teacher was also a witch.

Wow my life was crazy. Vampires hunting me, witches after me, duties to hold, a wolf soul mate, being a soon-to-be bride, going to school, dealing with psychos: was I only sixteen? Yeah.

“We won’t know for sure until somebody shows themselves. Nicholas seems to have a very good idea, but Lucas may also just be stalling…”

“So do you think he’ll show up?” I managed to choke, squeezing Nick’s warm hand with nerves. He pried it away from me, dropping his arm around my shoulder casually instead. I took a moment to realize that this was a normal boyfriend gesture, and it actually made me smile--on the inside, at least.

“No,” Nick spoke though. “He may be a sadistic creep, but he’s still a coward.” He shifted his gaze to Mr. Cornell suddenly, his cheeks turning a brighter rosy color. “No offence.”

“None taken,” he laughed lightly, but this situation was in no way humorous. I could see Atchison’s irritated face and knew he wondered why Nick hadn’t apologized to him for calling his brother a coward. I wanted to just shout “life isn’t fair!” but I knew that would only cause more trouble. I kept my mouth shut.

“We should get going then,” Agatha sighed, glancing over at Eve. “We’ll be in first thing in the morning.”

I knew none of this was relevant to me so I tuned it out, shutting my eyes tight as the sound of feet shuffling and constant murmurs sounded. I had too much to take in. I was missing school, worrying if Josh would be stupid enough to say that he saw Nick change from a dog to a human, trying to figure out when exactly everything Lucas was showing me would happen, and trying to just be… normal. It was one of those moments when I just wanted to cry from the stress, but I had been crying too much lately. And on top of it all, I needed to worry about making a complete fool out of myself in front of Nick’s family. Sure I had been praised by Paul and taken in by Denise the few times I had been to the village, and sure Kevin had smiled at me, but he kept his distance; sure Joe had struck up conversations, but he avoided Nick and Nick avoided him, and Frankie of course just didn’t understand any of this. But it was nerve racking.

As if on cue, Nick gave my shoulder a squeeze and rested his lips on my temple, refusing to speak after his little episode. I don’t think any of us were up for a chat. How strange.

Eve stepped back into view after leading Mr. Cornell, Agatha and Atchison outside into the darkening evening. She heaved a sigh and politely sat back down, her eyes locking on my father for a moment. I eyed her suspiciously, carefully looking at him through the corner of my eye. He was fidgeting with his glasses.

“I’m not quite sure what to say,” she breathed, shaking her head. I began to crack my knuckles nervously, biting my lip when Nick placed his hand over mine, silently telling me to stop. I never made him stop his nervous habit, but then again, I liked it when he played with his curls. My dad never liked me cracking my knuckles either, though. It was something my mom did. I missed her.

“I’m just… thoroughly confused,” dad sighed, dropping his shoulders in defeat. He rubbed his stubbly chin and then dropped his hands to his lap, staring up at the ceiling.

“You’re not the only one,” I muttered, glancing up to see Nick’s intense gaze focused on me.

“All I know is that we’ll get through this,” Nick breathed, his foot twitching against the ground, not quite tapping.

“That’s a nice thing to think,” Eve smiled in approval, nodding slowly.

It was silent for a moment, all of us feeling awkward suddenly. Between dad’s confusion, my inability to accept all of this, Nick’s thoughtful expression, and Eve’s calm breathing, we all seemed to be thinking something different. My head was pounding.

“Well, I think I should get going,” Eve finally whispered, slowly standing up. I met her gaze and offered a slow smile before looking back down. I felt the couch shift and dad stood suddenly, mumbling something about walking her to the door. I shrugged it off.

When the two disappeared, I leaned into the couch and groaned. Falling onto my side, I occupied, not only my space, but the one dad was sitting on and the arm of the couch. I heard Nick’s breathy chuckle and he patted my bottom playfully, getting me to whine.

“Sit up,” he chuckled again, the sound soothing. I grumbled.

“I don’t wanna.”

Slowly turning onto my back, I blew the strands of hair out of my face and locked my gaze with Nick’s. Stretching my legs out, I plopped them into Nick’s lap and smiled when he rolled his eyes, his fingers idly playing with the leg of my pants.

“What do you really think about all of this?” he sighed, changing his gaze to focus on what his hands were doing.

“About what?” I questioned weakly, confused by his vague question of “all of this.”

“Everything,” he shrugged, letting out a deep breath. “You, me; us. Your dad, the council, Lucas. There’s so much going on and you aren’t even talking… it’s scaring me.”

I snorted, my eyes settling on his slowly smirking lips. “ Well… first of all, I think you’re gorgeous still and I think I’m just a wreck, and I think we’re doing okay. My dad… he’s getting used to this, and the council is just, I don’t even know. And Lucas…” I trailed off, biting my lip when he shook his head.

“You’re bypassing my question.”

“No I’m not. I’m answering what you asked.”

He sighed heavily yet again, stopping his movements to look at me. “You’re completely ignoring the meaning behind the question then. You can’t always take everything like you do. It isn’t healthy,” he informed me, his voice low. I narrowed my eyes in confusion, sliding farther up the arm of the couch, leaving my feet in his lap.

“Am I supposed to be assertive? Like you were a few minutes ago?” His cheeks flushed and he looked down, clearly disgusted with himself. My eyes widened. “I didn’t mean it that way Nick, honestly.”

“Then how did you mean it?” he snapped, his dark eyes burning into me. I stayed still.
“I’m sorry, I just… I don’t like being that way.”

“It’s your job to protect me, remember?” I tried, nudging his stomach with my foot gently. He grabbed it, knitting his eyebrows together.

“To protect you, not to scare you half to death,” he mumbled, shaking his head in shame, his curls flopping.

“You didn’t-” I tried.

“I could feel it Lonnie. You were scared and you can’t deny it,” he whispered, gripping his curls tightly. I slipped my feet off his lap and leaned forward, quickly placing myself on my knees. Gripping his chin with one hand, I pulled his face down while I tilted my head, forcing him to look at me through my bangs.

“It’s not you that scares me Nick,” I whispered gently, taking in his stern expression. “It’s what you can do. I don’t ever see you as a protector until you’re in that mode. I see you as some sweet guy who genuinely cares for whatever it is he does and who he’s around.“ I paused for a moment, smiling lightly when he moved his hand up to push my hair away, his thumb rubbing over my skin before he dropped his hand back to his lap. “I see you as my soul mate, my boyfriend; I see you as my hero. And even heroes intimidate sometimes, but they don’t scare. You don’t scare me.”

He took a moment, his silence meaning that he was thinking, and I watched his expression change. From stern to thoughtful, to defeated and then to a smirk--it was all beautiful.

“I don’t scare you, huh?” he mumbled slyly, the creases by his mouth suddenly showing as his full lips stretched into a devious grin. I let his face go and narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

“No…” I trailed off, leaning back as he leaned forward.

“Huh,” he mumbled thoughtfully, and then we were back at it again. I could feel his fingers dancing across my sides and I shrieked as he laughed that beautiful, melodic laugh. Twisting on the couch, I begged for him to stop between fits of giggles, my heart rate speeding up with the movement of his hands. He pulled my back against his chest tightly, one hand still dancing over my side as the other took attack to my belly. I whined, squirming in his hold, but it only tightened and he laughed even more.

“You-you’re such a-a b-bully!” I spat out, gasping for air.

“Awe, poor baby,” he pouted, sticking his bottom lip out. I in turn stuck my tongue out, squealing again when he moved his fingers even faster.

“N-Nick, please” I begged, leaning my head back to rest on his shoulder as I continued to giggle. He smiled softly and chuckled, ducking his head down until his lips met my exposed neck, slowly latching onto my skin. His fingers halted and I gasped, a new sensation filling the pit of my stomach as he kissed downward and then back up, his curls tickling my ear. He mumbled something against my skin but I couldn’t quite catch it and he didn’t repeat it--it was either something unimportant or something he didn’t want me to hear.

I twisted when he finally let up, smiling at him when I saw his gleaming eyes. It was the little things that made this all worth while, like the way you could see the genuine feelings by just a glance in his eyes when he wanted to let you in, or the way his smile could make your heart flutter. It was his touch or his kiss, or even his hug that made me realize that there was a prize to all of this disaster: a happy life with him.

But all good moments come to an end, especially romantic ones that are ruined by your father.

“Well,” he cleared his throat nervously, slowly stepping back into the room. I sighed and scooted away from Nick, scratching my forehead. “It’s been a long day and I think we all need rest.”

I’d have to tell my dad about us leaving tomorrow, so he wouldn’t worry.

But my dad seemed normal now, quickly offering his cure to almost everything for Nick.

“Nick, you should probably go take a shower or something. You look exhausted.”

I had yet to tell him showers and baths didn’t solve everything anymore.

“Thanks. I think I’ll go do that,” he smiled softly, giving my dad a nod before slowly standing and walking towards the stairs. I started to get up but was quickly interrupted.

“I think you better stay down here Lonnie,” dad smiled slightly. I immediately blushed and sat back down, sending a glare to Nick’s direction as his musical laugh sounded.

Thanks for embarrassing me in front of my boyfriend dad. I may be a witch, but I’m still normal. Somewhat.