Light in the Storm

Nick’s lips moved so softly against mine, timidly almost--like he were carefully experimenting me. His arm was snaked around my waist, the other one holding himself at an angle as he pushed me against the arm of the couch. We had been downstairs for a while, the dimly lit afternoon holding no rain for once. After our ‘talk’ we had just watched random TV, until he gave me this look I couldn’t keep myself away from.

This could be a problem.

I giggled against his lips as he pulled up, his face hovering above mine with flushed cheeks. He didn’t pry my hands away from his hair, he just gave me that “stop it” look-- I pretended like I didn’t notice. So he sighed and decided to press his lips back onto mine. I didn’t protest.

“Lonnie, I-” my dads voice sounded. I bit my lip to hold back my laughter as Nick immediately jumped back, his blush brightening. I covered my face with my hands in embarrassment--and as a mask to hide my smile--and heard my dad clear his throat. “Well…” he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck as I glanced up.

“Nick and I were just…” I started nervously, finding the situation rather awkward. Maybe that’s what happens when your boyfriend lives with you. I didn’t really care.

“I don’t really want to know,” dad shook his head, pushing his glasses farther up his nose. Nick leaned against the back of the couch, staying away from me while my dad still stood in the room. He was too adorable. “Anyway, I was thinking that you should clean the garage… as sort of a punishment for staying out the whole night. Besides, I already grounded you for the rest of your life,” he grinned, chuckling softly. I stared at him wide-eyed.

“You want me to clean the garage? But why?” I whined, twisting my body on the couch.

“I can’t let you off the hook with everything. I would have Nick help you, but he’s not my son--therefore I can’t really punish him--and he’s also eighteen.”

I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms, huffing. “Yeah right. You probably just want to watch movies with him or something. I’m sorry I don’t understand your supernatural mindset…”

“Which is strange, considering you are a witch,” Nick piped up smartly, giving me that innocent look as I glared. He closed his lips.

“Come on kiddo. It’s not that hard, you’ll get through it,” he chuckled, motioning me forward. He just wanted to take my spot on the couch. Stupid male bonding.

I sighed loudly and stood, slowly trudging towards the middle of the room. Dad sat down and grabbed the remote, my eyes then trailing over to Nick who smiled at me innocently.

“Okay, fine; I’ll clean the garage, but if a giant spider jumps out at me and swallows me whole-” I paused, pointing my finger between the two of them. “I hope you feel guilty.” My dad held back a smile and Nick snorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

“We’ll feel guilty, don’t worry,” dad reassured me, Nick’s angelic laugh filling my ears. I sighed, stepping away from the TV and towards the door that lead into the garage. “Oh--and no using your magic!” he called, getting me to groan again.

I hated being a teenager.

[&&light]

So far, so good. There weren’t any blood-craving spiders or whining bats. There were harmless cobwebs, which I found disgusting, and piles of dirt and dust and garbage. No wonder my dad wanted to go on a diet--there were too many Hostess boxes out here. He was stick-thin though. I didn’t understand him.

I had managed to move all the small boxes to one corner, sweep up the dirt, dust off the shelves, and put away stray items. But I also managed to spill cleaning products, get grease all over my shirt while trying to move a tire, and knock over a large box that sat in the corner. I was a klutz.

Groaning, I wiped my hands on an old towel and threw it over the puddle of window cleaner, moving over to pick up the fallen items. They didn’t look familiar to me and I knew they didn’t belong to me. My beloved tea set sat in my closet along with the other items my mother had given me, accompanied by a few random things I had gained over the years. But these looked… different. And now I was curious. Sighing lightly, I settled myself on my knees and ran my fingers over the unknown objects. My eyes took a moment to recognize them.

In the messy pile, there was a photo album, a picture frame, a box, a book, and an envelope. It was a random assortment I scrunched my nose up in confusion. Running my fingertips over the dusty items, I picked up the small, torn photo album. Flipping open the cover, I was surprised to see the photos were protected by a plastic covering, and even more surprised to see what the focus of them were. The page held two photos, both of them containing a beautiful, smiling woman with an awkward child on her lap. My mom and me.

I gulped and stared at the two photos, taking in the atmosphere. I was sitting on her lap with a grin on my face, my hair in pigtails as I ate an ice-cream cone. The way my mother smiled made me feel a mixture of warmth and pain. The photo underneath was similar, except we were outside on a picnic blanket, blowing bubbles. I didn’t remember either of these events--I wished I did. Turning the page slowly, I was greeted with four more photos, each of them tugging at my heart. We were either outside or in the house, the surroundings of both brighter than they were now.

I continued to turn the pages, my breath becoming shaky when my father started appearing in the photos with us, his face lit up with a joy I hadn’t seen in years. The way he stared at my mother… was I just imagining it? He looked so completely in love and she returned the look with such ease. I wanted that for him now.

I spotted countless happy moments as I flipped through the pages, my eyes scanning more quickly as the tears started to come. I didn’t want to cry, not again. I just missed her so much. Inhaling deeply, I set the album aside and picked up the box. The contents inside were unknown, but the box was somewhat large and I wondered what was inside. Pulling off the hard, dusty lid, my eyes came to focus on various cloth items, most of them being different shades of blue--with the occasional peek of yellow or red or green. I dug my hand in, my fingertips brushing over the soft materials: cotton, silk, satin. They were dresses, my mother’s countless dresses. I hadn’t remembered seeing her in jeans more than once or twice. She was always so beautiful.

I gently held up the silky feeling dress, recognizing it to be somewhat casual. I had remembered the day she wore it, the day she had taken me to the park. Certain memories sparked my mind at certain times, but it was as if she were fading away. It wasn’t possible, though. I’d always remember her. I’d have these dresses to look at. I wondered if it were even right for me to be looking at her belongings, be touching her things. I quickly put the dress in and shut the lid, gently setting it to the side.

The envelope or the book didn’t really interest me, but the picture frame did. Slowly reaching my hand out, I gripped the old metal frame and turned it over, the two faces in the pictures flashing out at. My mom… in her beautiful wedding dress, her smile lighting up everything. Her green eyes were bright and happy as she stared at my father, his messy hair and glasses making him look handsome in a dorky way. They looked so young, so in love.

“Hey Lonnie?” Nick’s soft voice called out suddenly, making me jump. I clutched the picture tightly, not bothering to turn around. I heard his footsteps. I could feel tears prick my eyes and soon enough they slid down my cheeks. “I just wanted to make sure you were still alive; hadn’t heard you complain in over five minutes,” he joked lightly. I managed a chuckle, knowing Nick could always lift my spirits, but a sob followed soon after and he rushed over. “Hey, what’s the matter?” he asked softly, concern filling his voice.

I could feel Nick drop down to his knees behind me, placing his hand on my back soothingly. I moved the photo a little as my glow sparked, allowing him a better view. He leaned closer, his curls tickling my cheek as he glanced over my shoulder. He murmured an “oh.”

His light sigh tickled my ear and his arm wrapped around my waist slowly, allowing me to lean against him. I dropped my head to his shoulder and tried to convince myself that always crying in front of him was annoying, but he was always so gentle about it. Even when we weren’t getting along at the very beginning--he tried his best to comfort me. His thumb swiped across my cheek delicately, wiping away all the falling tears, and I breathed like he always told me to do. He spoke lightly, trying to lighten the situation.

“They look so happy. They’re so young …” he murmured, reaching his hand out reluctantly to trail his fingers over the dusty glass covering the photo.

“They were only a couple years older than us when they got married,” I sniffled, clearing my throat. I turned a little to see him nod, setting my hand on top of his as it rested on my stomach.

“Just look at the way she’s staring at him, the way they’re looking at each other,” he whispered in disbelief, his lips twitching into a small smile. I nodded this time, my eyes refocusing on their happiness.

“You know, you relate to my mom in a way, and I relate to my dad,” I said softly, trying to perk up. I glanced up at Nick’s face, watching his confusion become known.

“How so?”

“Well…” I breathed, holding up the photo for both of us to see. “You’re beautiful and I’m just me.”

“No,” he corrected almost immediately, wrapping his hand around my chin, pulling my face towards his. Our eyes locked, his soft ones serious and light--beautiful. “You’re beautiful and I’m just lucky.”

I could feel my cheeks heat up at his words and I smiled shyly, looking down. He released my chin and smoothed his hand over my hair lovingly, giving a thoughtful hum. I glanced up, knitting my eyebrows together.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he chuckled, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “I was just thinking about you.”

“What about me?” What was funny about me? Well, besides the obvious…

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, locking his eyes on the dark wall ahead. “You just have all these little things about you that I hate to love, and I’m sure there’s a lot more that I’ll find out about. Like… I hate how you cry so much, but I love it because you always let me make you feel better. And I hate how you push, but if you didn’t, I wouldn’t love the things you push me to do.”

I sighed as he took another pause, silence filling the air. “So I guess you hate that you love me?” I giggled slightly, gently setting down the photo. I didn’t need to cry anymore.

“No,” he chuckled back, licking is lips. He sighed. “I love that I love you.”

“Nick, promise me something, okay?” I muttered suddenly. Something popped into my mind; it was really meaningless, but I felt the need for it.

“Sure.”

“Promise me that, even if you stop loving me, you’ll always be my best friend.”

“Why would you ask that?” he breathed, turning me around to face him. He looked curious rather than angry. I shrugged.

“Because there are things about you that I will never want to forget.”

He stayed silent and just gave me a look, his eyes intense, his lips pouting out adorably. I smiled slightly and looked away, rubbing my arm nervously. He was good at making me nervous. He was also good at making me smile.

“I’ll always be your best friend, and I’ll always love you, but it’ll always be so much more. So no more doubting, alright? I won’t take it anymore.” I knew he was serious, but the smile that graced his lips told me he was also being playful.

“Alright,” I whispered, leaning backwards to put my feet out in front of me. He smiled shyly and grabbed my ankles, dropping my feet onto his lap. He rubbed my leg gently, soothingly, and I locked my gaze with his.

Things were just getting started.

[&&light]

I sat in my similar desk, the sound of Mr. Cornell stacking papers at the back of my mind. It was so close to being lunchtime and I was ready to get out of here. Anna and I had been somewhat distant, mostly being my fault. I hadn’t really talked to her and I knew I probably seemed stuck-up, but they were Nick’s orders. Well, he actually said not to let me being a witch with a wolf soul mate slip since it was so normal to me now, but talking to Anna was so easy… I knew I’d blab somehow.

Josh was sitting two desks away, staring intently at a sports magazine. He had… changed lately. He hung out with the jocks now, leaving his poor cousin to fend for herself when they all tried to hit on her. I didn’t hang out with her much so I was safe from those drooling pigs. If Nick knew how many times they said crude comments to me, he’d have a meltdown. He’d probably come to school with me everyday--not that I really minded, but I didn’t need a babysitter. But Josh wasn’t my friend anymore… he wasn’t the same as when we had first met.

I kind of missed him in a way. But Nick was definitely a better math tutor.

I sighed and shut my notebook, setting my dull pencil down next to it. Mr. Cornell had assigned daily journal assignments. I was lacking on entries, but I usually made them pretty long, so I received full points. Mr. Cornell didn’t actually read them, he said that would be an invasion of privacy in case we needed to get something off our chest. It was helpful for me today.

I shuffled through my pencil pouch, pushing back my hair. I grabbed my sharpened pencil and pulled out my notepad, flipping through the pages slowly. Most of them were of Nick--both human and wolf form--but others were just of the forest I was so familiar with, or random doodles. But now I had a new focus. The big eyes I had drawn were staring up at me, seeming too smile beautifully. Paper and a pencil couldn’t do my mother justice, but I wanted to be closer to her. I could feel the warmth on my chest and it was as if she were living in it, reaching out to tell me it was okay.

I glanced up and spotted Mr. Cornell looking at me, an approving smile on his lips. He knew I liked to draw and although the rules were read, write, or do homework, Mr. Cornell made an exception for me. I returned his smile and glanced back down at my tablet. Sketching it out carefully, my elbow knocked off my notebook and when I turned my head to stare at it, my eyes also met a pair of beat-up shoes. Glancing up, I spotted Josh, the magazine in his hand being crumpled as he bent down to retrieve it. My eyes widened.

“No, that’s okay; I got it,” I quickly snapped, reaching for it when he paused, but he was quicker, snatching it up before I could even bend down far enough. My breath caught and I glanced up at his confused face, his eyes scanning the page that I had stupidly left open. I sat there, frozen as he read my personal thoughts, his eyes widening being an indication that he was taking in my private life. His cheeks burned with a sudden anger, or jealousy--I couldn’t tell--and he dropped the notebook. I bent down to retrieve it with flushed cheeks, freezing once his loud, angry voice filled, not only my ears, but the whole classroom.

“You had sex with Nick?!”

It all happened so fast, I didn’t understand why he would blurt it out like that. I didn’t understand why he cared. I raised myself in shock, my eyes scanning the now stone-like people. Most everyone’s eyes were on me, but my eyes were focused on one person. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, but this time… it was out of anger. I could feel myself wanting to snap, I could see my glow bubbling up, darkening almost immediately as I stared at him with a mixture of anger and pure embarrassment. He stared right back.

“Singer, Stewart--out in the hall, now,” Mr. Cornell announced quickly, raising himself up from his seat. I didn’t move from my spot, I couldn’t. I tried to focus on my breathing. “Now,” he repeated sternly, barely gaining my attention.

Josh slowly stepped away, striding towards the door while I waited under all the heavy gazes. It felt like dozens of floodlights were focused solely on me. My mind tuned into the sudden whispers of the girls and I felt like I was about to throw up. I noticed Mr. Cornell waiting by the door and I quickly locked my gaze on the floor, striding forward with rushed steps. My shoes squeaking against the skidded floor echoed through my mind and I breathed heavily, almost tripping.

Once I stepped into the empty hallway, the door clicked closed and the three of us stood in a deathly and uncomfortable silence. Josh crossed his arms over his chest tightly and Mr. Cornell stood up straight, taking a glance at me. I didn’t know where to look, but as soon as my eyes focused on Josh, I couldn’t look away.

“Care to explain what that outburst was about, Mr. Singer?” Mr. Cornell spoke calmly, his voice void of any emotion. I could feel my chest heaving and I looked down, feeling like I wanted to cry. No matter what, I was still a teenager and this was humiliating.

But Josh didn’t even speak. He knew what he did was wrong. Mr. Cornell sighed and set his hand on my shoulder, but I shook it off, shutting my eyes tight. My mind was so clouded now, I didn’t know how to clear it.

“Ouch!” Josh shouted suddenly, his voice booming through the halls. The two of us quickly looked up, our eyes settling on Josh’s pained face. He clutched his head and heaved a breath. I stared at him in confusion, but Mr. Cornell stayed calm, his eyes focusing on me. Josh’s eyes locked mine and he looked at me as if I were a freak. Did I… hurt him?

“Mr. Singer, I suggest you serve your detention after school,” Mr. Cornell cleared his throat, ignoring Josh’s painful expression. He rubbed his temples and mumbled to himself, quickly stumbling back into the classroom. We were alone again.

I stared down at the old hallway floor, the dim lights of the hallway making me head spin. I licked my dry lips and gulped, wondering why everything had to happen to me. If it wasn’t a crisis situation then it was some stupid teenage problem. Nothing was easy for me.

“Maybe you should go take a break at the office for a while,” Mr. Cornell suggested softly, bringing my attention back. I glanced up slowly, staring at him for a long moment. He looked oddly familiar…

“O-okay,” I stuttered, my voice a mere whisper. I ran my fingers through my hair and immediately started down the hallway, not caring about my stuff anymore. My pace seemed agonizingly slow, but I managed to get to the office and sit on the bench. No one was in sight. Curling my legs up to my chest, I rested my head on my knees and stared down the long hallway. Mr. Cornell had reentered the classroom, leaving me completely alone. There was only a few moments until the bell rang anyway and Nick would be here any moment… I didn’t need him to see me crying again.

I just didn’t want to think about what Josh would say or what Anna was thinking now that she knew something so personal. I didn’t want to even think about how fast it would get around the school. Nick didn’t have to worry about it, but I did. Would I be called names? Would people laugh at me? I knew these things would be the least of my problems, but I couldn’t help the worry. I was always self conscience and now I had definite reason to be.

I still didn’t regret it.

I heard the door creak open, a gust of wind hitting my skin coolly, brushing my hair back. I quickly turned my head to see a concerned Nick step in, his leather jacket hugging him snuggly. He pursed his lips and stepped closer timidly, taking in my posture.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly, hovering close by me. I let my head hit the wall, my legs slipping back until my feet hit the floor, and I let out my breath. I shook my head.

He didn’t ask what was wrong, somehow he knew I didn’t want to discuss it. He sighed and stepped forward, holding out his hand. It looked inviting--I couldn’t deny it. I let out my own sigh and slipped my hand into his, allowing him to pull me up and into his chest. He was so warm, so comfortable.

“Do you want me to take you home?” he asked softly, pressing his lips to my forehead. I shook my head quickly, putting on a smile.

“I want to go snoop around the council.”

He chuckled, making me feel better. “Alright,” he nodded, tugging me towards the door. “Lets go be detectives.”

“Dork,” I muttered, poking his side. He smiled sweetly, rolling his eyes.

“At least I’m not a weirdo.”

I stuck my tongue out at him.

He definitely knew how to make me feel better.

We walked across the short distance to the mustang, Nick’s hand reaching out to open the door for me. I muttered a quick thanks and slid in, buckling myself up before he even got to the door. I took a moment to collect my thoughts and get off the subject that just happened. We were going to the council in search for clues, information--anything. I needed to focus.

Nick shut the door and buckled himself up, turning the key in the ignition. He revved the engine and glanced at me with that smirk I loved, telling me how much he loved this car. I glanced down at the ring, hoping he knew how much I loved his present.

And now we were on our way.