Touching Spirits

Chapter Eight
‘…August tenth two thousand six…’ my pen glided across the paper and I smirked, remembering he last time I wrote in here was the day that Sidney had come, ‘…Sidney is coming back today; he’s been gone all summer, spending it back in Canada, leaving after his season was finished. I’m sad to say that my brother and I have been brought down to the human’s level and have come to enjoy the sport. I see a different side of him when he’s on the ice, and sometimes I see his spirit out there as well. He found out in November that the other spirit on the team was in fact, Mario Lemieux. Sadly though, we found out that Mario wasn’t as bonded to his spirit like we thought. He had to retire from playing hockey because of his heart…’ my phone buzzed, I looked to see that it was from Luka saying that he and Sidney were on their way back from the airport, ‘…Father tells me that we’re going to be getting another spirit in our district. Seems like every time I write in here, we get someone knew. Although, now he says that the person we’re getting, I’m going to be responsible for, which was very rare and strange because I wasn't twenty, the common age for someone to take responsibility of someone. I was only eighteen. Father said though that he wanted me, and thought that I would get along with him, apparently he’s from another country and will be here within the week. I don’t know why he’s coming, but I didn’t find the problem of him being here…’

“Izzy!!!” I heard throughout the house and smirking knowing that Luka was home.

‘…That was fast…’ I thought and then threw my pen back into my journal under my pillow and jumped up from my bed.

“There she it!” Luka yelled as I walked down the stairs to see the two boys standing next to my father.

“How was your trip?” I asked while looking at Sidney to see that he was a little more tan than when he left.

“Good, I missed my family,” he said and I smirked nodded my head, “Do you wanna go for a run, Iz?”

I laughed towards him. Yes, I had caved and started to allow him to call me by my brother’s nickname, “When have you known me not wanting to go for a run?”

He smirked and nodded his head, “Just let me get my stuff into my room.”

“All right,” I said and then watched as he picked up his back and started to head up the
stairs, “Care to join us, Luka?”

“Sure,” he said and my father kissed my head and walked passed me.

“Have fun,” he said before leaving the room.

Throughout the months of being with us, Sidney learned to like his spirit, and found that shifting really wasn’t that bad after you got use to it. During our time together, we seemed to always make time to go out into the woods to go for a run. I warmed up to Sidney and found him to be a good friend.

During the last month of his season, Luka and I traveled with Sidney to New York to go with him for one of his games against the Rangers. Usually if they were away games, Luka would go with him, Sidney still had to have someone with him, but this time, I went as well. I usually went to all of his home games; Luka and I would sit on top of the jumbotron and watch the game from up there. Even my father couldn’t believe on how much Luka and I were starting to like the sport; my mother would just smile towards me and not say a word.

When Sidney walked down the stairs, the three of us walked out of the house heading towards the woods. I laughed as I ran a head of the two, tearing my shirt and bra off, each step I took, a piece of clothing came off. I found a large rock, climbed up it and then off of it, landing on all fours when I touched the bottom, Sidney and Luka appearing from behind the rock. Luka trotted over towards me and rubbed his head against my. It’s been a long time since I ran with my brother; he was usually doing something for father when Sidney and I were out in the forest. I looked at my brother; his fur was much like my father’s, grey, black and silver. I resembled my mother, she was mostly white, but had some grey in her as well, while I was all white, not a speck of another color in me.



Sidney tackled me to the ground and then playfully nipped at my legs. I pushed him off of me and then started to run further into the woods with Sidney and Luka behind me. We must have been running for hours, I found a river and laid on the grass next to it, seeing how Luka and Sidney were practicing fighting tactics. I picked up the scent of another spirit and heard it charging towards us fast. I stood up and looked towards the North, the direction that the spirit was coming, and feeling Sidney and Luka coming over and standing on each side of me.

Luka and Sidney growled, but I recognized the scent and stepped forward brushing my tail against my brother’s face. I climbed up the bolder and saw the large lion appear from the trees. I ran towards him and brushed my head against his. He had a bag in his mouth and he dropped it. I pawed at it and saw that there were blankets in it. He wanted to talk.

I picked up a blanket with my teeth and walked behind a tree and shifted, wrapping the blanket around my body and then waiting for him to tell me it was safe to come out.

“All right Bella.”

I walked out from behind the tree to see that Ryan was standing there with a pair of basketball shorts on and I looked to see that Luka and Sidney were wearing some shorts as well, “What’s going on, Ryan?”

“Everyone’s being called back to the house,” he said and I was confused, “The darklings have moved into our district.”

My eyes widened and I sighed, “How far are they?”

“Don’t know, I was ordered to find you three and bring you back,” he said and I nodded my head, “It’s getting bad out there, Bella.”

“I know, it’s only gotten worse,” I said and he sighed.

For a year now the population of the darklings was increasing, they were spreading all over the state, as well as other states. One time a few months ago, Sidney had a game against the Flyers in Philadelphia, and Luka was attacked while following Sidney back to his bus.

“Let’s get going,” Luka said and I nodded my head and shifted, dropping the blanket to the ground.

I ran into the woods, and started to head back to the house, knowing that the guys were soon going to be following me.

I found my clothes and quickly changed back into them as the guys showed up and shifted. Ryan walked up next to me, still a lion, and laid beside me. I knelt down and ran my hand along his back and then combed my fingers through his mane.

“My Mufasa,” I teased as I climbed onto his back and laid my head on top of his. He growled a little and I laughed because I knew he was telling me not to call him that, but I couldn’t help myself.

“Leave Ryan alone, Izzy,” Luka said as he and Sidney appeared fully clothed.

“I don’t wanna,” I laughed and then felt Ryan stand up with me still on his back and walk
beside Luka and Sidney.

When we exited the woods, I climbed off of Ryan and walked with Luka and Sidney, because Ryan needed to change back into his clothes.

“Father told me that we’re getting another spirit,” I said and Luka looked at me, “Apparently he’s from another country.”

“Russia,” Luka said and I looked at him confused.

"You know?”

“Yeah, father and I were talking about it, he’s here like Sidney,” Luka said and pointed over towards Sidney, “He’s a hockey player.”

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Hey!” Sidney said and I stuck my tongue out at him, “Oh so mature.”

“What’s his name?” I asked Luka, completely ignoring Sidney.

“Not sure, but he’s your responsibility.”

“I know,” I said as we walked through the back door and into the house to see that there was panic, “Whoa.”

“What’s going on?” Sidney asked and I shook my head, not knowing.

“Isabella!” I heard and turned my head to see my mother waving for me to come over and then waving for the boys to follow, “You need to see this.”

We walked into the living room and I saw that my father was sitting on the couch watching the news on the plasma screen TV. There was a fifteen car pileup on the highway, fire was everywhere, and people were trapped in their cars.

“Darklings,” I growled and my father turned the TV off.

“We need to take control of our state! I cannot allow this to go on any further! We’re becoming a laughing stock to the other’s who states weren’t touched!”

“How do you know that the darklings caused that accident?” Sidney asked and I sighed.

“It’s a cover up,” Luka answered and I nodded my head.

“How? It looks just like a regular accident,” Sidney stated and I sighed, not understanding how he still wasn’t getting it.

“Sid, the accident is the cover up.”