Before Mr. Germani and Oscar could spot me lurking, I run down the hall to the door that leads to the backyard. The beautiful St. Helena air hits me hard, my eyes slowly adjust to the brightness in the sky. On my left is a white lawn chair, I take a seat and look out into the vastness that is The Golden Summit Pack. The land goes on for miles, tall oak trees with light green leaves and hills that you could roll down. My mind only lets me sink into the beauty of the land for a moment, but jumps right back to the alarming news I just heard.
Well, not really news, but information I got from lurking around. They would probably kill me if they found out that I know. I can't believe a witch from The First Power is. . .just gone, not found. From the information I learned they are stronger when they're altogether, so without one they're not at their full potential. That's good, right?
The thought of the other just running around, she could be anywhere. No one knows exactly what they look like, except for the painting and sketches which aren't usually accurate. My head starts to spin around my surroundings, seeing if I could see anyone lurking around, watching me from afar. It was said if they were around, I would be the first one they would find. Since I'm basically their kin, but through magic.
I just hope this doesn't affect me going to Nygaard. It can't. It won't.
After sitting outside and contemplating my messed-up life, I visited Alexander, who was in the same condition he was in the last time I seen him. And the last time, and the time before that. The nurses and doctors said there has been no change. I was sad when I heard this, I don't know why though, this news was given to me every time I've came down here to see him. It's just. . .I always pray that they give me good news.
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Mrs. Germani made spaghetti with garlic bread and homemade lemonade. It was amazing, I grew up with my grandpa's cooking, which was good in its own way, but nothing can amount to Mrs. Germani's cooking, even Burg-oh-wow.
Tonight, was the first night where we were able to get everyone at the table. Aren, Arpa and their parents. Christian, Skipper and Mr. Holt. Obviously, Mr. and Mrs. Germani and even Oscar came down. It felt like a family, everyone laughing with each other and having a good time. Aren and Christian made fun of each other the whole time, which is what they usually do. Skipper made fun of Arpa's fighting at her practice with a Nhera Parr, whom I've never heard of before. From the way Arpa talks about her she's a killer coach, but kind of a bitch. Not my words this all came from Arpa.
Looking over my glass of sweet lemonade, across the table I see Mr. and Mrs. Germani exchanging small talk. A warm smile comes over her face as Mr. Germani says something, probably inappropriate. I always thought my grandmother and grandfather were the cutest couple to ever grace this earth, but it looks like the Germani's are taking first place. They've been handling Alexander's situation rather well, sometimes I hear Mrs. Germani in the bathroom crying, one day I found her. I slipped from Kleenex under the door and walked away, not wanting her to know it was me. Now Mr. Germani, no tears or even a sense of fear. He's the type of man that keeps his feelings buried deep into the ground, not letting anyone, even his wife see. But when he looks at Alexanders face, that beautiful porcelain face, a pain comes on his. He's affected, but doesn't show it.
Realizing I drank all my lemonade, Mrs. Germani gives me a smile, "You want some more, Quinneth?" She asked with the pitcher already in her hand. The ice cubes inside swish around the glass pitcher making a clanking sound.
"Please?" I hand her my cup and she pours it almost to the brim. Then, gently, slides it over to me. I tell her thank you and go back to my spaghetti. Her eyes look me over for a second, then return to Mr. Germani.
I've only exchanged a few words with Mr. and Mrs. Parbat, and they seem like nice people. Mr. Parbat is a quiet, short man. Even from his height, some underestimate him but the man's a beast.
A few days ago, when Aora had me walk with her to her fighting class, we saw him in the adjoined room next to her's and he was. . .extraordinary. His stamina for a man his age is incredible. He was fighting a student, whom I assume had to have been at least 20 years of age, that didn't stop Mr. Parbat from stopping him. Whereas his wife, she's a baker and loves to conversate. Mrs. Germani said she could keep a conversation going for at least 5 hours, without stopping to eat or drink anything. I have not been on the end of that stick yet, and hope not to be.
My eyes now pan over the whole table, a family, friends. This is what I've been missing this whole time. It's always been me and my grandpa, only our voices and laughs carrying through the two-story house. But, to have more people, it's nice. And with him gone, I miss company.
I remember the day he left, it hurt me to my core but was necessary. He was having a hard time with the death of Irene, her heart in my hands comes back to me. The way it felt, the dark blood dripping from me to the hardwood floor. Her body laying in a grotesque way on the ground, her eyes wide open. Sometimes at night, the imagines drift into my mind, paralyzing my sleep. For the rest of the night, I sit on the porch and look to the sky. Hoping for a miracle to come down and take all the pain and memories of that night away.
So in my head, I don't realize my name is being called. "Quinneth? Quinneth, are you there?" A manicured hand waves in my face, once my vision comes clear I see that the hand belongs to Arpa. "You ok?"
I nod vigorously, "Yeah, it's just- this spaghetti is making me zone out a bit."
"Ok." She looks at me weirdly, her eyes then go to Skipper who just shrugs her shoulders and takes a swig of her drink. "Wanted to make sure you were alright." Her eyes linger on me.
"I'm fine Arpa, thank you." Her hand clutches in mine.
As the maids came by and cleaned up the dining room, everyone scattered out into their own rooms. The Beta and Gamma's houses are in the back behind the woods, I've never been to their houses before but from afar I can see that it's grand and big. I say goodbye to everyone and head up the stairs, before I get too far, I hear someone calling my name.
"Yes?" Turning around I see its Mrs. Germani. She now has her glasses on and a book is wedged into her arm. The book cover reads, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People".
"I just wanted to say goodnight to you, and to see if you needed anything?" Her eyes squint.
"No, I'm good. Thanks for asking though."
"I'll never stop checking up on you, you're like a daughter to me. I'll be in the library downstairs, just come see me if you need to talk or anything. Mildred, the maid, is always around if you're hungry."
"Oh no, I'm totally full. The spaghetti is now weighing me down, I at least gained 10 pounds." We both laugh. She gives me a bear hug and heads off, her dirty blonde hair swaying from side to side.
For most of the night I toss and turn. The only thing showing in the mid-dark room is the light from the moon. I try some exercises that my grandpa taught me to sleep.
First: Taking deep breaths. Slowly I breath up and down, I do that for a good 20 minutes and come to the realization that in order for it to work I need to be relaxed, which I'm not.
Second: Counting sheep. My count gets up to 500 and I start drifting off. An hour later I'm now wide awake. I know what has me up, depriving me of a good night's sleep, what Mr. Germani and Oscar were talking about.
It makes me nervous and scared. Where could she be? Which one of them are missing? And, would I know who she was if she came for me? In less than two days I'll be leaving to Nygaard, 1,000 miles away from Alexander. What if she comes for him? Hurts him, it bites me in my core.
I need fresh air.
Wrapping my purple cotton house coat around my frame, I slowly open the creaky door into the hallway. Looking both ways, I see no one. The hallway light is shown down both halls, but no noises. The only people that would be up at this time of night are the night maids and those on border patrol. I decide not to wear my slippers, they're loud.
My bare feet tip toe down the hall, not wanting to wake up anyone next to my room or down the hall. From walking slowly down the hall, and stair case, I make it to the backyard of the pack house that leads to the woods and other houses down below.
Along the edges of the pack lands are people in the distince. Border Patrol. Alexander told me that everyone in the pack does border patrol sometimes, he says it's like Jury Duty for werewolves. He hated doing it, you have to stay up all night and be on alert. Thank God I'm not a werewolf, I would hate that. One thing I love is a good night's sleep, which I can't get right now.
The white chair I sat on earlier today coddles my body close to it. This might be nicer than my actual bed. Rocking back and forth in it, my eyes focus on my surrounding, most importantly the rustling of the bushes on the side of the pack house.
It's far away from the border patrol people, and probably won't catch their attention but it did mines. It moves slightly, my heart starts to beat profusely. What if it's her? The witch, coming to get me. Coming to get Alexander. My hands tighten around the white chair's arms, squeezing on it like a stress ball.
The bush moves more and more, then, popping out is someone I hadn't expected.
Skipper.
What the- her hair is wrapped on top her head as she holds her bomber jacket close to her body. She runs quickly across the grass, through the small garden that the school children planted and a small fountain. Her head moves from side to side, scared that someone was going to spot her. As her head turns, she spots me on the porch. The light above me showing my full face and body. We both just stare at each other, wondering why the other is out here late at night.
She comes over to me, looking closely I could see her hair was disheveled and that bomber jacket is quite big for her. And... .she has on no pants. What happened?
"Quinneth? What are you doing out here so late." She squints her eyes at me, also, she doesn't have on her glasses.
"How were you able to spot me from afar without your glasses?" I asked surveying her body once more.
"Scent. You always smell of berries and honey." She quirks up a smile, her arms tightening around that oversized bomber jacket.
"Thank my shampoo. Where are your pants, might I ask?" Her eyes revert to her bare legs, did she not know she didn't have on pants? Her mouth turns to an O shape. It is very cold out here; she didn't feel the gust of wind on her legs?
"Oh I- well-." She sits down in the blue chair next to me. The difference between our chairs is that this one rock and her's doesn't. Pulling her legs close to herself, without showing her underwear, she begins to speak to me. Which I'm surprised she does. Skipper is kind of a private person, sometimes not even telling Aora some things.
"Me and Leo have been kind of seeing each other." She says quietly, her voice coming out as a whisper. My eyes widen, I had to idea her and Leo were... even knowing each other existed. I'd never seen them together around the packhouse, I thought he went back to his wife in where ever he came from. Does she know that he's married?
From the look in her eyes, she knows what I'm thinking. "I know he's married Quinn; I didn't mean to fall in love him it just- happened. You know what that's like?" I do, I know what it's like to fall in love with someone you didn't think you would. When Alexander would flirt with me, I thought he was messing around. Then when he first kissed me under the great conjunction all that silly thinking was laid to rest.
Now, he's my whole world.
"But Alexander wasn't married Skipper. Look- I like that you found someone and you're happy, but think about this. What if- perhaps- he goes back to his wife, or she comes looking for him. Then what?"
A long sigh escapes her as she looks towards the sky, "I've thought about that, and I'm prepared to fight for him. He tells me how she didn't understand him, understand his power. I know what that's like. To feel everyone's emotions and thoughts and not being able to feel yours, it's exhausting. No one here has my powers, but when Leo came along and understood what it's like, it was kismet."
I look in her dark brown eyes, how passionate she was when she said that about her and Leo. A soft spot for her has been placed in my heart, I see her as a little sister. Besides Aora, she doesn't have anyone to talk to guys about. Aren doesn't even have an ounce of girly behavior in her body, she's all about fighting and aggression. My hand reaches out and touches her hand.
"You know what you're doing? You know the consequences." She nods. Alright then. She then moves on to me.
"Enough of me, what are you doing out here?"
"Can't sleep. I have a lot on my mind." She observes me deeply, most likely trying to figure out what I'm feeling.
"You're scared and anxious. And there's something deep inside of you- something dark and unsettling." The first part I agree with, but the last part doesn't sit right with me.
"Dark and unsettling? What-
She cuts me off by holding up her finger, my voice silences. Her hand goes from my hands to the side of my cheek. My body flinches but settles under her touch, this is so weird but I don't say anything because she's in the mood. And also, I just want to see what she meant about the 'dark and unsettling' part.
Her eyes then open and her hand moves away from my cheek. "Something isn't right with you Quinn. I can feel YOU, but underneath is something that's not right, not human. A darkness of some sort." Her face is unreadable.
"What is it?" I asked eagerly. Before she told me of my emotions, I had an inkling of this. It first came up when I almost killed Lyra, something inside was taking my anger and turning it up 1000 notches. Making me more angry than I've ever been, it seemed. . .unatural. I don't tell her this and keep it to myself.
"I can't say all I can do is fudge out the emotions. Have you been on edge these past few days?"
I shrug, "A bit."
"Was this before or after the resurrection?" Her eyes stare straight at me.
"After."
"Mhm. I've read a bit on Zastitniks, once we discovered what you were. In the books, it said that when a Zastitnik uses a huge amount of power, there can be some side effects. The First Powers magic used to be pure, coming straight from the moon goddess herself. When they began to do shady things with it, it became evil just like them. The power that was given to Meghan and the other Zastitniks were evil, which in turn made them sometimes do horrendous things. Not all were bad at heart, but it did change them. Meghan was recorded to sometimes have these violent fits and would sometimes hurt herself. Or usually, the power magnifies a certain emotion, mostly anger, and makes you do things you normally wouldn't do."
"Like when I tried to kill Lyra."
"Exactly." She nods.
"How- how do I stop this?"
Her eyes sadden, "You can't. I say just try to control your emotions, don't get angry, and try not to use them." I tell her ok. She pats me on my hand and walks down the steps to her house across the hill. Before she gets far, she turns back to me.
"Can you not tell anyone of me and Leo. What we did, especially not Aora. She wouldn't understand."
"I won't, I promise." She heads off to her house as I remain sitting on the porch contemplating the darkness inside of me.
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