The Vessel

by Felicia Tatum

  A knocking at the front door pulled me from my thoughts. Kyle answered while I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. My head rested on my hands, my legs were crossed at the ankles. I dreaded starting school back in a week. Kyle had been trying to contact the principal, to explain why my parents weren’t in town and why I missed the end of the last year. I probably should have been in summer school, but considering I was locked in a room with Aiden, that would have been a little difficult to bring about.

  Someone cleared their throat at my door. I shifted my eyes, seeing Aiden slouched against the frame. His hair was growing longer, covering his forehead with wisps falling into his eyes at times. His eyes seemed brighter, happier these days. A smile formed, reaching all the way to his eyes. I returned the expression, truly happy to see him. He sauntered in, seating himself beside me.

  “You have a deer in your yard. It’s staring at your room,” he said, attempting to hide a laugh.

  I sat up, almost bumping heads with him. “What? Seriously?”

  He backed away, eyes wide with confusion. “Yeah…it’s just a deer, Liv. Chill.”

  “No, you don’t understand. I think it’s Abana.” I hopped off the bed, rushing to my window seat. Searching the yard, I saw her, standing at the tree line. Standing tall and proud, her deep eyes penetrated my soul. My heart sped faster. There must be a reason she was here.

  “Ab—what?” Aiden questioned, coming to stand beside me.

  “Abana. She’s my spirit animal.”

  “Oh, ok. That’s normal,” he said, rolling his eyes.

  I smacked his arm, “Don’t make fun. I’m serious. My mom told me when I went to her in her dream,” I explained.

  His brows raised, his eyes questioned. “Oooook. And what is a spirit animal?” he asked doubtfully.

  “Basically, she guides me when I’m in danger. So seeing her isn’t exactly a good thing.” I peered over at him, feeling my eyes growing larger. “We have to go out there.” I hurried to put on shoes, grabbing the first pair in my reach. I rushed down the hall, avoiding Kyle’s questions calling from the living room. She moved closer to the house as I exited. I slowed, careful not to scare her. I heard Aiden gasp behind me as I reached out, letting her sniff my palm. This was, in fact, the first actual meeting in the real world.

  “Hey, Abana, I’m not sure if I’m happy to see you or not,” I told her, smoothing back fur on her head.

  She lifted her head, staring deeply into my eyes. I felt captivated by her, impossible to not look at her in this moment. In a trance, I followed as she led me to the woods. Aiden yelled at me, but I couldn’t understand him, nor did I want to. Adana’s presence consumed my mind. I had to find out why she was here.

  We walked on, avoiding limbs and branches along the way. We kept on until we came to a small clearing, probably a mile or so away from my home. She stopped, turning to face me again. I knew she could understand me, but I wasn’t sure how to understand her. I really wished Anna or my mom was here to explain what I should do next. I stood, thinking and having an internal conflict with myself when something spectacular happened.

  Just briefly, I heard a small voice mutter one word, while a picture flashed in my mind for the shortest of minutes.

  “Help.”

  I didn’t know if she needed help, if I needed help, or the people in the picture needed help. She showed me Scott and Aiden, both looking troubled and worried. “Who do I help?” I begged her, bending to hug her close to me. Her scent was pleasant, unlike what I imagined for a deer. She smelled of pine…and lavender. Reminding myself this wasn’t a normal wild animal, I snuggled closer, inhaling. Closing my eyes, I relaxed against her when she sent an image of me. I snapped up, staring at her. “Me?” Without hesitation, she walked off in the direction back to my house.

  Aiden

  Olivia ran off with a deer. A deer. If the past few months hadn’t been my life, I wouldn’t have believed my eyes. They walked so fast it was impossible for me to follow. I stood guard at the edge of the woods, anxiously awaiting her return. I didn’t turn when I heard the gravel sling, rocks hitting the pavement. I knew who it was, and I wasn’t excited about his arrival. I heard the door squeak closed, only to fling back open in a minute. The footsteps grew closer, his feet crunching leaves in his wake. I didn’t greet him, in hopes I would make him dislike me more.

  “Aiden? Where is Olivia?” he demanded.

  I shrugged, still watching for her.

  His hand clamped on my shoulder, jerking my body to face him. Angrily, I pushed him off. My nose flared in anger, my breathing deepening. I had enough with this guy already.

  “Don’t touch me, Scott,” I hissed, standing straighter, clenching my fists.

  “Don’t tell me what to do, I asked you a question.” His stance resembled mine, only much tenser.

  “If I knew where she was, I would be with her,” I boomed, taking a step closer.

  “Why did you let her leave in the first place?” he sneered, also stepping closer.

  We were in the other’s space bubble now. I knew this would come to blows.

  “I don’t try to own her, Scott. Like you apparently do,” I barked, my arm flying up to swat the air as I spoke, just as I started to unclench my fists. Olivia would not be happy if she found us like this. “Abana showed up and she left with her,” I explained, though I wasn’t overjoyed with sharing information.

  “Who in the hell is Abana?” he commanded, shifting his weight, cocking his head.

  I smirked. I knew something about Olivia he didn’t. “Abana is her spirit animal.”

  “Oh, is that its name? I couldn’t remember.” He shrugged it off, like it wasn’t that important to him.

  “Couldn’t remember? Really? Your girlfriend has a spirit animal that shows up when she’s in danger, and you couldn’t be bothered with remembering its name?” I spat at him.

  He got in my face. I could feel his breathing on my chin. We were almost eye level, as he was only slightly taller than me. His eyes flared with anger. “Don’t act like you know me.” He started to say more, then stopped.

  A rustling in the woods caught our attention. Abana gracefully walked through the trees, giving us both a glance over. Apparently, she wasn’t impressed, because she moved on without a second glance. Kyle joined us, staring after her like he was seeing things.

  “Did that deer just look you two up and down?” he questioned surprisingly.

  “Yes, she did,” Olivia answered, ducking under the nearest limb to get out of the foliage.

  “Livvie,” Scott boomed, taking her in his arms. She held on, smiling and giggling as he swung her around.

  It made me sick.

  “Liv, are you ok? I tried to follow you, but I lost you in the thicket. I came back here to wait,” I explained, derailing her attention from what’s his face.

  “Oh, Aiden, I was fine with Abana,” she exclaimed, loosening herself from Scott to hug me.

  I peered over, raising my brows and giving him a half smile in satisfaction. Wrapping my arms around her slender waist, I pressed her into my body, leaning my head to inhale her scent. She didn’t linger, however, peeling herself from me after a brief hug. Scott smirked at me, grabbing her hand to pull her nearer.

  “So what happened with the deer?” Kyle inquired, his face still slightly shocked.

  “Abana is her name. And she showed me something…” Olivia stated, voice shaky.

  “What did she show you, Livvie?” Scott inquired. He looked worried. It seemed like I’d seen him worried since we met.

  “We were walking and when we stopped…she somehow projected an image into my mind. It was of you two,” she told us, looking from me to Scott.

  “Us?” I questioned, a little surprised we were both a part of this.

  “Did she speak to you, also?” Scott inquired, his voice a little unsteady.

  Kyle rolled his eyes, “Really? Animals don’t speak, lover boy.”

  I snickered, trying to hold the
laughter back.

  Scott glared at Kyle, then said, “Not with her mouth, no, but there are ways.”

  Olivia spoke up, her voice low. “She said help.”

  Scott’s eyes bulged while Olivia stood chewing on her lip. I’d noticed she did that a lot when she was nervous. I had no idea what this meant for any of us.

  Scott

  Livvie hearing animals wasn’t something I expected. Her admission floored me, to say the least. She stood nervously in front of me, hands twisting and chewing lips. Blazing hair disheveled with twigs sticking out of one side. I couldn’t help but smile at her windblown, natural look. I reached out, grasping our hands together. Her warmth flowed through me, heightening my senses. Pulling her closer, I carefully pulled the twig from her hair. Holding it front of her face, I raised my brow, a smile curved on my lips. Rolling her eyes, she plucked it from my hand, tossing it on the ground.

  “Let’s go get you cleaned up,” I suggested, my thoughts far from pure.

  Giggling, she turned to her brother. “Kyle, Aiden probably needs a ride home. I need a shower.” She looked down at her dirty clothes, then, gave Kyle a disgusted look.

  He laughed, patting Aiden on the back and directing him to his car. They walked off. Aiden kept glancing back, an angered look on his face.

  “Bye, Liv,” he called, glaring at me.

  “Bye, Aiden! See you later,” she said, waving furiously.

  She looped her arm around my back, guiding me to her house. Once inside, I released her, trapping her between my arms in the hallway. Pushing her back to the wall, I bent to take her lips in mine. The sweet and salty mix of sweat tasted in my mouth as I devoured her in our kiss. Her body arched into mine, her slender hips teasing as they touched mine. Our breathing quickened as I smashed my body closer to hers, pressing her hard into the wall. Her fingers glided up my back, leaving a tingling trail in their wake. Finding my hair, she buried them into it, pulling and tugging as she bent her head, mouth open to gasp for breath. I lowered my head to her neck, licking and teasing her sensitive skin. She moaned, and it sent me over the edge. I lifted her roughly as she wrapped her legs around me, leaning her head on my shoulder to suck and bite my neck. I stumbled down the hall, one hand tight on her waist, one on the wall for support. I kicked her bedroom door closed behind me, tumbling us onto the bed.

  She straddled me, her lips still on my neck, as my hands roamed up and down her back. I slipped them under her shirt, causing a gasp when our skin touched. She leaned back, palms flat on my chest for support. She looked down at me, hair framing her face and falling all around me. Her beauty took my breath away. Brushing her hair behind her ear, I let my palm rest on her face. She pressed her cheek closer, closing her eyes as my thumb traced her lips. Softly, the smallest of moans escaped, and I couldn’t take anymore. I flipped her over, hovering over her. “I want you so bad, Livvie.” Her hands grasped my face, bringing me back to her lips. Teasing, kissing, and taunting each other went on for a while. I couldn’t take much more. My hands slid under her shirt, again, eager to remove it. She inhaled sharply, but lifted her body so I could get it over her head. She gasped, a panicked look on her face, the closer I got. “What?” I questioned, not wanting to go further than she wanted.

  “Kyle is back, I can hear his car in the driveway,” she hissed, eyes wide.

  I nodded in understanding. I pulled her to me, knowing it was time to take this to my apartment.

  Olivia

  We landed on his bed. I was pinned under him, his hard body pressing into my every curve. Breathing, my breasts brushed against his chest, causing him to sharply inhale. I smiled coyly, sliding my hands underneath his shirt and squeezing his back. Up and down I directed them, trailing his spine. He claimed my lips, making my head spin with his kiss. Our tongues mingled, sending tingling chills down my body. I pressed closer, needing him more than ever. His hand trailed down my side, over my hip, and to my thigh. My breathing became shaky as he squeezed and massaged my leg. Moving his hand, he dug his fingers into my butt causing me to giggle, then slid his hand up my back. He lightly trailed down my arm and up the inside. Shivering, I arched closer as he found his way under the edge of my shirt. He bent, leaving light kisses along my stomach. I closed my eyes, reveling in the sensations he created. He pulled me to the sitting position. Opening my eyes, I looked at him hazily. “What?”

  He grinned, and in one swift motion pulled my shirt over my head. Giggling, I took it from him, throwing it across the room. He laughed deeply. Guiding me back down, his soft, full lips went to my neck. They moved in circles, teasing my skin with his tongue. He moved up, taking my earlobe in my teeth. Gasping, I dug my nails into his shoulder. He growled, burying his head into my skin, lightly moving his lips across my collarbone. I pulled on his shirt, wanting access to his defined chest, warm skin, and sexy body. As if he read my mind, he started removing it. Struggling, as I had his arm underneath my body, it got tangled around his head.

  “Livvie.” His voice was slightly embarrassed, slightly frustrated.

  I giggled, pushing him away from me with one finger. He lifted, slowly because he couldn’t see anything. I moved to my knees, bending to entice him with my lips. He sucked in a breath, his chest heaving. I left a moist trail from his belly button to his neck, nibbling his chin. I helped untangle his other arm, lifting the grey shirt to reveal his handsome face. His deep eyes, full of passion and need, were wide and staring at me apprehensively. Licking my lips, I told him, “I want you, Scott.” I reached out, caressing his face.

  He leaned closer, his lips lightly teasing mine. The kiss grew deeper, fingers intertwined in hair, lips meshed, legs tangling. I sighed into him…leaning back when a heavy knock at the door broke our concentration.

  “Dammit, what now?” he growled, giving a longing look before crawling off of me. He sauntered to the door connecting his apartment to his parents’ house, glancing over his shoulder to roll his eyes at me before flinging it open. “What?” he demanded, a little too gruffly.

  “Santos and Sebastian are back, please come to dinner and visit with them,” a woman said sweetly.

  I scrambled to cover myself, sure his mother was on the other side of the door. I grabbed the closest thing to my left, a pillow, and held it in front of my chest. My bra was cute, but his mom so did not need to see it.

  Scott tensed, moving to close the space between the open door and his room. “Ok, I’ll be right there, Mom.”

  He slammed the door, grabbing me to him and popping us back to my room. The sensation was mind reeling, making me dizzy. He sat me down, eyes widening when he realized I only had a bra and his pillow to cover my upper half. “Where is your shirt?” he questioned.

  Laughing, I threw the pillow at him. I stood, feeling more grounded from the traveling, and closed the distance between us. Gripping his arms, I stretched up to meet his face. “Someone took it off. It’s in someone’s room.”

  He laughed, kissing me intensely. “I have to go, love. I’m so sorry we got interrupted.”

  I rubbed my body against his, earning a growl that sounded more like a moan. “Me too,” I said seductively.

  “You’re going to kill me acting that way. I’ll talk to you soon,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose. And he was gone.

  Aiden

  “My twin grandsons are back in town from their summer camp. Would you like to come to dinner with me?” Anna asked, giving me her warmest smile.

  Dinner with Scott? I thought not. “No thanks, Ms. Anna. I’ll stay here,” I told her. “Juniper and Mark are coming over to talk about the plan for school.”

  “Oh, right. Well, I hope you all get that sorted. You start in a few days, don’t you?”

  Nodding, I helped her from her seat. “Yes, ma’am. Mark wants to try the distortion thing out on my face to make sure it works.”

  “Good thinking,” she said, gracefully walking to the kitchen.

  I followed, curiously asking, “How will that work, though? Sad
ie said they will still be able to see me as I look now.”

  “She’s right, they can. But Mark can also turn Juniper off of the spell to ensure it works.”

  “Turn her off the spell? Ok, then. I don’t understand you sorcerers and your magic,” I admitted, shaking my head.

  Laughing, she patted my back gently, “You aren’t supposed to. Now, you know where everything is, so just do what you need to. I’ll probably be at this dinner for a while. I’ll see you later. Don’t hesitate to call if anything happens,” she said, before disappearing.

  I would never get used to the way these people popped in and out of the place all the time.

  ###

  Juniper and Mark were seated in front of me, anxiously waiting for my go ahead on this spell thing. It worried me. Not in an I’m-freaked-out kind of way, but a what-if-this-kills-me kind of way. And with my history concerning sorcerers, I thought it was a legitimate concern.

  “I’ll go over it again,” Mark stated, the frustration clear in his tone. “I’ll recite the spell while touching your arm. All I need is one strand of hair to go in this vial,” and he held up a vial, once again shaking it in my face. “I will put one small drop on your forehead, letting it sink into your skin. It will be complete and you will look slightly different. I can’t tell you the changes until I see them. I will then lift Juniper’s knowledge of you temporarily, having her describe what you look like. Then we’re finished.”