The White Aura

by Felicia Tatum

  The doors to our spacious kitchen swung open, and I held it so it wouldn’t hit her. My father had just remodeled last year, so everything was new and shiny. I went to the refrigerator to see what we could eat. I discovered a pack of chicken breasts and some vegetables. “Is this ok? It’s all we have…”

  “Sure. It’ll be delicious.”

  We went to work. Against my wishes, she helped me. I had a suspicion she was using magic, because she was a super cook.

  “So, where are your parents?” she quizzed.

  I shrugged. “They aren’t around much.”

  She stopped messing with the utensils and looked at me. “I’m sorry. That must be rough.”

  “I guess,” I replied. I hated telling anyone about my parents. It was so awkward. I explained how they’d been acting, though. Talking was much easier than I expected and sort of relieving.

  She kept quiet throughout my rant, her dark eyes staring into space. There was something she wanted to say but didn’t know how. “What is it?” I asked gently.

  “My brother can’t come see you in your dreams anymore. The Crimson Calamitous knows he’s been spying and may harm you if he knows you two are connected.”

  “The Crimson Calamitous?” Was she serious? “Say that again.” I was very confused.

  “He’s an old legend in the sorcerer world, but S..uh, my brother found out he is real.”

  “S…does his name start with S?”

  “My brother? Yes. Our parents named all of us names starting with S.”

  How cool was that? “Oh, so how many brothers do you have?”

  “Three. Santos, Sebastian, and….my other brother. They’re all older than I am.”

  “Those are really cool names. I don’t suppose I get to know your last name?”

  “No, bro doesn’t want you to be able to find us before the curse is safe.”

  Oh, yeah. That dang curse. “Oh…right. I forgot about that for a second.”

  Our dinner was ready to eat. I carried our dishes to the table and tried to arrange it halfway decently. I wanted his sister to like me because I had a feeling they were close. I don’t think he would have sent her to me if he didn’t have a close connection to her. We sat at the table and ate in silence.

  ###

  Sadie placed small objects all throughout my house. Some looked like wind chimes and some like pieces of lint. She hid them so my parents wouldn’t find them and throw them out. She went outside and was reciting something that sounded like Latin. I watched her intently, but nothing happened. Nothing that I could see, anyway. She walked slowly all through my front and back yards, repeating the same incantation. Her hands were lifted toward the sky, and she was concentrating so hard that I thought she had forgotten where she was and that I was still here. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to have magical powers. To be able to protect someone the way she was. It was amazing to me. She walked up, looking tired and worn. “Are you ok?”

  “Yes. Using a lot of magic is tiring. I gotta go now,” she said, resting against the porch.

  “Ok. It was nice to meet you and I hope we see each other again soon.” I hugged her.

  She felt like a friend, even though we had only known each other for about three hours.

  “Oh, definitely. I will be the go-between during this mess,” she said with a grin. She looked pleased that she was the one chosen to help.

  I wanted to give her a message for Mr. Sexy, but I wasn’t sure what to say. “Can you…I mean…just…can you tell Mr. Sexy that I’ll miss our dreams?”

  “Mr. Sexy?” she said with a snort, “you call my brother Mr. Sexy?”

  Oopsy. “Uhh…yeah, sometimes. I mean, he is.”

  “Oh, man, I’ll have to tease him about this,” she said with a chuckle, “but yes, I’ll tell him you’ll miss him.”

  We hugged again, and she closed her eyes and disappeared. Wow, that was cool. Why couldn’t I be special? I headed back inside to finish my homework, locking the door behind me. There was a danger lurking and while my new sorcerer friends, who were most definitely real, promised to protect me, it was still worrisome to know someone was out there.

  SCOTT

  Sadie was the only one I could trust with Livvie. She would be able to talk to her and not slip up on anything, plus she had more personality than Santos, was more outgoing, and I knew Livvie would respond to her. I didn’t want Livvie to know that Aiden was the danger to her. It would scare her too much, and I didn’t need to worry about her slipping up among everything else. Who knew? He could find out she knew and kill her then and there. I shuddered at the thought of it when I felt a whoosh of wind. Suddenly, Sadie was standing in front of me.

  “Well hello….Mr. Sexy,” she said with a snort.

  Oh, great. Livvie had let her nickname for me slip. “Hey, I am sexy, little sis,” I teased.

  “That is so gross. I can’t believe she calls you that.” Her mouth curled up in disgust.

  “Yeah, yeah. Did you get everything put in position?”

  She nodded. “Yep, now I’m out of here. Livvie is cool, though. I think I’ll like having her around.” And she was gone to do whatever it was she did in her free time. Sadie was blunt and focused, rarely getting distracted when she had a goal. It was surprising coming from a fifteen year old, but she’d been that way since she was a young child, I adored her for it.

  Gathering my thoughts, I looked at my notes. I’d been outlining descendant information while she was gone. I needed to keep busy because it killed me that she was with my Livvie when I couldn’t be. A board of connections made of thumbtacks and string hanging on my wall showed my effort. I wasn’t any closer to finding the descendant now than I was two hours ago.

  I sighed as I slouched in the chair. I didn’t know what I would do now that I couldn’t go see Livvie in her dreams. Espying her was still allowed, but it wasn’t the same. I wouldn’t be able to touch her and feel her presence. Or her kiss. I ran my hand through my hair and tapped my foot. How would I be able to do this for the next five and a half months? I leaned back in the chair and let my head fall to the side. Sighing heavily, I punched the arm of the chair three times.

  “Yo, Scott?” Santos was standing at my door.

  “Yeah?” I barely glanced at him.

  “I just wanted to check on you…”

  “I’m fine, dude. I’m just worried about Livvie.”

  “I know, man. Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” he said as he walked into the room. “I wanted to tell you that I’ve been doing a lot of research today. Devlin Hart was a very secretive person…I really hope we can figure this out, though. I mean, it would help our whole family if we could get rid of this curse.”

  “Oh, yeah. It would be awesome. I will help you look more after I get this whole Crimson Calamitous thing settled. There’s a chart but I haven’t gotten anywhere yet,” I said and nodded to the board leaned against the wall.

  “No worries. I know we have a bad situation on our hands,” he said and turned to leave.

  “Thanks, Santos,” I called as he walked back out the door leading to the house.

  Santos and Sebastian may be identical twins, but they couldn’t be more different. Santos was caring and worried about others, while Sebastian worried only about himself. They were my brothers, though, and I loved them. I just wished Sebastian could be as caring. Sometimes I thought he was jealous. He’s the oldest of the twins, and he would have gotten all my powers if I hadn’t been the firstborn. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Worrying about my brother would have to wait. Sitting back, I decided to espy Livvie. My relaxation began.

  OLIVIA

  It was almost time for bed, and I dreaded it. I had dreamed with my sorcerer for a year and two months straight. What would happen tonight? I didn’t think I would be able to sleep as well. My phone chimed as I was sitting in the window seat, but I didn’t really want to get up to find out who it was. I continued to stare out the window, g
lancing from the moon down to the trees. That’s when I noticed something was moving where it shouldn’t be. My heartbeat got faster and it was difficult to breathe. My hands became sweaty, and I gripped the seat, trying not to get up and run. Someone was in a tree watching me—I could see a leg dangling. Our backyard led into a large thicket of trees separating us from the neighbor, and the closest tree, about ten yards from the back door, held whomever this was. I tried not to show my panic, because I didn’t want the person to know I was aware. I looked back up at the moon, not letting the shadowy form out of my peripheral vision.

  I slowly rose and went to my dresser to answer my phone. It was Aiden, and he wanted to see me tonight. I laughed to myself while glancing at the clock. It was past 10 p.m. There was no way my parents would let him come over this late, especially on a school night. I texted him back and told him I would just see him tomorrow.

  Aiden could be cocky, but the past few days had been fun. He was showing me a different side of him, and it was kind of nice. I didn’t think I was in love with him or anything, obviously, since I felt something for my dream man with no name. I was going to the dance, but maybe it wouldn’t be awkward with Aiden there. I had decided I would dance with him, but I was going solo. He hadn’t taken it very well and was trying even harder to be charming.

  I went back to the window, searching for someone still out there. I couldn’t see any movements in the trees, but I saw the deer from my dream staring up at me. Her eyes were wide and caring while peeping up at me in the moonlight. My mind raced as I moved closer to the window. My hand reached up as if touching the window would somehow bring me closer to her. Our gazes connected, a silent conversation playing as her presence reassured me I was safe and she’d keep me that way.

  Suddenly, I heard something behind me. I closed my ruffled curtains and turned quickly. There was a small antique key on my bed. I turned my head in confusion and noticed there was a note: “Tell it where you need to go and it will take you. –Sadie.”

  Well, this couldn’t be good. Maybe whoever was watching me was that red calamari person she told me about. I turned it over to see if there was anything on the back. There wasn’t. Why couldn’t she have told me more about what was going on? Was I supposed to keep this with me all the time in case something bad happened?

  Sighing, I snagged it off the bed and took it to my top dresser drawer. My parents were observant when they came in my room, and I didn’t want them asking any questions. I could imagine my response. “Uhh…well I have dreams about this attractive guy, who just happens to be a sorcerer. His sister sent it to me because there is an evil, red calamari after me.” Yeah…that would go over swell.

  I trudged down the hall toward the bathroom. My mother called from the living room to ask if I was going to bed. After a quick “yes,” I slid into the bathroom to brush my teeth. After, I hurried back to my bedroom and stripped. I usually slept in just a cami and boy shorts, but tonight I chose to sleep in a t-shirt and shorts. I didn’t feel comfortable after seeing someone outside my window, even though the curtains were closed. I turned off the light and crawled into bed, sad and wondering what the night would bring.

  SCOTT

  I had been espying Livvie when she saw someone in her trees. It was the CC; his red aura was glowing in the night, the red stark against the blackened sky. I had panicked and sent the key, but signed Sadie’s name. I didn’t want her to feel like I was invading her privacy, even though I kind of did every day, but she knew Sadie had placed things around her room and home to help keep her safe.

  Aiden was getting a little too comfortable. The fact that he was watching her so closely when he knew he would see her tomorrow was terrifying. I thought I knew what his plan was, but now I was wondering if maybe he intended to do this before the dance. Originally, I thought the event was his target date. It only gave me a week to figure out a plan, but now I wasn’t so sure. Did he want more than a sacrifice? Was he feeling something for Livvie?

  I found out some useful information when researching some of our history books, not human folklore. It seemed he was almost destroyed once before. The year was 1825, and it was right after he attacked the council in England. One of the sorcerers was a dream walker like me, and she entered his mind to destroy him from the inside out. It was the closest to destruction the CC had come in his existence. There was no record of what spell had been used, however. I thought if Grandma and I worked together, we could figure out what spells would work in dreams. Maybe even find a way to take potions in with me.

  I wouldn’t be able to espy him anymore, but maybe he would give something away while I was espying Livvie. Which reminded me, I wanted to look in on her tonight while she slept to make sure she was ok. I sat back and relaxed, concentrating on her beautiful face.

  My spirit was floating. I could see her below me, looking peaceful as she slept. The room was pitch black except for a soft glow from the moon. Suddenly, her face distorted, and she looked terrified. She rapidly tossed and turned with sweat beginning to pop up on her forehead. She caught hold of the blankets and sat up, gasping for breath. She ran her delicate hand through her damp hair and clutched her chest, like she was afraid her heart would fly out. My own chest tightened, because I wanted to hold and comfort her. If only I could. I reached out, knowing she wouldn’t be able to feel my touch and slowly ran my hand along her face.

  She calmed a bit. She seemed to sense I was near. Then…she whispered, “Mr. Sexy? Are you here?”

  My heart almost stopped. How….there was no way she would be able to detect my presence. She was human and humans couldn’t observe us.

  “I may be crazy and just talking to myself, but I feel like you just touched my face.”

  My heart did stop this time. I slowly reached out and touched her face again, my thumb tracing circles around her chin. She gasped and reached her hand to mine. She was touching her face, but at the same time, I could feel her.

  “I know you’re here, and I know you will keep me safe. I’ve messed up so bad. Leading on Aiden unintentionally, saying I might go to the dance when I couldn’t stop thinking of you…I don’t like Aiden. I just wanted a date to the dance, and now I’ve made a mess of things. I’m not going with him. I wish I were going with you.” She dropped her hand and lay back. I sat and watched her for a long time, making sure she wasn’t invaded with more nightmares. Peaceful slumber took her body, and I eventually drifted my spirit back to my own.

  OLIVIA

  I hadn’t slept well at all last night. My mystery man had become such a part of me from dreaming with him every night that not having him was difficult. I felt like a drug addict, and now I was having withdrawals.

  I don’t know what happened, but I had an awful dream. Aiden was there. It was at the dance, and he had become this evil, distorted person. Terrible things happened, including death and destruction. There were fires and explosions. I was horrified as I was trapped in my mind.

  Even without my nightmares, I wasn’t into Aiden, even though I originally hinted I would go with him. It seemed like a bad decision, because now it was clear he was the type to not take no for an answer. Goosebumps covered my arms as I recalled the horror of my dream. I wrapped the blanket around me tighter and decided I didn’t want to go to school today. I didn’t know what exactly was happening, but I didn’t feel right.

  I trudged up the stairs to my parents’ room, my legs not wanting to walk because they were so weak. I knocked. My mother called out, “One second.” I could hear her fumbling around in the room. Odd—she usually said come in immediately. She looked pale when she opened the door. Perhaps she was sick too.

  “Momma, I don’t feel very well today. Can I stay home from school?”

  Her hand went to my forehead, checking for a fever. “Oh, dear, you are burning up. No school indeed. Go back to bed, and I’ll be in shortly with some medication.”

  I insisted my mother and father go to work. Mom was unsure, but she finally caved and left with ins
tructions to call if I needed anything.

  The fever must have risen. I was in and out of delirium the rest of the day. I kept seeing Mr. Sexy and Aiden fighting. I was having strange cravings for something sweet and salty, though I couldn’t pinpoint what, and I kept having these hallucinations where I saw myself…with some kind of powers. All this sorcerer stuff was obviously stuck in my mind and my fever was creating new scenarios.

  That was the strangest part. I had the ability to touch someone and see their whole life. Past, present, and future. The fever must have been really high, because my mind was going crazy with images I never imagined happening, involving people I knew and loved. A battle, or war, was raging in my mind and I was too weak to fight. I briefly remember Juniper calling to check on me, but I couldn’t recall what was said.

  I sensed a sorcerer there. I croaked out, “Mr. Sexy, what is wrong with me?” Of course he couldn’t answer, but the question was meant more for the universe anyway. I could feel his spirit lying beside me, his hand caressing my face and checking my fever. My whole body felt like it was on fire, and I threw the blanket off.

  I didn’t know how, but I knew when he was with me. The air was thicker and warmer where he was. I wasn’t sure if his spirit could even get warm, but that’s the best way I knew to explain it. It was like I could also feel his love radiating. The thickness and warmth of the air was nothing compared to the pure joy I felt when I looked in the direction of his spirit. The main question I had was why in the world could I sense him? And why didn’t I before? It had only been the last two days that I felt him, but he told me that he was around a lot of the time. Maybe there was something wrong with me. I wrapped the blanket back around me, because now I was freezing. Suddenly, I knew someone was in the room. I knew it was Sadie before I looked. “Hey, Sadie.”