Gathering Storm

by Jess Parry

  “I have no idea what you are talking about” he replied tersely

  “Good morning my pretties” Sarah sang as she threw open the bedroom door walking in with a steaming cup of coffee. “I swear, trying to get coffee in this house will be the death of me. Did you know Shawn has to sneak the instant stuff into the house. How crazy is that?”

  Taking a sip from her cup, Sarah took in the tension vibrating between her two friends. Clearing her throat, she walked over and sat down on the bed next to Siobhan.

  “Hey Becky, what seems to be the problem here?”

  “Ask Jason”

  “Okay” Turning, Sarah gazed at Jason “So Jason, what seems to be the problem here?”

  “Nothing”

  “Oh sweet Mary and Joseph!” Sarah exclaimed rolling her eyes “Are you two in another damn lover’s spat? What happened to let love rule and all that crazy shit?”

  “Look at his back Sarah” Siobhan said as she climbed over Sarah to get out of bed

  “Why do I want to look at his back?”

  “Just do it”

  “Wow, cranky much” Sarah responded

  “Dammit there is nothing wrong with my freaking back!” Jason bit back angrily

  “Then just turn around and show it to Sarah” Siobhan responded hotly

  “Oh hell, Jason just show me you’re back so we can move on”

  Turning, Jason exposed his back to Sarah.

  “Mmm… it is a rather sexy back” Sarah replied breathlessly

  “Sarah what do you see?” Siobhan asked softly

  “Some sexy back muscles, a nice little tan line where his jeans are riding low. Why what am I supposed to see?” Sarah asked

  “You don’t scratches all each side of his back?”

  “No” Sarah replied eyes widening “His back is fine”

  “Told you” Jason snorted

  “So wait, Siobhan you see scratches on his back, where as I only see smooth skin?” Sarah asked, her voice rising slightly

  “Yes”

  “Shawn!” Sarah bellowed “Shawn, get your ass up here now!”

  They heard the stomping of Shawn’s feet as he raced up the stairs, he flew into the room stopping shortly as he almost collided with Siobhan.

  “What’s going on?” Shawn asked breathlessly

  “Take a look at Jason’s back, please and tell me what you see.” Sarah asked

  “Oh this is just ridiculous” Jason smarted

  “Oh shut up and turn around and show Shawn your back” Sarah snapped

  Sighing loudly, Jason turned his back to Shawn.

  “Bloody hell those scratches look awful!” Shawn exclaimed

  “You see them?” Siobhan asked

  “Well yeah…why?” Shawn asked eyebrows rose

  “What the hell, I don’t see anything when I look at Jason’s back!” Sarah countered

  “Wait…you don’t see them, but Siobhan and I do?”

  “Pretty much” Sarah responded as she rose from the bed and walked over to slip her hand into Shawn’s

  “Welcome to freaky town…you come to Ireland and your world goes berserk!” Sarah challenged

  “We have to show this to gran immediately” Shawn mustered as he pulled Sarah out of the room. “Hurry up and come down”

  “We’ll be down in a few minutes” Jason murmured

  Nodding, Shawn closed the door, Jason and Siobhan stood in the room staring at each other. They could hear Sarah talking to Shawn as they walked downstairs. Shaking her head Siobhan, grabbed her suitcase pulling out her make up bag. She didn’t a word as she opened the door and wandered down the hall to the bathroom. Closing the door, she grabbed her tooth brush and started getting ready.

  Brushing her hair into a messing bun on top of head, she took in the dark circles under her eyes, the paleness of her face. She was a hot mess, laughter bubbled up as she thought of the fit her mother would have if she could see how disheveled her daughter was right now. Grabbing concealer, she quickly dabbed a little under her eyes, applied a little blush to her cheeks.

  “Well, that’s about as good as it is going to get” Siobhan said to her reflection. She went back into the bedroom, to find it empty. She could hear Jason talking to Shawn’s grandmother downstairs. Quickly she undressed, tossing the old clothes into her garment bag, she hastily put on a fresh pair of jeans. Catching herself before she stumbled into the bed as she pulled the jeans up. She pulled her favorite black camisole over her head, followed by a oatmeal crocheted sweater. The peplum hem hung lower in the back leaving the ruffled front open.

  The smells of eggs and toasted encircled Siobhan as she made her way down the stairs, as she got closer to the kitchen her stomach grumbled loudly.

  “Sounds like someone is hungry this morning” Claire said to Siobhan as she met her at the bottom of the steps “Come on, I even let Shawn make coffee, as apparently that is what you young ones prefer to drink”

  “Good Morning, Claire, it smells wonderful and thank you for the coffee” Siobhan smiled as they walked into the kitchen.

  Jason was sitting at the table shoveling in scrambled eggs with abandon, while Sarah lightly munched on toast. Shawn was leaning against the counter, sipping a steaming cup of coffee, his eyes met Siobhan’s as she walked towards him.

  “Morning Siobhan”

  “Morning Shawn”

  Siobhan reached around him, pulling a cup down and pouring the hot water from the kettle into her cup. Shawn reached over picking up the instant coffee and opened it for her.

  “Spoons are in the drawer on your left” Shawn said quietly as he handed the open jar to Siobhan

  “Thanks”

  “Do you take milk or sugar?”

  “Yes, both please”

  Shawn put his cup down before walking over the little fridge in the corner, pulling out the milk, he grabbed the sugar canister and placed them silently in front of Siobhan. Stirring the cream and sugar, Siobhan kept her back to everyone, taking the few minutes to clear her mind.

  “Grab some eggs Siobhan, they are freaking awesome!” Jason muffled out between bites

  “I forgot how much young ones eat” Claire chuckled as she handed Siobhan a plate with some eggs and toast “Shawn I will need you to go to the store later”

  “Sure, Gran” Shawn replied

  Taking the plate Claire offered, Siobhan sat next to Sarah and pushed the food around her plate.

  “Eat, I heard your stomach, you need your strength” Claire squeezed Siobhan’s shoulder

  Siobhan lifted a forkful into her mouth, chewing quickly, she swallowed feeling her throat tightening. Coughing, she grabbed her coffee and swallowed a mouthful. She felt the burn of the scorching coffee burning her throat as it went down.

  “Christ Siobhan are you alright?” Sarah asked as she smacked Siobhan on the back

  “I couldn’t get the food down” Siobhan choked out between coughs

  “That’s not good” Shawn said softly

  “What’s not good?” Sarah asked

  “His hold on her is growing stronger” Claire responded calmly

  “Oh hell here we go with that damn magick crap” Jason huffed, pushing his plate away from him “I just lost my appetite”

  “It’s not crap; you especially need to pay attention to this. Gran look at Jason’s back” Shawn muttered

  “Oh god there is NOTHING wrong with my back” Jason brashly called out

  Claire walked over to where Jason was sitting and pulled up his shirt. Her eyes widened as she took in the scratches down his back. The angry redness of each mark standing out against his tan skin, softly laying her hand onto his back, her head snapped up, eyes unblinking she was lost to the images flashing through her mind.

  “Shawn, what the hell is wrong with your grandma?” Sarah worriedly asked as she reached over to touch her

  “Don’t touch her” Shawn bellowed

  Snapping her hand back as it had been slapped; Sarah whipped her head to wh
ere Shawn was standing with a scowl.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to be harsh” Shawn said gently “She is taking the journey, you must not disturb her until it’s done.”

  “Journey?” Jason called out “Dude get your grandmother off me”

  “I can’t, it has to finish”

  A low moan escaped Claire just before she blinked, dropped her hand from Jason’s back and stumbled back. Shawn quickly stepped up to catch her.

  “Easy Gran”

  “Get my bag Shawn” Claire’s voice hoarsely whispered

  “I will Gran, just sit down for a minute please” Shawn’s voice strained out

  He helped Claire into the chair, before going to grab her bag off the top shelf. He opened the bag, pulling out the herbs he knew she needed. Pouring hot water into a cup, he added them with a splash of honey before handing it to her.

  “Thank you” Claire lifted the cup and sipped. Closing her eyes she felt her strength returning.

  “Will someone just tell me what the hell just happened” Sarah thundered

  “This boy is trapped by a siren” Claire responded evenly

  “Ah… what” Jason asked

  “A siren, fiery hair, emerald eyes, would you like me to continue?” Claire asked carefully

  “Uh…no” Jason huffed

  “Moria” Siobhan whispered

  “The singer from the bar?” Sarah asked eyebrows raised in shock “We only saw her that one night.”

  “Yes and that was enough for her to call him” Claire responded

  “I haven’t seen her since that night” Jason quickly said as he glanced imploringly at Siobhan

  “Did you kiss her?” Claire asked

  “What does that have to do with anything?” Jason retorted coldly

  “It has everything to do with it, did you bloody kiss her” Claire asked firmly

  Jason dropped his gaze from Siobhan as he nodded. Siobhan gasped loudly into the silent room before pushing up from the chair to run upstairs.

  “Sit down child” Claire whispered softly

  Looking away from Jason, Siobhan dropped back into her chair, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from falling. Anger, betrayal flooded her senses. Snatching her cup, she drank deeply to keep herself from yelling at Jason. She could feel the heat of anger in her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry” Jason mumbled

  “Oh my god” Sarah screeched as she reached for Siobhan’s hand “Dammit, Jason you are such an asshat right now”

  “Sirens are a tricky bunch, so don’t be so harsh with him, she called him into her arms, he didn’t completely willingly.” Claire said as she pushed away from the table. “She has been unable to reach you while you are awake, but when you sleep; your dreams belong to her”

  “My dreams” Jason’s head snapped up as he waited for Claire to answer

  “You dreams allow a siren to enter and consume you” Claire replied as she picked up the plates with the now forgotten breakfast.

  Walking over to the sink, she carefully laid the plates inside. Looking out the window, she watched the woods just beyond; she caught the shadows lurking inside. Closing her eyes, she asked for a little more time before this gathering storm explodes.

  “What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?” Sarah asked as she looked around the room

  “One hell of a fine mess” Shawn responded softly as he sat next to her

  Siobhan watched as he took Sarah’s hand and brought it softly to his lips, she caught the slow smile from her best friend as her face started to light up. Sarah was happy, Siobhan blinked as the thought grew, her best friend had found someone that really cared only for her. Happiness warmed inside Siobhan as she watched the beginning stage of love between Shawn and Sarah. God she hoped it would last and her friend would be truly happy.

  “It will last” Claire said quietly.

  Siobhan looked over to see Shawn’s grandmother looking at her. Nodding, Siobhan dropped her gaze to the ring on her finger. She had been absently twisting it around her finger as she had stared at the couple before her. She could have sworn she had felt warmth coming from the ring.

  “You feel the love of him through that ring child” Claire said as she walked over to grab her book out of the other room

  “Who is he?” Siobhan asked

  “One who should not be in this world, at least not in the sense that he is now” Claire put the book onto the table as she answered Siobhan. Opening to the page she knew would give her the information she needed, she started to read.

  “One heart from our world, one heart from the wild, never was to meet, but one fateful night their hearts touched. A rift was formed as one defied its obligations to be true to their world, while the other unlocked the worlds between to keep them together”

  Claire’s lilting voice called to Siobhan, her eyes closed as the heavens within her mind opened to the story weaving around her.

  “I will always remember” Siobhan softly replied

  “Aye, your heart will always remember, your memories will only begin when he touches you” Claire answered

  “When did you first begin to dream of him?”

  “The night of my parent’s party, the night before we left to come here.”

  “Wait, you are getting mad at me and you cheated on me?” Jason bellowed

  “He could touch her anywhere you damned fool” Shawn hissed “He could have passed her on the street, bumped into, mumbled the incantation to bring on the memories”

  “How the hell would you know?” Sarah asked

  “My you did pay attention” Claire answered for Shawn “You know as much as I do on this”

  “So why can’t I remember everything?” Siobhan asked

  “I can only tell you what I know, at the time you and he met, our worlds blended easier than they do now. When he made the pack, the veil fell over all of us forbidding us to remember everything.” Claire answered

  “Who is he?”

  “You know, if you would let yourself believe in everything your grandmother ever told you, then you will know his name” Claire soothingly replied

  Closing her eyes, Siobhan let her mind wander, she pictured her grandmother laughing as she would sit under the great Oak outside their house on the farm. She would knock on the base of the tree, then turn to whisper to Siobhan that the fairy inside must sleeping from a long night. Her eyes would twinkle brightly as she would tell Siobhan if she believed, truly believed in magick, that the fairy inside the tree would visit her while she slept. She remembered running downstairs to tell her grandmother the next morning, the fairy had come to her that night. She had been filled with wonderful memories of dancing and laughing.

  A ghost of a smile spread across her face as she remembered her grandmother pulling her into a hug. She had told Siobhan that a night here or there with her new friend would be ok, but to not let her convince her to stay permanently and to never eat or drink anything she offered her.

  Siobhan felt her heart fill with longing; it flooded her senses with its haunting pain. She couldn’t breathe; no matter how many breathes she tried to take. Her heart felt like it was going to explode, panic overwhelmed her. She opened her eyes as the dread set in; she pushed away from the table, stumbling towards the door. She had to get out of the house, every fiber inside her was screaming to get away. Grabbing the door, she launched herself out onto the porch. Tripping down the stairs, she hit the ground hard enough to rattle her bones. Trembling as memories flooded her. The pain was achingly sweet, love washed through her, as the ring on her finger began to glow.

  Jason, Shawn and Sarah ran out stopping short as they saw her crumpled onto the ground. Sarah ran to her wrapping her arms around her best friend. Shudders racked against her as she felt waves of emotions running rampantly through her.

  “Siobhan, its ok” Sarah whispered softly as she pulled Siobhan tighter to her “oh god, Shawn, what’s happening?”

  “I don’t know” Shawn answered stiffly


  “She is remembering more” Claire said as she stood in the doorway watching “What is his name Siobhan”

  “Oh god” Siobhan mumbled “I can’t”

  “Yes you can” Claire returned

  “I only know the name he uses now” Siobhan whispered hoarsely

  “That is the name we need” Claire answered

  “Ash” Siobhan’s voice carried on the wind. Winding its way to the woods before them losing itself within the darkness searching out the man she called to her.

  “Quickly child into the house, you are not ready for him” Claire responded hastily

  Shawn rushed to the bottom of the stairs, scooping Siobhan into his arms; he pushed past Jason as he crossed the threshold into his grandmother’s house. He could feel the chaos within him singing with pleasure as he held Siobhan’s trembling body close to him.

  The calm sky above covered with darkening storm clouds, the wind whipping around them in frenzy searching for Siobhan. Jason and Sarah followed quickly behind them as a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. Shutting the door tightly, Claire pulled out a glass jar and sprinkled white powder over the threshold of the door.

  “What are you doing?” Sarah wailed

  “Keeping him out until she is strong enough” Claire answered

  “Keep who out” Jason boomed

  “Him” Claire answered as the door shuddered from the force of energy slamming into it. Whipping their heads around Jason and Sarah looked at the glass window on the door to see the most beautiful man they had ever seen staring at them. Green eyes brightly reflecting the light within, his mouth tilted in a slight frown as he pushed at the door. A gust of wind wrapped around Ash, his blonde hair billowed around his face. Lightning flashes catching the blue and black streaks in his hair, he was broodingly handsome.

  “Let me in” Ash roared “She called me, she is mine”

  “She isn’t yours to possess you fool!” Claire retorted hotly

  “She is my beloved” Ash answered roughly

  “She will come to you when she is ready, now off with you”

  A guttural moan escaped Ash’s lips as he felt the old woman’s energy slam into him. The power began pushing him down a step at a time until he was on the ground and firmly out of the protection of the house. Clenching his fists, he tossed his head back letting the chaos within him loose. Hoarfrost shot out of his fingers in flashes, racing towards the house it slammed against the barrier of the old woman’s hold.