Beautiful Souls

by Mullanix, Sarah

  “Otherwise?” I interrupted.

  “Well, frankly…yes,” he answered hesitantly. “Sometimes we find it necessary and have the need to become invisible in order to escape trouble and our enem…”

  “Enemies?” I cut him off this time before he could even finish the word.

  I’m not sure why this took me by so much of a surprise, considering that I’d already lived through one enemy attack. Something about hearing the words out loud, having them set free into the universe, caused me to shiver.

  “Thank you, Max, but I fear your explanation has taken an unintended turn. I’m not certain we’re at the place, as of yet, to explain to Becca about our immortal enemies,” Mrs. Stanley interrupted her husband.

  “Immortal enemies?” I questioned loudly, and was immediately shushed by each member of our group. This was growing worse with every passing second. Where was the ‘fun’ everyone had been talking about?

  “Shit,” my dad mumbled his disapproval.

  “Never mind, Becca. Tonight is going to be just about the fun! No brooms, no moonlit silhouettes, and absolutely no pointed hats or wicked laughs. It’s just you, a clear mind, focused energy, and your newly inherited gifts,” my mom explained, getting us all back on track.

  Everyone backed up a couple steps, giving her plenty of space for what was about to happen next. My mom spread her arms out wide, palms reaching toward the stars. She elevated first, her feet floating just inches off the ground. My dad was next, hovering next to my mom, then Mr. and Mrs. Stanley followed suit.

  My jaw felt as if it hit the dirt. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing right in front of me. I didn’t know which was more impossible to process: the knowledge that flying Wizards really existed and hovered mid-air directly in front of me, or the fact that my parents were the Wizards that floated in mid-air directly in front of me. It was all clearly too much for my mind to accept at that precise moment.

  “Come on, Becca. Try it.” Leo encouraged me using his deep, husky voice that immediately caused heat to burn in the pit of my stomach. He obviously read the astonished look, clear as day spread across my face, and was determined to suck me back from my disbelief. Mission accomplished.

  Leo proceeded to walk around me, stopped in front, and turned toward me. We stood face to face. He also lifted his arms, palms toward the night sky just as the adults had done. Leo immediately lifted off the ground, hovering before me with only inches separating the two of us.

  My mood changed instantaneously. I had never seen anything, or anyone, so sexy in all my life. Not even the sight of Leo in his football gear throwing a thirty yard pass could compete with the image of him completely cloaked in black, his gorgeous ocean-blue eyes gleaming in the rays of moonlight filtering through the dense layers of branches, so confident and strong, hovering inches before me. It was sexy as hell --- he was sexy as hell.

  There was absolutely no way I would ever look this damn good elevating. More than ever, I was terrified of falling on my face, and I feared looking like a moron in front of Leo who made it all look so good.

  I hesitated, full of insecurity, confusion and self-doubt flooded every inch of my being. “I can’t. I, I don’t know how,” I said panicked.

  “Just clear your mind, Becca. It all about energy. Focus your energy on this one act,” my mom encouraged. “Choose an image, something to focus the energy on, then wipe everything else away from your mind as if nothing else exists.”

  “Imitate me,” Leo demanded calmly.

  Knowing I would do anything and everything he asked of me, I caved and focused on his glowing eyes that I’d known all my life. I lifted my arms just like I’d seen everyone else do, turned my palms toward the darkened, violet-blue midnight sky sprinkled heavily with thousands of tiny twinkle lights, and concentrated every single ounce of my thoughts and energy directly into Leo’s gaze. I tried with all my might to imitate his hovering form.

  I held my form for what seemed like minutes, anxiously awaiting anything to happen. Nothing moved, nothing changed. I broke my gaze, wavering my line of sight from person to person in our group. I lowered by brows, confused by all the beaming smiles and looks of overjoyed pride shooting my direction.

  “It’s no use,” I said defeated, feeling like a fool and a failure.

  “Becca, look down!” Leo said proudly, smiling softly.

  “How’d…I…but,” I couldn’t find the words. I looked down to find my feet dangling six inches above the forest floor. “I didn’t feel anything, how…”

  “Hold on to it, don’t let it go,” Leo said softly, as he cast me an approving grin. I returned it with an equally soft, yet astonished, smile.

  I heard validating murmurs all around, reverberating off the dense forest trees, sending my spirits higher than I ever thought possible. I was so proud of myself; I felt I was ten feet off the ground. “Fantastic!” my dad said, oozing with pride.

  “I knew she’d be a natural,” I heard from Leo’s mom.

  “Bravo, bravo!” Mr. Stanley cheered.

  I quickly stole a glance my mom’s direction, hoping not to break my concentration. I’d rather I didn’t fall to the ground, surely to face-plant into the leafy, dirty bottom of the forest floor. When I caught a glimpse of my mom’s face, she was absolutely beaming. In that instant, a feeling of hopefulness and joy washed over me. Maybe this Witch thing, which I had first interpreted as a lifelong prison sentence, wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

  “Okay now, Bec. Are you ready to take this to the next level?” my dad asked.

  “Um, yeah. I think so. This isn’t so bad.”

  I heard a few chuckles ring out among our group. I began to feel more anxious. Anticipation grew with every passing second.

  Still holding my gaze with Leo, yet unnecessarily intense as it was before, I used my peripheral vision to watch the members of our group, one by one, ascend ever higher into the air. They shot up to the highest tree tops, then in an unbelievable blink of an eye, they took off at lightening speeds. Each hidden form flew above the canopy of trees, soaring high against the twinkling night sky, their silvery black cloaks flawlessly concealing their bodies as they became invisible to the naked eye.

  I didn’t know what to do or where to go. I tried the very same motion and intent as before, thrusted my palms toward the night sky, this time with more aggression, energy, and much more power than before. I instantly shot straight up into the trees.

  I fumbled awkwardly as I scratched my left shoulder on a couple of dry, rough, spindly branches. Just a moment ago, those branches had dangled many feet over my head, and now they remained so far below me that I could barely make out the same branches against the distancing and disappearing forest floor.

  I started to panic. I ascended much too high at a much too rapid pace. The only action I could think to try, was to turn my body to an almost lying down position in order to change my course direction. I thrust my head forward and in that instant my legs shot out behind me. I wavered up and down slightly with the current of the wind. I could feel the cool air flapping the wispy tendrils at the hem of my cloak as it slapped my ankles. I felt the chill of the autumn night, crisp and exhilarating, fill up my cloak then rush out just as quickly as it came. The midnight-colored cloak whispered with delight at every wave of movement, letting the wind passed in and out.

  Flying was smooth, freeing, and shockingly easy. It was like becoming one with my surroundings. Soaring at incredible speeds, forming my body around the shape of my environment just beneath me, then accelerating forward over it all. We cruised just mere feet over the landscape. I’d mimic the repeating forms of the trees, bushes, cornfields, and fences; soaring carefully and gracefully over and around all our surroundings, remaining completely unseen.

  The motion while flying seemed familiar. It was like something I’d seen before that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. My dream. Flying was something that was elegant and graceful, but I never fully appreciated the flowing smoothness of
it before, almost snake-like in movement. It held the terrifying feeling of a nightmare, yet the incredible, fantastic exhilaration like a lifetime of wonderful dreams all rolled into one and becoming reality.

  I closed my eyes momentarily. I wanted to thoroughly enjoy the cool air on my face, whipping around the cloak and down the length of my body.

  I felt a sudden warmth on my right hand, and my eyes jarred open instantaneously. I sucked in a breath of the crisp night air, chilling my body as it reached my lungs.

  “Oh, thank God. It’s just you,” I said as a breath of relief escaped.

  “Who else? Having fun yet?” Leo teased.

  “Leo, this is amazing! I can’t believe you’ve kept it a secret for over a year.”

  “I knew your time would come, so I waited patiently. Plus, I really had no choice in the matter. Forgive me for the way I acted the other night?” he explained.

  I giggled, now understanding the meaning of everything Leo spoke to me that night. “Of course.”

  My mom flew up next to me, then Mrs. Stanley came in to view along my opposite side. I looked sideways to catch sight of my dad, Leo’s mom or dad, or Mr. Stanley, but I didn’t see anyone.

  We four, simultaneously moved along the tops of the trees making up the vast woods below. Sometimes we’d scoop low and speed across the empty cornfields like shadows, soon to flash out of sight as we’d soar back up toward the ink-black, starlit sky. It was really such a beautiful sight, the four of us, as we moved fluidly and easily over our surroundings, the silvery black velvet cloaks billowing rapidly around our bodies in the cool autumn wind.

  I soaked it all in. I fully enjoyed the sight of our foursome for a few moments longer, only to be rudely knocked from my peaceful trance by a familiar and unwelcome ringing in my ears.

  As fully expected from past experience, my head grew foggy just as before, and I felt myself drop a few feet through the air. I couldn’t control my mind or the energy now, and I felt a dangerous wave of emotion spill out through my body as my stomach and legs scraped the treetops. I lost control, and felt myself spin widely out of control.

  Leo’s reaction was instantaneous. He was at my side immediately, grabbed me from above, and hoisted me by my waist back up to an acceptable and safe height.

  “My hero,” I said quietly, still feeling woozy but coming out of my trance.

  “Was it another vision?” he asked.

  “No, no…just light-headed,” I lied. Although I hadn’t actually had a vision this time, I knew the sensation all too well and what would have inevitably followed if Leo hadn’t pulled me out of it. I thought for moment, trying to get a grip on myself when I realized and asked, “Wait a minute. How’d you know about those?”

  “We all know, Becca,” my mom intervened and answered. “It’s one of your many special gifts, and that necklace of yours will help your powers grow and become what you’re totally capable of.”

  “What caused the visions, or warnings, or premonitions…whatever they are?”

  “The possibility of something dark could’ve sparked them. Something like that near you is capable of sparking the premonitions which will tell you what you need to know…if you allow them to,” she explained.

  That precise moment, my dad and Mr. Stanley zoomed into view from somewhere unseen in the darkness.

  “We’ve got to get Becca out of here. NOW!” my dad warned in a controlled but urgent tone. No one hesitated.

  “We’ve sensed something in the area,” Mr. Stanley added.

  Terrified glances shot from face to face as we flew onward.

  Chapter 9.

  Soul Possession

  pos-ses-sion

  /pe’zeSHen/

  Noun

  1. The state of having, owning, or controlling

  something.

  2. Visible power or control over something, as

  distinct from lawful ownership; holding or

  occupancy.

  The rushing wind beat my face hard. So hard that I could barely open my eyes to see what was happening around me. I closed them again, for a moment’s relief, and felt the two pulls, one on each of my arms, more intensely. The pulls were generally in the same direction, but two different hands and two different strengths resulted in various and un-uniformed yanks. I was being pulled away just as quickly as they were attempting to escape.

  I hesitantly cracked open my eyes and peered through a cloudy tearless gaze; the dry eye condition brought on by the cold, beating wind. I could just barely make out the two hands guiding me, each grasping an opposite sleeve of my cloak. The hand knotted in an unbreakable grip on my left, long olive-skinned fingers that I’d have known anywhere belonged to none other than my mom. The other hand, on my right, was very small and dainty, perfectly manicured, surely belonging to Mrs. Stanley.

  My mom, naturally, was pulling with a considerable amount more anguished desire, but Mrs. Stanley pulled with more force I thought possible from a woman of her small stature.

  “This way,” an anxious voice instructed.

  “Quickly!”

  “We’ve got to get her out of here!” clearly spoken by Leo. I’d know his silken voice anywhere.

  “What’s happening? Where are we going?” I was shushed by all.

  “We need to split up in case they’re following us.” My dad continued, “Max and I will head out in front to make sure there’s no one waiting to ambush us when we arrive. Simon and Claire, take Leo and follow from below and at a distance in case we need your reinforcements. Once we arrive, notify us when the area’s clear, then head straight home.”

  “I’m not going to leave her,” Leo insisted stubbornly.

  “You’ll do as you’re instructed,” Leo’s mom convinced him. She attempted to reassure him that everyone would be fine, if we all played our parts and stuck to the plan.

  “Just go, Leo. I’ll be okay.” He conceded reluctantly.

  Leo retreated with his parents to the back of our group. He shot me a glance on the way back, and I knew that intense stare well enough to know that it wouldn’t be long until I saw those beautiful blue eyes again.

  “Where are…?” This time only my mom and Mrs. Stanley were near enough to shush me, but it was effective nonetheless.

  “Don’t say one word, Becca,” my mom said. She was barely audible and extremely intense as she whispered, “Hold on to me when we come in to land, then stay extremely close.”

  The wind had picked up to a fighting velocity. It ferociously beat my cloak against my thighs down to my ankles, and didn’t help at all with the fact that I was being ripped against it by two mad and frantic women. Mrs. Stanley’s pull seemed to have a mind of it’s own, but was overpowered by my mom’s fight to keep her daughter out of harm’s way.

  The rushing darkness was illuminated unexpectedly. A hint of light creeped from behind or below --- I couldn’t make out the origin with all that was happening around me --- and an eerie red glow shone in my mother’s pupils as she shouted “Duck! It’s coming to your right!”

  I was yanked up and to the left as a terrifying screeching beam of light, fire-like, flew past us. I didn’t realize that it was an attack at first; I was too captivated by the speed at which the fire-like ball sailed past us. Danger sank into my thoughts soon after the light residue, hanging in our midnight surroundings, had faded.

  I cut through my daze with sudden awareness, “What was that?”

  “Wizard attack,” my mom answered somberly.

  “Here comes another! Right behind us!” shouted Mrs. Stanley. We dropped a few feet and the white-hot fireball shot directly over our heads, the trail of its red glow shooting far into the distance ahead. Thankfully my mom’s pull was stronger. Contradicting her own warnings, Mrs. Stanley seemed to still be pulling me toward danger, rather than away. Perhaps it was only her panicked, frantic state that had her veering into the line of enemy fire, but I was not going to get dragged along with her.

  “Where’s Leo and Dad?” I
panicked.

  “They’ll be fine, they know what to do. Becca, I need you to focus. Your dad and I only have our flying powers left. You hold all the power now, honey. Try to focus your energy. Get angry, get very angry. Allow it to ball up inside you, focus all of that into one area, allow it to grow in the palm of your hand, then throw in the direction the fireballs came from. Throw behind you with everything you’ve got!”

  “Are you kidding? How am I…?”

  “Just try, Becca. Please! You can do it, you’ve had it in you all this time. You were born to do this. Focus all your energy and imagine someone hurting me, or your dad, or Leo…and throw!”

  I pictured it. The images of the three most important people in my life attacked, and that was enough. I felt the surge of energy and fire build up inside me. I focused it all: energy, anger, love, and my protective instincts. On my mom’s word, I threw. I threw with all my might with my right hand and crossed it over my left shoulder, aiming at the impending darkness behind us.

  We were surrounded by the glow momentarily before the streak of fire shot off behind us, and I glanced back as it trailed off. Another fireball sailed through the night just below us this time. We were luckily flying high enough already to miss this one, but I felt the tendrils of my cloak singed as they flapped around my ankles.

  My heart had never raced with such intensity, rapidness, or excitement. I hated not knowing who or what was out there in the ink-black darkness that consumed us, but my life had taken such a drastic turn these recent days, I had to admit to myself that even in these life-threatening circumstances, I’d never turn back.

  Who or what was out there? Why were they engaging in this attack? What did they want from us --- from me? I felt eyes peering at me from all directions, and I couldn’t tell if it was my nerves playing dirty tricks on me or if in actuality I was being targeted by the entire supernatural world.