Magic and Thorns

ch 20

Once we arrived at Jeremy's house, everything was in chaos. Jeremy and Thomas were on the phone with people I don't know who. Sage and her dad were arguing over her decision to be reclassified since she didn't tell him. Ricky and Paul talked, well, more like placing bets on my future with Sage now that they have seen her dad's shotgun. Ames was trying to calm a crying Jules, they were both upstairs, but we could still hear her crying. I guess that she could feel the tension in the room that just seemed to be rising. No one was holding. Still, I had my leg bouncing as I watched. Jeremy was pacing while Thomas was running his hands through his hair. I would say that Sage and her dad were holding still, but with the increasing volume of their argument, I don't think it matters if they were moving or not. The only people holding still were Aster and Chrissy.

We had picked up Aster on the way home, and now he was in the corner, his eyes shifting from one person to another. I wonder if he had ever been in the presence of so many people. Chrissy had her eyes on aster. When I glanced at her, she tried to make eye contact, but he was evading her. When she finally caught him, both their eyes flashed a clouded gray. It must be her siren recognizing his. Chrissy stood from her chair and brought the clouded gray to her eyes again. I felt a wave of calming energy flow through the room, pushing back on the panic. Aster's eyes widened. Now taken with Chrissy, he walked to her. Everyone in the room stared. Chrissy kneeled to look at Aster. He reached out and touched her face around her now blue eyes.

"You have a strong siren in you." Chrissy allowed him to continue inspecting her face, but at the word siren, he cringed.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be bad," Aster states. Sage started to move towards them, but my hand snaked out and grabbed her. This was Chrissy's moment. She was the only one in the room that could understand how he felt.

"Being nervous doesn't make you bad; I have been nervous before. Am I bad?" Chrissy didn't look at anyone else in the room, just the little boy in front of her.

"Sirens are bad; mama was bad. So I am bad," He answered. Sage gasped softly at her brother's response, so I held her closer. Chrissy could handle this.

"You didn't answer my question. Am I bad? Sirens are good at sending out emotions like you just did, but we can also feel others' emotions like an empath. What do I feel like to you?" Aster closed his eyes.

"Calm," He whispered.

"What else?"

"Happy but a little bit sad."

"Do you feel any anger or hate?"

"No"

"So what do you think am I bad?" Aster shook his head no and jumped into Chrissy's arms, burning his head in her shoulder. "I know you aren't bad either. Do you think it would be ok if I took him to the yard and taught him some control?" Sage and Aster's father nodded to Chrissy. She was heading to the door Aster tucked into her arms when the door burst off its hinges. Chrissy shielded Asters body with her own as pieces of wood rained down on them. Ricky was on his feet, pulling Chrissy away from the mess. Ruby and Ames ran to the top of the stairs to see what was the matter.

No one was prepared for who walked in.

A large man walked into the room as if there were no door pieces in the way. He carried himself like he owned everything he saw. His eyes were so dark they were nearly black, and they cut into you if he caught your eye. His large frame looked like it was barely contained by the gray suit he was wearing. He met all our gazes taking stock of who flinch beneath it. It took all my strength, but I was not going to cower from this bully. Following him was a woman young and beautiful. She had features similar to Sage and Aster, but it was as if those features were tuned up. She had no blemished and practically glowed. I had almost taken a step towards her, but Sage's grip turned, and her nails dug into my skin, pulling me out of a trance.