The Paw Print [#Wattys2015]

So It Turns Out

~•~ Tessa's POV ~•~

"What did you mean, not a regular birthmark?" I ask Leo as we walk back home.

"Well.. I don't know. When I touched it, it pulsed under my finger tips..." I look at him in shock. "It pulsed? It pulsed!!" It's never done that before, that I know of...

"Yeah it did. Do you think Max's pulses'?" Leo asked.

"I really don't know.." I reply. "Ask your Dad about this." he says. "NO! He'll just say something, like we're making it up... I don't think he even knows that Max and I have it, I think only Mom did.."

"Oh," He says, he grabs my hand and squeezes it. "It'll be okay Tessy," He says with a smile. His hand feels comfortable and soothing in mine, I feel slightly better all ready. "Hey Leo.. Will you stay with me tonight?" I ask, we've done that before, he's stayed at my house, in my bed, over night, since we were children. It's not weird at all for us, and my Dad actually doesn't mind that I have a hot, sexy, boy in my bed.

"Sure, I'll stay if it makes you feel better,"

"Of corse it will," I say as we turn the corner to my street. We'd already passed his house, two blocks behind. He always walks me home first, then goes home. I love that he always makes sure I'm alright before he does anything else. One of the reasons he's my best friend.

~•~ 20 Minutes later ~•~

~•~ Leo's POV ~•~

I crawl into Tessa's queen sized bed before she does, she's still in her bathroom getting changed into her pyjamas. I sleep in boxers, but since in here I stay in my cloths, don't need to make it awkward..
I roll over just as she comes back in. She looks beautiful -like she always does- in her mini shorts, and black t-shirt. She gets in beside me and smiles looking into my eyes. I get lost momentarily in her dreamy green eyes. Then I snap out of it when we hear a knock at her bedroom door.

"Yes?!" she shouts. "Who's is it, and state your case!"

"It's Max, and-and Tessa it hurts ..!" He says fiercely as he barges in, he momentarily looks at me in his sisters bed, then shakes the curiosity off.

"Come here Buddy," I chant. He dashes over to the side of the bed. "Leo it hurts!" I look at him with worry. "Max, take a deep breath," He does, and I can sense Tessa leaning over my shoulder, rather close. "Now tell me, what hurts?" I finish, Tessa practically on my back.

"This." Max says getting up in the bed and pulling up his pyjama pant leg, barring his right ankle. Where the paw print is. Is thumps the colour red, as Tessa's did today in class. Tessa shrieks behind me and falls backwards, at the same time Max does. I pull him up on the bed and lay him down, then roll Tessa over pulling her shirt up, but not too much that I would see anything. Both their paw birthmarks were pulsing a furious red. Tessa look at me through blurred eyes. And I whisper:

What does this mean?