IncuBUST

August

"Who're you?" she asked stopping in the doorway. Her hair was short and black, her eyeliner dark and intense around her grey-blue eyes and there was a small shiny silver ring hanging from the middle of her nose. 

"Uh..." I replied still in the middle of pulling on my right Converse. 

"What'd you stop for, Augie? I gotta pee!" a similar voice exclaimed and I saw a girl with long, golden blonde hair stop behind her. As she caught a glimpse of me, her blue-grey eyes widened and her face went red. She smacked her sister on the shoulder and hissed, "Why didn't you tell me we had company?!"

"What's the hold-up, girls?" Nikolai asked coming up behind them. 

"Who's the nurse? Mom's sciatica acting up again?" the first girl inquired glancing back at her older brother. 

"He's not a nurse, he's a vet," he replied and I shook my head mumbling, "Just a tech." 

"Is there something wrong with Juno?" the blonde girl cried, plowing through her sister and I and rushing into the house. 

"No, there's nothing..." Nikolai sighed and shook his head. The dark-haired girl glared at me with narrowed eyes and repeated, "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" I raised an eyebrow and took a step back. Such animosity.

"Don't be rude, August. This is..." he trailed off and cocked his head to the side. 

"Chase," I hastily replied, "And I was just leaving." I tried to edge around them but was suddenly tackled by Octavia. 

She flapped her hands in front of my face saying, "Please, don't leave me here! I'm an only child! I don't know how to live with other people!" 

"You've been living in an apartment with two other people for the last four days and you've been fine," I muttered and she scoffed clutching at the front of my scrubs and tucking her face into my back. I could feel her cheek through the rip in my shirt. 

"Octavia..." August whispered stepping farther into the house. Nikolai entered as well, closing the door behind them. I felt his eyes on me. It made me feel strangely embarrassed. 

"I forgot. You two were pretty close before the accident weren't you?" he inquired his gaze moving away from me and to his sister and cousin. Octavia looked up and slowly released me. I tried once again to leave the house, but he was blocking the door. 

"Augie?" Octavia hesitantly signed. August shoved her black, safety pin-studded bookbag into her brother's arms and rushed forward throwing her arms around Octavia. This was a family of huggers, it seemed. 

"You've changed so much!" August exclaimed and I found myself wondering what Octavia looked like five years ago. I couldn't imagine there was much of a difference. They pulled away from each other and Octavia signed, "So have you. You cut off your hair." August reached up to touch her boyish hair and shrugged replying, "I guess I was just tired of people confusing Celeste and me." Octavia smiled and signaled, "I like it. You look like Negasonic from Deadpool 2." August laughed out loud and replied, "That's kind of what I was going for. Now if only I could find a Yukio." Octavia laughed her strange gaspy laugh and I felt myself smile. I was doing the right thing.

I touched Octavia on the shoulder and she glanced at me. 

"I'll go get your stuff," I said and her grin faded. 

"So you really are moving in?" August asked and I could hear the excitement in her voice. Octavia glanced at her and sighed before nodding in defeat. August smiled and exclaimed, "That's great! Does that mean you're going to school with us too?" Octavia's brow creased and she signed, "There's another school around here?" August nodded and replied, "Yeah, it's human only. Every kid in the neighborhood goes there." 

Octavia glanced at me and I looked at the floor. 

"Probably not. I like my school," Octavia replied and August nodded before glancing around and leaning towards her. 

"So like...do you know any Mythics? Are there some in your class?" I was beginning to feel incredibly out of place. I tried to leave the house but was stopped. Not by Octavia. I felt Nikolai's hand on my shoulder and my skin grew warm, the Heat at my core threatening to claw its way into him. I tentatively looked up at him. He was glaring at the floor, a crease between his dark brown eyebrows. 

"They don't even let Lights in. No psychics, no telepaths...it's stupid," he mumbled and August laughed harshly saying, "Don't let mom hear you say that." I was starting to feel very strange. Awkward and hot and...I shrugged his hand off of me and bolted out the door. 

I didn't have a vehicle. I would have to walk home. There was no way I'd let my wings out in a neighborhood like this. But home was nearly thirteen miles away. I sighed and glanced around. 

Fuck it. 

I hunched forward and felt my wings tear through my skin. I heard someone scream as I launched up into the air.