Tempest

3 : Show Me Yours

1975

Tempest kept worrying her bottom lip with her teeth and frowning at her food. She pushed the food on her plate around with her fork as though she were trying to create some amazing new food art. The green from the peas had flowed into the mash potatoes, making it seem as though it was bleeding green into the steak. This had gone on for more than ten minutes before Papa Sam decided enough was enough.

"Are you going to spit it out, girl, or do I need to pry it out of you with a crowbar?" he finally growled. His bushy eyebrows had slowly crawled towards each other as he had watched her attempt at recreating a new art style. Now they were drawn in a fierce frown that would have made anyone other than Aida and Tempest take a step back.

Tempest turned startled blue eyes towards him before Aida chuckled and slapped her husband lightly on the hand. They were sitting at the dinner table and Tempest hadn't eaten a thing since their meal had started almost twenty minutes earlier.

It had been almost twelve years since she had arrived at the Daly's household and she had grown to think of them as her surrogate parents. She had been wary of them at first but had grown to love them as the months, then the years, had passed. They had showered her with nothing but compassion and kindness, nourishing her body as well as her mind with their affection and dependability. They had heard her nightly screams for the first three months and had comforted her unfailingly. They had watched her grow, mature into a young woman from an uncertain teen, and they loved her as though she were their own.

"Talk to us, darling," Aida said softly. "You have been stressing for weeks now and maybe we can help."

Tempest sighed and pushed her plate away. Her stomach turned at the thought of eating as she worried about what would be coming soon.

"In a week's time it shall be my thirtieth birthday," she mumbled, her eyes trained on her plate.

"Well, you don't look a day over eighteen so what's the problem?" Papa Sam asked with a frown. Aida rolled her eyes at his question. Men!

Even after twelve years he was still big and brawny, with arms that could crush a Unicorn into a pile of mince if he so wished. His beard had been the cause of much teasing over the past few years and he had taken it all like a champ. Beneath his rough looking exterior he was the most gentle and loving soul a man could be. He was fiercely protective of his loved ones, however, and had more often than not, beaten Aida to Tempest's bedside when she screamed out in terror during her frequent nightmares. He would cradle her gently in his arms and rock her back to sleep. This did not mean, however, that his lack of tact has improved over the centuries.

"We can't help you if you don't talk to us, sweetheart," Aida said, her eyes full of concern.

Tempest pushed her chair back and stood up. She started pacing in the small kitchen, twisting her hands together in apparent agitation. She had grown taller over the last few years, and she had let her hair, which was wavy and the colour of burnt chocolate, grow out until it reached the back of her knees. Her limbs were long and well toned from all the training she did as well as the work she helped Aida and Papa Sam with. Being outdoors so much had given her skin a golden brown glow that made her blue eyes seem to shine.

"My kind... we turn on our thirtieth birthday. It's... it's not pretty," Tempest said, struggling to express herself. Her jaw worked for a moment as she tried to explain. It seemed her words failed her, however, because nothing more came out of her mouth.

"We can get through this," Aida said as she stood up and stopped Tempest's pacing by holding both her hands in hers. She smiled at the girl who had come to mean so much to her, silently urging her to confide in them.

"I want to show you," Tempest said softly. "So you understand what it's like." Blue eyes looked at brown and the brown eyes widened.

Aida couldn't hide her surprise and excitement. For years she had wanted to take a peek into Tempest's mind but the girl had more barriers put up than a king's treasure depository. When Tempest had been with them for a few weeks, she had tried to probe into her mind in order to understand what she was and what had happened to her. At the time she had thought that knowing what had happened to her would allow both her and Samuel to better counsel and help her heal. The intent had been pure but Tempest had immediately sensed her and pushed her out so violently that Aida had actually blacked out for a moment.

Aida nodded without saying anything and pulled Tempest to the love-seat in the lounge. She had her sit down and then Papa Sam put a stool in front of where she sat. Aida sat down in front of her, their hands still holding.

"I want you to relax," Aida said softly. Tempest took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. Aida allowed her to do this a few more times before she slowly started rubbing her thumbs over Tempest's wrists soothingly. When she felt Tempest's heartbeat slow down, she reached out to her gently with her mind.

"Relax, Tempest. Close your eyes, be calm and think of something that gives you peace."

Aida came across her first obstacle immediately. When she was mind-reading, she liked to think of her host's mind as a locked room. Usually it was easy for her to read people's thoughts. She had slowly perfected the process over the centuries and it had gotten to a point where she had to lock her own mind to stop from unconsciously reading other's thoughts. Tempest was different. Her armour was airtight and she couldn't find a hole that she could probe to start picking the lock. Even with her extraordinary powers as an ancient and experienced enchantress, she struggled to pierce through her barriers.

"You gotta let me in, Tempest."

Tempest started shaking. Aida felt the trembling in her hands and tightened her hold on her.

"Easy, baby. I got you. Show me what you want me to see."

When Tempest took a deep breath and tightened her hold on Aida's hands, she relaxed her controls enough that Aida was able to enter her mind. It was like being in a foggy room filled with indistinct shadows and slight muttering. She searched for a connection which she could use to pull out the memory that a Tempest wanted to share, almost like looking for a line that could tie her to the memories she sought. After a moment, she found it and grasped it gently, tugging lightly on it until she felt it hold and it established a link.

Aida expected the vision to come in slowly, softly. Instead, it whammed her mind so hard she screamed. She didn't know how long what she saw lasted but when she was finally able to open her eyes, she found herself cradled in Sam's arms. She looked up to see a terrified Tempest staring at her, her eyes wide, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, Aida," Tempest said as she slowly backed out of the room.

"I'm okay, honey," she whispered as she reached her hand out to her. After a moment, Tempest started walking towards her. When she was within arms reach, Aida pulled her into her arms and hugged her tightly.

With worried eyes she looked at Sam, who was now hugging both of them. She had seen the reason for Tempest's trepidation and now fully understood. She wasn't alone, however. Samuel was there to help her and Tempest through the transformation which was to come. She took a deep breath and smiled in reassurance as she laid her head on her husband's shoulder while her hand ran soothingly up and down Tempest's back.

"Honey," she said to Samuel. "We have a lot of preparations to make."

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8 September 2020

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