I ran to Emy’s house before school, excited to tell her about the major event last night. It was before 6:30am, so I just let myself in knowing her mother was up and already making breakfast. I jumped the 5 stairs and quietly went in. the air outside was quiet and heavy, like it wanted to storm or something.
I shut the door, keeping my hand on it. I listened for a bit, then I heard sizzling sound from the kitchen. I slowly walked to the kitchen, something was slightly off. I peeked around the corner and saw her mom leaning against the counter while Sean was at the stove. He was speaking hurriedly to her. I watched as disbelief washed over her. I knew he told her about us. I turned to run upstairs but was stopped short by Amane.
“Something’s wrong.” I looked at her, she was scared visibly trembling. I gently put my arms around her. She felt it too; the air was wrong and tasted of metal. The earth was crying out, like it was being chewed up by something unnatural. “Sean…” she let me go and pushed me towards the stairs which I took 3 at a time.
I got into Emy’s room and shut the door. It was dark out, something was covering the sky. Emy was in the corner of the room.
Benders of the Elements got their connection from the sun, sky, moon, and stars. Life. Ether. Spirit. We were deeply connected to our elements that sometimes they’re able to take control of our bodies and use us to fix the pain. But only one person from each element is chosen to be that guide. We were nothing but vessels.
I kneeled in front of her and slowly lifted her chin to look in her eyes.
“I saw a spider.” I let out a breath that I was holding. She wasn’t chosen. She was still mine.
“Amane kill it?” I brought her into my arms, relief flooding through me. She tightly held onto me.
She sniffled and nodded her head. “Something’s wrong.” She felt it too.
“It’ll be fine, maybe another natural disaster occurring someplace. Like when Hurricane Katrina happened. Similar weather.” I have no clue if I was trying to convince her or myself. She seemed so desperate for an answer that I was willing to throw anything at her to satisfy her needs. She chuckled and looked at me.
“Do you believe that?” I sighed and held her tighter to me.
Something was really wrong.
Emy-
I watched Siri as she stared out the window. I heard the wind blowing softly, the leaves of the trees whistling in it.
While growing up on the reservation, you get told these rules to live by, so to speak. First, always apologize before killing a spider because they could be one of your ancestors. Always call your siblings brother or sister and never by their first name. Respect everyone, especially your elders. Speak the language of your heritage, remember who you are. And then you’re also told some myths. Wind brings spirits; so on windy nights don’t let an infant cry. You’ll be inviting some unwanted guests. When you drop food, the spirits are hungry.
I could feel the spirits on the wind, warnings were among them. I gently kissed Siri’s hand, bringing her back from her reverie.
“Oh, babe I told my parents that you’re my mate last night.” She smiled and stood up, pulling me with her. I was shocked. Did she just drop that bomb on me and shrug it off like it’s not a big deal?
“You did what, Siri?” I yanked my hand out of her grasp and fell back on my butt. Her smile faltered and she kneeled to face me.
“I stayed home last night to tell my parents I found my mate in you. I think my daddy was expecting it, my mum was shocked, and she was worried about grand pups.” she furrowed her brow and looked at her hands.
I suddenly pushed forward and gave her a hard kiss. My hands were on either side of her face, a shocked moan escaped her. She gathered me in a hug and kissed me back just as deeply. I pushed forward so she would lie down. She broke the kiss and looked at me.
“Let’s go tell your mom.” I slightly frowned at the suggestion. She seemed panicked for some reason. I kissed her jaw line and leaned back.
“So soon?” she nodded.
“Yes, no more sneaking around. Everything is out in the open before we…take it to the next level.” So that’s what she’s worried about. The next ‘level’.
