Dark Letters

Brother~ Chapter Seven

Monday morning I got up to get the keys from my brother, but he was already gone. I called Loral.

"Can you give me a ride to school?" I asked already standing in my front yard.

"Why don't you ask Silas?" She teases.

"Because I want a ride from my awesome gracious friend."

"You should really ask the nice guy who would love to give you a ride." She hung up.

Maybe I should just stop taking her to school when I have a car. I texted Silas and unsurprisingly he showed up. I sighed throwing my stuff in the back like usual and plopped down in the front. "Sorry, I should really sort out the car deal with my brother." I said. I get the car on the days he doesn't have work or school. He has been working more lately. When I get a job it is going to be a night mare.

"It's fine. I don't mind." He says. I let out a deep breath and set my head on the chilled window. He pulled out of my neighborhood and started to head to the school. "You did a spell last night, created a potion." Silas said.

"How did you know?" I asked startled.

"The gold ring in your aura is brighter and the edges of your entire aura is smoother... I've studied auras for a long time." He says.

"Oh..." I pushed the hair from my face. "When Emerson was describing our auras she said you had almost no aura. What does that mean?"

Silas hesitates. "I guess it's what the effect of the transformation. Reading supernatural auras is more difficult then reading human auras."

I nodded. "Also why is Cassie's aura so bright?"

"For some reason she hasn't been exposed to any negative deity like sorrow, greed, jealousy, fear, anger, etcetera. Children's auras are usually bright when they are younger and get tainted or darker when they grow older. Cassie lives a pretty happy life. It doesn't mean she is privileged or anything. She probably been open to these things, but just has an optimistic, happy person."

I smile. "That's Cassie. Why do you have the ring though? What's the purpose of seeing auras?"

He hesitated. "I use it to spot out humans from others. Witches or humans who do a few spells or too have a gold ring on their life aura. Vampires have a red glittery ring and werewolves have an orange glittery ring. I could go on."

"That's really cool. Would I be able to get a ring to see auras?"

He nods. "Yes. I could get you one."

"Oh no, I wouldn't want you to do that."

"Why not?" He says getting out of the car.

I grabbed my bag heaving it over my shoulder. "I don't like people giving me stuff for nothing." I say.

"It's nothing big and they aren't expensive." He says.

I shrugged and we walk to the science classroom. I sat down next to Cassie. She started giggling when she saw me come in with Silas. I flicked her forehead and she flicked me back. The next few days were normal. No more supernatural attacks. More jokes and shenanigans occurred with my friends and I. Silas drove me to school almost every day even when I had access to the car. We even started studying together.

We were sitting on the couch in the library and Silas was trying to help me through parabolas and quadratic equations. We were sitting close so the text book was resting on both our laps. I couldn't concentrate and math was already my weakest subject. Silas looks at me asking if I got the question. I nodded slowly not getting it at all.

Our faces were really close. Without thinking. Without being aware of my actions. I closed my eyes and leaned in to kiss him. Silas leaned back, away from me. "What are you doing?" He chuckled nervously. I jerked my head away looking in the total opposite direction. I could feel my entire face heat up. I straightened the paper we were working on quickly, slammed the math book shut, and stood up.

"Quin? What's wrong?" Silas asked.

I don't think I ever been in more of an awkward situation. I threw my stuff into my bag and heaved it over my shoulder. "Do you have feelings for me?" I blurted out.

Silas looked shocked and looked at the old carpeted floor, unable to see my face. "No." He said blandly.

It felt like a brick hit my stomach. I felt like I was going to cry. I ran out of the library and sat on a stone bench by the little garden. I expected Silas to come running after me, try to make things right. He never did. I deeply wanted to go home, but I didn't take my car today. I dug my phone out of my bag and called my brother. He picked up on the last ring.

"Why are you calling me?" He says not even bothering to say hello.

"Can you pick me up?" I said my throat tight.

"What happened? What's wrong?" He said now concerned.

"I don't want to talk about it please can you just pick me up. I'm at the library."

"I'm at work, walk through the woods and I take you home after my shift."

"Adien, the woods aren't safe. Some guys tried to mug Loral and she pepper sprayed them. It was this big fiasco. Can you please just pick me up?" I begged lying completely.

"I'll take a break and come pick you up." He says and hung up. It was only a few minutes before he came and picked me up. I was crying when I threw myself into the back seat. My brother wore his brown collar shirt with the store logo on his breast and a tan apron covered his shirt.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks softly. I shook my head. I didn't want to start sobbing. "I have to work for another few hours. You can go get ice-cream or wander around Dollar Tree or whatever. I'll give you the car keys, just don't leave me stranded." He says pulling back into a strip. He handed me the keys and walked back up to the grocery store he works at.

My brother and I have a pretty close relationship. Our father left us. Our mother has always been a full time worker we never see. We are used to dividing chores around the house with no complaint. The only things we argue about is the car, budding into each other's personal spaces, and who ate the last hot pocket. It is time like these I really appreciate him for being around.

I stayed in the car till I stopped crying and the redness in my face went away. I walked up to the ice-cream shop and sat down with my book. I never felt so awkward in my life. I don't even know why I did it. I don't even know why I said that. I shouldn't have said that. I felt like all the workers in the ice cream place were staring at me. I was the only one in the ice cream shop.

Frustrated I threw my book down into the seat of the wooden booth. I couldn't concentrate on it. Instead I just focused on slowly eating my ice-cream and looked around the ice cream shop. The ice cream machines were in the back and a little topping bar was in the middle. By the cashier was a big glass case filled with bakery goods. Behind the glass case were the machines they made coffee, frappes, and hot chocolate. Everything in the store was white or dark wood. There were lots of plants and pictures of cartoon animals. I love coming here, but I really wish my friends were here now.

When I finished I tried reading my book again and failed. Once again I just wasn't absorbing the words. I got up and went back to the car. I used my jacket as a pillow and quickly fell asleep. I woke up when my brother got in the car. He didn't say anything on the way home. We walked up to the house and ate grilled cheese with basil tomato soup for dinner.

"No guy is worth crying over." Aiden says before he went up to his room. I didn't respond. I didn't know my brother knew me that well.

I cleaned up the kitchen and went to my room. I finished my homework and sat in my bed staring at my ceiling. I couldn't stop thinking of how stupid I am. I messed everything up. Silas's and I relationship was fine till I messed everything up.

(( Uh oh >:)