Bad Girl vs. Bad Boy

4. I Really Hate Aphrodite

KIARA'S POV

I was sitting in a boat. This boat was on a small river, much like the ones I had seen in Italy once when I went to Florence with my mother to see a fashion show. She had insisted on spending some time with me there; says it was good for the "mother-daughter relationship". Most people just go to movies or go shopping but Mum insisted on taking me to Italy. In the background, church bells rang for the stroke of midnight.

Anyhow, this boat was not drifting, or anything. It was just not moving. The surroundings around me were barely visible due to the darkness and bleakness of the night around me. I was far from alone though.

Sitting opposite me in the boat was a girl around Maliki's age, maybe slightly older, but she was no more than twenty at least. She looked ordinary enough; thick, messy, raven hair, brown eyes that were so dark they looked almost red, naturally tanned skin, a strong-looking nose, thick lips, and she was dressed in black from head to toe. Around her neck was a golden amulet with the largest ruby I had ever seen set in it. I had never seen this girl before in my entire life, yet I felt like I knew her.

She smirked at me. "Hello, Kiara."

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded.

The girl put on a look of mock insult. "I thought you would know that answer already. Pity. My name is Thora."

"No last name?"

"I prefer for acquaintances to find things out for themselves."

"I take it you annoy the hell out of people?"

Thora Whats-Her-Face chuckled and nodded. "Oh yes, some more than others but yes, I genuinely do annoy people. And it's all good fun, as I'm sure you know all too well."

I frowned at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded. "You judging me?"

"You get defensive really easily."

"Playing state-the-obvious are we? OK. You are seriously bugging me! Why did I dream you up?"

This time, Thora laughed for real. The latter must have seem highly amusing to her because she was practically crying with laughter. I just sat there, watching this lunatic laugh away at a perfectly reasonable rhetorical question.

"Oh, my friend," Thora said, wiping her eyes. "You really don't know much, do you? This is not a dream, even though your consciousness is technically not active at the moment. But I have to talk to you."

I frowned at her. "You're a Wiccan?" I guessed.

Thora grinned, reminding me a bit of the Chesire cat in Alice and Wonderland. "Oh, yes. I am. I'm a High Priestess of the Triple Goddess."

Why did that title ring a bell? Urgh! Why didn't I pay more attention to Aunt Vivian and her stupid sector lessons?!

Thora was chuckling again, as though she had heard everything that I was saying inside of my head.

"So," I said, trying to be civil now, "why did you decide to talk to me?"

"Because your aunts failed to tell you upon their arrival," Thora answered, her expression going dark. "They were given orders; they disobeyed them."

"Orders?!" I repeated. "To tell me what exactly?"

"The reason why they came here, and to be wary of the Salem citizens," Thora replied, her expression solemn. "Kiara, you are in grave danger. The Triple Goddess herself has chosen you; I think lately you have been feeling her blessing settling in."

"If you mean the advanced Telekinesis, then yes, I have been."

Thora nodded, as though she knew already what had happened. "You need to become a little more cautious; try not to fly into a temper so quickly  -  your powers don't appreciate negative emotions. It makes them more negative and prone to switch to the Dark, which hits you hard-"