Zodiac

15

I woke up the next morning in the same bed as Willow. She faced away from me, wearing a pair of her shorts and what looked like my t-shirt from yesterday. This was nothing new. I would often wake up to see a something similar to this when staying at Willow's house.

Yes, I know what you're thinking, and no, that did not happen! We never did anything like that! Y'all are perverts.

Anyway, I got up to change my clothes and get ready. After sorting through my variant of the duffel bag Michael got each of us yesterday to find my toothbrush, I heard a knock at the door.

Upon opening it, Aaron greeted me by tapping his foot impatiently. "Good morning Aaron, how did you sleep?"

"Be ready and at the car in an hour. We're leaving." He turned and shut the door before walking away.

"Good talk."

-     -     -

An hour later, a sleepy Willow and I were waiting at the car. She yawned for the seventh time in a minute before turning to me. "When did they say to meet here again?"

"Now." I paced. Not because I was nervous or scared, but because I was bored. Why were they taking so long? Why was Aaron insistent on meeting in an hour if he wasn't even going to show up?

"Why are you pacing?" Aaron raised an eyebrow at me as he and Michael approached, each holding a large McDonald's bag.

"Because," Willow stormed up to him, her straight-outta-bed hairdo bouncing slightly, "you said we would meet in an hour here, so I had to get up early." She glared at the bag. "Not to mention the fact that you dared to get breakfast without us!"

Without hesitation, he passed the bag to her. "Three bacon McGriddles, two breakfast bagel sandwiches, and a water for each of you. Enjoy." He turned to climb into the van as his dad rolled his eyes.

"Come on, get in. We've got some work ahead of us."

-     -     -

Three hours later, we pulled over at an inconspicuous gas station in the middle of nowhere. "Aaron, could you fill the tank while I fill the other two in on our mission?" Aaron nodded and stepped outside as Michael opened a compartment on the dashboard, pulling out a jet-black tablet.

It sparked to life as he began to speak. "As you already know, Aaron and I deal with supernatural creatures. Capturing, banishing, and sometimes killing them are all things we've done. I work for a branch of the government so well hidden, the other branches have no clue we exist.

"Anyway, there was an odd occurrence two years ago. Somewhere on Earth, a mystical seal broke and powerful energies were released. It just so happens to be the very same energies that you two posses, along with my own son. These energies seem to manifest as the signs of the astrological Zodiac."

The tablet displayed a twelve-pronged wheel. Each spoke had a different symbol on it: a curled Y, a circle with horns, and a Roman numeral two all caught my eye. "These energies sought out and each chose one person of perfection, based on the energy choosing.

"For example, my son was born an Aries, and has all of the stereotypical personality traits of one. The pattern seems to continue with you two, having the traits of a Taurus and a Gemini."

Willow cut him off with a wave of her hand. "What exactly would that mean for me? I know I was born a Taurus, but I don't know the traits."

"The traits of a Taurus," Michael began, "would be a mix between the type 'A' and 'B' personalities, in the sense that you are stubborn, more introverted than extroverted, headstrong, and kind. You have a tendency to stick to your beliefs, even if it isn't always the best thing to do."

We all went silent as the information processed. Before anyone could respond, the tablet glowed. The wheel flickered as the Aries, Taurus, and Gemini signs lit up respectively. The wheel spun and melted into another shape, resembling a sideways 69.

"Great. We get to find another one." Aaron slipped inside, glancing at the screen. "Where do we have to go, Dad?"

Michael tapped rapidly at the screen as the sign faded, replaced by a picture of earth with a small blue dot off of the southern east coast. "Is that..."

"North Carolina." Michael smiled. "Hope you all brought swimsuits, we're going to the Outer Banks!"