Blood Ties

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

By the time Layla realized what she had just done, it was much to late to reverse it. Her eyes snapped open as magic overwhelmed her senses. Shooting into a sitting position, she calmed herself and her wayward magic enough to know exactly what she was feeling. Raw, inexperienced, and unbridled power radiated from all corners at once, pulsing through the air in dancing golden harmony. Layla had never felt such power from anyone ever before.

            Save one.

            Cursing wildly through her teeth, she leapt to her feet in a rare occasion of hurried movement, her eyes narrowed into slits as she stumbled about her bedroom. Her entire body ached with weakness still remaining from the battle her magic had fought. Her voiced was hoarse as she cried out, “Jake! Jake, come here now!”

            Her only reply was the sound of pattering feet dashing through the hallways and nearing her room rapidly. Layla smirked despite herself, knowing how much hearing her in a panic might scare him. The poor thing was as skittish as a rabbit.

            The door burst open, Jake tumbling inside a moment after, panting rapidly. His eyes were wide as he looked to Layla for instruction. Layla’s smirk fell off her face as she straightened up, tugging at her wrinkled shirt in an attempt to appear collected. She cleared her throat professionally.

            “I have made a dire m-" the word clogged in her throat, “mistake. Miscalculation, more like. Bring me my clothes. I’ve a mess to tidy up.” Her facial expression was grave as she continued to fiddle with her clothes. Her only thought was, I am glad Mother was not here to witness this failure. I will make things right. And with determination gleaming in her eyes, she began to disrobe.

                                                                   ***

            A thousand questions raced through Star’s mind as the boy -Marco- introduced himself. She tested the name out on her tongue, elongating it. “Marco Snow, huh?” Her voice only trembled slightly, and she was glad of that.

            With all the mysterious visions, the unexplained fever, and the tingly feelings on her fingers, she expected something more when she said his name. But once she said it, the only thing she felt was a sense of relief, having at last spoken the name that had rested upon her tongue since her first encounter with the blond girl.

            Apparently, Marco expected something different as well, as he stared her down with a look of expectancy on his face. Finally, he smirked, a dimple appearing on his right cheek as he turned his gaze towards the window.

            “So, any particular questions you want to ask me? We don’t have all day.”

            Star licked her lips, cocking her head to the side in a way that made Marco want to cry with joy. “Hmm, well, for one, re-meet? I’m getting the feeling we’ve met.”

            Marco nodded emphatically as his smile grew in size. He replied, “Yes! Yes, we’ve met. We were friends.”

            “Oh. So were we very young when we last saw each other, and that’s why I can hardly remember?” Star questioned, narrowing her eyes at him.

            His eyes visibly darkened, sorrow clouding his eyes with such potency he looked startlingly like a kicked puppy. It seemed as though his carefully placed mask of feigned happiness had at last fallen away with those few simple words. His fist clenched with suppressed rage, and even though his face was devoid of emotion, his body language portrayed so many emotions it made Star’s heart break and her blood run cold. In a voice almost frightening in its coldness, he whispered brokenly, “Yes, I suppose you could say we were young. But we were so old, as well. We had seen things no one, not even adults, should have ever seen. We had the responsibility of thousands on our backs, critical decisions weighing down on our shoulders. So. Much. Death. And yet, we were so young. You have no idea how blessed you are in your ignorance.” And, in a bout of rashness, he took her hand, stroking it gently with such tenderness it startled Star into silence.