The Author's Short Stories

Familiar

At the age of 13, children are able to summon their familiar for the first time. Your family has always been ridiculed for weak and useless familiars until the day of your thirteenth birthday when you summon your familiar for the first time.

Characters: Le-Anne and Cari Ranford (Fenris and Havoc)

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Le-Anne's POV

It was my thirteenth birthday. My twin Cari was standing in front of me, doing my make-up for the summoning assembly. 

Cari was wearing a beautiful dark blue dress that went down to about her mid calf. The top was a sweetheart neckline with lace making it a three quarter sleeve.

She was wearing a simple pair of blue heels. Her hair was organized in a complicated braided up-do and her make-up was even more complicated, though still fitting in the simple blue scheme.

She was keeping my make-up simple, to my request. She had done my hair in a simple waterfall braid and had put blue carnations in with the braids.

"There, done! Are you excited, sister?" Cari says, steeping back and turning the chair towards the mirror hung on the back of our shared bedroom door.

I looked at us in the mirror. My twin standing behind me, her arms balanced on the back of the chair. When I stared at my self in the mirror, I noticed something. She braided my hair hair so that the blue-dyed ends would flow behind me when we walked up to the twin podiums at the assembly.

My outfit was exactly like her's, except it was a pale blue. I stood up, picking up my glasses and putting them on.

"Oh, c'mon! Wear your contacts for once!" Cari exclaims, throwing her hands in the air. I shake my head, adjusting my glasses.

"Nope. I'd rather be able to see without being paranoid about the contacts, if you don't mind. Now, if you would look at the time, you will see that it is quarter to noon. We should be going, dear sister." I say, taking her arm and running down the stairs.

When we finally reach the local theater where the assembly is being held, we stop by the front doors so we can quickly fix our hair. The doors are opened and we're ushered in. Our mom steps in front of us and looks us over.

"Darlings, you know that our family is ridiculed for having basically useless familiars, right?" She says anxiously, her raven, which was named Huginn after one of Odin's ravens is Norse Mythology, after the Norse word Thought ( My dad also had a raven familiar named Muninn after another one of Odin's ravens, meaning Memory or Mind), was perched on her shoulder.

She looked at the two of us. "But never in our family line have we had a pair of twins. Even if you two also have weak familiars, you are an important time in our family's history." I grimace, because she definitely could've used a better word for that.

"You mean that we are important epoch in our family? Epoch, which is a noun, means 'An important period of time in history or in someone's life.'" I correct, adjusting my glasses. Mom laughs, for she's gotten used to Cari and I correcting her and our dad's grammar.

"My, my. You've become quite eloquent, sister!" Cari laughs. I smile a bit and chuckle along side her. Mom shakes her head, and then looks at the watch on her wrist. Her eyes widen as she notices the time.

"Well, look at the time! You guys should be at the doors already!" She exclaims, pushing us through the front doors and towards the other set of doors on the other side of the lobby.

There were two men standing by the doors, and when we were close to them, they pushed the doors open, sweeping their arms across the open space to welcome us into the theater.

As Cari and I walk down the aisle towards the podiums, I glance at Cari. She looks back at me, clearly thinking what I was.

I grab her hand, walking faster as she raises our joint hands in the air, lightly spinning, making the sequins on the bottom half of her dress sparkle in the lighting.

The crowd cheers, somewhat quietly as she spins me, my hair creating a halo as it flows around me.

We reach the stage, separating and walking up the stairs on each side of said stage. Our mom walks out from back stage and stands in front of the podiums.

She starts her speech as Cari and I reach our respective spots, but not before joining our hands and gracefully spinning, switching spots in the process.

"Now, if Cari-" She starts, turning to me because I'm in the spot Cari should be in. She gives me the look, and Cari and I switch spots, earning laughter from the small crowd.

"As I was saying," she says, giving us the evil-eye. "If Cari would be the first to summon her familiar." She continues, Stepping back between the podiums as Cari steps up.

She's surrounded by a grey fog. As it disappears, a large shape is beside her. She opens her eyes, and gawks at the animal beside her.

The pure white wolf stood beside, nuzzling the side of her hip.

"Awww! He's so cute!" She said, kneeling as the wolf wags it's tail, licking her face.

I laugh a bit, and step forward before my mom introduces me. I close my eyes, my hands outstretched to the sides. Something enveloped me, and I felt a calm rush over me.

I opened my eyes, and saw the pitch black wolf by my side.

My eyes widen, the wolf nudges my still outstretched hand.

"Wow... aren't you a pretty thing?" I say kneeling in front of the wolf, who sits down in front of me.

"You..... You two have the two most powerful familiars in our family line.... Would you care to tell us their names?" Mom says, a surprised look on her face.

"His name's Havoc! Awwww, you're so cute!" Cari says, still fawning over him.

"His name's Fenris." I say, calmly petting the black beauty in front of me.

"Heh.... Well then! The twins shall head back home to get.... acquainted...... with their familiars. Have a nice afternoon!" Mom says, ushering everyone out and smiling at us before leaving herself.

I sit there, petting Fenris as he nudges my hand with is muzzle.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Cari wonders aloud, looking wonderously at the wolves in front of us. I nodded in agreement.

"Let's show them to the house, shall we, dear sister?" I ask Cari, standing up from my spot in front of Fenris.

She smiled, standing up and joining me.

She took my hand, Havoc standing by her free arm and Fenris standing by mine.

We would show them around their new home together, as we always were.

We would continue to be together, fighting and fighting against others.