My Jade

ch. 5 fireflies

Ch. 5  

"Is there something you never told me?" I called my mother as soon as Clara left the room.  

"Well, that sure was quick. You've only been there what an hour or so." She replied.  

"When were you going to tell me that you are a reincarnated witch princess, and my father is an immortal? And I am now an abomination of your two races?" I screamed , '' What am I going to find out next, Mojo isn't really a chihuahua but a winged horse in his tiny body!"  

"Calm down sweetie. Look, I know I should have told you some things, but I couldn't risk you. Do you know what the mother coven will do to you if they find out the truce was remade?"  

Mother coven? What now she knows what all this is. Wow, I trusted my mom with everything she was my best friend. I hated my father my whole life because I thought he was a piece of shit guy that walked out on us, when in reality all he did was protect me!  

"Mom?.... you there? Hello?" well hell.... So much for that. You'd think with the us only having a couple of white spots on their picture that Verizon would have service everywhere. Apparently I'm a white dot because my service bar just showed me a big fat "x". that's just awesome.  

Well I guess I'm on my own. Thanks a lot mom you were loads of help. I guess now all I can do is try and find my next clue. Where on earth I'm going to look, I don't know. Hell, I don't even know where the bathroom is!  

***  

"Hey you. You ready for dinner? I see you've made yourself at home." Charles says from the doorway.  

I left it open just in case someone walked by I could ask them to show me around. Unfortunately the only person that walked by was Maria. The Latino housekeeper who only spoke spanish. Now I'm stuck looking at the hottest boy I've seen since, well actually since Ernie. And he is staring at my life-size picture of Taylor Lautner I put next to the door.  

"What? You like what you see?" I say teasingly as he turns back to me smiling.  

"I certainly do." He responds looking into my eyes.  

Wow, I was so not expecting that. So much for not falling for the hot tutor... oh shit he can't read my thoughts like his sister can I hope.  

"So, do you like do the same things as your sister? You know the mind things?"  

"You mean like reading peoples thoughts, no. why should I be?"  

..... again with the cute chuckling he is making me melt. He is so hot!  

"No your fine just the way you are. ... so didn't you say something about food? I am starving"  

I smile at him and follow him downstairs to the.... Outside? He takes me to the back porch. There is the sweetest set up of candles resting on antique brass holders. More line the rail of the banister next to the cutest table complete with the whitest tablecloth I think I've ever seen. Looking over the porch, a small stone walkway leading down to a small pier sorrounded by tall moss covered trees. In what looks like a river running behind the house.  

"Miss," he says as he pulls out a chair gesturing for me to sit.  

"Wow, this is so pretty!" I say as I'm sure my eyes show all my hidden emotions.  

He takes the seat across mine as Maria brings out a covered tray and places it in the center of the table. Great I'm starving!  

"Oh! WHAT is that!" I shriek looking over at Charles to see him giggling as I gaze at the monstrocities before me.. "they look like baby lobsters, and what are those. They look like messed up chicken tenders."  

Maria huffs away back inside,I think I might have hurt her feelings. She might not speak english but I'm sure my expressions were easy enough to read.  

"They are crawfish, and those, are not chicken. They are fried catfish and oysters." He looked at me expecting some kind of response I guess. "don't tell me you've never had boiled crawfish!"  

He proceeds to take the miniature lobsters and rip them in half. He then sucks on one end and pulls a chunk of meat from the tail.  

"That is barbaric." I say giggling because he looks so into it.  

"Oh, come on you gotta try it," he responds shoving the piece of tail meat at me  

And here I thought this was going to be a romantic dinner. He is ruining the pretty tablecloth. I try to prod into his mind and make sure he isn't lying but I don't get any feedback. Maybe that's a good sign. I hesitantly stick the tiny piece of meat in my mouth....and instantly start coughing.  

"Are you ok?"he says instantly getting to my side.  

"You... didn't ..tell me it ...was .. spicy," I managed between gasps. As he bursts out laughing. "it's not funny you ass. I couldn't breathe that stuff is spicy. I think I'll try some of these things." I gesture towards the fried items.  

Note to self. Ask Clara about the mind reading tricks.  

The rest of the dinner went pretty well, the catfish turned out to be pretty good with the right amount of coctail sauce. The oysters were yummy, but a little chewy. our conversations turned into in depth life stories, I got to hear about his parents strange marriage. How Clara is actually his half with sister and he is an immortal  

"So let me see if I get this. My immortal powers let me choose when I want to age and when I don't."I ask  

"Yes, but when you don't age, it uses a lot more power and you get weak, hance the little vampire immortal deal. Your oxygen carrying blood cells get burned up by the power that runs through your veins when you don't age. So in order to stay alive or keep from aging you must intake blood from another source."  

"You mean I actually have to drink blood from someone. But blood is nasty it has the matallic taste and what about HIV aren't you worried you might catch something?"  

He just chuckles at me a little "well once you've changed, your tastes change. Maybe not your tolerance for spicy foods, but we can just blame hat on you being a yankee."  

"Oh whatever. Are you going to make fun of me for that all summer now?" then something bright, like a yellow strobe light is lighting up my eyes. I see a small swarm of bugs off in the middle of the yard. "what are those? Are they fireflies?"  

"What the lightening bugs?" don't tell me you've never seen those either." He adds  

Just then he rushes inside and comes back out with a glass mason jar, just like the ones we are drinking out of only he has a lid paper towel to put over it.  

"Well, what are you waiting for come on." He says running out to the yard.  

We ran around the yard like a couple of excited children catching as many as we could with out squishing them in our hands. When we decided we were too tired to catch anymore and decided we had plenty in our jar, we walked to the pier and sat down. I watched him adoringly as he took his shoes off to dangle his feet in the water. I accompanied his bare feet with mine swaying them side to side brushing mine against his. If anyone were watching it would have been impossible not to see the flirting going on.  

"So what is our weakness?" I asked catching him looking at me.  

Tilting his head a little, looking at me with a confused look he just said, "huh?"  

" you know, like how do we die... apparently we have a super immune system so I can rule out cancer. I heal super fast so I can rule out injury. So is it a stake to the heart or what?" there goes my smart-ass side again.  

"Well there is always suffocation from starvation... you know no blood. but yes actually the killing of our heart would be the only way. But there are more ways than just staking it." he said staring at me.  

"And how else is that?" I ask  

"By stealing it" he whispers as he leans in and places the softest kiss right on my lips.