Seven

Chapter III

Melody stares at me in shock. My question took her by surprise.

"I mean...I don't want to snoop or anything but...I want to know more about them. I want us to be close...we are a team after all. Whether we like it or not, we will be stuck together for some time now and I don't want them to be strangers." I explain myself.

She looks at me a little, then says "If you want to know them better, why don't you ask them yourself? You sure aren't shy. Don't feel intimidated by them. I know it all seems...overwhelming with all six of them, but give them a chance. They all have been through a lot, just like you. Maybe it doesn't seem that way, but none of them lived a perfectly happy life with supporting parents and not a care in the world. Not even Jackson. So go ahead and talk to them. I will have some news in a little bit, but they all are downstairs."

I get up and head to the door. When I am in front of it, I stop and turn towards her.

"Mel, I have a little question. It has been bugging me since I woke up. How does this room resembles so much my room back home? It almost tricked me when I opened my eyes."

She laughs a little. "Oh, it is because if the magic. I tried to make your rooms as friendly as possible, so you wouldn't freak out from the second you woke up. I guess the magic took it quite literally. I am glad it helped you relax a little."

"It did! Thank you!" She smiles kindly at me, then gestures for me to go. I shake  my head at her antics, then make my way back to the living room, Fang trotting beside me. I can see that he enjoys this atmosphere better than the one back home. It could get quite sad there, with Auntie being the way she is. I just hope she will be ok while I am gone, even tho I am quite sure Melody found a way to keep her healthy. At least I hope so.

Pushing these thoughts at the back of my mind, I enter the luminous room. Now, I take my time to study it properly. Beside the green couch and the small table, there is a bookcase full of tomes just waiting, screaming for me to open them. I love reading, just not what other teens read. I love history, science and adventure, but nothing too fantastic to be real. The carpet that covers the entite floor is a light baby pink, and the walls are painted in warm yellow. On the wall opposing the door is a big window, somehow hidden by pale green curtains. This entire room, contrary to my dark one, almost screams spring and happiness. Next to the bookcase is a door that probably leads to the kitchen.

On the carpet and on the couch, my five other companions rest. Crilia and Nathalie sit elegantly on the fluffy couch, while the boys are sprawled lazily all around the floor. Andrew reads an interesting looking book, while Percival rests on his flat stomach. Jackson is feeding Pascal some bird snacks while talking to him, and Ryan slowly pets Doug, that snores softly. Crilia is also scratching a little dog's head. Nathalie is intensely studying one of her notebooks, where I can spot the shape of a woman. Cynthia watches the drawing as well, almost analyzing it too. Louis, on the other hand, is no where to be seen. I assume he is either upstairs or outside.

The first to notice me is Crilia. She squeaks a little, catching the others' attention as well. Five pairs of eyes look up at me while I make my way towards the couch, Fang trailing behind me.

"Nice dog! This is Fang?" Jackson asks, making a move to touch him.

"Don't!" I rush to warn him. I can already see how Fang started to growl at him, and I know for a fact that if Jackson will get any closer, he won't hesitate to snap at him. Gladly, Jackson takes the hint and retract his hand.

"If you want to touch him, let me help you." I say as I get up to stand next to him. "Fang, he is my friend. Jackson is a nice guy, ok? He won't hurt you, I promise!" I tell my dog as I take Jackson's hand.

"Now, let him smell you. Don't jerk back, don't make sudden movements and don't try to pet him by force." I instruct him as I keep looking at the dog. Fang shyly approaches Jackson's big hand. He sniffs it for some time, while he keeps his hand perfectly still and shows no sign of fear. Finally, Fang gives his hand a little lick and bows his head slightly. I smile widely and I turn to Jackson.

"What does this mean, that he won't eat me to dinner?"

"No, it means that he accepted you. You can pet him now. He likes it between his front legs the most." I wink at him and take back my seat on the couch.

"That was awesome!" Crilia says as I rest my head on her shoulder. We used to sit like this back in the days before she left.

"He is an orphan, just like me. I found him on the streets when he was just a teen pup, all alone. He was abused and he still has very little trust in people. But he is a big softie on the inside."

But when I gaze back to him, he is gone. I search the room to find him and I am left speechless. My big bad dog is now resting with his head on Andrew's chest, touching Percival with his wet nose. He seems perfectly comfortable with Andrew, while he seems unfazed by the white dog that uses him as a pillow. Never before, ever since I met Fang, he have accepted a person willingly and directly, without as much as a growl. Needless to say, he has never been so close to a person beside me. With my eyes doubled in size and a smile forming on my lips, I watch my big baby staying peacefully with his new friend. I don't want to bother them, so I just keep silent, but I can see the whole room now looking in awe at the pair of newly found buddies.

The moment is cut short when Louis enters the living room with a huge white dog, way bigger that Fang. Crilia's dog almost automatically raises its black little head to study the newcomer, while Fang lazily shifts his head in a better position. Then, Melody descends the stairs, clapping to get our attention. This time, every creature in the room snaps its head up to meet her face.

"Sorry for breaking this peaceful moment, but I have to get this show on the road. I have to tell you what will happen next. First of all, we make teams. I will choose your mate, so there will be no misunderstandings. First team, Ryan and Jackson. Secondly, Crilia and Nathalie. And last but not least, Clara and Andrew. Before you ask, Louis, you will train with me." she announces.

"Why did you choose like this? Not that I am complaining!" Andrew asks, looking at me smiling.

"Because we need to balance your powers. You are a very strong magician, Andrew. Clara knows nothing about magic, but she has the greatest power inside. I trust you will help her unlock it. Ryan, same goes for you and Jackson, but it will be a little easier for you. He already has his powers, he is just...not ready to use them yet. I believe you will crack his stubbornness. Girls, you were the real trick. While Crilia has a very potent art magic, she doesn't know how to channel it into combat. Nathalie, on the other hand, is very good at combat, but she lacks the skill for magic. I have faith that you two will complement eachother perfectly. Louis, honey, you will train with me because you power is a little bit harder to handle. It requires a special hand to guide you. It is very powerful, for both good and bad. We have to be very careful. Now that we settled this matter, let's move to phase two. We can't train here. This realm has very few magic, barely enough for some basic spells. Please pack some thing, you will find upstairs everything you may need, and meet me here in half an hour."

"But where are we going, Mel?" I ask a little bit worried.

"Well to Vesuvia of course! Now, chop chop!"

Hello again! Here it is, chapter three. Hope you like it.💗