The Moon Phase Trilogy | Powerless | Book Two | ORIGINAL

One

Astoria sat in her room, awaiting the results of her medical tests. She could hear the bickering between her parents and her older brother growing irritated with it. "Mom! Dad! Can you just stop fighting for a second? Tori is going to be heartbroken if she is unable to gain her magic. What are we going to do if she doesn't have powers?"

"Tobias, she will be fine." Her mother explained.

"But what if she isn't, mom? She hasn't gotten her powers yet and there is only a handful of months left before she can't get them at all. I don't want my baby sister to be tormented because she comes from a family with magic and she doesn't have any." Tobias' voice cracked.

His father put his hand on Tobias' shoulder, squeezing it, "Son, Astoria will be fine. She has gone through life this long without magic, what's two hundred more years?"

"Dad, you can't be serious! You two don't know your own daughter very well."

Tobias turned on his heel with the roll of his unique solar orange eyes and walked to his sister's room, hoping she wasn't too upset with the arguing of their parents. He looked at his little sister's expression, "You heard all of that, huh..."

Astoria nodded, tears in her eyes threatening to fall, "How could mom and dad think that? I am sure I will get my powers soon! I can feel it!" She shouted, her voice cracking with each word.

Tobias' mouse familiar scurried over to him and crawled into his shirt pocket, frightened, "Dust doesn't like all the fighting either," he chuckled with a grin. Astoria's expression didn't change, "Awe, come on, Tori, that was funny."

"No it wasn't..." she pouted and lowered her gaze. "I just hope the doctor doesn't tell me I will never get my powers. That will really bring my hopes down..."

"He won't say that, sis. He has more faith than our parents."

"Yeah...that's what you think..." she pushed her platinum blonde hair out from her hazel eyes.

"Tori, I don't think...I know. If Doctor Bluhm really thought that, he would tell you. He is an honest man." He told her. She didn't budge on the thoughts running through her mind. "Come on, Tori, smile."

Astoria gave a mocking smile and went back to pouting. 'I can hear those thoughts, Tori.'

"Quit reading my mind, Tobias!" She shouted. She didn't want to admit she had lost faith in her magic. She hated to admit that. If she did, then it would mean it was true. Astoria couldn't bear that thought to be true.

Tobias put his hand on her knee, closing his eyes and soaking up all her energy, "Astoria, what's really wrong?"

She chewed her lip, unsure how to tell her big brother what really was going on in her mind. She took a deep breath in, ready to admit it to someone she trusted, but doctor Bluhm had knocked on the door. "Astoria, can we have a word in private?" His dark hair was shaggy and fell into his blue eyes.

Astoria nodded and her eyes went to Tobias who gave her a smile of encouragement. She gave a half smile back and turned her attention back to doctor Bluhm. "Sir, what's going to happen to me?"

Doctor Bluhm let out a soft, airy laugh, "Nothing is going to happen to you, Astoria. All the tests we have done today were to see if you were going to get your magic. Those results didn't look good, but I am not here to tell you to give up. I am here to tell you to keep faith in yourself and your magic will come. You are a late bloomer, my eldest daughter is the same way. There is nothing wrong with that."

"Were the test results better than last time?" Her mother chimed in.

Doctor Bluhm ignored her question. This conversation was between him and Astoria, not her parents. "Astoria, you can call me any time, okay? Just remember to keep believing and don't worry about it too much." He gave a toothy grin and Astoria noticed he had sharp canines. He stood up, brushed himself off and walked to the door, "I will be back next week to check up on you."