When I made it to school the next morning while I was putting my things together at my locker, I felt Tristen before I saw him. Coming through the doors of the school, he was with Amber making their way to me. "How are you today beautiful?" He asked with that breath-taking smile. Be still my heart, "Much better now," I answer him. "You ready?" He replied.
With that I just nodded my head and walked beside him. Being this close to him, oh and the smell of him. It is almost like torture. Our hands had a moment on contact. I felt a jolt of electric run through my arm up to my shoulder. We both stop walking and look at one another. "What was that?" I ask. Tristen just stared at me.
"What was you thinking about just then?" he asked.
Becoming embarrassed I lower my head, "Just wondering how it would be to actually feel your touch again." I answer shyly. His finger under my chin slowly pulls my face to look at him, it then moves to the side of my face and my head turns to be cupped by his palm. My eyes close and I inhale his scent which makes my heart race. Oh, my body knew it was missing something.
Is this better? I heard his voice but not loud like it should have been, due to him being right next to me. Open your eyes Brynn. As I do I see him. His eyes, were so bright almost a glow of emerald green. They were sparkling. His lips, oh how I wanted to feel those.
Soon, my dear. There are too many people for that to happen at this moment. I heard him say. Wait, I heard him say that but his lips did not move. I would know my eyes were locked on them. Was I that lost in my fantasy that I didn't pay attention? Tristen answered my unspoken question by shaking his head. Shaking myself, I step back from him. "What, How?" I sputtered out.
"Shh, its ok. I'm sorry, I should not have done that here." Tristen said. I guess I showed that I was ready to be in flight mode because he grabbed my hand and walked me back towards the parking lot. What in the world is going on here? Am I still dreaming? How is it that I heard his voice in my head but nothing came out of his mouth? Am I crazy?
No, you are not crazy. I will explain everything in a few moments when I get us out of here so I can do so. Tristen's voice was in my head again. But I really do not think he was talking out loud. We stop walking, in the middle of the parking lot he puts both hands on my shoulders.
While looking in my eyes he says, "Please let's just get out of here and I promise you will understand." Giving me a moment to think he just gaze in my eyes. Looking for understanding from me. "Do you trust me?" For some reason, and every Disney movie that makes it a part to have the hero ask this very question, I with everything in me, did trust him. I shake my head yes. And we continue to his car.
Once in, I buckle up and he takes off. I knew boys like to drive fast but, this was pushing the limits. I grip the consul to keep from flopping to the sides as we drive. Once we were away from school, he started to slow down. His grip on the steering wheel loosen and one hand dropped and found mine. My hand instantly warmed to his touch. And I felt it spread all through my body. I look over at him and he is smiling. His thumb starts slowly stroking over mine.
"I am sorry that I did that to you. I thought that you knew. The way you caught everything that was going on around you. And the way that you put yourself into every situation that normal people would just run from. I thought that you knew about us." He said.
"Us?" I asked. "Who is us, and exactly what are you talking about? How am I able to hear your thoughts in my head?"
He pulls over the car and turns it off. "Do you know anything about our families?" he asked me.
"Well, I know that yours is one of the first families to this town and that you have a rival with the Chaffins" I answered. "Really, quit changing the subject. How are you in my head." I am screaming at this moment.
"Please, bear with me. Let me finish, hear it all. Then you can freak out on me." He answers while begging me with his eyes to give him a chance. When I don't say anything he continues, "That is all true about my family but, there is so much more to it. Normally, I am not allowed to even discuss it with someone that has no clue. But I have let that cat out of the bag haven't I." He states with a sigh. "My family is different, we have special things about us." I did not say a word hopefully encouraging him to continue. "My family comes from a lengthy line of powerful people. "He looks at me as to let that sink in.
"Ok, so your family has money, did they do experiments on you to cause this to happen?" I ask Knowing that it is not the answer but I needed to hear it from him.
Chuckling, "no, umm my family are called white lighters." He answers. I sat there looking at the dash board of expensive car that I don't even know the name of, wondering what the heck could be a white lighter. "It's the product of when a witch and angel have a baby." Wait a minute, now I have heard everything. Here I was expecting for him to tell me I was crazy or something. But, he is telling me that he is a witch demon thing.
"White Lighter, I am not a demon. Though, a dark lighter can become like a demon." He continues.
This is too much, I need some air. I get out of the car and realize we are at the lake. I start to walk into the wooded area. Going over the idea of white lighters and dark lighters. That were made by witches and angels and the possibility of demons. Are all those things real? Next thing he will tell me is that the tooth fairy is too.
Tristen does not say much as he follows me. Further and further, I walk stepping over trees and rocks. Almost falling twice but catching myself before he could. Then it hit me, he said my family. I stop and turn on him. "You said my family" I state. "What about them?"
It's his turn to look at the ground before finding my eyes to explain, "your family is one of the families of white lighters in this town. And, one of the oldest one's ever still living."
"No, No I am not a white lighter, nor Nan, nor my mom. You are so wrong about that." I kept getting louder and louder with each word. "I believe I would know if we were."
Tristen steps to me, without touching me he speaks calmly, "earlier you said that you trusted me, is that still true?"
"I don't know, I mean you are trying to tell me that my family are witches. What would you think?" I say with harsher then I wanted. It is hard trying to wrap a mind around something like this.
"I understand your confusion, I was brought up knowing who I was my whole life. And there were classes and so much more that prepared me for what my life would be as a white lighter. I do not understand why you were never told but you are a white lighter." He spoke to me cautiously. Not understanding either, I remember that Nan and mom both were trying to talk to me the other night. Tristen continued speaking, "I would not be able to speak in your head if you weren't. And that jolt that you felt, that was part of your power that you have inside of you."
"Power, what? I do not have any power. I am just an average girl. There is no way I can have power or can speak to others in their heads." I am shouting at this point, turning away from him so he could not see how upset this was to me. My anger has hit the full mark. I am shaking all over and the heat that is coming off me I feel rise off my chest. Once I realize this, I start to breathe in my nose out my mouth.
"No! stop!" he shouts at me. I turn to look at him. "What you are doing now is calming the power inside yourself. Somewhere along the line of your life you were taught to do this. It is one of the many techniques we use to stay in control of ourselves. When you are breathing like that, what are you doing with your hands?"
"Place them either on a flat surface or rub them on my legs slowly," I answer. "Why?" I ask?
"Well, when you place them on something you are forcing that energy in your body to that object, or when you rub on your legs you are releasing it through the motion of the rubbing on the legs. That is the first two ways any white lighter learns to do this. Was it your mom who taught you this?" He asks.
Thinking about my life growing up it was not hard to remember all the times mom would go over with me the importance of controlling my emotions. "Yes, when I was little my temper was horrible. And I had to seek advice of a specialist on how to calm me down." I answer. "Thinking back, I never saw the guy, just heard mom on the phone with him a lot. And then she would practice with me."
"What about your dad? Is he anything like your mom?" Tristen asks.
"I do not know my real dad. My dad that has raised me my whole life married my mom when I was six months old. But, he is no longer in the picture." I explain softly. This has my emotions on full force right not. Anger from being told about my family, to remember that the dad I have known my whole life now does not want anything to do with me. All because he found the love of his life which is no longer my mom, it's the younger version of her. I wrap my arms around myself to try to calm myself. My arms and legs start trembling unstoppable. Feeling the heat take over my body and I start to sweat.
"Close your eyes Brynn," When I don't respond he continues, "please do it." Tristen asks. Closing my eyes, I can see nothing but gold and orange swirls of liquid. It was like looking at lava with glitter. With each of my emotional break downs it is always an assorted color I see, depends upon the emotions I feel. Feeling the heat rushing through me, the colors get brighter. "Yes, Brynn that's it. See if you can control that lava." Tristen says. How in the world am I supposed to do that? I think to myself.
These colors are inside of you, this is your body and mind. You are its boss. Now, concentrate hard on making those colors form into a ball.
Pressing together the sides of this lava in my mind, and the top and bottom was next. Over and over I would alternate pushing the sides together and top and bottom, as if I was kneading dough. Until I had a nice size ball formed in my head. Wow, its beautiful. It was like looking at the sun without hurting your eyes. And seeing the energy shooting around contained inside of it.
Now Brynn, open your eyes.
Opening them there in front of me was the sun energy ball. Swirling between my hands as it was in my head. Scaring the crap out of me, I throw my hands up and the ball shots forward and hits the tree. I yell and fall to the ground from the blast. Looking over my shoulder, I see the tree cut in half and smoke with fire spouting from the trunk of the tree. Tristen walks over and leans down near me. He did not touch me before saying.
Has the light been put under control? Feeling ever bit of ice cold down to my bones, I shake my head yes. He leaves to walk to the tree and I feel where his hand was on my knee. The tingle from his touch is still there.
Circling his hands in front of him an orb forms and he straighten out his hands and the orb floats over and stretches out to form around what is left of the tree. Tristen's head and shoulders move slightly back and forth as if he was trying to tie a knot or something. I see in the orb that is filling up from the smoke. And the fire is dying out slowly. After another moment, the orb floats up away from us and away through the clouds. Tristen turns around before walking back to me.
Leaning down he wraps his arms around me and slides me unto his lap as he sits on the ground. "Shh, everything is ok." He whispers. Then I realize that I am crying. Wiping the tears away his hand strokes my hair out of my face. I feel like I am wrapped up in a blanket and it is wonderful. Never have I felt so safe, or wanted as I do now beside when I am with my Nan. Nan! I raise up fast and begin to stand up. "Wait! calm down. You have to relax a moment." Tristen says as he tries to make me sit back down. Realizing that I am not going to he stands up with me and wraps his arms around me. I start to sway then. "It was the first time you actually used your powers, it takes a lot out of you to do so. You must relax."
With that said I allowed him to walk me to the car. It was getting closer to where I wanted to be anyways and being in his arms made it double nice. After him making sure I was safely in the car he gets in and starts to drive. "I need you to take me to my house" I say to him. He looks at me with pleading eyes. "You know that I have to talk to my Nan, and my mom."
"Yes, I understand. Can I ask a favor?" he ask. I shake my head yes. "May I stay and wait for you? I need to know you are okay." My heart starts thumping loudly in my chest. I hope this excitement that he gives me so easily never ends.
"I am going to need you there. I don't think I will be able to explain it to them what happened to me without you." I say. He nodes his head and focuses on driving. I lie my head back and get lost in thought of everything he told me. And how mom tried to tell me we were special. Here I thought it was psychic powers and it seems so much more.