"Damon, what is the matter?" Avery asked, looking up from her book to see
Damon pale and staring off into space.
"I- nothing," he responded shortly.
"Do you know where Alder is?" Avery asked quietly.
"I don't know where she went," he said stiffly, and became even paler.
"Didn't you go to see her at the hot springs?"
"I did."
"And didn't you see where she went?"
"I did not."
"Something happened between you and her," Avery stated plainly. "What happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Why not?" Avery asked gently.
"You might get mad at me."
"Please, Damon. Just tell me," she asked softly.
"We- were dipping our feet in the water. soaking. I kissed her, Avery. I like her, too. I had to know if she felt the same way. I am really sorry. She pushed me away and left me. She said she didn't know what she wanted, and that she was confused," he said, and put his head in his hands.
"I can't blame you, Damon. It's okay. The chances that she is listern too are so minimal. I know it hurts. it hurts both of us. Let's just let time unravel this."
"So you aren't mad?"
"No, it's fine," Avery said, and smiled to reassure him.
Alder soaked in the bathtub until she was wrinkled all over. Finally when she couldn't avoid going to the suite any longer, she came into a deserted Common Room. She went into her room and threw herself onto her bed, moping. She hadn't struck any inspiration in the water of her bathtub for how she would deal with her situation. She had found herself thinking about Avery a lot lately. This morning she had kept thinking about the previous night. and what could have happened. She didn't know why, but she had been very 'drawn' to Avery the night before.
What should I tell Damon? I don't want to be with him. I turn fifteen in less than a week. how am I supposed to know what I want?
"Alder?" came Avery's voice, as she opened the door to Alder's room.
"Yes, I'm here. Come in," Alder replied.
"You aren't shielding your emotions. You are radiating them with your Empathy. I made a shield between you and Damon so that he wouldn't know what you feel. I tried to block you out of my mind, but since the emotions are strong, and I didn't want to block you out of my mind in case you Mind- Spoke me, I decided that you should know."
"Oh, God. I suppose you'll be wanting an explanation?"
"Damon kissed you. He told me. And you don't know how to react. I got that from your emotions."
"You are right."
"If it's me that's making you nervous, I would approve of you and Damon together," Avery said.
So she doesn't feel anything for me.Alder's heart sank.
"No! It's not that at all. To be honest, I don't think I feel anything for him whatsoever besides friendship. How do I tell him?" Alder moaned.
"Just tell him straight out. To tell YOU the truth, the same situation happened to me when I got here. He kissed me, and of course I felt nothing but friendship for him! What I did is later that night, I came to him and just told him plainly, 'guys aren't my type.' He took that for face value, and now we've become even better friends. Although that may not apply to you," Avery said, and raised an eyebrow.
Alder shrugged impassively. "I don't know what I want. How- when did you figure out that you were listern?" Alder asked timidly.
"Well, when every other girl at Emelis began swooning over the boys, I never felt that way. I began being attracted to girls when I was thirteen. I had a listern aunt, so I talked to her. I decided just to do what made me happy. Labels don't matter."
"That's good. How did everyone react?"
"My siblings thought that I was a mental-case. My mom was surprised but nice about it. My dad doesn't know."
"Do your sibs still think you are crazy?"
"Partially. My eldest siblings have gotten over it. The young ones won't accept the fact that their sister is a girl that likes girls!"
"Damon?" Alder called, as she knocked on the door to his room. He opened the door and beckoned for her to come in. "I am sorry that I was so rude earlier. To be honest, I had never been kissed before, and I didn't know how to react. I'm really sorry. I don't feel the same way about you," she said shortly.
"That's all right. Let's just forget that ever happened. and I have to know, are you listern, too?" he asked shyly.
"I. don't know," she said.
"Okay then. You should talk to Kat. Maybe she could help you with your confusion."
"Maybe. Not now. We'll still be friends, right?"
"Of course."
Alder decided to take Damon's advice to talk to Kat, but she never had any time off when Kat was available. The next two days passed slightly awkwardly. Alder didn't know how to treat Damon, and vice versa. Avery seemed to be amused by the awkward silences, but kindly broke them and took them to more comfortable subjects.
The sun woke Alder early on her fifteenth birthday. She rolled over and tried to fall asleep again, but she was too excited. She got up and got dressed, picked up a book, and went into the Common Room.
"Happy birthday! You're fifteen now!" Avery and Damon's voices chorused in unison. Alder rubbed her eyes and looked upon her friends. They were both fully dressed.
"Are you both insane? Should I call the Mind-Healers?" Alder asked groggily. "It is EARLY," she drawled. "Why are you awake?"
"If we're insane, then you are too. We wanted to surprise you!" Keren walked in, carrying a cake. Alder's jaw dropped, but she soon regained composure.
"Such insanity! You guys are too nice!"
Keren set the cake in the center of the table, and all of the sudden the candles lit with stunning violet flames. "That can't be natural fire. Avery, that looks like your magic," Alder said, confused.
"I went to practice with Syris because I was getting out of practice, and amazingly my Fire-Starting channel had opened. Keren says it's because of the magical backlash that I suffered from the day that you broke your leg," she said, and smiled. "Every door that closes opens a window, or something of the sort."
"Since you were linked together though the magic, and the magic was coming through Avery's channels, when the magic went wild it whipped her. Then her dormant Channel was opened," Keren explained. "Now blow them out!"
Alder leaned towards the candles, and closed her eyes. She made a wish, and blew out the candles. Or tried to. As soon as the flame was extinguished, it popped up again with a flare. Alder thought that it was just a strange occurrence caused by a drift of air, but after the flames kept springing up out of no where, she turned a glare at Avery. She couldn't keep a straight face, and everyone started laughing. Avery nodded, and Alder turned and blew the candles out once and for all. Keren took out a knife and carefully sliced the cake.
"Cake for breakfast. I like your style, Keren." After breakfast, everyone went to change for their first lesson of the day. When Alder re-entered the Common Room, she discovered that everyone had left, but by the door was a pile of packages. Alder picked the first one up. "To Alder- From Damon". She neatly peeled off the wrapping and discovered that Damon had given her embroidery flosses and embroidery patterns. She ran her fingers along the many colored threads, and set it aside for later.
She received other practical gifts from Kat, Keren, and Syris, but the fift that stood out the most was from Avery. Wrapped in navy-blue cloth was a beautiful necklace. Rubies were set into a stunning silver chain, and on top of the necklace was a note reading, "Happy fifteenth birthday. Hope it's a good one. With much love, Avery."
"I- nothing," he responded shortly.
"Do you know where Alder is?" Avery asked quietly.
"I don't know where she went," he said stiffly, and became even paler.
"Didn't you go to see her at the hot springs?"
"I did."
"And didn't you see where she went?"
"I did not."
"Something happened between you and her," Avery stated plainly. "What happened?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Why not?" Avery asked gently.
"You might get mad at me."
"Please, Damon. Just tell me," she asked softly.
"We- were dipping our feet in the water. soaking. I kissed her, Avery. I like her, too. I had to know if she felt the same way. I am really sorry. She pushed me away and left me. She said she didn't know what she wanted, and that she was confused," he said, and put his head in his hands.
"I can't blame you, Damon. It's okay. The chances that she is listern too are so minimal. I know it hurts. it hurts both of us. Let's just let time unravel this."
"So you aren't mad?"
"No, it's fine," Avery said, and smiled to reassure him.
Alder soaked in the bathtub until she was wrinkled all over. Finally when she couldn't avoid going to the suite any longer, she came into a deserted Common Room. She went into her room and threw herself onto her bed, moping. She hadn't struck any inspiration in the water of her bathtub for how she would deal with her situation. She had found herself thinking about Avery a lot lately. This morning she had kept thinking about the previous night. and what could have happened. She didn't know why, but she had been very 'drawn' to Avery the night before.
What should I tell Damon? I don't want to be with him. I turn fifteen in less than a week. how am I supposed to know what I want?
"Alder?" came Avery's voice, as she opened the door to Alder's room.
"Yes, I'm here. Come in," Alder replied.
"You aren't shielding your emotions. You are radiating them with your Empathy. I made a shield between you and Damon so that he wouldn't know what you feel. I tried to block you out of my mind, but since the emotions are strong, and I didn't want to block you out of my mind in case you Mind- Spoke me, I decided that you should know."
"Oh, God. I suppose you'll be wanting an explanation?"
"Damon kissed you. He told me. And you don't know how to react. I got that from your emotions."
"You are right."
"If it's me that's making you nervous, I would approve of you and Damon together," Avery said.
So she doesn't feel anything for me.Alder's heart sank.
"No! It's not that at all. To be honest, I don't think I feel anything for him whatsoever besides friendship. How do I tell him?" Alder moaned.
"Just tell him straight out. To tell YOU the truth, the same situation happened to me when I got here. He kissed me, and of course I felt nothing but friendship for him! What I did is later that night, I came to him and just told him plainly, 'guys aren't my type.' He took that for face value, and now we've become even better friends. Although that may not apply to you," Avery said, and raised an eyebrow.
Alder shrugged impassively. "I don't know what I want. How- when did you figure out that you were listern?" Alder asked timidly.
"Well, when every other girl at Emelis began swooning over the boys, I never felt that way. I began being attracted to girls when I was thirteen. I had a listern aunt, so I talked to her. I decided just to do what made me happy. Labels don't matter."
"That's good. How did everyone react?"
"My siblings thought that I was a mental-case. My mom was surprised but nice about it. My dad doesn't know."
"Do your sibs still think you are crazy?"
"Partially. My eldest siblings have gotten over it. The young ones won't accept the fact that their sister is a girl that likes girls!"
"Damon?" Alder called, as she knocked on the door to his room. He opened the door and beckoned for her to come in. "I am sorry that I was so rude earlier. To be honest, I had never been kissed before, and I didn't know how to react. I'm really sorry. I don't feel the same way about you," she said shortly.
"That's all right. Let's just forget that ever happened. and I have to know, are you listern, too?" he asked shyly.
"I. don't know," she said.
"Okay then. You should talk to Kat. Maybe she could help you with your confusion."
"Maybe. Not now. We'll still be friends, right?"
"Of course."
Alder decided to take Damon's advice to talk to Kat, but she never had any time off when Kat was available. The next two days passed slightly awkwardly. Alder didn't know how to treat Damon, and vice versa. Avery seemed to be amused by the awkward silences, but kindly broke them and took them to more comfortable subjects.
The sun woke Alder early on her fifteenth birthday. She rolled over and tried to fall asleep again, but she was too excited. She got up and got dressed, picked up a book, and went into the Common Room.
"Happy birthday! You're fifteen now!" Avery and Damon's voices chorused in unison. Alder rubbed her eyes and looked upon her friends. They were both fully dressed.
"Are you both insane? Should I call the Mind-Healers?" Alder asked groggily. "It is EARLY," she drawled. "Why are you awake?"
"If we're insane, then you are too. We wanted to surprise you!" Keren walked in, carrying a cake. Alder's jaw dropped, but she soon regained composure.
"Such insanity! You guys are too nice!"
Keren set the cake in the center of the table, and all of the sudden the candles lit with stunning violet flames. "That can't be natural fire. Avery, that looks like your magic," Alder said, confused.
"I went to practice with Syris because I was getting out of practice, and amazingly my Fire-Starting channel had opened. Keren says it's because of the magical backlash that I suffered from the day that you broke your leg," she said, and smiled. "Every door that closes opens a window, or something of the sort."
"Since you were linked together though the magic, and the magic was coming through Avery's channels, when the magic went wild it whipped her. Then her dormant Channel was opened," Keren explained. "Now blow them out!"
Alder leaned towards the candles, and closed her eyes. She made a wish, and blew out the candles. Or tried to. As soon as the flame was extinguished, it popped up again with a flare. Alder thought that it was just a strange occurrence caused by a drift of air, but after the flames kept springing up out of no where, she turned a glare at Avery. She couldn't keep a straight face, and everyone started laughing. Avery nodded, and Alder turned and blew the candles out once and for all. Keren took out a knife and carefully sliced the cake.
"Cake for breakfast. I like your style, Keren." After breakfast, everyone went to change for their first lesson of the day. When Alder re-entered the Common Room, she discovered that everyone had left, but by the door was a pile of packages. Alder picked the first one up. "To Alder- From Damon". She neatly peeled off the wrapping and discovered that Damon had given her embroidery flosses and embroidery patterns. She ran her fingers along the many colored threads, and set it aside for later.
She received other practical gifts from Kat, Keren, and Syris, but the fift that stood out the most was from Avery. Wrapped in navy-blue cloth was a beautiful necklace. Rubies were set into a stunning silver chain, and on top of the necklace was a note reading, "Happy fifteenth birthday. Hope it's a good one. With much love, Avery."