"I know, but we have to still be careful." Said Piper, sliding into worry.
"We should all get some sleep and worry about it in the morning, after school. It is going to be Friday after all." Said Wyatt before he hugged his mother and father and said goodnight to everyone and climbed the stairs to his room.
"I agree." Replied Melinda with a yawn. She too went up the stairs and into her room, slowly followed by everyone. She said goodnight as she closed her bedroom door and went to her bed, falling asleep the moment her head touched the pillow.
I can't believe them. Thought Wynter as she sat on the railing of her balcony. They always make a big deal out of everything I do. She sighed and looked in front of her as the wing beats of a crow slowed and it landed on the railing, looking at her. "You again." Her voice still icy.
The crow seemed to smile at her.
"What do you want? I have nothing for you."
It cawed in response. Yes you do. It thought.
She raised an eyebrow. Sure I could interpret what an animal wanted by the way it looked at me or moved but I had never read animals thoughts before. Maybe it was because this crow wasn't naturally a crow, maybe it was because it was something else. Something supernatural.
Have you figured it out yet? There was a slightly familiar tone on the thoughts now.
She ran a hand through her hair and slid off the railing, moving to the door she looked over her shoulder at the crow. "Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't matter." With that River opened the door the returned to her room, leaning on a post of her bed.
On the contrary, it actually does matter. Especially if you know what I want from you.
Wynter swiftly turned to see the crow flying away, its caws echoing through the night air. Weird, you need to talk to Phoebe or Cole about you being able to talk to crows now. Maybe you're not really related to them. She closed her door with a flick of her wrist and then laid down and dozed off, getting a few moments of sleep before her alarm went off. Though she couldn't get the voices out of her head. The crow's voice seemed slightly familiar. Then there was the alluring voice of the guy she had met in the cemetery. "Who is he?"
"Who's who?" Asked Chris from the kitchen, his eyes curious.
She turned and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. She hadn't noticed that she had left her room, let alone come down the stairs and into the kitchen. "No one." She replied, getting them both a coffee.
He looked at her concerned. "Thanks." He said as she placed the coffee in front of him, made the way he likes it. "You ok?"
She sipped her coffee enjoying the heat roll down her throat. "Fine." she muttered. "Why?" she glanced at him through the steam, sensing his worry.
"No reason."
"Ok." She glanced at the doorway. "Where is everyone?"
"Gone." He replied standing and setting his empty cup in the sink. "To school. Come on, let's go." He grabbed his stuff and orbed to the school.
She sighed and orbed to the school taking her time to get to class, concerned about what Chris was hiding from her. The hell is wrong with everyone?
The late bell rang as she reached the door, opening it calmly and walking to her desk.
"Miss Halliwell! Your tardiness will not be tolerated." Stated the teacher from his desk.
She stopped and turned to look at him. "My tardiness, as you so bluntly stated really doesn't care if it's tolerated or not."
He blinked surprised at her tone then regained his demeanour and stood leaning on his desk, his voice angry. "Your actions aren't the best. Keep this up and you won't pass my class."
"Personally, I don't care." With that she turned walked calmly to her seat and sat down. This is pitiful. I need to talk to Chris... But what if he questions me on why I keep drifting away... A sigh escaped her as she ignored the teacher's lesson.
The day went by idly as she absently got through her classes. She blinked and stood as the lunch bell rang. Wonder if he's on lunch now... She wandered into the cafeteria for the first time since they came to Mystic Falls High. She scanned the cafeteria silently trying to spot him, though she became vaguely aware of the eyes looking at her from all over the room. Must be outside.
She turned and headed out of the school and spotted him and the others at a picnic table near a big oak tree. She breathed lightly as she made her way over to them. She felt something as she got closer.
"How's your classes going?" Luna asked as Wynter stopped and leaned on the tree. Her smile quickly faded as she noticed she sister's gaze searching the street.
"What is it?" Asked Chris, voicing the question they were all thinking.
"I don't know." She blinked and lowered her eyes and then looked at the them, meeting the all to familiar worried looks. "Probably nothing."
She's been acting weird since this morning. What's going on? Chris thought as he watched the confusion slightly reveal itself in her aquamarine eyes, making them become more aqua. He lowered his eyes to his lunch as he bit into his sandwich.
"Something's wrong Wynter, we know it." Said Luna, carefully. "We're worried about you. Whatever it is that's bothering you, you know you can talk to us about it."
"Exactly." Conformed Wyatt and Chris.
Melinda remained quiet as she ate her lunch, not really concerned about her cousin's problems. "She's always getting into trouble, why should this time be any different?"
"Melinda!" Said Chris getting angry.
Wynter pinched the bridge of her nose, to try and keep herself from doing something stupid to her cousin. "Leave it alone..." Her voice grew cold as it slithered past her lips. She could feel them looking at her, but also something else. Opening her eyes she scanned the school parking lot and then the street again. Her eyes rested on a tree, or rather something perched hidden among the branches.
"Wynter?" Chris had spoke her name calmly.
"Hmm?" she replied, not taking her eyes off the tree.
"The bell rang, we should be getting to class." He quickly looked in the direction she was staring and then looked back at her.
"I'll catch up."
"Alright." he replied and reluctantly walked back into the school with Luna, Wyatt, and Melinda.
Alright. She thought suspiciously, before slowly making her way into the school. She calmly opened the door to her last class, not noticing, nor caring that she was both late and the teacher was yelling at her for interrupting the lesson.
She silently made her way to her desk, thoughts running rampant through her mind. What the hell is going on? It's like their getting sketchy around me... "Fuck it." She muttered as she stared absently out the window, at the tree she had been staring at earlier.
"What was that miss Halliwell?" commented the teacher looking directly at her.
She lowered her eyes and stood, grabbing her stuff leaving seconds before the bell rang. She calmly made her way outside and behind the school where she was about to orb away when she heard Luna call her name. She turned and looked at her.
"What you doing?" she asked curiously.
"Nothing." Wynter replied bluntly.
Luna looked her sister over and then smiled. "Alright. Let's go home."
"You know you can talk to us right?" said Chris as he stopped beside Luna.
"I know that." She replied. She looked away from her cousins. "I'm going be late, I'll see you all at home." With that she orbed away leaving her cousins standing there both curious and worried.
"What did she mean she'll be late?" Melinda said almost annoyed as Wyatt placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I don't know, maybe she'll be late getting home." Replied Wyatt patiently.
With a frustrated breath Chris and the others orbed back to their house and walked inside, the house empty. Wyatt making them all a snack while Chris, Luna and Melinda started their homework.
Wynter breathed softly as she walked inside a restaurant called the Mystic Grill. Damn this is getting boring. They need to stop worrying. Silently she walked over to a pool table and racked the balls, preparing to play pool solo. She did her best not to let the moments of her talking to the crow show. You just imagined it River. There's no possible way you could've spoken to a crow or anything else non human and have it actually understand you. "Then again you are aren't technically human as it is, so who knows." She sighed as she struck the cue ball and caused it to hit the remaining few balls into the pockets of the table. "Still, might be a good idea to talk to Cole about this."
She placed the pool stick back on the rack on the wall behind her and headed for the door. As she passed the bar she sensed it, the same presence as when they first arrived. She casually looked at the bar and what she saw confirmed her feeling. It was him, the same guy from the church ruins. What the hell?! She looked back in front of her and slid out the door, slowly making her way to a less populated place, once there she orbed back home and straight towards the kitchen but stopped as she heard everyone talking about her.
"…She needs to know what Phoebe saw." It was Piper.
"Thing is she's not going to listen." Commented Leo, He seemed genuinely concerned. "We all know that."
"It's not her fault." Stated Chris softly.
"We know Chris." Phoebe spoke softly, though she along with everyone else, was scared. "But someone needs to tell her."
"None of us want to lose her Chris, especially me." Luna spoke now, her words were true but her voice shook with deep concern and worry for her other half. "If we lose her, then I'll be not only losing my sister but also a part of me."
"We should at least figure out what Phoebe's vision means before we go jumping head first." Wyatt this time. "That way we'll hopefully know what it is we're up against."
Paige's voice cracked slightly as she spoke. "I'm not losing my baby girl."
What the hell are they going on about? Wynter thought before orbing up stairs and silently walking towards her room. Once there and she went on to the balcony and sat on the railing and did her homework. After abut an hour she closed the note book and listened carefully, the house was very quiet. So she slid off the balcony tossed the note book on her bed and headed out of her room and towards the stairs. Time for a relaxing coffee. She thought casually. She had just got her coffee when she heard her name. I thought everyone left?
She walked towards the living room and leaned on the door frame sipping her coffee. "How come your still here Uncle?"
Cole looked at her and smiled slightly. "I wanted to talk to you."
"Oh dear." she breathed.
"It's nothing bad." Said Cole looking at her curiously, he could tell she over heard them talking about her earlier. "Just want to know how your adjusting?"
"Adjusting?" She raised an eyebrow as she looked at him.
"Yeah. I know you probably feel just as out of place as I do here." he paused for a moment before continuing. "But you have to admit it's nice here. Peaceful, in a way."
"Yeah." She replied blandly. She didn't want peaceful, she wanted to go home.
"You know your mother would be hurt if she knew how much you hated it here."
"I know." She commented with a slight shrug as her glance fell to the floor. "Is it possible for me to be able to hear the thoughts of animals?"
"I'm not sure. Why? Did something happen?"
She shook her head. She couldn't answer the questions, because she didn't even know the answers herself. "Forget about it." She turned and headed back to the stairs. There's a reasonable explanation for it... Right? There has to be... Coincidences don't happen... There's always a reason for things... "What were you guys talking about earlier? Other then me."
He inhaled a short sharp breath as he stood and walked over to her. He knew he couldn't tell her about the danger coming. But he wanted to, so she'd at least know to keep her guard up and to watch out. She's always alert and she rarely ever lets her guard down... even around us. Can't blame her really... But I can't tell her the truth, at least not yet... But she'll find out and then where will we all be? "Nothing."
"You're lying." She turned to look at him, slightly wounded that he'd lie to her, but knew he was just doing it out of family love.
"It's nothing, honest." He gave her a quick caring hug. "Go get some rest you must be tired." He let her go and returned to the living room.
This family just keeps getting weirder. She shook her head and turned and started climbing the stairs. She had just closed her bedroom door and leaned on it as she heard the front door open and the others walk in.
She moved from the door and turned to open it as she heard someone knocking. "Yes?"
"What's wrong with you?" Melinda's voice was as irritable as always.
Wynter tilted her head slightly, almost thoughtfully as she replied. "Well, for one I'm related to you."
Melinda's mouth opened and closed as if she were a suffocating fish as she racked her brain for some form of insult or rebuttal to attack her cousin with.
Wynter leaned against the door frame, waiting patiently to see what her cousin might come up with, though there was a slightly amused half smirk on her face at the sight of Melinda struggling. And to think you try and get me mad.
Unable to think of anything Melinda turned and stormed off towards her bedroom in a huff, slamming the door behind her in both frustration and anger.
Wynter grimaced a little at the sound confirming Melinda's emotions currently resonated off the walls of the hallway. This family and anger issues.. Oi. She moved from back into her room and closed the door, locking it before heading to her bed and flopping down on it after grabbing a thick hard covered book and began reading it. Well Mr. Poe, You truly were brilliant back in your day, even if people didn't know it then.
The light of the sun pierced through the sheer midnight blue curtains of Wynter's bed, rousing her from her sleep.
