I am sorry it has taken me ages to update. Moving has been a bigger task than I was expecting and then life just continued to hit me with curve balls. However, as I said before, I know where I am going with this story and I will finish it. My goal is going to be to post one chapter per month. This month (due to my lack of posting recently) you guys get two chapters. Here you go!
~ GottesBlume
Chapter Eight: The Calm before the Storm
The rain drops hit the ground one after another in a soothing rhythmic pattern that Siobhan tried to mimic with the splashes that her tall brown boots created in the puddle filled
walkway of the trailer park, Silver Hand Terrace. The rain was just another sign of the changing seasons and her looming birthday. "How did this happen so quickly?" pondered Siobhan
It seemed just like yesterday that she was enjoying the remnants of summer phasing into autumn, the scariness of starting public school for the first time, the awkwardness of making friends, and the never ending chore of homework. She even recalled the fun trip with the guys to the fall festival. Casey and Colin had apparently finally admitted to liking each other and Warren seemed to warm up to her as a friend. It had been a good trip. She hadn't been worrying about her birthday then. Yet, she knew that the calendar properly told her that two months had passed. Siobhan bit her lip as she mentally calculated the days till her birthday and when she would be eligible for mating. "First there is the autumn feast on November 1st, only a day away, then only seven days…" thought Siobhan
The ground seemed to quake with Siobhan's footsteps as she increased her pace. The puddles splashed almost to her knees as she tried to walk without necessarily running. The beauty of the clouds as they bumped into each other and formed creases and crescents of varying shades of gray was lost on the child of the spirit while her eyes remained focused on the brown building labeled "Air Clan".
She knew that Cian was often busy with the affairs of the Air clan, which was the biggest clan. Yet, with her birthday almost less than a week away, she couldn't wait much longer. Siobhan took a calming breath before she entered the little building where she would find the elder of the Air clan. The waiting room was a decorated in comforting shades of blue with soft yellow accents. Siobhan rang the bell by the door that led into Cian's office and waited. Since the middle of October, Siobhan had felt the greedy gaze of Bruce's eyes even when she couldn't see him. It felt like a fog that followed her every step and crept up her spine. Siobhan shivered and tugged her heavy jacket closer around her skinny frame. She didn't feel pursued in a romantic way at all but rather like she was prey.
"It will be just another minute" said Cian as he poked his head around his door
"Ok" said Siobhan
It gave her some peace knowing that she was about to settle matters. "Then Bruce will be forced to leave me alone or face exile" thought Siobhan. It seemed to her as if she was escaping the bleak reality that her visions in September had created. "This way I won't have to deal with being forced into being marked"
"Alright, come on in" said Cian
Siobhan stood up a little too quickly as her mind came back down from her thoughts to the present moment. She blushed at her clumsily behavior and moved into Cian's office with more grace, she hoped, than she had begun with.
"So, Siobhan, what can I do for you?" asked Cian
"I do not wish to be marked by Bruce Mac O'Brian" said Siobhan
"Do you have reason to believe that he would try to force you?" asked Cian
"Yes, he has hinted at it in several of our conversations" said Siobhan
"I am not pleased to learn of this but I will put the elders ban on him from marking you" said Cian
"Thank you" said Siobhan
"Is that all?" asked Cian
"Yes, thank-you" said Siobhan
As Siobhan left the Air Clan's office building, she felt as if it had been too easy. "Will the ban really stop him?" she questioned yet she wanted to trust the ability of the ban. It had worked for other people and so she assured herself that it would also work for herself.
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"Have you noticed the group hanging around Bruce?" asked Casey
"No, I truly try to avoid looking at him, interacting with him, and just him in general" said Siobhan
The crowded lunchroom made Siobhan feel as if Casey was whispering instead of just speaking normally. Their table, which was usually filled, was only occupied by her and Casey today. Layla, Will, and Warren were on some sophomore hero field trip and were not expected back till the end of the school day. Ashling, Donald, and Colin were in the library working on a project for their Horticulture class. Zach, Magenta, and Ethan were on a committee for some upcoming school dance. They were currently in a meeting discussing, as Magenta put it, "the waste of perfectly good flowers". Siobhan had grown to really enjoy the blend of personalities in their group and she missed her friends.
"Are you listening to me?" asked Casey
"Sorry, I was thinking about where everyone is today" said Siobhan
"Yeah, it is a little lonely at our table" said Casey
"Agreed, but what were you saying?" asked Siobhan
"I was saying that beside his usual lackeys, that Bruce somehow has Jane, Evan, and Conner hanging on his every word. It seems like his influence is growing among our people. I even noticed that he is hanging around some girl from this school, who he has not reported whether she is a lost one or not" said Casey
"What are you saying Casey? That Bruce isn't allowed to make friends? Or have influence?" asked Siobhan
"Well, all I am saying is that he is a slimy little bastard and I don't trust him" said Casey
"What is he going to do, host some kind of rebellion? Against what or whom? His fight has normally just been with me" said Siobhan
"I don't know. I just know that I get a very uneasy feeling when I see him with such a large group. I swear he is up to something" said Casey
"I think you are becoming a wee bit paranoid" said Siobhan
"Maybe" sighed Casey
"Sides, wouldn't I have a vision if he was planning anything to hurt our people?" said Siobhan
"Well, yeah" said Casey
"So there, he isn't planning anything" said Siobhan
"Ok, ok, you are right and I am just paranoid" said Casey
"I hope Colin doesn't mind your paranoid mind" said Siobhan
"What do you mean?" asked Casey
"Oh, come on! You two are planning on getting marked, right?" said Siobhan
"Maybe, if he gets his head out of the sand" said Casey
Siobhan raised her eyebrows at Casey and wondered who really had their heads in the sand.
"Don't give me that look" said Casey
"Why not?" asked Siobhan
"Because I am not the one with cold feet just the one with the birthday the farthest away" said Casey
Siobhan sighed, she had often this year wished she had Casey's birthday. November 30th looked so much better than the 8th.
"See, it isn't me" said Casey
"If you say so" said Siobhan
The light banter eased Siobhan's mind as she finished her lunch and prepared mentally for the test she had in English. They were reading Hamlet and discussing the relevance of literature to the superhero community. She couldn't believe that there was a faction of adults who wanted to do away with English classes for the superhero youths. It seemed like walking backwards into some Dark Age hole.
The bell rang and ended Siobhan's thoughts as she rushed with the herd of students to her last class of the day and then the weekend. This weekend was the autumn feast and then only a week till her birthday. She tried not to think of it with dread, "the ban will hold" she repeated to herself as she walked the halls to her classroom.
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"You cheated" a voice cried out
"I did not" a reply came
"There is no way you could win three times in a row" the first voice cried again
The house felt cozy with its interior design of a cottage setting. The browns melted into the golds and into the reds to create a feeling in Siobhan that rang out, "home". The sounds of her brothers fighting only added to her sense of home. She soon found them on the living room floor apparently bickering over a few games of "Battleship". She stood by the couch and watched them. Their normal spats seemed to give her back some perception of peace that the day had wiped from her.
"Please, you are just being a sore loser" said Ailill
"No, I'm not. You really cheated!" insisted Ailbe
"Siobhan, please make Ailbe understand you can't cheat at Battleship" said Ailill
"Oh, I can't say that because it isn't true. I cheated a few times with Casey. But, I can't be the judge in this case anyway. I wasn't here to watch you guys playing" said Siobhan
"See, you could have cheated" said Ailbe
"But, I didn't!" said Ailill
"How about you guys play one more game and neither one of you leaves the room. Then you will know if either one of you is cheating" said Siobhan
"Do you agree not to cheat?" glared Ailbe
"Duh!" said Ailill
"Ok, then let the game begin" said Ailbe
"Hey, where's mamai?" asked Siobhan
"She is in the nursery" answered the twins in unison not even looking up from their plastic screens.
She frowned a bit. The nursery was half of her room and she was still a bit frustrated by it. Yet, she knew it made logical sense. She at least had a Japanese screen divider to serve as a separating wall.
"I'm home, mamai" she said as she entered
The theme for the miniature nursery was the night sky. The front section of her previous room was now filled with a tiny crib. It was smaller than the average crib and it had wheels. Her mamai assured her that the baby would probably be wheeled into their room more than hers at night. The crib was painted black with a sheet on it of shooting stars, green and blue planets, and rockets. There was mobile of the solar system hanging over the crib and the roof had been painted black with glow in the dark stars attached. Her mother had even found a planet decorated rug. She had helped her mother sew the black curtains covered in stars and the Milky Way. She had to admit designing a space for her new sibling, whether boy or girl, was a lot of fun. She remembered, while painting the one wall a light green that the whole family had been acting like kids. Ailill and Ailbe helped to make sure that everyone had a little bit of green paint on them. Her dad wasn't much better as Siobhan recalled. It had been really fun.
"You look very happy today, was it a good day at school?" asked Siobhan's mamai
"Not really. The superheroes think they don't need to read Hamlet or any literature. There was a whole debate in my English class today after our test. It was really sad and a bit depressing. Then there's my birthday coming up, too" said Siobhan
"Well, that last bit shouldn't be depressing" said Siobhan's mamai
"It is, though. I will old enough to be mated. I still do not think I want to be mated" said Siobhan as she helped her mamai fold a tiny newborn sleeper and pack it away in the dresser.
"Then don't get mated. That is, wait. You don't have to find a mate the very year that you are of age" said Siobhan's mamai
"Really?" said Siobhan
"Hasn't your Maimeo mentioned this?" said her mamai
"Maybe, probably, I might have been daydreaming" said Siobhan
Her mamai shook her head, "well, there, no depression on your birthday" she said
"I guess not, thanks mamai" Siobhan said
Siobhan planted a huge kiss on her mother's cheek and passed through the nursery to her side of the room. Siobhan had decided to re-design her room as well. It had a more oriental theme now since the screen divider had been added. She had her desk against the wall to her new entry way as a spot to deposit all her gear. She gladly dumped her backpack in her desk chair as she sat on her bed.
She had chosen a cherry tree blossom twin comforter set. It seemed to liven up her room and she decided to paint her walls off white with a light pink color on the trim. She had given her dresser to her mom for the nursery and bought a small wire shelf from Craigslist for her closet. This is where she had moved her folded up shirts, pants, and pajamas to. Her parents had bought her a new bed frame that included draws on the bottom. She almost felt like she had not lost any space except that her bookshelf had been moved to the living room.
She began to breathe and slowly move into the calming breaths of mediation. Her Mamai's words had really given her peace. She wanted to take some time to let that peace seep into the tiniest parts of her mind and body.
Her mind whispered to her with each breath and she listened briefly before falling deeper into her mediation.
"You can wait"
"Everything is o.k."
"Bruce is banned"
"You should be happy"
"Your birthday is coming"
"New baby is coming"
"All is well"
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I hope the room descriptions were not too wordy for anyone. I just happen to like designing so I had a bit of fun with that part.
~GottesBlume