~||Bloodlines||chapter 32 updated on 19 dec

I rolled my eyes, and let go of my hair. Then we both went inside. Once inside, I took off my sweatshirt. The little blue flame pendant looked really cool against the plain black of my tshirt. We headed into the living room, where Mihika was still watching t.v. She sprung up when she saw us. "Cool necklace" she said, talking too fast "Mhm, great, awesome, whatever! Enough small talk. We have bigger fish to fry. Ishu. . .You, me. . .we're on a mission" "What kind of mission?" I asked suspiciously.

"You'll see" she trilled and grabbed my arm. Raman laughed, and plopped down on the couch. He began flipping through the channels. Mihika ignored him and said "C'mon let's go" Then she grabbed a better hold of my arm. And dragged me upstairs. "Oh dear God" I thought.

"What are we doing?" I asked suspiciously as she pulled me into her room. "You'll see" she said as she pushed me down into the stool in front of the vanity.

Then she headed into her closet. "I'm scared now" I said. "Dont be" she assured me from the closet "We're just gonna dress you up for the party." "Now, I'm definitely scared" I mumbled. She laughed, and came out of the closet. She had piles of stuff. "For the love of all that is holy" I muttered. "Just hold still" she said, rolling her eyes.

She reached into her endless supply of makeup. She wiped the makeup off my eyes with some kind of makeup removing crap. She took out eyeliner and eyeshadow to redo my eye makeup. She worked diligently on creating a perfect smokeyeye. Then she took out a bottle of mascara. She worked on my eyelashes until they were dark and full. Then she took out a concealer, way too tan to possibly be used by her, and applied it to my face. "Tada" she said, turning the stool around to face the mirror.

My face did look pretty, I had to admit, but this wasn't the part I had been worried about. "Well?" she asked expectantly. "Nice" I said pleasantly. She clapped her hands together, "Yay, now hair" she said, spinning the chair around. "Lovely" I muttered. She grabbed a curling iron and began to curl my already curly hair. Once, she was done curling the curls she decided to put the hair up. She put it up in a messy bun, letting a few curly ringlets fall around my face.

She spun me around to face the mirror. I did look very pretty, but the bite mark on my neck was in plain sight. Now, I didn't have an aversion to my bite marks like Raman did his. But, I didnt want it in plain sight, especially when the humans here would assume it was a hickey. And, I didn't need more rumors circulating me and Raman. Not at all. "Okay" Mihika said "Now, it's time for clothes." That was the part that I had been worried about.

I braced myself for the worst. She picked out the clothes and threw them at me. "Dont mess up your hair, or makeup" she ordered. I shimmied on the pink top and black skirt without ruining any of Mihika's work. I looked in the mirror. And almost threw up. The skirt was super short, made my long legs seem even longer. The pink tube top exsposed my belly button and the tops of my breasts were clearly visible. The little pendent dangled above them. "Well?" she prompted. "I look like a wh**e!" I shouted.

"It's not that bad" she chastised. "Not that bad!? Not that bad!? It's horrible! I look like a hooker! For example, is this a skirt or a belt!? Is this a shirt or headband!?" "Dont overreact. Besides" she reasoned "It's Halloween. People always come to our party dressed in clothes they wouldn't wear anywhere else. Besides, I bet Raman will like it." I rolled my eyes, "Like thats not obvious" She just shrugged, "He'll still like it" "Now, get this off me!" I screamed. "Fine" she huffed "I'll find something different." "Thank you" I sighed.

She went for another expedition inside her closet to retrieve more clothes. After a few minutes she came out with another pile of clothes, and handed them to me. "Here's something less 'wh**eish'" she said. "Thank you" I said smugly. Careful of my hair and makeup, I switched outfits. The new outfit was better then the other one, but still something I would never chose for myself.

It was a short royal purple skirt, a little longer then the other one. The top was a lacy black tank top. It was low cut, but not as bad as the tube top. I didn't say anything, I stood there quietly. Contemplating whether I was satisfied or not. "This is the most nons**tty outfit your gonna get" she added. Which pretty much made up my mind for me.

"Its great" I decided. "Yay" she said, clapping. "Now we need shoes. . ." she mused. She went back into the closet and dug around for a while. "Heels or boots?" she called out. "Hmmm. . . boots" I decided, a pair or strappy heels would send me over the deep end. "Okay, boots it is" she came out with a big shoe box. When she came out, I thought of something.

None of Mihika's stuff should fit me. She was so little and petite, and I was so tall. "How do you have everything in my size?" I asked. "I might of gone shopping for stuff for you last night. . ." she trailed off. I rolled my eyes as she took the boots out of the box. They were sleek black and really long. I put them own, they reached 3/4 of the way to my knee. "You look amazing" Mihika proclaimed.

I walked over to the full length mirror. I did look good. This outfit showed off my body without making me look cheap. The boots increased my 5'7 height a few inches. "Nice" I agreed "But why did you bother?" "This is my present to Raman" she said, adjusting the strap of my shirt. "What'd he get you?" I wondered. "His present to me, is to not kill Mihir if he walks in at a bad time" she said and winked. "Too much information" I muttered. She laughed, "Now, c'mon. Let's go show Raman, but be quiet. It's a surprise." "Okay" I promised. S

he walked down the hallway, towards their upstairs t.v. room. I wasn't kidding when I said they were rich. She went inside, and I hid behind the corner. I could hear their conversation easily. "Hey Mihika" he said casually. I didn't hear the t.v. so I didn't know what he was doing. "Hi, Raman" she said slowly, building up to it "I got your present." "Cool" he said "What is it?" "Close your eyes" she instructed. Mihika leaned out the door and gestured for me to come in. I tiptoed in, well, as much of a tiptoe that was possible in boots.

Raman was sitting at the computer, the swivel chair was spun around to face the door. He had changed his shirt, and now wore a black button down shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, exposing some of the lacerations. His eyes were closed. "Okay. . . Open 'em." He opened his eyes and they became extremely wide. He flinched back. Almost knocking the chair over backwards.

Me, and Mihika snickered at his shock. "Holy crap" he muttered, getting up and coming towards us. He wrapped his arms around my waist, ignoring Mihika. The boots made up the difference in our heights. I wasn't even an inch shorter now. Maybe a 16th of an inch. Actually, if you included the updo my hair was in. . .I was a little taller. "Well?" I asked, already knowing the answer. "I love it" he said. "Your welcome" Mihika said, trying to remind him she was there. "Yea, thank you" he said "She looks amazing. Just for this, if I walked in on you and Mihir doing it. . . I'm just gonna walk away. And then go outside and scream at a tree, like those crazy ladies in the park."

Mihika laughed, "That's all that I ask" "Mhm" he mumbled, not paying attention. He was staring at me, clearly more interested in me. "Well. . . " Mihika said, looking back and forth between us "I'm gonna go get dressed now. . ." She walked out the door, and closed it behind her. I was about to speak, but was cut off before I could. A second later, Mihika reopened the door. Peeking her head in. "Just so you know" she said "This door is unlocked." "Thank you, Mihika" Raman muttered, rolling his eyes. "Just a reminder" she said suspiciously "Remember someone could walk in here at any second" "Thank you, Mihika" Raman hinted.

"I should probably go now. . . " she trailed off. "Yea" I said, leaving the 'duh' out, but implied. "Goodbye" she said and closed the door. Raman rolled his eyes, "Mom dropped her on her head when she was a baby, you know" I laughed,"No, actually I didn't know that. But I suspected. . . " I said teasingly. He laughed, "It's the reason she's not good at her dark magic thing

I did a double take, "Seriously?" He laughed, "No" "Oh" I said "I thought you were serious for a second" "Have you ever known me to be serious?" he teased. "I've seen you be serious a few times" I mused. "When there's a full moon. . ." he muttered. I laughed, "So. . .what do you think of this outfit?" "It's awesome" he said, smiling

"How awesome?" I asked. "Epically awesome" he said "I never thought I'd say this about you . . . but, Ishita you look seriously sexy. No offense" "Offense taken" I said, and shoved him. He stumbled a little, and tripped over the leg of the chair. He fell back onto the floor. I began to howl with laughter. I couldn't stop. I was gasping for air in between the fits of laughter.

Raman was laughing too, but not as much as me. And he wasn't suffocating on the laughter like I was. "Oh my god" I gasped "Can't Breath. Needneed air" "I don't think this is funny, Ishita" he teased. "ItIt's . . hysterical" I managed between my laughter "The . . . big, strong, coordinated vampire, gets shoved lightly by a witch and falls on his ass. What . . .What's not funny about it?" "It's not nice to push people and then laugh at them" he said in a mock lecture like voice. "I'm sorry" I said, with mock sincerity "I'll make it up to you" He looked confused, "Uh, okay?" I crouched down on the floor, cautious to the fact I was wearing a skirt. Then I adjusted myself, so I was on my knees.

He looked even more confused. "What are you doing. . . " he asked cautiously. I didn't answer, instead I crawled across him. I rested across him. My face hovered a little over him. I smiled, he smiled too. Seeming to understand now what was going on. I moved my face in closer, my lips hovering an inch above his. "I'm sorry" I whispered. "I forgive you" he said, smirking. I moved my lips as close as they could be to his, without touching them that is.

"Good" I murmured. Then I pressed my lips to his. To say he eagerly kissed me back, would be an understatement. He kissed me back. . .more then eagerly. More like desperately. I pretty much, felt the same way. His arms wrapped around my waist, holding me closer to him. I intertwined my fingers into his messy blond hair.

He moaned in pleasure. And I responded with a moan of my own. His hands slid down my back, resting on my ass. Which, almost, made me uncomfortable. Almost. We lay there for a while, kissing on the floor of the tv room. Could of been one minute, or it could of been 30. Time was irrelevant. When I could hear the door swing open. Mihika wasn't kidding, someone could walk in at any time. If only we had cared enough to think of that. . .

"Son of a bitch !" a voice shouted. We broke the kiss, and I looked over my shoulder to see who it was. Diablo was standing there, looking only mildly surprised. I groaned. He was almost as perverted as Mars and Jupiter. "Mihika said you were upstairs" he muttered "I didn't realize she meant upstairs" "What do you want, Diablo?" Raman groaned. "Mihir wants you to put the cars in the garage, so people have room to park" Diablo said. Raman groaned, "Okay, I'll be down in a minute. Hey, by the way, you ever heard of knocking"

"It's a tv room!" he exclaimed "I didn't think I had to. . .now if it were a bathroom, or a bedroom, or a broom closet. . . then I would of knocked" Raman rolled his eyes, "You are sick" "You can't blame me for having a twisted mind" Diablo defended himself. "I can try" Raman muttered. "Yea, well" Diablo said, a little awkwardly "Could you, I don't know, get off the floor maybe?" I rolled my eyes, and slid off Raman. And got to my feet.

Raman got up to his feet, and said "Better?" "Marginally" Diablo said ". . . You should probably go help Mihir now. That is, if you two are done with your love fest" Raman walked towards the door, and smacked Diablo upside the head as he passed. I followed, and did the same.

"Hey!" Diablo called "Respect the ginger!" I rolled my eyes as we went downstairs. Diablo followed us downstairs, and into the kitchen. Tora and Mihir were putting chips and such into bowls. Mihika came in occasionally and took a bowl into the living room. I didn't know where Ralph, Jupiter or Mars were. "I found him" Diablo mumbled. "Good" Mihir ordered' "Now, Raman, go put the crossover and the Maserati in the garage"

Raman gave a mock military salute before grabbing the keys off the counter and heading outside. Mihir shook his head, and continued working. Diablo shot Mihika an accusing glare as she grabbed a bowl of pretzels. She stopped short, looking surprised. "What did I do?" she asked innocently. "You could of warned me what they were doing upstairs" he accused. "I didn't know" she said "By the way, what were they doing?" "Too late, I already repressed it" he muttered "If I try to remember I think my eyes will start bleeding again. . . " I rolled my eyes, "We weren't doing anything bad" "You were on the floor!" he exclaimed.

I shrugged, "Don't blame me. Blame the outfit. I swear, it has magical powers. . ." Tora looked over her shoulder when I said that. Probably, to see the 'magical' outfit. "It is pretty" she noted. Mihir looked over his shoulder too, as if just noticing I was here. "Hmmm" he said, only polietely interested "You do look nice" Mihir was the only guy I knew, who would react like that to this outfit. One of the great things about Mihir. "Nice?" Diablo asked "She looks hot" Now, that was the kind of response I expected this outfit to recieve. . .

"Jackass" I muttered. "Your luck Raman isn't here to slap you" Mihika added as she headed into the living room. "I'll just tell him when he gets back" I said smugly. "That's just cruel" he muttered. I laughed, "Think before you speak, and you won't have this problem" Diablo rolled his bright blue eyes, "If I did that, I wouldn't talk at all" I laughed a little. I heard someone coming into the kitchen.

Then I could hear Jupiter's voice. "Hey Tora" he started before he was in the kitchen, "There isn't enough room for these chips out there" He came into the kicthen, carying a bowl of chips. He glanced around. And when he saw me he spazzed, "Holy f**k!" He threw the bowl in the air. Chips rained down around him. Diablo and I started laughing. Tora rolled her eyes, and muttered something exsaperated in a language I had never heard before. "Jupiter" she chastised "Look what you did. Now we need more chips. . . Would it hurt for you to be a little more careful?" The way she talked to him, reminded me sort of like a mother. Only, she was sure as hell, not.

"I was careful" he defended himself "Butbut look at her! How does that not shock someone?" "Should I take that as a compliment" I asked. "Yes" Jupiter said. I heard Mars voice coming closer. He began talking before he got inside,"What did you do now Jupiter" When he got in, his eyes first looked at the chips on the floor then at me.

He flinched when he saw me, the drink in his hand flying into the air. The contents rained down on him. Tora hung her head in exsaperation. "Look at this floor! Does Ishita really look that spectacular?" she asked. "That's Ishita?" Mars asked, squinting. I rolled my eyes, "Duh" Raman walked in then. "What the hell happened in here?" he asked. "Mars and Jupiter spazzed when they saw me" I explained. "Morons" he muttered. "Jupiter, Mars" Tora commanded "Clean this floor" "Fine" they grumbled.

They went to go find the tools nessecary to clean the floor. "If I keep getting reactions like that all night, I'm taking this outfit off" I mumbled. "If you take that outfit off, I can promise you you'll get even stronger reactions" Diablo muttered. Raman smacked him upside the head. "What?" Diablo whined "It's just a fact. If she takes off her clothes that's gonna shock people a lot more" Raman smacked him again, "Would you like to try a third time?" "No, I'm good" Diablo mumbled and shuffled out of the kitchen. "It's gonna be a long night. . ." Raman muttered. "Your telling me. . ." I mumbled

To be continued...

Do like and comment😊

Love Sunshine...❤️

Raman and I helped set up for the party. Rude comments coming every so often (from Diablo, Mars, and Jupiter) refering to my outfit. Each time they were rightfully smacked by either me or Raman. Whoever was closer. . . or angrier. Around 10:00 guests started to arrive. We lied and said that Tora, Mihir and them were Raman and Mihika's cousins, who were visiting from out of town. Nobody seemed to notice that they looked nothing like Raman or Mihika. Or maybe they did, but didn't care enough to point it out. Over the course of an hour, at least 100 kids had showed up. The atmosphere was hectic and loud.

Music blared, the lights were dim. People were dancing and running around. Being generally insane. Raman talked with pretty much everyone. And I stayed glued to his side, where it was harder for people to target me. Still, the reactions to my outfit were very strong ones. . . For example, Raman and I were talking to Libby and Vincent when Derik walked up to us. He was drinking something out of a red cup, most likely some form of alcohol. "Hey Raman!" he shouted over the music "Who's that?" He nodded at me.

"I've known you since 1rst grade, Derik" I called over the music "I'm Ishita, remember? Ishita Callaway" He chocked on his drink, "Woah, seriously?" Raman rolled his eyes, "Yea, seriously" "Oh, well, uh you look . . . .nice" Derik said awkwardly before walking away. Most people were afraid to say more with Raman there.

Which is why I stayed attached to his side. But, eventually, I spotted some of my other freinds. I wanted to go apologize for ignoring them the last few days. Raman was talking to James and one of his exgirlfreinds, Maria. "I'll be right back" I said, loud enough for him to hear over the music. He nodded, and was about to say more. But was cut off by a series of crashing sounds.

I looked over towards the banister. A bunch of drunk kids were throwing plates over the railing of the second floor. "Sure" he said to me "I gotta go play angry host now anyway" I slipped out from under his arm, and Raman went over to the stairs. I could hear him yelling at the drunk kids. "What the hell are you doing!? Do you want to pay for those?" I laughed, and headed over to my other friends. Hannah, Mandy, Rach, and Dianna were standing by the stairs talking to Matt and Billy. "Guys!" I shouted at them. They turned their attention to me, shooeing the guys away.Which was nice.

"Look" Mandy teased "The new Mrs. Kardigan has graced us with her prescience" The words themselves would of been mean, but her teasing tone meant that she wasn't really offended. "Look, I'm sorry" I shouted, trying to be heard over the music "I didn't mean to ignore you guys! But, I've just been distracted, do you forgive me?" "Sure" Rach called "If I was dating Raman. . .I would of ignored you too" I laughed, "Thanks" That was the great thing about my friends. They weren't grudge holders. "That's a nice outfit you got there!" Hannah teased loudly "You working the corners tonight?" I laughed, "If you weren't my friend I would beat you

"Let's go now" she teased, putting up her fists like a boxer "You could never take me in that girly getup. You would trip over those stilletos" "Hey!" Dianna said with mock disapproval "You can't talk to Ishu like that. She'll get her pimp to come and beat the shit out of you" I shouted "You guys are horrible" "We've learned from the best" Rach said. I laughed, then abrutly switched topics, "Where's Mihika?" Mandy shrugged, "Somewhere with Ryan"

"Ohhh" I said, I had almost forgotten she was still with Ryan. I considered her more with Mihir. Then again, poor Ryan was just her blood donor. . . "Well, I gotta ask you something" Rach said "How the hell did you get with Raman?" "Luck" I said, and shrugged. "Well, damn. . . " Rach muttered. I laughed, "It also might have something to do with my super sexiness"

She rolled her eyes, "Yea, I'm sure thats it" Jason came up to us then unexpectedly. "Helllooo, Ishu" he called. "What do you want Jason?" I asked. "I don't know" he said "I'm bored. . ." "Well, its not my job to entertain you. . .I'm sure Lisa would love to give you a lap dance or something, go find her" I said, waving him off. "I would" he said "But Lisa isn't here" "She's not?" I asked, surprised. "Yea . . . she said she had some stuff to take care of" Jason said and shrugged "She said she'd be by later. . . So, I need someone else to entertain me" He looked at my freinds, who had been oddly quiet.

Understandably, Jason was a good looking guy. . . They probably didn't want to say something stupid, like they usually did. He looked at Rach, probably the prettiest of my friends. "So, Rachel, are you seeing anybody. . ." he trailed off suggestively. I shoved him, "Not cool, Jason. My friends are off limits. Their are plenty of s**ts here for you to hit on" He turned to me, "Fine" "So, Ishita . . ." he said, pretending to hit on me. My freinds laughed, and I smacked him. Raman showed up then, apparently done playing host. He leaned against the wall, next to a table full of shots.

"Why are you harassing these ladies, Jason?" he asked. "I'm bored" he said "And I'm not harassing them." "Yea you are. You hit on Rachell" I said, and then added "And he called me a s**t" Raman glared at him, "Jackass" he muttered. "I didn't actually call her a s**t" he defended himself ". . . I implied it" Raman rolled his eyes, "Whatever" "Well, I have to go find someone to entertain me" Jason said as he started walking away. "Do me a favor, and choose Shana!" Raman called after him (A/N well Shana is her gf remembered from early chapters?)

We laughed. Raman picked up a shot from the table, and drank it. "Hey" I said, swatting him "No more alcohol. You already got drunk last night" "Whatever, your not my mother" he said, taking another shot. "Do you want me to call your mother?" I threatened. My friends let out an annoying chorus of "Ohhh" "I have an idea" Raman said "Let's make this a drinking game. Every time you say something annoying, I take a shot" "Thats not funny, Raman" I said. He took another shot. "Don't test me Raman" I threatned. He took another shot.

"Rams" I rebuked, knowing that would piss him off. My friends snickered. "I think that counts as two shots" he said, taking a shot. He grabbed another shot, but I knocked it out of his hand. It spilled over the front of my shirt. "Son of a bitch!" I cursed. Raman laughed, "Thats what you get" My friends laughed too. "Damn" I muttered "Now I need a new shirt. I can't go home smelling like booze" "Mihika bought you an entire wardrobe last night" Raman told me "I'm sure you'll be able to find something else to wear"

"Yea . . . I'll be right back" I said, walking upstairs. I headed into Mihika's room. I closed the door behind me, and turned to lock it. I lifted the wet shirt over my head, and threw it on the floor. Then I remembered something. While we were getting ready for the party Mihika had broken the latch on the door. I couldn't remember what she had done. But we weren't supposed to lock it, because it kept getting stuck after that. You couldn't open it from the inside. "Shit" I muttered, spinning around to face the door. I wiggled the doorknob, no luck.

I tried to unlock it, but it wouldn't budge. "Son of a bitch" I muttered. I pounded on the door, uselessly, for a minute. "Hello!? Let me out! Anybody out there!? Let me out!" I shouted. It was no use though, nobody was supposed to be up here. And, the music was too loud.

Then an idea came to me. I was suddenly thankful for the Blood Bound thing. I could use telepathy to contact Raman and have him get me out of here. "Raman!" I thought loudly, reaching out to Raman's mind "Get me out! I'm locked in your sister's room" "Oh, sure" he thought in response "Just hold on a second, okay?" "Okay" I thought back. I slipped into his head for a second. Just to make sure he was coming.

****

I left his head, confident that he was coming. I could hear his voice on the other side of the door now. "Ishu?" he called. "Yea" I called back "Now, get me out of here!" "Okay" he said. The doorknob wiggled, and then opened. "Thank you" I sighed. He was staring at me, but not at my face. He was staring at my chest. Eyebrows raised, looking surprised. "Uh, you know you don't have a shirt on, right?" he asked. I looked down and, sure enough, I wasn't wearing a shirt.

All I had on was the lacy black bra I had put on before. Sadly, when I was flipping out about being locked in here, I had forgotten I had taken the wet shirt off. "Uh, I do now" I said awkwardly. "Well, this is awkward" Raman said, stating the obvious. "Extremely" I said, blushing deeply. "Yea. . .maybe I should go now" Raman was cut off by a loud booming angry voice. "What are you doing!?!?!?!" Raman looked over his shoulder. And I peered around him. To see Ken and Jai standing at the foot of the stairs. "You have got to be kidding me" I thought. Did they honestly have to stalk me? Did they have to crash Raman's party? Do they have to embarrass me like I knew they were about to?

If I asked them those questions ten bucks says they would say 'yes.' "What are you doing!?" Jai roared, running up to us. "Seriously, Jai" I said hastily "This really isn't what it looks like! You see" "Why aren't you wearing a shirt!?" he demanded, ignoring me. "I was trying to explain that to you!" I shouted in exasperation "If you would just let me finish a" "Enough! I don't want to hear your excuses, were leaving. Now!" he screamed in my face. He grabbed my wrist and started pulling me towards the stairs. I struggled against him furiously. I was not going downstairs into the middle of a party, without a shirt on. No way in hell. Raman caught up with us instantly. He stood in front of Jai, blocking his way. "Hey!" he growled in Jai's face...

"Move, damnit!" Jai shouted. "No!" Raman hissed furiously "Now, let her go!" I looked over the banister. Everyone downstairs was looking up at us. But almost nobody was looking at me. They were looking at Jai and Raman. Who were about to rip each others throats out. "No, now f**k off" Jai shouted. "Get the f**k out of my house" Raman growled dangerously. "I will" Jai said evenly "First, you have to get out of our way" "I said you have to leave. Ishu can stay" Raman hissed. "There is no way in hell she is staying here" Jai snapped. "I believe that is up to her" Raman said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No, she is clearly too stupid to make descions for herself. Or else I wouldn't of walked in on you two" Jai hissed menacingly. "Hey!" I protested angrily. "Do not call Ishu stupid" Raman snarled dangerously. "She'd have to be stupid to trust you" Jai retorted. "Jai, just let me explain!" I begged. "Shut up!" he shouted at me "You miserable little s**t!" "That's it" Raman snarled. Then he punched Jai in the eye. He stumbled, and let go of my wrist. I jumped away from him quickly

"You little f**ked up bas***d!" Jai shouted. His eye was all swollen, and I'd bet 10 dollars he'd have a black eye tomorow. Jai threw a punch at Raman, but he ducked agilely. Frustrated, Jai just shoved Raman. Hard. He stumbled, and fell. He put his hands out instinctively to catch his fall. But a peice of sharp wood was sticking out of the wood floor. It stabbed into Raman's hand. He growled in fury and pain as he hit the floor. Raman looked more pissed then he had in a while. He clutched his bleeding hand in pain. "You hurt me!" he shouted at Jai.

Just like an animal, when he got hurt he got angry. He was directing that anger at Jai, the one who hurt him. He got to his feat. Blood tinged the pale skin of his injured hand. He was glaring at Jai with so much hate that it made me feel vaguely afraid. He lips were parted in a horrific teethbaring grimace. I could see his fangs starting to grow. Like they did when he was angry. He began stalking towards Jai, looking utterly bloodthirsty. No pun intended.

Just then, Mihir came running up the stairs. Flanked by Jupiter and Mars. Mihir rushed up to Raman, going a little too fast for a human speed. He quickly grabbed Raman's arms, and pinned them behind his back. While Mihir restrained Raman, Jupiter and Mars stood in front of him. Making a second line of defense. "Raman, Raman, calm down" Mihir hissed urgently. Raman struggled angrily against Mihir. He was glaring at Jai, his metallic eyes seething with anger. Jai stood there looking terrified, a hand over his eye. "Calm down . . ." Mihir repeated "Calm down. . ." Jupiter and Mars stood in front of him, ready to act at a moments notice.

I looked down at the watching crowd, it was silent. Somebody had turned off the music so everyone could hear. . . damn them. Some people looked like they wanted the display to end so the party could continue. Others looked like they wanted a fight to break out. I saw Mihika and Tora running up the stairs. I noticed Ralph, and Diablo standing by the foot of the stairs. Looking like bouncers. They were trying to keep people from going upstairs now. Good idea, it wasn't safe up here right now. Mihir began to pull Raman away. Jupiter and Mars followed, looking wary. Raman struggled angrily, "I'm gonna kill him!" he shouted "I'm gonna kill him!" "Calm down" Mihir repeated "Calm down. . ."

Mihir pulled Raman into his room, Jupiter and Mars followed. In the dead silence I could hear a loud crashing sound from the room. I wondered what Raman broke. . . Tora went up to Jai, she moved his hand away from his eye. "Oh" she said, clucking her tongue in disapproval "Look at that eye. . .Well, c'mon. Let's get you some ice for that" Unhappily, Jai followed Tora downstairs into the kitchen. Ken shot me a icy glare before following behind Jai. Mihika rushed up to me, and put a arm over my shoulder. "Shhh, it's okay" she soothed. I didn't realize I was crying. I was surprised, I wasn't sad at all. I was angry. Really, really angry. Passionately angry. She led me towards her room, saying random soothing things. She closed the door behind her, not locking it.

I sat down on her bed. Sobbing angrly. She sat next to me, she put an arm around my shoulder. "It's okay. C'mon, Ishita, don't cry" she soothed. The door opened. Rach, Mandy, Hannah, and Dianna came in. "Oh my God!" Hannah exclaimed "That was horrible!" "Yea, your brothers are such asses!" Mandy added. "Especially Jai" Dianna said. "At least Raman gave him a nice black eye" Rach added. They all sat down on the bed. Trying to soothe me. "Aw Ishu" Hannah said "Don't cry. It's gonna be okay" "I'm not crying because I'm sad" I managed between my sobs "I'm crying because I'm angry"

"And you should be" Rach added fiercely "That was uncalled for" "Yea, they didn't even let you explain" Mandy said "That wasn't fair. . . what did happen though?"

"I came. . . in here to get changed" I said between my sobs "But. . .but I locked the door. . .and the lock was broken. . . but I didn't remember until after I took my shirt off. . .so I . . .I started banging on the door. . .Raman came up. . .to see what was taking me so long. And. . . and he opened the door for me. Then. . .then I remembered that I wasn't wearing a shirt. . .so II was really embarrassed. So. . . Raman was gonna leave. Butbut Jai and Ken showed up. And they just started screaming at me. WeWe didn't even do anything!" I started sobbing again. I was so mad. What they did was just plain unfair. "That's horrible" Dianna mused. "Yea, their jackasses" Hannah decided. I nodded in agreement. "Let me get you a shirt" Rach offered

I nodded again. Rach disappeared into Mihika's closet. She searched for a shirt while everyone comforted me. I was starting to stop crying. "Thank God I used waterproof makeup!" Mihika rejoiced. I laughed shakily, "Thank the lord. . ." Rach came out with an electric blue lacy tank top. "How about this?" she asked. "It's perfect" I sniffed. She threw it at me, and I pulled it over my head. "Do you wanna go back to the party?" Mihika asked softly. "In a minute" I said, wiping the remaining tears away, "I'm gonna go check on Raman first. . .you know, make sure he didn't kill someone"

Everyone laughed a little. "Okay" Mihika said "But he's probably still mad. . ." "I know" I sighed. We all left the room, and all my friends went downstairs. Where the party was back in full swing. The lights were back off, and the music was blaring again. I went over to Raman's door, and saw Jupiter, Mars, and Mihir standing outside. They looked kind of annoyed, but mostly worried. "What's going on?" I asked "Where's Raman?" "Inside" Mihir said "He won't let us back in?" "Is he alright?" I asked anxiously. "I don't know, he won't let us in" Mihir said helplessly. "Let me see something" I said, gesturing for them to move aside. They moved out of my way. I knocked on the door, "Raman" I called "Can I come in" My plea was answered by a feral snarl. "Please?" I begged "It's just me. Come on, please?" "It's not locked" Raman snarled flatly from inside.

I gave Mihir and them a disgusted look. How did they not know it was unlocked? I opened the door cautiously, and stepped in. I closed the door behind me. The room was a mess. Shattered glass covered the floor. An end table was knocked over. And it looked like someone had put a fist through the computer monitor. Which is probably exactly what happened. Raman stood in the corner. He was baring his teeth, and his fangs were full extended. His eyes flickered all over the room. Cataloguing everything. He looked angry, unbelievably angry. I understood why he was angry, but I didn't understand why he was so angry. "Raman" I said softly, walking towards him. "Get away from me" he hissed.

"Don't be like that" I said quietly "I just wanna help you. . . how's your hand?" "It's fine" he hissed. My eyes flicker to his injured hand. There was a nasty looking wound in the center of it, and blood covered his hand. "It doesn't look fine" I noted. "It's fine" he repeated. "Can I . . . can I just look at it?" I asked. "It's fine" he repeated stubbornly. I took another step forward, he flinched back against the wall. He growled menacingly. "Are you mad at me?" I asked in a small voice "Did I. . .Did I do something. . ." His hostile expression faded, but the fangs stayed in place

Now that the angry mask was gone, he looked. . . vulnerable. Vulnerable and scared. . . not a common occurrence in Raman. "No" he said softly "Itit's not you. It's him. It's Jai. . . " "I know" I said patronizingly "Jai is an ass. . .but don't let it get to you"

"I know" he said "But, the way he talks to you . . . it just pisses me off . . ." "I know, I know" I soothed condescendingly "Now, let me look at your hand" He let me approach him this time. But I still walked slowly, not wanting to set him off. I gingerly grabbed his hand, avoiding the wound. It looked pretty deep, and I doubted it was 'fine.' My assumption was proved true when my fingers touched a little too close to the wound. He winced and hissed under his breath. "Sorry! Sorry!" I apologized hastily. He nodded tightly. As I was looking at his hand, I noticed that it was the same hand he had the burn on. It was concealed underneath the black wristband.

"Maybe Mihir should take a look at it" I suggested. He shrugged nonchalantly. He still looked unhappy, but his fangs were slowly retracting. They were always a good gauge of how angry he was. I grabbed his other hand, and slowly led him outside. Mihir, Jupiter, and Mars were still waiting. They looked relieved to see us. Either relieved to see Raman was (generally) alright or relieved that he hadn't killed me. Mihir, Jupiter, and Mars took Raman somewhere to take care of his hand. And I decided to go home. Jai and Ken had already left, so Mihika offered to drive me. But all of their cars were in the garage, blocked by the other cars. So, I told them I was okay to walk. Raman probably would of protested this, but nobody felt it necessary to tell Raman. Apparently, the wound was even worse then it looked. Seeing as it was created with very sharp wood.

So, they didn't want to stress him out anymore. It wouldn't be helpful. The party was still going on. But people were starting to clear out. Seeing as the parents would be home soon, and the host was injured. The partygoers were scattering. So, I was perfectly okay walking home at 12 o'clock at night. Since, there were tons of other kids running home around me. Before I walked in my front door, I took my hair down. Draping it over my shoulder. When I walked in the front door, it was dark. I half expected to flip on the lights and find Jai and Ken waiting for me again.

Luckily, they weren't. So, I went upstairs. Everyone was asleep. Even Jai. I peered into his room to check too. He was sound asleep, his eye definetly swollen. I tiptoed into my room. And Stanley was already sleeping at the foot of my bed. Not bothering to change, I slipped into the bed. I fell asleep quickly. Today had been exhausting. And tomorow was sure to be too. My life is so complicated. . .

To be Continued...

Do like and comment!!!

Love Sunshine❤️

Chapter 28- Confrontations

I woke up feeling especially groggy. Mornings suck . . . I glanced at my alarm clock, 10:34. Despite the fact it was pretty late, I didn't feel like getting up. It was Saturday, I could sleep in a little, right? Considering I never do. Because the world can never give me a break . . . So, I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. I couldn't though. Partially because Stanley was poking me with his wet nose, urging me to wake up. But also because a little voice in my head was nagging me to get up.

Wake up, wake up, wake up! You have things to do today. . . wake up! I gave into the naggy voice after a few minutes. Considering I had some damage control to take care of today. I had to clear the mess up with Jai and Ken. And go see how Raman was doing. I rolled out of bed. I noticed I was still wearing the black skirt and tank top. Yea, not going downstairs in that. I immediatly shimmied out of the skirt and replaced it with a plain pair of jeans. Then I just threw a big black sweatshirt over the tank top. Yea, I'm such a diva.

Then, after slipping my feat into my sneakers, I ambled downstairs. Everyone was in the kitchen this morning. My dad was at the table, grading papers. I could imagine what he was writing. F, F, F. . .He teaches Advanced Calculus for God's sake! How can you not fail? My mom was digging around in the freezer for something. Ken was slouched over a plate of eggs, poking them absently with his fork. Jai was sitting at the table too, sulking. My gaze immediatly lifted to his black eye. It looked like it hurt. But, I had no sympathy for him. Maybe if he didn't walk around being such an ass, bad things wouldn't happen to him. "Morning" I said as I sat down at the table. Jai glared at me. I grinned smugly back at him. Neener, neener, neener. . .

"Morning honey" my mom said casually "You got home late last night" "Yea, sorry about that" and then I added, with an accusatory glare at Jai, "We had to drive Raman to the emergency room" Ok, so that's technically a lie. But, the injury was severe enough that, if he were human, we would of had to take him to the emergency room. "Oh dear" she said, taking an ice pack out of the freezer "What happened?" She brought it over to Jai, and he put it over his eye. "Well" I stated "Jai and Ken showed up and were being jackasses. And Jai got into a fight with Raman. And at one point, Jai pushed Raman and he fell. And, unfortunately, a piece of wood was sticking out of the floor. And it stabbed into Raman's hand" "Jai!" my mom rebuked. I snickered spitefully. "Hey, it's not my fault!" he defended himself "The little punk punched me in the eye first!" My mom raised an eyebrow, "Why did he do that?" she asked curiously.

"Because Jai called me a wh**e" I hissed. "Jai!" my mom rebuked "You don't talk to your sister like that!" Ha! Nobody calls me a wh**e and gets away with it. "Sorry, mom" he said, staring at the table "But, if you were there, you would know why I said that. You should of seen what she was wearing!" "That's beside the point, Jacob" my mom snapped, hands on hips. Oh, full name. Now she means business. . . "Sorry" he mumbled. "Good" she said, and then looked at me "The only part I don't understand is, why did Raman punch Jai for calling you names?" Ok, so yea my mom's a little too interested in teenage gossip. Well, actually a little too interested in any gossip. . .

"Well" I said, nervously "Raman is sorta . . . kinda my boyfriend" I braced myself for an explosion. Considering how naggish my brothers were on this subject, I expected my mother to be even worse. But, as usual, she surprised me. "Oh, well that's nice" she said pleasantly "He's a nice kid, handsome too. I always thought you two would make a cute couple. . ." Jai and Ken stared at her, mouthes hanging open. Ha! Put that in your juice box and suck it! "Uh, thanks" I said, getting up "Well, I gotta go. I wanna go see if Raman's alright" "Okay, have fun, honey" she said, smiling brightly

Before Jai and Ken could recover, I slipped out the door. Into the freezing rain. Son of a bitch. I pulled my hood over my head. I trudged through the rain to the Kardigan's, wishing I could use my magical powers to make it sunny. . . I wonder if witches could change the weather. That would be cool. I should learn to do real magic, so I can be an actual witch. Maybe Tora could teach me. . . It would be so cool to do magic. To be powerful and intimidating like the other immortals. . .

I looked at my shoes, they were covered in slushy water. They were gonna be totally trashed. Luckily, I hadn't worn my new converse. Just a pair of old black running shoes. If I ruined my new converse my parents would kill me. Thinking about my parents killing me reminded me how lucky I was that my parents knew nothing of Raman's reputation. If they did, I would of been in deep shit. As long as Jai and Ken kept their big mouths shut I'd be good. But if they didn't, I'd be royally screwed over. As I approached the Kardigan home I wondered what Raman's parents had thought of the incident from yesterday.

Because, obviously someone had told them. I scrambled to the front door. Not bothering to knock, I opened the door. I headed straight for the kitchen. A number of the group were gathered. Mr. Kardigan was arguing with someone on the phone. I didn't pay close attention to the context though. Mrs. Kardigan was at the counter. I wonder if she would mind if I call her Hera. . . She was preparing some kind of liquid mixture with Tora. Jupiter and Mars were sitting at the table. They seemed oddly somber. Not exactly depressed but certanly composed.

I didn't have a clue where everybody else was. But, it was a big house. Mrs. Kardigan noticed me out of the corner of her eye. She turned her neck to smile at me. "Hi, honey" she greeted me "How are you?" "I'm good" I replied "How's Raman?" Her face darkened a little, not overwhelmingly. But certainly noticeable. "He's alright" she said bleakly "His hand's pretty damaged. And, the wood has made him pretty ill, but he should be okay" "Isn't there a doctor or something we can take him too?" I asked helplessly. "Yes, but it's not necessary" she assured me "Mihir has a degree in Vampiric Medicine. Don't worry honey, he'll be fine"

A degree? In Vampiric Medicine? They have colleges specifically designed for immortals? Cool. . . "Okay" I swallowed "Where is he?" "In the living room" she told me "But, he might have gone back to sleep" "Okay" I said. I nodded, and headed into the living room. It was completely spotless. One of the perks of having 10 ableboddied people staying in one house. Raman was stretched out on the leather couch. A blanket was draped over him. He was out cold. Sweat dewed on his forehead, and white gauze was wrapped around his injured hand.

Poor Rams. . . Hehe. . . he really hates that nickname. Hmmm, it's measurably less funny when he isn't awake to flip out about it though. . . I noticed Mihir kneeling next to the coffee table, going through some box. Mihika was kneeling next to him, helping him sift through the box. "How is he?" I asked immediately, skipping the mindless greetings. Mihir shrugged, "As well as can be expected, wood makes vampires pretty sick. But, this particular incident isn't particularly fatal" Does that mean it's okay or just not that bad?? I need answers, man! "Yea" Mihika chimed in "He'll be fine. Our only problem is trying to reschedule his meeting with the Council. Their so stubborn" "Is that what your dad was fighting with someone on the phone about?" I asked.

"Yep" she said, her lips dipping in a slight frown, "Their being so stubborn. I mean, I know their anxious to see Raman again after so long but still. . ." "What do they expect him to do?" I asked rhetorically "Go to Hades while he's sick?" She shrugged, "I don't know. Their the Council. They don't have to be reasonable. And, of course, King Zephuros doesn't even have to make sense." "King?" I asked, surprised "You guys have a king?" "Yea, Zephuros is the King of the Azimon. His authority is slightly higher then that of the Council. The Council are elected but the king inherits the throne" she explained "Well, usually" "Usually?" I asked curiously. "Yea, well ummm" her nervous blather was cut off by a frightened whine. All our heads spun to look at Raman.

He was still asleep. But he was whimpering. . .like he was having a bad dream. He rolled over anxiously. Then rolled back over to face us again. He whined uneasily. My instincts immediately had me move to go wake him up. Must be a maternal instincts thing. 'Cause I always feel the need to wake someone up if their having a bad dream. Even my dog! "No" Mihir's voice stopped me, "Don't wake him up. He needs to sleep. If it gets to bad, he'll wake himself up" I plopped down on the other couch and sighed,"Fine" Raman kept tossing and turning uneasily. He whimpered in fear occasionally. He even talked a little in his sleep, something I was sure he didn't do normally. "No, no, no" he murmured "Leave me alone. . .no, no, no"

Let me wake him up! C'mon! This is just cruel! I wanted to wake him up so badly, it was driving me crazy. And wanting to know what he was dreaming about was driving me crazy on a lesser level. After about ten minutes I was pratically bouncing in my seat. I considered trying to go into his dreams, but Raman had specifically asked me not to do that. . . But, it was so tempting . . . Ok, I can't take it anymore. I'm gonna go into his dreams and see what the hell he's dreaming about. Then, right as I was about to crack, he woke up. At last. "No!" he shouted, springing up into a sitting position. His eyes darted around the room wildly. Searching for something.

After looking around for a second, he realized it had been a dream. He collapsed back onto the couch, breathing heavily. Mihir, Mihika, and I jumped up immediately. Mihika disappeared into the kitchen, for unknown reasons. Mihir went over to Raman, and I followed. Mihir pressed his hand to Raman's forehead, reminding me of a doctor. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Sick" Raman mumbled. "Besides that" Mihir said, seeming a little inpatient. "Achey, tired, nauseous" Raman muttered "That better?

"Mhm" Mihir muttered, deep in thought "Let me see something. . ." He walked into the kitchen too. I kneeled next to Raman. He stared at me, silently. His silver eyes wide and apprehensive. Reminding me faintly of a baby deer. Hmmm, if I said that aloud Raman would get pissed off. . . It would be pretty funny. . . No, stay focused. Raman is sick. . . this is not a good time to iritate him for kicks. "Hey" I said softly "How are you feeling" He shrugged, "Okay, I guess" I brushed away some of the blonde damp hair that was plastered to his forehead. He sighed, seeming agitated. "I'm sorry about all of this" I apologized "It's all my stupid brother's fault. But you'll be happy to hear you gave him a black eye" He laughed shakily "I am. . .he deserved it. . .he shouldn't talk to you that way."

"I know" I assured him "He's an ass" "Yea, he is. He doesn't have any right to talk to you like that. To make assumptions, and be such a general ass" he ranted. Ok, now he's just gonna work himself into a major temper tantrum. Because he really needs more stress now. . . heavy on the sarcasm. "I know, I know" I soothed patronizingly "It's okay, though. You don't need to work yourself up for nothing" He conceded, although still seeming agitated. "So" I said, making small talk, to keep him distracted "You seem worse then last night. Why is that?" "With Wood Poisoning it gets progressively worse. In the beginning it's not that bad. But it gets worse over time. It only lasts a few days, though" he elaborated "I'll be fine by Wednesday" He seemed bothered by this. Even though it was only a few days.

"I don't like being sick, either" I told him. "Yea, I hate it" he said, seeming highly agitated "Everybody fussing over me. Asking me if I'm okay, doting on me, patronizing me" he gave me an accusatory look when he said that part. "Sorry" I apologized sheepishly ". . .But whats your problem with people taking care of you? That's like the only good part about being sick. Well, that and missing school" He shrugged, "I don't know. It just annoys me" "Well, I think it's awesome" I said stubbornly "Having a caretaker. You don't have to do anything" "Mhm" he muttered "You know what's weird? Caretaker and caregiver mean the same thing. . ." "Hmmm, that is weird" I mused. "Very" he agreed. There was probably a specific reason he didn't like that. . . But, I didn't feel the need to get into it. Mihika came back in then, in her hand was a glass full of a red ligiud. It was a sickly maroon color. Not the rich scarlet of blood.

She placed it on the end table. Then she looked at me. "Make sure he drinks this" she instructed. Why don't you? "Sure, fine" I said. My thoughts are always more bold then my words. . . Then she pivoted on her left foot and returned to the kitchen. I looked at Raman, raising an eyebrow. "What's that?" I asked. "Probably blood loaded up with medication" he said, rolling his eyes. "Well, then you better drink it" I said, reaching for the glass. I picked up, and was about to hand it to him. "Wait" I said, pausing "Can you even hold this?" "Of course I can" he said, rolling his eys "With this hand, anyway. And even if I couldn't I'd rather try then have you bottle feed me. Yea, no thanks"

"Okay, okay" I said, handing it to him "Just checking" "This is that annoying doting thing I was talking about before" he mumbled. Then he grabbed the glass with his good hand, and pressed it to his lips. He drank about half of it before handing it back to me. "Yuck" he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand "That's how I know it's not just blood. Blood tastes amazing, that tastes disgusting" I placed it back on the table, "Medicine isn't supposed to taste good" I said. "Which doesn't make any sense" he reasoned "Your already sick, why do they have to kick you when your down?" "I don't know" I shrugged "For kicks?" "Probably" he agreed. I laughed to myself. I always enjoyed our random conversations. Raman was the only person I could have a completely pointless conversation with. Well, there were a few other people. . . but they weren't nearly as hot.

Then Mihir walked in. He had one of those hightech thermometers in his hand. The kind that you put in your ear, like doctors use. He walked over to the couch, and I moved out of his way. He crouched on the floor next to me. He clicked some buttons on it before putting it in Raman's ear. Raman just rolled his eyes. A second later the thermometer beeped. Mihir took it out and read it. "103" he said, and then added sarcastically "Lovely" Well, that can't be good. . . "I'm assuming that's bad" I said it like a question. "Not that bad" Mihir assured me "Not particularly good. But it could be worse. Hmmm, let me get a wet cloth. . ." With that, Mihir got up and spun around the room. Ok, nice talking to you . . .

"Did I mention that I really hate being sick?" Raman asked rhetorically. "Only a bazzilion times" I said sarcastically. "Well, I'm gonna say it again" he informed me "I really hate being sick" "I hadn't noticed" I said with an exaggerated eye roll. Mrs. Kardigan (Hera) came in then, with a damp cloth. Hera was one of the few Greek Goddesses I remembered learning about. She was the Goddess of marriage, women, and childbirth. Ok, so that's pretty accurate for Raman's mom . . . "Hi, honey" she said, her voice as soft as falling snow. "Hey" Raman muttered nonchalantly. She approached us, her hips swinging as she walked. She really was too pretty and skinny to be a mother to two teenage kids. Seriously though, she's like a freakin model. She reminds me of those celebrity moms, except she actually takes care of her children.

Her long ash blonde hair fell loosely around her shoulders. Her silver eyes were wide with worry. She wore no makeup, and really, there was no need. Her heartshaped ultrawhite face was too perfect as it is. Her lips were fuller then any middleaged women I had ever seen. She was moderately tall (maybe my height.) And, just like her daughter, she was super skinny. With curves that would make any straight guy drool. She wore black slacks, and a highnecked, tight purple top. She smiled brightly, despite her worry. She strode over to us, and kneeled next to the couch. I, once again, moved out of her way. She placed the damp cool cloth to Raman's forehead. She pursed her full lips in concern.

"Is that any better?" she asked. "Yea, mom" he said boredly. "Okay, call me if you need anything" she said firmly, then she got up and fluttered out of the room. It was nice to see you too. . . "You want me to put the tv on?" I asked into the awkward silence. "Yea, sure" he said and shrugged. I reached over to the coffee table. I snagged the remote and began flipping through the channels. I settled on a sitcom that seemed very nonafterschool special. Which is good, because I can't stand those. I mean, there all the freakin same! It drives me crazy! Don't do drugs. 'Cause drugs are bad. Yea, okay, we get it. Now, shut up. The show I put on was definitely not an after school special. Since, in the first two minutes a women bitchslapped her boyfriend for sleeping with her sister.

Oh, yea. Now thats entertainment. I sat on the floor, slouched against the couch. For whatever reason, I prefered the floor to the couch. After watching and laughing at some other people's problems for a while, Mr. Kardigan walked in. I wonder what his real name is. . . Mr. Kardigan didn't look like a parent, either. He was too young looking, midthirties or so. He was also too hot. Which, I can say proudly. Yea, I think my boyfriends dad is hot. What are you gonna do, sue me? It only makes sense though. I mean, where else would Raman get his insanely good looks from? Mr. Kardigan is tall, maybe a little over 6 foot. At least 4 inches taller then his son. He has short golden hair. The color of Golden Retriever fur. It's darker then Mrs. Kardigan's ashy blonde hair. Raman and Mihika must get their goldeny hair from him. His pale face is also insanely handsome. His eyes are a light sky blue. His strong chin and nose made him look stubborn. Which he was, nearly as stubborn as his son. His light eyebrows were curved in such away that it always made him look like he was contemplating something very interesting. He wore plain jeans and a grey sweater. He walked confidently, his head held high. He didn't look like the kinda guy you messed with.

Mr. Kardigan strode in, looking pleased. His lips were tilted into a pleasant smile. "Good news" he said in his rich deep voice "I convinced the Council to hold the meeting this Thursday instead" "Don't you mean threatened?" Raman asked. Mr. Kardigan smiled, a slightly guilty smile. "Well, if that's what it takes" he proclaimed. Then he boomed a laugh, that was so loud it could probably cause an avalanche. And then, strode out of the room. For the rest of the day I kept Raman company. We watched movies, and I eat junky foods. Everyone had been nice enough not to bother us. How could Raman possibly relax with a bunch of people in here screaming like banchees? So, it was just me and Raman. Watching movies and chilling. It was nice. Around 9:00 PM, in the middle of The Hangover, Raman fell asleep. Wow, he really was sick. I mean, who falls asleep during The Hangover? It's like the best move ever. After finishing the movie by myself, I decided I should go. I stood up, stretched, and cracked my knuckles. Yea, some people find it annoying. But, I can't help it.

Then I tiptoed over to Raman, and kissed him on his warm forehead. "Night, Rams" I whispered. I stole one last glance at his peacful face. He did look truly adorable when he was asleep. Then I turned the tv off, and made my way blindly to the door in the dark. I found it, left, and closed it behind me. Mrs. Kardigan, Mr. Kardigan, Mihir, and Mihika were all in the kitchen. I was sure everyone else was in the basement. Which had a tv room, mini kitchen, and several guest rooms. It was pretty much a miniapartment.

"He's asleep" I announced. "Okay" Mrs. Kardigan said "Thanks for keeping him company, Ishu" "No problem" I said, smiling back at her "Really. He's actually easier to deal with when he's sick . . ." She laughed, "Not that much easier. . ." "True" I conceded "Well, I'm gonna head home" "Do you have to?" Mihika whined. "Yea" I sighed "I can't come home late again tonight, it'll annoy my parents. So, better to go home early." "Well, alright" Mihika said "See you tomorrow" "Yea, bye everyone" I called as I headed out the door. They called their byes to me as I closed the door behind me. I walked down the dark street to my house. It was only a few blocks, so I didn't mind walking. It was f**king cold though! Damn you, seasonal weather . . . I was defiantly one of the kids who like to use the phrase 'no mom, I don't need a jacket' Just because jackets were for losers. I rather freeze then wear a dorky jacket. Any day.

Even in the chilling October (strike that, November) wind, I didn't regret not wearing a jacket. Besides, my toobig sweatshirt was warm enough. When I got home, everyone was still awake. Well, not everyone. My dad was sleeping on the couch, the Yankee Game playing (unwatched) on the screen. I ignored that, and flitted into the kitchen. It was empty, which didn't happen often. I headed for the staircase, and went upstairs. As I passed my parent's room, I could see my mom through the open door. She was yapping on the phone, she waved silently to me. I waved back, and rolled my eyes after I had turned my back on her. Talk, talk, talk. It's all she ever does! I passed Jai's room. It was empty. Then I passed Ken's room. It was empty too. They were probably at the movies, or mall, or a party or something. Oh, thats messed up. The only reason I came home was because I thought they were gonna chew me out if I came home late. My parents could care less

Ugh! Typical . . . I went into my room, and closed the door behind me. Stanley was chewing on a shoe in the corner. How cliche. . . "Hey, Stanley" I greeted him. His big brown eyes looked up at me, and wagged his tail a little. I took that as a 'hello.' I headed for my closet, to find some suitable PJ's. I grabbed a pair of purple pajama pants with little guitars on them, and then a grey tee. I scooped them into my arms, along with a pair of underwear. Then, I made my way to the bathroom. I took a nice long hot shower. I was in there for an hour when my mom started yelling at me to come out. "Ishu!" she called "Hurry up!" "Okay!" I called back. I finished up the shower in a few more minutes. Then, I got dressed, gathered up my dirty clothes and left. I went back into my room and threw the clothes in the hamper.

Then, I went back into the bathroom to prep for bed. As, I so often didn't because I got home late and was halfasleep already. I brushed my teeth, until they were nice and minty fresh. Then I brushed my wet hair, but didn't blow dry it. Too much of a time waster. Then, I washed my face. I used this special porecleansing shit on my face. I mean, I'm not like those physco girls who feel the need to exfoliate every square inch of skin. But, I do like to have nice healthy skin. But seriously. some of those girls are crazy. I mean, they clean their faces with mud! Ironic much? On that note, I went into my room. I layed down in my bed, and decided to read. Reading is one of those things that is actually cool, but stupid posers say is dorky. Well, they can just bite me. I picked up were I had left off in "The Glass Castle." A really interesting book actually. After reading for about an hour, I decided to go to sleep. Doing nothing all day had exhausted me. So, I put the book down, and turned off the lights. I stumbled blindly back into bed, and tucked myself in under the covers.

So, I put the book down, and turned off the lights. I stumbled blindly back into bed, and tucked myself in under the covers. Wow, today had felt like such a long day. Even though, I did absolutely nothing. Funny, how the world works.

To be continued...

Do like and comment..

-Love Sunshine❤️

I woke up surprisingly early, 7:45, well for a Sunday that's early. What's wrong with me?? I rolled out of my bed, feeling oddly rested. My feet got tangled in the sheets and I wrestled with them relentlessly. But, after grappling with the sheets for a few minutes, I was free. Ha, take that. I trudged downstairs in my pajamas, since it was early enough that I could chill for a while. In my own house. . . hmmm, weird. I feel like I barely live here, it feels more like a friends house then home. And my friends house feels more like home then my real house. . .

Very confusing. I refuse to hurt my head any more thinking about it. I headed into the kitchen, only to find it empty. So, I drifted into the living room. Jai and Ken were lounging on the couch, eating bowls of cereal. They were lazily watching some tv show. "Morning" I said lazily, plopping down on the other couch. "Morning" Jai muttered, taking another spoonful of cereal. Ken just nodded at me, barely looking at me. Such the social butterfly. . . "So, where were you two last night?" I asked sociably. "At the movies" Jai mumbled "What's it to you?" "Just wondering" I said innocently "I just noticed you guys weren't home" "Well, we have lives too, you know" he snapped at me.

Oh, feisty. Who died and didn't leave him money? "Oh, I never noticed" I said sarcastically "I thought your sole purpose in life was to stalk me" "No, that's just our hobby" he retorted sparkly. Well, here goes nothing. I would have to do this sooner or later. "Look" I sighed "Can you just let me explain to you what happened on Friday?" Ken's dull expression perked up at that. "Fine" Jai muttered "But, don't expect me to understand" Now, why would I expect my brother to be understanding?

"Okay" I explained "Well, it was really just a horrible coincidence. . .and your horrible timing. You see, I spilled some liquor on myself" I smiled impishly "And went to go change. But, I forgot I wasn't supposed to lock Ishu's door. Cause the lock was broken. But, I remembered. After I took my shirt off. So, I started banging on the door for someone to let me out. And, Raman had come upstairs wondering what was taking so long. So, he heard me and let me out. And then you two showed up" Jai snorted, "Fine, but I still don't like him" I groaned, "He's really not that bad. Seriously, it's all just hipe."

"Yea, sure it is" Jai said, rolling his eyes. "Oh c'mon" I moaned "Like your the patron saint of respecting women." "I'm not as bad as he is" Jai countered. "Do you think Brenna would agree?" I retorted. He staggered for a second, "Don't bring her into this" he growled. "I think she's a perfect example" I said haughtly.

Brenna Orleans is Jai's exgirlfriend. She's a smart and pretty blonde, who's on the honor roll and soccer team. And I have no clue what she ever saw in my brother. She's pretty tall, around my height. She's a junior, like me. She always wears her platinum blonde hair in a high playful ponytail. And her creamy colored face is in the shape of a perfect heart. She's perky and upbeat. She's a little too goodie too shoes for my tastes, but she's pretty nice.

She had started going on with my brother at the end of last year. They made a cute couple, as far as looks are concerned. But, personality wise they were polar opposites, if you ask me. She was perky, organized, and a perfect citizen. Jai, on the other hand, is irresponsible, unorganized, and an underachiever. I knew it wouldn't last. It lasted a few months, four I think. And then (by some miracle) they ended up hooking up in her car. Now, I have no clue how a smart girl like that would be dumb enough to sleep with my brother. Maybe she has father issues or something. . . But, anyway, a week after that Jai had dumped her. She'd been devastate, but had gotten over it pretty quickly. Hey, the plus side is she wouldn't have to worry about losing her virginity. And now, she was dating Nick (Raman's friend) and possibly sleeping with him too.

Now, it may sound creepy that I know that my brother had sex with his girlfreind in her car. . . But it had been the hottest gossip at school that entire week. And (after my eyes stopped bleeding from the mental images) I was able to get into it. You gotta love good gossip, especially when you can use it against your brother. Like, perhaps, telling Mom? If I felt like being cruel. "That was her choice" Jai said defensively. "And you think the girls Raman has slept with didn't have a choice?" I retorted.

"Iuhwell, I guess" Jai mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Oh my God! My brother just listened to reason! I think I might faint!

"Oh my God!" I said "You just listened to reason! I think I might faint!" "Haha" he said, bitterly sarcastic. "So, Jai" I sighed "Can we come to some kind of common ground. . .or something? Please, this is driving me crazy" "I guess we can think of something" he grumbled. "Good!" I chirped "You don't have to like Raman, but you gotta stop harassing us." "We'll see. . ." he mumbled. "Good, now I gotta get ready to go" I said, jumping up. Jai grumbled unintelligibly to himself. I ran upstairs, and changed into a royal purple sweatshirt, and skinny jeans. Applied some eyeliner, and mascara.

Then, rushed back downstairs. As I passed the living room, Jai's voice stopped me. "Where are you going?" he asked. "Raman's" I said ". . .duh" "Why?" he asked. "C'mon" I groaned "I thought you were gonna be nicer" "I am. . .but as a trade off, I'm going to be extremly nosy" he elaborate. I groaned, "Fine. . ." "Now, why?" he repeated. "Because he's my boyfriend" I said rolling my eyes "And because he's sick. He picked up some bug when we were at the emergency room"

I gave him a faint glare when I said the last part. He looked a little uncomfortable. "Uh, ummm. Tell the little punk I'm sorry about putting him in the hospital" he said grudgingly. I smiled brightly, very pleased, "I will" I opened the door, but paused when he spoke again. Shut up so I can leave already! "And remember" he added menacingly "If you sleep with him. . . I'll know" "What are you? The Mafia?" I asked as I slipped out the door. I rushed down the bright street, it was a busy Sunday morning. A lot more people were out, and I avoided eye contact.

I didn't feel like getting distracted by people. So, I ducked my head and kept my eyes on the sidewalk. When I reached the Kardigan's I was happy not to run into anyone. After the fiasco at the party on Friday I cut off contact from the rest of the world. I was dreading school tomorrow, especially since I wouldn't have Raman to hide behind. People were totally gonna chew me out. But, luckily, my friends wouldn't put up with anyone who gave me shit. And, Raman's friends would probably defend me on his behalf. I headed up towards the front door. Not bothering to knock or anything like that, I opened the door. The kitchen held a few occupants. Mrs. Kardigan, and Mihika. Mrs. Kardigan was at the counter, preparing some kind of vile. I assumed it was Raman's medicine, it was the same color anyway.

Mihika was helping her, absently glancing at her phone every so often. Either checking for a message or checking the time. I dunno. "Hey guys" I said "What's up?" "Not much" Mihika said "Just preparing the medicine for Raman. It's a lot more involved then you'd think!" I laughed, "Where is he?" "In the living room" she told me "He's still asleep though" "Okay" I said as I disapeared into the living room. The scene was simmilar to yesterdays.

Raman was collapsed on the couch, the same blanket tossed over him. Sweat still dewed on his forehead, and plastered his blonde hair to his forehead. I could see his injured hand, white bandages were still wrapped around it. His eyes were closed and his dark lashes brushed against his cheek. His plump lips were parted slightly. The picture of innocence. Tora was sitting on the other couch, reading a large leather bound book. Mihir was looking through that box again, every so often he glanced at his phone. Oh, c'mon! Don't tell me there texting each other from different rooms! That's ridiculous! I mean, I know Raman and I are pretty loveydovey sometimes. But, we never did stuff like that, it's just ridiculous. Mars was on the computer in the corner, looking at something on the computer. I couldn't see what it was from here though. "Hey" I said quietly. Mars mumbled 'hey' and Mihir nodded at me.

Tora actually gave a verbal response. "Morning Ishu" she said brightly, keeping her voice low "How are you?" "Good" I said, sitting down next to her, "Can I ask you something?" "Sure, ask away" she said, smiling. "Do you think you could teach me to do magic?" I asked hesitantly. "Well, I don't see why not" she said, seeming intrigued "You are a witch, and somebody has to teach you" "Thats great" I trilled "Thank you! When should we do it?" "Hmmm, today?" she wondered.

"Excelent" I agreed. "Good. . .we can start after breakfast" she promised. Before I could agree, music blared from the computer. A 'Three Days Grace' roared to life randomly. "Turn that off!" Tora hissed at Mars "Your gonna wake Raman up!" "Sorry, sorry!" he apologized, fumbling with the speakers. He got the music off before it could wake up Raman. Tora rolled her eyes. After that we ate breakfast. A nice meal of french toast and blueberry muffins. They weren't blueberry pancakes but they were damn good! After eating, Tora and I went into the living room. Alone, well excpet for Raman

Who was sleeping peacfull on the couch. I glanced at him occasionaly, just liking the look of his innocent face. "Okay" Tora began "The first spell any witch ever learns is to summon an element" "An element" I asked, raising an eyebrow. We didn't bother keeping our voices low. Raman was pretty much in a coma. Apparently the whole 'vampires can only sleep in total darkness' thing didn't apply to Wood Poisioning. "Earth, fire, water, wind, spirit, blood, sleep, light, darkness" she elaborate "Now, pick one. Which do you want to try first?" "Hmmm, well" I said slowly "Fire is very tempting. But, for my first try, I'll pick something less destructive. Like. . .light" She nodded, "Good choice. Now, close your eyes" I obeyed, shutting my eyes tightly.

"Now, how dark is it?" she asked. "Extremely dark" I answered. "Imagine it even darker" she instructed "So dark you can barely feel yourself" It was hard to imagine that level of darkness, but I did as I was told. I imagined the darkest dark I could. Without any speck of light. "Now, imagine something illuminating the dark" she said in a mysterious voice "A warm bright light" I pretended it wasn't dark behind my eyelids. And then soon, it wasn't. I could sense a light in front of my eyes. Like when you look at the sun with your eyes closed. "Open you eyes" Tora said, her voice dripping with excitement. I opened them, and was very surprised. A yellow fog was floating in the air around me. It looked like sunshine only in a mist around me

"Wow. . ." I murmured in awe. "Yes" Tora agreed "Thats very impressive. . .now try to control it" I focused on the light, imagining it as an extension of my own body. I felt the urge to direct it with my hand. So I swayed my hand back and forth, feeling like some kind of gypsy doing some kind of ritual. And, as my hand moved, the light followed. Amazed, I began to flick my wrist up and down. Pointing it in different directions of the room. The light danced around under my command. It was exhilarating. A happy giggle escaped my lips, this was amazing! "Very good" Tora appraised "Now try another" "Hmmm. . . how about water?" I suggested. "Okay" she instructed "Now, for water. I want you to imagine that your thirsty" I imagined a big 'ol chocolate milkshake and found that my mouth already felt dry.

Well, that was easy. I wasn't just imagining I was thirsty now, I really was. "Okay. . .now imagine water" she commanded "Imagine it raining down from the skies to quench your thirst" I thought about rain falling lightly from the sky, but no rain came. Instead, bubbles appeared. They floated up from the floor, surrounding me. In awe, I reached out to touch one. It didn't pop under my touch. I held it on my finger, examining it. "Wow" I breathed. "Fun, isn't it?" Tora asked with a smile. "Yes, very" I agreed. "Which would you like to try next?" she wondered.

"Hmmm, wind?" I suggested. "Okay, wind is a little harder to visualize" she explained "Since there aren't many common situations where it is necessary" I nodded in agreement and to show I was paying attention. "But, I want you to imagine a hot summer day. It's humid and there isn't a single bit of wind to cool you down" she continued. I imagined myself on a boardwalk, the sun scorching down. Moist hot air around me. Pressing down on my lungs. It was so real, I almost felt like I was there. Damn, I have a vivid imagination. "Now, imagine a big gust of wind coming through and cooling things off" Tora added. I obeyed. I imagined a huge gust of wind sweeping over the boardwalk. Rustling the palm trees and sending hats flying. I imagined it blowing away the hot unbreathable air.

And then I could feel the wind. I could actually feel it. Not just in my imagination. A light wind caressed my face. I opened my eyes and wind blew into them, although not painfully. The wind played with my hair. Lifting it and dropping it. Making it move like it was alive. I smiled. This magic thing was a sinch! "Wow, this is great!" I trilled "Let's do another!" "Okay, okay" she said, laughing indulgently "What next?"

"How about earth?" I asked. "Okay. . .close your eyes and imagine a barren field" she instructed. I closed my eyes, and in my head I saw a barren field. The grass was a dull greenish yellow and there were no trees. Gravely dirt could be seen in patches. The smell of sour dirt wafted through the air. No animals were in sight. It was bleak, and empty. Completely lifeless. "Now, imagine plants. Blooming and blossoming" she cooed in an enchanting voice "Imagine grass growing green and healthy" I imagined all those things. I imagined the dull grass becoming a bright jade. And growing longer and shaggier. Then I imagined flowers sprouting up. Lillies, poppies, tulips, violets, all sorts. Even trees. Evergreens, apple trees, orange trees, nut trees, maple trees. . .all kinds. And bushes too. Rose bushes, pricker bushes, and blueberry bushes. Tons of those.

And the sour smell of old dirt was exchanges for the fresh smell of healthy dirt, and freshly cut grass. I could hear birds singing, and animals scurrying around. "Open your eyes" Tora instructed, her voice excited. I opened my eyes. Tora was standing in front of me, holding a potted plant. She must of snatched it when I was inside my own little garden. It was a scraggly looking plant, half dead, but before my eyes it started to grow.

The stem changed from dull green to bright jade. And bright yellow flowers began to sprout. "Oh!" I enthused "I brought a plant back to life! That's so coool!" Tora laughed, "Yes, it is. Would you like to try another? Your making exceptional progress, I might add" "Oh yes!" I trilled "How about. . .fire?" "Alright, but be careful with this one. It can get a little out of hand" she mentioned. "Okay" I breathed, readying myself. "Alright" she said "Now imagine that your cold. Very cold, your freezing" In my mind I saw a barren tundra. White Arctic landscape around me. Pointed cliffs and sharp ditches. But nothing else. Bleak baren, snow covered, landscape. Snow was falling in big puffy flakes. It was cold, I could almost feel it. "Now, think warmth" she instructed. I imagined a prickly warm overtaking the bleak arctic scene. You could almost see a orangish haze.

"Hotter" she continued "It's getting hotter" I thought of it getting hotter, and then I could feel warmth. Actually feel it It was getting hotter and hotter. "Open your eyes" Tora told me. I opened my eyes, and looked at my hands. They were glowing red hot. But I didn't feel the heat. Now I understood how Raman was able to have fire on his hands without burning himself. I turned my hands, palms up. Then I imagined a blazing inferno. I remembered back to when Raman had incased us in blue fire when we were invaded at Tora's. And little mini blazes appeared on my hands. Okay, so it was no blue fire. But it was still pretty cool. "Woah!" I looked up to see Raman was awake. He was laying on the couch, rubbing his wide eyes. He looked shocked.

"Isn't she doing exceptional?" Tora asked him. He sighed in relief, "Oh good. You see it too. I thought I was hallucinating . . ." I laughed, "Morning Raman. Tora's teaching me to do magic. See?" I raised my burning hands "Isn't it cool" "Very" he agreed, wiping sweat of his forehead. "Let me go tell them he's awake" Tora said "Just wait a minute" "Alright" I said easily, I was surprised how happy I was. I felt lighthearted and giddy. And, honestly, mildly high. Tora strode out of the room into the kitchen. Raman rolled his eyes and raked a hand through his mildly damp hair. "Isn't this so cool!" I gushed "Wanna see me do something else?" He shrugged, "Okay" Now, that I knew what to do, I had a feeling I could conjure them again. I thought about water. About how I was thirsty and needed water. And, without having to picture vivid imagery, bubbles began to float up from the floor. Dancing around me.

"Cool" Raman noted. "I know right!" I exclaimed, feeling oddly happy. I let the bubbles deflate. They popped at random intervals, it was cool to watch. Then, Mrs. Kardigan and Mihir came in. They headed straight for Raman. They began asking him how he felt, if he was cold, if he was hot, if his hand hurt. And Raman mumbled responses to their questions.

Mihir whipped out the thermometer and placed it in Raman's ear. Raman mouthed the words, "Kill me" I held back a laugh. "104" Mihir muttered "Hera can you" "I'm on it" Mrs. Kardigan said, getting up and rushing into the kitchen. Mihir nodded and turned his attention back to Raman. He began examining Raman's injured hand. Then he unwrapped the bandages, revealing a nasty wound. Their was a huge puncture wound directly in the middle. Dried blood covered the pale skin around it. Mihir grabbed a bottle of clear liquid, and a cloth from the table. He dabbed the liquid onto the cloth. Then he began to clean the cut with it. Well, Raman didn't like that. He winced and then snarled at Mihir. He tried to jerk his hand away, but Mihir was too strong. And, currently, Raman was too weak.

"Easy" Mihir commanded "Don't worry, I'm almost done" Raman hissed at Mihir angrily. And then Mihir was done. And now the cut looked a little better. Well, at least their was no dried blood surrounding it anymore. "See?" Mihir said, wrapping Raman's hand with new bandages, "That wasn't so bad" "Not for you it wasn't" Raman grumbled. Once Mihir was finished tending to Raman's hand, Mrs. Kardigan came back. In one hand she had the maroon colored medicine, and in the other she had a damp cloth. She placed the glass on the table. And then placed the wet cloth on Raman's forehead. "We'll be back in a little while" Mrs. Kardigan promised "Make sure you drink that" Raman nodded dully, and then Mihir and Mrs. Kardigan went into the kitchen.

"Would you like to continue?" Tora asked. I jumped, I hadn't realized she was back. "Ugh, okay" I said. "Alright. We'll do one more. You don't wanna overdo it. Especially your first day. Which one would you like to try next?" she wondered. "Hmmm, how about sleep?" I asked "That was one of them, right?" "Yes it is" she assured me "Now, imagine a baby, crying. They won't go to sleep. . . ." I closed my eyes and imagined a baby. A beautiful blonde little baby in a crib. The crib was blue and made of metal. Not wood. The room was painted baby blue, and baby things scattered the room. A changing table, toy chest, toys, the whole nine yards. The little blond baby had his eyes shut tight, his lashes brushing against his pale skin. The baby was wearing those cute little feety pajamas. He was kicking, and screaming. And crying, wailing loudly. A women with long blond hair was looking into the crib. I couldn't see her face, just her skinny figure and billows of light hair

"Now imagine a lulaby" Tora cooed in her mystifying voice "Soothing and calming the baby" I didn't even have to imagine that part, it just. . .happened. The woman began to croon to the baby. In a language I had never even heard of!

"Na la desona sarmon

Lon farleas heam

Xavian luna pandores deversa

Halana mulas kendores

Hypnos ana Vulcan

Hypnos freverent"

The baby began to drift to sleep. He became very still, the only movement from his fluttering chest. The women touched the baby's hair lovingly. Then, with a sigh she turned. And Mrs. Kardigan's silver eyes were staring at me.

To be continued...

Do like and comment...

Love Sunshine..❤️

She looked pretty much the same. Except she wore a red cocktail dress, interesting attire for taking care of a baby. Her eyes passed over me and she headed for the door. Terribly confused, I drifted towards the crib. I looked in at the sleeping infant. He was sleeping on his side, his blonde hair was all ruffled and a teddy bear lay abandoned next to him. He was painfully adorable. His long lashes brushed against his pale cheek, and his full lips were parted slighty. Then, without warning, his eyes shot open. The bluest eyes I had ever seen.

--------

And I was suddenly back in the Kardigan's living room. "Ishu?" Tora asked "Are you alright?" "Yea. . .sorry" I lied "I zoned out" "Well, look it's working!" she told me cheerfully. I saw a purplish haze float around the room. It began to gravitate towards Raman. It began to wrap around him. The purple haze levatated around him. As the haze touched him, his eyes closed a little. Then fluttered open again. "Hey" he protested sleepily "Don't practice that magic crap on me. . ." He was cut off by a yawn.

"Your getting very sleepy" I said in a mock gypsy like voice. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, "Seriously" he managed before another yawn "I don't wanna sleep anymore. . .stop. . ." His eyes closed, and then fluttered open again. "Are you sure?" I teased "Because you look awfully tired to me. Maybe you should sleep a little more. . ." He yawned, and rested back into the couch. "You suck" he muttered sleepily as his eyes closed. They didn't reopen this time, and he fell asleep. The only movement was from his fluttering chest. "You did it!" Tora congratulated "You knocked him out cold!" "Now, thats cool" I said "I gotta try that on my brothers sometimes. . ."

She laughed, "It's remarkable how the most basic incantations can be so usefull" "Yea, seriously" I agreed "How long with that keep him out for?" "Depends" she said and shrugged "on how long you want him to sleep." "I think he's gonna stay asleep for a little longer" I decided. She laughed, "Well, alright. That's enough magic for today. We'll wrap up the other elements tomorrow. And then move onto to conjuring objects. Tonight, practice the elements we did today. Of course, do them alone. And don't let them get out of hand" I nodded, "Ok, sure. Cool" "Wonderful" she said as she ghosted out of the room. I sat on the couch opposite Raman. He was still sleeping soundly. I decided to wake him up, I needed help. I concentrated on lifting the sleep spell. When I was done, I waited a second for him to wake up. "When I snap my fingers you will wake up" I mumbled, snapping my fingers. A second later his eyes sprung up. I laughed to myself. It actually worked. . .sorta

"Not cool" he told me. I laughed, "You better be nicer to me. Or I might just use my magical powers to put you into a deep, deep sleep" He snorted, "Yea, okay" "Do you know a song. . .it goes something like 'Na la desona sarmon.' Ever heard of it" I asked abrutly. "Yea . . . it means 'They told me you were coming'. . . .thats the song my mother used to sing to me. . .how do you know about that?" he asked. I thought so. . .but that baby couldn't of been Raman. . . the baby's eyes were obviously blue. "Ugh, ummm. . .your mother was singing it to herself before . . ." I lied "I was just wondering if you knew it" "Well, I do" he told me flatly. "Oh. . .so ummm what's up?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I didn't wanna bring up my weird vision.

I was probably just crazy. . . Or it could be the Blood Bind. . .there was no reason to make a big deal out of nothing. Mihir walked in then, Mihika followed at his heels. He spoke to Raman, "How are you feeling?" "Horrible" he spat. "What hurts?" Mihir asked. "My head" Raman muttered, feeling his temple ". . .And my throat" Mihir got up and went over to Raman. Mihika sighed dramatically. "You know what you probably need. . ." Mihir mused "Fresh blood" Haha! Yes! Now, I can get my fix. "No" Raman said stubbornly. "You need fresh blood" Mihir reasoned "If you want to get better, that is"

"Nope" Raman said "I rather be sick forever" "There's no use argueing with us" I added "It's two against one" "Make it three" Mihika piped in "The sooner he gets better the sooner I get Mihir's full attention back" I rolled my eyes at her. It was a selfish reason to want someone to get better. . .but, hell, whatever put her on my side. "Yea, and we could easily get the whole household against you" I threatened. "Ugh!" Raman groaned "Fine! Let's just get this over with! Besides, its a hell lot better then that blood laced with a ton of crap" I smiled. I win! I always win when it comes to feeding. . .I think it's because, secretly, he likes it too. "Great" Mihir said. "One condition" Raman told us "You, Mihika Go. Don't need an audience"

"Fine" Mihir said, heading for the door. Gesturing for Mihika to follow. Mihika muttered "I'm glad he wanted us to leave. I really don't need to see this. . ." It was true. She didn't need to see this. Besides, I definetly didn't want them to. It was a private thing. . .it would feel weird with people watching. Raman sighed, "Here we go again" I walked over to him, "Yep" I said smugly. He moved into a sitting position, throwing the blanket onto the floor. He had on the plaid pajama pants from the Friday, except this time he had a white tshirt on. He sat in a more normal position for a couch. He gestured for me to sit next to him. I did, assuming he wasn't up for standing. I snuggled closer to him, grinning to myself. He brushed the hair away from my neck, revealing the bite mark. It was starting to heal a little, well that, was about to be ruined.

The position we were in was awkward for drinking. He had to crane his neck all the way to the right. Too much of a strain. I should make this easier. . .I mean, it's the least I could do. Feeling bold, I moved so I was sitting on his lap. I did so gingerly, because if I ended up hurting him . . . well, that would be bad. He rolled his eyes at me. I shrugged, "Just trying to make things easier" "Mhm, right" he muttered. "Well, get with the drinking" I commanded "Don't have all the day" "Your turning into such a Venom Junkie" he mumbled. "A what??" I asked. "A Venom Junkie" he explained "It's someone who's addicted to vampire bites" "Well, maybe I am" I said "But, call me whatever you want. Just get with the drinking"

He rolled his eyes, and leaned into my neck. Easily, since my new position put the bite mark right next to him. His lips touched the bite mark, and I felt a shiver go down my spine. I hadn't had a bite since Thursday, I was excited. I could feel his fangs as they extended against my skin. They were resting right on my skin. Just a little bit of pressure. . .and then I'd be drowning in ecstasy. His fangs peirced the skin. I didn't even feel that split second of pain this time. I went straight to ecstasy. As he drank I could feel the venom leaking into my bloodstream. Just a little venom gave me a nice buzz. Too much would make me a vampire. . .but luckily Raman was very careful about that. As he drained the blood I felt my head lighten. I felt like I was floating . . . Heat sprung from the bite, flowing through my veins. It traveled down my neck into my chest, into my stomach, to my legs. Once it reached my toes I felt an overwhelming heat. It was kind of uncomfortable for a second, and then it was replaced by a cool feeling. An icy sensation traveled up from my toes, to my legs, stomach, chest, neck, and then filled my head. I felt a chill go down my spine.

And then the warmth came back. Heading down to my toes. Then when it reached my toes it switched to ice. Back, and fourth. It was like a tennis match inside of me. Hot, cold, hot cold. But it felt sooo good. Then there was that floating feeling, that I was separated from my body. Like nothing could hurt me. When Raman pulled away, I felt myself sigh. No, not yet. . . I opened my eyes. I was looking into Raman's silver eyes. They were wide and hungry. I was sitting on his lap, facing him. His arms were wrapped around my waist.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. And as I was starring into his ravenous silver eyes, he began kissing me. Much like our first kiss. It was unexpected, rough, passionate. Very unexpected. I mean, ten seconds ago he could barely sit up. But now, he was making out with me with such energetic passion that it made my head spin. Must be that Polar Shift thing. He was tired, achey, reluctant. Now he was hyper, excited, and eager. Yea, definitely opposites. . . As the kiss continued, he began to nibble on my bottom lip. I moaned in pleasure. Because, honestly, Raman was a damn good kisser. My tongue traced the outline of his soft lips, they tasted like blood. But not in a bad way. . . My tongued poked through his lips, and then my tongue touched his canine tooth.

His fangs were still extended, and the tooth pricked my tongue. I could taste the venom that coated his fangs. It was warm, and thick. It ozzed over my tongue. It tasted like blueberries (blueberries!) mixed with rich chocolate. It was delictable. Tasting venom, it was even better then having it injected into my veins. It rushed over my tongue, numbing it. Like Novocaine at the dentists, only much tastier. I moaned in pleasure, "Oh my God . . . the venom. . .it tastes so good. . ." His only response was a starved hungry growl. Savoring the taste of the venom, my lips trailed down to his jaw. I kissed his jaw hungrly, and he moaned contently. When I had covered every square inch of his jaw with kisses, I moved onto his warm neck. When I reached a spot just under his jaw, I began to kiss it passionately.

I sucked on the soft warm skin just beneath his jaw for a while. I let my tongue flick out to brush against the warm flesh. I pulled away, noting with satisfaction that a hickey was beginning to form there. Another one to add to his collection. I felt extremly smug. Aurora wouldn't be able to kiss him ever again. But I could kiss him forever. My lips moved up from his neck, towards his jawline. My lips ran along his jaw, towards his ear. I nibbled on his ear. He moaned, and I could feel his muscles relax. Ok, so I now I know that Raman likes it if I nibble on his ear . . . store that knowledge for future use. As my lips moved back to his lips, Raman became even more excited. He began to nibble on my lower lip, using his fangs this time.

When his pointed canine teeth broke the flesh on my lip, I went completely lightheaded. The venom was coating my lips, seeping into the cut on my lower lip. I pretty much forgot that we were in the Kardigan's living room. And that about 8 other people were staying here, and could walk in at any time. Yea, I just let all of that slip my mind. Even the fact that 2 of those 8 people were Raman's parents. And honestly, if they walked in I think I would die. But, I didn't really think about any of that. It crossed my mind for like two seconds, and then it was gone. Raman grabbed my waist and pushed me off his lap. So, I now lay on my back on the couch.

Raman moved so he was hovering above me. I breathed heavily, and I felt like my heart was gonna leap out of my chest. We started kissing again, making out intensly. Emphasis on the 'intense' part. As our lips collided, my hands gripped Raman's hair. I had a feeling if he were human that would be seriously painful. Well, apparently it was more intense then I noticed. Because then we somehow rolled off the couch. . .

Now, we were on the floor. Raman was laying on his back under me. Oh, how the tables have turned. . . again. Being on the floor, barely fazed us. We continued kissing as if nothing had occured. "See?" a voice said, snapping me out of my loving illusion "I knew this would happen" I turned my head around to see Mihir and Mihika standing above us. Mihika looked disapproving, but not surprised. Mihir's expression was business like. . .but I could see that he felt like rolling his eyes at us. I could just sense it. With my magical powers. . . That I actually have. . .hmmm. . . interesting. I quickly scrambled to my feet, and Raman followed. I nervously smoothed my hair. Mihika glared at me. It was a look that perfectly told me 'My brother! My brother goddamnit!'

I understood perfectly. . .if I walked in on her making out with Jake (In his dreams) I would probably scream. Then again, it's more likely that a falcon would die during flight and come crashing through that window . . . "How long have you guys been standing there?" I asked, feeling embarrassed. "Sense you were on his lap saying that his venom tastes good" Mihika said flatly. I felt my cheeks get warmer, "And you didn't say anything because. . ." I prompted. "We did" Mihika said, rolling her eyes "But neither of you seemed to notice" Well. . .this is extremely awkward. Yea, I think I'm gonna go curl up in a ball and die. Then again, it could of been worse. Mr. or Mrs. Kardigan could of walked in. Or Jupiter and Mars. . .thats much worse. Mihir pretended not to have seen all of that. Or acknowledge that it even happened. "How do you feel now, Raman" Mihir asked abrubtly. "Better" then he winked at me "Much better" Mihika shuddered. Oh, so now she's a prude. She couldn't of been that way, when I walked in on her and Shawn feeling each other up in 9th grade?

And, no, I still haven't gotten over that. Because, some things, can never be unseen. "We should of thought of this sooner" Mihir muttered "Of course, Ishu's blood would heal Raman. There Blood Bound. And, everyone knows, that one of the perks of a Blood Bind is that their blood has healing qualities for one another. . ." How do you forget something like that??? I thought he was like a doctor. . .wow. "So, I'm all better?" Raman asked. "Not quite" Mihir said "It will probably take one more feeding, tomorrow. And, you should probably miss school tomorrow. . .just to be safe" "Coool" Raman said. His hand was resting on the small of my back. Okay, so this Polar Mood Shift had had some. . .different results. Probably because his mood was a little different. . . I wasn't sure if this was good or bad. Well, I guess I'll find out. "Okay" Raman hinted "You two can leave now" "Alright. . ." Mihir said.

He left, with Mihika following suit. She threw me a look over her shoulder. I wasn't sure what it meant though. . . Raman turned to me, "So, where were we?" he purred. He smiled, revealing his still extended fangs. I smiled in return. He layed back down on the couch, and I eagerly lay across him. I leaned into kiss him. . .when my ringtone went off. "Hear me Now" by Framing Hanley. Well, thats a mood killer. I reached into my pocket for my phone. Raman pouted, seeming annoyed. I held up one finger, indicating for him to wait one minute. Then, I flipped open my phone. One new text message from Mihika. Damn her. Mihir said 2 knock out Raman with your witchy sleeping powers. Just until the Polar Shift sideeffects wear off, u no? It'll b easier 4 every1 if u do Hmmm, do I want to? I can either make out with my hot boyfriend. . .or make him sleep. . . Hmmm, decisions, decisions. As, I thought this over my cell phone went off again.

Mihika again. Shocker, shocker

C'mon plz?

Ugh, fine! It's 3:00 in the afternoon. . .and I sadly, have homework to do. . .

I texted back: Fine!

Then I shoved the phone back into my pocket. I turned back to Raman, and gave him my sexiest smile I could. He smiled back at me. And, I had a feeling his was a lot sexier then mine had been.

I leaned in, making it look like I was gonna kiss him again. Then, right as our lips were about to meet, I conjured sleep. The faint haze ghosted around us. It wrapped around Raman, caressing his face. His eyelids fluttered. Seeming confused, he fought against it. I leaned my face in, so my eyes were staring into his. Our lips mere centimeters apart. "Sleepy, Raman?" I cooed. "What?" he yawned ". . . No. . ." "Are you sure?" I purred "Because you seem awfully tired to me" "No" he said sleepily "I'm. . .fine. . .I'm not tired. . ." "Maybe I should sing you a lullaby" I purred, teasing him "I don't know the one your Mama used to sing to you. . .but I do know another" "No. . .seriously, Ishu" he managed around some yawns "I'm not. . .I'm not tired. . .not at . . .all"

"Rockabye baby in the treetops" I sang softly, teasingly "When the wind blows, the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. And down will come baby, cradle and all" "Ishu. . . ." he murmured sleepily, and then his eyelids closed. And he was asleep.

And he was asleep. Well, that was easy. I sighed, and got up. I picked up the blanket from the floor, and tossed it over Raman. Nighty, night Raman. I headed into the kitchen, were Mihika, Mihir, Mr. Kardigan, Mrs. Kardigan, Jupiter and Mars were conversed. God, this place is a mansion, and everyone has to be in one room. "He's asleep" I announced. "Good" Mihika muttered "I swear, at this rate, you'll be pregnant in a month. . ." I stared at her. Now, who does that remind me of. . . "Have you been hanging out with Ken recently?" I asked. "No, why?" she wondered

"Because, he told me the exact same thing. . ." I mused "Except he said a week" She laughed, "I can't believe I'm agreeing with Mute" Mute was our nickname for Ken. Because, honestly, it's like someone hit his mute button and never turned it off. Our nickname for Jake is either Jerkaholoic or just bas***d. "Yea. . .well, I gotta go" I said sadly "I have calculus homework and then I have to finish that stupid English assignment" "Well, okay" Mihika said "Text me?" "Sure, talk to you later" I said "Bye guys" They all called there goodbyes as I closed the door. The rest of the day passed without event, really. Walked home, did my homework, texted Mihika, watched tv, actually had dinner with my family, took a shower, went to bed. What fun. But, as I lay in my bed trying to sleep, sleep never came. I kept worrying about what school would be like without Raman to protect me. And evertime I closed my eyes, I saw those blue eyes staring at me.

It was 5:34 in the morning. We had gone to a variety of clubs, Devastation, Misfortune, Devilry, Rapture, and Acid. I got midlly drunk, but Raman was smart and stayed sober. He had as many drinks as I did, but they didn't affect him. He'd need another few bottles of Vodka to do that. We were in the Acid parking lot, heading for the car. Raman led me towards the car, as I stumbled drunkenly. I got into the front seat of the Maserati and Raman got in the front seat. He started the car, and I turned up the radio. Raman drove us home then. Somewhere on the way home, I fell asleep.