AUTHOR'S NOTE: I started out with this story with Selene, then changed it as Selena, but I'm changing it back to Selene, so if there is any confusion...that's the explanation. Thank you to my reviewers! This is also an add-on to a previous chapter, but I wanted all of Selene's chapter together. Next is more on Valerian, including his memory of the transformation to vampire! Thanks again for your patience, and keep with me! p.s...I wish I had known before about that wonderful button that creates these bars for the first chapter. Nothign I tried worked, so if there are a couple places that don't flow, that means time has passed. These bars will be there in the future.
And this update is dedicated to Chloe, who has been the best brainstormer in the world! Happy birthday!!I love you! Thank you!!!!!!
Selene Silver
Aiden had to tap my shoulder to get my attention. At first I thought it was Andrew come to try again to romance me, and swatted the hand away, but Aiden yanked a headphone from my ear and yelled, "You in there, baby sister?"
He was satisfactorily surprised when I reached up and slapped his cheek, none too lightly.
"OW!" Aiden whined, rubbing his reddening cheek and grinning at me. I rolled my eyes and smiled back, letting some barriers fall. "Dumbass. You knew you had that one coming."
Aiden slipped an arm around my shoulders companionably, dragging my bag off the table with his other. "I did. Which was why I stood there and took it like a man." He started to steer us out the door, winking at a couple girls as we passed by. I resisted the temptation to roll my eyes, and asked, "Where's our baby bro?"
"Out by the car. I was a chivalrous boy and coerced him to take back seat again."
I laughed, and the sound was strange to my ears. "Oh, in that case, shining knight, when do I get my kiss?"
Aiden looked at me and wrinkled his nose good-naturedly. "Eeeww."
Scoffing, I muttered, "I'm sure that's what you said to Rea."
Aiden cuffed the side of my head and kept walking.
The walk to the car was filled with obstacles. Girls with Abercrombie mini skirts batted their eyelashes and took out their baby phat cell phones to text their friends with the news: Aiden Silver just smiled at them, oh my God! The older the girl, the more she flirted as we passed by, and at times I had to grab Aiden's shirt to keep him from stopping. Sure, Rea still held his heart, no matter what he said, but he did not know as well as I the traps these girls would still lay for him to tumble into.
But that was a picnic compared to who we happened across next.
Just as we were rounding the corner to the main entrance and I was thinking with relief almost there, Andrew Ryland exited from a classroom and started walking toward us. A slow smile crept across his face, and he made it clear he was heading our way. I wanted desperately to huddle my shoulders and scurry away, but instead I squared them and let out a long breath, planting what I hoped passed for a smile on my face.
"Hey Selene! I was hoping I'd catch you before you left." Andrew stopped in front of us and glanced at Aiden, nearly eye-to-eye. "Hey, remember me?"
Aiden grinned, chuckling a bit. "Yeah, Mike's younger brother, right? I've heard about you. Taking my place as head of the school, hmm?"
"Naw, man, you know I wouldn't encroach on your territory." He rolled his eyes. "Besides, every time your name is mentioned around here, the girls still go crazy."
Aiden practically preened, straightening his jacket arrogantly. "Good to hear." He was interrupted by a long, shrill honk from the car parked just outside. A couple more hits on the horn followed. Aiden glanced through the glass window to the side of the school door, noting Landon hunched over the driver's seat, arm stretched to reach the horn again if needed. My baby brother waved his arm wildly, and the sound of muffled yells could be heard through the door. Aiden gestured to the window, and said coolly, all business, "But you'll have to keep me posted later, as we have places to go and impatient family rousing the dead."
Landon honked again, still yelling, and in his impatience, gave himself a good knock upside the head from the car ceiling. I tried to cover a laugh as a cough and might have pulled it off.
Only then did both of the guys look at me. I cocked a brow and suggested coolly, "Shall we go?"
Andrew smiled again at me. "Have a good trip home, Selene," he said softly, gazing into my eyes, and without another word, turned and strode down the hall.
I watched him go, absently admiring the breadth of his shoulders and his long stride. An expression Rea said for particularly 'mouthwatering' male parts came dancing into my head, alight with the sound of her laughter. I could hear her say it clear as glass: It's just too damn bad. Might as well stamp grade A prime on -
"Sooo, Leni, you finally got yourself a boyfriend?"
Glaring, I whipped back to slap Aiden on the arm. "Shut up, Aiden," I forced out angrily, heading for the door. His voice followed me as surely he did.
"Come on, Selene, its okay to actually get into a relationship. That kid is just dying to hook up with you. And I saw the way you looked at him," he told me warningly, like he was the old village matchmaker from Mulan or something.
"You can't give me any advice, Aiden – you're the one who had something going on that was wonderful, and dropped it like a sack of shit. Surprising, Rea would still take you back; she understands when even your sister doesn't."
Aiden didn't look down to meet my gaze as he mumbled, "this is different."
"Sure it is."
We walked in silence for another minute, Aiden heading around to the driver's side. Opening my door, I gazed at my brother dispassionately, or what I hoped passed for at least coolly. End of discussion. But I still got a few barbs in. Hah!
"What's got her panties in a wad?"
"Shut up, Landon," Aiden and I said in unison. I turned in my seat to look at my baby brother. He filled most of the backseat and was obviously cramped, making me wonder what Aiden did this time to worm Landon back there. He was still rubbing his head, scowling.
"Aiden, why don't you interrogate Landon about Gabrielle, John's sister."
"What! Johnny's kid sister? What are you doing now, Landon?" Aiden's voice boomed in the small space of the car, ensuring Landon got the heat today and not me.
My brothers are similar in that their 'gifts' involve adjusting the emotions and perceptions of those around them. All three of us can see auras, but I can hear the thoughts of others when I so choose. I never so choose. Body language says it all. The boys can charm their way out of anything, diffuse a negative situation, or make one worse – but they don't do the last. Landon and I, however, can also 'suggest' something and have it be done. 'Your wish is my command' was the expression made for him. I just make people shut up without having to be rude. Too bad – I like being rude to my classmates.
This latest episode with Gabrielle was amusing to me – but not so much with Aiden. She and Landon have been making goo-goo eyes at each other for years; they are both transfer students, and Gabby lives a few doors down from us. Landon wanted a chance to finally kiss her, and he took the chance when a teacher was chastising a student in an empty classroom, getting more and more agitated. Landon calmed her down enough so that the kid got his punishment more quickly, 'suggesting' it be quick and to get them both out of the room. I had been passing by at the time, and witnessed the whole thing.
Glancing back, the look on Landon's face was positively murderous. I stuck my tongue out at him in a sister-like fashion, and turned back around in my seat to fiddle with the radio, the brotherly bantering fading to background noise.
Ugh. Nothing was decent on the radio, so I rummaged under the passenger seat for the CD case I kept in the car for such uses, containing mostly mixes Aiden, Landon, or I had burned. I flipped through it impatiently, finally locating a compilation of my brothers' and my favorite songs. This was a 'consensus' mix, meaning all the songs on it were those the three of us agreed would at least be tolerated by the other two. I slipped it out and skipped to track two, adjusting the volume to a slightly lower level than blaring, and sat back.
Cupping my chin in my palm, I studied my faint and inconsistent reflection in the glass, occasionally looking beyond to the changing landscape and highway. We passed the major traffic but got stuck with an accident ten minutes away from home, where Landon and I would drop our bags and homework off, only to turn around and drive to the hospital. Aiden sighed and pulled out his cell phone, flipping it open with an impatient snap, dialed the number for the hospital, and left a message with our mom's RN informing them we'd be late.
Aiden looked startled though, near the end of his conversation with the nurse, saying, "Oh, right! Thank you, Kate, I would have forgotten otherwise. Okay, see you soon, yeah, bye."
Curiosity roused, Landon and I sounded in unison, "What?"
Aiden, glancing again at the long line of orange cones redirecting traffic that wouldn't move, turning around in the seat to make sure he included Landon. "I'm sorry, guys, I forgot to tell you we have a visitor who's going to be both a blessing and a curse for an indeterminate time."
"Spit it out, Aiden," I told him quietly, putting a hand over his, already knowing the answer.
"It's Aunt Kendra."
Landon groaned. "Dad'll love that. It's nice of her to visit, but. . ."
Our father's sister, Kendra, visited rarely but sent letters often. She knew she wasn't particularly welcome by her younger brother at his home, and respected that. Theirs was a strange relationship; they were abused growing up, and I guess Kendra was too much a reminder of the past. Kendra continually tried to forge stronger ties with our father, only to be pushed away. Her resilience sometimes came across as masochistic, but admirable nonetheless.
"Where is she? At home or the hospital?" I asked quietly.
Aiden made a face and looked again at the traffic. "She's waiting for us at home."
Landon sighed, a great gust of air that hit me straight in the face. Deciding to lighten the mood, I teased, "Ewww, Landon, get a mint."
He, of course, just started blowing in my face, so I blew back until Aiden rolled his eyes at us and started blowing at me. Still making myself resemble a blowfish, I put my palm to his forehead and pushed him away. My arm was completely extended and he pushed against it for a minute. Then we all started to laugh.
It was always like that between us. No matter how hard life got or how malevolent Mother's illness became, we had each other. With my brothers, I was a completely different person. It's the freedom – the absolute impossibility of being judged. My school time persona was moody, stand-offish, and depressed. At home, I joked, I smiled, I laughed. Granted, it was never completely easy, but I am who I should be. If there was just one person who could make me feel as comfortable as I am with my brothers, then I thought I could live through this experience. I could be me, all the time.
Not that that's likely.
Abruptly, the image of the angel flashed in my mind, startling in its clarity. Studying him in my mind's eye, I wished that kind of beauty could be memorialized somehow. My breath hitched and my heart sped up as I saw again the amused, reserved regard the angel beheld me. It seemed almost a contradiction, the amusement and the reserve – like he was trying very hard to be objective, but found me funny anyway.
I wonder what his hair would look like in the sun, I thought idly. But he'd probably vanish like smoke in daylight.
It was too surreal to truly believe I had seen a divine being last night. I had long given up in believing much of anything – look at my mom: everything good and bright dying too young – but what else could explain that perfection? I sighed, trying to decipher the color of his hair and eyes, what they would look like in the light. Would they be black and brown? Brown and blue?
I was interrupted some time later by my obnoxious elder brother. "Oh, look, Landon, Leni's finally sighing over a guy." Aiden restarted the car, traffic finally starting to inch forward.
Landon took the bait and leaned forward eagerly, sticking his face next to mine on the headrest. "Is it Andrew Ryland, Selene?"
I frowned, glancing at him and moving so my back was against the door. Reading my expression, he explained, "It's completely obvious. He hasn't really dated that many girls and everyone's talking about how he keeps trying to get your attention. They think you're playing hard to get."
"Not to mention you were all he talked about since we transferred," Aiden cut in. "Remember, I had to share a room with that kid, and I'd catch him looking at the picture I kept of you and Landon all the time."
"Why not the one with her and Rea?" Landon asked, and looked at me apologetically. "Sorry, Sis, but the one of you and me isn't as good as the one with Rea. You're prettier," catching the lifted eyebrow which always equaled trouble for him, he added quickly, "You said so yourself."
I laughed at Landon's anxiety, patting his cheek patronizingly. I turned to address the windshield. "Boys, don't get too excited. I'm not interested. Andrew is too persistent and stubborn to take no for an answer."
Aiden started to grin, a slow, masculine and scheming contortion of the mouth. "No," I told him sternly. "No blind dates, no inviting Ryland over for the weekend. Got it?"
His eyes lit up. "Ohh, Leni, good idea! I hadn't thought of the invite, thanks a ton!"
I groaned, putting my face in my hands, and grumbled, the sound muffled and indistinct.
Aiden, still grinning, leaned towards me, cupping an ear with his hand. "What was that, baby sister?"
I lifted my head out of my hands, glaring at him. "I said, 'stupid, meddling, effing boys.'"
My brothers, of course, laughed uproariously. But all signs of mirth died as we pulled into the long, winding driveway that led us to our home.
Already signs of our aunt made themselves clear. The lawn was freshly mowed, windows were open to the warm air and the scents of floor cleaner and Windex dominated dirty laundry and stale food.
Stepping inside the stone-laid mudroom, I noted the carpets had recently been vacuumed and wooden floors swept and slippery with polish. What little of the kitchen counters could be seen from here were clean.
"How long has she been here?" I murmured quietly to Aiden, leaning closer to him so as to make sure eagle-eared Kendra didn't overhear.
"She arrived on Monday afternoon," he murmured back, breath fanning my ear. He added graciously, "She's helped out so much in just a few days. I can hardly remember this house being so clean. I can focus a bit more on work and classes now."
How true. Aiden, though he tried, could never quite keep up with the housework. He was a full time student at the local university, worked night shifts, and kept up the house. Landon and I weren't here often, so we couldn't do much to help or hinder. And our father, of course, was too busy with Mom and his own job. Between the two of them, the house didn't collapse, but it wasn't this pristine either.
"Kids?" Our aunt had heard the door shut and came around the corner from the kitchen, wiping wet hands with a dishcloth. She wore a long, gauzy emerald skirt and black top and a smile. Her hair was as long as mine, but straight and somewhat restrained by a green cloth head band. "Hello dear," Kendra held her arms out to me first for a hug, as I was closest, squeezing tight to move on and hug Landon.
"Hello, Aunt," he grumbled grudgingly, pleased by the reception.
She straightened and looked at the three of us crowded in the entryway. Her aura glowed silver, a gentle radiance that always reminded me of a star, the mark of one with a gift. All Silver's auras glowed in variations of the shade. Kendra's gift was an unstable path into the future, always twisting and changing. She was the 'mystic' of the family, and she looked the part, without the ridiculous glasses and superstitions. "Well, come on and drop your books and such upstairs, and hurry down. Dinner – I mean lunch – is ready and I'm fixing a to-go plate for your father in case he intends to stay later. Aiden," she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, "It's almost three. Your class starts in a little over an hour. You need to get going – I can take these two, I've a mind to visit Emily myself. You'll meet us back in her room at seven?"
Aiden nodded, and it occurred to me just how much he had had matured since the spring. He looked like an adult, and he carried well the responsibility that was an all but visible mantle on his shoulders. "Do you need me to get anything on the way back?"
Kendra held out a twenty dollar bill with a smile. "If you could stop and get some smoothies or drinks for yourself and siblings, that would be fine."
I felt the need to pipe in at that point, winking and smiling innocently. "Mango strawberry for me, Aiden, and the usual for Mum."
Aiden raised an eyebrow in return, smiling as he turned to face our little brother. "What'd you want, since I seem to be a waiter now?"
Landon shrugged and drawled, "You know dude, the usual six pack and some camels for the road."
"Right. Gerber smoothie for beardless over here. Are you sure you don't want anything, Aunt?"
"I'm all set dear, but please do hurry. Professors tend not to appreciate tardiness," Kendra added, smiling. She had been spending the past ten years teaching Creative Writing majors at Greenwich University in London. She'd even started to adopt a slight British accent. Aiden clasped her hand briefly and headed back out the garage to his car.
"Come on, Landon, this stuff is heavy," I shuffled along after my brother through the kitchen, passing the two granite-topped islands as he continued up the staircase that almost completed a circle before leading to the hallway and the second floor.
I had to wait a moment as he clogged the relatively close hallway with his body and bags, trying to bring everything through his door at once. He managed, but tripped over his stuff anyway, muffling a curse as I tried to make my laugh sound like a cough. He did it every time.
The door to the stairs leading to my room was the last on the right, with the family room opposite. There, taped to the door, was the poem 'Stars' by Emily Brontë, and underneath that was a print-out of the cover art for Opeth's album Blackwater Park. I had the sense to put down one of my bags to turn the knob, and I was home.
Sheer silk scarves hung at the foot of the stairs, requiring a well-practiced twist to move them. Prizes for my writing dotted the walls, plaques or framed certificates leading upward to another set of scarves at the top of the stairs. I loved my privacy, so these served as a door, making the open room feel enclosed enough that if someone yelled up the stairs (which my brothers did, frequently), they wouldn't see me naked or dancing around embarrassingly. (Which I did, frequently.)
The room itself was the size of the living room, as it did not share this last floor with any other rooms. It was slightly rectangular, with one end smaller than the other. A sheer sapphire blue tapestry heavy with gold filigree hung to separate the smaller end from the bigger one – the smaller end being the 'bedroom' with a large window facing the long front lawn and small garden, shelves and closet-pole for my clothes, and my bed, which was swathed in a shimmery golden down-blanket with pillows of sapphire and ivory. The plush, indigo-colored carpet ran into the cream walls.
The better part of the side wall was taken up by high bookshelves, my desk and shelf for my stereo. In the corner was a low, decorative table hosting candles and incense, a copy of the Tao Te Ching, a framed picture of my mother and other treasured possessions. The wall opposite that had a low ivory couch with more Oriental wall hangings above it and a coffee table in front. Another blue tapestry, this one less ornate and more durable, lay under the couch. Directly opposite the front window was a bay window complete with seat and pillows.
Sighing, I dumped my bags on my bed, only stopping to snatch the books my mother had lent me to return to her library on my way back down to the kitchen. My shelves were the fantasy laden ones, with authors like Tolkien and Terry Goodkind next to Mercedes Lackey, Rowling and numerous books on vampire and werewolf lore. Faerie lore was also strewn in amongst the lot. Mother's library was all classics and poetry, and we shared. If I bought a fantasy book, I'd let her read it, but we had to separate the two libraries years ago when they wouldn't fit into one room. On second thought, I grabbed the Silmarillion by Tolkien again for her. She loved me to read the stories of the elves and humans trying to fit together, and I loved to read them.
"Aunt Kendra, I'm not that hungry – I kinda ate during lunch," I said, turning into the kitchen.
She looked up and smiled at me, and said in her English-accented voice, "that's quite all right love, you'll be hungry later. I forgot you had lunch. I'm still used to tea time."
Landon took a particularly large bite of his sandwich, not bothering to be quiet or clean about it. Our aunt tilted her head at him, like she was looking at something that fascinated her, but also was very disgusting. I burst out laughing at this combination, and they both looked at me. I could tell this was going to be an adventurous weekend.