【TED】Sarah&Kay:&If&I&should&have&a&daughter&...
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(Sarah Kay), 22, , V.O.I.C.E.( ) , . , TED. 在4表演她的诗(Spoken word poetry) &“B”,.
If I should have a daughter, instead of Mom, she's gonna call me
Point B, because that way she knows that no matter what happens, at
least she can always find her way to me. And I'm going to paint
solar systems on the backs of her hands, so she has to learn the
entire universe before she can say, "Oh, I know that like the back
of my hand." And she's going to learn that this life will hit you
hard in the face, wait for you to get back up just so it can kick
you in the stomach. But getting the wind knocked out of you is the
only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
There is hurt here that cannot be fixed by Band-Aids or poetry. So
the first time she realizes that Wonder Woman isn't coming, I'll
make sure she knows she doesn't have to wear the cape all by
herself. Because no matter how wide you stretch your fingers, your
hands will always be too small to catch all the pain you want to
heal. Believe me, I've tried. "And, baby," I'll tell her, don't
keep your nose up in the air like that. I I've
done it a million times. You're just smelling for smoke so you can
follow the trail back to a burning house, so you can find the boy
who lost everything in the fire to see if you can save him. Or else
find the boy who lit the fire in the first place, to see if you can
change him." But I know she will anyway, so instead I'll always
keep an extra supply of chocolate and rain boots nearby, because
there is no heartbreak that chocolate can't fix. Okay, there's a
few heartbreaks that chocolate can't fix. But that's what the rain
boots are for. Because rain will wash away everything, if you let
it. I want her to look at the world through the underside of a
glass-bottom boat, to look through a microscope at the galaxies
that exist on the pinpoint of a human mind, because that's the way
my mom taught me. That there'll be days like this. ♫ There'll be
days like this, my momma said. ♫ When you open your hands to catch
and wind up with only
when you step out of
the phone booth and try to fly and the very people you want to save
are the ones s when your boots will fill with
rain, and you'll be up to your knees in disappointment. And those
are the very days you have all the more reason to say thank you.
Because there's nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean
refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times
it's swept away. You will put the wind in windsome, lose some. You
will put the star in starting over, and over. And no matter how
many land mines erupt in a minute, be sure your mind lands on the
beauty of this funny place called life. And yes, on a scale from
one to over-trusting, I am pretty damn naive. But I want her to
know that this world is made out of sugar. It can crumble so
easily, but don't be afraid to stick your tongue out and taste it.
"Baby," I'll tell her, "remember, your momma is a worrier, and your
poppa is a warrior, and you are the girl with small hands and big
eyes who never stops asking for more." Remember that good things
come in threes and so do bad things. And always apologize when
you've done something wrong. But don't you ever apologize for the
way your eyes refuse to stop shining. Your voice is small, but
don't ever stop singing. And when they finally hand you heartache,
when they slip war and hatred under your door and offer you
handouts on street-corners of cynicism and defeat, you tell them
that they really ought to meet your mother.
Thank you. Thank you.
(Applause)
Thank you.
(Applause)
(Applause)
Thank you.
(Applause)
All right, so I want you to take a moment, and I want you to
think of three things that you know to be true. They can be about
whatever you want -- technology, entertainment, design, your
family, what you had for breakfast. The only rule is don't think
too hard. Okay, ready? Go. Okay. So here are three things I know to
be true. I know that Jean-Luc Godard was right when he said that,
"a good story has a beginning, a middle and an end, although not
necessarily in that order." I know that I'm incredibly nervous and
excited to be up here, which is greatly inhibiting my ability to
keep it cool. (Laughter) And I know that I have been waiting all
week to tell this joke. (Laughter) Why was the scarecrow invited to
TED? Because he was out standing in his field. (Laughter) I'm
sorry. Okay, so these are three things I know to be true. But there
are plenty of things I have trouble understanding. So I write poems
to figure things out. Sometimes the only way I know how to work
through something is by writing a poem. And sometimes I get to the
end of the poem and look back and go, "Oh, that's what this is all
about." And sometimes I get to the end of the poem and haven't
solved anything, but at least I have a new poem out of it. Spoken
word poetry is the art of performance poetry. I tell people it
involves creating poetry that doesn't just want to sit on paper,
that something about it demands it be heard out loud or witnessed
in person. When I was a freshman in high school, I was a live wire
of nervous hormones. And I was underdeveloped and over-excitable.
And despite my fear of ever being looked at for too long, I was
fascinated by the idea of spoken word poetry. I felt that my two
secret loves, poetry and theatre, had come together, had a baby, a
baby I needed to get to know. So I decided to give it a try. My
first spoken word poem, packed with all the wisdom of a 14
year-old, was about the injustice of being seen as unfeminine. The
poem was very indignant, and mainly exaggerated, but the only
spoken word poetry that I had seen up until that point was mainly
indignant, so I thought that that's what was expected of me. The
first time that I performed the audience of teenagers hooted and
hollered their sympathy, and when I came off the stage I was
shaking. I felt this tap on my shoulder, and I turned around to see
this giant girl in a hoodie sweatshirt emerge from the crowd. She
was maybe eight feet tall and looked like she could beat me up with
one hand, but instead she just nodded at me and said, "Hey, I
really felt that. Thanks." And lightning struck. I was hooked. I
discovered this bar on Manhattan's Lower East Side that hosted a
weekly poetry open mic, and my bewildered, but supportive, parents
took me to soak in every ounce of spoken word that I could. I was
the youngest by at least a decade, but somehow the poets at the
Bowery Poetry Club didn't seem bothered by the 14 year-old
wandering about -- if fact, they welcomed me. And it was here,
listening to these poets share their stories that I learned that
spoken word poetry didn't have to be indignant, it could be fun or
painful or serious or silly. The Bowery Poetry Club became my
classroom and my home. And the poets who performed encouraged me to
share my stories as well. Never mind the fact that I was 14 -- they
told me, "Write about being 14." So I did and stood amazed every
week when these brilliant, grown-up poets laughed with me and
groaned their sympathy and clapped and told me, "Hey, I really felt
that too." Now I can divide my spoken word journey into three
steps. Step one was the moment I said, "I can. I can do this." And
that was thanks to a girl in a hoodie. Step two was the moment I
said, "I will. I will continue. I love spoken word. I will keep
coming back week after week." And step three began when I realized
that I didn't have to write poems that were indignant, if that's
not what I was. There were things that were specific to me, and the
more that I focused on those things, the weirder my poetry got, but
the more that it felt like mine. It's not just the adage "write
what you know," it's about gathering up all of the knowledge and
experience you've collected up to now to help you dive into the
things you don't know. I use poetry to help me work through what I
don't understand, but I show up to each new poem with a backpack
full of everywhere else that I've been. When I got to university, I
met a fellow poet who shared my belief in the magic of spoken word
poetry. And actually, Phil Kaye and I coincidentally also share the
same last name. When I was in high school I had created Project
V.O.I.C.E. as a way to encourage my friends to do spoken word with
me. But Phil and I decided to reinvent project V.O.I.C.E. -- this
time changing the mission to using spoken word poetry as a way to
entertain, educate and inspire. We stayed full-time students, but
in between we traveled, performing and teaching nine year-olds to
MFA candidates, from California to Indiana to India to a public
high school just up the street from campus. And we saw over and
over the way that spoken word poetry cracks open locks. But it
turns out sometimes, poetry can be really scary. Turns out
sometimes, you have to trick teenagers into writing poetry. So I
came up with lists. Everyone can write lists. And the first list
that I assign is "10 Things I Know to be True." And here's what
happens, and here's what you would discover too if we all started
sharing our lists out loud. At a certain point, you would realize
that someone has the exact same thing, or one thing very similar,
to something on your list. And then someone else has something the
complete opposite of yours. Third, someone has something you've
never even heard of before. And fourth, someone has something you
thought you knew everything about, but they're introducing a new
angle of looking at it. And I tell people that this is where great
stories start from -- these four intersections of what you're
passionate about and what others might be invested in. And most
people respond really well to this exercise. But one of my
students, a freshman named Charlotte, was not convinced. Charlotte
was very good at writing lists, but she refused to write any poems.
"Miss," she'd say, "I'm just not interesting. I don't have anything
interesting to say." So I assigned her list after list, and one day
I assigned the list "10 Things I Should Have Learned by Now."
Number three on Charlotte's list was, "I should have learned not to
crush on guys three times my age." I asked her what that meant, and
she said, "Miss, it's kind of a long story." And I said,
"Charlotte, it sounds pretty interesting to me." And so she wrote
her first poem, a love poem unlike any I had ever heard before. And
the poem began, "Anderson Cooper is a gorgeous man."
(Laughter)
"Did you see him on 60 Minutes, racing Michael Phelps in a pool
-- nothing but swim trunks on -- diving in the water, determined to
beat this swimming champion? After the race, he tossed his wet,
cloud-white hair and said, 'You're a god.' No, Anderson, you're the
(Laughter)
(Applause)
Now I know that the number one rule to being cool is to seem
unfazed, to never admit that anything scares you or impresses you
or excites you. Somebody once told me it's like walking through
life like this. You protect yourself from all the unexpected
miseries or hurt that might show up. But I try to walk through life
like this. And yes, that means catching all of those miseries and
hurt, but it also means that when beautiful, amazing things just
fall out of the sky, I'm ready to catch them. I use spoken word to
help my students rediscover wonder, to fight their instincts to be
cool and unfazed and, instead, actively pursue being engaged with
what goes on around them, so that they can reinterpret and create
something from it. It's not that I think that spoken word poetry is
the ideal art form. I'm always trying to find the best way to tell
each story. I write musicals, I make short films alongside my
poems. But I teach spoken word poetry because it's accessible. Not
everyone can read music or own a camera, but everyone can
communicate in some way, and everyone has stories that the rest of
us can learn from. Plus, spoken word poetry allows for immediate
connections. It's not uncommon for people to feel that they're
alone or that nobody understands them, but spoken word teaches that
if you have the ability to express yourself and the courage to
present those stories and opinions, you could be rewarded with a
room full of your peers, or your community, who will listen. And
maybe even a giant girl in a hoodie will connect with what you've
shared. And that is an amazing realization to have, especially when
you're 14. Plus, now with YouTube, that connection's not even
limited to the room we're in. I'm so lucky that there's this
archive of performances that I can share with my students. It
allows for even more opportunities for them to find a poet or a
poem that they connect to. It is tempting -- once you've figured
this out -- it is tempting to keep writing the same poem, or keep
telling the same story, over and over, once you've figured out that
it will gain you applause. It's not enough to just teach that you
you have to grow and explore and take risks
and challenge yourself. And that is step three: infusing the work
you're doing with the specific things that make you you, even while
those things are always changing. Because step three never ends.
But you don't get to start on step three, until you take step one
first: I can. I travel a lot while I'm teaching, and I don't always
get to watch all of my students reach their step three, but I was
very lucky with Charlotte, that I got to watch her journey unfold
the way it did. I watched her realize that, by putting the things
that she knows to be true into the work she's doing, she can create
poems that only Charlotte can write -- about eyeballs and elevators
and Dora the Explorer. And I'm trying to tell stories only I can
tell -- like this story. I spent a lot of time thinking about the
best way to tell this story, and I wondered if the best way was
going to be a PowerPoint or a short film -- and where exactly was
the beginning or the middle or the end? And I wondered whether I'd
get to the end of this talk and finally have figured it all out, or
not. And I always thought that my beginning was at the Bowery
Poetry Club, but it's possible that it was much earlier. In
preparing for TED, I discovered this diary page in an old journal.
I think December 54th was probably supposed to be 24th. It's clear
that when I was a child, I definitely walked through life like
this. I think that we all did. I would like to help others
rediscover that wonder -- to want to engage with it, to want to
learn, to want to share what they've learned, what they've figured
out to be true and what they're still figuring out. So I'd like to
close with this poem. When they bombed Hiroshima, the explosion
formed a mini-supernova, so every living animal, human or plant
that received direct contact with the rays from that sun was
instantly turned to ash. And what was left of the city soon
followed. The long-lasting damage of nuclear radiation caused an
entire city and its population to turn into powder. When I was
born, my mom says I looked around the whole hospital room with a
stare that said, "This? I've done this before." She says I have old
eyes. When my Grandpa Genji died, I was only five years old, but I
took my mom by the hand and told her, "Don't worry, he'll come back
as a baby." And yet, for someone who's apparently done this
already, I still haven't figured anything out yet. My knees still
buckle every time I get on a stage. My self-confidence can be
measured out in teaspoons mixed into my poetry, and it still always
tastes funny in my mouth. But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped
clean away, leaving only a wristwatch or a diary page. So no matter
that I have inhibitions to fill all my pockets, I keep trying,
hoping that one day I'll write a poem I can be proud to let sit in
a museum exhibit as the only proof I existed. My parents named me
Sarah, which is a biblical name. In the original story God told
Sarah she could do something impossible and she laughed, because
the first Sarah, she didn't know what to do with impossible. And
me? Well, neither do I, but I see the impossible every day.
Impossible is trying to connect in this world, trying to hold onto
others while things are blowing up around you, knowing that while
you're speaking, they aren't just waiting for their turn to talk --
they hear you. They feel exactly what you feel at the same time
that you feel it. It's what I strive for every time I open my mouth
-- that impossible connection. There's this piece of wall in
Hiroshima that was completely burnt black by the radiation. But on
the front step, a person who was sitting there blocked the rays
from hitting the stone. The only thing left now is a permanent
shadow of positive light. After the A bomb, specialists said it
would take 75 years for the radiation damaged soil of Hiroshima
City to ever grow anything again. But that spring, there were new
buds popping up from the earth. When I meet you, in that moment,
I'm no longer a part of your future. I start quickly becoming part
of your past. But in that instant, I get to share your present. And
you, you get to share mine. And that is the greatest present of
all. So if you tell me I can do the impossible, I'll probably laugh
at you. I don't know if I can change the world yet, because I don't
know that much about it -- and I don't know that much about
reincarnation either, but if you make me laugh hard enough,
sometimes I forget what century I'm in. This isn't my first time
here. This isn't my last time here. These aren't the last words
I'll share. But just in case, I'm trying my hardest to get it right
this time around.
&Thank you.
(Applause)
&Thank you.
(Applause)
Thank you.
(Applause)
♫♫
V.O.I.C.E.
PhilV.O.I.C.E.
Charlotte!
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Introduction:
I'm so sorry for the wait!! The beginning of the month was crazy with the holidays, then my birhtday, and I was super busy with work. For all the people who freaked out about the story being discontinued, I would never do that because I would so hate for you all to be confused! Enjoy reading.
The clock was ticking at the same beat of my fingers tapping on the desktop. Tick, tock, Eris. Tip, Tap, Eris. You&re gonna ace this test&hopefully. And right now was one of those times that I knew I was gonna massacre. Easy stuff, we learned the majority of it that month, so, it shouldn't be that hard.
&Okay,& Nanaya announced. &You all may begin.&
Eris Faye was the first thing I scribbled down. Tao tapped me on my hand and I looked over to see her icy blue eyes all confused. I wrote down the
she hit herself on the forehead, mouthing, &Duh.& For a five-page test, it was fairly easy to finish in less than 90 minutes and have on Nanaya's desk.
After History was over, Tao raced down with me to Body Science so we could ask Sahmi about our next quiz. When we got in, Sahmi was sitting on top of the desk, with a pencil floating in front of his face. His affinity was Gravity, and it was amazing to watch him.
&Sahmi?& Tao blurted.
&My ears are open and my eyes are directed on yours,& Sahmi replied, looking directly into Tao's eyes and snatching the pencil out of the air.
&She wants to know about our upcoming quiz,& I snickered, finishing her beautiful sentence.
Sahmi made a face. &Sa quf pors whi acneme duso?& Translated to English, that meant: &And, what would you like to know about the quiz?&
&What type of questions there are,& Tao answered. &I don't like multiple choice because it messes me up, and writing is a big no, my nails are mucho too importanto!&
He chuckled at her &accurate& Spanish. &Well, Tao, see me after class, we'll figure something out.& Sahmi winked at her just before the bell rang.
We darted to our seats then pulled out the assignment Sahmi wanted us to do in our textbooks. Following Body Science, I went to Riate and Brice called me over to his desk& What did I do?!
&Hello,& I said, showing the sign of respect.
&Hello, Eris. Uhm, have you seen Caine Prath lately?& he asked.
&Yeah, just yesterday. Why?&
&Lena needs him. Thank you, Goddess, merry part.&
(I loved how they referred to us as Gods and Goddess.) I ran off to my seat, then Tao walked in with a late pass to Brice. She joined me in the back and put her feet up on the desk.
As class progressed, I had a thought of Aya and did I ever give her that necklace. It was late January, and Tao and I had moved on with crying ourselves to sleep about A we knew better than being little brats about it. Two weeks ago, we spread her ashes in my backyard, so we always knew where she was and how we could be connected to her. That was one thing I was happy about, others, not so much.
My Elements still weren't working, but it wasn't as big of a deal as last month. Turns out, the Elements made my reflexes stronger (I have no idea why) and it made me super alert during class. So, that was good. And, Dallas had been so good to me, like always. After Riate, we had lunch (walking tacos) then headed off to Art, and I was super happy because Verc was in a good mood. She had us create an abstract painting of what our affinity not what it was meant to be or what other people thought.
So, I splattered red and blue and white and green paint on the canvas, then used my pinky finger to swirl it around. The colors actually looked great, the white made everything a tad lighter. Just to be more creative, I even threw in some teal to describe myself. Verc had been circulating the room, but when she saw me, she stopped.
&Amazing work, Eris,& Verc grinned.
&You like it? I'm rethinking the red now that I added the teal... & I softly replied, frowning at the bright red paint.
&No! That's beautiful, and if anything were to change, I'd say to throw you in the paint.&
Verc patted my lower back then went on to do her business, leaving me to observe my work. The bell rang and Tao dragged me off to Math. Affinity Hour came quicker than I expected, so I decided to go and visit Govea.
I crept into the steel door and took in the aroma of the dragons. (They all smelt like vanilla mixed with cinnamon&very pleasing.) Down a few rows, I heard Govea's deep laughter and a dragon cutely roaring back at him. I called out his name, then Govea peeked his head out from the last row of enclosures.
&Just the person.& He smiled. &Wanna meet the babies?&
&Babies?& I started walking closer and Govea went back to his place. My heart exploded when I saw the two baby dragons in the basket.
The first was a pretty pink, with an orange streak of scales going down her back. The other was a deep blue with a yellow streak of
they were adorable.
&Meet Ripley and Riva: our new baby girls,& Govea smiled.
I gasped at Ripley's cute little sneeze. (R Riva was pink.) &I want to eat them,& I chuckled.
&Well, don't. They need more than 17 hours to live, Eris.&
&I'll save you guys for later.&
Ripley let out another sneeze and h her sister used her small wing to gently pat her back.
&They're a bit sick. Mama had a bad cold during birth,& Govea said, observing their tiny bodies.
&It's an inherited trait, huh?& I smiled at Riva and she made an impressive attempt to do the same.
A good minute into talking with Govea, I heard another voice from behind me. &Well, what do ya know, Eris is in here with Govea.&
I turned around and saw Dallas approaching from a row behind. He gave me a soft kiss then looked at the babies.
&You're cuter than I expected,& Dallas smiled, waving at them.
Riva sneezed and she shot up into the air&literally. She was flapping her little wings while she tried not to fall and break her face. Govea was a few feet away, so Dallas quickly grabbed her and she let out a baby sigh of relief.
&They are very sick,& Govea muttered, with his hand rubbing his chin in thought. &Say, Dallas, would you mind watching them while I'm gone? I have to make a quick stop in Ohio, but I don't want them to be overwhelmed alone.&
&Uh, I guess. Harley can't be around them, can he?& Dallas replied.
&I'm afraid not. Have he and Hannah stay at your Yard, they are far too rough to be around newborns.&
Dallas nodded and Govea thanked him again. Huh, Dallas with babies?! This. Will. Be. Hilarious. I picked up Ripley then waved to Govea. &I'll make sure Dallas doesn't kill them.&
&Me?! Please, I'm amazing with animals,& he scoffed.
&Says the one who kills them for a hobby,& Govea muttered under his breath. I laughed but Dallas made a boyish grunt as Govea shooed us off and we headed to the apartments.
As we walked, Riva kept trying to fly up, and Dallas had to hold her tight, but she sneezed every two seconds, so his grip was pretty pointless. He opened the door to his place, and we set the sisters free.
I plopped down on the couch, Dallas came over and laid across my lap.
&How was your day?& he asked as he cut the TV on.
&Fine.& I ran my fingers through his light hair. &How was yours?&
&You could say& terrible.&
Dallas' violet eyes lifted to mine. &Because I say so. And, I got bit by Harley and Hannah. They just don't like me.&
&I'm sorry, baby. Would it make you feel better if I cooked for you?& I waggled my eyebrows down at him.
&Hmm, what will you make me?&
&I'm not telling you. Shut up and sit down.&
&Eris, that's not very nice. You should apologize.& Dallas made his puppy-dog eyes.
&Dallas,& I mocked, &that's not very nice. I think you should apologize.& I stuck my tongue out before running back to the kitchen.
Ten minutes later, I was still in the kitchen, listening to music and making this sandwich for him. Something was moving behind me& I whipped my head around and saw Dallas hop onto the counter then smile. I yanked my headphones out and laughed. &What the shit?! Go back in there.&
&Unless you want to be burned, turn around and make me a sandwich,& Dallas said, being his traditional smartass.
I stuck my hand in the drawer then pulled out something. &I know you didn't just tell me to make you a sandwich,& I growled as I pointed the blade at him.
Dallas shrugged. &Okay, make me a grilled cheese sandwich.&
I dropped the knife back into the drawer then finished the sandwich. Cutting off the stove, I passed Dallas the plate and he took a gigantic bite.
His eyes got wide. &Awh, bitchin! There's pepperoni!&
&Really?! I didn't know.& I made a fake gasp but Dallas just nodded.
&Pepperoni.& He took another bite and rolled his eyes to the back of his head while he moaned.
&Is it that good?& I giggled and mimicked his face.
Dallas nodded. &It's that good.&
&You&re welcome.&
I gave him a kiss on the cheek then ran off to the living room to watch the game.
Dallas finished up in the kitchen, and took his medicine before coming to sit with me. He pulled my legs into his lap and grazed his fingertips over my covered skin&but it still felt like he was trying to tickle me. I wiggled from his grinp and he gave me a death stare.
&Quit moving,& Dallas huffed.
&No, you're gonna molest me,& I giggled, tucking my knees to my chest.
&Molest you? I mean, I know that you're into some freaky shit, but molest&&
I hurled a pillow at him and Dallas flopped back on the couch. He quickly threw the pillow back but I covered my head. Dallas yanked my leg again, then laid me on his lap and started tickling me.
&Dallas, stop! I will punch you in the throat!&
He dropped his hands and started laughing. I took advantage and pushed him back on the cushions, straddling his lean hips.
&Hey! That's not fair,& Dallas chuckled.
&Life isn't fair. Don't tickle me unless you wanna wake up dead,& I growled while pinning his arms back.
&Wake up dead? How much sense does that make?&
&I dunno, do you wanna test that theory? Because I will&&
Dallas hit me with another pillow and I flipped back the other way. Damn, I never knew a pillow hurt that much! He had his turn on top then kissed my neck, but I pushed him onto his back then sat up straight. Dallas got up, then wrapped his arm around my upper back, pulling me closer to his warm body. I rested my head on his shoulder, taking in the smell
Dallas always smelt so fucking good. He must've noticed my sniffing because he pushed the side of my face.
&Hey!& I blew a strand of hair out of my face before sticking my tongue out at him.
&Don't sniff people, you're not a dog,& Dallas said.
I started to kiss on his neck, and Dallas sighed (I had my ways). He put his hands on my midriff, then slid his hand down to cup my ass while I grinded my hips down onto his.
&Hey,& Dallas laughed. &Don&t start something.&
I swung my legs the other way then straddled him backwards. Dallas put his face in the crook of my neck and started to lightly kiss me, with his tongue trailing up the side of my neck and to my ear. He was in love with my ears (not in the creepy way) because he loved to play with my earrings and piercings. On the left, I had an industrial piercing, a double hoop helix with tiny blue barbells, and two studs in the lobe. On the right, I had four tiny hoops in the lobe, another single helix, and a forward helix. He loved to tug and lick on them, and it made me crazy.
&Mmm,& I smiled. Dallas moved to my lobe and nibbled the pink ball I had in.
&You taste good,& he whispered. Damn, his warm breath made me moan.
&Well, I do like to taste good,& I giggled.
&Of course you love to taste good. Because I&m the only one who gets to ever taste you.&
I twisted my neck and glared at him. &Oh, really?&
&Yes really, Eris.& He gave me a small peck. I went in again and pushed Dallas back onto the soft cushions of the couch. He looked directly between my legs, obviously thinking about what was covered by my skin-tight leggings. I poked his stomach.
&Don&t look, I wore clothes for a reason,& I chuckled.
Dallas put his head back. &Meanie,& he pouted. Oh no, not the pout! Dallas made thee cutest pouty face, and thee cutest puppy eyes, and I always felt bad.
&No, Dallas! Please don&t, I&ll feel like shit!& I sighed. I put my face in my hands and Dallas started laughing.
&Alright, alright. Come on, I&ll let you leave this time since you have homework.&
I crawled out of his lap then sat up. Dallas walked me to the front door and leaned against the frame before bending down to kiss me. &I love you, don't text me later,& he said.
I made a hurt face. &Damn. That was harsh.&
&What? I'm not gonna be up, I'm taking my ass to bed when you go.&
&Dallas, it's only 6pm.&
&And? I slept terrible last night, so, I need to fix it by playing nocturnal.&
&Playing nocturnal? As in, sleep all day, party all night?& I laughed when he nodded.
&Yep, so, don't text me.& Dallas wrapped me up in his thick arms. He put his hand on the base of my neck then whispered, &Next time, you won&t be leaving.&
&Oh really? And&&I pushed him away&&you won't either, I may just tie you to the bed then molest you.&
Dallas down peered at me. &What is up with you and molesting?& he snickered.
I shrugged then hugged him around his neck and blew a kiss. &I love you.&
Behind his leg, Riva and Ripley looked at me like little kids¬ really coming out, hiding behind Dallas. I waved to them then walked back to the dorms.
Right when I stepped the through the glass doors, my friends Giovanni and Ophelia stopped me.
&Hey, Eris,& Ophelia smiled. She had this bright pink, black and white hair, with dark eyes with vibrant rings of pink and white surrounding her pupils. Her affinity was Flexibility, and I liked to call her &Pretzel& because htere wasn't a way she couldn't turn her body.
She handed me a candle. &This is a gift from me and Gi, we wanted to say thanks for the advice.&
&Oh! Thanks! Everyone knows how I am about candles,& I giggled, observing the lavender candle. Last week, Giovanni was scared her powers were dying out because nothing was working, but I helped her locate her &inner Photography&
and bring them back. But the unique thing was: Giovanni was Deaf, and Ophelia was her best friend.
Giovanni's afifnity for Photography was astounding and she found art in everything she saw. Her dark blue eyes reflected her dark purple hair, and the ink of her Maxi swirled around her arms. She never used her disability as an excuse, and she was probably one of my closest friends!
&Thank you,& Giovanni signed, showing me the sign of respect at the end.
&You're welcome, I gotta go. But I'm glad you got them back.& I smiled, bowed back then ran off to Tao.
Upstairs, I didn't expect Tao to be sitting on the ground, with Mumble squawking and making a raucous. I giggled when he pecked her hand and made Tao squeal, &Ow!&
&Good job, Mumble. Keep it up,& I said.
&Ugh, hey. How was it with Dallas?&
I kicked my boots off, set the aromatic candle on the nightstand and leaned against the window.
&It was fine,& I sighed. &Hey, is Maz like, dead or something? He wasn&t in any classes, and he didn&t walk you to any Hours.& Tao rolled her eyes and clenched her fists on her knees.
&He&s being a complete asshole. His Dad took him through the portal, but I haven&t heard from him since Tuesday. And all he does is read my messages like they don&t exist,& she said. It was Thursday, so I knew Tao had to be going crazy.
I scoffed. &Well, at least you know he&s not dead. Alright, I have to change and finish my homework.& I peeled off my bottoms, tossed my shirt into the hamper then scampered along to the bathroom.
It took way longer to finish my homework, but after reading my book and playing with Mikey, I flopped down on the bed. Tao came over to me and sat on my legs, obviously prepared to ask me something.
&Yes?& I said from under my arms.
&You want a slushie? You look really tired, and, slushies work magic,& she smiled. I nodded, and Tao made me a cherry slushie.
I sipped the treat like a toddler, and Tao must&ve been happy because she made herself one--though it was just slush, no flavor. We ended up sleeping in the bed together, with our slushies on my nightstand.
Thank God the next day was Friday because I was mentally and physically exhausted. Seriously. On the History test, I got 100, and in Art, Verc displayed my work for an example. Wow, I really sounded like a goody-goody&. ew. After Math, I got texts on my phone from Bull.
Bull: Hey, are you done in class??
Me: Yes, why?
Bull: Come to the library.
I had already been heading toward the dorms, so I redirected and went to Ria. 57. When I opened the doors, I could see Bear and Bull talking with their mom, and obviously trying to tell her a joke. Bull saw me, then stood up and waved me over like an idiot with a grin so bright that he looked kind of like a mad man. Chryseis rolled her eyes at him when Bear gently punched her shoulder, and she punched him back even harder. She saw me then grinned.
&Hello, Eris. Merry meet,& Chryseis said.
&Hello. Uhm, what do you two want?& I asked the Twins.
They perked up and rose to their feet. &Oh! We need your help,& Bear deeply said.
&We don&t know how the Dewey Decimal System works& so can you help?& Bull gave me the biggest grin ever.
&I guess&.&
&Eris, I suggest you ru they'll start depending on you like they're lost puppies.& Chryseis gave them an annoyed look then smiled again before leaving.
&Ma!& Bear laughed. &That's not nice!&
&I love you!& Bull called out.
I laughed when Chryseis turned around and gave them a playful finger.
& What do you guys need?& I asked.
&Uhm, dragons. Particularly babies& that are sick& and shooting themselves into the air.&
&Ah, Riva and RIpley? They&re so cute! But, you left them alone with Dallas?&
Bear nodded as we crossed over to a bookshelf. &He isn&t that bad of a parent. Dallas turns on the game and they&re mesmerised.&
&Ya mean like you?& I glanced back at them as I handed them a thick book.
Bull carried the first book over to the lounge area, and I passed an even thicker one to Bear. He joined his brother in the red chairs then flipped them open.
&Goddamn!& They started coughing and waving their hands at the tons of dust from the book covers.
&Well, that was probably written in 1700 B.C.,& I sighed, kicking my feet up on the table.
Bear skimmed for a while then gasped, &I&ve found nothing!&
Bull took his turn then said, &Oh wow, there&s nothing useful in here!&
&Well, you&ve only read two pages, so, you should look a bit deeper. Pick a number, divide it by 2 or 4, then read that page.&
The Twins got their numbers then flipped through the books again. Bull found something and said, &It&s because mama had a dragon-flu!&
&And, they have terrible immune systems,& Bear mumbled, flipping through more pages as if he&d never held a book before. &This is so not English,& he chuckled.
Bear and Bull looked for a bit more then handed the books back to me like I was a servant. I looked at them as if they were crazy. &Since when am I your servant? God gave you two working legs, so use them.&
Bear made a groan and got louder while he stomped off to the bookshelf, same with Bull and his cute pout. They came back then looked at me like I was the devil.
&Problem? I&m just trying to keep you two in shape,& I deviously smiled but the Twins rolled their eyes.
&We gotta go and check on Dallas, are you coming?& Bull asked, standing up and running his fingers through his cloudy hair.
Every time I stared at his tresses, I just wondered how he made his clothes match something so bright. I was sure his hair was a brighter white than snow, and when I looked at Bear&s hair, it was darker than a summer night sky.
&Nah, I&m gonna stay here. Hey, Bear, can you go ask Zara for a book on Fire? And Earth? And Water? And Air?&
Bear turned the corner of his lip up into a sneer. &Uhm, do I look like a male stripper? Then don&t ask me to please you.&
&That doesn&t make sense, Caine.& Bull looked at him with bright grey eyes but Bear huffed air out of his nostrils.
&If you get it, I&ll buy you a smoothie,& I quickly bribed.
It took Bear about two seconds to sprint to the front desk and come back with the four books. He had an obse there wasn&t anything Bear wouldn&t do for a smoothie. He gently passed them to me.
&Thanks,& I smiled. &Call me when you really need a smoothie.&
&Okay! Bye,& Bear said. He and Bull walked out of the library then went back to the apartments for Dallas.
Why did I need these books? Good question. Sometime that following week I wanted to cast a circle and &talk with& my affinity. Over a month without powers made me kinda antsy, so I made it a goal to cast a circle at least once so I didn&t freak-the-fuck-out. The books would just show me h no room for screwing up.
I sat the books on the table, side by side then opened the Air first. One thing from rituals I remembered was: Air, Fire, Water then E call them in that order, dismiss them backwards. Since the Twins and Dallas gave me those candles, I&d been illuminating our dorm with them and concentrating on my homework (and it really worked). Casting a circle was completely different: I had to make sure I
% of my attent have a purpose. Well, I had those answers and items. To purify the space, I could use the lavender batch Nana and Papa gave me, and weave it to make a scented braid. Completing the circle is easy: I just needed a certain amount of area with my candles in a compass organization. And, the rest was fairly easy to do or find or whatever. Studying the Riate words got very confusing, since I was used to the rituals being written in english. Some of the letters got turned over, some had extra lines, most had squiggly lines and twists, and I had to translate all of it! Well, after a difficult study, I picked up the books and crossed over to the colossal desk.
Zara was in her own little world, reading One for the Money and humming a tune.
&AH!& Zara's book flew out of her hand and she was all bug-eyed. She sighed when she realized it was me. &I'm sorry, Eris. Pardon me for startling you.&
That little scream she did made me jump. &It's alright. And, you have a beautiful screaming voice, it is truly outstanding,& I smiled but Zara gave me a look.
She noticed the books against my chest and nodded. &Ah, casting circles, huh. Have any idea when you&ll do it?&
&Yeah, before this month is over.&
Zara nodded as she typed something into her computer, with her pink nails flying across the keyboard. Her dark red hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and she had a cute flower crown on.
&Alright,& Zara grinned. &Feel free to keep them as long as you like, I won't mind if they're not returned.&
&Zara, I can't just do something like that. That's called stealing,& I was being serious but she laughed.
&Sweetie, it's not considered stealing if I say you can have them. Heck, I'm the only Professor who's read all 17,836 of these books, and, I have permission to give them to you. So, study long and hard, and have a great circle.&
She was right: her affinity (Reading, obviously) made her memorize chapters and lines from books, and it made her read twice as fast. So, if she said I could have them, there was no arguing.
I raised an eyebrow. &Thanks, I'll see you later.& Zara wiggled her fingers at me and I exited the large glass doors.
Not only did I just get four gigantic books, but, I can reread and do an even better job on my circle. With my mental notes, I planned to cast the circle tomorrow, in the woods where it's secluded and peaceful. I would make an addition to the lavender, and mix some dried eucalyptus to give it a yummy smell. The entire purpose of the circle would be to connect with my powers spiritually, more than just physically and emotionally. Oh! I had to use the candles Dallas and the Twins gave me, and I'd add another candle: the one Giovanni gave to me.
I'd use it for Spirit. I read that Spirit was an affinity, and categorized as an Element, so why not? The purple candle would be in the middle, with the other four in a perfect diamond to connect them all.
Seems like my circle was gonna be pretty darn good. While coming up the stairs in the dorms, my phone buzzed with a text from Dallas.
Dallas: what are u doing?
Dallas: Answer my question, please.
Me: Going to my room. Why?
Dallas was just asking about his sweatshirt&I kinda took it last time I slept over. He wanted it back, but I wanted to keep it because it smelt like him and it was big and warm! Dallas said he'd steal it back, I highly doubted that he'd do it.
When I walked into the dorm room, Tao was coming out of the shower with a bit of cold smoke radiating from her wet body. She whirled around and smiled. &Hey.&
&Hey,& I waved and smiled back.
&What'd you do after school? I missed you last Hour,& Tao said as she searched for some clothes.
&Oh, the Twins needed me.&
&Hmm. And, what's up with the books?& She slipped a shirt over her head and glanced at me.
I dropped the books on my desk then laid down on the bed. &Well, I'm casting a circle soon, so I just needed some review.&
&That&s awesome!& Tao clapped her hands together and gave me the happiest smile ever.
I smiled back as she stepped into a pair of gym shorts.
She sneered at her purse on the desk.
&Poop. Well, I have to finish this for Kirsi&&Tao pulled a thin stack of papers out of her bag&&and I don't feel like it.&
&Tao.& I snatched the papers from her. There were only four pages, so it shouldn't have been that hard. &Half and half?&
&Honey, no. Thank you, I have to do this by myself, because this is stuff I don't know. You know it, but I don't.& Tao gently took the papers back and sashayed to her desk.
She put her iPhone on the speaker and turned on Kenny Chesney&oh God. I sat on my bed, listening to her sing along and do her homework. It was funny to watch Tao multitask, because she was super clumsy. The pen kept rolling off of the desktop, so she had to continuously bend over and pick it up. After the eighth time, Tao froze the writing utensil to the desk and continued working. (Great use of power.)
She closed her books and put her stuff away, saying, &Finished!&
&Good job, Tao Chesney,& I muttered.
&You know it. Hey, so I gotta tell you this story.&
&I'm listening...& I drew my eyes to her.
&So, one time when I was 14, there was this boy&&with Tao, there's always a boy&&and he was real cute. And, I finally grew the tits to go over and say hi, but, I was just so nervous! I went over, he waved, and I freaked out! I accidentally froze his hand like&& Tao had her hands up, and there was a little spark of energy before the power shot out of the window, and sent a strong wind through the room. Tao got flung back onto her bed, and there was a big crackle of ice over our heads. After the ice stopped falling, I sat up and shook the tiny crystals out of my hair. Tao had not moved yet.
&Tao!& I scrambled out of bed and came over next to her, and she hugged me. &Are you okay?&
Her cold body felt even colder, and I was just scared that I would lose her. &That ain't supposed to happen,& Tao nervously chuckled into my neck. I held her out at arm's length then smiled.
I pushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear. &Are you sure you&re not hurt?&
&Yeah. But&& Tao flicked her hand out, with the intention of getting ice to hit the wall, but nothing happened. She tried over and over again until she was hyperventilating and frantically talking over me.
&Eris, Eris, my powers! What happened? Eris! Help, I dunno what&&
&Calm down,& I slowly and loudly said. Tao cradled her head in her hands. &Okay, we need to go and alert Brice, because that's not normal.&
&Right,& she flatly said. Tao was stunned&in all of 14 years, she'd never lost her powers or anything. She grabbed a hoodie then st I stepped into my shoes and we quickly went downstairs.
It was past curfew, but that was the least important thing right now. What was important was Tao. Some of the girls were sitting in the living room watching MTV, and one of those girls was Giovanni. I tapped her shoulder and her soft pink eyes locked on mine.
&What's up?& she signed.
&Giovanni, we have to leave. It's important, and we're going to Brice. Just, don't freak if we're leaving after curfew,& I replied.
&Is everything okay? You look upset.& Her hands moved quickly, so I knew she wasn't happy with what we were asking.
&Sorta. We... We'll explain it later, but we have to go.& Tao and I bowed to her and she smiled back.
Tao and I burst out of the glass doors then hurriedly walked over to Ria. 84. (We knew we'd be in some deep shit if we were sprinting around like Usain Bolt&especially after curfew.) When we passed by the apartments, it was clear that there was a party going on, because chatter was beyond the roof. And a bunch of lights were on on the top floor. Tao grabbed my arm and said, &We might just have to run... I don't want to take too long.&
&Eh, you're right,& I nodded then we broke out into sprint.
By time we got there, Tao and I were both breathing a bit hard (we may or may not have run into a crazy gremlin).
We opened the doors and walked down the dark hallway to Brice's office. From inside, we could hear Brice talking to someone¬ to himself, but someone.
&Maybe you should tell that to your aunt, Karder,& he said.
Oh. He was talking to Xi and Karder&his sons. (The two men who escorted me into Rianate, and, they were the ones to take Aya&s body away.) I didn't even figure that out until Dad told me, but, it made sense: they were a bit older than us (maybe 27-30 years old), they worked for Brice all the time, and they had Brice's ,. (It just meant that Lena was their aunt.) And no one had seen Lena for a while, she went to Arizona for something. Anyway, Brice finished talking with them, then Xi and Karder passed us in the hall.
&Girls,& Xi asked. &Shouldn't you be in the dorms? Curfew.&
&We need Brice, it's far too important to wait,& Tao replied.
&Oh. Merry part,& Karder said, bowing to us. He and his brother quickly left to wherever they stayed&I think in the mansion. Tao took an intense breath, then slowly widened the heavy door&. Brice was standing with his back to us, sipping on wine from a silver goblet.
&Brice&& Tao faintly said.
He quickly turned to us with a raised eyebrow. &It is past curfew. You two shouldn&t&&
&Her powers are gone,& I blurted, inadvertently cutting him off.
His expression darkened. &What? Why has this happened? Show me, please.&
Tao started walking closer then flicked her wrist, but nothing&. nothing came out. She let out a frustrated sigh and plopped down in the leather wingback chair .
&I dunno what happened, Brice. We were in the dorm, and it didn&t work. It was like, some invisible force pushed my powers out of my body,& Tao explained, looking him dead in the eye. &The ceiling froze over, and the ice melted, crackled and fell onto us.&
&Hmm, well this is completely abnormal. Sit, Eris,& Brice said. I plopped down in the chair, Brice took his seat behind his desk and continuously stroked his bearded chin. &Now, it is completely peculiar... It's never been that two Rio have lost their powers, and it's never been two friends that it's happened to.&
Tao and I shared a knowing look. She turned back to Brice then said, &What&re we going to do?&
&It&s not all that safe for us to be powerless,& I added.
He must&ve gotten an idea because his dark eyes lit up. &Well,& a smile crept onto his lips. &Asking for help always works.&
&Wha?& we dumbly huffed at once. I shook my head before saying, &Brice, what kind of help do you need? Everything is right in front of you, you practically own us.&
&Yeah, who&d be able to help?& Tao creased her brow.
&It&s not like I have an affinity for everything. Leave me, I&ll show you two tomorrow. But for now, avoid things that could harm you or your non-existent powers. After school, I think I&ll have something to help. Merry part.& He gently bowed to us, and we stood then bowed back.
Tao dragged me out of the doors and we started back to the dorms.
&Tomorrow? After school? What the shit, I lose my powers and now we&re playing tea party? Did he do this with you? How in the world are we supposed to get them back? Why did this happen? Please, tell me why. Because I don&t have an answer to any of my questions, and it&s tiring to be so overwhelmed and stressed out!& Tao frantically said, waving her cold hands around in front of her chest.
&Tao, it&s not so hard after a while. Brice knows what he&s doing, but, I&m not so sure about playing tea party either. We&ll just have to wait.& I gave her Tao rested her head on my shoulder.
We had been talking to Brice for a while, and it was nearing 1am. But, I couldn&t care less because that next day was Saturday, and, I had to make one more stop. I had decided to cast circle tomorrow night, but now that Tao&s powers were gone, we needed some extra candles. It was completely out of the norm for Rios to be out this late, and we had to go all the way over to the Rec Hall. In the Rec Hall where kids performed rituals or just hung out, there was another gigantic room&for candles. Literally hundreds of candles, row upon row upon row, just in this extra storage room. They were used for circles, or if someone wanted a candle for the night. And, the candles were based on affinity, and I knew there had to be some Ice ones in there.
I held Tao&s forearm as we entered the closed gates. The door wasn&t locked, but it was steel and it took both of us to open it. Tao shut the door after we got in, then followed me down to the room. We creaked open the next steel door and the different scents of candles hit us.
&It always smells good in here,& I grinned.
&What do we need? You have four candles for your circle,& Tao softly said as she observed the different candles.
&Yeah, those are for me, we need some for you.& I spotted the first light blue candle and made an &aha!& sound. Grabbing the first, my eyes lifted and I saw the second. Tao grabbed another, but we just had to find a fourth& Oh! (Trust me, this would be much harder if our vision wasn&t so good. There were well over a thousand candles in there.)
Tao seized the last and we quietly left the room, shutting the large door behind us. Ten minutes later, we were climbing up the stairs in the Girls& Dorm and getting back to our room. I sat the candles on her shelf, Tao put hers next to mine. She turned to me as she stripped off her hoodie.
&So, you&re saying you&re gonna cast a circle for both of us?&
&No,& I corrected, &we&re gonna cast a circle for the both of us.&
&But, I dunno how to do that shit,& Tao sighed.
&Neither do I. Well, sorta&whatever. Tomorrow afternoon, stop at the library and read about yours, okay?&
Tao nodded as she crawled into the bed. &I&m hella tired, goodnight.&
I took off my clothes then flopped back onto the soft bedspread. Five seconds into laying down and relaxing, my phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Dallas: r u sleojaeping?
His typos made it clear that Dallas was shit-faced.
Me: Baby, get some sleep.
Dallas: HeAKJy nhl. paibSues wqhxat?
This was one of those times when autocorrect did not want to correct him.
Me: Dallas.
Dallas: Nothing. naijJusjnvSayingqmxks
He was drunk. Seriously.
Me: Go to bed, good night.
Dallas sent a few random letters then continued blowing me up. I didn&t bother checking my phone every time it buzzed, Dallas was just sending me random words like &hey& or &Eris& or &wake up& or &hah,& just drunk stuff. (At least I know he was at that party.) My notifications started signaling phone calls (Dallas was a drunk-caller), and they lasted about two seconds. Many phone calls and text messages later, I slowly closed my eyes and got to sleep.
I knew the second I should've woken up to check on Dallas because he interrupted my dream. I had been lying out in the sun (sunny weather is the bomb) on a big, heart-shaped floatie in the middle of a lake made of Sprite (who knows?), when all of a sudden everything disappeared and Dallas' voice burst into my skull.
&You&re too young to sleep so late!&
God, he reminded me of my Father. My eyes fluttered open to meet Boing&s heavy glare with her fluffy tail resting on my neck. She made her annoyed squeak sound, sneezed, stood up long enough to pad around and around in circles on my chest, then she plopped down and took up the pillow space.
&You&re really no help at all,& I grumbled.
She ignored me. I only had on a polka-dot bra, and black shorts, so I was extra chilly. Fuck, I did need to go check on Dallas&he REALLY knew how to drink. I rolled my neck on my shoulders, then pushed my messy hair back and out of my eyes. Tao was curled up in a little ball, with her arm under her cheek and her face smushed into the pillow. Cutie. Mumble and Mikey were chilling on the floor, with Mumble laying on Mikey&s side and Mikey snoozing with his face in his paws.
I ran to the bathroom, took a hot shower, then quickly got dressed. If anything, leaving Dallas by himself while he was hungover was terrible. He was usually grumpy in the morning, but especially with a headache and tons of alcohol in his system. Ha, just to see him suffer&. Anyway, I grabbed my cellphone and stepped into my shoes then left the room.
Oh boy. I walked into Dallas' place and saw the loose tee shirt on the couch. Peeking into the hallway, I saw the cracked bedroom door, and I heard Dallas shuffling the covers around. I sat my bag on the chair then slowly approached the bed. He was laying on his front, with his messy hair and his bare back to me. His Maxi looked sexy, but I wasn&t focused on that. I softly shook his shoulder.
&Dallas,& my voice barely reached a whisper. He wasn&t budging. I shook his shoulder again. &Dallas.& Nada. I put my hand on the base of his neck and got close to his ear. &DALLAS!&
&WHAT THE FUCK!& Dallas popped up and threw a pillow at me.
&Oh, baby.& He groaned. Dallas rubbed my cheek and said, &I&m sorry, but don&t do that.&
&It&s& fine? Jesus, boy, get up!& I poked his shoulder but Dallas didn&t smile. &When did you get home?&
&Uh&& Dallas glared at the clock on his nightstand. His normally bright blue eyes were reflecting his mood: dull and crestfallen. &2am, I think. I dunno.&
He was sitting on the edge of the bed with his elbows on his thighs, and his head down. I ran my fingers through his messy locks, making Dallas sigh and rest his head on my stomach.
&Maybe a shower,& I said, trying not to laugh.
&Shush. I know, I&m dirty and need a shower. And, dear God, I need food! And coffee! And sleep! Ughh,& Dallas flopped back onto the bed and covered his face with a pillow. He still had on his jeans, but they were low-rise so I had a good view.
&Rebel, maybe you shouldn&t stay out so long, since you enjoy sleeping the day away.&
I called him Rebel for two reasons: it was his middle name, and Dallas read this story about a guy named Rebel who always drank. Plus, he was my little Rebel.
&Not in the mood for jokes.& His voice was muffled but I could hear him clearly.
&Okay. Well, take a shower, I&ll make you food and stuff.&
&Thanks, Avatar.& Dallas chucked the pillow at the wall, and I flinched when it landed on the hard surface with so much force. He got up then squeezed my hip. &I can&t kiss you because I have every hint of alcohol on my breath.&
I chuckled and Dallas patted my ass. He shut the bathroom door then did his business while I went to prepare him breakfast. 20 minutes later, a fresh Dallas walked into the kitchen for breakfast, coffee, and medicine. He took a sip of the coffee and made a satisfied groan. He leaned his head back to me.
&Did I ever tell you that you make caffeine taste like Jesus?&
&I&ve been told before,& I giggled, handing him the plate of toast, eggs and bacon.
&And did I ever tell you that you have just made food my new drug?&
&Nah, but you should. And, did you brush your teeth?&
Dallas nodded. &Why&& I didn&t give him time to answer before devouring his lips. Keeping my lips on his, I took the coffee from his hands, and Dallas seized my hips. He trapped me against the counter, using his tongue to explore my mouth while I inched my fingers into his sweatpants. We finally pulled away, breathing hard and Dallas had a slight smile on.
&Because I wanted to do that,& I grinned, walking to the living room.
Dallas quickly joined me and he ate his food while I searched for something to watch. He took his plate back to the kitchen then laid on the cushions with me. I didn&t think it was necessary to tell him about Tao losing her powers, Dallas wouldn&t really care.
&We probably need to check on the Twins,& he muttered.
&What? Are they shit-faced too,& I groaned, tossing my head back and closing my eyes.
&If I was that bad, they have to be drowning in a tub of beer. Come on.&
Dallas yanked me off of the couch and we quickly went to Bear&s apartment. His place was pretty neat, he just had a few misplaced items here and there (not to mention everything was dark, and, all of the curtains were closed). In the bedroom, Bear was laying on his stomach with the covers tossed to the side and his tee shirt dangling at the foot of the mattress. Dallas gave me a look then mouthed, &I&ll do it.&
I nodded. Dallas took a deep breath then crossed over to the side of the bed. He hit Bear with a pillow, he didn&t budge. Dallas tried over and over, but nothing. He rolled his eyes then grabbed two more pillows. Dallas hit Bear with so much force that I even flinched. With lightning speed, Bear hopped out of bed, shoved Dallas onto the ground and yelled, &GET OUT!&
I picked up a pillow and hit him in the stomach. Bear barely (haha) moved, but he was taken aback by the way I hit him.
&You get off your ass and get in the shower,& I huffed, giving him a death stare. &And say sorry.&
Bear sneered at me but grinned at Dallas. &Sorry, fucker. I&ll go for the nuts next time.&
&Thank you.& Dallas grinned back as he picked himself up. Bear hurried off to the shower then did his own business. Dallas looked back at me with dark green eyes and said, &You can wake up Christopher. He actually scares me a bit.&
I shrugged and we left to go and get Bull. Once again, his place was really nice, and he was in his bedroom snoozing away. The duvet was a bright blue pattern, and the gazillion of pillows were a cute shade of blue (they really contrasted with his white hair). I hit him with a pillow, nothing happened. After the tenth time, Bull seemed as if he was dead. I gave Dallas a helpless look but he mouthed, &Super hard.& I heeved a great sigh then saw Bear appear in the doorway. He asked me for the pillow but I scrunched up my nose to make him back down.
&I&m sorry,& I whispered to Bull.
I held the pillow out then, I rammed it down onto his back.
&WHAT THE FUCK!&
I think that did it. Bull sat up then saw it was me. &You little&&
I ran over to Dallas and Bear and stood behind them, looking over their shoulders at the hungover victim. Bull hopped out of the bed then gave me a death stare.
Bull twisted up his mouth. &Someone make me breakfast, I need to shower.&
&Anything else for our queen?& I said under my breath.
&I&d like your head on a stick. Your queen shall be clean.& Bull slammed the bathroom door and did his own little business.
By time Bear and Bull were done with breakfast and going about their day, Dallas and I were sitting in the bedroom and talking.
&...and it was really nasty,& I giggled. I just told him a story about the time my friend had cat pee in a cup and poured it in my backpack. (We were 15, don&t judge.)
He tossed his head back and started laughing. I pulled him down into a kiss, but I didn&t expect Dallas to stick his tongue into my mouth.
&Baby!& I giggled.
&I want to show you my love,& he laughed into my mouth.
I pushed him off. &Show your love in another way, but don&t choke me with your organ.&
&What the&.& Dallas sighed and shook his head. &Choke you with my organ?&
&Tongue&&I stuck my tongue out&&organ.&
&Eris&&Dallas put his finger on my forehead&&weirdo.&
I blew him a kiss and Dallas kissed me for real. After the eternal kiss, he pulled back then said, &I have to go soon. And, I don&t want to start something we can&t finish.&
&Poop! Where do you have to go?& I replied`.
&Uh, Riva and Ripley, duh. And, I have to check on Hannah and Harley. Oh, and I have to go practice. And I have to&&
&That&s amazing, but I don&t care.&
Dallas pushed the side of my face as he got off of the bed. He reached into his closet, grabbed something then sighed. Dallas pulled out a deep blue shirt and grinned. &You might wanna close your eyes, I&m getting naked.&
&Oh, let me just open my eyes,& I laughed, turning to his body.
Dallas stripped his white shirt off then changed into the blue one. He tossed it over his shoulder, and into the hamper.
&Awh,& I pouted. &That wasn&t naked.&
&Close enough. Come on, I&m gonna walk ya back,& he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me up. Dallas wrapped his arm around my waist then nuzzled my hair.
&Ew,& I pushed him away but I was laughing. Dallas snapped his teeth at me. &Sorry, I don&t like people touching my hair.&
He looked down. Dallas hooked my neck in his elbow and (annoyingly) ruffled my hair like a relative would do to me. I had to reach down and grab his groin for him to stop.
&HEY!& Dallas laughed.
&Don&t touch.& I jumped on his back and started ruffling his hair. &Unless you want me to cut this off.&
&It&s beautiful, so don&t touch me!&
I dug my fingers into his thick hair then messed it up, but Dallas kept moving his head from my grip. We were walking down the hallway, so we probably looked very stupid. Dallas pulled me back to my feet and hooked his hand behind my neck to pull me close.
&Don&t make me hurt you,& he grinned.
&Don&t make me hurt you,& I replied, running ahead to race him.
Dallas broke out running after me, and we made it to the dorms much faster than expected. I reached up then ran my fingers through his hair once more.
&Thank you for saving me from a terrible hangover,& Dallas chuckled.
&Anytime. And, thank you for touching my hair like a creep,& I smiled.
He kissed the top of my head and sent me on my way. Now, this circle: it'd be fairly easy to cast Tao&since she had one affinity to control. But me, that would be a bit different because I had never done all four. Hmm.
Heading into the kitchen for my brown pop, questions swarmed around in my head, but, I wasn't that freaked out about the circle. Hell, I'd seen someone cast one, and call their powers, but any other time, it hadn't really crossed my mind. I was still gonna do it. And, Tao had to call her own. She texted me earlier and said that she read some stuff in the library, so she somewhat knew what we were doing.
I walked upstairs to our room then saw Tao walking
