56

I was crouched in our clearing, the damp earth easing its way up through my toes, bringing with it a sense of contentment. I had closed my eyes so that I could hear the living sounds of nature around me, and I could feel my breathing sync up with what I felt was the heartbeat of the world around me. The gentle sounds of spring water bubbling out over the rocks into the pond below were like a gentle whisper of an attentive mother to me, and my thoughts drifted back to the terrible spring break that showed me how little I really knew about my new life.

It had been just over two years since we had come back from Scotland, and even though my life changed in a huge way that night, the time afterwards had caused even greater change. The first few weeks after returning I was always irritable, a real bitch to deal with. I wasn't sure what it was, but I felt so out of place and I didn't know how to center myself. I thought, perhaps, that it was a side effect of coming to grips with my Neko half, but after talking things out with Kelli neither of us were sure that this was the case.

We decided to take a break from our regular lives, and made our way home to be with our families for the two weeks that followed Jasmine's graduation ceremony. It was nice to spend time with our parents, and to bask in the intense web of love that we had all woven together. Kelli and I took this time to explain to our parents some of what our bond now entailed, and they probably had more questions than we had answers. Still, our parents having had the crash course in the existence of magic took things in stride, and were coping with things better than most people would have.

I was still feeling that itchy irritability, though, and neither Kelli nor I could figure out what to do about it. Just for fun, and because the last time we had been there had turned out so well, we decided to stay the night at our clearing. It turned out to be the best thing that happened during our at home vacation.

We packed a small bag of essentials, put together some light sleeping gear, and made our way out into the forest. The anticipation that I felt as we approached the tree line was giving me the shakes and Kelli noticed that something was up.

"Hey, sweetie. What's wrong? You feel ok?"

"I feel fine," I huffed, and gave Kelli a scathing look. "I just want to get out there right now. Can't we hurry it up?"

"There's no reason to hurry," Kelli replied, and I growled at her in frustration. "Are you sure you're alright?"

I opened my mouth to give her another withering response, but what I actually did took both of us by surprise. I cocked my head to the side as if I was hearing some distant call, and then as fast as I could possibly move I tore off all of my clothing and pulled in an incredibly deep breath. Then I ran. I was moving faster than I ever thought possible, and the rush of the wind in my ears had me laughing in delight. My heart once again felt wild and carefree, and I had not experienced that in a long time.

I found myself leaping up onto and through the trees, heedless of any danger, with an agility that was beyond my Neko enhanced reflexes. I was running barefooted across the forest floor and not once did I trip or step on an unseen root, rock, or fallen branch. It was as if I had become one with the world around me. The land and I were now singing together in perfect harmony.

Within a couple of minutes I had covered the entire distance from the edge of the trees on our property to our clearing. In the past, a brisk walk could cover the same distance in about fifteen minutes. I had never been this fast before, and I realized that something had definitely changed. Regardless, as I walked into our clearing for the first time since returning from Scotland I gave into the overwhelming desire that had come over me and I dived into the shallow pond and allowed myself to sink to the bottom in relaxed bliss.

I lost myself in the cool tranquility and the silent caress of the water, and it was only Kelli's overwhelming agitation that brought me to the surface. She was both startled at my sudden appearance and relieved at it as well.

"God sweetie, please don't scare me like that again," Kelli breathed.

"Sorry about that," I replied. "But you must have felt that I was ok."

"Yeah, I did. I haven't felt you this relaxed in a while, but I knew you were here in the clearing and I couldn't find you. Do you even know how long you were under the water?"

Her question caught me off guard, and I realized that I had no idea of how much time I had spent on the bottom. I also hadn't realized that I was still standing in the middle of the small pool, and I really did not want to leave.

"Sweetie, I was here for almost ten minutes. I sensed you here, but couldn't find you anywhere. Did you even come up for air before I got here?"

I lost myself in thought for a few moments, and as far as I could remember, I had been under from the moment I had entered the water until I came up to see Kelli waiting for me. How long had it been? I had no idea, but it was for at least the ten minutes that Kelli had looked for me.

That night we sat in the clearing and talked about why I was feeling so much better, and the possible reasons why I could stay under the water for so long. We tested it and figured out that I could stay below the surface for around twenty minutes without coming up for air. I wasn't breathing under the water, but I didn't feel the need to take another breath while there. Out of the pond I could hold my breath for maybe a minute or so before I had to take in another gulp of air. Things were definitely different about me.

Over the course of the weeks and months that followed I thought a great deal about why I had new abilities that didn't relate to my Love aspect. When I finally realized why I about kicked myself for my own stupidity. It was those thoughts I was musing on when I felt Kelli walk up behind me.

"Hey sweetie, I thought I'd find you out here. "You seem to always be here when I look now."

"Yeah, I know. I've really been thinking about my changing abilities over the last two years, and the thing is my thoughts are so much clearer here by the pond than anywhere else. I think I finally figured out why."

Kelli raised an eyebrow in interest and gestured for me to continue.

"So I just couldn't figure it out, why I had these new abilities. Then it hit me," and I rubbed my arms to bring attention back to my tattoos.

"The twins," Kelli whispered as I nodded at her sudden realization.

"Yeah. One was the aspect of water, and the other was the aspect of earth," and I pointed out the pattern of the tattoos that adorned my arms. "I can see even better in the dark now, and I can run at world class speeds through the forest while barefoot. I can beat any swimmer in a race, and I can be under water for more than a half hour now. And check this out."

I bent down and placed my hand over the water and concentrated for a few moments until I felt as if I was in perfect sync with each drop in the pond. I gave a silent command for the water to move, and as my desire pulsed over the clear surface a small whirlpool began to form. I was able to hold this small change for about a minute after Kelli gasped in surprise.

I stood and closed my eyes while holding my arms out to the side for my next demonstration. It happened a bit faster than the whirlpool, and I heard another gasp from Kelli as vines and leaves crawled up my legs while entwining themselves around my naked body. I saw wonder blossom in her eyes as the plants continued to grow and wrap around my body until I was entirely clothed in green. After a few moments I let go of the power I had tapped and the plant growth I had called into being seemed to reverse its growth until only the forest floor remained. It brought a smile to both of our faces.

"The twins gave you these gifts?"

"I wouldn't say that they gave me anything when they died," I responded. "I think that as they died, their essences, which probably included their aspects, were drawn into me and I was marked with their responsibility."

"That is one of the most interesting ideas I have ever heard, and we will certainly discuss it with Millicent when we see her next. As amazing as this is, however, we need to get you back if you are going to get you to your test on time."

"Oh shit," I cried out, realizing that I had made myself very late.