3 - Trista's Secret

Trista's Secret

Why were you yelling at Nathan?” Lexi asked in a whisper.

“Don’t worry about it.” I replied.

Lexi knew that my response meant ‘don’t pry’. Everyone backed away after I made that statement.

I drove down Season Lane and parked in front of Trista’s sorry excuse for a house. Trista and Jasper came running out the house in a hurry. I glanced at my watch, thinking we were late, but we were at least thirty minutes earlier than usual.

“Trista!” an old man called from the porch.

He would scare the crows with his malicious look. His eyes were pure black and his hair was gray . . . almost white.

I watched as Trista stopped running, nod to Jasper and returned to the porch. Jasper got into the car and stared at me.

“We can go . . .” he said breathlessly.

“What about Trista?” I glanced back at him.

“It’s best to leave her.” He said in a shaken voice.

I looked back to the house at Trista. Her head was bowed as the old man was yelling at her. My anger rose as I watched the man strike her face hard, causing her to stumble to the ground. I got out the car and walked towards the house.

“No! Tyler stop!” she exclaimed as she saw me walk towards her.

“Who the f**k is this!?” the old man glared at me.

“I’m here to take Trista to school.” I snapped.

“School? Ha! She doesn’t go to school!” the man began laughing uncontrollably.

“But . . . she was there yesterday . . .” I revealed.

I looked over at Trista as her eyes grew wide. I instantly saw fear in them. I glanced back at the old man and saw intense rage across his face. He looked down at Trista and glared. My instincts told me to get Trista away from him. But I waited to see what was going to happen. I should have listened to my instincts.

He kicked Trista’s ribs hard. She screamed out in pain and rolled to the side, clutching her ribs.

The wolf in me took over. I jumped onto the porch, grabbed the man’s shirt and threw him over the banister. He yelped in pain as his face hit the gravel. I lifted Trista into my arms and carried her to the car. I placed her in the back with Jasper, got in the driver’s side and drove off.

“Are you crazy?” Jasper yelled. “Now we’re both going to get it when we go home!”

“You’re not going back there!” I snapped at him.

Trista let out another howl of pain.

“Then where do you suggest we go? In case you haven’t realized it yet, we have no money!” Jasper screamed.

“The boat house . . .” Lexi murmured.

I pulled up in front of their school and stared at her.

“Yes, that’s perfect.” I kissed her head before she got out.

“I’m not leaving my sister with you.” Jasper hissed.

Before I could respond, Trista grabbed his arm.

“Go. I’ll be fine.” She murmured.

Jasper nodded his head,  gave me one more glare and ran off towards my sister.

“Take care of her!” he yelled from the steps.

I watched him take Lexi’s hand protectively and walk into the building with her. I smiled to myself. Jasper was a hot head, but at least he protected my sister.

“Don’t take me to the hospital. Just take me into the woods, by a lake.” Trista murmured.

“Stop being stupid. Your ribs are bruised pretty bad! I felt them when I lifted you.” I growled.

“Tyler . . . just . . . please . . . the woods.” She pleaded.

My instincts told me to listen. I didn’t listen to them before and she got hurt. I glanced at her and nearly swerved the car. Both her eyes were completely water �" blue.

“Ok . . . woods.” I turned to the direction of the woods and parked in front of the walk path.

I got out and opened the back door. I lifted her gently into my arms. She winced constantly. I let my wolf instincts take over slightly as I ran faster and deeper into the woods. I got to the lake and laid her on the bay gently. She looked up at me with her eyes now dark blue.

“You . . . you need . . . to . . . to back up . . . please . . .” she gasped.

I nodded and backed away. Her body began to shake as the water from the lake began to stir out of its calm state. The water flew out of the lake and encircled her body completely. Her body rose into the air, floating a few feet above ground. The water formed a protective bubble around her as her body began to glow blue.

            “The Blood that I lack.

             The skin that was torn.

            The bones that have cracked.

            The bruises that are worn.

            They all are not there I see.

            The powers above will heal me.

            The blood will renew.

            The skin will mend.

            The bones good as new

            The bruises will end!”

Trista repeated the chant three times before the water exploded. Her body was lowered to the ground gently. She glanced over at me, her eyes purple once more.

I was expressionless. I did not know how to respond. My legs gave way as I collapsed on the ground. She jumped up and ran over to me as if she had never been hurt. I stared at her confused.

“Maybe this will help . . .” she whispered.

She pulled out a green stone that was tied to a string around her neck. I looked into her eyes that were now emerald green like the stone. She pressed the stone to my head gently.

            “What you just saw is but a dream,

            Look into my eyes and see what I mean.

            You will forget everything you saw,

            And just stare at me in awe.

            The sights,

            The sounds,

            Everything  you sense,

            Is now gone, as in past tense.”

She stopped chanting and stared at me. I was expressionless once more. I did not know what she was hoping to accomplish from the spell, but it sounded like she wanted me to forget what just happened.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

“What are you? Retarded?” I growled. “You told me to take you here!”

“What did you see?” she snapped.

“I saw you say a spell to heal yourself.” I rolled my eyes.

“It didn’t work.” She gasped and whispered to herself.

“No! Your memory spell did not work. I mean, come on! ‘Is now gone as in past tense’? what kind of line was that?” I snapped.

“I’ll have you know, Tyler Taylor, that my spell has worked on everyone else I know!” she shot at me. “If it didn’t work on you then you’re . . .”

She let out a loud gasp.

“What? I’m a what?” I narrowed my eyes.

“A . . . supernatural being. Gosh! What are you?!” she pried.

“I’m a werewolf.”

I did not know why I said that or why I told her. But I knew I could confide in her. She was not normal either. She had just shown me her secret, it was only right that I tell her my secret.

“I’m a witch.” She whispered.

“I can tell.” I grinned. “Now . . . ready to explain your father?”

Trista sighed and stood up. I leaned against the tree behind me and watched her pace back and forth. She stopped pacing and stared at the lake. She placed her palms out as a small whirlpool formed in the middle of the lake. I stared at the whirlpool as it rose out of the lake.

“My mother was a witch, one of the strongest and most powerful that ever lived. My father is a wizard, the most powerful wizard in this entire world. My parents were forced to marry each other. Both families wanted to unite . . . become the most powerful magical family that ever existed. The only flaw was that my mother and father hated each other. They couldn’t stand to be in the same room. They fought verbally, physically and magically at every chance they got. My father killed my mother.” She took a deep breath as the whirlpool got bigger.

“How?” I asked tentatively as I stared at her nervously.

“My father beat her. He’s very violent, as you already saw. He used his physical strength and magical abilities to beat her until she became defenseless. I came home and found her laying on the floor . . . not breathing . . . bloody everywhere . . . dead. My father looked up at me and smirked. He’s tried to kill me as well. But, what both families had hoped for initially, came true. The union of the two families produced the two most powerful witches that ever lived. Me and Jasper. I am more powerful than him because I am the first born. Since my father can’t kill me magically, he’s using his physical strength against me. I let him do it because if he doesn’t do it to me, he’ll do it to Jasper. Jasper deserves better.” The whirlpool began swirling faster.

“Why doesn’t he want you in school?” I walked over to her and grabbed her hands gently.

The whirlpool fell into the lake, causing a huge wave. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

“My mother was better than him at everything. She got into college, she got the job as a private attorney. My dad doesn’t want me like her, so he stops me from going to school.” She sighed. “He’ll kill me for sure when I get back.”

“No!” I growled. “You’re not going back there. I’ll figure this out.”

“Tyler . . . you’re really sweet, and I’m glad that I can confide in you. But you can’t help me. There’s no way you can help me.” She leaned up and kissed my cheek. “Thanks.”

I watched her turn her back and walk off. Her lips felt so good against my skin. I reached up and touched my cheek lightly. I shook my head and growled.

“Trista!” I grabbed her arm angrily. “You’re coming home with me. No one’s home now, so we can plan something.”

“Tyler,  I don’t know what my father will do! I can’t risk it! He’s too powerful.” She pleaded.

I rolled my eyes and dragged her back to the car. She tried to pull away at first, but after a while she gave in. We got in the car and drove to my house fast.

“You like speeding . . .” she mentioned.

“Yes.” I grinned.

I parked in the driveway and climbed out. She followed me to the front door, staring around herself, taking everything in. I opened the front door and allowed her in.

“Wow . . .” she gasped. “Your house is . . .”

“I know.” I snapped. “It’s huge, so what?”

“Sorry, I’m not used to this.” She whispered.

“It’s cool.” I shrugged. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“Um . . . just water . . .” she followed me into the kitchen.

I handed her a bottled water and sat on the kitchen table, staring at her. She downed the entire bottle and looked around for a garbage. I pointed to the garbage can next to the sink and she threw away the bottle.

“You hungry?” I asked.

“Um . . . I’m not.” She murmured. “Look, Tyler . . . I really think I should get home.”

“No, that is not even a home. It is a rundown piece of s**t!” I snapped. “Look, we have a boat house that my mom hasn’t even gone into yet. You and Jasper can stay in there for now.”

“What if your mom decides to go in there?” Trista leaned against the sink.

“I won’t do something like this unless I knew for sure it was safe. Trust me, it’s safe.” I sighed and stood up. “Come on. We’ll need some stuff from upstairs.”

“Like what?” I heard the curiosity in her voice.

“Two mattresses, sheets, pillows, etc.” I shrugged as I walked to the stairs.

“You . . . you have all that?” she stared at me with her eyes widen.

“We used to have a lot of guests at our old house, before my dad died.” I admitted as I walked up to the storage room.

I looked around the room until I found everything. I glanced back at the hallway, expecting to see Trista standing there, but the hallway was empty. I poked my head in the hallway and frowned. She had disappeared.

“Trista?” I called.

“I’m . . . I think . . . in your room.” She replied.

I walked over to my room and glanced in. she was standing in the middle, staring at the poster above my bed. Her presence looked so natural in my room. I walked over to her slowly.

“Why are you in here?” I shot at her.

“I like transformers too.” She smiled up at me.

I glanced up at the poster and smiled.

“How did you know this was my room?” I sat on the bed and stared at her.

She slowly moved to sit next to me. She stared at the walls and smiled to herself.

“Your room is simple. It reveals nothing about you. Just like your attire. You wear simple clothes, not revealing anything really about your true self. But you will open up to the one you fall in love with. That’s the type of guy you are. The quiet type.” Trista turned her head and stared at me.

“That’s funny . . . me falling in love. I will never fall for anyone.” I snapped.

“Why not?” she blinked.

“Well, for one, I’m seventeen and I’ve never had a girlfriend. Every girl I’ve met thinks I’m scary or hot tempered.” I shrugged.

“Oh Tyler! Everyone falls in love. It’s destiny!” Trista stood up and walked over to my closet.

I watched as she browsed through my closet, picking through my clothes. She pulled out my favorite band t-shirt and pulled off hers. My eyes took a few seconds to pull away from her bra.

“God damn it, Trista.” I growled. “What are you doing?”

“Hmm?” she turned to me, holding the shirt in her hand. “What?”

Her breasts were slightly bigger than I had originally thought. I couldn’t stop staring at her.

“Would you put your shirt back on!” I yelled.

“Wow . . . wouldn’t have thought you were the modest type.” She pulled on my shirt.

I rolled my eyes at her, not even bothering to tell her to take off my shirt. Hell, she looked good in it.

“Ok! Now I’ll help you carry the stuff to the boat house.” She grinned.

I nodded and walked out the room with her behind me. I grabbed the two mattresses while she picked up the pillows and blankets. I led her down the stairs and out the side door. We walked down towards the boathouse by the lake. I quickly placed the mattresses down on either sides of the room. She placed the blankets and pillows on the beds.

“I’m going to get a lamp.” I glanced across at her as she nodded

I quickly ran back to the house. I grabbed the spare lamp from the storage room and returned to Trista. I stopped in my tracks as I stared at Trista sleeping in one of the mattresses. I smiled slightly. She looked more innocent as she slept. I sat next to her and stared out the window at the lake.

I did not know how I was going to deal with Trista and her brother. For the first time in my life, I actually had a lot on my plate than I ever had before. It seemed odd to me that I was dealing with so much drama. After all, I had planned to lay low for the next year. Now, I was protecting my sister from Peter, I was saving my brother from getting killed, and I was protecting Trista and Jasper from their father.

Trista. I did not know why I was led to her so much. It was probably her smile. That sweet, innocent, happy smile. Or it was the way she had stood up for me on the first day of school. Or the fact that she puts up with her father to protect her brother. Or maybe it was the fact that she hid herself like I did from everyone around her.

I glanced down at Trista and could not help but smile. Her hair was loose and covering her face. I reached out and brushed her hair behind her ear. She murmured something and crawled closer to me, resting her head in my lap. I did not know what to do. The only girl that ever did this was my sister.

I began stroking her hair and yawned. I was tired. I was finally tired. I slowly rolled Trista to the other side and fully laid down. Trista rolled back to me and placed her head on my chest. I looked down at her, smiled and held her closer. Her skin felt so soft. The last thing I remember before passing out was listening to Trista’s steady breathing.