Mia's Path
Butt naked

MIA

“So... What’s your deal?”

My deal? Raina was looking at me with a smirk on her face. We were on my hospital room, seating across from each other on the couch. Upon our arrival she was kind enough to lend me clothing, since I had none and the ones I had borrowed from Dr. Pretty were soaked with lake water and my blood. Now I had on a black pair of leggings with a long-sleeved blue sweater, that left my right shoulder bare.

My deal. That was a heavier question than I was prepared for. I had so much going on at the moment, that it wasn’t even funny. First Max and the others were gone. Gone for good, I was never going to laugh with them again or eat burnt marshmallows and talk about our haunted pasts.

Oh yeah, there was that too. My haunted past. I couldn’t even think about his name, let alone all the horrible things that happened to me. My hand went to my neck as a reflex, massaging the stiff muscle to help me relax. My facial expression must have been pretty bad, because the next thing I knew Raina was holding my hand and looking worried.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel upset. I was just curious about that kiss with Drake.” she said softly while rubbing my hands in a soothing matter.

Oh.

Well, Drake was something else entirely, I guess. I had no idea why I let him get so close to me, not only physically but I could feel he was tearing down some pretty big walls I had put up long ago. He could really get under my skin and piss the shit out of me, but he could also make me blush and feel like I was the only one in the room. Given that quite a few times I was - in fact - the only one in the room. But he was intense, too intense.

“W-we d-didn’t kiss.” I stuttered. Did my voice sound sad or it was just my imagination?

“Oh, yeah, my bad I think.” She said giggling a little. Probably remembering the beautiful scene of my butt hitting the water. Argh! “But it was romantic, like a movie scene. Next time I’ll record it.” She joked.

“There will not be a next time.” I retorted.

I would not let him get that close ever again. I couldn’t risk it. And even if I wanted to risk it, I didn’t have the time. I needed to leave as soon as possible. I had already made the mistake of thinking I could settle somewhere and have friends once. My heart ached again for Max. I would never hear him laughing and it was all my own fault. I had been selfish, I wanted to spend more time with him after we met. Now no one else would have that chance ever again.

“Why not?” Raina asked, bringing me back to earth.

“I don’t like him.” I grumbled.

“You sure? From where I was standing, it sure didn’t seem that way.”

“It was a weird lapse on my judgment. One that won’t happen in the future.” I hissed. Why was she insisting on this?

“Hm, riiiiight.” Her eyes search mine and a smirk took over her face. I didn’t like that, not one bit.

“I’m serious, Raina. He is an arrogant, hot headed, jerk of an ass Alpha.”

“He sure is all of those things. He is also hot as sin and has a thing for you, I can tell.” She smirked again.

“I don’t care that he is attractive. It can’t happen, simple as that.” I said while running my hands through my face. I was getting frustrated with this conversation and rethinking my early assessment of Raina.

“So, you agree he is attractive.” It wasn’t a question.

“Can you just drop it, please?”

She nodded. Her expression was different now, she was searching my face again, but it was so much more intense this time. It made me feel a little exposed and uncomfortable. She scanned my whole body and stared at me for some long as fuck minutes. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I huffed and got out of the couch. Staring out the window seemed better than being judged and certainly would be more helpful. Assuming I could figure a way out of this room.

“What’s that?” Raina’s voice was too damn close to comfort. Like right behind me, invading my personal space. For some reason I was feeling very weirded out by her. Like some part of my body didn’t want her to get too close, afraid she would do something. On instinct, my fists clenched, and I felt the familiar warmth on my wrists. If she moved a muscle, I would attack first and ask questions later.

When I looked her over my shoulder, my resolve melted. Her eyes were big as saucers and full of fear. Something had scared the hell out of her, I could tell. Raina’s mouth was agape, and it seemed she was holding her breath, afraid that even that would cause something bad to happen. What the heck? She was looking at my shoulder. Wait. Was there something on my shoulder?

I moved my shoulder so I could try and look at what she was looking, and I immediately froze. She was right. There was something on my shoulder. Strange deep red markings were showing. I had never seen that before, I’m positive I would have noticed it. With a better look, I could see that the markings seemed to be my veins. As if my veins were on fire and angered under my skin.

I looked over my body, pulling the sleeves of the sweater and I panicked. It seemed to be happening all over my body. I lifted the hem to look at my stomach and sure enough I could see all my veins on fire. I didn’t feel any different, but it was weird. Was that an allergic reaction or something? I had a feeling it wasn’t that.

Before I could do or say anything I smelled something burning. I heard Raina taking a sharp breath in and step back. I looked to my stomach again and the sweater there was burning and disappearing, leaving a few ashes behind. After a few more seconds all my clothes were gone and turned to ashes and I was standing there, baffled and naked. I raised my eyes to meet Raina’s and she was just as stunned as me.

She scanned my body again, watching the angry deep red veins fading the strange color and just going back to normal. “I-I’ll ask for some clothes.” She met my gaze, and her expression was stoic. “Don’t move.”

Don’t move.

Really?

Of course, I moved, I was pacing the room trying to figure out what the fuck just happened to the clothes I was wearing. That was some new shit, I had never seen anything like that happen to anyone, ever. So that was definitely not an allergic reaction. Well, not a normal one, at least. My clothes burnt on my body, but I didn’t feel a thing or even got hurt at all. That was some bizarre shit going on.

“Here, these ones are not enchanted, I promise.” She sounded a bit shaken.

“Wait. Not enchanted? What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.

She sighed heavily before she answered. “It means that these ones won’t burn of your skin, I hope.” My fists were clenched again. Did this bitch just confessed that she tried to put a spell on me or something? Oh, hell no. Now I was pissed, and she would learn what that meant.

“Hold your horses, cowboy! I didn’t put a spell on you, per say, nor I tried to do it!” She said taking a step back and raising her hands in surrender. Not good enough. “Look, it was just a revealing spell, ok? Just to make you stop hiding what you are. Obvis–”

“Stop hiding what I am? What the hell are you talking about? I’m not hiding!” I cut her off, taking a menacing step forward on instinct. She clearly didn’t appreciate that. She gulped and took several steps back, letting the clothes on her hand fall to the ground.

“Look, it was a harmless spell, I swear. I had no idea that you had that kind of protection and...”

“What kind of protection? What the hell are you talking about and what the fuck just happened?” I hissed; my patience gone for good. “You have two minutes to explain before I rip your head off, witch.” She seemed to take my words seriously, because she just started blabbering.

“Honestly, I’m not entirely certain about what just happened. I can tell that it was a very powerful protection spell. Whoever casted it, it was a hell a lot more powerful than I am and not to brag, but I’m a pretty strong witch.” She breathed. “I think that the person that casted it used some other kind of magic, some ancient shit, for sure. It seemed a twisted kind of blood magic.” She had a deep-thinking expression now. “And if it was blood magic, that is not a good thing, I’m afraid.” She started pacing the room, not even looking at me anymore. “But that doesn’t make sense either, blood magic was forbidden centuries ago. No witch alive should know how to use it.”

She continued to ramble on the ‘blood magic’ subject for a while. My anger had dissipated the moment I noticed she really had no idea what had happened. But I was still butt naked, so I grabbed the clothes she had brought and put them on. Another pair of black leggings and a simple white shirt. If it didn’t burn it was good enough for me.

“You still haven’t told me why you put a revealing spell on the clothes you lend me.” I interrupted her rambling.

“Oh.” She stopped pacing and looked at me, assessing me. Was that guilt that I detected? “Drake asked me to replace out if you were a threat, so I thought that a simple revealing spell would help. You know, once I knew what you are, you would have no way of hiding the truth from me.” She said shrugging her shoulders as if it was the simplest thing ever.

“Why are you obsessed with “replaceing out” what I am. I’m just human.” I said, already irritated with the topic again.

“No, you’re not.” She stated.

I looked her hard in the eyes. “Yes, I am.”

She sighed and took a seat at the couch, frustrated. “No, Mia, you are not just human. I may not know what you are, I may not be able to sense it yet. But I can assure you, you are not human.” Her face was serious. Too serious. She believed what she was saying. But that was nonsense, it had to be. I was human, always have been and always will be. I would know it if I wasn’t human. Right?

She had me doubting, I must admit.

“I have to be.” I whispered, more for myself than for Raina.

“I think your powers are blocked.” She said slowly. “Whoever blocked it, and I bet it was the same witch that put that protection spell on you, didn’t want you to know what you are.”

“Why?” I whispered, afraid of the answer.

“I don’t know.” Raina whispered back.