GPFriday: Spiritis’s Semester Chapter #28

Feel free to comment below or email me at kendrabrooks@taintedtrinity.com

 

Chapter #28: The Eye of the Tempest

 

It felt like she was falling. Spiritis opened her eyes. It felt like no dream she ever had. She was sure it was no dream. Below her she saw a seal in red. She recognized it as her seal only more complex. It had a pentagram with more intricate markings and another circle around the entire thing. As she fell, she saw at the exact center was a fountain. As she got closer, she saw the bottom of the fountain was not a true fountain, it was deeper, it was like a well.

She hit the bottom, right next to the well. She thought she would wake up at that moment, but there was nothing that would disturb her from her sleep. She was in no dream. At least no normal dream. She glanced up and saw at the top of the well there was an oval mark with a rune on it. There were four more circling underneath it.

“Where am I?” Spiritis questioned. She pinched herself hoping to wake up. She felt the pain, but she failed to wake up.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw four pale blue gossamer like wings. They were attached to her back. She freaked out and they twitched with her. She squealed when they twitched, and they moved again. She screamed at the top of her lungs. She didn’t know what was happening. The dream was quickly turning into a nightmare.

That was when she saw a figure in gold armor. He had four armored wings as well. “Well, what do we have here?” The man said.

“Please!” Spiritis squealed and backed up to the rim of the fountain-well, “Don’t hurt me.”

“I am not going to hurt you,” The man stated as he walked up to her an knelt down, “You came here on your own. I am Trevor. Like you, I am a Templar. Welcome to the Eye of the Tempest. We call this place sync for short since we come here to sync with the Balance.”

“I didn’t come here on my own!” Spiritis shook her head, “I just ended up here!”

“That’s how it ends up the first time,” Trevor replied then cocked his head in confusion, “Hang on. You are a bit early. You shouldn’t be here for another two or three years. It is still the mission time for me and my generation. Let me get a look at you.” He reached out with his armored hand and grabbed her chin. He tilted her head to the left and right, “No armor… weak Five-Points-Focus. Your sight is just coming into focus. You are an early bloomer. Ah! A center of the Alignment! You are going to be a Greater Templar. That explains it!”

“What are you talking about?” Spiritis replied.

“Well, you awakened and connected with the Balance early,” Trevor mentioned, “It looks like because your mission is going to be an important one. You are going to be leading your generation. Keepers of Secrets commonly lead their generations, but you are special. You are going to be a stronger Templar than most.”

“That’s what we are?” Spiritis questioned in response, “Templars?”

Trevor nodded, “Yes. You were chosen before you were born for a mission. I am on a mission now. I was pulled in for some reason. Looks like the balance wanted me to address you. Luckily, I am a Keeper of Secrets so I can help you.”

“So, how do I get home?” Spiritis questioned in response.

“You think about it,” Trevor replied.

“That doesn’t sound so hard,” Spiritis mentioned.

“Before you go,” Trevor mentioned, “Be careful with your powers. You are a Dark Templar right now. After your mission, you will be a Dark Templar again. But when you hit your mission time, you will be a Keeper of the Balance. That is when the Balance is going to have you perform your mission. I am performing my mission right now. It is best that we steer clear of each other. It is for your safety; We keepers tend to attract unwanted attention. Until we fade into the darkness like you are now, I can be a danger to you.”

“So, I will be in danger at some point?” Spiritis questioned, “I didn’t sign up for this!”

“None of us did,” Trevor nodded, “But it is how it is. Time to go, child.”

 

Greeley Colorado

November 1st, 2027-CE

 

Spiritis awakened in a cold sweat. Unlike before she went to bed, her vision had changed. She could now see seals for everything if she concentrated. It felt weird to see it. It was unlike anything she experienced. It almost made her dizzy to do it. Like crossing her eyes, producing a double vision except it wasn’t double vision. It was an augmented reality, providing her information.

The seal sight was in a strange glyph like language. It went beyond simple seals, the more she investigated it, the more the glyphs popped out. Intrinsically, she could understand the glyphs and what they described. She could almost understand what to aspect now. With this information, she knew what she could do with her Aspect energy, almost all of it, the full breadth of it.

She shook her head, “What’s going on? What do I do now?” She asked herself.

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GPFriday: Spiritis’s Semester Chapter #27

Feel free to comment below or contact me at kendrabrooks@taintedtrinity.com

 

Chapter #27: Homecoming

 

Greeley Colorado

October 8th, 2027-CE

 

Spiritis dressed in her yellow dress for the Homecoming dress. She knew that she originally coordinated a green scheme with Ray, but she felt bad that Ashara didn’t get a date for the dance so they both went in for yellow dresses the day before. Spiritis’s dress had long sleaves that were see through and had floral designs on them. Ashara did not. Ashara smiled as they climbed into the back seat of her father’s black sedan, “Thanks for this gesture, Spiritis. I hope Ray won’t be pissed.”

“I am sure he will understand. It isn’t the prom or anything. You would be up a creek if it were the prom,” Spiritis replied, “I wouldn’t break the scheme for that.”

“But he would also be picking you up for that. I don’t think we have prom until we are juniors and seniors anyway. By then, he would be able to pick you up himself, or we would be driving there to meet him on our own.” Ashara replied.

“True enough,” Spiritis nodded.

Ashara’s father decided to add to the conversation, “If he really cares about you and you explain the situation to him, I am sure he will forgive you, Spiritis.”

“Thanks, I think that helps,” Spiritis nodded.

“No problem,” He nodded, “I am not so old that I don’t remember being a teenager.”

“Even though it has been at least fourteen years,” Ashara scoffed.

“Longer than that,” Spiritis chortled, “And I am closer to fifteen now.”

“Ashara is also close,” He nodded, “We will just keep how old to myself. Doesn’t mean I still don’t remember being a teenager. It just means that it has been a little while since I had to go to a homecoming dance.”

“Have they changed a lot since you have been to high school?” Ashara asked.

Her father shrugged, “I don’t know as I don’t know how they go anymore. I know in the past, before my time, they used to have bon fires, but they don’t do that anymore. At least not everywhere.”

“That sucks,” Spiritis replied.

“Think about climate change. That is probably why they don’t stack five hundred pounds of wood in a parking lot and light it on fire,” Ashara mentioned.

“Actually, it was because of safety concerns,” her father contested, “I bet your reason is probably the thing that keeps the tradition from being brought back now. Back then it was because someone got killed during a bonfire.”

“Wow,” Spiritis looked shocked, “The things you learn.”

“Can’t exactly get close to a bonfire and roast marshmallows,” Ashara mentioned.

“It’s like being close to a blast furnace. You can melt your shoes if you get too close,” Her father nodded in response. He pulled up to the school parking lot, “we are here. Have fun girls. Don’t get into too much trouble. I don’t want to hear it from Sylvia, Spiritis.”

“You won’t,” Spiritis waved goodbye as she stepped out of the car.

Spiritis led Ashara to the gymnasium door. There, the two saw Robin and Ray. It looked like Robin was waiting for her date in a purple dress. Neither twin had spotted the duo yet, “I am still surprised that someone was willing to date her. She seems like a spitfire ready to eat someone alive.” Ashara whispered.

“What do you have against her, other than the fact that she can go toe to toe with you and your wit?” Spiritis questioned in response.

“It might be her paradigm. I don’t remember everything about our past lives yet, but I sense bad blood between us,” Ashara replied.

“How about you treat every new life as a clean slate. Maybe we can all be fast friends this life,” Spiritis suggested.

“You mean we should all hold hands and sing kumbaya?” Ashara rolled her eyes.

“I suggest burying the hatchet. Especially one as old as some sort of past life squabble,” Spiritis replied as she met with Ray’s eyes.

He glared at Spiritis and she intuitively knew she was in trouble, “So much for burying any hatchets. If looks could kill, he would be burying a body or two tonight.”

“Hey, Big Guy,” Spiritis greeted nervously, “Has Robin’s date showed up?”

Robin glanced at the three of them and glanced back beyond the crowd, “Well, I found Hector, so I am going to blow this maternity ward of awkward turtles. Later bro!”

“Thanks for not letting it die!” Ashara called out as Robin ran off.

“I thought we agreed to wear green?” Ray fumed, “What is with you dressing like Ashara?”

“She is family, and she doesn’t have a date,” Spiritis replied.

“Not my fault!” Ray chewed on his lower lip and crossed his arms, “If she can’t get a date, there is some sort of problem with her! If I knew that this monkey suit would have been useless, I wouldn’t have worn it tonight! Now I will stand out like a sore thumb next to Princess Bell and her sister!”

Ashara raised an eyebrow, “Which one of us is Bell?”

“Oh, hush!” Spiritis replied, “Sorry, Big Guy. At least this isn’t prom. I wouldn’t have done it then.”

“You shouldn’t have done it at all!” Ray grumbled.

“I’m sorry!” Spiritis called out.

A tap on the shoulder made Spiritis nearly jump out of her dress. She spun around to see Jena standing there with Curtis. Both were dressed in blue. Jena was in a conservative dress unlike Ashara and Spiritis, “Jena! Curtis! Nice to see you here!” She smiled and gave Jena a hug.

“Hey stranger!” Jena greeted with a hug, “If I didn’t know better, I would say you have been trying to ignore me recently!”

Spiritis shook her head, “Not at all. Ashara’s father has been on a lot of business trips lately so she has been staying with us some of the time and recently we got a chance to house sit for her father. Quite a nice place really.”

“Lots of lonely bus trips for that, though,” Jena nodded, “Especially when you are at her house.”

“None of the buses run out that far, neither the city buses or the school buses,” Ashara mentioned, “So in the mornings, Sylvia runs us to school, and we ride share home.”

“That sucks,” Curtis mentioned.

“I am sure we can arrange some form of sleepover sometime, Jena,” Spiritis replied, “Just as long as we don’t destroy the place.”

“Spiritis tells me it has all the creature comforts of a resort,” Ashara boasted, “you will have fun there.”

Jena shrugged, “I will think about it.” She glanced around and could feel the uncomfortable energy coming off Ray and the tension between him and Spiritis, “How about we move this inside where we can get some goodies and sit down?”

Spiritis nodded, ‘Sounds good to me.”

Ray shrugged but his mood was not abated, “Why not.”

The group crossed the distance to the inside and they made their way to the refreshment stand. Each grabbed a cup of punch and a small plate of snacks before making their way to one of the empty tables that lined the dance floor in the center. The lights were low and there was a DJ providing music for the night. It was loud inside the gym which made it hard for them to hear each other. Spiritis wanted to take to her telepathy to communicate with everyone present but that would leave Curtis out since he did not have abilities potent enough to either hear or keep up with the rest of them.

“So, are you two an item?” Ray called out to Curtis and Jena.

“What, us?” Jena questioned and pointed to her and Curtis, “No! We just didn’t want to go stag!”

“Bummer,” Spiritis whispered under her breath. Her words did not carry to the next person, something not hard to do considering the current atmosphere. She noticed that her friend and compadre seemed to be a little let down from the answer. Spiritis was not sure if he prematurely tried to ask her out or if he thought he had made it further than he did.

Ashara leaned over to Spiritis and said, “You know, not being able to project to you is starting to become a drag!”

“What are you two whispering about?” Ray growled.

“Chill, Big Guy!” Spiritis jumped, “She is just telling me that she is having a hard time with my mental wall. So am I by the way!”

“Why haven’t you been able to pull it down?” Ray grumbled.

“If I knew, don’t you think I would have been able to pull it down so we could have a telepathic bonding?” Spiritis questioned in response.

“Now, there is a woman who has the guts to go stag,” Curtis pointed out, trying to break the tension.

The party looked out to the dance floor to see Angela in a silver dress walking around. Spiritis recognized the look on her face instantly. She was on the prowl. Spiritis sat back and glanced to Ashara, “Don’t fall for it, Ashara! She is looking to score!”

Jena rose to her feet and shrugged, “Well, if none of you are going to dance, I am going to dance with her. I came to this shindig to move.”

“Jena, wait!” Curtis called out but Jena didn’t listen and met up with Jena on the dance floor.

“Damn, that sucks kid,” Ray sucked in breath.

Ashara leaned in to whisper something in Spiritis’s ear, “That is the problem with the Paradigm of Affinities, she tends to do that unless she is hooked on someone…”

Ashara sat up straight and stretched. She smiled and rose to her feet, “Come on lover boy, I will dance with you for a while!” She offered her hand to Curtis, “It will be a fun night. It is dangerous to venture out alone, after all.”

Spiritis glanced to Ray and nodded with her head to the floor, “You want to dance, Big Guy?”

“I don’t think we are done with our conversation from outside,” He said and crossed his arms.

“Oh, come on, dude!” Spiritis complained, “I already said I’m sorry. Ashara didn’t have a date at the time and I felt bad for her. She bought the dress, so I didn’t have to rent one. It’s like every girl’s dream to have a dress in their closet! Something they can just slip on for a posh party or something like that! Yellow is her favorite color. We are at this dance to have fun; can’t we have fun?”

“She could have bought green, and everything would have been much better!” Ray fumed.

Spiritis rose from her seat, “You know what, steam there in your pot of jealousy for all I care!” She started to walk off.

“Where are you going?” Ray asked.

“To get some refreshments!” She replied and walked towards the table.

“You have some right here!” Ray called out, but Spiritis ignored him.

She walked to the table and started to gather another plate of food when someone bumped into her. She glanced over to see a black dress belonging to someone much taller than her. Angela was taller than her but this girl seemed taller than Angela and even Ray. She glanced up to see a woman with brown eyes and light brown hair gazing down at her, “Sorry, didn’t see you there.”

“I don’t imagine you would…” Spiritis’s voice trailed off as she recognized the deep feminine voice, “Wait; you’re bus pass girl! Wow, you’re tall!”

The woman in the black dress chuckled, “I have been called far worse. Fortunately, I haven’t broken six feet.”

“I’m Spiritis,” She greeted.

“I’m Courtney,” The woman in black mentioned, “Other than the fact we bumped into each other, how are you?”

Spiritis sighed, “Could be better.”

“Want to gather snacks and talk about it at my table?” Courtney suggested.

“I don’t want to disturb your date,” Spiritis replied.

Courtney laughed like Spiritis just told the world’s funniest joke, “What date? I came here alone.”

“This is becoming a topsy turvy night,” Spiritis sighed and quickly filled her plate.

Courtney chuckled and led Spiritis back to her table. Spiritis was surprised to find Courtney all alone at the table. She glanced at Spiritis and asked, “So, hat has got you down?”

“Where to begin?” Spiritis sighed and snacked on a cube of cheese, “So, my two best friends showed up together on a date but they didn’t show up as a couple. When my older sister showed up alone, my female best friend decided to ditch her date. My second cousin, who came with me went to his rescue. I decided to color coordinate with her instead of my boyfriend because I felt bad for her and he is eternally upset with me now.”

“Yikes!” Courtney chuckled, “You want to trade places? That’s a lot of drama!”

“Yeah, you can have this short body while you are at it!” Spiritis chuckled.

“You wouldn’t like being 5’11, trust me,” Courtney replied, “I hope I don’t have any growth spurts left in me. I don’t want to be any bigger.”

“I’m only 5’4. They must grow them big in your family,” Spiritis replied.

“I see you being a 5’8 girl,” Courtney replied, “As far as I am concerned, let’s just say there are reasons why I am so tall and leave it at that for now. You are just a freshman, so you probably have a spurt or two left in you.” She glanced to Ray sitting over at the other table, “Your boy toy on the other hand, He is almost as tall as me, he might be hitting the top of doorways soon.”

Spiritis smiled, “I know, right!”

“I never saw someone so stoked about the possibility of using a step ladder just to get a kiss from their significant other,” Courtney guffawed, “It’s cute in a bizarre way!”

“Well, I did have to jump him this summer to plant a kiss on him to convince him to date me,” Spiritis beamed.

“My, you are a bold one!” Courtney beamed and picked up their plates, “I think we should go over there and keep your bean pole of a boyfriend company.”

Spiritis shrugged and followed Courtney back to Ray’s table. They sat down next to Ray, He scooted his chair over to Spiritis and leaned into her. Spiritis noticed it was more out of disgust for Courtney as opposed to affection for Spiritis, “What’s going on, Ray?” Spiritis questioned in response.

“I’m used to it,” Courtney said flatly, “Don’t worry about it.”

“I don’t see what the problem is, you are pretty and cool.” Spiritis replied.

“Thank you!” Courtney beamed.

“What’s up?” Ray mentioned.

“Well, we wanted to see how you are doing,” Spiritis replied, “We started to worry about you.”

“I’m doing okay. I’m a bit calmer now. I noticed our friends seem to be doing okay, despite the mismatched dress.” Ray mentioned.

“We are a motley crew,” Spiritis advised.

“As long as everyone has fun,” Courtney stated and slapped Ray on the back, “How about you two have some fun and get out onto the dance floor. I have the feeling they are going to play a slow song soon.”

Spiritis nodded and eagerly pulled Ray up to his feet, “Let’s go, big guy!”

Courtney smiled as they ran to the floor. Interestingly enough, Spiritis did not notice the Spirit marks on Courtney’s face. Maybe because they looked more like black eyeshadow on her eyes. Spirit marks that she could easily cover up with makeup.

GPFriday: Spiritis’s Semester chapter #26

Feel free to comment below or email me at kendrabrooks@taintedtrinity.com

Chapter #26: Playing Hooky

 

Greeley Colorado

August 25th, 2027-CE

 

Ashara scoffed at the phone as annoyance grew on her face. She looked like she wanted to toss her device across the room except she knew it wasn’t going to help their situation at all to take it out on the device. She shook her head and plopped down on the black sofa in the living room, dropping her backpack in front of her, “Great, there isn’t a single driver on any app up in driving distance this morning!”

Spiritis sat down next to her with a worried look on her face, “So, what do we do now? The jig is up if we call my mom. She will be late for work and she will know that you fudged some details to her about your dad not really being here to her. If you ever wanted her to never trust you again, that is a surefire way to do it.”

“Do you think Angela would be able to pick us up?” Ashara questioned in response.

Spiritis shook her head, “She lives all the way on the east side of town now. She wouldn’t be able to pick us up. You would have to blow her mind away with something to get her to not tell my mom if you were able to talk her into giving us a ride anyway.”

Ashara gave her a funny look and Spiritis laughed, “Okay, you got the talent to blow her mind away, but she is still too far away to get her and take us to school in time.”

Ashara sat back and sighed, “I don’t know what to do then. If we sit here, we will miss school. I am sure your mother will be just thrilled about that. I can call my father and he will have no problems calling me out for the day. In the future he will just have me sleep over with you.”

Spiritis nodded, “Well, you are covered. I am still screwed. What do we do now?”

Ashara shrugged, “Nothing much.” A smile slowly came to her mind, “I think we will have to miss school today, but I can do something that will get you off scot free. Let me call my dad first and explain the situation to him.”

Spiritis cocked her head in confusion, “What do you have planned?” She asked, however, Ashara was already on the phone with her father. She had explained the situation to him quickly.

“No, dad, I can tell Sylvia about Spiritis not going to school, just leave it to me. Love you, bye!” Ashara finished up with her father. She smirked as she ended the line and called Spiritis’s mother. In a gold flash, she started explaining a different situation to Sylvia about how Spiritis was feeling under the weather. She knew every word to say to calm Sylvia down and disarm her without getting Sylvia to run to the house and pick up Spiritis. It was like Spiritis was going to be on an extended stay overnight.

Spiritis sat back and watched the scene unfold. When Ashara was done, Spiritis couldn’t help but comment, “I am starting to understand how the sleep overs got approved in the first place. A little cavalier use of your aspect powers I see.” Spiritis clicked her tongue in mock disapproval, “How many other things did you use your powers for? Did you talk your way into the school? Did you talk your way into moving here?”

“Oh hush!” Ashara glared playfully, “You make it sound like I am the bad girl here!”

“Who is it that got me into playing hooky just now?” Spiritis quipped in response and toed Ashara in the leg.

“Well, you can’t do anything about it now. We have the whole day to do nothing,” Ashara replied, “What shall we do for the day. We have a pool and a hot tub to enjoy. We also have videogames and a giant TV downstairs. How about it? We can also sneak stuff from the lounge.”

“Actually, before any of that,” Spiritis replied, “I wanted to talk to you about things you have mentioned to me in the past.”

Ashara arched an eyebrow, “Oh? Twenty questions?”

“Something like that,” Spiritis nodded, “You mentioned several things that don’t make sense to me. I wanted to ask about them. The first one is what the heck is a Paradigm Spirit?”

“Paradigm Spirits represent the drives of humans,” Ashara explained, “They hold the powers that humans draw upon. Specifically, the spiritual and determination that drives us. I am surprised you can’t use your power of secrets to pull this information.”

“I don’t think I can use the power if I don’t understand what it is,” Spiritis replied.

“I could,” Ashara replied, “Maybe it helps because I am the paradigm of Spirit. That might be how I was able to awaken my spirit so quickly. That is why I changed my name from Relena to Ashara in the first place. That is the name of my Spirit. The name that was given to me in my first life.”

Spiritis nodded, “I know, it is sounding more familiar to me all the time. I am starting to remember strange things about it too. You called me Deleous several times, I take it that is my Spirit name?”

Ashara nodded, “From your first life. Several of the people you hang out with we all knew from our first life. We are paradigm spirits too.”

“You called me your lone wolf once, is that my paradigm?” Spiritis answered, “I can’t be a lone wolf because I have a sister, a family, and quite a few friends, plus you.”

“The lone wolf is a nickname, your paradigm is solidarity,” Ashara explained. “However, Robin and Ray hold paradigms. Ray is the paradigm of twin and Robin is the paradigm of discord. Their paradigms synergize with each other. Ray is always born as a twin and Robin’s paradigms will always empower both their paradigms when they are with each other. It made total sense when you explained they were fraternal twins.”

“Discord; chaos?” Spiritis mentioned.

“There is a paradigm of chaos,” Ashara mentioned, “Robin’s paradigm will make things behave wildly. On top of drawing off the spiritual power, each of us do have a magical power that we can activate. I haven’t figured out how to do it yet. If we activate it, we can do different things with it. All I know about Robin’s power is that she will make things behave wildly. Causing discord.”

“Hard to tell what the magic is based off the paradigm name,” Spiritis replied, “Can we use more than one power?” Spiritis asked.

Ashara shrugged, “I don’t know all the details yet. It is a different magic from our magic. That is why I haven’t figured it out yet. It isn’t something I can activate.”

“Who else has paradigms?” Spiritis questioned in response, “You said Jena has a Paradigm, Does Gavin? Curtis?”

“Jena does. Her Paradigm is Affinities. Her paradigm has a synergy with yours.”

“That is why you were surprised that I was letting Curtis pursue her,” Spiritis nodded, “Should I be concerned?”

Ashara shook her head. Spiritis felt that she was hiding something from Spiritis, but she shrugged it off. It didn’t seem to concern her right now. If she needed to, she would figure it out in time. “Does Curtis have a Paradigm?”

Ashara shook her head, “Curtis is different.”

“Different? How?” Spiritis inquired.

“I am not sure how to explain it. His spirit is different. Not normal. His seal doesn’t look like other human spirits do,” Ashara answered.

Spiritis cocked her head, “You can see his spirit seal?”

She nodded, “Yeah, can’t you?”

“No,” Spiritis shook her head.

“But you can see your own seal and you can see mine. I thought you had the sight. You can use your powers and you can aspect just like me.” Ashara mentioned.

That’s what I am missing, Spiritis said inwardly. She shook her head, “I just think of what I want to do, and it happens. I don’t know what the sight is.”

“You see the spirit marks on our faces. You should have the sight. I can’t believe you don’t see the code and the seals on everything. You shouldn’t be able to aspect without the sight!”

Spiritis shrugged, “I don’t know but I can.”

“Wow! It took me forever to Aspect properly and I couldn’t until I could decipher the seals,” Ashara mentioned, “You do it without the sight! I wonder what you can do once you get the sight. Maybe you partially have the sight, and something goes on in the back of your head. Something has to explain how you can aspect.”

Spiritis nodded. There was something different between them. She didn’t know what it was. She glanced down at her own seal and studied it. She could see that much. She glanced to Ashara and studied her seal since she could also see that much. Instantly, she could see a difference. There was no outer seal and lines that divided the whole seal into four parts. She could also see the two wells of energy. Ashara’s aspect well seemed to be half the size of Spiritis’s and the protective well was just under a quarter the size. From her vantage point, she could see the two points of focus that Ashara used. The ability that granted her secrets was much stronger than Spiritis’s and the second ability, the technology ability, was well underway as well.

So, I have more raw power than her, but her other powers are highly developed. How is that possible? Spiritis questioned herself. On top of that, she could only see the seals of her power and Ashara’s power. Aside from that, she was essentially blind to what exactly made their powers worked. She cocked her head in confusion, “Have you noticed the difference in our seals? The difference in our potentials?”

Ashara shook her head, “I never particularly studied the difference until now. But now you mentioned it, we look like we went in completely different ways. Your protective seal and aspect seal are all far more advanced than mine, but my five points focus are all superior to yours.”

“Five points focus?” Spiritis questioned in response.

“What gives us our Secret Keeper abilities and Technology abilities. There are five of them. That is why I call it the Five-Points-Focus. That and my focus tells me the seal is called the Five-Points-Seal,” Ashara explained, “I am way ahead of you on that seal. You only know the one focus and not any of the others.” She squinted as she studied Spiritis’s power, “Looks like you went way overboard on your raw power instead of trying to develop some of your other powers. You should be way ahead of me if you devoted some of your time on your Five-Points-Focus by now.”

Spiritis shook her head, “Judging from what you know, I think you have been playing with this for a while now. I just started this summer with these abilities. I don’t think I did that much with it. I don’t see how I am that powerful compared to you.”

Ashara shrugged, “That is interesting. I could hardly do a lot at first. I am getting stronger week by week, but it has been slow going.”

“Your connection to the source must be different than mine,” Spiritis mentioned.

“The source?” Ashara cocked her head in confusion, “What source?”

“You don’t feel it in the protective well of energy?” Spiritis inquired with a look of confusion in her gold eyes, “I feel it in mine. It is the source of our power. It comes through the protective energy.”

“I never noticed that before,” Ashara shook her head, “I will have to look for that in the future. The only things I noticed in that power is the power to protect me from energy and the power to recharge my well of aspect power if I deplete it. But that does explain something,” Ashara mentioned.

Spiritis cocked her head, “What’s that?”

“If you deplete your well of protective energy, you lose access to all of your powers until the protective energy replenishes slightly,” Ashara mentioned, “Even if you have Aspect energy in your Aspect well. Keep that in mind. Also, the energy transfer works both ways. You can send aspect energy into your protective well.”

Spiritis nodded, “I will keep those in mind.”

GPFriday: Spiritis’s Semester Chapter #25

Feel free to comment below or email me at kendrabrooks@taintedtrinity.com

 

Chapter #25: Stops

 

Greeley Colorado

August 24th, 2027-CE

 

Curtis met up with Spiritis and Ashara at the bus stop the next morning as several other people started to crowd up with them. He scratched his head in confusion, “Hang on a second, I thought you caught a ride with your father, Ashara?”

“Do anyone in your family have normal names?” Chortled one of the boys in the background.

Spiritis grumbled, “Our real names don’t sound much better!” She fumed quietly to herself, “Se’ana and Relena aren’t exactly normal names either!”

Curtis arched an eyebrow, “I have always wondered. Are those family names?”

“Relena is,” Ashara replied, “Not Se’ana. No clue where that came from.”

Spiritis shrugged, “Two names jammed together in a head on collision. Not sure what my mother was thinking other than she was messed up on whatever drugs the hospital gave her when I was born!”

“I wonder what the Se part is?” Curtis scratched his head in confusion.

Ashara shrugged, “If I knew, we would have been able to call her that full name by now.”

“Ana is definitely the last name of that,” Spiritis replied, “It isn’t short or cut down from anything.”

“You sure?” Curtis frowned.

Spiritis nodded, “I have a feeling that it is Ana. Like I should have been just Ana but something else crashed into me.”

“Boom, you had another person merge into you on the way out!” Ashara laughed, “You would be that unlucky!”

“You are tomboyish enough to absorb a brother on the way out, maybe there was a Sean in there with you. After all, you wanted to change your name into Seana after you turn eighteen,” Curtis laughed.

“Just to get rid of that stupid apostrophe,” Spiritis nodded as the bus pulled up, “It’s like tripping on a verbal step every time.”

“Just as long as you don’t trip on the steps on the way up the bus,” Ashara stated as they boarded the yellow canister of a transport.

“Ha, ha, just because there is a trip in my name doesn’t mean I always trip,” Spiritis replied as they walked towards an empty bench in the back of the bus.

“Or go on trips,” Ashara quipped.

“I go on trips often, on busses,” Spiritis snapped her fingers.

“Are we in the middle of a pun war?” Curtis questioned as he sat down next to Spiritis.

Spiritis shook her head, “Just something that Ashara like to do every day.”

“It’s like a private ritual,” Ashara mentioned, “Private jokes between the two of us.”

“She does that with Jena too,” Curtis mentioned, “I don’t think that is special for you.”

“But it something we have done since we started talking,” Ashara pouted, “I doubt she has done it with Jena that long!”

“Only Jena can answer that,” Curtis shrugged, “I haven’t known the two of them that long but Spiritis claims to have known Jena since they were in diapers.”

“So, do besties trump us?” Ashara questioned in response.

Spiritis shook her head, “We are cousins. I would think sisters trump us but you have to ask Angela that, if you can find her that is.”

“Sorry,” Ashara wrapped her arm around Spiritis’s shoulders, “By the way, we are only second cousins. We are practically not related. I am competing for that bestie spot!”

“Why are you trying to distance yourself from me?” Spiritis questioned in response. “Do you have some sort of ulterior motive?”

Ashara covered her blush with a nervous laugh, “No! You are making things up! I am just letting you know the truth.”

“Then let’s be cousins. I don’t have many cousins I get along with and I like having you as a favorite cousin,” Spiritis replied as she leaned into Ashara.

Ashara sighed as the bus came to a stop, “Fine!”

Curtis scratched his head in confusion, “Am I missing something?”

Both girls shook their head, “Nope.” They replied at the same time.

Jena boarded the bus with several other people. She walked back to their usual bench but found it full of the three people. Her shoulders slumped and she walked to the back of the bus to another empty bench. Spiritis watched Jena walk back and nudged Curtis in the elbow, “Ouch!” He hissed quietly, “What was that for!”

“You putz, go back there and sit with her!” Spiritis stated in a hushed tone, “Perfect time to be a hero, compadre!”

“Oh,” Curtis nodded and got up from the seat. He hurriedly walked back to sit next to Jena before the bus started moving again.

Ashara gave Spiritis a confused look as they spread out to take the entire bench, “What was that about?”

“He is trying to schmooze his way into her heart,” Spiritis replied, “Perfect time to be a hero in this case.”

“Ah,” Ashara nodded, “And he will get another chance this afternoon when you will be conspicuously absent because you will be coming with me to sleep over at my house.”

Spiritis smirked, “Can’t wait.”

 

*        *        *

 

The sun set the sky a golden blaze when school let out. Spiritis met up with Ashara as they walked towards the edge of the parking lot. Spiritis looked around for her cousin’s black sedan, “I don’t see your father anywhere,” She mentioned as Ashara took out her smart phone and started fiddling with an app.

“That’s because he is on a business trip,” Ashara mentioned, “I am getting a ride from a ridesharing app.”

“Wait, what?” Spiritis looked surprised, “I thought my mom cleared us staying over at your house yesterday. She surely would have talked to your dad about this. He would have mentioned going on a business trip today, right?”

“Maybe not,” She shrugged, “He left this morning. It might have slipped his mind. If it did, he didn’t tell Sylvia about it.”

“Oh, that will piss off mom if she finds out,” Spiritis mentioned.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ashara mentioned.

“Well, what are we going to do for dinner?” Spiritis questioned in response, “Do I need to make something? I am not nearly as good at cooking as Angela is or my parents.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it either. I got apps with my father’s card info on it. He is okay with letting us order take out delivery. We can get something nice for dinner.” Ashara mentioned.

“So, pizza? That will work well for movies and anything you have planned,” Spiritis smirked.

“I was thinking we could get better things,” Ashara mentioned as she hailed a ride on an app.

“You know, we could catch a bus,” Spiritis mentioned.

“If you want to hike another two miles afterward,” Ashara shook her head in response, “The buses don’t run close to my house. I checked the routes. It would be nice if they did. It would allow me to bus to your house a lot more. As it stands, I would have to do a ride share or have my dad drop me off and pick me up.”

“That’s lame. It would be nice if they made everything a little bit better,” Spiritis mentioned.

“I’m sure they will catch up eventually,” Ashara shrugged, “The ride should be here in about five minutes. We will just wait here until then.”

“The buses will have left by then,” Spiritis mentioned. She cocked her head in confusion, “How are we going to get to school tomorrow if your dad isn’t there? Is he getting back tonight or tomorrow morning?”

Ashara shook her head, “No. We can order another ride share. That will get us to school on time. We might have to leave a little earlier than I normally would, that’s all.”

“You were complaining about how early you had to leave this morning. I assume you woke up earlier than usual. So you already experienced that phenomenon,” Spiritis mentioned, “Your father is okay with all this ride sharing stuff?”

“I would have to have done it anyway,” Ashara replied with a nod, “So yeah. It really doesn’t make a difference either way.”