Get ready for James! I love him so much!

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Chapter Twenty One: The Family

Cole’s POV

One month. One freaking hellish month. I’ve – or we’ve – waited for a month and she’s not back yet. My powers are coming great, honestly but I felt so alone without her.

Aesha, why did you have to leave me? I know I did wrong things, I know I hurt so can you please just forgive me? I’m sorry, I love you, Aesha.

It didn’t have any effect on Cylene, though. Every day, she acted like nothing was wrong and soon Brent and Kennedy were starting to do it too. I played along, but I always reminded myself not to forget about her. I lived my life like the usual while I Aesha never left my mind.

I’m beginning to get sick of it, though. Cylene pretending like her friend didn’t run away, like Aesha was never hurt, like Aesha didn’t exist at all.

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Aesha, please be alright, I beg you. I don’t want to lose you, ever. I brought one hand up and summoned a flame on my palm. Now, winter is over and spring or March is already here, I can use my powers with ease. But I think Aesha’s suffering now with her seasons done.

I was zoning out and I didn’t realize the flame already reached the ceiling. I quickly put it out and sighed at the ash black spot on the ceiling.

“Cole, are you playing with your powers again?” Cylene appeared on the doorway with her arms crossed.

I sat up on my bed and rolled my eyes, “Just leave me alone, Cy. I’m simply enjoying it.”

“Don’t be too depressed about nothing.”

I glared at her. You think Aesha is nothing!? Well, typical Cylene nowadays, doesn’t even care about her friend.

Thankfully, she did leave me. And that left me spacing out about her again.

God, I miss her.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, “Sup?” I answered it.

“Hey, Cole, you wanna hang out at Jini?” Brent asked on the other line. After Aesha ran away, Brent and I had been getting along. I turned out that we had a lot of things in common. But Kennedy was a little distant and I get it that she wants to avoid her crush.

“Yeah, I’ll go.” I told Brent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey, is that…?” Brent asked, narrowing his eyes. I followed his gaze and saw a familiar brunette. I looked over at Brent but he was already sprinting towards her.

“Kennedy!” he called after her. The girl turned around and her eyes widened. She started running away from him.

I tried to chase after them, but I lost them in among the people. Then suddenly, someone bumped into my back.

I turned and saw Kennedy, on the ground. “Sorry,” I apologized and helped her up.

“What’s up with you and Brent, anyway?” I asked. She took a deep breath and begged, “Can you please cover for me?” she glanced cautiously behind her back, “I don’t want Brent to find me,”

Without giving me a chance to decide, she grabbed my hand and dragged me to the middle of the mall, which is the fountain.

She panted, catching her breath as we stopped there.

“What’s the big deal, Ken? Why the heck are you running away from him?” I asked her again.

She sat on the edge of the fountain and I mimicked her actions, “Every time he sees me, he asks me what’s wrong and I tell him, nothing’s wrong but he asks me more. I’m getting tired of it.”

“Why don’t you just tell him what’s wrong?”

She rolled his eyes, “There is nothing wrong, moron.”

“There, obviously is, Kennedy. If there’s nothing wrong at all, then you shouldn’t have been avoiding him.”

“Shut up!”

“Just talk to him, will you?”

“It’s just complicated,” she dropped her gaze to her sneakers.

After a few moments of silence, I blurted out, “You like him, don’t you?”

Kennedy stared at me flatly but didn’t say anything.

“I mean,” I continued, “You pulled Willow away from him when she kissed him.”

“That was a month ago,” she muttered.

“It doesn’t matter. You were jealous back there. Don’t deny it.” I shrugged.

 She raised her head to glare at me, “I wasn’t jealous!”

I smirked and poked her cheek, “Then why are you blushing?”

She stood up in frustration, “Just piss off, Cole. You’re even worse than Brent.”

Oh, it’s good to be a jerk…

But not to Aesha.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Cylene!” someone called out from downstairs. I ignored it – whoever that was – and went back to doing nothing in my room.

And then Kennedy popped up beside my door. Damn, I should keep the door locked.

“Oh, hey, Cole,” she said then suddenly a loud racket sounded from the next room. She sighed, “I assume Cylene’s playing her music again.”

I sighed, “Yep,”

“I’ll be right over her room,” she said. I stood up from my bed and followed her.

She cocked an eyebrow at me, “I thought you’re busy being depressed in your room,”

I ignored her insult, “I was just bored. So maybe I can hang out with you guys.”

As we entered Cylene’s room, she was there on her bed, playing her guitar. Cylene’s room pretty much matched her personality. Black painted walls, band posters hung up on them and pretty much everything is messy and black.

“Hey, Ken,” she greeted, “I didn’t know you would come here,”

“Didn’t you hear me yell downstairs?” Kennedy asked.

Cylene put her guitar away and Kennedy sat next to her. I sat on one of the chairs near her desk. “So,” Cylene questioned, “Why are you here?”

“She’s trying to get away from Brent,” I teased and Cylene cocked an eyebrow at Ken.

Kennedy blushed. Again. “I-I was not!”

“Then why are you here?” I said. She shrugged, “I just wanted to hang out and talk with you guys, that’s all.”

“Oh, really?”

She threw her hands up in frustration, “Okay, fine! He visited my house and my mom was there so I had to climb up my window, go outside and run here.”

Cue me, laughing my head off.

My sister smacked my arm which caused me to stop chuckling.

“So you do like him,” Cylene said, “And you’ve been trying to avoid him for a whole month.”

Kennedy bit her lip and looked down, she admitted, “Alright, alright. I do like him,” Ha, gotcha! “I just can’t stand seeing him. I wanted to hate him for being a horrible jerk but I still like him. I still like him a lot, ever since we met."

I wanted to tell her that Brent really likes her back, but I believe it isn't my secret to tell. Those two had a crush on each other and neither of them had the guts to tell one. 

Cylene snapped her fingers, "Maybe you can admit your feelings to him..." 

Kennedy turned beet red, "No! I can't do that! Well...we just made up and I don't want to ruin our friendship. I don't wanna change the way he looks at me."

"But you are ruining your friendship by avoiding him," I pointed out which earned  me a scowl from her.

"You can get him jealous, and then he can recognize his love for you." Cylene suggested.

"And who will pretend to go out with me or something?" Ken asked. Cylene jerked her thumb at me, "Maybe Cole can help you."

"What?! No!" I protested. I not going to do that. Even if it's fake, it kinda feels like betraying Aesha. Plus, it's weird, awkward and she is her best friend."

Kennedy crossed herarms over her chest, "I'm not betraying Aesha. I'm not doing this with the guy she loves."

Whoa, what did she just say? Aesha loved me? What?! "Wait, what?!" I shouted.

Kennedy  turned to me, "You're so clueless, aren't you? Aesha loved you Cole, she was hurt when you fought. She begged and pleaded for your forgiveness because she wants you back in your life."

I cannot believe what I was hearing. Aesha loved me? She really loved me?

"B-but she friend zoned me. She said she didn't like me at all. She wanted to stay as friends," I said. 

She rolled her eyes, "You're really an idiot, Cole. Being Aesha, she's not selfish. She didn't want to hurt anybody if your two would be boyfriend an girlfriend so she lied. Remember when we told you about her father's death? She didn't want that to happen again, so she lied."

I blinked. She really did love me? I can't believe this.

Huh, I guess the heart in the cave meant something.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Aesha's POV

My jaw  dropped as I gazed at the surroundings in front of me. Furry comfy couches for guests? Check. A glass table? Check. Air conditioner? Check. A nice room design? Check. Other sophisticated and expensive things? Check.

"You - your family - owns this whole building?" I asked my real Mom who was standing beside me.

"Oh, this is just the waiting room for guests, Aesha." she said. My eyes buldged out, "The waiting room?!"

She chuckled at my awe, "Oh, I'm guessing you're not used to seeing rich houses." We sat on the couches. Yes, I've seen Leigh's hotel, but this? Whoa, this is flooding with money.

"Well, after your father took you away, I found another husband and we got married. John was the president of a very rich company. I started to work in the company and I'm enjoying it." Mom explained.

I smiled. So my future parents are filthy stingking rich! How cool is that? 

And so I never noticed that snow burst from my hand and went flying towards thew walls.

"I'm so sorry, Mom! M-my powers...they're...a little uncontrollable lately." I apologized, absorbing the snow before it spread on the walls.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Mom moved closer to me and took the blue necklace from her neck. The necklace had a blue heart in the middle of it. She opened the heart - maybe it was a locket? - and brought out a blue ring out of it.

"What's that?" I asked curiously. Mom took the ring and slipped it in my finger, "Your dad gave this to me when we got married. It'll help you with your powers."

"So this will stop my powers from being uncontrollable?" I asked and she nodded.

Wow, I should've got this ring earlier in my life.

"Oh, John, you're here." Mom said. I looked up from the ring and saw a man - about mom's age - with blue eyes and sandy hair smiling at me.

"Aesha," Mom introduced, "This is John. He's going to be your stepfather once I get the papers done."

John held out his hand and I shook it, "Uh, nice to meet you, Mr. Carley."

"Oh please," he said, "call me John."

He turned to Mom," Maddison, shouldn't you be showing her to her room?"

She slapped a hand on her forehead, "Oh, of course!" I looked at John, "Is she always like this?"

He chuckled, "Yes, she always talks about you and your powers. I was starting to believe she's gone crazy when she suddenly told me you had ice powers."

Mom pouted, "It is so true! Show him , Aesha!"

John rolled his eyes, "I'll see it later. I've got a meeting to attend to. And you better get the boy to show her around."

The boy? Who is he?

Mom sighed and stood up, "Come on, ice girl." Then she led me to the elevator.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Get your butt here!" mom yelled. A loud groan sounded from the hallway. A guy, who was probably about fifteen emerged from there and leaned on the wall, hand in his pockets. He looked like a teenager version of John.

"Whose daughter is it, now, Mom?" he asked, annoyed.

"Mine. This is Aesha." Mom said.

Now that got his attention. His head snapped at me, his blue eyes widening, "You're Aesha? The girl you always talked about?"

Okay, Mom talked about me a lot? Even though she just lived with me for a year?

He shook his head and said to me, "She can't stop blabbing about you."

Mom rolled her eyes, "Honey, just show your new sister to her room and the rest of the building. I need to rush to the meeting with your father. I'll be back later afternoon so Aesha and I can shop for her clothes and the things she need."

As soon as Mom left, the boy came up to me, grinning cockily, "I'm James." He took my hand and led me up the hallway.

"So she always talks about me, huh?" I said. He laughed, "Dad and I guessed she already lost her mind because of the powers you have. But it's no wonder 'cause she's freaky."

"What do you mean by freaky?" 

He smirked, "Oh, you'll see." What was that about?

"So," he said, "those ice powers, why does she say that?"

Now, it was my turn to smirk, "Because it's true." I brought my palm up and a snowflake came out of it.

He stared at it for a while, his mouth slightly agape, "Whoa." Then he chuckled.

"What?" I asked. "Oh, I believe those powers, " he said, "but from now on, I'm calling you Elsha. Aesha plus Elsa...get it?"

I frowned and smacked his arms slightly but he started to sing Let it Go before erupting into laughter.

"I'm have a feeling I'll enjoy living with you," I mumbled sarcastically while he put an arm around me.

He pinched my cheek, "I'm sure you will, Elsha."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ahhhhh....so you know James already! Don't you just love him??? I do!

As for Cole, I originally planned him and Kennedy kissing in this chapter but I had better ideas...huehueheuehuehue...

Dedicated to that person who keeps attacking me with facts and demanding me to update! You know who you are!

Be happy for Elsha! Lol

-Vireen

 P.S.  for the peeps who'll appear in the book, you'll appear in the next chap.