Main character-Aura (Oar-ah) wind/air

Older Brother- Ember –fire, burning low

Younger brother- Finn- water

Younger sister-Briar- Earth

Parents- Grady and Ahyoka (ah-YOH-kah) Lawson

Chapter 1: Unwanted Company

The thunder rolls in the darkness of the night, shaking the small shack of our little house at the bottom of the mountains. The windows rattle to life on the verge of shattering with each deafening echo of the thunder. I should be asleep in my bed but the thunder ricochets within the walls of the mountains; the lightening startles me each time it strikes jolting my body to stay alert. I know it's just another summer storm passing by but I can't stand nights like these. Nights where the tethering trees sway high above us; just waiting to snap and tumble down crushing us to death.

When I was a little girl and storms would come along like this, I always thought that the mountains would crumble around us and swallow us whole right into the mountain and to never be seen again. My parents swore to me that it was not possible. However at that age, I thought anything was possible. I have heard many tales about the mountains and for some reason a lot of them stuck to me like glue.

Even now as I lay here wide awake listening to the storms I have a feeling something is going to happen. I sit up in my bed and look over at my little sister sound asleep. I wish the storms would let me sleep like that but no I can't get that lucky. I throw the covers off of me and get out of the bed to walk over to the window. Drops of rain pound on the window and I just know if it keeps this up the window is sure enough to crack. These windows are over a hundred years old. This house has been here for centuries, handed down to my pa by his pa, by his pa and so on.

This is where my pa grew up with my grandfather. This piece of land within the mountains is where generation after generation lived and honored the land. It's not that they had a lot of money or if they ever did they never bragged or acted like it anyway. I mean hello if we had money why would we be living in the most run down place ever. I refuse to bring anyone here. I know what you are thinking that I should not be ashamed of where I come from but peers talk and I don't want to be the main gossip of the area. I already get enough crap at school due to my skin. My mother is full Indian while my father is considered a white man, so that leave my siblings and I somewhere in between. My mother side rarely has anything to do with us and my father's side we have grown up around them but I see how they look down on us.

The one thing that the family did own though was this land and on this land is where they made the finest pieces of glass. Glass that is sold at our shop in the small tourist town not too far from here and pieces that my pa happens to ship all over the world. Several of the pieces are worth hundreds of dollars. I never have asked where all the money goes but if it was mine I would for sure rebuild this house that seems to be falling apart with each step that I take across the floor. I don't know why I bother to tip-toe it's not like it makes a bit of difference.

I reach up to pull the curtains tighter together hoping that it will take out most of the light from the storm and as I am pulling them closed I notice that the barn door is cracked open. I'm sure my brother forgot to close it all the way. I shake my head in annoyance and grab my robe and my slippers. I open the bedroom door and slowly creep down the steps hoping not to wake anyone up. Each plank beneath my feet moan and creak with each single step. I pause here and there, trying my best to be quite as possible. Once on the bottom floor, I reach over for my raincoat that is hanging on the back of the door. I kick off my slippers and step into my rain boots.

Opening up the front door, the wind blows my hair all around me and almost knocks me over. I pull my coat tighter around me and make a dash out to the barn as quickly as I can. By the time I reach the barn I am dripping wet. As I step in, I reach for my hair pulling it all around and twisting the ends to get out most of the rain water. The heat overwhelms me from where the furnace is still going full blast.

I can hear my pa talking which is odd because it is so late and who in the world would he be talking to at this time of night. I know if he sees me in here he will be very upset with me, so I make my way up into the loft over head and look down on him. I watch him with these men dressed in black suits.

When I was little and even now I still come in here to watch my pa. I have always been mesmerized by how he makes each piece of glass come to life. He has been letting Ember help him and showing him how to make the pieces. Ember is my older brother only by one year. Pa claims that one day he will teach me everything but I'm not sure when that will be. He only lets me do the smaller pieces for now. I'm seventeen now and he has always let us watch but to actually participate in making the bigger pieces he says it takes a lot of skill. However the smaller pieces that we make for jewelry, he has been letting us make those for years now. We sale the pieces in our shop and it amazes me how people from all over the world come to visit and get so excited over the little pieces of colored glass.

I get it, I do...but it's not that hard. You just have to pay attention to what you are doing and when you blow in the pipe you have to give the right amount of air to it or else it will not form right. The part I am fascinated the most about is when he mixes the colors and they swirl together and it's like the coolest thing ever to see it come to life.

I squeeze between two stacks of hay to watch below and I'm shocked that he is not alone. I have never seen these other two men all in black, black jacket, black pants, black shoes. Their hair is even combed back so neatly and all in place. My pa on the other hand, stands before them in an old pair of overalls and a flannel shirt. They look so superior over him. One shoves his fingers into his chest and I wish I could hear what is going on but with the storm overhead and the rain banging on the tin roof it drowns out their voices.

I watch as they argue with my father. One grabs his shirt and pulls him close to him before shoving him hard, nearly knocking him into the fire. I want to go down and say something, stand up to those me however, I was just about to when Ember pulls me back scaring the crap out of me. He holds his finger up to his lips for me to be quite. "Shhh...don't let them see you Aura."

I turn to glare at him while narrowing my eyes in frustration back at him, then whisper, "But they are going to hurt him. You see that don't you? Who are they and what do they want?"

"Aura they have been coming here for a while now, maybe a good two-three years. It's only getting worse. Each time they come they want more and more."

I roll my eyes at him, still a little annoyed. "What do they want?"

"They want the mountain...the land...but papa refuses to sell so they bark orders and he complies to their demands."

I glance at the two men to get a better description of them. I try to see if they have anything that I can use if need to, like tattoos or scars. You never know if I will have to talk with authorities or not in case something goes wrong. I peek over at Ember who has his eyes fixed on the men below as well. "Ember, who are they?" I ask yet again.

"He refers to them as the evil land takers. They are trying to buy all parts of the mountain." He motions me to come away from the edge. "They don't care who they hurt."

"How come I have never seen them before?"

Ember shrugs his shoulders and then shakes his head. He knows that I will keep asking so he lets out a soft sigh, "Pa refuses for them to come during the day. I think it has something to do with all of us and doesn't want us involved. Believe me these men are world class assholes and he is just trying to protect us. Please I am waning you don't make a scene. I don't want to find out what they will do if they see either one of us."

I do as I am told and sit down to wait for them to leave. Of course my mind runs wild and refuses to stay silent as it tries to play out what is going to take place. Once they are gone I run downstairs and towards my pa. He looks up at me and I see the concern on his face as he runs his hair through his hair. Ok, so he is not happy to see me and yes I should be in bed right beside my little sister. "Aura sweetheart, what are you doing out here?" He quickly looks towards the door hoping that the men that just left did not see me. Once he feels safe he places his hand on my shoulder.

"Who were those men?" I ask with a worried expression.

"No one; you should go on back to bed." I watch as he walks over to the door and glances outside just to make sure that they are in fact gone. I follow right behind him like a lost little puppy.

"Men...in black suits like that...are no one...I don't think so. Who are they and what do they want?" This time, I ask a little more demanding. I should know better not to ask again but a part of me is so worried that these men will be back.

He reaches over and grabs me by my upper arms, digging his fingers hard into them. He glares down at me with this look that I have never seen before and it scares me right to the core. "It doesn't concern you...it's none of your business. Now you get on in that house and go back to bed like you are told to do," he says with a dark haunting voice, one that he rarely ever has to use. I feel a huge lump rise in the back of my throat, as my eyes swell with tears.

He lets go with force, shoving me hard enough to make me think about not retaliating against him. I look back at him as tears stream down my face. I know he is keeping it all from me, but why? Why will he not tell me what these men really want?

Ember walks in behind me and grabs my hand. "Come on Aura let's leave pa alone."

I didn't want to go back to the house, but I let him lead the way as we run through the pouring rain. I peel out of the raincoat as I slip out of the boots by the door. I don't even bother looking back at Ember as I run up the stairs not even caring if I wake up anyone in the process. Once upstairs and in my room, I take off the robe and walk back over to the window. My pa is locking up the barn for the night. He looks up and sees me watching him. The moment our eyes meet, I step back and close the curtain and jump back in bed. 

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Author's Note:

I know it has been a while since I have wrote anything. I have been so busy with things. I hope I will be able to share with you weekly on this new story. I so hope you are able to enjoy it. If you do happen to like it please add to your library for updates and don't forget to comment and vote; I would really appreciate it. You guys are amazing and thank you so much for taking your time to read my work.