Chapter 5- Loxley
A KNOCK ON my bedroom door wakes me up, not that I slept very well. After wiping my eyes and putting my glasses on, I walk to open the door, and, to no surprise, I find Auntie standing there. She plays with her long, curly brown hair and beams at me. “Top of the morning, nephew!”
I give her an unenthusiastic nod and scratch my thigh. It’s too early for this, whatever time it is.
“Come. Get dressed. We’re going for a walk.”
“Where?”
“To the big backyard. You haven’t even perused all our flowers.”
I think I know what she’s trying to do. I try not to whine when I reply, “Auntie―”
“Hurry up, Loxley. The morning awaits us!” She claps, ignoring my protest. After a moment of studying me, her smile falls. “There’s much to discuss. I’ll even conjure you some coffee.”
I huff in defeat. “Let me get dressed.”
Minutes later, I’m walking through our backyard in a hoodie and pajama pants. The coffee in my hand only slightly quells the pain in my heart. Less than twelve hours ago, in this very spot, I made a fool of myself in front of everyone.
My familiar. He was before me, in arm’s reach. My magic reached out to his. He’s a―tall, built, broad-shouldered―turtle man.
“I’m NO ONE’S familiar!”
Gordy’s words echo through my mind as I stroll through the very spot we met. Shame floods my cheeks. The horrified look on his reptilian face is one I won’t soon forget. How could I be so reckless with my approach?
How could I hurt and push away the man I believe to be my familiar?
“And these trees are new,” Auntie says. Her words pull my attention, and I try to act interested.
“Ah.”
“That way, the mortal neighbors several yards away can’t see us do magic. They didn’t even notice that we transported these huge trees basically overnight! Ha!” Auntie cackles and sips her coffee.
I smile and nod as we continue walking to the edge of the yard near the woods. The crisp spring morning air fills my lungs, and I try to focus on the beauty of nature. I wonder if Gordy likes long walks through the woods and spending time outdoors?
Everything about Gordy is a beautiful mystery, one I’ll never get to unravel.
“Want to tell me about last night?” Auntie’s quieter than usual. She gazes out at the trees, and it takes me a moment to process that she asked me anything at all.
I knew this was coming, though, so I take another long sip of coffee and smack my lips.
“About what?” I ask.
“About meeting your first shifter.” If she’s annoyed at me playing dumb, she doesn’t sound it. “Well, first two shifters if you count Kai. But you weren’t interested in him.”
Taking a deep breath, I steel myself for this dramatic conversation. “No.”
“The other. Gordy, I think?” The sound of his name gives me the slightest chill. Auntie looks at me, and with a face free of judgment, asks, “Do you remember what you told him?”
“I…said he…was my familiar.”
“Mm.” We take a long moment to let the word float around us. “You know, according to my tomes, most familiars walk on four legs. Or, I guess ravens don’t. But you know what I mean.”
My cheeks burn as I nod and fixate on the trees in front of us. “Why did you say it?” she asks, quietly addressing what we all want to know.
“Because…I felt it.”
“How so?”
“The…tea leaves…”
“The ones from the other day? You said you saw nothing.”
“I was not…sure.”
“And you’re sure now?” I bristle, but Auntie continues, “Honey, I’m just trying to understand. You called a living, breathing human your familiar. Granted, he’s scaly with a huge tail and shell, but still. That’s not a common occurrence in the witch community.”
My throat goes dry at the memory of his muscular shell front―the plastron―and his long, green tail. What that appendage could do…
Focus. Don’t get horny based on a shifter man who will never want you. Clearing my throat, I continue, “I…saw his image. A turtle and a man. I didn’t think it was possible.”
“But then you met Gordy days later,” Auntie says. I nod and take another long sip of coffee. “Are you sure it’s him?”
“Do you know many t-t-turtle men?”
We both laugh softly and start to slowly walk back to the house.
“I suppose that’s fair. But I’ve never heard of a human familiar for a witch before.
” I open my mouth to argue, but she points at me.
“I’m not discrediting it! In all my years, I’ve learned all sorts of things exist in the magical world that were once thought to be impossible.
Between the demons from other dimensions and mystical shifters, I know that almost anything can happen. ”
After a long pause, she continues, “But I need to know for certain that you felt that pull. I’ve been blessed by the stars to have my powers and my coven without a familiar. Pets are cute and all, but if one were bound to me magically, I would know. And you and Gordy…”
The memory of his human face, with Asian eyes and high cheekbones, makes me weak in the knees.
Seeing him morph into his reptilian form was like a jolt to my heart.
It was like the magic in my fingers ignited at the sight, a phenom I’ve never felt before.
Between that and the tea leaves, I know Gordy is the key to my magic. He’s the ruby red glow from my dreams.
If not, at the very least, he’s extremely attractive in either form. Whatever connection we might have, I wanted to explore it.
But now he hates me. I don’t blame him.
“I…feel my magic. When I think about him.”
Auntie frowns, and we make it to the back door. “Something tells me you haven’t given up on courting him.”
I shrug and sit at the kitchen table. “What do I do?”
“This is out of my wheelhouse, honey. I’m perfectly content being single, and if any man wants to bed me, they need to do the chasing, not the other way around.” She adjusts her hair in the reflection of the microwave, and my nose wrinkles. I never want to hear about my aunt’s sex life.
When she sits down, Auntie gives me a sympathetic look. “So, let’s review the facts: you feel the familiar pull, but not to an animal, to a big shifter boy.” I nod. “And now he’s not interested.”
Staring at my hands, I whisper, “He hates me.”
“Aw, honey, no.” She rubs my hand as I nod and fight back the tears that threaten to fall.
It’s so stupid to cry over a boy who doesn’t like you when he doesn’t even know you.
But the memory of him yelling at and rejecting me was awful.
It feels like someone took the already tenuous ember of magic in my soul and shoved it into the water, snuffing it out.
“Yes, he does,” I rasp. “I don’t b-b-blame him.”
Auntie sits back. “Look, why don’t I get Seb to talk to you? Become gay besties, and you chat about boys.”
“Doesn’t he live with Gordy?”
“That doesn’t matter. We’re family, including Seb.
” I catch her gaze, and I’m thankful to have an aunt who’s always looking out for me.
“He’s a member of the coven. That makes us all family.
He’d be happy to help you. After all, he managed to seduce the Jade Lion.
And you’re living in his room! So that’s good luck. ”
I laugh, and she leans in to hug me. “Regardless of what happens between you and this turtle man, I will help you hone your magic, Loxley. I swear it.”
“Thanks, Auntie.”
She stands up and levels me a humorous look. “You’re not gonna like…magically compel him, right?”
My jaw drops. “N-n-no!” I stammer.
She laughs and puts her hands up. “I had to ask. Infatuation makes us do crazy things. Especially when we have access to magic.” As she saunters off, she sings, “Don’t try any love potions!”
She cackles, and I have to chuckle at that. Even if I could make a love potion, I don’t want to force Gordy to love me. I want him to at least entertain the idea that we have a magical connection. Every cell in my body is screaming that I need to spend more time with him.
But I can’t compel him to want to spend time with me. Which sucks, because the thought of putting my hands on his scaly skin or hard shell makes my pulse rise in delight.
That night, I do what many twenty-five-year-old men do when alone to let off some steam.
I log onto my video game console and boot up my favorite game.
When I see who’s online, I lean forward and smile.
His avatar is one of the generic green alien characters, and when the chat bubble pops up, my heart feels lighter.
Coldblooded: Hey man. You at the new place?
Him knowing that about my life is flattering. CB might be my closest friend, which sounds pathetic. However, considering I can’t talk properly, it makes sense that my online gamer buddy knows me better than any dude in real life.
Me: Yes! Got the Wi-Fi and PC set up. Streaming flawlessly with excellent bandwidth.
Coldblooded: Sweet. You up for a dungeon crawl now?
Me: With you? Always.
Coldblooded: Great. Let’s tackle the blue dungeon, level five.
Coldblooded: The last week of playing without you has kinda sucked. Everyone else is a noob compared to you.
Me: Aw, how flattering. You missed me? Wished you could stroll in the dungeon holding my hand? (winky face emoji)
Coldblooded: All jokes aside, I actually did miss you. Gaming with you is the highlight of my day most days.
My smile falls before I can type a response.
For the past almost year, gaming has been more than just a hobby, it’s been an escape.
And CB is responsible for it. He’s fun, charming, and we have a great rapport.
If I wasn’t so awkward, I might actually believe him to have a crush on me.
I know he’s a dude in his twenties, but I don’t even know if he’s gay.
I’ve always been too scared to push it. But being far from home in a new place with new acquaintances has made me feel itchy with anxiety.
CB, my online buddy, the one I can chat with freely without judgment, brings me comfort.
Instead of dissecting my feelings for an online avatar, I click to enter the dungeon where he’s waiting.
The next few hours look to be a joyous romp in the digital world with my online friend.
I’ll probably never meet CB, and that’s okay.
He doesn’t know what I look like or my real name, but he seems to enjoy his friendship with my username, Speakeasy, and that’s enough for now.