The Start of it All
(Jasmine POV)
Average.
What a wonderfully unassuming word. Average. What I have wanted to be for as long as I can remember. I just want to fit in with my peers, not stand out and have all these overwhelming expectations. Average---a life never meant for me.
I give a heavy sigh from deep down in my core and flop myself onto my bed. Nothing in my life has ever been average. Not my birth or childhood, and now I am starting my teen years off the same. I rest my head on my pillow, cross my arms over my chest and glare up at my ceiling. I stare at the clouds painted there and wish myself away, while reflecting on my life.
Don’t get me wrong, my life is not bad, just highly demanding. I am the only child in my family. My father, Alexander, is Alpha to the Whispering Winds Pack, again not average, nope, largest, wealthiest, and most powerful Werewolf pack on the American Continent. A pack I am expected to take over when my father decides to retire.
My mother, Abigail, is a witch, her family line is made up of elemental, green and hereditary witches. This gives her a long history of being able to perform magic, passed down through the family and her connection to earth and the elements is intense. She can control all four elements of earth, wind, fire, and water, which is almost unheard of. My mother sits as the head council member for the Witches Council. The expectation is that one day I will take her place.
That makes me a hybrid. A hybrid child of two immensely powerful beings, with significant and overwhelming expectations of what my life is going to be. A direction has already been set out for me and I am to blindly follow and do great and amazing things in this life. I sigh again, and roll over to my side, bringing my knees up into a fetal position and let a tear slip from my eye.
Today was a disaster. I was working with my mother on a wind harnessing spell. I memorized and practiced the spell for the last two weeks. I had it down perfectly, I don’t know what happened. I was standing in the middle of the training grounds, concentrating on the power of the wind, and I must have missed a word, or uttered it incorrectly. Next thing I know I sent a tornado into the main dining hall.
Luckily, nobody was in the dining hall, but we are going to have to construct an entire new building and find a way to feed all the warriors while it is being built. My dad’s warriors flooded to the area, some shifted and some in human form, ready to defend the pack. There was confusion on their faces when they arrived and there was no threat, then there was laughter when they realized my magic had gone awry.
Mortified, all I could do was flee from the area, run to the sanctuary of my room. Run from the mistake I made and disaster I caused. Here I am now, wishing to just be average. No excess powers, no high-profile family and no demands and great expectations weighing on my shoulders. Grabbing my pillow, I cuddle it to my chest, squeezing my eyes shut, wishing I could portal somewhere away from my mistakes.
There is a knock on my door. I can tell by its softness that my mother is on the other side. The thought of seeing any one at the moment is too much for me, so the knock goes unanswered, my self-pity winning out over etiquette.
Soon after her gentle, caring voice calls out to me. “Jasmine, honey, are you ok? Can I come in sweetheart?”
Realizing mom will not go away, I raise my head from the pillow and call for her to come in. Mom slowly opens the door and peeks around the edge. She has a slight smile on her face and her green eyes shine warmly.
Mom comes over and sits on the edge of my bed and runs her fingers through my hair. She giggles softly and says, “I remember the first time I did that spell. While I didn’t take down a whole building, I did dump your grandfather into the lake. I will never forget the surprised look on his face. I really thought I was in for it; but your grandfather came out of the lake, took me by the hands and let me know I gave it a great try and we were going to continue working on it. I am here to tell you the same thing love, we are going to continue working on it. You can never perfect something unless you practice. Besides,” she laughs, “it was time for a new dining hall anyway, the one we had was getting too small.”
I look at my mother, tears shining in my identical green eyes. I sit up, throw my arms around her shoulders. She tightens her arms around me. I bury my face in her neck, breath in deeply of her comforting scent, and mumble, “I love you so much mom.”
" I love you too honey,” she says. “Now let’s get some lunch and begin planning a new dining hall.”
Nodding in agreement, we stand together, mom helps me wipe the tears from my eyes and waits while I finish composing myself with a few deep breaths. Arm in arm we head to my door, reaching out for the door handle a flame burst out from my palm, charring the wood of the door. Surprised, we look at each. “Well, it appears you will have at least two powers. We better start training you to control all of the elements just in case you have the same gift as me. Otherwise, we may not have a house to live in for long.” Mom laughs gently, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and giving me a side hug.
It is beginning to look like average is a dream that will have to be given up.
