The Magic of the Full Moon

Chapter 6

Amelia held her breath as she focused on the shadow moving toward her. Lily was on high alert, standing in her mind with her hackles raised and growling. That growl came out of Amelia as a warning to whoever was sneaking toward them.

A low chuckle came from the shadow as he stepped out where he could be seen. It was Julian, Kevin’s oldest child. He was seven years older than Amelia, her best friend, and was much more like an older brother than a cousin. They talked daily and shared every secret with each other.

“Did someone send you to follow me, or are you my self-appointed keeper for the night?” Amelia asked with a smile as he sat beside her.

“Self-appointed. You had a really sucky day. It is even worse, considering it was your birthday. I figured you would need to escape for a while to let you and Lily calm enough so you could sleep tonight,” Julian said as he fished a bag of cookies out of his hoodie pocket and held it up. “Plus, I brought snacks. I thought you could use some chocolate therapy. I know I can after today.”

“Are those peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies?” Amelia asked with a smile.

“They sure are, and if those aren’t chocolatey enough for you, I also have a bag of brownies,” Julian replied as he opened the bag, and Amelia took one.

Amelia took a bite and groaned, “So good. These are perfect. Thank you.”

“Good. I was hoping the cookies would hit the spot,” Julian said before taking a bite of one of the cookies. “Now, what has got you so, bleh?”

“Bleh?”

“Yes, bleh. Your emotions are all over the place, and I can feel how mixed they are. It feels like you need to scream to release what is inside, but you can’t for some reason. That makes you bleh and not blah. So, what’s going on?”

“Part of it is that Grandma and Glammy are all excited that I can find my mate now that I’m eighteen. They aren’t pushing me or anything. They’re just happy that now I can find that one special person who is my mate and my perfect other half to love.” Amelia sighed, “I haven’t even kissed a guy, much less thought about having a mate. With everything else, it never seemed very high up on the list of priorities.”

“I know the feeling,” Julian snorted. “Aunt Elise has asked me if I am going to travel like your dad did in an attempt to find my mate.”

“She wants babies to snuggle. You know how she is,” Amelia laughed.

“She does, but she is not very likely to get them from me. Maybe we should try dating before we look for our mates. Going out with a guy once or twice might give you a clue as to what you want in a mate.”

“Maybe, but with our luck, we would end up crushing on the same guy.”

Julian grunted, “Hmf.”

“Jules, when are you going to talk to your dad?”

“Is never a good answer?”

Amelia replied sternly, “No. It is not.”

“I don’t know what to tell him. What if he hates me when I tell him?” Julian questioned.

“Jules, tell him the truth. You don’t like girls other than as friends, and your mate will almost definitely be a man,” Amelia told him as she leaned her head on his shoulder. “As for hating you, that will never happen. Your mom and dad love you unconditionally. Even if they didn’t understand at first, they both understand the mate bond, and they will never hate you because of who you love.”

“I hope you’re right, Lia,” Julian sighed as he stuffed a cookie into his mouth.

“I am right. You know how fiercely your dad defends the mate bond for everyone. He will not care what gender, race, religion, or anything else your mate is. As long as they treat you well and love you, that is all he will care about,” Amelia encouraged him. “And if we do decide to date people before we find our mates, as long as we don’t end up dating the same guy, things will be fine,” Amelia giggled as she took another cookie from the bad.

Julian chuckled, “You, Miss Amelia Jade Emery, are the master of deflection. I ask you how you are feeling, and you turn it around to give me advice.”

“That’s because you need it.”

“I might, but so do you. Now, let me ask again. Why are your feelings all over the place to the point you want to scream?”

“Today reinforced that I have always known what I do not want to do. But I don’t think I ever really considered what I want to do with my life, not really anyway. I love my art. Drawing and painting make me happy, but I also like science. Since I have no idea how to combine those things and make it work, I have to choose. Do I want to go to school and then work for Emery Technologies and end up unhappy with what I’m doing? Or do I focus on my art and fail at being a productive member of society but be happy and potentially homeless because I can’t make ends meet?”

“You are stressing way more than you need to be,” Julian said as he shook his head. “You still have a couple of months until your senior prom, and graduation is after that, so forget about all the other stuff right now. You just turned eighteen. You don’t need to have your life planned out all the way up until you retire. For now, do what makes you the happiest. That is being out here communing with nature, taking photos with your mom, and locking yourself away in your room to draw and paint.”

“Maybe I should take a skip year and focus on my art. I could get with Mom and Rosy and see if they can advise me on how to be successful at marketing it and myself to make a living,” Amelia mused as she reached for another cookie.

“Now you are thinking. If you want to have your own space, you know your dad would let you pick any house or cottage in the clan, and Jake would do the same with the pack. If you can’t find one you like, they will build it for you.”

“Maybe I will have Dad build me a studio that is all glass. I can do everything by natural light, and at night, I can watch the stars for inspiration,” she laughed.

“You are joking, but it isn’t the worst idea. Suppose you want to be a professional artist or even attempt to be one. In that case, you should have a space to work without interruptions. Your mom has her own space. Why not you?”

“You know, Mom and Rosy have always worked in a little office in their homes because of us kids. Now that we are all older, I wonder if they would want to have a joint art studio. A place where all three of us can do what we do best. I know Mom and Rose have mentioned having kids and adults ask for photography and digital creation lessons. I know I could give classes. We could have an art center here in Obsidian where we could do what we love, and it would be designed for us to do our best.”

“And just like that, you are no longer internally screaming. All you needed was nature, chocolate, and heart-to-heart with your best friend,” Julian said as he hugged her.

“Jules, you are the best friend and adopted big brother I could ever hope for. I guess I can even tolerate you as a cousin,” Amelia teased.

“Oh! Tolerable! I see how it is. For that, put your shoes on because we are going back to your house.” Julian held up his finger to block her from arguing. “And if you object, I will link both our dads to come here and carry you home. It’s almost midnight, and you know your dad is waiting up for you.”

“Probably with Mom right beside him, snuggled in tight to him so he can’t pace a hole in the area rug,” Amelia giggled as she pulled on her socks and shoes. She grinned at Julian and shouted, “Race you!”

Amelia hopped up and took off at top speed along the trail before her cousin could register what she had said. He quickly jumped to his feet and took off after her.

“Lia, slow down!” Julian yelled.

To his horror, he watched Amelia trip on a tree root and tumble to the ground. She lay motionless in leaves on the forest floor as he reached her.

“Lia!” Julian gasped. As he kneeled beside her, he could hear her begin to laugh.

“Ow,” she chuckled as she pushed herself into a sitting position. “This ground is harder than it looks.”

“That is why I told you to stop. You dingbat. You scared the crap out of me. I saw my life flash before my eyes as I had to tell your dad that you fell and broke your neck,” Julian scolded her.

“I’m fine except for tweaking my ankle a bit. Lily assures me that nothing is broken and she will have it fixed in no time.”

“And in the meantime, what? Sit out here in the dark?” Julian asked as he turned his back to her, still kneeling. “Come on. Get on.”

“A piggyback ride? Seriously?”

“Do you have a better idea? The only other option is to link your dad, and he carries you home. So, make your choice. Me or your dad?”

“Fine,” she grumbled. When she stood and put weight on her ankle, she flinched. "Are you going to make horsey sounds all the way back to the house?"

“No, and I saw that,” Julian said as she climbed on his back, and he stood. “You did more than tweak your ankle. How bad is it really?”

Amelia draped her arms around him and put her chin on his shoulder before she answered, “I sprained it. Lily said I should be able to walk soon, but it will hurt until morning.”

“See, this is why you should always listen to me. I am older and wiser than you,” Julian laughed.

“Older, yes. Wiser remains to be seen,” Amelia giggled.

“Whatever. Let’s get you home,” Julian said, shaking his head as he started the walk back to Amelia’s house.