Chapter 2
Josie spent months and months still learning about this new ability she had. She never asked for it, but she was grateful to have it and see the world with all its magical beauty.
Sometimes it was ugly though. It was ugly in the way she could so vividly experience nightmares that would leave her panting and searching for her twin's comfort cuddles in the middle of the night, silently crying due to being overwhelmed.
It was ugly in the way she could sense when someone was sad or crying, when someone felt miserable or on edge. Because she was a siphoner, she was not only sensitive to absorb magic, but Josie found out that she was also sensitive to sense people's mood as well and that made it ugly.
Because she was always living with moody teenagers all the time.
Whenever someone was mad, upset or sad, they gave off those energies like anyone would with a perfume and it would hit Josie with strong emotional waves. Making her anxious and overwhelmed all of a sudden in the middle of breakfast.
It left her tired and exhausted the whole day when that happened.
Especially when Lizzie had episodes.
Lizzie affected her the most, because overall, Lizzie could be an emotional person, and when she had those so called "episodes" she would lose it, and be extremely sad or extremely upset... with nothing to pour all those energies into but Josie herself. So Josie accidentally made it her job to always make sure her sister was okay, that she didn't experience more episodes that would shatter her energies.
And if she did, then Josie wouldn't complain. She would absorb or siphon her sister's energies if she had learned how to do that by now. She hasn't though. She's still learning how to siphon not only people's magic, but energies as well. But until that day comes along, she's fine with being Lizzie's emotional punching bag whenever she was upset.
It was fine, even though every morning after one of Lizzie's episodes, she would look in the mirror and find out that her own energies were low and dim. Just a little tiny string of yellow and pink, just a tiny green. Granted, she didn't need a mirror to see her own aura. She just had to be and all the exhaustion would make itself known.
It was fine, it was okay. Josie really didn't mind. She had these gifts, it must be for a reason and if that reason was to help the people she loved the most, how could she not do it then?
Some people called it codependency. Josie didn't argue with them.
But not everything was ugly. Actually, if Josie had to balance it, she would say that 70% of the time, having this ability made seeing the world more beautiful.
Beautiful when her sister was undeniably happy and her pretty magenta and orange colors mixed and expanded so much that created kind of a mist around her and the people she was with. Beautiful when MG's blue and green made everything seem to be calm and peaceful, like he was listening and paying attention, as if everything was going to be okay. Her mom's yellow always made her so happy and bubbly and then she would be bouncing and singing and smiling non-stop.
But mostly, it was beautiful when she felt connected and attuned to nature. To magic. To energies so strong and pure that seemed almost divine. As if the gods themselves carefully crafted them. Josie found those energies in plants, trees, in the sun, the rain. Whenever nature was the strongest, she sensed their immediate and raw power.
Also, she was awfully aware of her own energies, her own dominant bright pink and bright yellow aura.
And she was awfully aware of what they meant. Usually, bright pink meant that she was the peacemaker, the caretaker, the one that always made sure everything was okay, that their friends and family were always in a good place, mentally and emotionally so that their auras could shine. It meant that she was kind and patient. He yellow meant she was joyful and overall, a happy person.
But at being so intuitive, her aura changed when other people's auras changed or were too strong, and hers would usually be dimmer or brighter if they got affected by others'.
It was dangerous for her to be so defenseless, so adaptable to others. And she only allowed Lizzie to have that kind of power.
That's why her aunt, Bonnie, made her an inhibitor bracelet.
Josie hated her inhibitor. She hated it. It blocked the world from magic, from colors, from energies. It blocked it all. But also, gave her peace, gave her stability over her own emotions, her own aura. Whenever she was wearing her inhibitor, she stopped seeing colors, she kept siphoning magic but it didn't feel amazing; the energies that went through her felt blocked and restrained. She couldn't see people's auras so clearly. She couldn't sense their emotions. She couldn't know if they were happy or sad, if they needed to be cheered up or not.
Sometimes though, she was grateful for having an inhibitor whenever she saw Hope. Josie didn’t know why she always paid so much attention to the Mikaelson girl if she wasn’t shining anymore. At first, she tought it was only because her aura was too strong, but now... there was just something about her, something that irked Josie so much and she didn’t know what.
Hope's aura remained the same. Dimmer and darker, while Hope only put on a mask and faced the world with a blank expression. Still without friends, still keeping to herself.
One day though, something in her aura visibly changed and the moment that Josie saw it, she gasped loudly enough that the students around her (including Hope) just looked at her like she was having a stroke or something but Josie couldn't help it, it was the first time that she saw something like that happen in someone's aura.
The colors were still dark, that's for sure, but Hope had two bright streaks of light adorning it now.
So Josie, of course, didn't stop until she knew what they meant and when she found out, it caused her eyes to be watery and her smile to be of sadness. Hope's two streaks of light meant that there was something divine, something spiritually guiding her, being with her, never leaving her alone. Josie knew what it was. Of course she knew. Those two streaks of light meant that Hope was somehow summoning the energies of her parents, therefore, they came and stayed with her, always.
Now everytime that she saw Hope, she could see Hope's own aura dark but the two streaks always remained with her, shining as bright as she herself used to.
Josie wanted to tell her, especially those times when she saw Hope all alone in a corner, focusing on whatever thing she was reading.
Lizzie would say something like:
"Oh my god, there she is again. Brooding" She would huff and then add: "I mean, we get it, she's sad, big deal, we're teenagers, we're all sad"
But Josie wanted to say that Hope wasn't just sad, that wouldn't even be close to what Hope was feeling. Josie could sense that Hope was not only sad, but she felt like… like Josie felt when she was wearing her inhibitor and couldn't see magic anymore. Abandoned. Alone. Like, something was supposed to be there but it wasn't so there's only this empty and cold feeling of knowing it isn't.
She wanted to approach her and say something along the lines of: "I know how you're feeling and I know you miss them but I want you to know that they're with you all the time and you're not alone. Please shine like they and honestly, I, want you to"
Then, of course, as the rational person she is, she absolutely discarded that idea. Like, how could she approach Hope, the girl that Josie had barely said hello to in her entire life? and just tell her that? No way. Then Hope would say something like: Who are you? Why are you talking to me? And the question that Josie dreaded the most: How do you know this?
Because truth be told, no one knew about her abilities. No one, other than Bonnie, Lizzie and her parents, knew that she could see and sense magic other than just siphoning, that she was so intuitive that she could also see people's aura so clearly. Not even MG knew, her absolute best friend, and she was going to tell Hope? Hope? No. Way.
Besides, what would she say to Hope? "Oh, it's just because… you know I'm a siphoner witch, right? yeah right well I-I see people's auras too and you have like these, um, lights now? around you? they weren't there before and they're really pretty. I found out they meant that you're guarded and accompanied by spiritual entities so I just deduced they were… um, your parents? Cause you know, they passed awa- I'm Josie by the way, hi… Okay um bye"
Nope. No way in heaven or hell she was going to do that.
Of course, apparently the universe had other plans because one sunday night when she was too tired of the week, classes, homework and spending the whole damn week using her inhibitor bracelet; Josie decided to go for a walk and then to her favorite place in the school (the dock) just sit there, take her bracelet off and absorb their unrestrained magic for a while.
Only that when she got there, Hope was already sitting on one of the benches, hugging her knees. A duffel bag next to her. Josie froze and immediately wanted to turn away, her inhibitor was already off so she could clearly see the dimmer and dark colors of Hope’s aura, the only light coming from the streaks that were even more intense now.
It was too late to turn back though, Hope had already turned around and made eye contact with her, offering a sweet smile.
So Josie didn’t see how she could just turn away now and not come off as rude, not when Hope’s energy was inviting her to join her. Truly, it surprised Josie to be hit with those waves, usually she didn’t need her ability to tell when Hope wanted to be alone but here she was, silently asking Josie to join her, inviting her if Josie wanted it too. So that’s what Josie did.
She quietly approached and sat on the bench Hope was sitting on, careful in keeping a respectful distance and trying to not just turn around and face her. She swallowed and lowered her head, catching the sight of the bracelet in her hands. Maybe she should put it back on? She didn’t want to feel like she was intruding in Hope’s emotions without her knowing. Hope had already come here to be by herself, obviously she didn’t want to share whatever she was feeling with someone else.
‘’You’re not wearing your bracelet’’ Hope noticed, looking at Josie’s bracelet too on her hands, her voice so low and so sweet, like if speaking too loud would ruin the quiet and calm of the night.
‘’I… I took it off’’ Josie said, rapidly searching for an excuse as to why.
Hope smiled, clearly amused ‘’I noticed’’ She nodded.
‘’It itched’’ Josie blurted out.
‘’Okay’’ Hope chuckled.
Wait, now Josie had so many questions. Did Hope also notice Josie as much as Josie noticed Hope, for her to know that she rarely took her bracelet off?
‘’Why um… Why are you here?’’ Josie carefully asked. She could tell that Hope had something in her mind and if she was seeing and sensing correctly, Hope wasn’t putting her walls up this time. Strangely enough, Josie could feel that Hope was open with her emotions if those were the waves that Josie has been getting.
Hope cleared her throat after briefly looking at Josie with a little sad smile and far away eyes. ‘’I told your dad I wanted to wolf out, so that’s what I did’’ She looked at the lake one more time before looking back at Josie again. ‘’I came here because this place gives me peace, but it’s all yours now. I’ll be heading back’’ She concluded with a soft voice.
Josie nodded, noticing how the normally dark green seemed to flash a little bit, just a little bit brighter.
Hope still had some of those bright lights somewhere inside her, she still had energy enough, magic enough. And Josie knew it wasn’t her job to make Hope feel happy again, it was only Hope’s job to do so, only Hope’s job to make herself be happy again… But it wouldn’t hurt if Josie tried to contribute just a little in the process, right?
It seemed right, she already had an ability that made her sense and see life with beautiful energies and colors, maybe if she just tried, could she help Hope to see life as Josie saw it?