Tethered Bonds

Chapter 2

POV Zayla (age 23)

I step out of the cramped airplane and briskly walk through the metal tube connecting the plane to the airport building. I feel my nerves relax as my feet hit the floor inside. Although I never show it, I am not comfortable on planes. It's not a fear of heights, just the feeling of the floor not being stable bothers me. Plus, many of the passenger's auras are moving around frantically from their fears - heights, claustrophobic, germaphobic, turbulence, the list keeps going. With forty to fifty people's auras on a tight aircraft buzzing like mad bees, I get overwhelmed.

On top of my normal problems with flying, I got an additional issue with this flight.

“Hey! Hey Zay! Wait up!” I don't bother to see how far he is from me, he can't take my obvious hints. His name is Mark and was my seating partner on the seven-hour flight. The guy is sweet and all, but I made it clear I have a boyfriend. Although Mark gave me his life story, I tried to give him little of mine. It was hard to keep diverting his question of my name so I gave him my nickname.

“Zay!” I can hear that he is catching up. Well, it was about time to make my phone call anyway. Digging through my purse I pulled my sky blue phone out and turn it on. It takes a few seconds to boot up and I push the two buttons to get my call started. The connection is still processing as Mark reaches me.

“Zay! Hey, do you have another flight to catch or you have time for dinner with me? You didn't eat anything on the plane so I figure you be hungry.” The frazzled look that he is trying to mask with a smile is melting my heart. I can't help but appreciate his interest in me, I never had this happen before. If I was single I would take up his offer. I feel strings pulling at my heart while I hear the first ring on my phone; it buzzed twice before someone answered.

"Hey, your flight already landed?" I hear his baritone voice sending shivers down my spine. I clear my throat before speaking.

"Yes dear, I just got off of it." My goal was to be in the middle of talking to Chris before Mark could reach me, now I have to do this while making eye contact with my admire. I have to fight my eyes from watering while I see Mark's face looking to the floor. His silver glow forms into thick swirling ribbons twisting around his body while the opal-colored geometrical wires had shuffled to form a barrier around his chest. His shaggy chestnut hair covers most of his face as he continues walking past me.

"Everything ok? Cathy said it could be a rough trip." I hear my loving Chris ask and I snap my attention to the man I should be focused on.

"Just as usual, dear," I say dryly.

"Cathy should have sent the address to your email, please check which hotel she gave you."

"Yes, dear," I say knowing the drill, I pulled my phone down and tap on it looking through my emails.

"Dear, she booked me at a B&B." I'm a bit excited about it, this hasn't happened on past trips.

"What, a B&B?" His voice is a bit louder.

"Correct," was the only thing I could think to say.

"Let me go double-check with Cathy. Go ahead and get your luggage, I'll call you back." I look around and see Mark is nowhere in sight now.

"Affirmative," I state back before ending the call. Chris prefers to stay professional during work hours, especially over his work phone since his calls are recorded. His personal cell is turned off during the day so he can focus. He isn't a fan of other employee couples being lovey-dovey while at work and doesn't want to be a hypocrite. I'm surprised he let me call him “dear" a few times. I usually try to say as little as possible to ensure I don't slip up. I start to head to the luggage area. Hopefully, Mark has already grabbed his bags and left. I only walked a few steps when I hear my phone ding with a message; it's a text from Chris's private phone.

“Why did you call me dear on a business call?"

Uh oh, it didn't escape his notice. Better reply quickly.

"Male pursuer.”

I decide to stay still in my spot and wait for a reply. About two minutes pass when I see him replying.

"Good Girl."

I relax a bit and continue to go get my luggage.

I collect all my belongings and sat at the small coffee station in the airport waiting for Chris's call. I got a small iced chai tea and sipped on it slowly while I read the files over my current assignment.

--

After mom left, Dad and I got very close. I hate to admit it, but her leaving may have been the best thing for us. With her toxic opinions gone, we both laughed more and we built each other up emotionally.

I hung out a lot with Dad at work after school hours. Father didn't want to hire a sitter and his employers were fine with me sitting in his office.

Not long after our new life without mom, Dad discovered that my bullying was worse than he thought. The teachers would tell my mom that I was naturally clumsy and they never saw a kid mess with me. I do agree that I am clumsy, having weak ankles caused me issues with stairs or a simple jog so it was a plausible reason. It annoyed me that none of the adults would take my side. Everything changed after dad started to pick me up from school and saw how the kids were treating me at the carpool.

The company that my dad worked for was co-associated with a private school that was three blocks away from the cooperate building. Mom was opposed to me going to it since it cost money, even though we got a discount. Dad immediately switched me over when he saw me with a busted lip and clothes ripped one day.

Dad sold the house in the country and we got a decent size apartment that was close to the private school and his job. I assumed that he sold it to help pay for my tuition but he kept assuring me that he just wanted to get rid of it. The house was mom's dream home, not his.

Going to private school was the best educational time of my life. The classrooms were spacious and there would only be about ten students with a teacher. None of the kids made fun of my hair; instead, I got compliments. I was so used to being ashamed of my appearance but with the compliments pouring over me I grew to love my locks.

I met Chris at the private school. He is five years older than me but we were four grades apart in school. We hung out after I was in eighth grade and he was a senior. We didn't date then, he would drive me to dad’s office since he had an internship there. We were just friends at that point.

Many of the kids that attended the private school had parents that also worked with dad. The cooperation name is Lux Industry of Science, but most people only knew it as Lux. It's a globally known business.

Since I would hang out with my father at his office after school I started to pay attention to what he would be working on. He was a manager for the research and development department. It amazed me at how he could handle any issues that arose gracefully. I knew that wasn't something I would enjoy doing but it seemed to be my father's happy place.

Lux is a major fan of hiring kids that attended Allux High, the private school I went to. The additional coop of the private school was Alume and they merged their names for the school. I'm not sure what Alume specializes in, but Lux has an overwhelming amount of departments that I still only know what a handful are. Lux is most known for being a cruelty-free testing facility - food, fabric, medicine, makeup, hygiene products, and more are tested at Lux. The other major famous item is Lux Magazine that's published monthly. It is targeted to the higher class and usually has info over new products that big businesses may want to invest in for stock and use.

Lux is always needing more employees and kids that graduated at Allux High got special training during high school if they wanted to pursue employment at Lux or Alume with an immediate job available after graduating high school. In ninth grade, I developed an interest in photography after seeing photographers setting up researched materials in front of backdrops and taking photos at different angles in my father's department.

I discovered that looking through the camera I could see things like everyone else. It may seem a bit sad, but it's nice to go around social gatherings with my camera taking photos and feel normal.

I studied photography throughout my high school years. During my senior year, I had my internship at Lux and kept my position after graduating. The department I'm in is the one Chris ended up managing. About two years ago we started dating but we have kept it discrete. We both are more focused on our careers. I never dated anyone else and I don't want to rush into doing anything intimate until I feel ready. The most Chris and I have done is kissing, I'm still too nervous to go further than that.

My father never felt comfortable talking to me about the birds and bees. It wasn't until I was a sophomore and had to take s*x education that I learn what it was. The class left me traumatized and I developed a fear about getting all the diseases that one can get to your privates. Anytime Chris gets a little adventurous I shake with fear and pull away to end our moment.

--

This week's project is for me to take photos of the native animals in this area. I've gotten this assignment a few times before just a different location, nothing new so I place the folder back in my bag. I'm sipping my chai tea when Chris calls.

"Yes," I say with the straw between my teeth.

"Cathy says the B&B was the only option for the area. Try not to get too friendly with the owners or other guests. Understood?"

"Affirmative," again with the straw in my mouth. Chris isn't a fan of me going on these trips but another department keeps requesting me. He will normally try to limit my travels but he can't deny a request and he tries to manage fairly. Chris prefers I stay in hotels since it has more security than a B&B. I know teasing him about this won't calm his nerves so I just go along so he can have some peace of mind.

"The town you are going to is very remote and will be a two-hour drive to get there. So instead of a taxi, you will need to rent a car. Cathy is emailing you the info right now, go to the car rental area of the airport and show them the email.”

“Understood, ” I state back.

“Please, drive safely, ” his softer tone comes through this time. I pause and smile at his worry.

"Yes sir, “ I say quietly.

“If the signal is bad for your phone use a landline to call me tonight that you arrived at the B&B. I got to go, Cathy is piling more work on me,” his voice sounded irritated as I hear paper shuffling through the phone.

“Understood, ” and hang up.

This trip was made last minute so I was put on the plane while everything was still getting sorted. This trip already consisted of two air flights with the one I just got off being the smallest aircraft I had been on, the airport is small as well.

I lived in warmer climates all my life but this place is more north than I have been before and it's cold. I’m grateful I generally buy long sleeves to cover my arms that developed weird bumps and darker pigment during puberty. They itch and burn but I can ignore them during the day but I scratch them in my sleep, causing me to have scratch marks scaring my skin as new scratches form. I never mention them to dad, I had enough doctor visits from my mom for a lifetime. I had to find thin sleeve outfits since the weather where I lived never called for long sleeves. Luckily I mostly stayed inside with ac blasting on me so no one question my choice of clothing. Looking at the weather forecast for the area, I may need to buy a bigger coat than what was available in my hometown.

I got everything sorted with the car rental check-out and dash to the vehicle being met with an icy blast of frostbite air that sent my teeth chattering. When I spot the car I make a beeline to it. I rush to the driver-side door and throw my luggage across to the passenger seat and hop in. After turning on the car I blast the hot air and set my GPS on my phone with the B&B's address. The moment I touched the steering wheel I retract my hands and blow on them with my hot breath- let's add gloves to the list.

After the car warmed up I enjoyed the drive and two hours go by quickly as I arrived at my destination. It's too dark outside to see the house's details very well. They must be fully booked, the small parking lot is overflowing with vehicles and I ended up having to park on the curb. It's a little past ten at night and I'm exhausted from my journey. I grabbed the only bag I needed for the night along with my teal purse. I text Chris "made it to location, checking in now" as I mentally prepare myself for the cold that awaits me before I get into the B&B.

The moment I open my door I squealed from the immediate wind that invaded the car. I press my lips together to focus on my mission. While I'm jumping over the curb I push the thoughts about having to take photos outside tomorrow in this cold.

"Just focus on right now," I mentally tell myself as I feel my teeth chattering. It was about fifty steps to get to the door but it felt like I would die of frostbite already - this is going to be a long week. Touching the house exterior metal doorknob was so cold it felt like fire. I quickly turn it and scurry inside making sure to close the door behind me. The house is much warmer inside but not as warm as I wished it to be. I'm blowing on my hands as I look around to find the check-in area. I shake my left foot lightly to loosen the mild twist I put on it from jumping the curb. Walking a few steps in, I can see what looks like a reception desk with papers piled high. It is pretty late so finding the chair empty wasn't surprising. I can hear a lot of chattering in a certain direction and begin to follow it.

I walked around the staircase to a narrow hallway that opened up into a large dining and gathering area that has been decorated for a birthday party. There are about thirty-five people of all ages and genders talking amongst themselves. I take a few steps back into the hallway to catch my breath from seeing their auras. All of the adults have three distinct auras each, it reminded me of the man I saw at the grocery store when I was a kid.

My mind begins to flood with the memories that I kept buried - my regrets, the fighting, her leaving. All of that happened after I saw an aura similar to the ones I'm staring at right now.

Normally, each person's aura generally has one color glow with a color element inside the glow; most of the people I see here have one similar to that. Then they have one that isn't transparent at all it's nothing like I've seen on anyone else, except the man at the grocery store. It reminds me of thick smoke and it has an additional color element inside it. The last color aura is the one that is bothering me the most, each one of their third aura isn't following a pattern but is concentrated at their chest. Some of the adult’s third aura appear to be tethered to another person with the same color aura. While others are moving freely with their third aura having its unique shade. I'm a bit overwhelmed by it.

I take a moment to collect myself and take a few deep breaths. I'm exhausted from my trip and need to focus on getting checked-in not looking at their auras. I don't like being rude, so I don't listen to their conversations while I lean against the hallway. After calming down I walk back in and look around to see if there is someone free that I can speak to.

"Mommy who is that?" A young girl in an ice blue dress with a matching color bow in her long ebony hair says as her arm that is light as milk points in my direction.

At that moment the room becomes silent as everyone looks in my direction. I don't like the piercing gazes that I'm receiving, especially from the men. It takes a lot of mental energy to not show how freaked out I am when one of the men's third aura pumps bigger through the tethered string that is connected to the lady with a matching third aura and it starts to wrap around her body.

I become distracted by the site as lightning strikes. Wait? Can lightning happen in the snow?

It happens again, I blink my eyes as I thought I saw the electric zaps going from one person’s head to another person’s head. After focusing I confirm that there are static lights, zipping from adult to adult. Looking like tiny lightening-bolts striking their heads.