Frustration

Jamison

Jamison growled in frustration as Gisa landed another jab to his side. Usually she worked out her anger on him, but today it was the opposite.

"Tired?" Gisa asked, neatly sidestepping his kick. The lights above them flickered in response.

"It has been a long couple of days." He responded, his voice low. He lunged towards Gisa with his fist but she blocked it with her infuriating reflexes.

"Missing Jules already?" Gisa asked with an eyebrow raised. No mockery. Her voice echoed off of the blue tiled walls.

"I'm frustrated with her." He responded, panting as he struggled to block Gisa's barrage of hand motions. "I wanted to meet her parents but she absolutely refuses to even talk about them." He felt sweat drip off of his nose. "She said they weren't the most accepting people, so I think she's just trying to protect me. I just wish I knew more about her. I honestly don't know anything outside of her school life." It was all he could do to keep his anger at bay when they spoke. He had lived on the Island his whole life. He could face a little prejudice.

Gisa nodded, never breaking stride. "Ron told me that you saw them after the dance though."

"Saw them. But they didn't see me. And a security team retrieved Jules before we really even got to say goodbye." Angrily, Jamison hurled a punch at Gisa, catching her side just below the ribs.

Gisa grunted, rolling backwards into a crouch to absorb the impact. He paused for a second, making her do the same. "You alright Jamison?" She asked, sounding concerned.

"She told me that she needed a day to herself after I asked her for the hundredth time what the big deal was about her parents. So I left her alone but I hate it." He sighed heavily making his way out of the ring. Gisa followed suit.

They were both silent for a while, no sounds coming from the empty gym. Almost every student had left to go home over the holidays by now. The lights were out in many of the unused rooms. The steady whir of exercise machines was gone. It was almost creepy.

Gisa set her water bottle down with a thud. It echoed. "Are we really the only ones here?" She asked. "I mean, there are still students here."

"Maybe they saw you and got scared." Jamison replied snarkily, lifting up his water to take a sip. He choked on it as Gisa shoved him. "Watch it." he snapped with a cough.

"Are you going to shower first, or should we go get food now?" Giisa asked, unwrapping her hands and shoving everything into her bag.

"Screw showering. I'm hungry." Jamison stood up from the bench, slinging his drawstring bag over his shoulder.

The two walked out of the gym, lights flickering to life as they set off all of the motion sensors. Jamison picked up the pace slightly just to get out of there, hoping Gisa didn't notice. If she did, she didn't argue with him.

Jamison glanced down at his phone again before Gisa muttered something under her breath. He was sure he didn't want to know what she said so he put it away.

"She said she needed a day, so give her a day and put the thing away." Gisa grouched, shoveling macaroni into her mouth. "You're stressing me out and I don't even care."

Jamison poked at his plate, now empty aside from the mushrooms he had picked out of the casserole. "What are you so upset about?"

Gisa huffed but said nothing, returning her gaze back to her food.

"You're always grouching around." Jamison observed, standing to take his plates to one of the receptacles. Her bad mood was putting him into a worse one. He pulled out his phone again. Nothing from Jules on social media or a call or even a text. He knew she wasn't the type to be pushed but it was driving him crazy. He pushed her about the issue of her parents enough to make her need to take some time to herself. He knew that Gisa was right. He shouldn't push her.

As Jamison sat down, he realized that Gisa was much more… irritable than normal. "Gisa are you alright?"

Her frown didn't change. "You've seen the past few months. Make a guess."

He looked down at the table. Stupid question. Losing Camden and then… "Gisa, what did you do that day with the blood magic?"

She tilted her head, almost considering his words. A good sign that she wasn't swearing at him or throwing the very pointy utensil in her hand. "Which part?"

Jamison swallowed, carefully weighing his words. "The creature called you a witch, and a liar. You mentioned Camden…" He shook his head. "I didn't inherit magic like you did. I don't know anything about magic."

Gisa let a little flame twirl through her fingertips. Jamison could have sworn it smiled at her. "Well. I'm not a witch. Witches are not born with the ability to do this." She drew shapes in the air out of that little fire. "Witches use power that is not theirs. Not blood magic like what you saw, though some attempt it… They use spells and harness power itself. You have to be quite strong to do so. Witches are always extremely tenacious, physically, but especially mentally. Rare, but they don't usually use blood magic. Though most blood magic users are. No doubt why the creature thought I was a witch."

"What, what is blood magic?" Jamison asked. "You said magic as if it was different—"

"Yes it is. Gisa interrupted. "Blood magic lives in an entirely different world. It does not play by the rules we do. Their world is different. It is almost always witches and people with special abilities who can use it because you need to create a rip between the two worlds. Otherwise you'd have to find a tear. It could take a lifetime… or more." Gisa looked down, her eyes widening. "That's it! My mother found a rip. That's how she opened the portal… then she cut me when… and that's how she cast it…" Gisa hissed a swear. "I hate her. I hate her!"

Jamison placed a hand on one of hers. "Hey, hey. It already happened and you got rid of it. You made every enchantment you could find to protect your sister from your mother's threats… I'm just curious. If you don't want to talk about it…"

"No, no it's fine." She sighed, then continued, "Your blood is what they feed off of. The creatures in their world are shadow. They have no substance. Blood is our life, they use it for their life. It gives them their power and ability. But they are crafty little beasts. They're happy to tell you they'll help you. They will take your blood, then they will turn around and do whatever they want with the power they have from you. In order for them to listen to you, one needs incentive, or force, something they want more than to use the power from your life for their own will. Audenzitios used a small one because she is very limited in her powers. But it did the trick."

"Did you… did you sell Camden's soul as your incentive to take it back?" Jamison asked.

To his surprise, Gisa almost smiled. "Maybe that's why it called me a liar. He was not a large blood magic shadow, that creature. I knew a little about them. Mother told me some of what she could do with their powers and hers combined… I knew that this one would be easily persuaded. A soul could make him powerful back in his own realm. I think Camden died too long ago now for the creature to take it. Even if I gave him power to approach a soul in the afterlife…" She paused, "He couldn't get it. I just know it. Camden is safe wherever he ended up." She picked up her fork, pulling back the plastic prongs until they snapped. "The creature tried to grab the soul I showed him when he touched me, and found that it was off limits. But I closed the portal before he could come back." Gisa shrugged. "Answer your questions?"

He nodded. Something inside of him eased at the fact that Gisa didn't sell a soul to some wraith. "What about the creature your mother sent? It almost killed you. Why hasn't she sent another?"

Gisa didn't answer right away, looking out at the gray clouds through a window. "I've practiced too much. I've dug deeper into my powers. I've called up much more of my magic than almost any of her soldiers left here. She can't waste her shape shifting demon spies or whatever they are on me. I have no doubt she is still scheming however. No doubt at all…"

Something about it chilled him. He couldn't tell if it was the mastermind behind the barrier, or her daughter, sitting in front of him, playing with lightning between her fingers as if it were a piece of string.