Chapter 569

The rest of us burst into laughter as Jesse skitters like a wet cat, panting as he looks down at himself, soaked to the skin with freezing water.

"Anyone else?" Cora asks, grinning around at the group of us. We all just keep laughing, shaking our heads no, I think all kind of thrilled at the change in professors. I mean, I know that Cora and mom don't know much about the practical theory of magic - at least, as far as I know - but we do know that they care and will try their best.

"I will have my revenge on you, mother," Jesse snaps, flicking water at her with his fingers as he strides away towards the bathroom, his boots squelching ridiculously as he goes, sending the rest of us again into another collective fit of laughter. "I have shadow magic now!" Jesse calls over his shoulder. "I'll...do something with that!"

"Can't wait to see what you've got, baby," Cora calls to him, dry, as she waves over her shoulder.

Rafe sighs and heads over to Jesse's chest of drawers, clearly planning to get him a dry uniform to change into. "We're all having a very nice lunch and all," he says, dry. "But could we please try to come up with a plan? Ariel was seriously attacked by a dark god this morning," he reminds us, his voice a little frustrated. "We need to...think about what it means that he was here, this whole time, apparently lurking and learning about what the five of us can do."

We all turn back to each other then, properly chastised as Rafe carries the clean uniform to the bathroom and raps on the door, trading the clothing to Jesse for a towel with which to sop up the water on the arm chair. But to his surprise - to all of ours, really - Cora just flicks her hand and evaporates the water on the chair into another little rain cloud and then sends it whipping towards the window.

"Could you open that, Rafe?" Cora asks, her voice peaceful.

Rafe gapes at her for a second and then walks to the window, opening it and letting the little cloud zoom out. "I didn't know you could do that," he murmurs, watching the cloud go, I think as impressed as the rest of us.

"There's a lot you don't know about me and what I can do," Cora says with a happy sigh as Jesse comes back out of the bathroom, changed but with bare feet. She looks around at the rest of us with interest as my cousin and my brother settle back down in our little circle. "Now. Let's talk about what you can do."

We go around the room then, bringing mom and Cora up to date on our magical skills and our progress. Even Jackson confesses willingly, letting Tony in on the secret of his magic that he's been keeping close to his chest all year. Then Cora and mom quiz us about every detail of what happened this morning - both about Jesse's power development as well as the appearance of the dark God. By the time we've finished turning over every detail, hours have passed. We've mostly cleared the table of its food, night is falling outside the windows, and honestly...I'm feeling myself a little ready for dinner.

And even though we're all feeling a little exhausted, Rafe looks down into his lap more frustrated than the rest of us. Isigh, looking at my brother, hoping his frustration being the only one who hasn't developed his gift yet isn't eating away at him too much. Mon puts aencouraging hand on his knee but otherwise ignores him, I think realizing that to talk about it with everyone would just embarrass him right now.

"You guys are all so cute," my mom says, beaming around at all of us and shaking her head. "And so powerful and so rich with potential. But mostly cute."

"Aunt Ella, you're our professor now," Jesse says, comfortable again and lounging across his chair with one leg over the arm like he usually does. "It's creepy for you to call us cute."noveldrama

"No it's not, I'm a Queen, it trumps professor. I can say what I want. Plus, you all really are so cute." She clasps her hands beneath her chin and sighs with happiness.

"Tony is creeped out," Jesse says, pointing at Tony. "So is Jackson."

"No, I'm not," Jackson counters immediately, even as he smirks.

"Ridiculous," mom says, wrinkling her nose at Jesse and then Tony in turn. The way Tony grins back at mom I can tell that he, like Jackson before him, is already falling under her spell. "Besides, I can't wait to work with Tony. His magic is more akin to mine - connected to the body."

"Yes, you take Tony and Jackson," Cora says thoughtfully, looking around the group. "I'll take Ariel and this bag of bones," she says, leaning forward to smack Jesse's foot as it hangs over the arm of his chair and making him grin.

“What about me?” Rafe asks with a sigh, looking up between our mom and our aunt.

"We'll pass you back and forth," Cora says happily, beaming at her nephew encouragingly. "Until we figure something out to spark your gift."