Tessa Moreno. 20 years old. Weather Manipulation and Age Manipulation. Fierce as the Wind, and on the side of evil. Engaged to Jason Edwards, and I don't plan on changing it.
Allison felt the change in temperature and glanced over at Tessa, a laugh escaping her lips, “You don’t waste any time,” as she shrugged her jacket off of her shoulders. Pulling her hair from it’s up-do, a mirthful laugh on the tip of her tongue, she glanced at the guys who had stood up from their position on the sofas to dance. “Maybe they should sit down first, we wouldn’t want to overwhelm them,” as she recited that to Tessa - outstretching her hand discreetly and slightly - she flicked her wrist in order to create a minor gust of wind that brought along razor sharp flower petals which swept across the back of the men’s knees. As they both plonked down on the chair, Allison winked at Tessa before gesturing for them to move over and plastered a concerned look on her face.
As they arrived at the table, Allison sat beside one of the guys and asked, “Are you alright? We were over there,” she gestured to the bar as she continued, “What happened?” her concerned facade continued until the guys had assured her they were alright looked at each other - she had only meant to startle them so that was news to her. Her gaze strayed to Tessa and she raised an eye-brow, as if awaiting her friend’s order.
“I tend to be very fast. I don’t beat around the bush,” Tessa smirked with a shrug. She peeled her eyes away from the men at the booth and then to Allison, who was shrugging off her jacket and letting her dark hair fall. Smiling with satisfaction, Tessa looked over to see the men cry out in pain and fall back into their chairs. The crimson blood that dripped down their thick legs were hard to miss, and she realized how great of an ally Allison was. She could manipulate nature just like she could, and together they could cause some serious trouble. Following Allison’s lead, Tessa sat at the other end of the bar and she was grateful at the moment that she chose a dress that showed off her chest, assets she was very proud of. She put on a mask of fake concern and kindness, taking one of the man’s hand and squeezing it of concern.
When she saw one of the men reach for a beer. Tessa made sure it was hot enough to where a normal human couldn’t hold it without dropping. Trying to withold an amused laugh as the man picked up the beer and dropped it with so much force it caused the hot glass to lodge in his hand, she rose to her feet. She knew the man behind her was oogling at her bottom, like she hoped. “Hey, why don’t we go to the back and have a little fun?” Tessa prompted, sitting leaning seductively against the table. She winked at Allison as she picked a cherry out of one of the drinks, twirling it around her mouth. “I’ll bring my friend.”
Why’s that?
Let’s just say, she makes me look like an angel.
Not a fan of my mother.
Ah, I understand. I bet your mom is a saint compared to mine, though.
Thanks. You’re all I need anyway. And I know your Mom would be really proud of you if she were alive today. Happy Mother’s Day, Jason, and I love you too.
With furrowed brows, his index finger gently thumped against the table. He himself was unsure whether the habit was compensation for pent up fortitude, or if it have him comfort in the knowing the small piece of control Jason had left. He was at a loss for words, and everyone else seemed to have to many. The conversation had swallowed him whole before he could find the right way to explain himself and at some point in the chaos, Jason had opened his mouth to speak. But only still breathes rolled off of his lips. Every word seemed to be coming at him with greater speed than he could process. And when they reached him, they stung. Ever since childhood, Jason wasn’t the sibling to get hung up over other peoples haughty laughter or callous assumptions. He was the one raised to heal. To understand. To rationalize. He couldn’t say that he’d never felt any pain in disappointing others, but how could he complain when his sister would come home so much worse off? Jason was capable of being selfish, but he wouldn’t dare grieve about such things when Katherine’s own image of herself was entirely distorted because of the way other’s treated her.
Still, as he sat in front of his fiance’s parents, Jason could feel the shame of knowing most of what she said had to be correct in hindsight.
“You go after girls that aren’t on your level, you breed like rabbits, and you live in rented homes because you’re struggling to make money”
True; Tessa was entirely her own person. So independent, confident, and straight forward. He had gotten her pregnant, just last year,for Christ sake. Jason didn’t have the greatest income either. Enough to buy food and rent, but barely.
And then, Mrs.Moreno’s direction of attack changed. The badgering no longer left him feeling ashamed of himself or guilty, but in place she had planted a powerful bitterness inside of Jason. Listening to Tessa’s mother taunt him was difficult, however any anger he harbored was eased by the thought of its possible accuracy and his own faults. Now, as she effortlessly insulted his family and her own daughter, the restraint was disintegrating.
“From my research, your parents are both dead. You were raised by your grandmother. Bad genes, huh? And your little sister has a baby at 19, doesn’t she? You must be so proud.”
Before the doubt could settle in his brain, Jason was speaking again, “I’m very proud. My grandmother raised me and my sister well. I haven’t gone to jail yet, have I? Oh, actually. I have. You probably saw that in your research as well,didn’t you? Although, I don’t think my one night there really counts. I’ll let you be the judge.” Striking his most charming grin, Jason continued without hesitation. “And my sister is a great mother.” It seemed as though his mind was in a thousand places at once, but any idea that he’d had before of pretending to be a nice young man was gone with the wind. He could tolerate his own tormenting but, Mrs.Moreno had taken it too far by his standards. Gently grabbing onto Tessa’s hand, he chuckled, “I think Tessa will be too. She’s good at learning from other people’s mistakes. Including mine. Which is why I love her. We’re helping each other in as many ways as we can, so as much as I understand where you’re coming from, Mr.Moreno, I really do think that she’s the only one for me.”
Tessa loved how Jason spoke in defense of her. He was so passionate, and it was a side she hadn’t seen before. However, she could tell by the look on her Mother’s face that she wasn’t amused. Ava gripped her champagne class tightly, raising it to her lips as she took a long sip. Her icy eyes never once left Jason, and she smirked as she saw her ex husband squirm with the awkwardness of the conversation. The boy in front of her reminded her of the man next to her, actually. She remembered meeting Tessa’s father in College. He was handsome, witty, and he had supernatural abilities like she did. However, he was heroic and a dreamer who wanted to spend his life opening art galleries for charities around the world. Her own sexual desire prompted her to change him. They began dating, and he was caught up in her world. Fast cars, money…all of the nicer things in life. She convinced him go to business school, where he was absolutely miserable. But he did it for love. Once they graduated, her modeling career began taking off and he started getting business connections all over the world. Out of custom more than desire, he asked her to marry them and it was a grand, loveless affair. He realized he was more in love with her passion and danger than he actually was with her. Once the two of them reached celebrity status, he found himself drowning in her dark ways. He knew she was going out and doing unmentionable things, all the while cheating on him with countless other people. She wasn’t the kind to commit to anyone. She liked the fast life. Settling down made her feel like she was betraying her dark side.
When Ava found out that her husband was talking to lawyers about ending their marriage, she began to panic. What would the press think when their marriage disbanded? How would she look? He wasn’t going to leave her on his own terms. No, she wouldn’t dare accept that. She asked him for sex one night, and he obliged. She had made the elaborate plan of forcing him to stay with her. She poked a hole in the condom beforehand, and in a few weeks, she was pregnant. None of them wanted the child. And when she was born, a girl, she was almost a disappointment. She thought the baby would have his spirit; he thought she looked too much like his wife, the woman he would never love. They spent 8 years, in that depressing marriage with the unloved child. He left one day, marrying a teacher and inheriting a stepdaughter he loved more than his own.
Finally beginning to speak, Ava sat her glass down. “You feel this way now. Do you really think Tessa is the kind of girl who is going to settle down and be a wife? I mean, look at you two, you’re both awful. Impulsive, too undesirable for anyone else. She called me crying, after she lost your bastard, saying she was infertile and how she didn’t feel like a woman. I hope she would have gotten the hint to ditch your white trash self, but she refused. She called it love,” she mocked, shaking her head at her daughter who allowed tears to fall.
Clearing his throat and speaking, Tessa’s father took a white envelope from his jacket pocket and slid it towards Jason. Motioning towards it, he cleared his throat again. “This is enough to keep you guys afloat for a good while, I guess. I just want you two to know,” he began, only looking at Jason, his eyes almost pleading. “Think about the future. Is this what you two really want? Do you want to spend the rest of your lives together? Do you want to change for each other?”
Tessa looked at Jason, wiping her eyes and smiling at him, trying to drown out her mother’s hysterical laughter. “I do. I really do.”
Good. It’s a fucked up holiday if it were real at least.
Yeah, exactly. But people don’t need mothers. They just get in the way. Motherhood…it’s not important. It bogs you down.
