Jason's Mansion, Chapter Two

        She reveals herself and my mouth falls open. Standing there, in the dimly green filtered light, is Cali Jamison. Wearing her usual white shift with gold soundless bells around her ankles and gold coiled rope wrapped loosely about her neck. I bow respectfully, pressing my chest to the ground and closing my eyes.
         “Rise Raksha. You needn’t bow to me. You are an equal to me and you know it. Please tell me what you’re doing here?”
         I shift to my half human form. Arms and face bare, all else covered in fur, tail ears and eyes of a panther. “Apparently Jason thinks I’m sick. I trust you enough to confide that I believe he is right. Something has been effecting my mind. I do things I usually don’t do, and at times around mid-moon, my fighting skills seem to diminish. Have you any clue what happened to me?”
         “Well I sense no spells on you. And if it’s a chemical I cannot trace it. But being you’ve helped me in the past and the witches council has an alliance with the other Magic People, I will help you the as best I can.”
         “Thank you Cali, I should get back before Jason sends out a search party. How long will you be here?”
         “I was only planning to stay two more days, but I shall stay near should need help.”
         “I much appreciate it.” I hold out my left forearm in formal parting salutations of the Night people, (yes it’s a medieval friendship grip) and starting walking leisurely back to the house. Many thoughts were in my head now. So many in fact that I nearly forgot to shift back to my fully human form. The fur, eyes, ears, and tail disappear leaving me  human and feeling incomplete without my tail.
         While walking back to the house I feel a protection charm push against my defenses. It’s colored by the feel of Cali’s aura so I let it past my mind barrier and immediately recover the heavy wall I always keep in place around my thoughts. I feel safer now, if not weak for needing the protection, but things could be worse. Jason is sitting on the patio by the pool when I return with a swimsuit in hand. Just my size, go figure. So I take it and go change. How sweet he wants to swim like old times.
         I feel rather awkward, but I love swimming so I don’t let that bother me. I slowly climb the ladder to the diving platform. I’m doing this to annoy Jason, when we were…together.. Before he hated my diving. Certain Night person dives do certain things to a human’s emotions. Not unlike other things, but Jason could never figure out why the things I did affected him so. Me being me I exploited that a lot. This time, I would do something simple. Straight down dive with a simple twirl, like a drill almost, but not nearly as fast.
         I push off of the platform and straighten my body adding just enough tilt to spin me down faster and enter so cleanly into the water. It’s almost warm, with a tiny bite of cold. This doesn’t bother me though, thank god. I surface slowly using the full effect of my silky black hair and chest to further irritate the hormones raging inside him from watching the dive.
          He takes a much less theatrical approach to entering the water. Boring as always he takes the steps down into the shallow end. He stands there watching as I slip under the surface and swim towards him slowly. As I get closer he backs away pressing himself foolishly into a corner. I think about scaring the bejeezus out of him, but realize I’m tired now. I lean in like I’m going to bite his neck as he tenses hoping for the contact, but I disappoint him and climb out of the pool heading towards the sliding class doors. I walk dripping wet to my room and look at the bed.
         How do people sleep straight like that? Eww, no way, I think to myself as I mess up the sheet and blankets making them into a circle like nest then adding the pillows where my head will be. Now I look at the clock. Missed lunch, it’s 1:37 pm. Huh, haven’t taken a nap before 4 in a long time. I go to the rather large bathtub and shake myself dry before wringing out my hair and redressing myself. Slinking out of the bathroom I look around for the familiar “Do Not Disturb” signal button, it’s right by the bed as I remembered. I press it so it’s sticking out and listen for the quiet “ding” to signal that it came on and the door locked other patients out.
         As safe as I could be feeling in this place I crawl onto the bed and circle (like a cat) and curl up in the nest I’ve made. Nearly more comfortable than my bed at home, this one shouldn’t leave kinks in my back. All the better, top form means less lost battles. I lay my head on the pillows and close my eyes. Within minutes, I am asleep.