Rough Draft - Tessa Ch. 01

A strange noise echoed through the house from downstairs. It was loud enough that it woke the little girl who’d been sleeping peacefully on her parents’ bed, unaware that it had been empty for hours. She slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes as she yawned.

“Mom?” she asked, looking to both sides of the bed. “Dad?”

She slid to the end of the bed, then carefully hopped down to the floor. The bed was much taller than hers, and she couldn’t even get into it without her parents’ help. Once she’d safely found her balance, she started walking towards the door.

There was another strange noise, and this one she was awake for. It sounded like a like thump, followed by a crunch, as if something had broken after being dropped. The girl’s house never made noises like this, and she was very familiar with all the scariest noises it could make. The furnace was old and would growl when it started, and sometimes the laundry would make loud banging noises, but those wouldn’t be running right now.

She placed a hand on the banister next to the stairs and held it tight as she started walking down the steps. She would slide a foot down, and once it was steady, her other foot would step down to join it.

After her successful descent, she paused again to yawn, then began walking around to look for her parents, or at least the source of the strange noise. The kitchen was empty, as was the dining room, though some of the chairs seemed to be in weird places. As she stood next to the large table, she heard muffled voices coming from the backyard.

The entrance to the backyard was in the family room, which was the next room over. She wanted to get back to bed, but she didn’t understand why her parents were up so late. When she made it to the family room, she began to shiver as a cold draft swept through the space.

The door to the backyard was already open. As she moved closer, though, she realized it wasn’t actually open, it was missing entirely. Pieces of wood lay on the ground, and one of its metal hinges was only partially attached to the frame.

The little girl paused. Something didn’t seem right, and she was scared. She held her breath, taking soft, nervous steps towards her backyard. The light of the moon was bright tonight, which meant she could see everything quite clearly. She saw the slide her parents had bought last year, and the small plastic pool she’d been playing in earlier today. There was a large glass table that the grown-ups liked to eat at during holidays, and its big umbrella was down for the night.

She also thought she saw something unusual in the corner of her eye, but before she could turn to look at it, a voice caught her attention.

“Tessa!” the voice said. The little girl turned towards the sound of her name and saw her mother lying down on the concrete patio. “Tessa, sweetie, you shouldn’t be awake. Can you go back to bed for me?”

The little girl’s mother slowly sat up, and that’s when Tessa finally saw her face in the moonlight. Her hair was very messy, and there were patches of red and brown on her face. She was also moving slowly, and the look on her face reminded Tessa of the time she’d skinned her knee while learning to ride her bike. “Mommy? I heard a noise, what’s going on?”

There was another loud thumping noise, much closer this time, and Tessa finally turned to face the unusual shape in the corner of her vision. On the ground, she saw a familiar man lying on the grass, completely still, and something else was standing over him. “Daddy?”

At the sound of her voice, the strange shape standing over her father turned to look at her. With the moon behind this stranger, Tessa couldn’t make out his features, but she knew he was unnaturally tall. His skinny body was breathing heavily, when he looked at Tessa, she looked back. His eyes terrified her, as if she were staring directly into an abyss of all her worst nightmares. She wanted desperately to scream, but her body refused to listen. She froze, unable to move, as this stranger started walking towards her.

“Tessa! Get away!” her mother cried. “Tessa!”

—

“Tessa! Tess, wake up!”

With a loud gasp, Tessa’s eyes finally opened, and she sat up in a panic. She heard several things hit the floor next to her bed, but all she could focus on was the voice next to her. Two strong arms pulled her in for a hug, and that same voice continued whispering.

“You’re okay, Tess. It was just a dream, you’re safe now.”

It took a few minutes, but soon enough Tessa’s breathing returned to normal. She squeezed her partner tight, and pulled back once she felt lucid enough to talk.

“Okay, I’m… I’m all good, Raine.” Tessa mumbled.

“You sure? It sounded pretty bad, and this isn’t the first time you’ve had nightmares like this.” Raine said, their voice filled with concern.

“I said I’m fine.” Tessa rubbed her eyes, then reached for her water bottle. “Where’s my water?”

“It’s… well, you…” Raine paused, seemingly unsure what to say. “You knocked it over in your sleep, it’s on the floor.”

Tessa slid off the bed, grabbing her bottle off the floor and finishing off the water inside. Her cheeks were flushed, and she felt hints of sweat on her forehead. When she placed the bottle back on the nightstand, she saw a few other things that had been scattered on the floor; her phone, a tube of chapstick, and her black switchblade.

I knocked all this crap over?

She sighed, kneeling down to pick up her things before placing them back on her nightstand. Before putting her knife down, she let herself hold it for a moment. She opened and closed it a few times, enjoying the way it felt in her hands. The entire thing was black: the handle, the blade, and the grip on the side. It had been one of the first things she’d bought with her own money, and she never went anywhere without it. Its appearance matched its age; Tessa had been anything but gentle with it over the years, and it was clearly well worn.

She felt two strong hands wrap around her waist, hugging her tight before they moved to her shoulders. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation as Raine tried to massage the stress out of her.

“Sorry to wake you.” Tessa said quietly.

“Don’t worry about it.” Raine responded. “I’m just happy to be here for you.”

Tessa leaned her head back, and soon her lips had found Raine’s. They kissed slowly, taking their time as the nightmare faded from Tessa’s memory. She turned the rest of her body to face Raine, her breathing growing heavy as her kisses grew more passionate. They continued like this for a few more minutes before Raine finally pulled back, smirking while they whispered.

“While I’d love to taste more of you, Tess, you really should get some sleep. It’s not even four in the morning, and I’ve kept you up one too many nights as it is.”

“Ugh, you’re no fun.” Tessa said, her eyes full of playful disdain. “But fine, you win this round.”

They kissed one last time, then Tessa crawled back under the covers. She faced away from Raine, letting them move closer and wrap their arms around her waist. Tessa lost herself in her partner’s breathing, and soon enough, they’d both fallen back asleep.

—

Unfortunately, there were only a few more hours of sleep to be stolen. The sun inevitably rose, bringing with it a cascade of light determined to ruin Tessa’s morning. The weekend had been fun, and it was time to head back to classes.

“Mornin’ Tess.” Raine whispered, still holding her tight. “Get back to sleep alright?”

“I think I’d have slept better if I were more exhausted, but I guess I managed alright.” Tessa squeezed Raine’s hand tight before sliding out of their grasp and leaving the bed. She grabbed her phone and headed for the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth and re-applied her makeup. Once she was happy with her eyeliner, she grabbed an electric razor and made sure the side of her head was as smooth as possible. The exposed skin was covered in a series of intricate tattoos, and she loved keeping them on display; they were cool as fuck.

Once she’d finished, the kitchen was buzzing with activity, and she was eager to go steal some breakfast. After a quick stop in the bedroom to get dressed, she walked into the living room to join her partners.

Standing over the stove, slowly moving pieces of bacon and sausage to the breakfast counter, was Sydney. Her shoulder length brown hair was up in a ponytail, and she was humming as she bounced back and forth in the kitchen. “Morning Tessa! I’ve got all your favorite food ready!”

“I have a favorite breakfast food?” Tessa asked, grabbing a plate.

“Yup! It’s any food you don’t have to make or clean up after, silly.” Sydney smirked as she leaned over the counter, and the two girls happily kissed.

Tessa piled some food on her plate, then moved to the couch to join Raine. They were in the middle of reading aloud random articles from Wikipedia, and they were recording it on their phone. They were doing this partially to help Sydney study, but also to see how much their voice had changed since starting testosterone late last year.

“Hey babe, how’s the voice training going?” Tessa asked.

“Definitely lower than a month ago. I might be able to pass as a high school freshman now!” Raine laughed, setting down their phone to grab a drink. After they put their drink down, they paused to run their fingers over the dark hair growing on their upper lip. “Honestly, I think I’m seeing more progress on the facial hair. Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

“Oh, before I forget,” Sydney said, “who’s home for dinner tonight? Riley’s coming over and I’m cooking, but I’ll make extra for whoever’s here.”

“Not me,” said Tessa. “I’m gonna be hanging with the girls tonight. I’ll probably swing by to drop my stuff off, but I won’t be eating.”

“Aww, that’s a shame. Guess we’ll have to enjoy ourselves without you!” Raine said. “I’ll be here, Sydney, I wouldn’t miss your cooking for the world.”

The group continued playfully bickering among themselves for the rest of the morning. Unfortunately for Tessa, she had the earliest classes today, and was the first to leave. She said her goodbyes, grabbed her backpack, and reluctantly began the trek across campus.

To say that Tessa didn’t care about her schoolwork would be a significant understatement. If she put as much effort into her studies as she did into avoiding them, she could have easily made valedictorian at her high school. She knew exactly how much work was required to score the bare minimum, and she made sure to never exceed that threshold. Still, at the end of that day, she hadn’t chosen Aurelius University, and if she wanted to continue her lifestyle, she had to meet certain requirements.

The campus was buzzing with life this morning, as it was every Monday. Students ran to and from classes, meeting up with friends and partners, already planning events for next weekend. Tessa had never counted herself as a social butterfly, but an unexpected side effect of being poly was how easy it was to find oneself in a large social circle. She didn’t have to put in much effort, thankfully, and it certainly made it easier to find casual hookups whenever she wanted.

Apart from various friends and casual acquaintances, Tessa had one other thing she was keeping tabs on. The tattoos on the side of her head weren’t just for decoration; in actuality, they were a complicated web of magic runes that gave her access to various low levels magics. Her favorite was her telekinesis, but that was only one aspect of her runes. They also gave her the ability to perceive the various magical leylines that traveled across the world. They were difficult to describe, but since no one knew about her abilities, she never had to.

She liked to think of the leylines as currents of magic, traveling through the world in a manner resembling the ocean. Covens always kept tabs on them, and paid close attention to any unusual deviations. Changes in the expected patterns weren’t always bad, but they frequently were. Tessa’s assignment to Aurelius University was, in part, a way to keep tabs on the leylines that passed through the school.

Throughout her first year at school, however, she’d never noticed a single change in the magic. Sure, this probably meant no magical incursions were on the horizon, but more importantly, it meant her coven had no reason to talk to her.

Today, just like every other day, the leylines were calm.

Tessa floated from class to class, half-heartedly paying attention to her teachers. She would, on occasion, write down what her homework was, if only to know which answers to acquire later. These answers frequently came from her friends, even if they were mostly unaware they were supplying them.

She also made frequent stops at the coffee shop in Lysander Hall. Last night’s lack of sleep meant today was of the rare days where she refilled her coffee after every class. Of course, she’d always had trouble sleeping, even when there weren’t nightmares. Lysander was the perfect place for a coffee shop, too, as it was right next to the quad in the center of campus. Most of the employees knew her drink by heart, though at times they tried to chat her up, which she didn’t much care for. Today’s barista, a girl with long black hair and a horrible case of resting bitch face, was her favorite; she never tried to start conversations or be friendly, so she and Tessa could peacefully ignore any responsibility to make small talk.

As she waited for her drink, the next person in line decided to disrupt her peace by chatting her up.

“Hey Tessa! Fancy seeing you here. Getting ready for class?”

Ugh, not this dweeb again.

Tessa turned to respond, though she failed to muster the strength for any basic etiquette. “Yeah, wild. I’m getting coffee at the coffee shop. What do you want, Brandon?”

The man standing next to her had short brown hair, and were it longer it would probably have some healthy waves to it. Unfortunately for him, he’d been absent the day God was handing out all the charisma, and he instead got a double helping of stubbornness. “What, a guy can’t strike up a conversation while waiting for a drink?”

Tessa handed her card to the barista before glaring at Brandon.

“Alright, I’ll admit, I have a question. There’s a big party this weekend, were you planning on going?”

“Maybe.” Tessa said.

“Well, if you’re interested, I’d love to go with you. I’ll even buy you a couple drinks!”

After finally getting her coffee, Tessa turned to Brandon. “Look, I’ve said this before, but I’m not interested. There’s nothing between us, okay?”

“I-I just think you should get to know me first!” Brandon stammered.

Tessa, however, didn’t bother responding. She pushed past him, rolling her eyes as she started up the main staircase.

I deserve a punch card. Every fifth time that idiot tries to ask me out, I get a sandwich or something.

Thankfully, Brandon left her alone for the rest of the day. Most of Tessa’s afternoon classes were easier to ignore, and she spent most of them on her phone. She confirmed that the girls were hanging out at Amara’s tonight, and the group chat was bickering over what they wanted to get for dinner.

When classes finally ended, Tessa sighed with relief and headed back home. She hated lugging her backpack around campus, and she was eager to ditch it. When she opened the door to her apartment, she couldn’t help but smirk at what she saw.

Just like this morning, Sydney was back in the kitchen. She had her cooking playlist blasting and was happily dancing around as she prepared all the ingredients. She loved cooking, and Tessa’s diet had significantly improved after they’d moved in. After throwing her backpack in the corner by the door, she playfully smacked Sydney’s ass before reaching around her to steal some of the carrots she was chopping.

“Hey, no fair! Those are reserved for people that are actually eating here tonight!” Sydney protested.

“Please, you’re going to end up with leftovers anyways. You always make too much.” Tessa said, stealing a kiss from the chef before walking towards the living room.

Raine was sitting on the couch, their arms stretched over the back, and they were softly moaning to themselves. As Tessa approached, she saw that Riley was on her knees in between Raine’s legs, vigorously eating them out. Eager to add to the excitement, Tessa grabbed a fistful of Raine’s hair and pulled their head back, sticking her tongue deep into her partner’s mouth.

As they kissed, she felt Raine twitch and shudder, their moans echoing through Tessa’s head. She finally pulled back, smirking in satisfaction.

“Hey babe, how’s our Riley doing?” Tessa asked.

Riley was the last of their polycule, and the only one that didn’t live with them in this apartment. Still, with how frequently she visited, she basically had dual citizenship.

“Fuck… you know that answer already, she’s amazing.” Raine said.

“I don’t know who to be more jealous of.” Tessa said, smiling. She moved around the couch, kneeling next to Riley. Tessa pushed her long, strawberry blonde hair away from her neck, then leaned in and softly bit her neck. Riley shuddered and moaned, temporarily pulling back from Raine’s sex.

“Nng that’s not fair Tessa! You know I… I can’t… fuck… I can’t focus when you bite me!” Riley gasped.

Tessa loved how easy it was to mess with Riley, and quickly took pity on the poor girl to let her get back to the fun. “I’m just saying hi, cutie. I’m only stopping in for a visit.”

“Sure you can’t stay?” Riley asked.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” Tessa snuck in one last bite before standing up. She switched shirts, touched up her makeup, then took one final lap around the apartment to say goodbye to everyone.

—

Tessa was the last person to arrive at Amara’s apartment. The other girls had already decided on dinner, and immediately pestered Tessa to order her food so they could eat sooner rather than later. Chloé was sitting on the loveseat, her eyes darting between a picture on her phone and her sketchbook. Vee was on the couch, lazily stretched out, and Amara was on the floor, her head leaning against Vee’s leg.

The girls talked amongst themselves while Tessa looked through the menu, which took longer than expected. She let herself be distracted a few times by the conversation, but eventually finished. “There, I ordered, you happy?” she said.

“Ugh, finally! I’m starving!” Amara eagerly finalized the payment, then set her phone down on the floor next to her. “How are you, Tess? What’s the polycule up to tonight?”

“Just the usual. Riley is taking my spot tonight, as I’ve decided to grace you all with my presence. No need to thank me.” Tessa sat on the couch, opposite Vee, before settling in.

“Oh, how honored I am, to be humbled by the presence of the court jester!” Vee said. She playfully bowed, laughing the entire time.

“Ha ha, very funny. What about all of you? Did I miss anything fun?”

Chloé looked up from her sketchbook for the first time since Tessa arrived. “Vee got assigned a stupid essay, I found someone to help me with some coding for my school project, and Amara’s having a mid-life crisis.”

“It’s not a crisis! And it better not be mid-life, if I only live ‘til forty I’m going to be very upset.” Amara crossed her arms, pouting.

“Okay, whoa, back up. What’s going on?” Tessa asked, poking Amara with her foot.

“It’s not that big a deal! I just… I don’t know, I’ve been kind of tired recently. Like, not physically, but my classes have been feeling so… routine. It’s just more of the same, and it’s not as exciting as it was last year.”

“I was trying to convince her to take up a new hobby, but she’s adamant about not joining the choir.” Vee said.

“It’s not that I’m bored. At least, I don’t think I am. I still enjoy my classes, and I’ve got my photography.” Amara sighed, pulling her legs underneath herself. “But like… is this it? I get my degree and that’s my life?”

Tessa paused, an idea forming in her mind. “So, a new hobby would be too much. What about something small? Something new to shake things up a little? I might have an idea.”

“Are you being serious? I feel like this is a trap.” Amara said, suspiciously narrowing her eyes at Tessa.

“Alright, this isn’t an original idea, and I know you’ve shot me down hundreds of times, but there’s a big party this weekend. It’s still early in the year, and the Jade Palace is the place to be, so it’s gonna be packed.”

“Are you sure this isn’t another long-winded attempt to hook up with Amara?” Vee asked.

“That’s an entirely separate thing!” Tessa said. “Not that I’m not interested. I mean, come on Amara, look at yourself! You’re a sophomore in college, you're an absolute bombshell, and you’re still a virgin!”

“W-well I… it’s just… I don’t know, it never felt right. I can’t explain it.”

“I mean, if Tessa’s being serious,” Vee started, “about the party thing, not about the sex thing, it might not be a bad idea. You’re no stranger to drinking, and you know quite a few people. We could go with you, keep all the creeps at bay, and just have a girl’s night out?”

“I’ve been to the Palace a few times. It’s pretty easy to step outside if you’re feeling overwhelmed.” Chloé said, not looking up from her sketchbook.

“See? Even Chloé has gone to parties before.” Tessa said.

Amara looked around at all her friends, all saying the same thing. “…You all really think it’s a good idea? I’ve just never thought of myself as a party girl.”

“You don’t have to be a party girl to enjoy a party!” Vee said, sliding closer to Amara. “Some of us go just to have fun with friends. Think of how many people you enjoy seeing around campus, but you don’t get time to hang out with. I’ve got friends that bury their heads in their books all week, but once the weekend hits, they’re totally different people!”

Tessa also slid closer, feeling like some kind of devil sitting on Amara’s shoulder. “Plus, there’s gonna be a bunch of hot guys and girls wearing skimpy outfits! Even if you don’t touch, it’s a heck of a place to people watch.”

With a heavy sigh, Amara finally relented. “Alright, if you all think it’ll be a good idea, I’ll go out this weekend.”

“Yes!” Tessa pumped her fist in excitement. “You’re gonna have a blast, I promise!”

Vee leaned close to Amara, whispering loudly in her ear. “And don’t worry, I’ll make sure to keep Tessa from making a move on you.”

“Hey, I heard that!” Tessa pushed Vee back to the couch with her foot, which prompted her to stick her tongue out. In return, Tessa held up her middle finger, then quickly ducked when a pillow flew at her head.

All four girls started laughing, and soon everyone was making plans for the weekend. Tessa began texting some of her party friends, asking who would be at the Palace this weekend, and spent most of the night putting together a list of people she thought Amara might be into. Vee and Amara took turns braiding each other’s hair, and even managed to convince Chloé to put her sketchbook down to join in as well. Unfortunately, with school in the morning, everyone eventually had to call it a night.

—

After saying goodbye to the girls, Tessa began the long trek back to her apartment. A thick layer of clouds covered the moon tonight, but thankfully the campus was fairly well lit by a collection of lampposts. She pulled out her phone, dialing Raine’s number, and casually looked around at the leylines floating through campus as the phone rang.

“Hey Tess, what’s up?” Raine asked.

“Just on my way home, wanted to let you know.”

“Aww you’re so sweet. You be careful, I might start thinking you like me!”

“Nah, we both know I’m just here for the sex.” Tessa said sarcastically. Both partners laughed before Rained continued the conversation.

“Speaking of, are we still on for tomorrow? Sydney’s been talking about it all day, and I’ve already got the candles.”

“Please, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Oh, and, speaking of plans…” Raine hesitated slightly before continuing, “Are you free at the end of the month? The thirtieth?”

“Um, I think so. Why?”

“I’ve got something planned, just for the two of us. No asking what it is, though, it’s a surprise!”

Although Tessa was curious about the need for secrecy, she could tell that Raine seemed a little nervous about this. Before she had a chance to respond, however, Tessa was distracted by something in the air. It was as if the wind had become charged with energy, and her tattoos tingled as she began looking around.

“Tess?” Raine asked. “Promise you’ll be there?”

“Yeah, absolutely, I promise. Listen, I’ll be home soon, but I’ve got to let you go, someone’s calling me.”

“Oh, great! I’ll soon you soon, love, get home safe!”

Tessa hung up the call, concerned about what she was feeling. She was on the edge of the quad at the moment, and nervously ran up to one of the many trees present. She casually leaned against it, looked around to make sure she was alone, and with moments her tattoos were lighting up. She could feel her senses expand further, and she sent a few experimental pulses into the leylines.

The magic she was seeing, however, didn’t seem right. She’d been watching these magical currents ever since starting school last year, and this was the first deviation she’d seen. She took the better part of the next half hour testing a few different places around campus, and her concern grew with each test she ran. Was this a natural deviation? Sometimes stellar events messed with leylines, but she hadn’t bothered checking her star charts recently. She returned to the quad, which seemed to be the source of the deviation, and that’s when she saw it.

There was noticeable magic in the leylines, magic that wasn’t supposed to be there. This was undeniable proof that these shifts weren’t natural, and she hated what that meant.

Something was disrupting the leylines.

—

It's finally time! I promise I'm not trying to overhype these side stories, but it just took a while to really nail the vibe with this story. I'm pushing myself into some pretty unfamiliar territory, and I wanted to make sure it all felt right. This story has two separate group scenes, which can be tough to write, so let me know if anything seems hard to follow.

Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out. This is only the first part of this Side Story, I'm assuming it will have around 4-5 chapters, so hopefully things are off to an interesting start!

Nyx <3