Cinema

Cinema
Lilith POV

I sighed several times during the third period. Ava kept rubbing her hands on me. How do I unleash the powers Corner said I possessed? How do I do that?

"Maybe you need a big space for that," Ava whispered. "You know, to unleash your powers. I’ll tell Cleo to find a good location for you, and make sure you stop sounding like that. You have to talk to Theo after class."

"I already texted him. He’ll be here very soon. I still can’t believe Beauty is related to me. I mean, we clicked when we first met." 

"Yeah, I felt the connection of friendship you both had. I feel bad that her father isn’t as good as she thinks he is." Both of us sighed. I glanced at her—she was with Olivia, as always. 

I opened up to Cleo about what was going on. She was shocked to hear I was the target.

"Are you okay?" Alaric asked. I raised my head and looked back at him. I nodded, but I was sure he could tell I was lying. "All right, how about we hang out after class?" he suggested.

"Oh, I can’t. I have something. You know, girl’s thing, and I can’t bail on them." I felt bad rejecting him. It was everything I ever wanted, but knowing that the dean was my father’s brother kept bothering me, and I couldn’t tell Alaric about it. He would want to join the fight and try to protect me, but I didn’t need any of that. Corner told me I could defeat the dean if I believed in myself.

"All right. We’ll talk after your girl’s thing. How about that?"

I nodded. The lecturer ended the class. Ava and I were ready to leave. Cleo wasn’t in class; she had left early to find a location where I could try my magic. Ava received a text from Cleo—she’d found a location—and she drove us there. It was the same lake we used when we tracked Jackson and his mate.

"Why this place, of all places?" I asked when I got out of the car.

"What’s wrong with this place?" Cleo asked. "It’s perfect. It’s near the lake and spacious. If you destroy something, it won’t cause damage outside. This is the ideal spot."

"It’s kinda big, Lilith," Ava said. "Are you ready? Or do you want to meditate first to clear your mind?"

"I don’t know."

"Just get in position."

I moved to the middle and stood with my legs apart. I parted my arms and stretched them to the sides. I took a deep breath, telling myself I could do it, that I was powerful enough to control my powers. I tried to connect with my inner self, and before I knew it, my feet lifted from the ground, slowly.

"She’s doing it," Ava whispered.

I stayed there for a moment, controlling everything around me. I could sense others in the distance—distant giggles and voices from another direction. I focused my mind and felt the power surge within me. Corner wasn’t lying—if I put my mind to it, I could control my powers.

One of the objects I gathered tore Ava slightly. I could smell her blood, but I didn’t react.

"Ouch," she yelled. I suddenly opened my eyes and looked at her. "Your eyes are gold. You didn’t even have to eat human or animal flesh before they turned."

I landed on the ground and walked over to her. She was surprised that my fangs hadn’t grown. 

"You’re hurt. I’m sorry about that. I can’t heal you—I can only heal myself." I tore a piece of my gown and wrapped it around the bleeding area. "Cleo will do the rest," I said, then walked toward the lake.

"Where are you going?" Ava yelled as I entered the water.

"To learn how to control the water," I replied, starting to laugh. I could feel the power growing within me—the improvement in my speed and senses. I used my hand to part the water slightly and directed it to the other side.

"I didn’t know you could do that," Ava said.

"Neither did I. I think I unleashed the power within me, Ava. I can hear your thoughts."

"Really? What am I thinking right now?"

"Well, you’re probably wishing for the war to be over so you can have sex with Owen again."

"Fuck! You’re good."

After I successfully moved the water, I walked out of the lake and met Ava, who was already healed. I couldn’t get through to Cleo’s mind—trying to face witch magic is a hard task for me. Now I understand why my father was able to control ancient magic.

"I didn’t know you could do that. You were so fierce out there."

"I didn’t know a lot of things until now. If the dean has been after me all this time and I was in his school, why didn’t he attack me then? He would have felt it."

"I don’t have answers to that," Ava replied.

"Maybe he doesn’t want to harm you openly, or he’s afraid of your powers," Cleo added, and I understood. "That’s probably why he brought the Kanima—to destroy you completely."

"I need your help, Cleo." An idea came to me—how I could get into Beauty’s mind without Corner’s help. With these new powers I’d discovered, I could reach her with Cleo’s assistance.

"What for?" Cleo asked.

"To get through to Beauty—to make her believe my story," I said.

"But how? She’s a witch, and she won’t let you into her mind. You can’t use your compelling powers on her."

"I know that. That’s where you come in." Ava and Cleo looked confused.

"How?" Cleo asked.

"You have to distract her with spells."

"She’ll fight back."

"I know. I just need to get close enough, meet her eyes, and then I can get into her mind and make up stories about her father."

"Like an illusion?" Ava asked.

"Yes. She would think it’s real."

"Okay, I’m in. Anything to save my city," Cleo said.

"We’ll do that on Monday. Deal?" I said, and they nodded in agreement.



The days went by faster than I expected. Early Saturday morning, Ava knocked on my door. She was excited about the movies, but I wasn’t. Still, I was happy I could control my powers and unleash my new abilities after years of training.

"Are you ready to go?" Ava asked after I finished dressing.

"Is this outfit okay?" I asked. I’d told Alaric I’d be at the cinema, and he said he’d join us. He wanted to spend time with me. "No?"

"It’s fine, but please pack your hair up."

"Why? I love my hair this way." I ran my hands through it, feeling the soft texture.

"With that outfit, your hair looks better tied back."

"All right." I did as she instructed. She was a queen of fashion, in my eyes. I checked my watch. 

"When will Cleo be here?" I asked.

"She said 11:30," Ava replied.

"Well, it’s 11:45. Let’s go. Tell her to meet us at the cinema," I said, and Ava immediately placed a call.

My phone rang—it was Alaric. I told him I’d meet him at the cinema in ten minutes.

"She’ll meet us there. She said she had something to take care of at home."

"All right, let’s go." Ava was so excited she couldn’t stop talking. I just wanted to stay indoors and continue watching Teen Wolf.

My operation to enter Beauty’s mind was still in progress.

When Ava stopped the car in front of the cinema, Cleo was already waiting. Alaric had also bought his ticket.

I hugged him when I saw him. He held my hand as we walked into the theater. The only reason I was interested in the movie was because Alaric was there.

I clung to him as the movie started. I didn’t understand much—I hadn’t watched the series from the beginning. I saw Ava and Cleo enjoying themselves, immersed in the movie. I felt left out as Alaric focused on the screen.

My phone beeped—it was a message from my mom. They found Alaric’s family—they were in California. I didn’t want to tell him yet. If he saw his parents, they wouldn’t believe he was alive—they buried him two years ago. I watched him smile as he watched the movie, unaware of my thoughts.

I reached into the popcorn bag and ate a few pieces, then fell asleep without realizing.

"Lilith!" I felt a hand touch me. I opened my eyes. "The movie’s over," Alaric’s voice reached me.

"What? Already?" I sat up, stretching a little.

"You slept for an hour and a half," he said.

"Really?" I checked my watch. I wasn’t feeling the movie.

"We’re going to get some ice cream. Come with us," Ava and Cleo said as we exited the theater.

"Can’t I just go home now?" I asked, tired.

They shook their heads. "Mrs. Moore told you to have fun and take your mind off everything. You’ve learned to control your powers, and now you’re more powerful. Besides, if you spend these hours having fun, it won’t hurt or make you weaker."

"I agree," Cleo said. "Come on, just get ice cream with us. He can come too."

"No, I’ll let you go ahead."

"What?" I looked at him.

"Go have fun and clear your mind. I’ll wait for you," he said, kissing my forehead. Ava and Cleo led me to the ice cream shop.

It was fortunate I hadn’t told Alaric about his parents. When the war is over, I’ll let him know everything.

"Come on, girls!" Ava yelled as we ran to the counter. "Strawberry, please." She placed her order. She then tapped my arm, breaking me out of my thoughts. "What would you like, Lilith?"

I pointed to the vanilla flavor.

"You like vanilla too?" Cleo asked, and I nodded. Even though I’ve started craving blood, I still couldn’t say no to ice cream. Ever since I unleashed my new powers, I had been craving human food more. I hadn’t fed on blood for three days.

"Please, give me vanilla too," Cleo said to the clerk. We all took seats near the window, and I looked outside to enjoy the view.

"This is the part where we take pictures!" Ava said excitedly. "I need to post on Instagram." She pulled out her phone. "Come on, group selfie."

"No."

"Lilith!"

"No, I can’t put my face on the internet. The council would be angry, or you wouldn’t see the picture the moment you upload it."

"Why not?"

"They’ll take it down. They think it’s unsafe for a Dhampir to have her face all over the internet. They believe there are other threats out there that want me too. 'The internet is not a safe place,'" I mocked, imitating the head of the council’s voice.

Ava and Cleo started laughing, and I joined in.

"All right," Ava said as our ice cream was placed on the table. "Dig in! The first one to finish has to share their ice cream."

"Not at all! That’s cheating! You always find a way to win," Cleo frowned.

I knew I couldn’t use my speed this time—people might notice. "I’m not joining this round, Ava."

"Are you scared I’ll win?" she teased.

"No!"

"Then what?"

"I give up," I said, continuing to eat my ice cream. Then I looked outside and my brow furrowed. "The sun’s going down soon. The atmosphere’s changing."

"I can feel it too," Cleo said. "Something’s coming—and it’s coming fast!"