Chapter 100 The masquerade party

Chapter 100 The masquerade party
THE LIBRARY

Neon froze completely, he stared at Twila as if she had just grown a second head.

"You kissed him?" Neon managed to say, his voice echoing in the library aisle. "You took off the ring and let the vampire touch you?"

"I was wearing the ring, Neon," Twila sobbed, hiding her face in her shaking hands. "The magic didn't force me. I just did it. I pulled him into my room and I did it."

Neon stood up from the floor. He paced back and forth, running his hands roughly through his hair, he looked horrified.

"Are you out of your mind, Twila?" Neon yelled, glaring at her. "Raiden gave up his own memories for you, he went to hell for you!"

"I know!" Twila screamed, tears streaming down her face. "I hate myself, Neon! But when Niles looks at me, I feel this crazy pull. I can't stop it!"

"You have to tell Raiden the truth," Neon insisted, pointing a finger at her. "Right now, Twila. Before he finds out from someone else."

"I can't tell him," Twila cried, shaking her head. "It will break his heart into pieces, Neon, he will leave me forever!"

"If you don't tell him, I will," Neon threatened, his eyes hard and serious. "I love you, you are my twin sister, but Raiden doesn’t deserve to be treated like a fool."

Twila's heart stopped.

Panic sprang up in her chest, she couldn't lose Raiden. She refused to let her brother ruin everything.

"Please, Neon, don’t say anything," Twila begged, crawling toward him.

"I won’t keep this secret for you," Neon snapped, turning away to walk off.

"I said no!" Twila yelled.

She didn’t think about it, she didn’t plan it. The desperation inside her snapped.

She jumped up and grabbed the back of Neon's head with both hands.

Her eyes quickly changed to violet. The Void inside her stomach stirred, but it didn't cry out for magic or a life force.

It sensed her urgent need to erase her mistake. It understood her desire to take back her words.

"Twila, what are you doing?" Neon gasped, trying to pull away.

Twila didn’t let go, she pushed the Void into his temples.

She didn’t consume his soul, she just pulled the last five minutes from his memory and sucked it out.

Neon went rigid. His eyes rolled back as the memory dissolved into Twila's palms.

She let go of his head and stepped back in shock.

Neon blinked rapidly, shaking his head as if waking from a deep sleep. He scanned the dusty library aisle, looking confused.

"Whoa," Neon murmured, rubbing his eyes. "I got super dizzy for a moment."

He glanced down at Twila, noticing the tears soaking her cheeks.

"Twila?" Neon frowned, kneeling beside her. "Why are you crying? What were we just talking about?"

Twila froze, her blood ran cold.

He didn’t remember, he didn’t remember her confession at all. She had just erased his memory.

"I'm just really stressed, Neon," Twila lied smoothly, wiping her face. "I’m just scared about this stupid masquerade party tonight."

"Hey, don't cry," Neon said softly, pulling her into a warm hug. "It’s just a college party. You will be fine, sis."

Twila hugged him tight, her hands shaking.

She would never tell anyone about the vampire again. Nobody would know her secret.

THE GIRLS DORMITORY

An hour later, Twila returned to her dorm room, her mind racing.

She could erase memories, it was unbelievable.

Approaching the bathroom sink, she reached for a glass to get some water, but her hands were still shaking from the adrenaline.

The glass slipped from her fingers.

Crash.

The glass shattered in the sink.

"Ugh," Twila muttered, reaching down to pick up the pieces.

She wasn’t paying attention. A sharp fragment sliced through the center of her palm.

Twila gasped, the cut was deep. Blood poured from her hand, dripping onto the sink.

"Ouch," she groaned, grabbing a towel to wrap around her bleeding hand. But before she could touch her skin, a tingling sensation spread through her palm.

She looked down at her injury.

A faint, soft violet light glowed inside the cut.

Twila watched in shock as the edges of her skin began to pull together.

The muscle knit perfectly. The skin closed completely. Within ten seconds, the bleeding stopped.

Twila wiped the blood away with the towel.

Her palm looked flawless. No scar remained.

"I can heal," Twila whispered to the empty bathroom, staring at her hand. "Oh my gosh, I can heal."

She wasn’t just a monster destined to cause destruction. She had the power to repair broken things.

"Are you almost ready?" Island yelled, banging on the bathroom door. "Niles is coming in twenty minutes! You can't wear jeans to a masquerade!"

Twila grabbed a washcloth and cleaned the blood from the sink quickly.

She opened the bathroom door.

Island stood there, holding a stunning, floor-length purple dress. It was made of silk, with a high slit.

In her other hand, she held a delicate black lace mask.

"Put this on now," Island commanded, shoving the dress into Twila's hands. "If you’re going on a date with him, you need to look incredible so Raiden loses his mind."

"I don’t want to make Raiden jealous," Twila sighed, slipping the dress over her head. "He's already hurting."

"Boys sometimes need a little push," Island smirked as she zipped the dress tight behind Twila. "If he sees Niles holding you like this, he won’t be able to stay away, he’ll fight for you tonight."

Island placed the mask perfectly over Twila's eyes, tying the ribbons tight behind her hair.

Twila looked in the mirror, she appeared dangerous and mysterious.

"Let’s go," Island smiled, grabbing her mask. "Cassian is waiting for me downstairs."

THE ACADEMY COURTYARD

The night air was cool.

The courtyard was packed with students heading toward the West Wing. Everyone wore expensive formal clothes and beautiful masks.

Twila walked slowly down the stone steps.

Niles waited at the bottom.

He wore a sharp, tailored black suit with an unbuttoned collar. A simple black half-mask covered his eyes, but his golden irises shone in the dark.

He looked up and saw Twila coming down the stairs.

Niles stopped breathing, his jaw dropped.

"You look breathtaking," Niles whispered, extending his hand to her.

Twila stepped down the last step, forcing a small, polite smile and she didn’t take his hand.

"Don’t touch me tonight, Niles," Twila warned softly. "We are just going to walk in, stay for an hour, and leave. I won’t cause any drama."

"Whatever you want, beautiful," Niles agreed quickly, dropping his hand to his side. He didn’t seem angry, just happy she showed up.

They started walking across the courtyard together.

But before they reached the doors of the West Wing, Twila felt a stare boring into her.

She stopped and turned her head slowly.

Raiden stood in the shadow of the stone archway.

He wore a black suit and no mask. His handsome face was visible, with his eyes locked onto her.