Chapter 25 The bodyguards
Eloise
It's been hours since I ran back into my room, following Byron's orders, and I hadn't left this spot. My eyes darted everywhere and I flinched at the tiniest sounds.
Images of broken bones and a body twisted at an unnatural angle filtered into my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to think of anything else, but the more I tried to push the images out of my head, the more vivid the became.
There was blood… everywhere.
I felt my chest tightened, my air supply cutting off. I tried to calm myself by taking deep breaths, but breathing became hard to do. It was like all the air in the world had been sucked away.
I grabbed the wooden headboard and pushed myself off the bed. I was going to drink some water from my gourd and then I'll be fine.
But as soon as my feet touched the floor, the floor seem to part and I was suddenly falling down a dark hole. The darkness became stronger and thicker, threatening to swallow me as I continue to fall.
I screamed for someone, anyone, to pull me out before the darkness consumed me.
“Meet me at the library at nightfall. Come alone.”
Waterborn silver hair.
Blood. So much blood.
Dead. Dead. Dead…
My mind continued to torture me with recent memories of Aubrey. All my screams for help were muffled by the darkness. I tried to wrap my arms around my body but I couldn't see anything in the thick darkness. Not even my own hands.
Suddenly, a tendril of golden light flickered in the distance. My body tingled at the thought that I wasn't alone in the darkness anymore. The golden light glowed brighter and then it began to take shape. A sense of calmness washed over me and I reached a hand to it. It glowed as if humming it approval.
I felt the heat of it as it changed direction and expanded towards me. But just before it could touch me, I was suddenly yanked out of the darkness. One blink and my room slowly came back to focus.
I took a long draw of air, relishing the feel of oxygen in my lungs. It took a few seconds before I realized I wasn't alone. My brows furrowed in confusion as I stared at Tina, kneeling before me with a panicked expression.
“Ellie, please talk to me. Are you okay?” she asked.
I nodded. I didn't understand why she looked so panicked. I wanted to ask her why she pulled me away from the golden light. It hadn't seem like it was going to hurt me.
“Oh dear Mother! Thank Hearth!” She breathed in relief. She wrapped me in a tight hug. “I was so worried about you.”
My confusion deepened. The only thing I remembered was getting off my bread to drink some water, and then, darkness.I hadn't even heard Tina come in.
“What… happened?” I forced out, my voice seems strained and Tina was still hugging me tightly. She pulled away and cupped my cheeks.
“I should be asking you that. You were screaming so much I'm quite certain you alerted the whole school.” She sat on the floor beside me. “Why were you screaming?”
“Screaming?” I repeated while trying to remember when I screamed for help. I had sat so very still for most of the night. The only time I screamed for help was when the darkness consumed me. How had she heard me from the darkness?
“Yes, like something terrible had happened. I heard you from down the hall and had the sprint the rest of the way. Did you have a nightmare?” she asked, concern written over her face.
I didn't answer, I just stared, which was probably answer enough. She didn't realize how close she was to figuring it out. I had a nightmare, just not in the context she meant.
Tina's face fell. She pulled me closer to herself and rested my head on her shoulder. Something stirred in me but the feeling was gone before I could fully recognize it.
“I'm so sorry for coming late. I asked Raihn to stay but I guess he was just too much of an asshole to listen.” she scoffed.
I wanted to tell her that it wasn't Raihn's fault. I had tricked him and asked him to leave so I could sneak out to meet Aubrey. I wished I hadn't. I wished I had stayed in my room and actually studied instead of going to the library. But it was too late for regrets now.
Aubrey Vega was dead, and no one excepts me knew. And maybe the Shadowborn Heir, but he had murdered a student in front of me. I doubt he'd care about a dead first year.
To them, she was just another student. Another name that would be read at tomorrow's Briefing. Another first year who had been unlucky by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The urge to throw up gripped me but I forced it down. I curled into myself and tried to refrain from shivering. I buried my face in Tina's chest as she hugged me tighter, her hand stroking my hair.
“It's okay. You're fine. You're safe. It's just a nightmare, it's not real.” she whispered into my ear.
I wanted to tell her that it wasn't just a nightmare, it had been real. But just as I opened my mouth, Byron's warning echoed in my mind.
“If you tell anyone what you saw, I will make you regret it.”
I kept my mouth shut and forced myself to sleep. But my dreams were filled with a pool of blood and a body broken beyond recognition.
.
.
.
Tina stayed with me till morning even though neither of us got any sleep. She refused to let me out of her sight and even escorted me to the bath. I told her I was fine multiple times, but she wasn't having it. I gave up trying to convince her when i realized this wasn't a fight I would win.
We were heading for the Briefing room with Tina scowling at anyone who looked at me the wrong way. I wasn't bothered by their stares today. I was consumed with something else entirely.
“Good morning, ladies. Raihn Dahaan reporting for duty.” Raihn said as he caught up with us, a wide grin on his face.
I opened my mouth to reply his greeting when a block of ice flew over my head and hit Raihn in the head, making him stagger backwards. He would have fallen on his butt if he hadn't caught himself with his shadows.
“What the fuck, Tina? I should challenge you for that shit.” he growled and wiped a trickle of blood of his forehead.
“Oh, you want a challenge? Then try. I'm a third year. I'll have you on your ass in seconds.” Tina scowled.
“Oh really? You wanna test that theory out?” Tendrils of shadows burst from Raihn's fingers, taking the shape of a sword. Within seconds, Tina had a sword made out of ice in her hand.
A collective gasp echoed through the hallway. That was when I realized that a small crowd had gathered to watch their exchange.
“Let's just get to class, guys. We'll settle this later.” I said but neither of them replied me. They raised their swords and began circling each other.
“I told you, I specifically told you not to leave her side yesterday, but you did anyway. And to screw Anna O'Shaughnessy? Screw you, Raihn.”
“First, she asked me to leave because she was going to the bath. I decided to retire to my room. And second, not that it's any of your business, but Hearth forbid I put my dick anywhere near Anna O'Shaughnessy.”
Someone gasped in the crowd before bursting into tears.
“No offense, Anna.” Raihn said without tearing his gaze off Tina.
I prayed for someone to stop them before they killed each other but my prayers weren't answered as both of them charged towards each other. I retreated to the back, my grip tightening on my pack.
I had caused the fight between them because of my stupid lie. Raihn wasn't at fault, I was. I wanted them to stop fighting over me. It wasn't worth it. I wasn't worth it. I was a liar and a bad luck. Everything that happened was because of me.
Aubrey had died because of me. If I hadn't gone after her, she wouldn't have asked to meet me in the library. She would still be alive. My family were right for wanting to give me away. Father had always been right.
I was a disgrace. An anomaly. I didn't just have bad luck, I was bad luck.
A small tap on my shoulder made me flinch. I whirled back and my eyes widened at the sight of silver Waterborn hair and perfect face.
“Aubrey.” I breathed in relief. I didn't know how she was here when I had saw her dead body just few hours ago. Maybe she wasn't really dead, maybe what I had saw was just an illusion and she was really here. Maybe–
“No, I'm Aurelia.”
Disappointment crashed into me as I took in the shorter hair I had missed in my excitement to believe she was Aubrey.
“Have you seen Aubrey? She didn't come back to the room last night and I've searched everywhere for her?” I noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes and the worry in them.
A lump formed in my throat as I tried and failed to tell Aurelia what happened to her twin sister. But I didn't have to hesitate for long. Because Professor Geneva came soon after and separated Tina and Raihn's fight. She ushered everyone into the Briefing room for class after.
It didn't matter that I didn't tell Aurelia. In a few seconds, she would find out what happened to her sister. And when she did, I would be the monster for not telling her sooner.