She was suffocating, stuck inside a body that was no longer hers. This body was foreign and unwanted. Her head was full of pain and suffering while her body had never felt stronger. Nesta Archeron was stronger than she had ever been but weaker than she ever wanted, and she hated it.
The mirror in the room she had resided in the past two weeks reflected a person that was unrecognizable. Her skin had never looked more beautiful and her face never more defined. She kept her hair down, covering her ears. They were part of the new harsh reality that was surrounding her and Elain. On the outside she was put together, on the inside she was crumbling.
Nesta could barely look at herself without breaking something, and nearly everything in this room had been broken once already. Mor said that the house would take care of everything her and Elain needed and everything that she had broken had repaired itself moments after. She didn't know what was more frustrating, the new strength that she was still getting accustomed to, or the fact that the things she broke wouldn't stay broken. She chose not to question the magic that resided on this side of the wall, it was something that she never wanted to understand and even now chose to keep far away from her mind. She had only two things to worry about, Elain and Feyre.
Elain. She was adjusting to the situation better than Nesta ever could. Elain embraced everything that was happening around them. Handling with grace and poise as she did everything. Nesta had never been more envious of her younger sister.
As if Elain knew what she was thinking she strode into the room her evening gown grazing the floor behind her.
"Mor is here. She says she has news for us." The brush that was in her hand broke involuntarily.
"Mor news like yesterday, and the day before?" She threw the brush in the vanity drawer, careful not to break the handles on the only piece of furniture in this house she was fond of. "Let me guess, more news that Feyre is off living with the beast that did this to us? Or that we are going to be confined to this house, in the middle of nowhere, until they can figure out what to do with us? I'd love to know which!"
"Nesta," Elain reached forward to lay a hand on Nesta shoulder only to jerk her hand back as if she had been burned. Concern filled her eyes making Nesta turn away from her gaze and back to the mirror. "Nesta, you need to tell them about what's happening to you."
"Why should I?" Nesta could feel the unwanted surge of power run through her body. "So they can lock me in a smaller cage than this one?"
"They're trying to help us, Nesta. They can help you if you let them." The sound of defeat in Elain's voice was enough to make Nesta wish she wasn't taking out her anger on her youngest sister. She knew that Elain was just trying to make the best out of this situation, Nesta was just dealing with their current status the only way that she knew how.
"Let's just go down stairs and see what news she has for us today." She pushed away from the vanity, being careful not to break anything and followed Elain down stairs into the dining room.
She wasn't surprised to see Mor at the dining room table, she was surprised to see Rhysand sitting next to her. The hadn't seen him since what happened, and now he was here sitting at the dining room table hopefully preparing himself for the fury that was Nesta Archeron. Tension in the house rose as the continued the further they walked down the stairs.
"What are you doing here?" Rhysand knew that Nesta wasn't fond of him and their current situation left her even less fond of him then to being with, "We haven't seen you since we came here, I thought you'd be off trying to find a way to fix this mess."
"Nesta," Elain reached for her sister only to retract her hand before she came in contact. Rhysand stood up from the table and walked toward them. He eyed Nesta in a way that felt like he was staring right through her. Another surge of the need of release of the anger she had been building the past few weeks wove its way through her. She was trying her best to keep it contained, deep breaths, clenched fists, focusing on anything other than the Fey that was standing in front of her.
"I came to see how you two were doing." He noticed her clenched fist before she had the chance to fold them in front of her. "To ask how you were adjusting." He was treading around them as if they were breakable, Nesta wanted to break him. Heat was radiating its way through her in waves and she was about to direct it towards him specifically.
"We're adjusting as expected, Rhysand." Elain spoke up before Nesta had a chance. He turned towards Elain as she spoke. "Is there any news from Feyre?"
"No," A flash of pain went across his face. "Feyre will let us know when the right time to move is. For now, we have to wait. I know-"
"You don't know anything!" The words left her mouth before she had a chance to stop them. Not that she cared. "We have been stuck here for two weeks without sight of you. No information has been giving to either of us about where we are or what is happening to Feyre. We have to hear everything from your carrier pigeon." She threw one of her hands to Mor who was on the border line of knocking Nesta in her place for speaking to Rhysand that way and completely understanding her situation.
"I am doing everything I can, Nesta. I'm not going to stand here and pretend I understand what you're going through, but what I do know is that Feyre left me with the responsibility of taking care of you, and I promise that I will do my best to do so."
Promise.
"Those don't tend to hold up with people like you do they?" She turned around and walked back up the stairs. The last thing that she was going to allow herself to do again was trust that they could keep a promise.
