So... do you guys actually like the story so far? Because I honestly have no idea. It's kinda discouraging... Well anyway, here's chapter 7. Please tell me if you like it. Fav/follow the story to be notified of chapter updates!
Chapter 7:
I looked at Whit in confusion before I glanced down at my hands. They were gone! I looked down at my body to see that it wasn't there either... I was freakin invisible! For a moment I just stood there, grasping this new situation. A small smile spread across my lips as I realized that no one could see me. Curiosity overcame me and I snuck over to where Aria was standing, shifting from foot to foot and glancing wearily around the room.
I slipped behind her and put my hands over her eyes, just to see what would happen. At first, she screamed. She soon realized that it was me and shoved my hands away as I chuckled. She spun around to look at me, "There you are!"
"Yup. You caught me," I sighed, in mock disappointment. "Now I just need to figure out how to turn back to normal…" I muttered. Before I had even finished my sentence, I saw that I was already turning visible once more.
The crowd that had gathered before us jumped in surprise at my reappearance. Loud murmurings rumbled through the crowd as some of them stole quick glances in my direction. "Just out of curiosity," I asked, choosing to ignore the astonished looks of the others, "what happened when I put my hands over your eyes? Since, you know, I was invisible?"
She laughed and rolled her eyes, "I literally saw nothing. It was as if nothing existed. But it wasn't dark… it was just… weird," Aria said, for lack of a better word.
I grinned and examined my hands, making sure that they were definitely back to normal. Whit came up to stand by Aria as she added, "Now that you've regained your powers, you'll need to learn how to control them. I'm sure your memory will come back quickly as well; it usually comes back a day or two after one's powers are fully regained."
Aria's eyes lit up, "Whit! We can train him to become a scout! Like us!" she smiled. Whit on the other hand, stared at Aria for a moment before pulling her off to the side, "Aria!" he hissed, "How can you trust him? He's dangerous and could quite possibly destroy everything around him! And you want to train him?! You know what is written in the scrolls," he pauses, and in an even lower voice, murmurs, "You and I both know that he should be dead. He doesn't belong here. He doesn't belong anywhere," he growled. As I listened to what he said, my heart stopped. My throat tightened as I registered his words. He must not know that I can still hear them…
Aria's smile faltered and Whit stepped away, glanced at the crowd, and then stormed off down the hallway, parting the sea of people that had continued to gather around us.
The crowd mumbled in confusion over his sudden exit. Unlike me, they must not have heard their conversation. Aria slowly looked up at me and our eyes met. She must have seen the pain and confusion in my eyes that I was trying to hide. Great, now she knows that I heard them. She hesitantly stepped forward, and I backed away shaking my head. I numbly blocked out the pain that still throbbed in the back of my head from my injury.
"Shane," Aria whispered, her eyes wide, "Shane. He didn't mean that. You do belong here. You are one of us." I clenched my fists and looked down before looking back at her, "I'm supposed to be dead," I say in a strangled voice, as I try to keep myself calm. It wasn't a question, but I looked at her for a response just the same.
Her hesitation said it all. I was supposed to be dead. And yet somehow I'm not. Pain suddenly flashed in my head again and I touched the back of my head, wincing. Aria noticed this and her face relaxed, "Come on. Let me show you where the dormitories are. You need rest. We can talk more later," she said softly.
My head throbbing too much to nod, I just walked over to her and followed as she lead the way down the grand hallway. I tried to ignore the stares that followed. But I couldn't shake the burning feeling as dozens of eyes stared in my direction. My fingertips had started to turn transparent, but I willed them to stay visible. I was determined not to turn invisible again. I'll show Whit that I can control my powers. That they can trust me.
As I followed Aria down several corridors that branched off from the main hall, I began to notice the décor that lined the walls. Paintings of various royal families were plastered on canvases and framed in gold. Every now and then we would pass by displays of shields and fancy armor that adorned the hallways. At every door, globes of fire floated on either side of the entrance, burning with an eternal flame. They were the same fiery orbs that appeared on the drawbridge.
The ache in my head seemed only to grow as we continued through the hallways. Rather than due to the injury, the pain seemed to be sourced from somewhere else. From where, I had no idea. Aria began to slow down and fished a ring of tiny, silver keys from her belt loop. She removed one key and handed it to me. Trying to block out the internal pain that I felt, I accepted the key. "This," she nodded to the door we now stood in front of, "is your new room. Number 18. Corridor 65." I nodded and stepped forward to open the door, eager to lie down and rest. Aria put a hand to my shoulder and stopped me, "Before you go in, there's something else you should know. You have a roommate. We are all paired up: Usually one who's older pairs with one who is younger. Your roommate is a little boy named Pippin. He's no older than six. Just… be careful… Okay?" Her red-brown eyes locked with mine, searching. "I promise," I said, resolving to show her and Whit and everyone else that I did belong here… I just needed to work on convincing myself first.
Her face broke out into a grin and she rose up on her toes, giving me a swift kiss on the cheek before whisking around and disappearing down another corridor. My face reddened and I took a deep breath before placing the little key into the doorknob. There was a flash of light that emitted from the keyhole before the door swung open on its own. I removed the key and shoved it into my pocket before stepping into my new room.
The first thing I noticed were two beds: one on either side of the room. Each bed was accompanied by a nightstand and a dresser. There was a bathroom off to my left and a small kitchenette off to my right. It very much reminded me of a college dorm room suite.
A small squeak sounded from the bed to my right. I dragged my gaze back to the bed to see the little boy, Pippin, wrapped up in a heap of blankets, sitting on the bed. He had mousy, brown hair that stood up in random places, obviously ruffled from lying in bed. The boy's big, round eyes were a soft grey, painfully reminding me of how mine used to look. But now mine are a vivid purple... according to Aria anyways.
The boy quickly scurried out of his bed and stood up, a small teddy bear clutched in his fists. As he looked up at me, a goofy grin spread across his cherubic, little face. "My name's Pippin!" he squealed excitedly, "But you can call me Pip. That's what everyone here calls me," he said in his childlike voice. His eyes fell on the mark at the base of my neck. I tensed. His big eyes then flickered up to my face, lingering on my eyes, before he giggled.
"You're gonna be the best big brother ever!" he chirped, running up to me and wrapping his tiny little arms around my waist, his little teddy bear still dangling in his fist.
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