Chapter 7
Forgotten pain
One step forward, two steps back...
Quinn was sitting on the lounge opposite Airiana. He was watching her. Checking for any gold eyes, talking to thin air, or collapsation, even though she was sitting.
She was looking down at the floor in front of them.
The whole room was silent.
It was a lot to process.
And, a shadow had nevver spoken to her.
She'd never even heard them speak.
That voice.
It was cold.
It was blood-curdling. Like a hurricane.
Without lifting her head, she peered at Quinn.
Quinn did'nt bother to awkwardly look away.
Hannah opened her mouth to say something.
Everyone turned to her, she closed her mouth.
Airiana ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled.
She was still shaken up.
Airiana spoke, "So, now you've seen, what do you think?"
"Well...It was weird." Blaise shrugged.
"Yeah," Thea agreed, "Just standing there watching you talking to nothing, your eyes changing colour, you collapsing..." Thea trailed off. She was rolling her hand in an on-and-on motion.
Airiana nodded. "Trust me, count yourself lucky."
The room fell silent.
"Look, everybody, for the record, I'm not crazy, I'm not insane. They are out there...somewhere..." Airiana trailed off as goosebumps developed over her skin as she looked through all the windows and towards all the doors.
"Yes. coarse your not. we know, we know." Rashel sighed. She sounded weary.
It was just past lunch time.
Airiana didn't eat.
No one did.
At least there was conversation now. Kind of.
Another truck had arrived.
Airiana was clearing the music things out of her room and putting them in the music room.
She walked out slowly, her hair flying out behind her, it's silky brown tousles tangling with the wind.
She made the boys carry boxes into her room.
They got it lucky.
Atleast you didn't have to carry a grand piano, Morgead thought.
They dropped them in the middle of her bedroom and left.
Airiana closed the door behind them and pressed her forehead to the cool white paint.
She turned and eyed the boxes.
She loosened her shoulders and look heavenward.
Airiana kneeled down in front of the first box.
She lifted the folds of the box and she lifted a small box.
She closed her eyes and swallowed, sensing what was inside.
She opened the tiny, red, velvet lid and lifted a locket. It was engraved: Honour.
As soon as she touched it she fell into a trance...
FLASHBACK
The guards were so close to the girls as they ran across the dirt path of the kingdom.
Airiana was taken a week ago and sent here to the Black Dawn Castle as a slave.
She was here with one of her best friends: Wynter Stevenson.
The girls had grasped hands and were sprinting through the kingdom, escaping.
She could here the guards shouting behind them. Then barking. Shapeshifters.
Wynter let out a cry of exhaustion.
Why weren't they here.
Apparently, people were being sent here to help them.
But they weren't here.
Someone grabbed Airiana around the waist.
Charlie.
Her soulmate.
Guards were coming up in front of them. They grabbed Wynter.
"Noooo!" Airiana cried.
She was trying to tear herself out of charlie's grip.
Which she did successful. She ran and collided with Wynter.
she shoved something into Airiana's hand and closed it shut tightly.
She nodded but then the guards tore her away and Charlie tore Airiana away.
"No. No. Nooo. Wynter." Tears sprang to her eyes as she was shoved in the back of the escape cart.
She turned to the small barred window behind her and started banging on it with her fists and open hands. She was trying to pry the handle open, but it wouldn't budge.
She saw Wynter get dragged off into the distance with a dagger at her throat.
She looked down into her hand.
Wynter's locket: Honour.
END OF FLASHBACK
Airiana broke out of her trance.
These flashback's are becoming a problem.
She exhaled, something she did a lot, and placed the necklace back in the box.
She had finished unpacking and placing the items around her room.
Lexi and Airiana shared interest in music.
Wynter and Airiana shared interest in sports.
Airiana had shelves of sporting trophies and coloured ribbons. She had small stands with signed basketballs, gridiron balls and baseballs.
She had framed jersey's from the lakers, helmets from the michigan football team, and hats from the Boston red socks.
She had limited edition playing shoes from the NBA championships. And the gameball.
She had limited edition, cased, playing mouthguards from the NFL championships. And the gameball.
She had limited edition baseball bat from the American baseball league championships. And the gameball.
She also had autographs framed alonside her photos of her and her friends.
One of her and Wynter leaning against a big apple tree on the old Atkinson farm.
One of her, Wynter and Lexi smiling, cross-eyed, into the barrel of the camera.
One of them dressed as The Three Muskateers.
One of them dressed in snowsuits.
One of them laying down at the beach.
Airiana looked back and forth between the photos, commemorating what she'd lost.
There were some of her and her brothers too.
Jeremy behind the wheel of the car, for the first time.
Airiana and Sam down at the new basketball courts.
All three of them out the front of their house.
She had some photos of her and Charlie, but she planned to put them up in the basement.
She sat on her bed and stared at nothing in particular.
Why?
What did she do to the universe to deserve so much pain and loss.
She had done nothing, she could swear it.
Everyone was out to get her.
Blaise was sprawled across the three-seater lounge.
Quinn was looking over at the wall as Rashel comforingly patted and rubbed his arm.
Blaise turned her back to them.
Yes, she was jealous.
She had no soulmate.
She had no lover for comfort.
but she wasn't completely alone.
That Airiana chick, she had no soulmate.
But that was it.
Poppy and James.
Thierry and Hannah.
Jez and Morgead.
Mary-lynette and Ash.
Delos and Maggie.
Keller and Galen.
Rashel and Quinn.
Thea and Eric.
Gillian and David.
Blaise thought Rowan, Kestrel and Jade didn't count.
Rashel was worried about Quinn.
He looked so depressed.
And maybe he was fine.
Or maybe, he was depressed, stuck in the deep black pit of despair and comparison, and, didn't want to claw himself out.
Maybe he wanted to feel this way.
Maybe, Maybe, Maybe.
Rashel was very frustrated.
she hated seeing the side of /quinn she didn't know.
Like when he was turned into his 'Vampire Mode' to feed.
She HATED it.
But she didn't hate him.
She loved him all the same.
Didn't she?
Delos was reflecting back to when he was prince of that hellhole castle.
It was fun while it lasted, he thought.
Maggie pinched his shoulder.
He realised he was staring at her while he was reflecting.
His body jolted back to normal and he smiled, pretending it was nothing.
She raised her eyebrows, but smiled anyway.
He sighed in relief, glad she didn't ask questions.
But then, he had to get it off his chest.
He was certain he was the only one who had lied while telling their story.
