CHAPTER FOUR.
Smoke surrounds the two teens as they lay on Riven's bed. Malvolia's head rests on Riven's chest, the calming sound of his heartbeat and the snarky comments in his head acting as a sort of lullaby for her. She pulls the sheet up to cover her naked chest and nestles her face closer to Riven. Riven's free hand rubs her back gently as he texts with his other one.
"Talking to other girls while I'm in your arms, don't you think that's low even for you?" Mal teases.
Riven grins as he sits up, Malvolia slowly sliding off him. He leans over her and places his face right in front of hers. "You're the only girl for me Via," his voice having a teasing tone, his thoughts exposing the truth.
"Sweet nothings," Mal smirks. "Who were you texting?"
Riven leans back a smirk on his face. "My favorite first year."
"Weird," Mal's head tilts. "I don't recall hearing my phone ring."
Riven rolls his eyes before showing her his texts.
Mal purses her lips. "How clever, homophobic gay-bashing by GIF."
Riven brushes her comment off. "I'm just messing with him."
Mal glances at Riven. "Do you have something to tell me Riv?"
Riven glares at the girl. "What are you getting at?"
Mal smirks. "Nothing," she says looking away and standing up from the bed. She slowly puts her clothes on, "It's just, you seem to have an almost... homoerotic fascination with him. Questioning sexuality, are we Riv?"
The green eye boy rolls his eyes. "Oh, fuck off Via, if anyone has that it's you and that suitemate of yours. I've seen the glances you give each other."
"Jealous much?" Mal asks as she climbs on top of Riven and straddles him. "Don't worry," she kisses him. "I'll always pick you," she says wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her face on his cheek.
Riven wraps his arms around her waist, gently tugging her closer until there was no space between them. "You better," he whispers in her ear before pressing a light kiss on her neck. They cuddle into each other, the only sound in the room is their breathing. Sky's brooding thoughts about his current love triangle enters her mind making her stiffen.
"What is it?" Riven asks, his grip on her not loosening.
"Sky is on his way up," she tells him, Riven loosening his grip. "No," she stops him, burying her face into him once again.
"I thought you didn't want him to know?" Riven asks softly, slightly fearing that she would change her mind. He grips her waist tightly as their lips meet.
Malvolia pulls back. "I'm tired of going out of my way to please him and Silva," she confesses. "Plus," she smirks. "I'm very comfortable in your arms."
Riven smiles up at her, his head turning as Sky walks into the room.
"What the fuck Riv," Sky complains swiping his hands through the smoke that fills their suite. The blond failing to notice his little sister straddling his best friend as he puts his bag down. "If Silva catches you."
"I suppose that should make us stop then," Mal speaks up, her smile smug at the thought of the chaos that's about to unload. "After all, you have a nasty habit of reporting back to him."
Sky finally takes notice of their compromising position. "What the fuck is going on? What the fuck are you doing?"
"Cats out of the bag," Riven grins, taking a smoke from the blunt in between his fingers and pulling Malvolia's mouth towards his.
"No," Sky shakes his head. "Absolutely not."
Mal's head whips towards his. "No? You're not my dad, you can't tell me what to do."
Sky crosses his arms. "I am your older brother and I'm telling you that this isn't happening."
"One little flaw: you're not my brother, either," Mal says, glaring at him.
Sky's shoulders drop in defeat, looking at the shock on Riven's face. "What's going on with you Lia?" Sky asks softly. "Is this about me telling Dad? I was worried."
"This is about everything!" Mal shouts. "Oh, don't look so shocked, brother, isn't this what everyone's been waiting for?" Mal spits venomously before storming out the suite.
Malvolia storms to her room shocking Beatrix who is buried in books once again. "Riven didn't finish you off or something?" Beatrix smirks from her bed.
"Remember how you said you would help me learn control?" Mal asks walking towards the girl.
Beatrix nods.
"Can we start now?" The brunette asks desperately, Beatrix giving her a smirk in reply.
( CROWN ON THE GROUND. )
Riven and Malvolia stand side by side in the woods next to the school as they wait for Beatrix. "So what exactly is the plan, here?" Riven asks as he blows smoke from his lips.
Malvolia looks over at him. "She said she's going to help me control my powers better."
"Yeah, no, I got that but is this really a clever idea?" Riven asks, his eyes filled with concern.
"Look, Riv, nobody is teaching me anything.."
"It's not gonna happen over night Via," Riven cuts her off.
"It doesn't matter! I physically cannot go on like this. You don't understand what having this power is like. I feel like I'm slowly losing my own mind. Even in a silent room, whispers fill my head. I cannot sleep without other people's dreams and memories plaguing me. My own mind is filled with other people's thoughts," Malvolia rants, tears of frustration threatening to fall from her eyes. "I need control, Riven, and I'll do anything to get it," she whispers.
Riven wraps the girl in his arms. "We'll figure this out, yeah Via?" He whispers in her ear as he holds her. "Just tell me one thing, you trust her?"
Malvolia buries her face into his shoulder. "I trust her enough," she whispers, her face inbetween Riven's hands.
"Isn't this cute?" Beatrix says, Dane following closely behind her.
"What the fuck is he doing here?" Riven asks, nodding his head to the first year being Beatrix.
"Don't get your hard on in a twist," Bea sneers. She looks behind her at Dane before making eye contact with Malvolia. "He's going to help us," she smirks. "You ready?"
Malvolia nods. "Where do we start?"
Beatrix circles Mal like a tiger stalking its prey. "Imagine yourself surrounded by a an impenetrable wall, formed of the hardest metals, not even magic could get through. Imagine yourself completely cut off from everything... everyone and all your left with is you, you and your own thoughts."
Malvolia takes a deep breath before exhaling in frustration. "This isn't working," she whispers, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Because you're not trying hard enough," Beatrix pushes.
Malvolia glares at the auburn-hair girl in front of her. "Yes I am!" She insists.
"You need to let go," Beatrix yells back, her face right in front of Mavolia's. "All that worry, that stress, that anxiety you need to let go of it all. Let go of the desperate clinging to other people's approval, let go of the good girl image you built for youself. Let go of it all and succumb to what you're supposed to be," Beatrix spits out, the words stinging Malvolia like venom.
"Do you feel that?" Beatrix whispers as the air between the four kids becomes heavy with magic. "That's the magic of your ancestors, of your true heritage. Embrace it Malvolia," Beatrix whispers from behind her. "Control him," she urges, watching as Mal's eyes begin to glow a bright purple.
Dane stiffens as his eyes matching Malvolia's purple hues.
"That's it," Beatrix encourages. "If you can control people, you can control what they do. Use his skills."
"Fight," Malvolia whispers.
The two girls watch as Dane makes his way towards Riven, swinging his right hand to which Riven quickly ducks and tackles Dane to the ground.
"What the fuck Via?" Riven shouts as he holds down a thrashing Dane.
The purple in Malvolia's eye slowly fades, her brown showing once again. "I'm sorry Riv," she whispers as Dane came back to conciousness.
Riven brushes her off with an eye roll.
"Good job," Beatrix smirks.
Malvolia glares. "Except you didn't help me keep people's thoughts out of my head."
Beatrix raises her eyebrow. "Listen."
Malvolia rolls her eyes but does as instructed. Wind rustling the tree and birds chirping is the only thing she hears. "I don't hear anything," she tells ehe with the shake of her head. "Ohh," she gasps as the realization before scoffing. "Wait, so that's it. Years of uncotrollable chatter and all it took was for me to let go? That's all I needed and not one person was willing to teach me that?"
"Almost like didn't want you to have control," Beatrix hums. "How long have you been denying who you are? How long have you been spoon fed lies?"
"What are you getting at?" Malvolia asks.
Beatrix heads over to her backpack and pulls out a book. She hands it to Malvolia who flips it over. "A yearbook?" She deadpans.
"I told you I would always give you answers, I meant that. You deserve the truth," Beatrix tells her with a soft smile.
"And a yearbook is going to help me get them?" Mal shoots back snarkily.
"It's a start," Beatrix says. The two girls conversation being cut short by the sounds of panic coming from the Fairy Hall.
Malvolia's head turns. "Somethings wrong," she says before rushing towards the building.
"Via!" Riven yells quickly following the brunette.
The four teens run into the Fairy Hall, Malvolia's brown eyes scanning the chaos. "Oh my God, Dad!" She yells running over to the injured man who is being carried in by two other first years.
"I'll go get the headmistress," Beatrix says, squeezing Malvolia's shoulder in comfort.
"Dad? What happened?" Mal frantically asks as she grabs onto his other arm and carries him to Professor Harvey.
She gently sits him down, Sky coming from behind her. "How bad is it?" The blond pleass for answers. "Can you help him?"
Malvolia grabs Sky's hand, giving him a sad smile. Tears slowly slide down her cheeks
"I'll be fine," Silva struggles to comfort the two kids. "Just let Professor Harvey do his work."
Dowling rushes in. "I should've moved it right away, had more soldiers."
"Guys, could we have the room, please? We'll keep you informed."
Sky slowly backs away, slipping his hand from Malvolia's. The brunette shakes her head stubbornly. "No, no I'm not leaving you," she protests as tears fall down her cheek.
"Lia," Silva says softly, his hand reaching out to hold her cheek. "Go on, I'll be fine."
"Dad," Mal says pleadingly, her voice cracking.
"Go."
Malvolia stumbles out of the room, crystals of tears rapidly falling down her cheeks. Her brown eyes catch Riven's and she collapses into his arms, clinging onto him as her body shakes with sobs.
( CROWN ON THE GROUND. )
Beatrix's power crackles as she searches for away to open the the door disguised as a book shelf.
"What the hell are you doing?" Callum asks, interrupting Beatrix. "Dowling has some kind of magical trap on the door."
"Motherfucker," Beatrix says with disgust, her head shaking.
Callum chuckles. "Smart move, letting a Burned One free. Good distraction."
"It would have been, but I'm gonna take a wild guess and assume you have absolutely no idea how to get past Dowling's trap," she says, her usual level of snark in her voice.
"I'm not a fairy," Callum reminds. "Which is why I'm assuming he sent you."
"Yes," Beatrix smirks. "Well, that and it would be quite creepy if you were the one trying to get close to the girl. Although, you look the part of the pedo," she adds on, looking him up and down with a condescending look. "Hmm, all this must be really emasculating."
"Uh..." Dowling's assistant stutters, not sure how to respond.
"But you know how impatient he gets, wehave to get down there," the teenager insists. "Dowling, Silva and Harvey have kept their dirty laundry hidden under the school for 16 years. It's time for us to air it out. All of it."