Hey guys! So here is chapter 21. Firstly, thank you to everyone for all the lovely reviews. It's much appreciated :) Secondly, can I have a drum roll please...you're about to find out Bella's affinity or affinities... :) Enjoy x
I repeated Edward's words in my head; "I think it's time we go over the preparation for tonight. There are a few things I need to explain to you before we go ahead with the Affinity ceremony.". I could feel my heart rate pick up and the corners of my mouth pull up into a smile. I couldn't believe we have reached this point. In a few short hours, I will learn my affinity and I couldn't contain my excitement. I was so ready to find out what my affinity was, but the nerves started creeping in. I tried my best to keep them out but unfortunately I couldn't stop my over active brain from going to the dark side, the side filled with insecurities. After the rumours about the legend of the scorpion having had acquired all affinities I had thought about the possibility of me having all affinities.
But what will happen if I don't have all four affinities? What if I'm not special after all? What if I'm not powerful? What if I don't deserve to have the mark of the scorpion? My mind was playing question on a reel reminding me of all the things that could go wrong, of all my insecurities. I could feel my smile drop and my heart sink. What if these thoughts aren't just my own insecurities but they are the truth? I thought back to my relationship with my mother. She had never made any positive comments on my achievements, no matter how big or small they were. She had never actively supported me in anything. I had always tried my hardest to impress her, but nothing I did ever seemed good enough, I never seemed good enough.
As I took my trip down memory lane I started thinking about my dad. He was the polar opposite of my mother. He was there for my day and night. He would patiently listen to all my stories and encourage all my crazy dreams. When I was five I wanted to be a chef and my dad went and bought me a toy oven and a child cookbook. He spent hours trying to help me make fairy cupcakes. I felt the unshed tears burn my eyes as I remembered how loving and supportive my dad was. I remembered what my dad told me every time I went to him when I was ready to give up on something because it was too hard. He always told me; "The darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow". When I was young I never quite understood what he meant by it but he hugged me and assured me there will be a day that I will understand what he means. Thinking about what he said in a logical manner I can somewhat understand what he had meant but I am still waiting for the day I will truly understand his words.
"You ready to go over what will happen tonight love?" Edward asked breaking me out of my thoughts. I pushed my insecurities and memories into the back of my mind and pulled myself together. I decided in that moment that even if it transpire that I do not have all four affinities I would still be powerful and I will use my power to the best of my ability. I was not going to let my evil mother dictate how I see myself. I might not have had her approval or support, but that does not mean I am weak. The only thing, that was important, is my self-belief and trust in my power and abilities.
"Yes I am ready. I can't wait for tonight." I said excitedly with a big goofy smile.
"I'm glad to hear that. Ok, so I know the professors have explained some of the background information and how your affinity will influence your power," he said and I nodded in acknowledgement.
"Good so I won't go over what you already know as we are running out of time. The assembly hall would have been set up by now for tomorrow, but there is still some preparation we need to do." Edward explained.
"Will we have enough time to get everything done?" I asked panicked that we might not get this done tonight.
"Relax love we will get it done" Edward assured me and gave me a comforting kiss.
"Ok. So what do we need to do?" I asked curiously.
"Well, the pillars will hold ornate white porcelain bowls that will contained the element of the affinity. So for earth the bowl will have soil in it, for water it will contain well water, for air it will have kind of like a mini tornado in the bowl and fire will have a beautiful glowing fire in it. We need to cast a spell to bring forth these elements of the affinities though. When we go into the hall the bowls will be empty. The element will only manifest after the spell is cast. The spell is part of a ritual and after the calling, upon the affinities the next part is another spell contained in the ritual. The next part is calling on the affinities to accept our donation of witches and ask them to bestow their power upon the students. It's all in Latin and I have it written down in my journal so you don't have to worry about it. I will handle that part. After you have your affinity or affinities assigned then I will finish the ritual by thanking the affinities for the gift of their power that has been bestowed upon you." Edward explained.
"Ok, that sounds complicated enough but what do I have to do?" I asked intrigued by the process of the ritual.
"Well, you also have to chant a part of the ritual but don't worry I will teach you what to say and I will have it written down. If you do get stuck during the ritual I will be right by your side ready to help. You will start by standing in the middle of the stage and the four pillars with the bowls will be in front of you. You will call on the affinities and ask them to accept you and grant you the use of their power. Then you are meant to get a sort of feeling that will lead you in the direction of you affinity. I'm not as to the feelings received by other affinities but when I did this I felt warmth spread through my body and like I was being pulled toward the bowl containing the fire. " he continued to explain.
"Ok, that doesn't sound too bad. So once I get this mystical feeling spread through my body I will be lead to my affinity?" I asked as I thought it wasn't as bad as I thought.
"Yes love but there is more to it. Once you are lead to your affinity you will have to use the dagger that has been blessed to make a cut across the palm of you hand. Then you will close you hand into a fist and hold it over the bowl and chant you dedication and appreciation to the affinity. Once your blood drops into the bowl the affinity will accept you. Each element of the affinities will move from the bowl and almost wrap itself around you. The element will circle around and up and down your body and you will be able to feel the power being given to you. It is quite a unique experience." he explained with a fond smile. I was a bit worried about having to cut myself.
"Why do we need to give blood to the affinity?" I asked voicing my concern.
"It's to form a connection between the affinity and the witch. The power of the affinity will close the wound on your palm. It will only hurt for a second." he explained trying to ease my discomfort. Don't get me wrong I'm not afraid of the pain its the blood I have a problem with. Blood makes me woozy and nauseous.
"I don't like blood," I said as I wrinkled my nose in disgust.
"Sorry, love but there is no way around it." Edward laughed at me. Asshole.
"I know that asshole but you might have to clean up after me," I said with a smirk. Edward's laughing stopped and he look disgusted now. I couldn't really blame him for it.
"Hopefully you won't get sick. You will be very focused so you might not even notice the blood," he said hopefully.
"I promise I will try my best not to get sick," I said with a smile.
"Well, that is basically it. Do you have any questions?" he asked.
"Not at the moment but I'm sure I will think of some later on," I said through a yawn. Man I was so tired.
"Ok, sleepy head we still have time before we need to go so let's take a nap before we pass out," Edward said as he pulled me up from the chaise. We crawled into bed fully clothed with only our shoes off. I didn't have time to care about messing up my dress as I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow. I really hoped Edward set an alarm.
I was nice warm and comfortable in Edward's bed until the annoying beeping of his alarm started going off again. One day soon I will take that alarm clock and throw it against the bloody wall! As you can see I was still cranky. I was excited about the affinity ceremony, but I was still so tired. I couldn't remember the last time I got a good nights sleep. So much has happened since I arrived at the university that I haven't had any time to think about all of it or to even begin to process it. It was like I was stuck in a storm and every time it starts dying down and I think it's over another storm will just hit me again. The worst part is that in the back of my mind I knew there were still a lot ahead of me and I need to start dealing and processing things faster. I let out a big sigh and rolled over to the other side of the bed only to find it empty. Edward wasn't lying next to me on the bed anymore. I sat up and looked around the room trying to spot him. He was standing at his easel, throwing the white sheet back over it effectively covering the canvas. I wonder why he was so secretive about what he was painting or had painted. I turned back to the side of the bed and slammed my hand on the beeping alarm clock trying to get it to shut up. That bloody thing needs to die soon. I kept banging it with my hand not sure how to turn the evil beeping torture device off. I could hear Edward's laughter as he moved over to turn off Satan's device.
"I see your nap hasn't put you in a better mood then." Edward joked with a smirk. Men really shouldn't be allowed to comment on things like this when a woman is in a bad mood. It's a good way for them to loose their balls. To my own surprise, I busted out laughing at my inner monologue. I think was starting to loose the plot altogether.
"What's so funny?" Edward asked bewildered by my sudden outburst.
"I was just thinking men should be quite when a girl is in a bad mood or else they might lose their balls," I said with a sardonic smirk. Edward placed him hand over his jeans as to protect his balls. I just started laughing again and he joined me. Ok, so maybe we are both going crazy, but it felt good to just joke and laugh over something silly.
"Have to be honest with you Bella I'm very fond of my balls and it'd be greatly appreciated if you only touch them in a caring or seductive manner," Edward said still cupping his junk. I got out of bed and pressed my body against Edward's body.
"Oh, don't worry I'm quite fond of them myself." I purred into his ear and replace his hand with mine. I heard his sharp intake of breath and damn that did funny things to my lady bits. Edward removed my hand and wrapped his arms around me and gave me a small kiss.
"As much as I would like you to demonstrate how much you like my balls we need to get going and you might need some time trying to tame the bird's nest on your head," Edward said and was laughing by the end of it. I scowled at him and pushed him away from me and headed for the bathroom. Sure enough, my hair did look like a really messed up bird's nest. It's moments like this that reminds me why long hair sucks ass.
I reluctantly started sorting out and combing through my bird's nest of hair. When I finally manage to untangle and straighten it out I decided to put it a simple plait. I washed my face and cleaned off my smeared makeup. I really did look awful with my panda eyes and crazy hair, no wonder Edward was laughing at me. I reapplied a small bit of makeup as I wasn't sure what the dress code for tonight was. I stripped off my clothes only put back on a pair of clean underwear and threw my dirty clothes in the laundry basket that was close to overflowing. Guess we will need to do laundry soon. I walked back out into the bedroom only wearing my baby blue lace matching underwear set. Edward's eyes went wide and dark with lust and he licked his lips as he gazed hungrily at my body.
"I don't know what to wear for tonight," I said innocently biting my lip.
"Stop biting your lip Bella or the only thing, you will be doing tonight, is scream my name," Edward warned me in a low lust filled voice. I bit back the moan his words caused me and I could feel myself getting wet. I decided to not tease him any further as we really didn't have time for it sadly.
"What should I wear thought?" I asked as I released my lip from my teeth.
"You can wear anything you're comfortable with love. You will need to dress up tomorrow for the ceremony though to keep up appearances," he said as his eyes continued to wander over my body. Every path, his eyes made on my body, felt like it on fire. Oh, the things this man can do to my body. I quickly turned around and dug out something to wear before I jump Edward's bones. I settled on a pair of dark washed jeans, a black v-neck t-shirt and my favourite black knitted jumper. I slipped on a pair of ballet flats and I was ready to go. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach, but this time it wasn't because of fear or insecurities. No, this time it was the excitement of the sitution.
"Ok, I'm ready," I said with a big smile.
"Perfect. Let's get going then. You look beautiful by the way." Edward said as he grabbed my hand and led my out the door. Ok, so maybe the butterflies were half excitement and half Edward induced. We walked through the campus and into the main building causally and then silently snuck into the assembly hall. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be as the hallways were nearly empty. I guess everyone was either in their dorms preparing for tomorrow or still out mourning the death of Colton. We made it into the assembly hall without getting caught and Edward slowly closed the enormous doors behind us. The assembly hall seemed so much bigger and fancier now that it is empty. It was truly decorated tastefully and elegantly. On the stage, stood the four white pillars containing the four white porcelain bowls. I could feel my heartbeat accelerate as I started at them. Behind the pillars was a small ornate wooden table which held a few things that I was unable to see clearly.
Edward grabbed my hand and led me over to the stage area. There were a few chairs placed next the table and Edward directed me to take a seat while he prepares. On the wooden table, there were four candlesticks. They were made of what looks like silver or perhaps white gold as they looked very expensive. They were ornate and had magnificent detail on them. There were words scripted on each of them and symbol was placed on the middle of the stem of the candlestick. I recognised the symbols, they were the well know symbols given to the four affinities. I assumed that the words were the Latin or the witch version of the affinities. The table also housed a silver/white gold chalice, a large old book and a beautiful dagger. Edward was riffling through the book looking for something as I looked around the hall. My eyes were drawn to the pillars and I looked at them a bit closer. The pillars themselves were very beautiful, they had a Roman feel to them. What caught my I though was the bowls placed on top of them. Just like the candlesticks, the bowls hand the same symbol and writing on them. The only difference was that the symbol and written formed a border around the bowl.
"Ok, I'm ready to start if you are?" Edward asked breaking me out of my admiring of the bowls.
"Yes I'm ready," I said trying to sound confident.
"Ok good. I will need you to stand in the middle of the stage facing the pillars," he explained as he lead me over to the spot he wanted me to stand on. I took a deep calming breath and reminded myself that whatever happens, happens and I will deal with it. Edward walks back over to the table. Shortly afterwards he quietly starts chanting. I couldn't hear what he was chanting as my heartbeat was drumming in my ears. I turn my head slightly so that I could look at what Edward is doing. It was only then that it struck me that he never told me what I needed to chant. I tried not to panic as I knew Edward was there with me and he will be there to instruct me through the process. Edward picked up the dagger and held his open hand above the chalice. He then made a cut across his palm with the dagger as he kept chanting. He curled his hand into a fist and I watched as the blood started dripping into the chalice. Edward kept chanting and then suddenly one of the candles lit up and as he kept chanting the other candles lit up as well. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. After each candle had been lit Edward took a cloth that was on the table and used it to wipe away the blood on his hand. To my amazement there was no wound on his palm. Edward grabbed the dagger and cleaned it as well and he then moved over to me.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked me. I nodded my head and looked over to the pillars. I let out a gasp as the bowls in front of me had been filled with the four elements of the affinities. In the first bowl to my right, was soil and I was overwhelmed by the smell of the forest right after a big rainstorm. The next bowl contained a mini tornado just as Edward had said it would and I could feel the wind on my face. The next bowl was filled with water and I felt a sense of serenity wash over me. The last one looked like it had a campfire going on in it and as I stared at it, I could feel a heat course through my veins. It was a very intense feeling and I almost craved more of it. This is it. This is the moment the truth about my affinity will be revealed. I was equally nervous and excited. Edward handed me the dagger and told me to place my arm out in front of me with my palms turned up. I had the dagger placed on my right palm and Edward placed his hand on my other palm. He started chanting again, but I was couldn't understand what he was chanting as it was presumably in Latin.
"Ok, Bella now it's your turn to chant. Just repeat after me," he said.
Edward whispered to me and I repeated the words;
Testor potestatem affinitates
Suscipe ad te pignus
ut cernis , et potestas elargiri deceat
"Ok, that was perfected Bella. Now I need you to keep chanting that and move over to whatever affinity you feel connected to," he instructed. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I kept chanting. I tried to focus on which affinity I felt drawn to, but I felt drawn to all of them.
"Edward I feel drawn to them all. What do I do?" I asked nervously.
"That's good Bella. We will start with Earth then and then move on to the rest of them," he said as he lead me over to the bowl that represented Earth.
"Ok, I need you to make the cut across you palm and then ball your hand into a fist and let your blood drip into the blow and chant the next part as you do this," Edward instructed and then whispered the next chant to me. I made the cut across my palm and flinched at the sight of the blood but quickly balled my hand into a fist and held it over the bowl and repeated what he said to me;
Voco super terram
fide et dedicationem ad susceperis
et mihi largiri usum potestatis
I gasp as I saw the soil move from the bowl and start circling my body. I could feel the power of the Affinity run through my veins. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced. The soil returned to the bowl and when I pulled my hand back and looked over at my palm the cut was gone. I was astonished at what just happen. Never in a million years did I think this was possible. Edward gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and we swiftly moved on to the mini tornado in the next bowl. Edward quickly whispered the next chant to me that was pretty much the same except for the affinity I was calling upon. I made the cut across my palm once more and balled my hand into a fist and held it over the bowl as I chanted;
Hoc igitur dico, aere
fide et dedicationem ad susceperis
et mihi largiri usum potestatis
I watched as my blood slowly dripped into the bowl and how just like with the soil the mini tornado move from the bowl and circled around me. I felt the power course through my veins again, but it felt different to that of earth's power. I could feel the wind on my face and it almost felt like it was picking me up as I could no longer feel my feet touching the floor. I closed my eyes and relished in the feeling of power and spirituality it evoked in me. Just like before the element returned to the bowl and the cut on my palm was gone.
I repeated the process with the next bowl, the affinity of water. Edward reminded me of what to chant. I made the cut easily and wasn't even slightly bothered by the blood anymore. I extended my closed fist over the bowl and watching my blood drip into the water as I chanted;
Hoc igitur dico, aqua
fide et dedicationem ad susceperis
et mihi largiri usum potestatis
I watched the water move out of the bowl and I quickly closed my eyes and let myself be engulfed by the feeling. I could feel the power and sense of serenity wash over me. It felt like I was floating peacefully and I wanted to hold on to that feeling. Unfortunately, the element returned back to the bowl and I had to move on to the final affinity, fire. Edward and I quickly moved over to the last bowl and I could already feel the heat radiating off my skin. I looked over at Edward and he gave me an encouraging smile and held nothing but pride in his eyes. He whispered the chant to me and took a step back from me. I made the cut one last time and hesitantly extended my closed fist into the fire over the bowl as I chanted;
Te invoco , ignis
fide et dedicationem ad susceperis
et mihi largiri usum potestatis
I immediately closed my eyes as I felt an intense heat spread throughout my entire body. The power I felt in indescribable, I have never felt so alive before. It was like I had been dead all my life and someone had just lit the match and set me on fire. It felt like I was capable of doing anything. It was such an intense feeling that I could hardly breath. Just like before the fire returned to the bowl and left me breathless. I tried to catch my breath as the severity of what had just happened came crashing down on me. I could hear Edward finishing the ritual as I controlled my breathing. It was over now. The ceremony was completed and I had been granted the power of all four affinities.
And there you have it, Bella has all four affinities. The next chapter will be about the talk with Esme...:)