[Valerie]
“Why am I friends with you again?” Sarah asked, huffing. I hitched my backpack on my shoulder and shot her a confused look, but then again she could be upset about anything so I was not worried.
“Because no one else will tolerate your drama,” Kenneth quipped, used to her dramatics like I was and slung his arm around her. She didn’t swat it away. I bit back a smile. I said, “Thanks, Ken. You are the bestest friend I could have asked for.” Like the script of a play, Sarah glared at me and then at her mate. “I hate you both, ganging up on me ever since we were 6.”
Kenneth snorted. “No, you bullied us, sweetheart. We are just returning the favour now.”
She stopped walking and so did we. Here we go. Folding her arms, she stared at us like we had said something incredibly bizarre and offending. “I…I bullied both of you? Ridiculous.” She scoffed. Kenneth and I exchanged a glance, a silent conversation happened and then he held up his hands placatingly because if this went on we would never get to know why this fickle-minded girl got mad in the first place. “Okay..okay, you didn’t. We misunderstood.” Well, it was kind of true. She had been trying to make friends with us ever since their family relocated to Ravenwood and we, being the two introverts, always tried to avoid her. However, she forced her way in, carving a permanent place for herself in our hearts.
“Oh really?” I heard her grouse. He hummed in agreement and went on to encircle his arms around her petite frame and even though she pretended to protest, it was just for the show. I smiled at the couple. A phantom ache made itself known in my heart, I pushed it away.
“Now, why are you mad at me?” I said loudly before these two could become gross. Sarah let go of her mate and pinched my arm. I yelped. “What? What was that for?” She flipped back her auburn hair and replied. “I heard you will be shifting to Crescentville to study there?” Kenneth raised his eyebrows. He looked at his mate and then back to me. I bit my lip, slightly taken aback that she heard this so soon.
“Let’s go to my room and talk, yeah?” Neither of them looked pleased about the suggestion. As we walked to the Ravenwood castle, I mentally prepared the excuse that I had prepared. They didn’t need to know the actual reason or reasons.
Staying on campus and with your family might be advantageous and a good thing for many, but for me, it was anything but. Eager freshmen, grouchy juniors and tired and just ‘two seconds away from giving up’ seniors dotted the campus. Today was the last day of the first semester and I was planning to start my next semester in Crescentville.
The castle has been renovated and has apparently also become a huge attraction for students from Supernatural backgrounds, thanks to my parents. Naturally, my father had now stepped down from being the Dean of the Ravenwood University, my elder uncle, Tristan taking up the mantle with his mate, aunt Ava. Now he was the Alpha King and mom still reigns as the Queen of Mage.
~~~~~
"Classes over?" Arnold, dad's beta and aunt Mathilda's mate asked as we entered the Castle while he was coming down the steps. "Yeah, only today. Prof. Lilly isn't up for teaching today," Sarah chirped, obliviously the only person happy among us for classes being cancelled.
"Where's Naomi? Didn't see her in the class today," I said. Arnold looked slightly abashed and I immediately understood why. Naomi, being an omega went through frequent Heats, more so than an Alpha and a Beta wolf. At least she had a wolf, I thought glumly.
"I get it," I added. He shot a small smile before leaving.
~~~~~
We took the stairs to the East Wing. Our family lived here while uncle Tristan and aunt Ava lived back in the house with my grandparents. I hated living here personally. This place felt impersonal and there was a lack of privacy.
As usual, no one was present at this time. We went to my room, which was at the end of the corridor. Sarah plopped on the bean bag while Kenneth got cosy on the sofa. “I love how you have so much independence.” She stretched languidly like a cat.
I shot Sarah a flat look. However, the comment stung. It’s not like I didn’t like my freedom but sometimes, I wanted to feel like a part of the family.
“Sarah,” Kenneth warned. She looked at me sheepishly, having received the message. “Sorry,” she mumbled with enough guilt lacing her tone. “My mouth has no control.” I answered back with a tight smile.
“Anyway, tell us why you are abandoning us?” She scowled. Kenneth was giving me the look that said that he would talk to me about this later. I averted my gaze not wanting to give away the secret that my heart has guarded for the past 5 years.
“I…wanted to go to Crescentville from the beginning. Remember Elias? The man who had visited us when we were in high school? He has come back from his travels and is willing to become my mentor. But dad said I should at least give our University a try. I did but I want to be training under Elias, so…” I shrugged as if that explained things.
Kenneth frowned. “He can practically teleport here. Why not stay here and learn. We have everything that is needed.” I bit back a retort. I felt annoyed at how he could see right through my lies.
“Well, I can’t expect him to come here to teach me, can I? Also there uncle Drake and Grey, so I will surely be able to get more insight and help there. Plus, I never wanted to study here in the first place.”
Lies. And I knew Ken knew this because his scowl deepened. I looked away, deciding to look at my other best friend who was looking somewhat sad. I sighed. “C’mon guys. It’s not like I am going away forever. I will be back during term breaks.” Sarah harrumphed and folded her arms. “It’s not the same. Our Uni has more amenities than that Crescentville. Your mother came to study here, remember?” she pointed out the obvious.
I always heard this story and had to tolerate the coos and gushes that I had to hear about how my parents had a perfect love story. I scoffed. “And so? I am not going to Crescentville because I need to find my mate. My mom didn’t even know she was a mage when she was my age.”
“I hate it when you are right,” she grumbled. I looked at Ken, who was staring at the floor, thoughtful. I gulped and tried to not pacify him like I used to when I chose or did something he didn’t like. But that was when he was unmated, the time when I thought we were…
I plopped down on the bed and let the two brood for a while. Then, as expected, Sarah, who could never remain silent for more than 5 minutes, said, “So when are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow.” I didn’t dare look at either of them, but I could imagine Ken’s hazelnut eyes wide with shock and Sarah’s mercurial ones narrowed at me. “You….you are leaving for I don’t know... three freaking years or more and you decide to tell us now? No wait, you didn’t even tell us in the first place, I…got this news from my mother who heard this from Lana.”
“Mom knew?” Ken asked bemusedly. I fidgeted with the hem of my purple hoodie and even though I felt annoyed at the way Sarah was talking I couldn’t refute it completely. I knew how much our friendship meant to her. I knew how much she was hurt and when she is hurt, she tends to get angry and defensive. Ken, on the other hand, becomes even quieter. Hah, they complement each other so well. No wonder…I suppressed another wave of heartache and forced myself to emerge from the well of pity and instead focused on pacifying my friends.
“Brownie~,” I used the nickname that annoyed her the most because her wolf’s colour was brown, and moved over to where she was sitting and crouched before hugging her from the side. She didn’t budge and that was not good. She continued pouting and I could tell this was not for show. I suddenly felt shame engulf my heart. I hugged her tighter. “I really wanted to tell both of you. But…I knew how you both would react, so…” It was a very flimsy excuse. I quickly peered at Ken who refused to even look at me and that increased my guilt tenfold.
“It’s not like we would stop you, you know,” Ken finally uttered with anger in his tone and eyes, then abruptly stood up. He gave me a look that conveyed hurt and anger simultaneously and stormed out of the room. Sarah’s gaze trailed her mate’s exit anxiously. She lingered for a while, clearly in a dilemma. I let go of her. “Go.” She didn’t need to be told twice.
“We are not done talking,” she said curtly without turning and then she, too, was gone.
I blew out a breath, my heart clenched as I furiously blinked back the tears. Why…why did I always disappoint and hurt people when I tried my damn best to not do so? Why?
[Valerie] “Yes, I have eaten. No, it’s not a takeaway.” I stabbed the tofu with more force than necessary, the food crumbling slightly. “Viola and Xyan? They haven’t arrived….How will I know?” I shoved the spoon in my mouth. “....Yeah. Love you too, mom.” I ended the call and placed the phone on the dining table. I was not expecting much, but still…I concentrated on the food on my plate. However, when I tasted the salt drops, I realized I was crying. I sniffled as I continued eating. My parents could have spared some time for me today, couldn’t they? Even my siblings had no time for me now. It was not like I wouldn’t see them. After all, Crescentville was a place I was familiar with since my childhood. But still…I would be away and….and wouldn’t they miss me? I swallowed the piece of garlic bread without chewing. It wasn’t always like this….was it? I wondered where everything went wrong? Why did everyone or when did everyone become so busy? Was it when Xyan began to help him and
[Valerie] “You look extremely excited,” Irene commented dryly when I joined her for the morning run. I shot her a deadpan look. The comment was no doubt because of the visible dark circles around my eyes. I could hardly sleep yesterday and when I finally got some shut-eye, the alarm blared painfully in my ears and every ounce of sleep just fled. We ran for an hour. Both of us pay attention to our energy levels and speed. I glanced at my watch. 10km, not bad. I was beginning to feel slightly winded but Irene looked like she could run 10 more kilometres. “What happened? Are you that excited about leaving home and starting an independent life?” Even though she had asked the question lightly, playing it off as teasing, I detected the underlying concern. I decided that lying would be the best option because I had no explanation for mom’s outburst yesterday. “Yeah. Imagine I will finally not be babied by everyone,” I replied enthusiastically, sounding slightly out of breath. Irene sho
[Valerie] That night after an uneventful dinner, I locked myself in my new room. Thankfully, mom managed to get me a room of my own. Maia has to share hers with another girl from the pack even though she is practically the soon-to-be Alpha of the pack. She said, “In Pa’s words ‘Sharing will enhance your sense of responsibility and keep you humble,’ and I don’t see anything wrong there.” Well, she was an extrovert, so of course, she wouldn’t have problems. I, on the other hand, did not like socializing that much. I stared at the glass of water near the bedside table and scooted toward it. Removing the lid, I hovered my hand a few inches above the rim. I wiggled my fingers slowly and, as mom had once said, concentrated on feeling the heat in the middle of my palm. “Feel it spread
[Valerie] “So…Viola is going to the Medeis Challenge,” I said casually over the breakfast table. The said person wasn’t present as usual. Grandpa, and Nan exchanged worried glances while mom stiffened and Maia’s eating slowed down. I shovelled another spoonful of oats into my mouth to keep myself from saying something which would label me as childish and immature once again. “Oh…really? Good for her,” Maia replied with a shrug, uncaring on the outside. She had the ability to lessen the tension and normalize the situation. However, this time it fell flat. I did not bother to reply and that is how the rest of the breakfast went by. That afternoon, Elias asked me to stay back after class. I had yet again failed to show him my ability to control water. &nb
[Valerie] “So, you mean to say….you showed a cool act for the first time and we weren’t there to witness it,” Sarah said petulantly. I felt the corners of my lips tip upwards. Kenneth scoffed before asking, “How are you feeling?” And yet again my traitorous heart skipped a beat. It was so…him. He knew me like the back of his hand and maybe because we have been friends since we were barely crawling, we had that special bond. I didn’t immediately answer, as I tried to push back the lump in my throat. “I am…fine, just surprised,” I finally replied airily. It was easier over the call because if he had been in front of me, he would know immediately that I was anything but. “Okay. So how did Elias react?” Sarah, ever the tension dispeller, interjected.
[Valerie] What will they decide? I know the answer rather too well, which is why I increase my speed, covering the 10-minute distance in 3 or so minutes. I catch my breath once I reach the packhouse. I bend over, bracing my hands on my knees, and take in huge gulps of breath. Damn, I should have continued my jogging routine. I manage to earn a couple of strange and curious looks from the members, but I only smile and bound up the stairs towards the study where I know my mom will be. As I approach the room, I hear my dad’s voice. “Who dared to put my daughter’s name on the list? How can you be so negligent?” I suppress a sigh. “Xav, it’s not like I want to be negligent. We are investigating. You kn
[Valerie] The days pass by but neither mom nor Elias mention or even utter a word about the Challenge. I try to not let that affect me but somehow it does and even more so because dad is still kind of pissed at me and I know because unlike other times he didn't try to pacify me. “Concentrate.” Elias’ voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I glance over to see him frown back at me. The Challenge is two weeks away and I am still staggeringly behind. While I can now control Element a little and not make a total fool out of myself, my peers have progressed immensely. I let out a sigh and begin anew. The classes have been hectic along with other studies and training. Mom seems to be avoiding me while Elias seems to be only focusing on developing my skill.~~~~I was woken up yet again and this time because I felt restless. I rolled over on my back and started in the dark. The night was humid so I had kept the window open. When after several minutes I couldn't fall
[Valerie] Just like mom had informed, Viola left her cabin and made her way towards the edge of the forest. Mom and Elias accompanied her. I was thankful dad wasn’t here because if he would have been present then I would surely be caught red-handed. Nonetheless, I keep my footing light and try to maintain a good distance from them. They halt just where the forest stretched out. Mom put a hand on her shoulder and murmured her well-wishes, and so did Elias, reminding her of the things she should keep in mind while performing. My heart clenched painfully. This could be me. I could also be there but then…I closed my eyes and took in a steady breath even though inhaling proved to be difficult. I hitched my backpack tightly and watched as Elias murmured the spell that would teleport V