Chapter 27

Orchid

       Atticus winced as I pressed a wet cloth against the cut on his shoulder. "Sorry," I said.

       "Don't apologize," Atticus said. "You weren't the one that cut me."

       "Speaking of, thanks for coming right away," I said. "You didn't have to help us defend the HQ, especially when it's two in the morning."

       Atticus, however, gave me a thin smile. "Hey, I'd do anything to keep you safe, and I've been training with you for a while now for a reason. I wasn't just going to sit back and let it happen. Or in this case sleep and let it happen."

       "I'm just glad you weren't too injured," I said. "Or that nobody was too injured."

       I finished cleaning Atticus's wound before wrapping a bandage around his arm. "Thanks for the help," he said.

       "Of course," I said, setting aside the first aid kit. Atticus then pulled me into a hug and I wrapped my arms tightly around him. I was so thankful to have a boyfriend like him. I wasn't expecting him to answer my call at two in the morning to tell him that the HQ was under attack, but he did, and he made sure to come here as fast as he could.

       "Sorry to interrupt this little love fest..." Alan suddenly said from behind me, which caused me and Atticus to pull away from each other. "Just kidding, I'm never sorry being a cockblock. Anyway, have either of you seen Jerome? Or Dirk for that matter? All other enemies had been accounted for except for Dirk."

       "No, we haven't seen him," I said. "Or Jerome."

       Alan sighed. "We've looked all over the HQ for the both of them and we haven't seen them."

       "I'm sure Jerome's okay," I said. "I hope."

       Right as I said that, a portal opened and Jerome walked out, followed by Nolan and Martha. "Ah, there you are," Alan said. "We thought you died."

       "Uh, I'm pretty sure you're the only one who thought that," I said.

       Alan shrugged. "So, where's Dirk?" 

       "With the Tribunal," Jerome said. "I was able to knock him unconscious and bring him there."

       "And he'll stay there for quite some time," Martha said. "However, that doesn't mean the threat won't be gone. I know the rest of his team won't stop until he's free."

       "A lot of them were captured during the attack," I said. "They're in the cells below us. Should they be transferred to the Tribunal as well?"

       "I think that would be for the best," Martha said. "I'll bring some people from the Tribunal down here to transfer them back. In the meantime, I'm going to need everyone here. I need to talk about something."

       "You're not taking over the HQ again, are you?" Alan asked. "Because we both know how well that turned out."

       Martha sighed. "No, I'm not taking over the HQ. Gene has sent me everyone's progress report for the training he has put you all through, and everyone has improved tremendously, so he's staying in charge. I need to talk to everyone about a prophecy."

       "A prophecy?" I asked. "What prophecy?"

       Martha didn't reply as she walked away to gather everyone in the meeting area, where we were right now.

       "Well, I'm going to take that as my cue to leave," Atticus said, hoping off the table he was sitting on. "All the fighting has made me very tired, especially since it's only two in the morning."

       "Okay," I said. "Thanks, again, for coming."

       "Anything for you," Atticus said with a smile, giving me a quick kiss before leaving the HQ.

       It didn't take long for Martha to gather everyone here and once she did, she stood at the front of the room. "First off, I want to congratulate all of you for doing an amazing job at protecting the HQ," Martha said. "Even at a time like this, you were all very efficient, and I'm glad to see all of you still standing here. Second, I'd like to inform you that Dirk has been captured and is being held at the Tribunal."

       That got everyone to cheer, but it didn't last as Martha held up her hand to get everyone to stop.

       "However," she continued, "that doesn't mean his team will stop their little rebellion. You'll still have to be on high alert, especially if they'll continue converting more supernaturals to their side. Third, I also need to warn you about a prophecy that's currently in action; the Two Souls Prophecy."

       I had heard about some prophecies in the Protector and supernatural world, but that definitely wasn't one of them.

       "For those who don't know, the Two Souls Prophecy can be very dangerous if anyone opposing the two souls find out," Martha said. "The prophecy claimed there would be a sorcerer and a Protector bound together, and it can make them a lot more powerful. One of the reasons the Tribunal banned Protector and supernatural relationships was to avoid the prophecy, but the sorcerer and Protector has found their way together."

        As soon as she said the prophecy was for a Protector and sorcerer, I knew immediately who she was talking about.

       I looked over at Nolan, seeing him with his head down as he stared at the ground. There had to be more to the prophecy to make him look so solemn.

       "The reason why we wanted to avoid the prophecy was because of the damage it can do," Martha said. "They can't be too far from each other for too long or so many disasters can happen. They can feel each other's pain. They'll be in a lot of pain if they see the other in pain. And, if one dies, the other will only feel anger."

       Now I see why Martha didn't want the prophecy to happen. If anyone opposing us found out it was about Jerome and Nolan, they could definitely use it to their advantage. They can cause so much damage just by keeping the two apart.

       "Like I said, the Prophecy is currently being fulfilled," Martha said. "And I'm sure you all know who I'm talking about. That's why I need all of you to stay on high alert. Keep Jerome and Nolan protected, and keep them together. Don't let them be separated for too long and if they are, contact the Tribunal immediately. Understand?"

       After everyone showed some sign of understanding, Martha announced that she contacted Tribunal members to come here and take the other hostages to the Tribunal with Dirk. She then dismissed everyone, telling us all to get some sleep.

       I walked over to Jerome and Nolan. "How did you two find out you're part of the prophecy?"

       "I felt his pain when he was fighting Dirk," Nolan said. "Not only that, but Dirk confessed that he did something when he stabbed me to make sure I wouldn't have been able to be healed. The only was it would have been possible was with the prophecy."

       "So, does Dirk now?" Alan asked as he walked over.

       "I wouldn't say for sure, but he has an idea that it is," Jerome said. "At least he's in the hands of the Tribunal, so he won't be able to do something about it. That doesn't mean the remaining members of his team won't be able to find out. One thing's for sure, though. They can't see Nolan."

       "Why not?" I asked.

       "As far as they know, they think he's dead," Jerome said. "Dirk thought he was until he saw Nolan, but thankfully, Dirk was the only one to see him, and that was right before I knocked him unconscious. If the rest of his team finds out Nolan is actually alive, and if they know about the prophecy, it won't take them long to put two and two together."

       "Well, then we're going to have to start doing things our way," Alan said. "I say we return the favour and surprise them with a little ambush of our own."

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Yes Alan, you're actually smart.

jk jk, i love Alan so much. 

I finally got my Halloween costume. cx I went to a Halloween story today, and I was angry they didn't have a Rapunzel costume BECAUSE THEY NEVER DO, but at least I found another costume I liked. :D 

Ooh, and the interent blocker was off today. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° ) I was actually able to watch so many YouTube videos, and I can lay in bed watching more.