Chapter 14

       We hadn't even been stuck in the cells for a full day and I was already freaking out. It was way too small, and I felt like with each passing hour, it was getting smaller and smaller.

       I couldn't even pace the room too much, but sitting still wasn't doing me any good.

       However, that was all I could do. I was sitting on the very stiff bed with tears flowing around my eyes, no matter how much I tried to stop crying.

       "Nolan, are you okay?" Jerome asked me from his cell.

       "No, I'm not," I said, wiping the tears away, which was pretty much useless because I was still crying. "I can't stay in here."

       "We'll get out of here soon," Jerome said. "I promise. Just hang in there."

       I didn't even know if we would actually get out of here any time soon. It all depended how long Martha wanted us in here and judging by the way she was acting, it was probably going to be for a while.

       It definitely didn't help that Jerome's magic was blocked in the cellar.

       The door to the cellar opened and someone walked inside before my cell door opened, and I was both happy and worried to see my parents walk in.

       "Nolan..." Mom said slowly in a soft voice and I was so worried both of my parents were disappointed in me.

       "I'm so sorry," I said, the tears still flowing.

       "Hey," Dad said, walking over and crouching down in front of me. "Don't you ever feel sorry for falling in love."

       "You're... you're not mad?" I asked.

       "Of course we're not," Dad said. "Besides, we already knew."

       "What?" I asked. "How?"

       "You're our son, Nolan," Mom said. "It was obvious for us. Martha may not have noticed it but whenever the whole situation with Jerome was mentioned, you looked extremely nervous. It also explained why you stayed out all night one time. We just don't know why you didn't tell us."

       "Because I was scared," I said. "I still am. I can't be in here any longer but Martha isn't going to let us go."

       "We'll go talk to her," Dad said. "And just know that you can always count on me and your mother to be here for you, no matter what. We may be Protectors, but you're our son first and that's more important."

       I nodded and Dad pulled me into a hug. I really hoped he would be able to convince Martha to let me and Jerome leave.

       "We love you a lot, Nolan," Dad said.

       "I love you too," I said.

       Mom and Dad then left to go talk to Martha, and it wasn't long before she showed up. Judging by the stern look on her face, there was no way she was actually going to let us leave.

       "Let me explain how this is going to work," Martha said. "The Two Souls Prophecy is quite dangerous and will only cause destruction if you two aren't careful. This is the best way to keep everyone safe."

       "Everyone except us, you mean," Jerome said.

       "It's for the best for everyone," Martha said. "You two included."

       "Are you being serious right now?" Jerome asked. "Keeping us locked away isn't what's best for us. You're only going to cause a lot of damage keeping us in here like this."

       "No, I won't," Martha said. "Nothing bad can happen with you two being in here."

       As soon as Martha walked away, I was finding it a bit hard to breathe. I got up from the bed and starting pacing in the cell, but there wasn't much room.

       I eventually had to stop pacing because it was too hard for me to breathe.

       "Nolan, please tell me you're okay," Jerome said, but I couldn't reply because I was too occupied trying to gasp for breath.

       There was a sudden BANG and the force shook the ground a bit, causing me to lose balance and fall against the floor. A loud siren then started to sound.

       I stood up and saw Jerome trying to open my cell door. "How'd you get out?" I asked.

       "The benefits of being a sorcerer," Jerome said. However, he was trying to use his magic on the lock, but nothing was happening.

       The alarm started getting louder, and I began to panic a bit. "Jerome, you have to get me out of here," I said.

       "I'm trying," Jerome said. "I don't get it. I was able to use magic in my cell, but not here."

       "Keep trying," I said. "Someone will be here any second because of the alarm you set off."

       I was right. Someone did show up almost immediately after I said that, but it was actually someone I wanted to see.

       Orchid.

       And she had a key to my cell.

       As soon as the door opened, Jerome pulled me into a tight hug.

       "Okay, I think you need to cut the reunion short and get out of here," Orchid said. "The Tribunal will probably be here any minute."

       Right as she said that, I heard footsteps coming this way, so Jerome attempted to make a portal.

       It wasn't working.

       "My magic is still blocked," Jerome said.

       "How did you get out of your cell in the first place then?" I asked.

       "I don't know," Jerome said. "I just suddenly got really mad because you were having a hard time breathing, and magic just burst out of my hands."

       The footsteps were getting closer and I looked over to see Martha and a few other Tribunal members following her. Because I really didn't want to go back into the cell, I held onto Jerome's hand.

       Jerome was finally able to create a portal and pulled me through it. Right at the last second, I grabbed Orchid's arm and pulled her through with me because if I didn't, she was going to be in a lot of trouble with the Tribunal.

       We ended up in Jerome's apartment where Mae was, and when she saw us, she immediately hurried over and gave her brother a hug. "I was so worried!" she said. "You were gone for so long!"

       "I'm sorry," Jerome said. "The head of the Protector Circle ended up finding out about me and Nolan, so they locked us in cells."

       "What?" Mae asked. "Why?"

       "Well, she said it was to keep everyone safe from the Prophecy, which made no sense," Jerome said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to put up a barrier around our apartment so they can't come in here."

       While Jerome was working on putting up barriers with his magic, Orchid pulled out her cell phone to text Mom to let her know what happened.

       "Sorry for pulling you here with us," I said.

       "Are you kidding?" Orchid asked. "I broke you out of there, and I would have gotten in a lot of trouble. Besides, even if they didn't know it was me and you left, I would have left the HQ anyway because there's no way I'm letting you go through this alone."

        I smiled and pulled my sister into a hug. "Thank you," I said. 

       I really shouldn't have a favourite sibling, but it was kind of hard not to have one when Orchid was always there for me, and even risked getting in trouble just to get me out of that cell.

        I would have done the exact same thing for her.

       "Well, that, and not being part of the Protector Circle means I can finally talk to that cute werewolf without being afraid of getting in trouble," Orchid said.

       I chuckled. "Of course."

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Nolan and Orchid are still my favourite pair of siblings. Basically my favourite pair of anything has Nolan as one half because Nolan.

EXCEPT FOR PARENTS. POPPY AND GRAYSON ARE MY FAVOURITE PAIR OF PARENTS. Omg now I'm just remembering when they were little teenagers and Grayson picking up a dead frog in science class and trying to get Poppy to kiss it.

...um someone turn off my brain please because i just thought of a book idea in this series...