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Acacia/Ciarán - Age 15

Meliorist Sanctum

I'd never been so relieved or happy to snuggle my face into the pillow of my dorm room bed. I inhale deeply and release a very slow breath as I let everything wash over me that happened. Dante dropped me off earlier after the brief encounter with Mercury for the apology that was owed to him.

"I never thought you'd end up in Elysium," her voice surrounds and nearly startles me from falling off the bed. When I lift my chin and turn my head, I see Nimue sitting...hovering perhaps...on the edge of Sinéad's bedpost.

My heart hurts at the brief flickering thought of when my dad believed I was lying about the magic I can do...

My anger though comes forward as I sit up and snap, "Leave me alone."

Nimue arches a brow and questions, "You don't want to continue learning who you are and what you're meant to do?"

"Because trusting in you has oh so helped me thus far," I watch as she shifts her demeanor, coming to leap off the post and setting her boots on the floor.

While Nimue moves toward me without hesitation, my muscles tense and I scramble back away. She narrows her eyes and says, "What are you talking about?"

"I couldn't show my dad what I could do..." my voice trails off every time I think of the disappointing look in his eyes. I continue with, "Why?!"

"Hush," her voice is commanding as she stands before me. I watch as her eyes scan over my form while I sit with my heart skipping every few beats. When she speaks again, she sounds frustrated and disappointed, "My brother cast a sealing rune..." by her tone, I can tell the siblings are not on the same page.

"What..." my voice is hardly distinguishable, noticing the tattoos briefly flicker on her flesh with an opaque purple before there are strands of silken webs surrounding her hands. When she lifts them up slightly, I shake my head in confusion.

"Let me release the rune," Nimue's demeanor is so different from the previous times she's come to me. Calmly, I attempt to remain sitting without moving as she raises her hands closer to the sides of my head, her eyes briefly flashing from amethyst to an electric blue.

I feel slightly lightheaded when she finally draws her hands away, and I notice the way she takes a step back...though it's more of a stagger. When I focus on the dark and coldness, it courses right to the center of my heart before I immediately see the spindling spider's webs encircling around my fingers and creeping up my forearms.

As I lift my gaze to meet with hers, I question, "I don't understand."

Nimue glances away from me as she murmurs, "...broken-" though I can't catch the remainder of her spoken thoughts.

"Nimue?" I question as I rise to my feet.

She glances at me, and a tiny smile plays on her lips before she notes, "You were marked as defenseless..." her voice trails off as she steady's her breathing, the astral projection of who she is slowly reminding me she's going to slip away, "...thankfully, I'm out of his reach to be punished for what I've done. You delving into your abilities is not part of his plan..."

Nimue wraps her arms around her body as the spider tattoos on her elbows glimmer slightly.

What?

Even if...

"Why are you helping me then?" I try to ask her hurriedly, "You say he...Lars did this to me? Why?! What did I ever do to him?"

Nimue releases a tiny sigh as she states, "It's not what you've done to him...it's what you can do to him," she pauses a moment as I see her form slowly fading. She looks at me hard and says, "No matter how desperate you are...don't fully trust him."

"How can I trust anyone now?" My muscles are tense as I feel the coldness seep further, driving me closer to an edge I haven't felt before. I cry out, "How can I even trust you?"

"Then don't...I'd rather you trust neither of us than place your trust in him," her voice is but a whisper before she completely fades away, leaving this plane far behind...

I fall back onto the bed, my eyes staring up at the ceiling as I feel I'm losing touch with my sanity. Why would Lars shut away everything Nimue has shown me?

Better yet...

...why does she want me to have it?

"That was the longest summer ever!" Sinéad's voice sounds from the door the second it's thrown wide open. I bolt off the bed with a slight help as she turns to me and laughs, "Acacia!" She screams and smoothers me in a tight hug, "God I wish I could have taken you under the sea with me..."

After she's done choking me, I ask her, "Why? What happened?"

"Oh, Niamh was a drag, and because of how we got into a fight our mother took away our pendants so we couldn't go on land at ALL as punishment during the summer. Supposed to make up and blah, blah, blah shit," she motions with her hands as she rubs her forehead with irritation.

I can't help but feel...happy. I'm delighted to finally see my friend and the coldness slips away from me without a second thought. I shake my head and sigh, "I would have loved to spend time with you."

"Rough summer?" She asks me as she begins to unpack her bags.

"Yeah..." my voice is quiet as I can hear a squealing sound coming up the stairs, yet no footfalls can be matched up. It's a few moments later; I see Fae flutter through the open door while grinning at the two of us.

Fae cries out happily, "Mother had a royal court ball this summer!" She pauses and sighs, swooning in the air before her wings catch herself from hitting the floor, "I met someone!"

Oh goodness...

"A prince?" Sinéad and I both ask at the same time. She laughs at me, and I scrunch my nose to the side and laugh right back.

"Of course!" Fae is giddy with summer love before she continues, "He's from a neighboring realm and guess what?"

"What?" I ask while Sinéad finishes unpacking.

Fae balls her tiny hands up into fists just under her chin as she giggles, "He's going to attend HERE! You all get to meet him tomorrow!"

Sinéad waves a hand and asks, "Does the lucky prince have a name?" She arches a brow at our friend.

Fae nods and touches down onto the bedcovers of my bed, "Prince Aven Glassreaver."

"Sounds fancy," Sinéad releases a sigh before she plops down on the edge of her bed.

"I'm so happy you met someone, Fae," I smile at her, wanting so much happiness for my friend because she deserves her prince.

Sinéad snickers, "I take then you won't be fluttering off to Ciarán anymore?"

Fae shrugs her shoulders and giggles, "Nothing wrong with eye candy."

When I become very silent, not even sure how Ciarán regards me any longer, Sinéad asks me, "Acacia?"

Drawing out of my thoughts I shake my head and say, "It's nothing."

"Counting down the days till you make the right choice and go to your grandpa's, huh?" Sinéad asks, and I can't help but release a sigh at her words. I'm torn, but perhaps I will come to the end of the year because I don't think I'll be able to face my dad for a long time...

"Yes," is the only response I hold.

Sinéad states, "Well, at least I wasn't the only one who missed it."

"Missed what?" I question her while Fae appears to be keeping quiet about it.

"I thought you would have known...considering Fae-" Sinéad is cut off as Fae is making silencing motions at her.

I furrow my brows and ask, "What are you going on about?"

Fae finally gives up and throws her arms into the air before exasperating, "Mercury's end of the summer and new year welcoming party for the school year."

Oh, then I missed absolutely nothing.

"Eh...it's Mercury, but I wanted to go to hang out with everyone," Sinéad appears a little upset as the actions taken by her sister during the end of the year screwed with her summer. She shakes her head and states, "It's okay, we can all go the start of next year."

Oh lovely.

"If you stay out of trouble," Fae wags her finger at Sinéad.

"I will," she rolls her eyes. She glances at me and asks, "I know there are issues with-"

"It doesn't matter, and it's not till next year so whatever," I reply back rather quickly. I'd like to be normal and hang out with my friends, and it's not like we have to stay wherever he holds this party...it'll just be the place we meet up and disperse afterward.

Sinéad winks at me and says, "Self-entitled vamp brat won't do shit around there," she laughs and says, "it's near the water's edge about five miles down the coast of the school. I saw it from the water's edge, couldn't stay away," she shrugs her shoulders innocently.

That does make me feel slightly better.

"Anyways..." Fae diverts the conversation and turns to me asking, "...anything exciting happen over the summer, Acacia?"

I shrug my shoulders...

...just got thrown in Elysium and met a kitsune...oh and a whole lot of mixed hybrids and true born hybrids. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Nope," I reply, my answer sufficing her curiosity before I release a heavy sigh.

"Should be interesting this year," Sinéad's voice is quite a distance. When she glances at the two of us she continues, "Bryant is gone...so, student council..."

I look away and say, "I'm sure whoever is elected as president will do just a good a job as Bryant."

"Nothing ever happened with that crush?" She asks, and my face becomes red at the memory of the end of the year ball and how everything spiraled out of control.

"No..." I reply back and state, "...it wasn't a crush, he was just my date."

Fae eyes me slightly and giggles, "You may appear as you hate him...but you sure liked giving up your blood for-"

"I did NOT!" I yell at her, startling the faerie as she stumbles backward and almost off the bed. The coldness numbs my heart, Sinéad's eyes staring at me with confusion before I'm shaking my head and walking through the door.

"Acacia!" She calls me while I hear her in the distance chastising Fae with, "What happened?!"

I hardly care to hear anymore because I'm trying to stop the tears from falling down my cheeks. I'm down the stairs and in the common room, keeping my face and gaze downward while weaving around others milling about. Sniffling under my breath, I make it out the door and down the steps to the central courtyard.

My gaze surveys very briefly everyone excited to start the new year, but I turn away and move out of sight behind the building. I lean my back against the wall, wiping the tears that I couldn't stop from falling down my cheeks. This doesn't help, and I start to cry before sliding down the wall and sitting on the ground.

I pull my legs close to my chest, my forehead pressing against my knees as I shut my eyes tightly. This isn't what I want...others continuing to believe something that isn't there.

It's a few minutes, hearing those further off walking to their destinations, before I hear something that startles me, "Acacia?"

I don't even want to lift my face...

...I don't have to though, because, in a matter of seconds, arms wrap around me as I'm pulled into warmth. It makes me cry a little harder when I hear Ciarán's voice near my ear as he asks, "Hey...what's wrong?"

How can he...after everything?

I slowly lift my chin, my eyes meeting with his as I shake my head and try to push him away from me. That doesn't work, and I cry, "What are you doing?"

"Look..." his voice trails off as he his grip tightens slightly, "...just because what happened doesn't mean you aren't my sister...what's wrong?"

The only compassion I see is the wolf reflecting in his eyes as it's the one he can't suppress at this moment in time. I shake my head again and say, "Just leave me alone."

"Why are you upset?" He pushes, and now I'm beginning to understand how I'd driven him so far long ago to lash out and hurt me...only my strength pales in comparison to his.

"I'm just so tired of everyone seeing me how they think I am when I'm not!" I snap that at him, his eyes searching mine.

He's quiet for a few moments before he tells me, "Then show them what you want them to see."

For once...

...his advice isn't half bad.

💫--To Be Continued--💫
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