“You’re unfair. You won’t wait up for me again. You know I can’t move as fast as you. Mommy said I still have a long way to go before I’ll be able to do that,” I ranted, angrily stomping on my feet as he persistently kept on pulling me.
“Okay, already. I’ll slow down,” he replied as he started running at a normal pace. I hurriedly ran after him, safely tucking my flowers inside the pocket of my dress. With one hand on my head, keeping my crown from falling, I ran as fast as I could across the field of blue bells, lilacs and fairy wands. I stumbled a couple of times, but I didn’t mind. Adrien was with me. And he came back each time I tripped to help me up before he started running ahead of me again.
The excitement I felt instantly swallowed me as my eyes finally caught sight of that small hill we both love. I managed to run faster, actually making it only a few steps behind him. He always wins even when he has to occasionally stop in order for me to keep up with him. When his hand finally grazed the tree, he happily jumped up and down.
“Touchdown!” he shouted, continuing his bouncing act with both his fists pumping in the air. I ignored him and just lay on the grass, gazing up at the most beautiful tree in the world. I was so used to Adrien’s happy dance by now so I just waited until he tires himself. I smiled up at the blues and greens of the marble tree that we both cherish, closing my eyes as I once again breathed the air in. My smile widened when I felt him settle down beside me.
“Adrien, how come we always find each other? Playing fake hide and seek isn’t fun at all,” I complained.
“Dad said it’s because you’re going to be my wife someday.”
“What does wife mean?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it means we’ll be friends forever,” he answered, and I felt him smile as the words left his lips.
“I really like that. Until we’re able to play hide and seek properly, let’s be each other’s wife, okay?” He laughed at that and I opened my eyes, frowning at him as I leant my elbows on the grassy patch, so I could turn and look at him. “What’s funny?”
“Skylar, you’re going to be my wife. And I’m going to be your husband. We can’t both be wives. That’s too redundant,” he explained as he laughed again. In the end, I joined him, not understanding what he meant at all, but his laugh was infectious, and I love it when he’s happy. It pleases me, too.
I sighed as I lay back on the grass, smiling up at the shade of the marble tree as the last rays of sunshine were biding us farewell. They made the entire tree glimmer as each soft beam of sun touched the leaves, scattering a beautiful light display of blues and greens everywhere around us. Adrien held my hand as he scooted closer to me until both our shoulders touched each other.
“Adrien, you’ll be there tomorrow when Aunt Lynn performs that ritual, right? I won’t go if you’re not there,” I stated as I felt my lips pout again.
“Of course. I promised you, didn’t I? I’ll be there. Then maybe after that my mom will let me marry you, so we can finally figure out this hide and seek game,” he said as he looked at me, blowing on one of my pigtails so it tousled and landed on my face. I hurriedly tucked my hair under my head and glared at him. He smiled innocently with that chubby grin he knows I like. I rolled my eyes at him and just lay back down.
“What’s marry? Is that the ritual where we’ll be husband and wife?”
“I think that’s it. Dad said you only marry someone if you’re happiest when you’re with them, and if you love them,” he replied in a soft voice, frowning a bit.
“What’s wrong? Does that mean you love me?” I asked, turning my head towards him.
“Yes. I love you, Skylar. Because I’ve never met anyone else like me who sucks at hide and seek like you do,” he answered with a serious tone.
“I love you too, Adrien. Exactly for the same reason,” I happily replied as I bent my head to lean on his shoulder. He sighed and rested his head on mine as we both witnessed the last glimmering traces of our marble tree.
I felt a smile slowly spread on my lips. That was such an adorable dream. I opened my eyes and blinked back a few times. I instantly frowned when I realized I wasn’t in my room. Was this Elise’s room? I shook my head, immediately crossing out that last thought. I was about to stretch my arms out when I realized that one of my hands was locked. Peering down to check what it was that kept my hand immobile, I instantly felt my body fill with warmth at seeing Adrien there.
He was sleeping, his head and arms resting on the side of the bed as he held on to my hand with one of his own. Why was he there and what actually possessed him to hold my hand this casually yet again? I blushed even more at the situation we both were currently in. I scratched my head and wondered where I was once more, allowing my eyes to rake the room, trying to solve that puzzle.
Light brown painted walls, casement windows with dark frames, deep orange metallic curtains, fine shades of wooden tiles, some antique-looking furniture, and bed covers with colorful stripes of mossy green, black, white, and yellow—nothing was familiar. I really didn’t have a clue to where I was. I guess the only person who knows the answer to that mystery is the peaceful sleeping form beside me.
I dropped my gaze back to him and immediately noticed how striking he is. I didn’t have time to observe before because of the shock of waking up beside him. Now that he isn’t awake yet, I have free reign to just stare at him. I felt myself blush again as I saw how his long, dark hair was slightly disheveled as it rested, spread out on the bed sheets. His mouth was partly open as he silently breathed in a steady rhythmic pattern. I frowned when I saw his cheeks and lips. I didn’t really notice how his cheek bones were slightly high and pronounced, and how sensual his lips looked. I knew he had nice lips, but oh my God. People would die for lips like that!
As I quietly debated on whether or not to wake him up, my mind roamed back to that dream. I finally remembered that day, and I couldn’t believe that boy with the chubby cheeks grew up into this heavenly creature in front of me. I couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped my lips. He looked so beautiful even while he was sleeping. If I had my phone with me, I wouldn’t hesitate taking a picture of him. I frowned when a lock of his hair managed to escape its place and ended up covering one side of his cheek, blocking some of my view of him. I struggled in making a decision if I should pull it back to where it belonged just so I could stare at his face much longer.
But then my curiosity got the better of me. I stared at him one last time before poking his cheek with my free hand. He stirred but ignored my efforts. I poked him some more until he finally opened his eyes. For a moment, he had that dazed, sleepy look on his face before his eyes shone a bit as his lips formed a small smile. And then almost instantly, his eyes widened at the next moment. When realization finally hit him, he suddenly sat up and looked at me, his hair still ruffled from sleep. I could clearly see relief and happiness on his features. I stared at him with a questioning look before pointing down at our still locked hands. He didn’t blush like I did when he gazed at our hands. Instead, he just shook his head as he flashed me that brilliant smile that I know I’ve already seen before. The exact same one on that cliff before—
My breath caught in my throat. “Adrien, you’re alive. We’re alive!” I stated as panic suddenly took hold of my body. He instantly stood from the chair he was sitting and sat beside me on the bed, taking me into his arms as he worked his calming magic, slowly blowing the top of my head as he reassured me.
“Shh…” he cooed. “It’s okay. We’re fine now.”
“Cole? And Elise?” I asked as my horror gradually left.
“They’re okay, Sky. You made sure of it,” he replied, and I felt him smile somewhere along those words. When I finally calmed down, that warmth enveloped me again, and I was immediately feeling so self-conscious that he was hugging me when he suddenly spoke again. “I can’t believe how you suddenly burst out like that. That was really awesome, Sky! That was, truthfully, just two of the powers that only Imperials can perform.
”
I frowned. I couldn’t really remember everything. The last thing I recalled was seeing Adrien being choked to death and then something just snapped inside me. My eyes widened so much that I almost felt like they would pop out of their sockets any minute. “Oh my gosh! I really did all that? I can’t believe it, Adrien!” I cried out enthusiastically as I pulled myself slightly away from him so I could look him in the eyes. “That was out of this world! I really didn’t know I had it in me.” I smiled at him and he just returned that gesture with that same smile he gave me when we were kids. All at once, the dream came back to me. “Adrien,” I began. “I dreamt… No, I saw in a vision that day we played hide and seek,” I continued on, biting my lower lip to prevent the laugh from escaping, but it did anyway. “Oh my gosh. That was so funny. I finally remembered. The ritual with Aunt Lynn, the fields, the flowers, and that marble tree… our marble tree,” I enumerated as I grinned back at him.
He beamed, making his rich, silver eyes almost look like they were sparkling. Then a sudden thought must have reached him, because I suddenly felt like I just saw an idea flicker in those eyes. “You’ll love it there, Sky. Let’s go there after we eat breakfast.”
I frowned. “But Adrien, that field is in Propheria.”
“Yeah, I know. That’s why we’re going to that field,” he answered excitedly.
My frown just deepened.
He sighed, still beaming as he gently helped me out of the bed, guiding me towards the nearest window from the bed. I blinked back at him as he slowly placed his hand on the orange cloth of the curtains. His grin widened more as he pulled the metallic fabric to the side, cocking his head as he motioned for me to look outside. My eyes widened in a pleasant surprise, and the sides of my lips curved upwards at the magnificent view that greeted me.
“Welcome to Propheria,” Adrien silently announced beside me.
Epilogue
I gazed at myself in the mirror. My eyes widened at the sight before growing misty as I beamed back at my own reflection. I looked exactly like my mom. The similarity was so uncanny that I felt like she was staring right back at me. Nana slowly stepped beside me, leaning her cheek on the side of my head as she held both my shoulders. We both looked at the same image in the mirror—me in my rich, plum-colored prom dress.
A sweetheart strapless dress that gracefully flowed through the length of the floor perfectly fitted my body. I loved how the intricate silver details of pearls and rhinestone beads decorated the top of the dress as well as how the simple adorned brooch clung to the empire waist of the gown. The feel of how the A-line skirt of chiffon and satin material twirls every time I turn was wonderful. I just adored everything about it.
“Stunning,” she simply said as she grinned at my reflection. She carefully pinned a few silver-colored pearl beads on the back of my hair. Nana insisted that I had my hair tied up in a neat chignon with all the ends curled up, so they lay softly on the crown of my head. I have to remind myself never to argue with her when it comes to these things. I have to say the entire look was elegant. Thank God I have Nana to help me get ready.
I saw her give a small nod when she was finally satisfied with the way the beads were situated on my hair. She slowly walked back to my bed to retrieve the black velvet jewelry box she brought with her when she came to my room a few hours ago. With an excited look on her face, she unlocked it and got out two, antique silver earrings that each carried a light sapphire teardrop rhinestone on its end. My mouth dropped open as I held it in my hand. It was so exquisite, its entire two-inch length daintily lying on my palm. It matched well with the silver necklace that Adrien gave me, the one that I never took off since that first time I wore it. “They’re beautiful. Thank you, Nana,” I said as I lightly kissed her forehead. I turned back to the mirror and hurriedly secured them on my ears.
“Nicholas would have been high strung right at this moment, trying to keep every boy away from you,” she whispered softly, laughing a bit before wiping the corners of her eyes. I instantly stopped fidgeting with the earrings and hugged her. I felt like I was going to cry myself right at that moment, but Nana wouldn’t let me. “Now, now. You’re not allowed to cry. It’ll ruin your make up!” she cried out while still sniffing. I chuckled, hugging her tightly before finally letting her go.
“Nana, thank you so much for helping me tonight. What would I do without you?” I grinned at her and planted another kiss on her forehead.
She waved her hand dismissively. “I’ll go now and let you finish up with the final details,” she stated before leaving the room. As soon as she was out, I glanced back at the mirror and placed the last piece of earring, making sure it was securely locked before leaving the room.
I was just about to go down the stairs when I felt Adrien’s aura. A smile instantly fell on my face. The feel of his aura has definitely changed a lot since the first time I met him. This new aura carried a lighter feeling to it. It still had that strong characteristic, but this time it had a happier mood attached to it. This aura was definitely better than the previous one.
It has been months since that awful incident in the cliffs. I immediately stopped on the stairs as I recalled the morning after that event. I found out that Adrien insisted that I sleep in his room while Aunt Lynn, the Spiritualist who helped my parents erase my memory and who told Adrien about his prophecy, performed some ritual to speed my recovery. Everyone was astonished when I woke up just a few hours after the ritual was performed. And so, the discovery of another one of my powers was revealed.
Adrien and I went to visit the fields we used to play in when we were kids. I finally saw our marble tree standing right before me, and it looked like it never aged at all, a fact that overwhelmed me with delight.
As it turns out, Propheria wasn’t what I imagined it to be, just like what Elise said. Well, I should just remind myself not to be surprised about anything related to my supernatural side.
After that short visit in Propheria, everything in school went back to normal. Nobody really discovered the real reason for that blast in the Art room, much to my relief. Adrien, Cole, and Elise told me countless times how I shouldn’t be worried about anything, but I couldn’t help myself. I wasn’t used to being a witch as they were. Apparently, everyone just thought that one of the air conditioners in that floor broke down, which surprisingly, one of them did. I wasn’t sure if Adrien or Cole did it, but it was indeed broken.
They later shared that when that bomb exploded, Elise was able to pull up a shield just in time to keep that jade smoke from knocking all three of them unconscious. It took time for them to find me because of another one of Alastor’s spells blocking their efforts. But they were able to pull through once my rage rose while I was in that warehouse, and Adrien was able to sense where I was.
While we were on our way home to Rattford Cliffs, I found out from Adrien that only Rhiannon died on that stormy afternoon struggle. He said she purposely blocked the attack, receiving all my rage so Alastor could get away. I was quite disturbed when he conveyed that part of the story. For some reason, I was pretty certain that Alastor used his mind control, making his sister sacrifice herself for him. I shuddered at that thought. It was awful for someone to do that to his own family.
My thoughts instantly closed in on me the moment my phone beeped. I pulled it out of my pouch and read Nick’s message.
‘Hurry up. We have to take a picture together.’
I smiled and typed in my reply. All my friends were a little hurt that I always disappeared on them. Who could blame them? I didn’t use to be like that at all, and they were just worried about me. Of course, I had to lie to them. They really shouldn’t know anything about me being a witch. It was for their own safety. But I did promise myself that I would spend more time with them like I used to. And after my magical outburst in the cliff, I was able to hold on to that promise. I’ve been living a peaceful life for a few months now that it almost felt like I was ‘normal’ again. But I knew better.
/> As for my supernatural friends, our relationship just turned for the better. Elise shifted back to her sweet demeanor right before I knew she was a witch, and she was a regular visitor here in the house, mostly because Adrien was still that paranoid about Alastor. So we ended up having a lot of sleepovers either at my house or at theirs. Cole, on the otherhand, was still his usual, happy- go-lucky self. He was one of the most popular guys at school. He said it was too much for him to handle, getting his lockers filled with love letters and gifts every single day was starting to get on his nerves a little.
Adrien, was like his younger brother. He was also branded as one of the popular guys in Masonville High. The only difference is he wasn’t having his locker filled with stuff every day. I don’t know how he managed to do that, but it was working like a charm. Our relationship went on a completely opposite direction from where it used to be the moment I woke up on his bed that morning. I guess the reason why he acted like a jerk in front of me was because of what Elise said—his confusion with the prophecy. We haven’t really talked about it yet, and I was fine with that. I wasn’t really up for that awkward talk just yet. Right now, I’m just happy that we were finally friends. He turned out to be a nice guy underneath all that pretentious nastiness. He was thoughtful, funny, and annoying when he needed to be. But I was glad that he didn’t need to pull that stone-cold expression on his face like he usually did. I guess me finding out I was a witch took a lot of load off his shoulders.
Rebirth: The Awakening Of A Witch Page 15