One moment I was dreaming about dancing in the ballroom and the next I am face down on the floor wide awake. I groaned, wondering how I managed to fall from the top bunk. The was a railing, I don't think I could have climbed over it in my sleep.
"I told you that was a dumb idea." Alvina snapped.
Her jet back hair pushed away from her face by a cute pink bunny ear headband. Which matched her pink bunny slippers and her long green nightgown. If I weren't in so much pain, I would have laughed at the paradox standing before me.
"That one was my bad." Kai voice echoed in the room.
I snapped my head towards him watching him gaze down at me from the ladder. He wore grey sweatpants and a white tee-shirt that seemed to have shrunk in the dryer.
"What just happened?" I touched my forehead tenderly, no doubt it was red or swelling.
"I wanted to carry you out of the bunk because Clementine is sleeping and then wake you up outside." Kai confessed as he rubbed the back of his neck.
I turned to look at Clementine who was still sleeping peacefully despite all the commotion.
"I said, 'we should just wake her.' But then he made a comment about how cute you look in your sleep." Alvina winked at me and heat rushed to my face.
"Ugh…it's to early for this." I groaned and fell backwards forgetting I was on the floor and not on my bed, "Ouch!" I groaned out. Now I have a pain both the front and back of my head.
"Come on." Kai extended his hand to help me up, "We don't ant to wake up Clementine." I hesitantly took his hand, allowing the sparks to shoot up my arm.
Now standing, we quietly crept out of the room. Once outside they let out a collective sigh of relief. I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion.
Sensing my confusion Alvina said, "Waking Clementine is like waking dragon. Not a good idea, especially if you want to live." She shook her head.
My eyebrows shot up and looked at them incredulous, "You are telling me the sweet girl who kept asking me for forgiveness when she shot me with her orb because I was going berserk, is a dragon?" I let out a hearty laugh.
"You do not believe us." Kai stated, "Just you wait, if you wake her. We will be the one's laughing over your grave."
"Okay." I shook my hands in mock terror, "I'm terrified." I added before walking to the front door.
"Just you wait." Alvina threatened.
"Well I don't have all of eternity like you guys." I quipped.
"With that attitude you wont last more than a few more days." Zephyr piped in, leaning on the outside wall.
"Did you just get back?" Kai asked giving him a bro-hug.
"Back?" I mouthed to Alvina.
"I went exploring." Zephyr explained giving me a heavy look.
Exploring? I don't get it. I looked at Alvina, but she too was giving me the look packed with meaning.
"Use your brain. He went searching for the waterfall." Nyra reprimanded, "Ask him if he went North-east of the mountains."
"I heard the north eastern part of the mountains look really good from above. Did you go there?" I tried to let him know that he should look there without saying too much.
"Is that where you went?" Kai interrupted out silent conversation.
"Lie." Nyra instructed.
"No." I fiddled with my fingers, "I remember the girl I came with to Ravenwood mention it."
"Okay." Kai gaze notified me he didn't quite believe me, but he wasn't going to press any further.
"I actually flew over it a couple times." Zephyr diverted the attention away from me.
"What's it like?" I asked, trying to sound interested.
"Mesmerizing. The way the trees sparkled underneath the darkness of dawn." He added wistfully, informing me he didn't find anything.
"Are you ready for training? I'm not going easy on you, I promise." Kai switched the subject. Maybe he didn't like to feel excluded or he could sense we weren't going to say anything.
"Good." I grinned at him, "Is it possible to um...unleash my demon?" I asked quietly.
"I didn't catch that." Kai placed a finger to his ear as if that would help him hear better.
"Can I" I took in a deep breath, "unleash my demon?" I said as I exhaled quickly.
"Are you crazy?" Alvina shouted, "What if it consumes you, you could die or worse kill someone."
"Not a chance in hell." Zephyr added dimming my hopes.
"Fine." Kai said at last turning all our heads towards him.
"Really?" I asked hopefully as my smile stretched wider than the equator.
"Yes." Kai sighed, "It's better if you unleashed it with us around rather than on your own. You need to learn how to control it and there is no class for that." Kai explained.
"But-" Alvina began.
"No." Kai silenced her, "She does it under my watch. I will make sure nothing happens to her."
"Let's go the backyard, it's better hidden." Zephyr added reluctantly before turning towards the back.
I followed him to the back of the house towards a small rectangular area courted off by small rope.
"This is our mock rink; you can let out your demon in here. It's enchanted to not let anyone in or out unless ordered by the Dux." Alvina explained.
"Okay." I entered the ring. Now what? My demon side only ever came out twice and that's because I felt trapped or cornered. Now I have to summon it, and I haven't the slightest idea how.
"Call to the darkness!" Zephyr added.
I looked at him incredulously, "I'm suppose to do what?"
"Remember your darkest memories and call forth suppressed anger." Alvina explained.
Darkest memories, that shouldn't be so bad. I close my eyes and ignored the rhythmic breathing of my friends. Darkest memories, I reminded myself as I flipped through my memories like a scrap book. I remember one night; my family had gotten together at a big dinner. The waitress had given me a flag from the hotel, but I couldn't for the life of me remember where it was. My father's step niece wanted the flag, but the waiter had given it to me. I refused to give it up and he had caused a big scene. Which somehow made it my fault because I wanted something. My parents had to leave in embarrassment, and I ended up giving my step cousin the flag. My mother stormed off into the car in an angry rage, but my father made me walk with him. I could sense he was boiling with rage; I am not sure if it were the alcohol or the embarrassment that made him do what he did. He proceeded to hit me on the head several times and rather hard. By the time we reached the car I was a crying mess and when my mom asked what happened. He lied saying, 'he barely touched me, and I was being overly dramatic.' We never spoke about the incident after that night, but it was that night that I realized I was alone in this world.
Hopelessness consumed me once more as I recalled the night. I felt something foul stirring in my stomach and I knew it had to be the demon. I let the anger towards him consume me and let the tears fall for the first time in ages. I can't remember the last time, I cried.
Rage consumed me like a deep inferno fire brewing within. I felt the promise to never be alone reassure me. Come on out, I called to the darkness.
"You won't ever feel like that again, I promise." Nyra added but I didn't need fake words of assurance.
I opened my eyes and for the first time I didn't feel so helpless. My magic seemed easier to control as I lit my hand on fire and let it spread through my body. Soon I was no longer on the ground, I gazed at my arms expecting to see wings. But they where the same puny arms I have had my whole life. I turned my head watching dark black wings erupt out of my shoulder.
"A half shift!" Zephyr called out as wonder clouded his gaze
I worked with my rage and it felt liberating. I didn't suppress anything, nor did I hide anything with a smile. I was me and this darkness was me.
"You need to calm down, Twyla." Alvina called out.
I didn't want to. I didn't want to forget the feeling of the wind in my face or the weightlessness of my chest. I didn't want to give up all the control I achieved in minutes that I couldn't muster for weeks.
"It's not what you want, it's what you need. If you give in, then you will be killed." Nyra tried to explain.
Let them kill me, they couldn't even if they tried. I felt so invincible. I tried to fly away but something stopped me. I used my body and charged at the invisible force that was holding me back.
"Twyla!" Kai voice pierced the darkness, "I need you to come back." He called out and I felt myself lower to the ground. He needed me?
"What am I suppose to do if you died before your eighteenth birthday? How am I suppose know if I was actually crazy or not? I know I am being selfish, but I need you to live and come back!" Kai marched over towards the edge of the ring and I walked to him. The darkness began to fade away but the heaviness that usually rested on my shoulder was not there.
He entered the ring and pulled me into a hug. How was he able to calm me down when no one else could?