Thankfully, I was able to find my room again after at least an hour of wandering aimlessly. I hid the two pictures and letter, making sure that no one would ever find it. I showered and dressed for bed. I snuggled under the sheets, all of my previous rage vanishing into thin air.
I woke up the next morning feeling rested. I left and visited Caspian and Luka for a bit, wishing them a speedy recovery. When I had visited Luka, he thanked me for standing up to Archean. I just smiled, not saying too much. Next, I spent four hours training outside. It was early October and I could feel the chill of fall. The trees had started to change color and the sun liked to hide behind the clouds. Gusts of wind swept fallen leaves across the fields and shook the trees. I loved all four seasons, but fall was definitely my favorite.
I was whacking a dummy with a wooden pole, when Talia came bounding up to me. She seemed to be in a panic and struggled to say anything comprehensible. Finally, she paused, taking her time to catch her breath. With a loud gasp, she blurted out the reason for her panic.
"Amara! Lily has been kidnapped!" Talia cried. I dropped my wooden pole, shocked. Talia continued to explain. "One of my friends found out! Apparently, she was supposed to come in for her usual monthly visit six days ago, but she never showed up! The Association isn't concerned about it because they just think she is late, but we both know that she is never late."
I was gasping for air at this point as this new reality hit me. It felt like the world was ending. It crashed down on top of me, drowning me in its horrible truths. I choked as a pit formed in my stomach and my mouth turned dry. Talia noticed my panic and grabbed my shoulders, steadying me. "Amara, breathe! You need to breathe!"
Tears began to flow down from my eyes. "It's all my fault!" I cried repeatedly. Those words swirled around me, pounding deeper into my heart. Lily could have been safe. If I had been more careful, if only… I sobbed, upset at myself and angry at the people that had taken her. Talia rubbed my back as I cried my heart out. I wanted this pain, this guilt to go away. I wanted it to be buried down so deep. I wanted to be numb.
Suddenly, I couldn't feel Talia's arms around me, and I was blinded by a sudden cold. The ground was ripped from underneath me, and I was standing on air. A voice called my name, but a deafening silence soon dominated my hearing. I became so numb that the only thing I knew was the sound of my breathing and the slight thump of my heart. Even the piercing voice of Crystal was not allowed in this icy land. The tears on my face froze on my cheeks, making me realize that I wasn't numb. No, I was frozen.
I rested there, barely feeling anything, but I soon thought back to everyone in my life. Precious moments rushed into my mind, creating a tiny spark in my chest. Astrid's wide smile, the sparkle in Talia's eyes, the disbelief of Luka, and the face of Lily all swam in front of my eyes. At that moment, I knew.
I didn't want to be frozen. I had a job to do: saving Lily. I knew that I couldn't run away from my problems. I couldn't hide in this frozen tundra. This place was dark and cold. I wanted to see the faces of my friends, and I wanted to know what this mission is that I was assigned.
I felt a tingling sensation in my toes. Slowly, it crept up, and I gasped as I felt heat cascading over me. I basked in the warmth, but soon it became a little too hot. I opened my eyes to see myself literally on fire. I gasped in shock, immediately rolling on the ground to try to stop it. I saw a flash of red and the fire was gone.
"Amara! Are you alright?" a panicked voice cried. I groaned, mumbling to myself. "Whose crazy idea was it to set me on fire!" I said, slightly irritated, but happy at the same time.
Nobody said anything. I sat up and saw many worried faces. But, one of them was very amused. I glared at Wren. She was trying to stifle her laugh. "Amara," she said, "you were frozen, and the only way to melt someone is with heat!"
I shook my head. I opened my mouth to retort, when I remembered why I had woken myself up. "Lily!" I blurted. Everyone blinked, confused. I bolted upright and started to run. They called after me. I glanced back, the whole team was on my tail. I sprinted into the mansion, pushing open doors and dodging people. I turned a corner and burst into Archean's study.
Archean, very much surprised, looked up from his stack of papers. His eyes narrowed when he saw me. "And to what do I owe this visit?" Archean said in a snipped voice. "Lily," I gasped, trying to catch my breath. "She is missing, and I know you know that it is strange she has been missing for so long."
Archean raises an eyebrow and continues to flip through his papers. I glared at him, my temper starting to flare. "Don't dismiss me like that! We both know what is actually going on!" I said, my voice growing louder.
"And?" Archean asked. I gave him a frustrated look. "You know exactly what," I hissed, my voice dipping low. I heard the shuffling of feet behind me, alerting me of the team's presence.
"My answer is no."
My vision blurred from rage. "I don't think you understand, Archean. This isn't a question."
Archean's head snapped up. "Ms. Solis, my answer is final! You are forbidden from going after that…that criminal!"
I gritted my teeth and stormed out of the room. I brushed past the team without a glance. Right now, I was too furious to even look at them straight without scaring them. I entered my room and pulled down my beat-up travel bag. Emptying the contents, I saw my old sweater and a couple of wrappers. I grabbed the two pictures, the two letters: one from Lily and one from the Old Guard, and clothes. I decided to leave my phone, just in case they could track me. My necklace felt cold and heavy as I put it on. With one last sweep of my room, I was satisfied and returned the bag to its previous hiding spot.
I left my room after that and exited the mansion. I kept walking, all the way to the training grounds and far past that. When I was deep into a forest, I pulled out my pocket knife. Gently, I pricked myself and smeared the blood on the carvings. It transformed into the large, yet light sword that I had come to love. Twirling it in my hand, I faced the nearest tree and adjusted my stance. With a swift motion, an incision was made into the bark of the tree. I narrowed my eyes, frustrated. I swung again, making a deeper cut, but it was maybe only an inch. I gritted my teeth and tried again. It took me an hour to make a cut about four inches deep. There was no way that I would be strong enough to face Lily's captors, unless I used Crystal's assistance.
I sighed, discouraged. I was about to head back, but something told me to try again. So, I raised my sword and positioned myself. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, relaxing myself. When I opened them, I noticed the shift. I don't know how, but I had awakened myself. This time when I swung my sword, the tree was cut in half like it was only twig. With a step and a twirl, I slashed another tree. The sound of cracking and trees falling echoed through the clearing. By the time I had paused, five trees had fallen.
I needed to be strong, for Lily, for the team, and for myself. I didn't know what was waiting for me in the future, but I was going to be ready to face it head on. I turned and slashed another tree. They fell like giants whose knees had buckled underneath them. I was in a frenzy, sprinting through the forest and leaving a path of destruction behind me. I finally collapsed when I had pushed myself to the limit. Breathing heavily, I stared at the gray sky. Clouds blocked the sun, and I was soaked with sweat. I closed my eyes, feeling the shift again.
Suddenly, my exhaustion weighed down on me and I struggled to get up. My whole body was shaking by the time I got back to the mansion. Astrid passed me in the hall, gasping when she saw me. "What happened to you?! You look like you got hit by a hurricane!"
"Training," I mumbled. She shook her head and sighed, continuing on her way. I arrived at my room and took a much-needed shower. I sighed in satisfaction when I got out. I changed into comfortable clothes and made my way to the dining room for dinner.
The dining room was minimalistic. It had light gray walls and a long table that stretched the length of the room. Cushioned chairs lined the table on both sides and a bigger chair was positioned at the head for Archean. Most of the team had already arrived when I sat down. I stayed silent for most of the meal only engaging if the need arose. Many agents also dined with us every night, making the dinner even more uncomfortable. I saw Malcolm when I had entered, but I hadn't spoken to him since Luka had told me about him. I finished my meal and was about to leave when Archean stopped me.
"Amara," he said, motioning to sit down and wait. Everyone looked up and stared at me. I fidgeted underneath their gazes. I finally surrendered and sat back down. Sitting there felt like an eternity. Finally, I was able to leave, retreating to my room. I was about to close when someone called my name. I groaned. Can't I catch a break?!
Gram had followed me from the dining room, and he was now standing there with an uncertain face. "Hey, I have...heard about Lily. I just wanted to say that we will figure something out to get her back."
"Oh, thanks Gram," I said. He said good night and left. I closed the door and leaned against it, closing my eyes. My heart ached when I thought about what I was about to do.
I'm sorry, Gram, but I can't wait for you to figure something out. Lily saved me, now it was my turn to save her. I needed to do something now. I'm going.