The days went by much too slow. Adrian noticeably avoided her but it stopped getting to her after a while. She had bigger problems. Her power wasn't staying stable. She felt extreme cold sometimes that she had to wear a coat. Added to it, she had no one to talk to.
Worst of all, the school expected her to take part in the final exams of the session. She didn't understand how the days had gone by. She'd barely paid attention to school but Dimitri expected her to ace her subjects. Classes she had skipped. Even he wasn't being entirely helpful, whenever they met, he always seemed to have something on his mind.
"You look horrible." Destiny stated when she saw her.
"Thanks. I feel horrible." Kara flipped another page.
She would be lying if she said she understood half of what she read. Her mind was too busy trying to keep her from exploding.
"Want to talk about it?" Destiny asked and sat beside her.
They were on the floor, in-between the shelves in the library.
"Nothing much to talk about. I'm definitely flunking my final year, there's that. Oh and my 'brother' keeps spying on me, waiting for me to explode. My 'friend' is avoiding me for some reason, hiding under the excuse of finals. The guy I had a crush on is acting as if I don't exist without letting me know why. And to top it all, I AM trying not to explode. I was fine in the beginning but now, I don't know." Kara flinched with a curse. "And I keep zapping myself for no reason whatsoever. "
Destiny knew who she was, friend or foe, she didn't care. She just needed to say it out loud.
"What if I'm not the hero in this story like you believe?" She asked all of a sudden. It had been on her mind for a while. "What if they are right and I am chaos?'
Destiny smiled and turned her so her back was to her. She pulled out a scrunchie from her pocket and packed Kara's hair into a ponytail then turned her back.
"Not one is ever really a hero. There will always be chaos, sacrifices and losses. Its part of life." She answered with her smile. "Shouldn't you be asking me other questions like who is Hera? Or why did I mention the shadow prince?"
Kara patted her hair, sighed and stood up. "Not yet." She was ready to leave, her head had stopped booting anyway.
It was weird that she didn't want answers yet when she was a curious person. But she had her reason. Knowing the answer meant she was accelerating everything that was to come. If she couldn't keep her power stable, how was she suppose to handle the worse things that will surely happen to her.
"Kara, remember, you are not weak. You are new to this all and its okay." Destiny said when she was still within earshot.
She traced her way to a door that had stairs leading to the roof. Liv had showed it to her on their tour of the school.
Kara let go of the cold within her as soon as she got to the roof. She fell to the floor panting. A wave of heat washed over her before she felt cold again. She crawled to the wall on the darker side of the roof and closed her eyes.
She needed to figure out what was wrong with her. Needed to fix it before it destroyed her. She should have asked either Liv, Adrian or Dimitri for help but her heart told her otherwise. She didn't want to worry Klaus, didn't want anyone to notice their relationship. If the truth of what she was came to light, people might give him a hard time for knowing. Bad enough it was obvious he had taken a liking to her.
"Ugh, why are you here?"
The irritating voice was none other than Ezra Knight. She hadn't paid attention to his pack since Adrian stopped talking to her. Ash greeted her whenever they met and tried to strike up a conversation. He was the nicest of the lot.
"Damn buzzing bee." Kara murmured enough for him to hear, still with her eyes closed.
"Why are you in my spot?" He asked coldly.
Kara sighed. "I'm not in the mood to argue with you today Ezra."
She looked frail. Weak. But most of all, she looked exhausted. Her hair looked like the colours were fighting for dominance and the white part was winning.
Ezra sighed and sat beside her. Something about him pulled her. He had a nice scent that dulled her senses in a good way, she felt more relaxed than she had been in a while.
"Just for today, let me lean on you." She whispered and placed her head on his shoulder. His body went stiff.
Kara closed her eyes. "You smell different."
"Different good or different bad?"
She snuggled in and began to doze off. "I don't know."
...
Anastasia Deville stared at Oakley school with her heart aching but her face calm. It was dangerous being this close to her daughter but she hadn't been able to resist.
"Ana." Reginald said when he got to her and pulled her into a hug.
She took in his warmth and released a heavy breath.
"No one has seen or heard from you in a long time, I was surprised to see your letter. And a bit nostalgic at the code." He said as he pulled her deep into the forest to sit on a log of wood.
She smiled at the thought of their childhood. "Father would be proud we never forgot."
The siblings sat in silence for a bit. Apart, one wouldn't think they were related. But together, it was hard not to notice the tilt of their head like nobles, the ghost smile that softened their face and the piercing blue eyes only Devilles had. The white hair was also a sign but Reginald had dyed his hair to keep from being noticed.
"Tell me of her." Anastasia said finally, she knew her brother had been waiting for her to ask.
"She looks like us, even in character. I can't count the number of times I caught her sneaking out of her room at night. She has this air around her that radiates power if one pays close attention." He laughed fondly. "But recently, she's been looking exhausted. The colours of her hair show that the battle has begun."
"Hera wants out." Ana said quietly.
Reginald nodded with a sigh and said after a while. "She's lonely."
"Hartridge's daughter..."
"Is a person of her own. You can't control everyone around her, Anastasia. The prophecy will come to pass whether we all like it or not." He placed his hand on his sister's shoulder.
He wanted to protect them. Wished he could. But fate had a hold on all of them and the Devilles knew, more than anyone, that fate always ran its course.
"You never married." She tilted her head back to look at him. Her big brother.
"You know why Anastasia." He closed his eyes and inhaled the smell of nature around him. "Do you remember? The dance of rain?"
"To bless the souls of the ones gone. How can I forget?" She replied and bite her lower lips to stop herself from crying. "Is this goodbye Regi?"
He stood up and held his hand out. "Race you to the river."
One last time, the Deville siblings raced each other to the river. They were laughing when they got there, Reginald being the first. They looked at each other and bowed. He held his hand out and she took it. A step that led to a dance. Devilles were known for their dance. They were a water tribe that valued family above all else.
It was the last dance to be done by the Devilles. The dance done by the river made the water rise and fall on the dancers like droplets of rain. For the first time in a long time, the sky looked sad. When the rain came, it was like the sky was shedding tears.
The dance ended with Anastasia leaning on her brother, sobbing. He held her one last time before pulling away.
"You must go Ana." He said and placed a kiss on her forehead.
She clenched her hands and hit her chest. "It's hard." She said inbetween gasps.
Her white hair was damp and clinging to her face.
"Yes, letting go is hard." He smiled at her. His black hair was tied into a ponytail as was the custom of the men of their tribe.
Reginald Deville raised his hand and commanded the water to pull his sister into the river.
"I will see you on the other side." He said finally.
She nodded, her lips quivering. She looked like his little sister who always followed him around when they were young. He wanted to hold her, to protect her and never let go.
But he stepped back. With one last bow, he turned and walked away from her. The water pulled her away from Oakley.
"Till we unite Reginald Karan Deville, may the rain help you find peace." Anastasia mumbled and closed her eyes. It hurt to watch the forest swallow him when she would never see him again.