When I woke up, I found myself in a cozy room that smelled like lavender and vanilla. The room was really well decorated, with purple curtains, a fluffy carpet, and a bookshelf full of interesting titles. I wondered where I was and how I got here.
Had I died a second time? I remembered the pain of Lila's sword piercing my stomach, the blood gushing out of my wound, and the darkness that enveloped me. I tried to get up, but a sharp pain in my abdomen stopped me. I looked down at my stomach and lifted up my shirt. There was a large bandage covering the area where Lila had thrust her sword into me. It was stained with dried blood, but it seemed to have stopped bleeding.
I heard footsteps outside the door, and then it opened. It was the demon magic teacher. She looked at me with a mixture of relief and surprise.
"You've finally woken up, Aaliyah, I thought you were dead," she said, rushing to my side. She checked my pulse and temperature, and then smiled. "You're lucky to survive, you have a strong will to survive."
"What happened after I fainted?" I asked, trying to get up, but the teacher gently pushed me back down.
"Stay here and get some rest, you've been asleep for three days. If you weren't half demon, you'd probably be dead by now," she said, and I listened attentively and motioned for her to continue.
"There was a magic barrier in the gym that created an illusion that everyone could see except you, Lydia, and Lila. It made it look like you were having nice fight, fighting each other, but in reality they were trying to kill Lydia."
The teacher paused for a moment, as if to remember what had happened.She sighed and continued.
"And then I had to take you back with me. You were half demon, I couldn't let the others look after you. They might have feared you or hated you, or worse, tried to kill you. I was the only one who could heal you. And besides, Lydia visited you during those two days. ."
Lydia came to see me? I found it strange. She was supposed to hate me. Why would she care about me? Maybe she felt sorry for me. Or maybe she felt guilty .
"Nobody else visited me?" I asked, curious to know who else might have cared about me.
"Well, your sister Zoé came by a few times. She was very worried about you, too. She's a sweet girl, and she loves you very much. You should be proud of her. And also, the other princess came to see you. " she finished.
"I'll go and tell the others that you've woken up. Stay here and drink the glass of blood I left for you before the others arrive." the teacher said, before standing up and heading to the door.
I nodded and thanked her for everything. Then I opened a hologram to look at my statistics, but nothing had changed compared to last time, except for one thing that remained switched on.
Bloodlust: activation in 30 minutes
I felt a pang of hunger in my stomach, and a thirst in my throat. I knew what it meant.
I took the glass of blood that was right next to me and drank it. It was warm and sweet, and it filled me with a strange sensation of satisfaction and power. I looked at the hologram again.
Bloodlust deactivated.
At least one good thing done. I lay back in bed to make myself more comfortable and sighed.
A few minutes later, the door opened again, only this time it was Zoé and Zara. Zoé couldn't resist jumping into my arms and giving me a hug. She was so warm and soft, and I felt her tears on my cheek.
"Don't you dare scare me like that again, I thought you were dead," said Zoé, starting to cry. She sobbed into my shoulder, and I felt a pang of guilt. I could only understand how Zoé felt, if I'd really died I'd have blamed myself for leaving my big sister who was supposed to be protecting me.
"I'm fine now," I said, trying to calm her down, but she started to cry even more and to hold me even tighter, so I put up with the little pain I was in because I didn't want to worry her. I stroked her hair and kissed her forehead, and told her that I loved her. She was the only family I had left, and I would do anything for her.
Zoé finally stopped crying and stood up with a radiant smile that made me smile too. She had such a cute face.
"I'll never let you out of your room again," she said with a serious face , making me laugh.
"Don't say that, I still have to live a little, don't I?" I said, laughing.
"In that case, you'll only go out to eat," Zoé finally said, then burst out laughing, followed by Zara and me.
"It's good to see you're doing well," said Zara, giving me a hug.
"I'll be back to talk about what happened, Aaliyah," Zara whispered in my ear before stepping back. She looked serious, and I knew what she meant. She wanted to talk about Lydia, and how I had saved Lydia's life. Zara probably wouldn't have liked that.
But for the moment, I didn't care. My body had decided to act on its own, and during the fight, Lydia had been rather nice.
The teacher spoke again, taking me out of my thoughts.
"Well, it's getting late, Zoé and Zara, you'd better get back to the castle. Aaliyah can't go back with you yet, but she will be able to in a few days," said the teacher, then Zara and Zoé got up. They nodded, and they hugged me again.
"See you tomorrow," they said at the same time, then headed for the exit and the teacher followed them, leaving me alone again. I watched them go, and I felt a wave of gratitude and affection for them.
Only a few seconds later, the door opened again.
"You've forgotten something," I said, hoping to see Zoé or Zara, but no, it was Lydia.
She slowly approached me, as if to see if I was a dream. She looked nervous and unsure, and she avoided my gaze. She was wearing a white dress and a silver tiara, and that made her beautiful.
She stopped in front of me, and then she started to cry. She covered her face with her hands, and she sobbed quietly. I was shocked, and I didn't know what to do. I had never seen Lydia cry before, and I had never imagined that she would. She had always seemed so strong and confident, so cold and distant. I had never thought that she had feelings, or that she cared about anyone.
"I'm really sorry, it's because of me that you're in this state," Lydia said sincerely, and it rather surprised me. She looked at me with tearful eyes, and she seemed genuinely remorseful.
She blamed herself for what had happened to me, and she felt guilty for it. She had never apologized to me before, and she had never shown any sign of regret for anything she had done.
I really didn't think Lydia was a sentimental person, I wasn't really observing what I should be doing, it was the first time I'd seen Lydia in this light ,and she looked like a normal person, not like her usual haughty, nasty self.
I felt a strange sensation in my chest, and I didn't know what it was. I felt sorry for her, and I wanted to comfort her. I took her in my arms without really knowing why, and then I began to whisper in her ears.
"It was me who decided to save you, and I'd rather be hurt than see you dead," I said, but I didn't recognize the words I'd just spoken. I didn't know why I said that, or what I meant by it. I had acted on instinct.
I looked Lydia in the eyes, and then I saw her blush. She was red as a tomato, and she looked embarrassed and shy. She was so cute,and I felt a flutter in my stomach. I found all her facial features really beautiful, and I felt a pull towards her. But then the door opened, and Lydia stood up. She looked startled , and she quickly moved away from me.
"Did I miss something?" asked the teacher, who had returned. She looked curious and amused, and she raised an eyebrow. She had seen us hugging, and she had probably guessed what was going on. She smiled at us, and she winked at me.
"No, goodbye, Aaliyah," said Lydia, before leaving. She was all red, and she didn't look at me. She ran out of the room, and she slammed the door behind her.
What the fuck just happened.