Mass release: 14/25
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"That's why you froze when he came in," he realized.
She nodded again, "Last time I saw him… he almost killed me."
"Because you…" he cursed. "I see it now. You do look like her, with those eyeglasses off, you certainly do."
Swallowing, she gulped the rest of the water, "You knew mom?"
"Yes. Red-golden, daughter of the late Minister of the goldens. I met her some times after I started in here, since she came around when he came around. They were one of the strongest mated couples of the century. She was an outstanding witch, really powerful," her heart warmed at his words and a broken smile danced over her lips. "I… I'm sorry for your loss, Em. It was an accident wasn't it?"
Shaking softly, she nodded, "It was… my awakening. I got angry at how the staff was… talking about me behind my back, when they all acted like they loved me in front of me. I felt heartbroken and betrayed, and I… I ran to mom, because she was my safe place. But I… it didn't end well. Dad wasn't there, he didn't see… he thought I had..."
"Succumbed," he ended for her, she nodded, eyes teary again. "But you didn't. You didn't succumb. Fuck, I don't even know you didn't, how you are still… you. You might really be the first."
"Or maybe it's because, while Aaron is half soul and half golden, I'm not golden or red, Bhat," she whispered tired. "I'm a start-death witch. That's my curse. Death follows me wherever I go, even if I run from it."
"Hey," he growled, holding her hand, "it's not your fault."
"It's my fault for being hot-headed," she scowled. "Being angry in my case, means death for those around me, if they don't restrain me," she raised her wrists and pointed to her ankles. "You would all be dead if I was not using these today, you understand that? This is how catastrophic I am, Bhat. I'm broken, and I have no idea how to fix me," she cried. "A part of me died when mom died… because of me. I wasn't even angry at her, and she paid the price. Then I lost everything. My dad hates me, tried to kill me, and I've been on the run since I was 7 years old!"
He turned pale, "You were just 7?"
"Yes," she clenched her jaw.
"You awakened at 7 years old, Em?"
Sigh, "For a normal witch, it's soon, since they awaken at 9. For a changeling? Late. If the records are to be trusted at all, they awaken at 5, which is why those fuckers kill us at 4."
"I don't know about that. Aaron awakened at 9, like a normal kid."
"He's only half the freak I am," she chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Bhat, you have to keep it a secret. You can't tell anyone. Not the Circle, and definitely no one else. The Circle is directly under my dad, I bet they are also apart of the whole hunting-me shit. If they know I'm Emma. That I'm actually a Maya Lorenzen, and not a Psyche Dimitriadi, I'm screwed. I don't plan on hiding forever, I just… I just need time to control my powers, my emotions, to be able to fight everyone that will be after me, all while controlling myself well enough to keep whatever allies I make along the way safe, from those who want me dead, and from myself."
"And to think Dior is aware of this, what a mess," he cursed.
"A mess indeed," she chuckled anxiously. "Jade and Peridot told me not to trust Saoirse, the green witches, because they would harm me. I didn't listen, I though she was really my friend. I was naïve, needy of love. The first time someone didn't scorn me aside for either being brown, having the eyes I have, or being really fucking lethal, I was stupid enough to hand them all my trust."
"Only for Saoirse to betray you just to get the points," he finished.
"Yeah," she swallowed. "I don't care about Dior, but I won't lie and say I don't care about Saoirse anymore, it's only been like, five days since I learned everything and,"
Bhat gasped, "What? Five days? Dior said nothing for a year?"
Emerald chuckled anxiously, "Oh? That was a lie. I haven't been with her for a year, I met Saoirse for longer than that, but I only met Dior about 5 days ago. Well, less than that, since it was at night. And I straight up didn't like her, so, when they broke it all to me, plus Saoirse's betrayal… I did, indeed, almost killed them right there. But then that bitch locked me in a intoxicating cocoon that made me loose my consciousness," then she began to take of her left bracelet to show him the mark. "And when I woke up, still in the same night, she had handcuffed my wrists and ankles with special cuff having Scandinavian runes, that left a mark on me."
"Apparently, Saoirse had been passing down to her all that I trusted her with. That's what hurt me so deeply, because she was she first human I've ever trusted after my mom, and she didn't even think twice before she betrayed me like that. So, Dior already knew what I was, because of my eyes and all, and she spent a long time after an ancient spell that would help her containing me. She already knew I was my dad's daughter, and she had examined by blood while I was unconscious, so, she really knew what I was made off, which is why she used the Scandinavian runes."
"Then, after breaking up to me that I had to come to Alexandrini, and more a load of shit, still in that night, she began teaching me all the spells, since I needed to know everything to pass by her one-year pupil. Which was easy, because thanks to my nature, I'm able to learn all types of magic and master it to perfection after just seeing once. In fact, I got it all perfectly right from first try," she chuckled anxiously.
"Hades be damned," both his hands covered his mouth. "You might actually get the first perfect grade ever in Grayson Qin's class."
Winking, she grinned mischievously, "That's my goal. I told you, I'm not groundless confident, I am what I am, and what I am is better than you. Not in a offensive way, but in a way that I can do perfect what no one else can, because of what I am, and," ugh. "You got it."
"So, this is the real reason why you scowled a the Circle kids."
Her cheeks blushed, "Yeah. And believe me, I don't hate them. In fact," sigh, "I was devastated when that maniac told me she killed their moms. I knew their moms, even if my memories are almost gone, I know in my bones I knew them. Goddesses, I may even have met them as kids, even if I have no memory of that. I do remember aunt Gwyneth and uncle Mikhail, faintly, very, very faintly, but I do. Their black hair and red eyes were definitely memorable. They were my parents best friends."
"That's why you're trying to stay away from them. From Simon. You think they could know who you are!"
She scoffed, "If they saw my eyes or my blood? They would!"
"Or those tears," he pointed to her cheeks.
"Well, I only cry blood when I'm loosing my shit. My control."
"So, now it's me, you, Saoirse, and Dior who knows your secret."
Sighing, she nodded, "Everybody else who knew are dead."
"Well, the dead tell no tales," he purred.
"Are you really okay with me… being what I am?" She asked.
"Oh? Absolutely. I'm glad I'm alive to see you exist."
"Aren't you scared I'll end up like Aaron, Bhat?" Because I am.
"No. If you were going to succumb, you would already have gone that far from sanity, Em. I'm just worried about one person in here who might actually realize what you are without even looking in your eyes."
"Grayson Qin?" She tilted her head.
"Oh? Did Dior also think that?"
A nod, "Yes. That maniac told me about him. But she also believes I might actually be able to get under his wing, and if I can, she said he would definitely keep me safe when my dad and the others were to know about my all of… me."
"Given how he hates everybody else? He definitely would. And I also believe you are capable of doing that, and I'm not one to agree with the likes of Dior, ever. But she's right on this. Now I see why she needs you alive and trained, because she believes she'll be able to use you for what she wants, for her schemes," he clenched this jaw. "That psychopath."
"More like sociopath. Maniac regardless, though. I'm going to trust you, Bhat, with my secret and with my life. So, don't betray me, because I'm not one to deal well with betrayal at all, and I'm not very emotionally stable to deal with that typa shit either, as you can already tell," I don't want to get used to getting backstabbed.
"I promised. I hope you'll keep my secret too," he assured her.
She put the left bracelet back on again and paused her hands over her heart, "I promise, in my name, and in the name of Nyx and Selene."
"So, you do worship the two Goddesses?!"
A nod, "I do, yes. You worship Hades?" He mentioned him before.
"Yes," a soft nod. "Okay, now let me help you unpack and,"
A loud knock came from the locked door startling them both, with a loud noise of a group of people's steps along the way. "Bhatair? Bhatair! Are you here? Is Emerald in here? Was that her? I saw you leaving with her, what happened? What the hell was that?" A female voice yelled.
"Who's that?" Emerald whispered, quickly putting the glasses on.
"Celine Belluschi Bernardaki, my… love interest. Your professor of flying lessons," he whispered back to her. "I'm helping her unpack her things, Bell," he yelled back, "don't worry, we are both fine. We didn't feel anything, what happened? She didn't do anything!" Then he turned to her again, "She's a black witch," he whispered.
So, no truth-telling. "I didn't do anything this time," she yelled. "It was not me, whatever happened."
"What? How didn't you feel the earthquake?" The witch squeaked in dismay. "It literally shook the foundation of the castle. Of the mountain itself. There's nobody else volatile enough to cause that but her. Did she take those bracelets off?"
"If I had taken them off, you would be dead," she yelled annoyed.