Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at the door Jude had shut in anger. The tears hung, warm and heavy on my lashes, and I tried so hard to hold them, to prevent them from falling but I couldn't. Eventually, the tears trailed down my cheeks and I held onto the blanket, clutching it as my mind raced with doubt. Was it really my fault? I wondered as Jude's voice replayed in my mind like a cruel mantra. Anne's bright smile, her squeal of excitement, her hugs, everything was forever extinguished and remains nothing but a memory to hold on to. I sobbed harder. Losing Anne feels like an open wound and this little fight with Jude is like salt on the surface. Indeed, it feels as though I'm losing myself too. I felt someone draw circles on my palm and I turned to Ryker.
"Do you think I'm responsible for what happened?" I asked, my voice hoarse. "Did I somehow cause Anne's death?"
"Hey" he begun, cupping my cheeks and using his thumb to wipe my tears. "Look, it's not entirely your fault. We all played a role in this." I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and staring ahead.
"Perhaps, you know what happened?" I asked. He clicked his tongue.
"Not really. Jude told me today about her death"
"I guess she didn't tell you the details either?" He shook his head.
"All she said told us was it's suicide. When we asked further, she said she didn't want to talk about it." I nodded. I shouldn't have pushed her to the wall and waited.
"It's a really sensitive topic, you know?" He continued. "She's still trying to navigate her stuff and sometimes, that means we make mistakes" I nodded.
"If only I didn't push her-"
"It has already happened, cuore mio. Don't cry over spilled milk" he said as he planted a kiss on my forehead. I gave him a soft smile then wondered aloud.
"What does it mean though?"
"What?"
"Cuore mio" I said trying to mimic his pronouncation.
"Cuore mio" he said correctly. "It means my heart." He placed my palm on his chest and said. "You've somehow made this place your abode, it baffles me" I gave him a peck on his chin and rested on his chest.
"Let's not talk about the effect you have on me." I whispered and my eyes began to shut. I tried keeping them open but him sitting on my bed, my head on his chest and his lips still lingering from the forehead kiss, I just had to fall asleep.
RYKER'S POV
She was finally back and words would never be good enough to describe the way I feel. Although, Harper still wasn't back and we're all worried. Also an additional reason Jude responded cruelly. A sigh escaped my lips as I adjusted her on the bed. My phone beeped and I checked it. The message was from Alan. It read: meet us in the music room.
I gave Jo a small kiss on her forehead and quietly exited the room. I walked out of the infirmary after telling Iaso I'd be back before ten. My mind wandered to several places at its own will. The thoughts started with Jo then Anna on to Harper, Jude and back to Jo,
I opened the door of the room and all necks snapped to me.
"How's she?"
"Asleep" I replied to Jude as I took a seat by the viola. I began making light strums, not even using the bow, as I thought about this whole scenario. A few minutes after Ashley walked in with a soft smile. I doubt she knows.
"Hey. How did it go?" She said as she slipped her phone into the pocket of her leggings. I thought leggings didn't have pockets?
"Juno is awake. It's such a relief" Lucerne replied.
"oh, that's great to hear." She replied. For a moment, her eyes scanned the room before she spoke again. "And Harper?"
"About that…" Aiofe begun with a sigh
"I hope it's not what I'm thinking?" Ashley said
"Precisely" Lilith replied not even sugarcoating shit. This woman.
"And what do you plan to do?" Ashley asked with red eyes.
"Does she have a parent or any relative? We can do the usual" Jadis said with a shrug. Ashley clicked her tongue as she sat down with a defeated sigh.
"We don't know her parents. We used blood, fingerprint, hair, everything and anything possible but she has no relative in the underworld. We just told her she's an orphan."
"So no one knows who brought her into this world?"
"Well, the underworld" Ashley said with a shrug
"What if she is not meant to belong to the underworld?" Viatrix said. "I'm just saying. Everyone in the underworld has a link and belongs to at least one ancestral chain"
"But she belongs to none…"Ashley finished but shook her head again. "I don't know, we can't give up on her this easily."
"What if she was captured by the light side?"
"I don't know…"
"Maybe we should ask Jo if she saw anything" Alan said
"I'd agree with Al on this one" Jude replied. Of course she would.
"Of course you would" Lucerne said voicing out my thoughts. Unknowingly, a small chuckle escaped my lips but I covered it up with a cough when Jude gave me the stink eye.
"Well, let's hear what you think, O dear Ryker" Jude said, a sly smile plastered on her face.
"Yes Ryker?" Aiofe said. "You haven't really said much today and you're really close to Jo."
"Um…" I began not expecting such question to be thrown to me. "It's fine. I'd ask her tomorrow"
They spoke about stuff for some time. Mostly the different spells they could try and what they would do if she was actually captured.
""I did like the little girl" Alan said with a grin as they exited the room leaving just me.
A sigh escaped my lips and my eyes went to the black guitar in the corner. I picked it up, strumming lightly for a moment then played the chord to one random song I liked during my emo phase. Oh dear, it only lasted six months but those months were terrifying and spontaneous.
"Never doing that again" I said thinking of the time I fixed black nails.
"Such a shame, you play so well" I heard a voice say and I nearly dropped the guitar.
"Goodness, Aiofe!! I thought you left already"
"I actually wanted to talk to you. Sorry for scaring you though"
I ran my hand through my hair, a habit I've picked up lately, then let out a dry chuckle.
""It's fine." I dropped the guitar by my side. "What did you want to talk about?"
"It's about Juno"
"What about her?" I asked cocking my eyebrows.
"I had a vision and…" Aiofe said after a long pause.
"What do you mean and" I inquired not satisfied with all the plummeting she was doing.
"Actions speak louder than words. Follow me to the spell room" My screen displayed 9:02pm which means I have 58minutes before Iaso locks the infirmary and prevents me from seeing Jo.
"How long would this take?"
"Roughly 30minutes. The vision is not so long but the walk from here is 15minutes."
"Let's be quick then" I replied.
We were currently in the spell room and Aiofe was literally drawing circles round my eyes with powder. It's probably chalk or some sacred dust but ma'am I have a girl to spend the night with. Pervert, my inner voice said but now's not the time. 9:18pm
"Limptalia Zintos" Aiofe said and a strong gust of wind blew. I found myself in a forest but not far from me was a girl in a long white garment. If there was something called sand balls, I'd have said she was being stoned with the balls but stoned? With sand balls? I squinted my eyes to see who the girl was and my heart dropped into my belly when I saw those brown eyes.