Chapter Twenty-One
“You ready, princess?” River stretches his hand out to me from the doorway of my dorm room. He looks very smart in his blue shirt and jeans. He is obviously trying hard to impress me. A charming look is plastered on his face, which makes me blush. I take his hand tenderly and follow his lead.
“Where are you taking me? Back to the archives?” I question, the last comment a joke, as Nala’s voice plays in my mind. She is right though; surely there are not many places suitable for a date around here.
He drops my hand and walks slightly ahead of me, grinning from ear to ear.
“Why? Are you not a fan of surprises?” He fakes concern and smirks a little, knowing he has me right where he wants me.
“How can you tell?” I raise my eyebrows and lace my words with sarcasm, making him laugh a little. He turns his head to face me whilst we walk along Solaris corridor.
“Apart from your obvious sarcasm?” he laughs and turns his head back in the direction we are going.
His gelled hair stays slick and smart as he moves.
He definitely put in the effort for me, which makes me smile.
I like his hair parted this way, a little to the side with some strands hanging loose down his forehead.
I hit him playfully on the shoulder and furrow my brows.
“Well, I can’t help it. How many places at Sun Sovereign are fit for a date? Not many, I’m sure.”
“Oh, Asha, you have little faith.” He takes my hand and speeds up. “Follow me.”
I huff and roll my eyes, but excitement bubbles in my body. I try to conceal it as best as I can because I don’t know what triggers my Gifts yet, and the last thing I need is to get overexcited.
He leads me into the courtyard towards The Greenhouse.
Every time I look at him, he grins and speeds up.
We have been having a light conversation about how our days have been so far, but I can tell River is more focused on the date he has planned.
We reach the dome-like structure, and he turns to face me, still grinning.
“What are we doing here? We can’t get in; neither of us has the Gift of Poten,” I say, staring up at the large structure.
“That’s what you think,” he winks and takes my hand. He leads me around to the back of the structure.
There are three stone benches and some almost bare trees dotted around, and in the middle is a square drain. River uses his Gifts to Influence the lid of the drain up and a set of stairs becomes visible, just like the door to the archives. He ushers me down the stairs.
“Ladies first.” His eyebrows rise again, and I giggle before leading the way.
“You better not be walking me to my death,” I joke, staring menacingly at the cobwebs and cracks on the walls.
“You must not think very highly of me then.” He laughs.
As I continue walking, the stone stairs slightly cracking under my feet, a walkway becomes present.
Almost like a tunnel, but not very long.
I can see another set of stairs at the end of it; these are ascending.
He takes my hand through the walkway and stops when we reach the stairs.
He climbs them confidently and raises the hatch with one hand before looking down at me.
“You coming?”
I smile and walk up the stairs, squeezing myself between him and the edge of the hatch. He is still holding the lid up for me to pass through.
I am first greeted by bright shades of luscious green.
Various floral scents floods my nostrils like a strong perfume.
I take a deep breath and feel my doubts about this date slip away.
A sea of petals in every colour bloom from their flower stems and sway gently in the wind.
There are no open windows, but somehow this place has its own ecosystem; a slight cool breeze and even running water.
The crystal-clear stream flows a few metres away from us and travels the length of the greenhouse.
I can see in the distance, at the far end, there is a vertical waterfall somehow flowing through the glass in a continuous shower.
This is amazing. I lift my head to revel in the beauty as sunlight radiates off my face and around the room, creating little rainbows that sparkle.
Colourful birds swoop across the sky and land on branches from the various types of plants and bushes, tweeting in their own language.
A smile spreads across my face, and a butterfly flutters playfully around me.
It is bright blue but has pink and green specks along its wings.
I hold out my finger to encourage it to land.
The delicate creature dances around my finger before briefly landing on my fingernail.
I bring my face closer towards it, being careful not to spook it.
It really is beautiful. I raise my finger higher, and it flies away.
Light footsteps increase behind me as River approaches, which brings me back to earth.
“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” he says, not taking his eyes away from the view in front of us.
“It’s beautiful,” I say, spinning three hundred and sixty degrees to take it all in. “How did you swing this?” I look back at River, who is smiling proudly at his choice of location.
“My foster brother Jace — he’s a restorer. He used to go to this school. He graduated last year but showed me a way to get in.”
He takes my hand and leads me further into the green depths. I make a note to be careful where I step, not wanting to trample on any flowers. A stray tree branch tugs at my denim shorts as I brush past its leaves. He leads me onto a sand path where we continue walking.
“Now, I just come here when I need time to think,” he says with a small smile. “You know… to get away from all the madness out there.” He lets out a dry laugh and points toward Sun Sovereign.
I understand what he means. This place… in here… It’s like a whole other world.
“I get it. Who needs therapy when you have this?” I say, not entirely joking.
I take my cream cardigan off and wrap it around my waist, exposing my white vest top. It sure is hot here.
“Exactly… It gets better.”
He smiles, his dimples appearing, and takes my hand, leading me over to the left side of the dome.
We turn a corner, and I see a blanket lying across a grassy bed.
The waterfall is crashing down behind it and into a glistening pool, which thins and feeds into streams around the dome.
He ushers me to sit down on the blanket next to him and pulls out a straw basket from a bush beside it.
I sit down with my legs off to the side, resting my weight onto my right arm.
I watch as River pulls out two wrapped sandwiches from the basket and hands one to me.
“A BLT without the T, just how you like it.” He smiles at my shocked reaction.
“Okay, now I’m surprised.” He definitely did his homework.
“See, I pay attention.” He winks at me and dives deeper into the basket.
“And I also have these.” He shows me a pot of bright red strawberries, which I am assuming we will share, and a vanilla cupcake with a buttercream swirl.
A single candle stands tall, cradled by its frosting.
“Couldn’t have your birthday without a cake. ”
“Thank you… This is perfect.”
The light radiates off his blonde hair, making him look angelic.
“But you know we don’t really celebrate birthdays here.”
“Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t.” He smirks and places the items down on the blanket in front of us. “One last thing,” he says, his voice trailing off as he places his hand back in the basket.
“Seriously…there’s more?” I cut him off, astounded at the number of surprises he has already made for me.
“This one’s more of a joke item.” He chuckles and I am lost for a moment, until he pulls out a clear glass flask with a cork in the top, filled with an orange liquid. “I promise it is just regular liquor this time.”
He laughs again and pops the cork, taking a swig before gesturing it towards me. I take the flask and swig it quickly. The orange liquid runs down my throat; it is sweet and less harsh than last time, but the kick is still present. I clear my throat.
“Now I regret not taking potion class,” I say, which makes River smile.
“Just make friends that take it; that’s what I do.” Of course, he would say that. He has lots of friends. I don’t think I’ve met one person who doesn’t love him. Apart from Ryder.
“Easier said than done,” I say sarcastically, taking another swig of the orange liquor.
“Oh yeah. I forgot I was talking to the troublemaker,” he jokes, which makes me laugh. I playfully hit him on the arm.
“Hey, I don’t make the trouble. It just seems to follow me.”
I wasn’t lying. It’s true. Ever since I was little, trouble followed me around.
My thoughts then digress to this newfound power that runs through my veins. Of course it happened to me. Over two thousand people at this school, and I’m one of the Starkind.
“I know I’m only playing.” He picks up a strawberry and plucks the stem off. “They’re just jealous of you, you know.” He pops the whole thing into his mouth.
“I don’t think they’re jealous of me.” I force a small smile and pick up my sandwich, unwrapping the film around it.
“You’re right. Maybe they’ve seen Alex in the healing quarters way too many times and are just scared to death.” He chuckles, and I nudge him amusingly. “I’m kidding. How could they not be jealous? You’re smart and extremely beautiful.”
My cheeks turn crimson, and he leans in closer to me, smirking. “Plus, you’re dangerous with a knife.”
I take a bite of my sandwich and rest my head on his shoulder, watching nature thrive in front of us. I look up at him, and our eyes connect briefly in the silence between us before I look away.
“So, your brother’s a restorer?” An orange and red butterfly soars past us, its wings coloured like a sunset. I can’t help but stare. I look back at River.
“Yeah, Jace.” He smiles as if he is reminiscing about fond memories. “I always wanted a brother. His family took me in when I was six… I was so happy when I met him.”
He picks another strawberry out of the basket and offers it to me. I gladly pluck it out of his grasp and take a bite, slurping its juices as I swallow.
“I will forever be in debt to him and his family…my family. I—I always felt like there was something I was missing. I bounced around between foster homes, and I never met my birth parents. But when they took me in, I finally felt like I was part of something.”
He stands up and skips a rock in the pool ahead of us. I stand too and rub his back gently.
“I never knew my mother either; she died during childbirth… I know what it’s like to feel like something is missing.” I feel a catch in my throat as I speak. “It’s always been just me and my dad and the stories he told me about her.”
River offers me a reassuring smile and passes me a smooth, round pebble. I throw it and watch it skim across the stream three times before sinking into its depths.
“I wish I knew her. Not just the stories but actually her.” I feel the familiar sensation of tears welling in my eyes and brush them away before they manifest. I transfer the spotlight back onto him. “What about you? You ever wish you knew your parents?”
“I used to, but after reading my file, I think I am better off without them. I don’t know much, but I know that they were sentenced to death for a crime they committed.”
He skims another pebble, and I nod my head in response to him. That must have been a pretty bad crime to be sentenced to death for.
“I think we need some more of this,” I say, breaking up the silence and gesturing towards the flask. I pick it up, take a swig and offer it to him, wiping my mouth afterwards. His eyes glisten as he smiles and takes a sip.
“I’ve never told anyone that before,” he confesses, turning to face me. I can still hear the splashing of the water next to me as I lock eyes with him. I give him a comforting smile.
“And I don’t talk about my parents a whole lot either,” I reply genuinely.
“We might just be as screwed up as each other,” River laughs as he pulls me in for an embrace.
He really is a romantic. The sun is hanging lower in the sky above.
He has timed it so that we will be able to watch the sunset soon.
His arms wrap around me, and his rock-hard pecs tense against my cheek.
He smells like a warm summer day. My right hand traces the ridges of his abdominal muscles.
I feel connected to him. I can finally see through his charming exterior, and I like it.
He pulls me in, and my whole body tingles.
I see his face moving in, his lips inches away from mine.
My hand cradles his cheek, and his rough stubble pricks at my fingers.
He leans in, and I tilt my head back to embrace his soft lips.
The tingles continue up my body as his tongue pleads for entry.
I feel his hands run up my back and press me closer to him.
I open my mouth, letting his tongue touch mine.
My eyes close fully as I get lost in the rhythm of our kiss, feeling tingles zap through my body and bubble underneath my skin.
I feel him run his hands through my hair and grip onto me tighter, like he is afraid to let me go.
Another zap runs like electricity through my veins as the kiss gets more intense.
I gasp as I feel the waves ripple to the ends of my fingertips, sending shocks down my spine.
I hear a sudden crash in front of me, which forces my eyes to open.
The glass from the flask is smashed into a thousand pieces on the floor beneath us.
River is nowhere to be seen, and my hand is pulsating with a large black glow.
I screw my eyes shut and open them again. This can’t be real. I pinch myself but remain intact.
H-he’s gone?
The glow is fiercer than usual and looks bigger.
I feel the air warp around it as the pressure builds.
The butterfly from before flutters around me, just as intrigued as I am.
Its wings get caught in the warp, and I watch as it is sucked into the darkness.
I gasp. Shit. No, this can’t be happening… River has been sucked into the vortex.