Chapter 36
Adrian
T he sun isn’t even up when a frantic knock echoes around my house.
I was about to wake up soon anyway.
I get dressed quickly and practically bolt to open the door, knowing fully well no one ever comes to my house this early in the morning. I know something is wrong, but I don’t know what.
Stella stands in my doorway, her eyes panicked.
“What happened?” I manage to say, despite the loud thumping of my heart.
She can hardly breathe. “Your sisters sent me to get you because they didn’t want to leave . . . It’s Scarlett. Sh-she had an accident.”
My blood turns cold. Both of us run to join the healer. Fuck I don’t even want to imagine losing her. Except that’s exactly where my mind goes to.
What will life be like if she’s gone? How can you handle losing someone you love again?
Scarlett’s always been there for me and my sisters. She was my mom’s best friend and showed up for us in more ways than I could ever count. I can’t imagine not having her around anymore.
When we get to the healers’ place, I find my sisters already there. Isabella jumps in my arms, cutting off my airflow. I squeeze her back, the tears I’d been holding back finally slipping free. This all feels familiar.
Way too familiar.
“Adrian . . .” Isabella’s voice is all scratchy. “We can’t lose her. I can’t lose someone I love again.”
I hold her tighter and quickly look over her shoulders to check in on my other sisters. Layla is pacing rapidly in the room, murmuring over and over, “This can’t be happening. This can’t be real.”
Hazel is sitting with Nate, who I didn’t even notice was here with us, and Stella. She isn’t crying, but her eyes are teary and she’s holding her friends’ hands tight enough to cut their blood circulation.
I want to have reassuring words, to guarantee everything will be fine.
But I can’t even reassure myself right now.
For the first time since we were kids, the dynamic Isabella and I have seems to shift.
I hold my sister with everything I have, but I can’t tell which one of us needs the comfort the most. Isabella’s hands move up and down my back, whispering reassuring words in my ear as I’ve done for her so many times.
I can’t hear a single word she says over my deafening heartbeat.
I can’t tell if minutes or hours pass when my emotions start to calm and I can breathe again.
I look over at my sisters and I can tell the intensity of our emotions has dialed down, even if it’s only a little bit. One of the healers, a young woman with brown hair and bright eyes, comes out of Scarlett’s room and smiles warmly at us. “We have some updates.”
Stella and Nate quietly leave the room, leaving us to have privacy.
“What happened?” Isabella asks, her voice quieter than usual.
“We still can’t tell what caused Scarlett’s situation, but she’s stable now. She’ll be unconscious for a while, since our magic seems to work slower than usual with her. But we can tell it’s working, she’ll just need time and a lot of rest.”
“Can we see her?” Layla asks, her voice hopeful.
The healer shakes her head. “Our magic took a long time to take effect and it’s been hectic for her. She needs some quiet and time alone, just for a few hours. You all can visit her later tonight, but she needs some time to heal.”
“And you’re sure she’ll be . . . fine?” Hazel asks tentatively.
“Yes. We’re confident she’ll be back on her feet soon, as long as she has the rest she needs.” The healer looks at us. “Any other questions?”
When none of my sisters say anything, I smile at her. “No, we’re all good. Thank you so much for everything. You’re a lifesaver.”
She grins and walks away, murmuring, “It’s what we do.”
When it’s just the four of us, I take a deep breath, relief overwhelming me. This is all good. We won’t lose her.
I open my arms wide, a small smile on my face, and look at my three sisters. Isabella walks into my arms and waves at our sisters to join in. Layla grins and practically bolts our way. I almost don’t notice Hazel walking up to join us, but then I feel her arm around me.
We’re all hugging each other and everything feels right again. We might not be as united as we were as children, but we’re moving forward and, for now, that’s all I could ask for.
Stella
Nate left half an hour ago, but I’m still waiting by the building for Adrian and the girls. I really, really hope they have good news. I was so close to bawling my eyes out when I was in the room with them, but I knew they needed comfort and stability more than sympathy.
As I wait for them, my phone rings. I know it’s either Derek or my parents calling, so I pull it out and answer.
“Hey, Stella.” Derek’s tone is so different from the last few hours of hell we just went through that I practically get whiplash.
“Hi, Derek. What’s going on?”
“You’re not going to believe what I managed to pull together.” He chuckles and goes on to explain what happened since we last talked.
He was at work a few days ago, helping a group of his students train their magic, when he accidentally slipped out my name.
Of course, everyone got curious and asked if he knew what I was up to as one of my close friends.
When he mentioned that I wanted to go into a new direction, some of them offered to help.
Through their connections and network, they managed to find a stage that’s available for me to put on a concert next month.
They even managed to pull together a team to help with everything.
All that’s left is to make the announcement. Make it official.
God, there couldn’t be a worse timing.
“This is all great news, Derek,” I tell him after he explained everything.
He stays silent for a few seconds. “What is it, Stella?”
“Nothing,” I say a little too quickly.
He chuckles but there’s no humor in it. “Come on, Stella. I don’t want a repeat of what happened all these years between us. Can you please tell me what’s wrong? I can tell you’re not as happy as I expected and you can tell me whatever it is that’s going through your head.”
I sigh heavily and my eyes start tearing up. “I’m really happy about this, Derek. Really, really fucking happy. It’s just the timing of your call that’s not the best.” I chuckle lightly to cover my sniffling.
“Oh.” He pauses. “What happened?” he asks gently.
“You remember the people I told you about, the friends I made here?”
“Yes, of course I do. They brought you back to life when I couldn’t.”
I laugh so I don’t cry. “Derek, if you say things like that to me, I will start crying.”
He chuckles. “Okay, I’ll stop. But it’s still the truth.”
I smile, my emotions all over the place. “Yeah, it is. Anyway, one of the people they’re closest to had a, um, health issue this morning and we’re waiting for news on that.”
He stays silent. “Fuck, Stella. That’s awful. I’m so sorry, I wouldn’t have called if I knew—”
“Derek,” I interrupt. “It’s not your fault. Besides, I picked up the phone.”
I can practically hear the gears turn inside his brain. “Well, if that’s the case I can try to see if we can push it back, but then that means—”
“Derek,” I say firmly. “You don’t have to do anything. You are doing so much more than necessary for me right now. I’ll see how things develop here and we can decide where we go from there. Give me a few days and we can decide how we move forward then.”
“Well, call me back to update me on how everyone is doing, alright?”
I smile at the worry in his voice. He never met them yet he wants to make sure they’re fine because I care about them. “No problem, I’ll text you when I have news.”
“Great. Well, take care of yourself, Stella. And make sure they take care of themselves too.”
I grin. “Of course I will. Have a nice day, Derek.”
Just as I knew I would, I get back to my apartment to find out I have 204 notifications from him.