Ivy
“So, do you plan to set anyone on fire over the weekend?” Ember asks, darting across the room like a ballerina as I glare at her, but she remains unfazed by the irritation she stirs inside me.
“Stop,” I grumble, and she fake gasps.
“What? It's hilarious,” she insists, and I sigh.
“Maybe, if it wasn’t intentional.”
That’s my irritation; if I had the conviction to stand behind what I’d done, maybe I would feel differently, but despite the days that have passed, I’m still living with the remnants of guilt over setting Bonnie on fire.
Thankfully, the weekend is here.
There haven't been any more interruptions in this madness that I call life, and I was able to actually embrace my academic ways. I don't know how true it is what Sax said about grounding—technically, Professor Viola said it—but my body hasn't overheated since.
I have, however, earned plenty of looks from people in class who definitely heard what I’d done, but thankfully nobody's dared to say a word. Setting Bonnie on fire created a level of threat and warning to anybody and everybody, which has resulted in one certainty: don’t piss me off.
The reality is, even if anybody wanted me dead, they couldn't kill me. Well, they could, but I'd only come back to haunt them.
I wonder how it feels to be on the other side of that.
“It should have been,” Ember states, interrupting my thoughts.
“It's nothing less than she deserves,” she declares, hovering right in front of my face as I sit perched on the side of my bed.
“It's what all of them deserve. It's what they did to you. They just can't be resurrected,” she adds, and I shrug as she dances around the room again with so much energy it’s as if someone just dropped a Mentos into a bottle of soda.
I take a moment to stand, stretching my limbs as I stroll to the window, appreciating a quiet moment to watch the world go by as the sun beams down, the trees flutter in the breeze, and calmness takes root inside me.
I love this time of morning, when the sun bleeds through the window, touching my face.
I can't help but tilt my head back, breathing it in as I sigh, appreciating the fact that I can feel the rays without having to step outside and face the world.
“What's your plan today?” she asks, and I shrug.
“Toby's party tonight, apparently.”
I have the best friends in the world, who like any excuse for a party and willingly planned another since the first was canceled. With Meadow at my side the entire time while I was sleeping the days away, it makes sense, but I still feel bad about it.
I owe Toby a big apology for missing his birthday, but more so for the fact that his mate had done the same to be with me.
“And what are you going to do before that?” Ember presses, and my eyes instinctively travel to my fencing bag, answering for me as I worry my bottom lip, unsure of what to do.
As if sensing my concern, my device vibrates from my nightstand, where a notification dances across the screen.
An incoming message from Teddy.
I pause.
There have been no issues with any one of my hated mates this week.
I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop; someone's bound to irritate me or remind me of the pain they've caused, especially in moments like this, when I'm not distracted by learning and embracing where I am in my bid to find myself, as I promised with Greta.
I haven't managed to stop setting myself on fire yet, or anybody else, for that matter, another promise, but the fact that I'm trying should count.
Before I can think better of it, I press on the notification.
Teddy: Ivy.
Ivy: Teddy.
I respond as a flash of red darts in front of my face.
“You're smiling,” Ember declares, and I quickly school my features.
“I’m not,” I grumble as my device vibrates again, excitement and uncertainty swirling inside of me as Ember tries to lean over my shoulder and see what he has to say.
Teddy: Fencing?
I tilt my device away from her as I sigh, glancing out the window once more, unsure how I want to answer.
“I’m too nervous to let myself be around them,” I admit, my vulnerability rocking me to my core over something so simple and silly as Ember hums.
“Hopefully, there will be enough people around you for you to refrain from pouncing on him,” she teases with another giggle at my expense, and I roll my eyes.
“Behave,” I mutter, but she doesn't let it slide.
“I thought you were set on finding yourself. Fencing is a part of you, a part you know you love. You should go enjoy it.”
I give her a pointed look. “Are you just trying to get rid of me so you can go and spend time with the guys?” I retort, and she turns away from me, her silence answer enough, but I know I've already relented.
Typing out a message, I hit send.
Ivy: Okay
Before I can even put my device back on my nightstand, a knock comes from the door. Ember squeals with delight, darting through the wood without a second glance, before returning a moment later, beaming from ear to ear.
“He looks cute today,” she declares gleefully, and I roll my eyes.
“Stop,” I insist again as I approach the door, bewildered by the fact that he's here already.
Opening the door, it reveals the blonde Water Protector on the other side. I find a hint of amusement in his gaze as he cocks a brow at me.
“Are you saying I don't look cute every day?” he clarifies, and Ember snickers.
“I didn't say that,” she sings, and he tilts his head at me.
I lift my hands in surrender. “I didn't say anything at all,” I mutter, and he winks.
“You didn't deny it either.”
Shaking my head, I take a backward step. “I think I've changed my mind,” I blurt, and he smiles.
“We both know you haven't, Princess. Get your bag and let's go.”
My eyes land on the bag by the door, the one I already pulled out with hopes of attending today, revealing just how interested I already was. Before I can reach for it, he grabs it, hiking it over his shoulder as he offers a wave to Ember and steps out into the hall.
He doesn't look back as he marches for the stairs, disappearing from sight as I close the door after him, only for me to find him waiting at the entrance to get out.
“How did you get in here to begin with?”
“Archer,” he mutters, and I huff.
“I swear, you guys are conspiring against me,” I insist, planting my hand on his shoulder as we step through the flames. “Where's your bag?” I ask, realizing that he's only balancing mine, and he shrugs.
“I already dropped it off,” he explains, his eyes lingering on where my hand touches his shoulder, and I quickly drop it to my side.
Before I can get too caught up in it, I tilt my face toward the sun once more as excitement floods through me, and I bask in the gentle heat.
“You look beautiful today, Ivy,” he murmurs, and I shake my head, falling into step with him.
“Stop. Flattery won't work. I already agreed to come,” I mutter, and he grins.
“I still can appreciate you, especially now,” he states, making my eyebrows pinch.
“Now?” I repeat, and he shrugs. “What does that mean?” I push, and he shakes his head.
“Nothing.” He wipes his hand over his mouth, and I can't stop myself from feeding the curiosity that thrums through me.
“Teddy,” I warn, and he shakes his head again.
“I don't know, you’re just different,” he admits, and my eyes narrow.
“Different how?”
“It’s not bad,” he insists, lifting his free hand in surrender.
“My gut is telling me something else altogether,” I admit, the knot growing further with my admission, and he smiles.
“No, Princess, that's your nervous system expecting old shit from new people.”
My blood spikes.
“Well, I don't do well with criticism,” I blurt, and he stops dead in his tracks, dropping my bag to his feet as he turns his entire attention my way.
“Ivy, I'm not criticizing you, I'm in awe of you. You're like a new person.”
“You keep saying stuff like that, but you’re not really explaining why,” I admit as he inches closer, tucking a loose curl behind my ear and stealing my breath along with it.
I feel like he searches my eyes for an eternity before he speaks.
“You are irrevocably yourself. It's like the phoenix burned through your facade.” My nose crinkles in confusion.
“If the sleepover was tonight, and I asked you to pretend with me again, I'm pretty certain you would tell me to fuck off,” he states.
Memories of that night come to mind, freezing me in place.
So much has happened since then. To me, to us, to everything.
I've died twice since then. I've lost my virginity since then.
I've learned a lot since then, especially about my powers, and he's right.
I can't deny it, but agreeing feels like defeat, so I dip my head instead.
He doesn't let me linger there long before he taps his finger under my chin, tilting my head back up. “I feel like I'm finally getting a glimpse of you,” he whispers, his voice so soft it sends a shiver down my spine as his breath ghosts over my cheek.
I gulp.
“Me too,” I admit, and I’m instantly rewarded with a soft smile as his thumb runs across my jaw. “It wasn't when I died, though,” I add, and his eyebrows rise in surprise.
“No?”
“It was the day I set myself on fire for the first time,” I murmur, and he grins wider.
“How did it make you feel?” he asks, the question catching me off guard as I blink at him for a few moments, yet only one word comes to mind.
“Alive.”
The admission falls from my lips with ease before he leans in, pressing a kiss to my forehead.
I blink, and he’s staring deep into my eyes.
“It's my mission to make you feel like that again and again,” he promises, and before I can respond, he steps back, grabbing my bag once more and hikes it over his shoulder as we fall into sync.
Silence engulfs us as we move, our knuckles brushing for the briefest second, and goosebumps run down my spine. I must not be the only one to sense it because he cocks a brow a moment later, peering at me from the corner of his eye.
“So, should I be wary of you overheating in here?” he asks, and my jaw falls slack as I gape at him.