5. Ivy
IVY
“ F ire Protectors, please welcome your new addition with open arms.”
Cheers continue to ricochet off the walls as the flames dim, but still isolate me on the stage.
My nose used to crinkle at the smell of smoke from the open log fire my mother always burned, but being surrounded by it now, it smells like…
home. It settles in my soul, grounding me and connecting me to The Academy, as if I’ve walked these paths a thousand times, yet I’ve barely even covered an inch.
“That does conclude our ceremony for this evening. Leaders, please, direct everyone back to your halls. There’s a lot of adaptation required, and there’s no time to lose.
” Her voice booms through the air one last time before she disappears from sight, leaving me to gape from inside the ring of flames.
My gaze falls to my soiled hands, but a smile captures my mouth as I realize the dried mud almost looks like ash, recertifying who I now am.
I’ve been blessed as a Fire Protector, but what does that mean for me?
I rub my lips together nervously, my open palms still holding my attention as I half expect flames to appear on demand, but unfortunately, nothing happens.
Patience, Ivy.
Taking a deep breath, I force myself to take in the rest of the room.
I startle at the stark changes that have transpired around me as I stood before The Fates.
The music is gone, the laughter and chatter has unraveled into chaos as everyone tries to leave.
Four flags dance in the air, dividing the crowd as they each try to follow their own color.
One green. One blue. One gray. One red.
My heart clenches at the latter.
The green one has an ornate tree stitched into the fabric in a delicate gold thread, while the blue flag has the shape of a wave in three different shades of blue sewn into the material.
The gray fabric is decorated with a silver thread outlining the swirls of a tornado, while the red banner is embroidered with wisps of orange and yellow, creating an image of a flame so real, I could swear it’s on fire.
As the overhead lights turn on, almost blinding me, the pretty fairy lights decorated with flowers disappear, making the night’s conclusion final.
Returning my attention to everyone heading for the exit, my gaze collides with four sets of eyes across the room.
I tense, emotional turmoil weighing heavily on me, but I purse my lips and turn away.
I don’t want to have to deal with them any longer.
I’m here now; they can cease to exist for all I care.
“Let’s go, Angel,” someone hollers, and my gaze snaps to the girl holding the fire banner.
Based on Professor Viola’s order, I can only assume she’s the leader of the Fire Protectors, making her the last person in the world I want to piss off right now.
Nodding, I hike the skirt of my dress up, ready to try and leap over the flickers of flames that remain, but as I draw closer, the fire parts, clearing the way.
I gulp, awe lodged in my throat as my chest swells with emotions I can’t even comprehend.
Exhilaration runs through my veins as I hurry down the steps, desperate to follow after the fire leader, only to have my path blocked the second I step outside into the cool night air.
The energy shifts around me as Baron, Sax, Archer, and Teddy stare down at me, each of their gazes clouded with something different, yet I can’t decipher any of them.
No one speaks, each staring at me expectantly, but I’m good at playing the silent game. Instead, I take my time raking each of them over, like spotting a wild animal in their natural habitat.
Baron’s jaw ticks as he folds his arms over his chest, almost void of emotion, but it’s those shimmering emerald eyes that threaten to reveal what he’s actually thinking.
It’s as if he’s still learning how to hide his emotions, but that can’t be true.
No one as gruff as him could have learned such anger without feeling it from the very moment they were born.
Sax, however, stands with his hands stuffed in his pockets, his head tilted to the side as he takes me in.
His brown pools swirl with what I could guess is curiosity, but the guarantee of being correct feels slim.
He may have the same frame as his brother, but he carries himself completely differently.
The intrigue it stirs inside of me drives me insane, and I quickly have to remind myself of that one fateful word he whispered along with the rest.
Reject.
Archer looks angrier than ever, which is a high bar considering how mad I’ve already seen him in such a short space of time. His hazel eyes swirl the most, the greens and caramel browns at war with one another as they try to take over his irises.
Faltering under his intensity, I snap my attention to Teddy on the end, hating how much his nickname suits him, but it’s the cocksure grin and shimmering blue eyes that quickly overwhelm me.
His confidence could never be questioned, yet the way his eyes dance under the moonlight makes me feel like this is nothing but a lie, a facade of a man standing before me. But I don’t care to find out.
Baron clears his throat, tearing my gaze to his. “Tomorrow morning you will?—”
“My tomorrow has nothing to do with you,” I interject with a pointed look, and he has the audacity to roll his eyes.
It fuels me more. Rolling my shoulders back, I stand taller; the shame that coated me earlier is gone.
I belong. In this grimy dress and all. I won’t let it weigh me down again.
“I came because you told me it was in namesake only. I agreed to it because it meant getting away from… that. But I haven’t forgotten the fact that you killed my betrothed and practically kidnapped me,” I grumble, waving my hand dismissively as I inadvertently almost reveal my vulnerabilities.
“You also ensured I was aware that, while here, I wouldn’t have to deal with the four of you. ”
Sax swipes a hand over his mouth. “About that…” he starts, and I shake my head.
“There is no ‘about that.’ You hate me, and I loathe you,” I promise, making eye contact with all of them. “I fully intend to stay as far away from each of you as possible. I suggest you do the same.”
Done, I move to take a step around them, but Baron crowds my space instantly. His nostrils flare as if I’m pushing his limits, like they haven’t already obliterated mine. It’s been two years, and the pain is still very real.
“Is this how you want it to go?” he grunts, the challenge clear in his tone, and it’s obvious he doesn’t realize the part he played in destroying my life.
Good. We can keep it that way.
Instead of shrinking at his proximity, I rise up on my tiptoes, refusing to back down. “This is me being civil, and I don’t even want to do that. I want nothing to do with you. You made it very clear two years ago that you wanted the same. So, if you’ll excuse me…”
My words trail off as I brush past him, reluctant to wait for a response, and to my surprise, no one gets in my way this time.
Thankfully, the pathway is firm, no gravel insight, so I manage to pick up a little speed as I hurry to catch up with the fire protectors. A shiver runs down my spine, but I’m not cold, not really, not with the adrenaline that now courses through my veins.
The walkway is cute, almost whimsical, with wildflowers fluttering along the edges on either side.
They rustle in the wind, smothering the sound of the chatter from up ahead.
It doesn’t stop the occasional set of eyes peering back toward me, confirming I’m still a hot topic, but that doesn’t make me slow my pace.
I’ve spent forever as the talk of the town, whether I liked it or not, and I’m not going to let it get in the way of what I could achieve here, what I could experience.
It’s the gaze burning into my back that leaves me unnerved, and I can’t stop myself from peering over my shoulder to find Archer striding with confidence behind me.
Glaring, I lose my cool. “Go home, Archer,” I hiss, but it’s no surprise when he ignores me. “Stop following me,” I insist as he draws closer, frustrating me even more.
“Archer, get up here, you have to see this,” someone calls from up ahead, and I slow my pace as the man in question saunters past me without even a sideways glance.
Understanding quickly rolls over me, along with the soft, lingering scent of leather and vanilla that infiltrates my senses, and I know it’s him.
He’s a Fire Protector too.
I’m reminded of the words whispered by The Fates.
They confirmed there was no escaping the four men hellbent on haunting me.
Each of them belongs to a different sodality, and I just so happen to be saddled with Archer.
Not that I have a first choice, but out of the four of them, it’s definitely not him.
Eventually, I am going to have to make a complaint about the choices made, but that’s a plan of action for another day, along with everything else The Fates rasped about.
I’m not in the right headspace to deal with anything else tonight.
Or in this lifetime, if I’m honest. Dread and hope consume me like permanent pillars formed in my soul.
Remaining on the fringe of the fire protectors, I can sense the whispers from those close by, but the likelihood of hearing them over my racing heart is next to impossible. I stay true to myself, strong and proud as I brush my hair back off my face.
I can’t imagine what I look like, and I could only guess what my mother would say if she saw me right now, but it doesn’t matter because she’s not here. None of them are. Not even Hugo.
My heart aches at the thought of him.
Why did they act as if they knew him?
My brother, my best friend, my one true family, wouldn’t allow himself to get to know them after what they did to me, would he?
I shake my head, knowing he would never. He’ll be able to explain it to me eventually.