Ivy
Ifeel as if I’m floating, swaying through an air of calm and tranquility in search of peace.
It tingles down my spine, engulfing every inch of my skin as it wraps me in a blanket, protecting me.
From what, I don’t know, but as the silence extends, suspending me between darkness and light, I know the tendrils of peace will continue to envelop me.
The darkness twists into gloom, flickering across the back of my eyelids and bringing me even closer to the surface as a compass flashes in my mind.
It’s not the first time that symbol has haunted me. In the darkness, it’s anchored me, keeping me grounded. Even when I wanted to spiral into the abyss, it refused to leave me, guiding me north through twilight, edging me closer to reality.
My fingertips flex, dancing across soft sheets as I try to pry my eyes open. The desire to fall back asleep threatens to overwhelm my will to stay awake, and I’m certain it’s going to win. I fight harder, pushing past the exhaustion before I am finally able to open my eyes.
My eyelids shutter a handful of times before I can focus on anything other than a smattering of mismatched colors.
White walls greet me from the bed I’m sprawled in, and there is a window off to the right letting in a little light through the thick gray clouds and the pitter-patter of raindrops. The sterile room offers no clue as to where I am.
I rattle my brain, trying to recall my last thought, any memory, but nothing comes to mind. My eyebrows pull together, and I wince at the tension barreling through me.
My lips part, ready to call for help, when my eyes latch onto the frame slumped in the chair beside my bed. My breath lodges in my throat as I blink at him, trying to recall his name, but I don’t recognize him at all.
Messy blond hair flops across his forehead as he rests with his chin against his chest. His gray t-shirt is crumpled, as if it’s seen better days, but it’s his hands coiled tightly around the arms of his chair that hold my attention.
His knuckles are white, his veins protruding, and there’s an air of suppressed distress oozing from him.
I have no idea what kind of dream I summoned him from, but I won’t complain.
Exhaling, I tilt my head to the side, absorbing every inch of him, but the little noise from my lips concludes my peaceful moment of assessing him as his eyes dart open. Wide, insanely blue, and full of disbelief. He lurches forward in his seat.
“Ivy?” he rasps, and I frown.
He knows my name?
I part my lips, but nothing comes out, so I clamp them shut again and offer a simple nod.
“What, is…oh my gosh, Ivy!”
A light girly voice tears my attention away from him just in time to catch a flash of red darting toward me. Stopping an inch from my face, I come eye to eye with a…
“What are you?” I whisper, my throat raspy and sore from those three simple words. The pain only intensifies when the little thing heaves with sadness instead of smiling widely at me.
“You don’t remember me?” she asks, spinning in the air, and I gulp, shaking my head, too afraid to say no out loud. She sighs, dramatically falling to the sheets beside me as the guy from the chair launches to his feet.
“It’s okay, Princess. Take your time,” he insists, splaying his fingers on top of mine as he consoles me.
Gaping down at our connection, I gulp. “Who—”
“I’m sure you have questions, Ivy. Lots of them, but let me make everyone aware that you’re awake so we can answer them together. Okay?”
He stares at me, waiting for an answer as I blink up at him. A shiver runs down my spine as he wordlessly lifts my hand to his mouth, brushing his full lips across my knuckles as I nod.
He squeezes my hand, offering silent support as the little red thing darts toward the door. She disappears from sight, leaving me alone with him, and I can’t help but fill the silence.
“What’s your name?”
Pain ripples across his features as he brushes his free hand down his face.
“Teddy, Princess. My name is Teddy.”
A knot forms in my stomach, and it only intensifies as the sound of shouting and desperation filters through from the other side of the door. The noise gets louder, straining the atmosphere before the door even opens. The second it does, air whooshes from my lungs.
The little red flicker of flame whizzes around the room again, but it’s the sight of three more unfamiliar men that catches me off guard. Leading the group stands a beast of a guy, with deep green eyes, hair tied back in a messy bun, and an aura that threatens to shatter the room in two.
A step behind him is a guy who looks similar, yet different. His hair is cropped, his brown eyes filled with worry, while he stands open and relaxed, but almost as though he’s teetering on the edge, ready to dart across the room at any second.
Behind him comes an air of intensity that threatens to set me alight. His dark hair is in disarray, and his hazel eyes are wide and wild as they rake over me again and again and again.
“Angel,” he rasps, taking a step toward me, but before he can make it any further, the hot blond releases my hand, spinning on the spot to stop him from coming any closer.
“She doesn’t remember,” he mutters, stealing the last of the oxygen as my fingers curl into the sheets beside me.
The air ripples with emotions I can’t piece together as I struggle to breathe under the intensity of their stares.
“Ivy?” the guy with cropped hair mutters, dragging my attention to him. He remains planted in place, but his mouth tilts into a half smile as he stares deep into my eyes, glazing over my soul. “It’s okay. We’re going to figure this out.”
His words are supposed to be soothing, but there’s a hint of dejection to his tone, as if he doesn’t believe himself.
I shake my head slowly from side to side. “I don’t recognize anyone here,” I admit with a strangled breath at the exact same time another face appears in the doorway. “Hewy,” I croak, and he eliminates the distance between us in a flash.
One second, I’m struggling to keep my world together, the next, it falls apart in my brother’s arms as he sways me gently from side to side.
Tears track down my face, unknown emotions getting the better of me, but he holds me together through it all. He doesn’t move until my hold softens, and even then, he grips me for a few extra seconds before he leans back, brushing my hair off my face.
He’s sad. I can see it in the crinkles at the corners of his eyes, but I know it from the way his attempt at a smile wobbles for a split second. “Vee,” he breathes, enveloping me in his presence, and I absorb every inch of his strength.
“Hugo,” I whisper, fixating on him instead of attempting to glance around the crowded room. “What’s going on?”
He squeezes my shoulder. “That’s what we’re going to figure out, okay?”
I nod, but my certainty is lacking. “Who are they?” My voice is even quieter, but the sharp inhale confirms they heard me.
My brother grimaces, but before he can answer, a flash of red darts between us, coming to a stop an inch from Hugo’s shoulder. The flame smiles, taking a deep breath before they blink at me with wide eyes and more emotion than I can fathom.
“Ivy, I’m Ember. I’m your sprite here at Neverbound Academy.”
I rear back, her words catching me off guard as my brother sighs. “One thing at a time, Ember,” he grumbles, and she gasps.
“What do you think I’m doing?”
“Overloading her.”
“I am not,” she snaps back, staring off with my brother, who pinches the bridge of his nose, inhaling slowly, but it does nothing to calm the distress he’s clearly battling.
“I’m at Neverbound Academy?” I ask, and the room falls still, as if everyone has the answers but no one wants to share them. Not even the little red flame, Ember.
Hugo scrubs the back of his neck nervously as movement from the door catches my attention.
Another guy steps into the room, this one older than the others, with a clipboard in hand and a white jacket sitting neatly on his shoulders.
“Miss Hayworth, it’s good to see you’re finally with us.
My name is Dr. Holland. I work at the medical center here at Neverbound Academy, specializing in neurology.
I’m eager to answer any questions you may have, but can I do a quick check of your vitals first?
” he asks, the calmest person in the room, and I nod.
My brother reluctantly takes a step back as Dr. Holland replaces him, sweeping a small light across my eyes, pressing his fingertips against my wrist, before leaning back to jot a few notes on his tablet.
“Perfect, Miss Hayworth. Now, can you tell me the last thing you remember?” He stares at me expectantly, but all I can do is shake my head.
“My mind is blank. I can’t recall,” I admit, and he smiles.
“That’s to be expected. Take a moment. It’s important we understand where you’re at so we know how to proceed,” he explains, and I gulp, not liking the sound of that at all.
Not when I’ve got a room full of people looking at me.
“Close your eyes. Pretend we’re not here,” he adds, his voice soft and encouraging, and I do just that.
White-knuckling the sheets, I think so hard my head hurts, until something pops to mind and I pry my eyelids open. “I remember my twentieth birthday party a few weeks ago. Hugo snuck me out of the house to meet Lucky.” My gaze latches onto my brother. “It was the best present ever.”
Dr. Holland nods, but the room remains stiff, and I’m left feeling like I said the wrong thing.
When no one speaks, I clear my throat. “What am I missing, Dr. Holland? Why am I here?”
The rest of the room can barely look at me as I wait for an answer, but thankfully, the doctor offers me a tight smile and nods. “Miss. Hayworth, I believe your last memory is from three years ago.”
My heart lurches in my chest as I slump against the pillows behind me, tears prickling the back of my eyelids, and I can’t explain why. “I don’t understand.”