40. The silence was too loud #2
“Caspian, what!” Kyra bites, and a thrash of aura presses into me. “You know–” she laughs, “I’m not surprised at this point…wait, are you serious? You’ve been listening to my thoughts and decided not to inform me?” Preparing an answer, I’m speechless. How does one explain such actions as these?
Her glare rotates with anger as she begins pacing, unable to look at me any longer.
Fuck.
Tossing up her arms whilst mumbling, I feel an immense wave of aura hit me much harder than before.
“Of course he has because this shit’s normal.
Everything’s normal, and I’m just living in a world with no damn privacy.
First, Alex and Ethan, then Russ, and now him.
Who’s next, Raine, Blaise…hell, for all I know, it’s everyone in this whole damn Academy, and I’m the laughingstock. ”
Raw energy batters my shields, flaring mental sparks of red. All previously built barriers are reduced once more, and I grip my head, straining to gain control. Each word, every emotion, pounds against my psyche like a sledge of pure hate, setting my mind ablaze and burning me from the inside out .
“But let me be the one invading their privacy, and I’m the fucking enemy. Why the hell are they preaching about trust when this entire time they’ve been lying to my face. I’ve gotten past the others, as fucked up as it sounds, but this…”
My vision darkens, unable to combat the potent strength of her aura, but she continues pacing by the sound of her shuffling steps.
Gritting my teeth, I press my palms into the temples on either side of my head and breath, but my body begins to shake. Each inhale is harder than its predecessor, and magic pulls from my aura at a swift pace. Using every nerve to accelerate into my mind, but she burns it away before…
“Fuck!” I collapse. My knees hit solid marble as I curl into a ball, fighting an impossible foe.
“Shit, Caspian.”
Kyra rushes over, placing her palms against my hands, and I jerk, thrashing the more she thinks. I can no longer hear her thoughts, yet her energy continues bathing my mind in a tsunami of magic.
“Please…Stop…Thinking!” I yell. Begging and clenching my teeth so hard, I think they are on the verge of chipping. I tear away from her grasp, pressing my head against the floor, and heave. Pushing my fingers into the tender skin of my temples, I draw blood as another voice enters.
“Power. Mine.” Abraxis growls, and in an instant, everything stops. The pain, high–medium–low–fading until it’s gone, and I’m left sprawled on her floor, taking in so much air that my lungs burn. I manifest shields by the hundreds–then hundreds more, and more behind those, surrounding my mind.
“Ca-Caspian?” Kyra speaks, her tone so soft my aura reaches for it. Despite her being my damnation, I blink, acclimating to the light of her living area, and sigh.
What the fuck just happened?
She backs away, hands clasped and eyes sparkling with tears.
“I’m okay.” A lie. I’ve never been this vulnerable.
“Can you sit up?” she whispers, afraid to speak. I don’t blame her after my verbal attack when she only tried helping. Soft and delicate hands slide under my arms, lifting, until my back is pressed against her sofa. Sitting beside me, she stares whilst picking at her thumbs. “Did I hurt you?”
“No. It wasn’t your fault.” Groggy words pass through the raw muscles of my throat. “I’m sorry for lying to you, Kyra,” I get out, still catching my breath.
“Let me get you some water.”
I lean back, tilting my head towards the ceiling as Kyra jogs past me, knowing she would rather not create a cup herself, on the off chance it’s bad.
Not long after, she returns with hurt lining her features.
“Thank you.” Downing the entire cup, I feel better with each sip. I sigh once more as she speaks.
“What happened?”
“You were angry, and rightfully so, but somehow it blended into your magic. Your thoughts were consumed by so much emotion that I couldn’t fight them.”
“Oh,” Kyra says, frowning and turning away.
“Hey, look at me. This wasn’t your fault.”
“You say that–” her frown deepens, “but it looked as though I was killing you.”
“I’m not so easy to kill, My Sweet.”
“Stop being cute. I have questions, Caspian. Important questions I’m hoping you’ll answer.” I’d like nothing more for her. My one hope is that she asks the right ones.
“You have my word; I’ll answer as best as possible.”
She wastes no time diving in. “Good. How long have you been reading my mind?”
“Not reading, hearing. Your thoughts, your inner voice or dialogue, has a magical signature. Everyone here does. But with you it’s different.
As per your question, in my current state, I can’t remember the first instant I heard your inner voice.
But, when possible, you’ll be the first to know. Promise.”
“Fine, I can accept that. You said mine is different. How?” She folds her arms, and I fight the temptation to stare. She isn’t wearing a bra.
“Minus Clarissa and Kahlan’s, yours refuses to yield to my mental shields, always finding a way in. And if there isn’t one, it creates one.”
“How?” She frowns.
“I don’t know. Still searching for an answer myself.”
Kyra leans back, pondering which questions will satisfy her thirst for knowledge. “Okay, you don’t know when you first heard me, but you do know if it’s been since my arrival?”
“Yes.”
“Fuck, Caspian, I’ve thought of some crazy things. Please say you didn’t hear my thoughts in your class.”
Gazing into her eyes, I fight the urge to smile. The way her brows are frowning out of fear and lifted in shock has them in a cute half arch.
“Then I won’t say it.”
“Ughhhh.” She has to stop pouting, or there’ll be more things for her to be upset about. It’s too damn appealing. “No, uh-uh. Forget it. Whatever you remember, no you don’t. And we will never–never speak about it. Understood?”
“Under…stood.” I snort.
“This isn’t funny. I’m mad at you.” Raising my hands in a surrendering fashion, I see her gaze dance in an exaggerated circle. “Have you tried speaking to me with your mind?”
“It’s not possible. At least right now. I’ve tried, but neither my siblings, nor myself, have figured out a way. We’re still learning the depths of this magic.”
“Do the three of you share the same ability?”
Shaking my head, I answer, “My sister, yes, Kahlan, no. Another small dissimilarity we have since his come in the form of pictures. Thoughts, memories of conversations, and anything else verbal, he receives it as a photo. An example being, if you’re thinking, ‘why is it hot out,’ a picture of you sweating beneath the sun’s rays will transmute to his mind.
” Her lips pull to the side in a pondering fashion, and I chuckle.
“What?”
“Nothing. I see you pondering a lot.”
“You mean you can hear me.” Her brow arches.
“No. Trust me, after your display of magic, my mind is shivering in the shadows. I have so many walls in place it’s hard hearing my own thoughts.”
She huffs. “Again, sorry about hurting you. I think the stress of everything hit me all at once.” She nibbles on her bottom lip.
“If you apologize one more time…I’m fine, we’re fine–” I pause mid-sentence.
“If you deem it so, that is. I won’t rush you to forgive me.
But please know, I’ll do more in my power to keep from invading your thoughts.
And everything I’ve heard, or will hear, shall never be spoken.
Hence, our little game so you can gain my secrets as well. ”
Kyra peers down, glancing into her hands, and I find myself wanting to hold her. But instead, I refrain from creating an uncomfortable environment. There have been plenty of nights with me waking to screams of her immense terror. Her voice calling out to a name–Rosie.
Though during such moments, I endured the wrenching heartache bestowed upon me. Refusing sleep, I knew this was a fight she couldn’t escape. And as Nyx’s moon rotated past the horizon, I took the full brunt of her burden, hoping one day she would allow my help.
Tonight is not planned for this moment.
“I’m bothered, yes, upset, no. And I forgive you. You need to prove I can trust you though. Besides, out of all the secrets I’ve come into, you’re the first to prove you have no control over it.”
“Correction, My sweet, I have control. It’s you whom I have no control over. As for the others who infiltrate my thoughts, some follow the same hole your essence creates.”
Speaking of holes, I’m reminded Alex has plans to discuss this Haven’s Hole debacle before we leave for the mission, despite me contesting the ungodly timing of it all. Standing and straightening my jogging pants, I check my phone, noting we have a little over an hour to meet.
“Apologies for cutting this short, but we’ll be meeting in the Missing Room for our mission’s brief.
Heads-up, Alex plans on bringing up the Book of Bonds .
I know, I know, not the most appropriate time, but what can we do?
” Shrugging off the deepened sigh, I continue, “Meet us in the Black Wing. Its entrance is right near the center.”
Kyra tries standing, and I reach out to assist when her body goes rigid.
Six, maybe seven, seconds transpire before her own thoughts return, but not before I hear another voice asking the same question.
“I’m sorry, I got a bit lightheaded. You were saying meet in the Black Wing. Got it. Go ahead, get ready, and I’ll see you there.” She folds her arms in a defensive stance.
My cheeks lift, putting on a false persona. She is unaware of an intruder having access to her thoughts, caused by the Book of Bond s, and the beast within me jolts at the idea. No. We do not accept this. She belongs to us!
I play it off, twisting the ring on my finger and materializing an archway and door out of lavender energy.
Kyra gawks at its shimmering glow, passing a look between it and me.
“By the way, my ability counts as a secret to our game.” Seeing her smile return, I back up, shrouded by my magic’s essence and disappear.
Returning to my room, I find I’m not alone.