30. Raelyna
RAELYNA
The locker clicked shut beside me, jarring me from my thoughts as my gaze flicked up to find Finn staring at me with concern.
“Sorry, what?” The words fell from my lips in a hollow tone.
“You need to snap out of this, Rae,” he said. “Now more than ever, we need to be on our game.”
I sighed, a weary note, as I stared up at my best friend, noting the dark lines present under his eyes.
It had been an entire week since Callum and Axel snuck out my window, escaping from under Lucanus’s grasp, and I hadn’t heard a word from him. Not that it stopped me from texting him each night, giving him a brief update on what was going on in Solis Quarter.
Maybe it was idiotic to think that a male I’d known for less than a month—a member of the Aurelian Guild, no less—would text me back, mid-mission. But I sent him updates as promised, nonetheless.
My episodes continued, returning with more frequency—only now we knew I couldn’t go to a doctor to get help.
Sage spent every spare moment she had trying to research how I could get the markings to reveal—I’d been learning more about Aeternus, about the true creation of the City of Gold—but nothing had coaxed the gold ink free.
On top of the chaos that was my life, we had hardly heard from Orela since she had been taken to the High Temple, other than a few short texts. My mother was worried sick, and Kira couldn’t stop crying each night. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep it up.
I didn’t know how to explain it to Finn.
The nonexistent feeling growing inside me. I was just numb all over.
Numb.
It didn’t matter what happened next.
What anyone said or did.
It just felt like if I didn’t care . . . it couldn’t affect me.
There was too much going on. Too much to deal with.
And I knew somewhere deep down that I did care, and it did matter. But the weight of it all was pressing in on me from every side, and it felt harder and harder to stay afloat.
The only positive thing to have happened lately was that Sage had come home one day with a file she had received. There was no name, no traceable number, nothing. She said an older male had dropped it off one day, courtesy of a mutual friend of ours.
The file contained ancient texts describing the origins of Aurelia—this time, written from a time when Aurelia was known as the City of Gold.
Each night, we gathered at our apartments to read the texts that depicted an entirely new version of our history.
One in which it became increasingly clear that Lucanus and his father had done everything they could to cover up the past, effectively rewriting our history.
“Ready?” Emberly asked as she closed her own locker, the electronic whirl of the lock sealing, before looking me up and down. “Or not.”
I turned toward my friend, her blonde hair shimmering in the low light of the changing rooms.
“You promised, Rae,” she demanded, giving me no other option as she thrust a dress into my hands. “One night. One night without all of this.” She gestured around her with crazy, exaggerated motions. “One night where we can go out and just be girls.”
“I still think it’s unfair that I’m not invited.”
Emberly shot him a look. “It’s a girl’s night,” she confirmed. “And last time I checked, you are not a girl.”
“Glad you can at least make that observation,” his low drawl sounded from behind me. “But I do like girls.”
She huffed a laugh. “And we don’t need you scaring the girls off, especially during girls’ night.”
“Whatever,” he muttered. “I have tickets to the pilaeria match anyway.”
That had me huffing a laugh. “You would really rather go to girls’ night over the match? You’ve never missed a match.”
Finn’s eyes narrowed on me. “It’s a tough call, okay?” he answered.
“Didn’t those tickets cost you a fortune?”
“Yes,” Finn grumbled. “Don’t even remind me. I’ve been saving for tickets to this match all year long.”
“I still think you should have gotten tickets for all of us to go to the match,” Emberly replied. “Just think, tight jerseys, tackling, the testosterone . . .”
“For the love of—don’t ruin pilaeria for me, okay?” Finn grumbled. “I’m getting out of here. Have fun watching the match as it’s broadcast on the display screens surrounding the pitch.”
It was the one thing I loved about the sport.
Each Quarter in Aurelia had a pilaeria pitch that floated above the Quarter.
While matches were underway, the outer wall of the pitch was covered in screens, allowing the match to be broadcast to anyone within view of the pitch as it floated across the Quarter.
“At least we can watch for free while drinking and dancing our way through the Quarter,” Emberly replied before looking at me. “For the love of the stars, Raelyna, get dressed before you make us late for our night out.”
I stuck my tongue out at her, telling myself that this would be good for me as I began to tug the black shimmering dress on before attempting to tackle my hair.
My hair was nearly presentable by the time Emberly began rushing me out of the locker room and into the glass elevator to the first floor of the building we’d been performing at.
The music beat loudly as I finished my drink, swaying to the beat while dancing beside Emberly and Sage.
We had hopped from club to club across the Nox District, and I had to admit that they had both been right—I had needed a night out to forget.
To just enjoy life and be carefree. To drink and dance my worries away, at least for the night.
“I’m back!” Kasia, another dancer, sang as she returned, hands full with another round of ambrosia shots, and Sage squealed beside me, grabbing her drink before anyone could stop her. We lifted the glasses, drinks sloshing as we counted to three, then downed the shots.
A new song began playing, the loud beat bouncing off the walls, and Sage jumped up and down in time with the music, wild and carefree as time passed us by.
I couldn’t remember the last time I let loose as my body swayed to the beat and I finished my drink, feeling the alcohol take effect, coursing through me.
My head had a slightly hazy buzz, my inhibitions lowered as we moved to the music, neon lights surrounding us.
Emberly wrapped her arms around me, shouting the lyrics to the song as her body swayed, nearly knocking me off balance.
“Let’s go!” Sage shouted over the music, and excited heads began bobbing as we moved through the throngs of clubgoers, pushing our way to the exit of the building.
Warm desert air brushed against my skin as I stepped outside the club, my head roaring even after I’d exited the building.
“Next stop?” Emberly half-shouted, having yet to adjust to the lowered volume on the street. I swore I could still hear the beat of the last song pounding in my head as we walked down the street, our bodies still swaying slightly.
“I’m so hungry,” Sage said, her voice a few octaves too high. “I could eat a whole pizza.”
“Ooo!” Kasia agreed. “And some fries . . . maybe even a milkshake?”
“Food . . .” I answered in conclusion. “We go toward the food.”
“Or . . .” Emberly said. “The food comes to us!” she excitedly proclaimed her latest idea as she pointed to the pilaeria pitch floating high above the Quarter in the distance, the time displayed indicating there was less than a minute left of the match. “We make Finn bring us food.”
“Yes!” It was a chorus of drunken agreements as we walked down the street.
Emberly slowed, walking alongside me, the neon lights of various clubs reflecting on our skin as we moved past the still-crowded lines outside the clubs.
“Phone!” she demanded, extending an open hand in my direction, and I handed over the device without question as she snapped a photo of me before I could question why she wanted it in the first place.
“You look hot!” She flipped the screen back toward me, and I tried to focus in on the photo, my vision blurring as I studied the image of myself.
Neon lights glowed against the dark background, highlighting the shimmering material of my onyx-colored dress.
The material cut off mid-thigh, the neckline hanging loosely in a folded pattern, held by two thin gold chains.
Even the sequins in the dress shimmered, the lights dancing across them.
I looked happy . . . alive.
I nodded in agreement, smiling at the way the lights reflected across my face. A singular moment, frozen in time, a carefree, happy look on my face.
Tapping the screen, I pulled up a message thread and sent the photo before I could make another choice.
Me: Since you won’t respond . . . maybe this will warrant some form of a reply.
I sent the message before I could second-guess the decision. However, if I was being honest with myself, I was far too drunk to second-guess my decisions.
“I can’t believe you just did that!” Emberly’s voice sounded from right behind me, and I spun in shock.
“What are you doing looking at my messages?” It was a half-hearted protest, as my best friend smiled cheekily as she grabbed my phone and scrolled through the messages.
“You like him,” she stated. “Admit it.”
“I—” I didn’t know how to answer.
“You do like him!” she half-shouted in excitement.
“Fine,” I admitted, trying to reach for my phone. “Maybe I do.” The confession was a slur as we pushed past the lines. “But it wouldn’t work anyway.”
“Just think,” she continued, looping her arm through mine as she dragged me along with her. “The two of you could fall in love and have little spy—”
I slapped my hand over her mouth, cutting her off before she could ramble any further. Emberly’s muffled protests sounded from behind my hand before she gestured crudely toward me.
My phone lit up, the word ‘Sergeant’ flashing across the screen as it rang, and my hand dropped from Emberly.
“Stars-damned,” Emberly said as she stared at my phone in shock. “I don’t know what’s more surprising. That you sent him that photo or that he’s calling you.”
I stared at my screen, my vision swimming slightly as Sage nudged me.
“Well,” her voice shrieked at a too-high pitch. “Are you going to answer it?”
I stared a moment longer before Emberly swiped across the screen and accepted the call. I shot her the nastiest glare I could muster as I swiped my phone from her hands and brought the device up to my ear.
“Are you drunk?” His voice was a dark growl that sent shivers coursing across my skin as his demand came through.
“Nice of y-you to finally-y-y c-call.” The words came out in a blurred slur, and I could hear another growl of frustration sounding from the male on the other end of the line. “Seeing as y-you haven’t answered m-me before this.”
“Was it because of the photo?” Emberly shouted into the phone over me, and I half-cursed as she continued. “I knew it! It had to be. She looked HOT!”
I could almost picture the angry furrow creasing on his brow, the way amber eyes would be narrowed in frustration as my friend drunkenly shouted into the phone.
“Where. Are. You?” he demanded, and I looked around as we stood outside the second—no—third club of the night.
There were no street signs in sight, so I settled on the only coherent answer I could muster.
“Out—girls’ night!” my voice chirped cheerily, and I knew he could hear the chorus of ‘girls’ night!’ that rang out from my best friends as we stumbled down the block together, music playing in the distance.
“What part of don’t do anything stupid didn’t you understand?” he asked.
“I’m fine!” The words were a slur as I darted down the street, watching as Emberly motioned toward the sky, then began to glide up into the air; then Sage, both girls beckoning for me to join them.
“Come on, Rae!” Kasia shouted as she, too, took to the sky a few steps ahead of me.
“Stars-damned.” The curse came out in a low, gravelly tone. “At least tell me you’re heading back to your place, please.”
“Y-you don’t get to t-tell me . . .” I replied sweetly. “What to do. Especially when you aren’t here.”
I heard a growl from his end as Emberly shouted for me to hurry up before our food got cold.
“Raelyna, for the love of Aeternus, please head home. It’s not safe out.”
I sighed dramatically, stumbling over a crack on the sidewalk. “Fine,” I whined. “But j-just know, it’s n-not fair you get to tell me what t-to do, when you aren’t here.”
My mind drifted in a drunk fog, thinking back to the other week, replaying the moment we nearly kissed, the feel of his hands along my body, the way his eyes consumed me entirely . . .
Especially when you won’t kiss me. Wonder what else those—
I cleared the thought from my head, remembering where I was as I focused on my friends chasing each other through the sky, never straying too far from me, dipping and gliding while shouting out their favorite foods.
A century of living, yet you’d think we had just marked.
“Raelyna,” I heard my name growled in a dangerous tone, and I glanced around. “Raelyna, answer me.” I gave a quick glance before catching sight of the call . . . still live, on my phone.
Oh shit . . . how long had I been on the phone with him?
Another low, frustrated growl sounded, and I answered the phone, half distracted as Emberly shouted from overhead.
“Listen, would love-e-e to chat—got to fly—” The words were a muffled mumble as I raced after my two friends, tugging my wings from my back, ignoring the itch of very-much-still-present sand that was stuck between my feathers.
“Raelyna Kingsley.” My name was a perfectly menacing command from his lips. “Under no circumstances should you fly drunk . . . and especially not in that dress.”
“It’s fine.” The words slurred as my wings gathered momentum and I rose into the air. “—do it all the time.”
“For the love of Aeternus—” I heard his voice in the distance, but I was focused on the air brushing across my skin as I glided through the air.
“Have a—” The wind howled in my ears as I flew. “—night, Sergeant,” I finished, before hanging up the device and tilting my wings as I headed toward Emberly’s apartment, a few blocks from my own.