Chapter 13
Thirteen
Zellie
Although Jada has been gone for at least twenty minutes, her fear and uncertainty linger within my apartment, patronizing me at every turn.
Perhaps I should have told her that I can sense her emotions, but could I have expected her to be real with me if I had?
Look at us, less than twenty-four hours after being reunited and already falling apart.
And it’s all the fucking Kosmos’ fault. Our friendship would survive this; I’d make sure of it.
I just got her back; I’m not going to lose her to Pluto, of all people.
She’ll come around, I remind myself for the thirteenth time since she left. She’ll come around.
I started a bath, watching the rivulets of water pour into the tub.
It had been a long day, a long few days if I was being honest. Coaxing my Earth element into submission was exhausting.
It took more mental fortitude than I was used to exerting, leading to me falling on my ass or jumping away from sprouting crystals more times than I can count.
That, combined with Leo’s admission, Orion’s story about his sister, the balls I was juggling to tackle the Kosmos and Jada… I needed a fucking break.
Steam billowed as I submerged myself, soaking in bathing salts and regret. I pictured reuniting with Jada a thousand times, and not once did I imagine us immediately having a spat. I only hope I can convince Jay to steer clear before Pluto sinks his claws too deeply into her.
The training grounds are isolated, a man-made breeze kicking dust up across the open fields.
I’m oddly at peace here. The vast space underneath the open sky is tranquil, especially when it’s free of anxious bodies working themselves into the ground to win a series of challenges so that they don’t perish.
Chunks of rock drift in orbit above me, a sliver of a moon also visible.
It’s darker than usual, but I embrace the shadows.
My hand twitches by my side as I focus. I’ve taken it upon myself to try to learn magical skills beyond my elemental powers.
If the Kosmos can do things like glamouring, then surely I have far greater capabilities following the incident.
I close my eyes, imagining the running track in the distance disappearing.
An impatient sigh escapes my greatest distraction, complete with golden hair and warm hazel eyes.
“If you train with them, they could teach you these things,” Orion drawls.
Eyes still closed, I respond, “They'll never teach me anything useful, and you know it.”
“It beats watching you stare into the abyss doing absolutely nothing.”
Flabbergasted, my eyes pop open as I whirl on him. “You try and produce something you've never made before!”
Orion cocks his head as his eyes roam my body lazily.
The look does wonders for my building desire, not that I’d willingly share that with him—it’d go straight to his head.
He tsks, “So serious today.” I exhale through my nose, turning back towards the running track.
I hear the rush of air as Orion ignites a fireball and look over my shoulder to see him hurling it towards me in the open space between us. “Play with me,” he croons teasingly.
My heart stalls in my chest as I will my hands to set aflame. Catching his fireball, I pressure the air surrounding us to choke out the burning ball.
Pleasant surprise pulses from Orion—and from me. “Well, that’s a fun trick. What else can you do?”
So, we play.
I douse his flames with water, move the ground beneath his feet.
As hard as I try to remove gravity, some forces are stronger than my untested magic.
He teaches me to build walls of fire for protection, as well as how to shape the flame to my will.
On the obstacle course, I manage to create an invisible force field created by pressurized air that breaks my fall, allowing me to briefly walk on thin air.
It lasts merely seconds, but is momentous for my pride.
As the invisible floor disintegrates, I drop the short distance to the ground below.
“You okay, Zi? That was fucking cool.”
The space is half cloaked in darkness, thanks to the looming platforms above. I move further into the shade, calling on the shadows to disguise me. Orion rounds the corner, peering through me. “Zellie?”
“I’m right here,” I giggle, stepping out.
A sly grin breaks out on Orion’s face. “Do that again,” he demands.
Amused, I step back, calling to the shadows to mask me once more. “Yes, sir.”
“You eclipsed yourself,” he breathes, his voice light and full of astonishment.
“What does that mean?” I glance down, only to notice that I can no longer see my feet—or any part of me, for that matter. Shrilly, I shriek, “What did I do?”
Orion lets out a loud whoop and laughs. He sounds manic, but I’m too freaked out to give him shit about it. “Help me fix this,” I seethe.
“I believe that you’re using the light and shadows to veil yourself. You’re completely invisible. This is spectacular!”
“Riri, I swear on all the stars above, if you don’t help me fix this in the next three seconds…”
“Oh, calm down. Do whatever you managed to pull off last time. Try to drop the shadows or something. What do I know? I can’t do any of this.”
I will the cloak of darkness masking me away, pulling bright light into my space. “There you are,” Orion smirks at me. “This is going to be fun.”