Elex and Aerith.
Over and over again.
Parents.
I have their names. And somehow, that soothes a part of my soul and as I ink every letter, write each name into the paper, it’s like they scratch a place out in my heart. Not for love, for how can they love me if they gave me up? But for knowledge—a rare gift that I weigh as more precious than love.
I have love.
From Lyle. From Ten.
I take a deep breath and sink into the feeling. Remember the sound of his voice telling me—showing me he loves me—and my blood hums a familiar tune in response.
But information has been kept from me, hoarded away by everyone who’s crossed through my life. And I refuse to accept that anymore.
I stand and pound my fist on the door, “Fenix!” I shout. “Let me out. You can’t keep me locked up in here.” I bang harder until my skin is red and numb. “Fenix! Answer me.”
Footsteps sound from beyond the door, and I step back, waiting to be freed.
“Someone’s cranky in the mornings.”
“Morning?” I question, as my track of time is off.
“Hey, don’t ask me. We were having a nice family breakfast until you blacked out on the floor. It might have been your temper. I can see that’s going to be fun.”
“Are you just going to keep me in this cabin? How do you think I’m going to escape? Swim back to Kirrasia?” My hands grab my hips, and I hold onto the ire that sparked this—the kernel of truth that everyone in my entire life has lied to me at some point.
“I think it will take you a little while to swim. We’ll be arriving at our destination tomorrow.”
“Great. And then what?” I shut my mouth and swallow the question I want to ask.
“Even now, you’re refusing to ask the questions I know you must have. Why?” His eyes soften, and I’m hit with the familiarity of them. The same as mine. It’s unnerving, and the possibility that this is all a mistake floats further away.
“Am I on a schedule I don’t know about? Do I need to ask you everything now? You said we arrive tomorrow, so we have time, unless you have something planned for when we do arrive?” I lean against the wall, feigning disinterest, hoping my behaviour will cause him to slip.
There’s nobody lingering in the background, and I have my power back. Let’s see what I can do with Fenix.
My arm thrusts forward to connect with the exposed skin at his neck. I dig my fingers in and wait for the surge of my power and touch to force the connection and hopefully jolt my magic.
But nothing happens.
The rush of water, more than the trickle when I tried to infiltrate his mind, is still there, thundering through me like a storm in a river. But there’s no violent reaction, no visible result. There’s something between us, I can feel it, like our powers are two tides meeting and fighting for dominance.
“Interesting,” he murmurs.
My fingers dig in harder, and the sheer will to force something builds within me. A chill threads down my hand and along my arm, so I know something is happening, but there’s nothing external that manifests.
Frustration lashes inside of me, needing an outlet, but I rip my hand away instead.
“What were you trying to do?” he asks, his brows pulling into a scowl.
Fight you!I scream inside my head, and for a moment, panic locks up the rest of my thoughts. What if he can read me like Ten? No, no, no, no…
“Very well.”
“Very well, what?” I check.
“If you’re not going to answer me or even be civil, you can wait out the rest of the journey in here. We’ll see if you change your mind about answering me when we arrive.”
