Ready to get on with the day and experience everything I've been missing, I saunter over to the far right, by the pool of lava, but I don’t get a chance to settle in before my name is called out.
“Ivy Hayworth!”
The air thickens with tension as my gaze snaps to Francesca, the leader of the Fire Protectors, and my spine stiffens. Her eyebrows furrow as a snarl curls her lips. “Don't be dense, or is that expected from the Angel of Heaven's Ridge?” she grunts, a stern look on her face, as my stomach twists in knots.
I barely part my lips, shock rocking me to my core at her outburst as Archer appears at my side, his hand at the small of my back, silently guiding me to the center of the room, while everyone else watches.
I’m used to eyes on me, but this feels different.
If I thought my life was a drama waiting to be played out for an audience already, it's worsening by the second.
As we come to a stop, I find my tongue and peer up at him. “Thank you, but… don't help me like that.” I speak so softly I'm almost certain he doesn't hear me, until he scoffs, his fingers pressing firmer into my back, making my body clench.
“Please don’t insult me by thinking I’m going to stand here and let her speak to you like that. She needs to know who the fuck she's talking to.”
As if his own words set him into motion, he takes a step toward her, and I act on instinct, grabbing his arm. I close my eyes, acutely aware of everyone's attention as I try to gather myself. Reluctantly, I pry my eyelids open far too quickly and meet his stare.
“Ivy,” he breathes huskily, and my body melts, a sense of peace wrapping around me.
I hate how much I desperately desire it, but instead of clinging to it like I want to, I grimace.
“Don't call me that,” I mutter, and he scoffs, stepping closer so our noses touch.
“Miss Hayworth, let's do an evaluation,” Professor Carbon hollers, but I can’t turn away from Archer, watching as he simmers with rage.
“Ivy, if you think I'm going to call you Angel after it was spit at you like that, then you're even more insane than I gave you credit for,” Archer vows, and my gaze snaps to Francesca.
She’s staring at me expectantly with her hands planted on her hips, her grin malicious to the bone as Professor Carbon waits.
Clearing my throat, I lift my chin and move, taking a few steps closer to Carbon, despite my nerves threatening to get the better of me. Her crow’s feet are more prominent than ever as her eyebrows pinch, and I’m drawn to watching her fingers flex at her sides, keenly aware of the restraint oozing from her.
To my surprise, Archer remains silent and manages to give me the space I need.
Taking a deep breath, I inhale the scent of fire and heat that consistently fills the cavern. Despite everyone’s attention still aimed my way, I fake all the confidence I can.
“Let's see what the resurrector can do. Other than rise from the dead, of course,” Francesca snarls, her anger biting through the air, and any hopes of everybody else in the room moving on to do what they're here for is gone. A show is presented, and whether I like it or not, I'm the star of it.
“Frankie,” Archer warns, his voice rumbling through the air, but she pays him no mind as she folds her arms over her chest. Yet it's the professor who speaks next.
“Rumor has it that a phoenix is a symbol of hope,” she states, and I press my lips together in a thin line.
“I don't understand,” I admit, silently telling myself to cut the distance between us, so this conversation doesn't take up the whole cave, but I'm rooted to the spot under her scrutiny.
“Of course you don’t,” Francesca grunts, her hatred for me clear and thick in the air.
“Francesca,” Archer snarls, his voice more threatening than before, but it only seems to anger her further.
“A symbol of hope means you have an air of positivity; you’re an environment controller.” She likes talking to me like I’m dumb, but her words swirl in my mind.
Startled, I shake my head.
An environment controller? Isn't that my father?
My stomach clenches.
That's not me.
“I’m not sure what that would require from me.” My cheeks heat from embarrassment as everyone watches me stand here, my vulnerability on full display.
