Dr. Holland nods, but the room remains stiff, and I’m left feeling like I said the wrong thing.
When no one speaks, I clear my throat. “What am I missing, Dr. Holland? Why am I here?”
The rest of the room can barely look at me as I wait for an answer, but thankfully, the doctor offers me a tight smile and nods. “Miss. Hayworth, I believe your last memory is from three years ago.”
My heart lurches in my chest as I slump against the pillows behind me, tears prickling the back of my eyelids, and I can’t explain why. “I don’t understand.”
A hand lands on the doctor’s shoulder as he parts his mouth, pausing him from speaking. “We’ll take it from here, Doctor. Please, give us a moment.” Hugo’s voice leaves no doubt, and the doctor reluctantly nods, disappearing from the room just as quickly as he arrived.
“Hugo?” I whisper as he takes a seat beside me on the bed, and his hand finds mine.
“Rip the Band-Aid off?” he asks, a saying I’m familiar with, and I nod. “Okay, Vee, but I’m going to need you to take a deep breath and soak it all in, alright?”
“Alright,” I insist, forcing myself to sit up as I inhale.
“And remember that I’m here. We’reallhere.”
“Band-Aid, Hewy,” I grumble, and he grins.
“Ember is your sprite, like she mentioned, and these guys,” he starts, glancing over his shoulder at the four other men in the room for a moment before returning his gaze to me. “Are your fated mates.”
“Four?” I balk, and the blond snickers, offering me a wink that heats my cheeks as my brother rolls his eyes.
“Sadly,” he grumbles, earning a huff from the beast of a man behind him. “You are a Fire Protector at Neverbound Academy, and three days ago, you finally learned your powers, blessed to you by The Fates.”
“Three days ago?” I repeat, and he winces, making me understand immediately. “Have I been out of it for three days?” I clarify, and he nods, but the pinch between his brows tells me there’s far more I’m not ready for. “Band-Aid me, Hugo,” I insist, and he inhales sharply, engulfing my hand with his.
“You are a phoenix, Ivy. It’s likely going to change your life in ways we can’t comprehend yet because there’s not enough knowledge about them. Especially not in the Fifth Kingdom. You’re the first to be blessed with such abilities since the First Kingdom.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” he admits with a shrug. “I wasn’t actually there when it happened.”
“We were,” the blond breathes, stealing my breath and attention as he stares at me with hollow eyes, as if he’s reliving something unbearable.
“When will I remember?” I ask the room, but no one can give me an answer for what feels like an eternity before the dark-haired, hazel-eyed guy steps forward.
“The doctors aren’t sure, but they’re quite firm on the fact that you will. It’s just going to take time.”
I nod, like it makes sense, but it doesn’t.
“When can I leave?” I ask, already hating the room and the negative energy that clings to the walls.
I feel out of my depth. I don’t know anything from the past three years of my life, and I can’t stand the way everyone is looking at me with pity.
“When the doctor signs off on your discharge paperwork,” Hugo explains, and I huff.
My head aches. “What’s with the lighting in here? It’s driving me insane,” I grumble, feeling irritated in my own skin as I band my arms around my middle.
The light dims a moment later, but it does nothing to deter my frustration. Throwing the blankets back, I move to stand, but my brother plants a hand on my thigh, rooting me to the spot.
“You should rest, Ivy.”
“I don’t want to rest, Hugo. I want to understand.”
“Ask me and I’ll try to help,” the blond adds from his place against the far wall, and I shake my head.
“How did I come to be a phoenix? How does someone figure that out?”
