Dioval’s hands were unbearably cold, even through his weathered gloves. His green eyes wear full of utter terror. My stomach churned. “What? What’s wrong?”
“They’re chasing me, I don’t know why- please you need to help me!”
I laced my fingers between his. “What do you need? Food, water?” he shook his head, hard. “No- just, please i need to hide!”
He ducked behind me and buried his face in my skirt at the sound of Kai and Guinevere running up the stairs. “No, no, they’re my friends!” I said, twisting to see him. “See?” I held out a hand and they both reached for me instinctively. Dioval flinched as I did so, but he let me pull his hand slowly towards theirs. “They won’t hurt you.”
He seemed to relax a bit, just as his left arm twitched violently. He whimpered as it started to glitch- parts of it phasing in and out of existence. He started to cry, and I crouched down and cupped his face.
“Hey- Dioval, I need you to look at me.”
Gwen backed away. “Okay, I've seen some creepy shit, but this tops it.” she whispered. Kai eyes widened, and I remembered that I’d yet to tell him anything about… zappy zappy flashy flashy.
Dioval squeezed his eyes shut. “No no no no…” his glitching arm started to thrash violently, and he ripped his hands from mine. “Help! Help!” he yelled Gwen screamed and jumped back, knocking into Kai. Kai helped her regan her balance before kneeling next to Dioval.
“Hey kid, I need you to look at me, okay?” he said, putting a hand on Dioval’s shoulder. The poor boy whimpered. “I don’t want to see”
Kai gave him a shake. “You need to.” I bit my lip and started twisting my skirt again. “Dioval, just tell us what’s wrong, we want to help-”
Valentina burst in. “i herd a scream-” “shut it, they’re having a moment!” gwen shushed.
I knelt down and took his freezing hands again. “Come on….”
His whole body flickered once, and then he tripped up and fell. Kai caught him and propped him back up. “You okay there?”
Dioval glanced around. Then he pointed at Valentina. “Who’s that?”
…
Dioval hung out in the kitchen with thalia- who was already raiding for snacks- while the rest of us went to tea in the garden room. It was a beautiful room i had only seen a few times before. The room was round, and the walls and ceiling were all made of glass, and it was absolutely covered in flowers and vines, with a few white tables and a different colored tea set at each.
First though, I had to get dressed. Their was some stupid rule about what you could wear to tea and what you couldn’t. I figured if i was trying to become a princess, I might as well dress the part.
I selected a nice salmon- pink dress with a matching flower clip, and let my hair down from its usual messy ponytail.
I stare at myself in the full length mirror. I almost couldn’t recognize myself. I didn’t look like the wind-swept, shy girl I had been two weeks ago, before all of this had started. I didn’t look like the girl in the plain green nightdress with her eyes full of fire. I looked… I don't know. But I didn't look like me.
There was a knock at the door and a muffled, “hurry up sparky!” from which i could determine it was Cass come to collect me. “Coming!”
I threw open the door and she gasped. “Whoa. you look… not you.” i rolled my eyes. “Thanks. You too,” i said, gesturing to her gold dress that matched her hair. “I think green might be your color, Cass.” she snorted. “Well, too late now. Come on, we’re grabbing Grace and Undine too.”
She trotted down the hallway towards the stairs. I started, picked up my skirt and hurried after her. It felt weird to be slower than someone, as i has always been quicker than Gwen and Kai- despite being the short one in the group. (but only next to them. They are among few in the village who can claim they are taller than me.)
Cass hopped down the steps two at a time and continued on to one of the downstairs bedrooms and knocked loudly. On the other side their was a scream, running, and then the door flew open to reveal a messy haired Kayla. The laces of her dress were done hastily, she was only wore one shoe, and her skirt was wrinkled terribly. Something churned in my stomach. “Um… isn’t this Undine’s room?”
Kayla blushed. “Um. yeah.”
I wrinkled my nose. “What were you-”
“Hi guys! Undine said poking her head in the doorway, equally disheveled. “We were just… in the middle of a pillow fight. Give me a minute to brush my hair.”
She darted off again and Kayla gave a tight smile. Cass sighed. “I don’t even want to know,” she moaned. I huffed. “I’ll go find Grace.” i said, and set off further down the hallway.
I knocked on the door, and it flew open. Grace had taken her perfect brown curls and swept them up, half back with a blue ribbon to match her velvety, sky-hued dress. My eyes widened. “You look um..”
Grace giggled and held out her arms for a hug, which i awkwardly tripped into. When she pulled away, she was grinning from ear to ear. “Tea?”
I gulped. “Yeah. tea.”
She hooked her arm through mine and marched on, dragging me forward. I scrambled to keep in pace with the long-legged girl. She chattered the whole way long, “have you alway had magic? When did you first figure it out? Where people scared of you?”
I gulped. “Not really? I’ve never had…. Magic? People just thought i was weird because i was quiet.”
Grace tilted her head. “You’re holding up surprisingly well. Personaly i wouldn’t want to leave my room. I know lesser girls would’ve gon mad. But not Liliad Emily!”
“Actually, it’s just-”
“How are you coping? I mean, i haven’t seen you cry or- and yes its none of my business, but you have to understand my curiosity. I mean, you can create lightning with your hands. That’s pretty awesome. Plus, the prince kissed you and- again, not really my business” she lowered her voice to a whisper. “-but i did hear Olivia saying she thinks he wants to marry you and-”
I let out a choked sob and fell to the floor.
Grace gasped and dropped down beside me. “Omigosh are you okay?”
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. “No!” i squeaked, “none of this is okay! I could electrocute any one of you, there’s this kid who keeps showing up wherever i go and hes hurt and somehow I'm responsible for him, my dad is dying back home, and there’s the whole thing with Marcus but… UGH!” i screamed.
Grace nodded, understandingly. “Ohh. you’ve been using the ‘i’m going to suppress my emotions and pretend the world isn’t trying to kill me’ methode to cope. That makes sense, I guess.” i sobbed.
“Do you not want to go to tea?”
“Nope.”
“I can live with that.” Grace decided. She slowly lowered herself to lie spread-eagle on the floor beside me.
“If its any help, i’m having problems, too.”
I didn’t say anything.
“I mean, all of us are a little stunned from what happened the other night,” She said. “But of course you were the most rattled. Obviously.”
“Don’t you ever get tired?” I sighed. “Of all this? Of acting pretty and flirty and like you actually want to get married?” i waved my hands at the walls. “My father is dying, and i can’t even be with him for that.”
There was a crash from down the hall, and Rune and Acosta came barrelling towards us. I sat up. “What are you doing?”
Rune looked down sheepishly. Acosta grinned. “Science!” she announced.
I groaned and lay back down. “We’re pouting.” Grace grinned.
I heard the crinkle of fabric as the two girls laid down as well. I turned to Acosta on my right, her red hijab starting to slip off. “What are you doing,” I muttered.
“Pouting. Aren’t you?”
I sighed and gave her a small smile.
***
Gwen, Cass and Kayla accosted me in the hallway as I was tramping towards my room. “Why weren’t you at tea?” Gwen demanded. I groaned and kept waking.
“Hey!”
“Just leave me alone.” I snapped. Cass grabbed my arm.
“Come on sparky, just answer the question.”
I reached my room and grabbed for the door; it was locked.
I turned and glared at Cass.
“You can go back into your room once you tell us what’s going on.” Kayla said, crossing her arms. I snorted. “What is this, a colt? Let me in my room!”
“Not until you explain!”
“Explain what?” i yelled.
“HEY!” kayla screamed. “You don’t get to do that, Liliad. You can’t be angry at everyone all the time and then expect it to be fine! You can’t just leave without any warning! Just because you’re upset doesn’t give you the right to be a jerk all the time!”
Her face was red. I stared at her, my mouth open.
Kayla huffed.
I expected to feel that same anger, I expected lighting and pain and screams- but it never came. I wasn’t angry at Kayla. Because she was right.
I wrenched my hand off the doorknob. “Please.” i sobbed. “Just let me in.”
Cass shook her head. “Not gonna happen, sparky.”
I screamed and threw up my hands. I riped the pink flower out of my hair, threw it to the ground, and stomped down the staircase, out the front doors, and into the night air. But looking around, i couldn’t think do anything, so i collapsed to the ground in a fit of tears for the second time that day.
I was a terrible friend, i was a terrible person. I was a witch.
I wanted to go home.
“Liliad.”
I looked up- it was one of the hooded figures. But i was too tiered to scream, so i only glared at him with red, wet eyes.
“I can take you home” the figure hissed, holding out a hand. It was wrinkled and flaking and downright terrifying. I froze, not daring to even breathe.
“Look at you. Your friendssss hate you. There isssss mud in your hair, and on your dressss. But i can help you. All you have to do…”
He leaned down to whisper into my ear. “Issss tell me where Dioval issss... “
I choked as he backed away and held out his hand. “..And i will take you home.”
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