CHAPTER FOURTEEN: BRYNSYN
“She'snotawake.”Alik Tudow looks at me in irritation and any other day I’d have a smart retort, like no shit, buddy, I can see that with my two perfectly good eyes.
But fuck, one of my eyes has been twitching since the incident, and I’d had all the confidence in the world that Neryssa would be awake by now. I could feel it, everytime I came into her room. She was growing stronger.
I could feel the power surging through her, maybe even more distinctly than the others. I hadn’t been surprised when Fox had picked up on the energy that night. I’d hoped he wouldn’t mention it, but when he did I had to act like I hadn’t felt it.
People knowing what was coursing through Neryssa Ebirac right now would be dangerous. Because the girl is changing. I’m not quite sure what she’s changing into, the same way that I have no idea what I am. But I know that whatever it is is heavily influenced by the monsters our kind believe should be killed on sight.
So far Alik hasn’t shown any interest in turning her over or killing her, though I suspect that that’s because of the marks on his skin as well. He isn’t the same as Neryssa or I, I know that much. He’s more like Fox, touched, cursed.
Soskia’s been touched as well, though I doubt the other two realize it. I have no doubt she has marks on her skin, though none of us have touched her clothes or tried to force her to change. There’s a little stench starting to come off of her though, so Alike is going to need to do something about that soon.
I don’t need to see the marks on Soskia anyway, I can always feel the twisted black magic of the abarons because it lives inside of me, was born inside of me.
I suspect that maybe Neryssa was born with it inside of her as well. It’d make sense as to why there seemed to be a block on the type of fae she is. She also should have died or been turned within seconds of the abaron slamming into her. But instead, she’d screamed as her body wracked with a pain that I recognised. She’d managed to hold on though, her heart still thumping until I touched her, and then she’s just combust, not her flesh, but her energy, he escence, her soul.
The force of it had nearly killed us all.
I’d thought she was dead herself until I’d felt the barest of thrums coming from her. That thrum is now as wired as lightning.
She should be awake.
I rub my chest, that deep empty feeling, not quite the same as it usually is. It’s been more full this last week, even without pulling on Fox for it.
I peer at Neryssa, shaking my head as I try to figure out what the hell the problem is.
We can’t go to Sprouse about this. She’s a cool chick but at the end of the day, she’s the authority as much as she is the headmaster. She’d have to report us all and I’m not as convinced as Aliek that this is something his parents would be able to cover.
I rub my chin, tapping my foot.
“Brynsyn,” Alik pushes.
“I know,” I snap at him, my skin growing hot with fury.
Alik’s eyes narrow as he looks at my face and I have no doubt my eyes have changed to black. It’s something people have never questioned despite the fact that I’m a witch and not a shifter, my features shouldn't change. But I know that Alik has some reservations about me, that he’s been watching me closely and catching a beat on every little thing about me.
“Let me think,” I tell him, before turning my back to him and Neryssa. Fox is leaning on the wall a couple of steps away and he remains quiet as he watches me. He hasn’t been one to push this week, even though I know he’s been irritated with having to shift into Neryssa and cover for her. Clemmen hasn’t given him room to breathe.
I find myself moving a little close to him, that familiar dark energy drawing me in. It’s stronger than the energy that I can feel coming off of Alik and Soskia as well now.
My feet stop and I tilt my head back slightly. A soft hum slips past my lips and then I’m moving toward the other room where Soskia is. The girl is sitting in the middle of the bed and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look worse. Her peach hair is flying, her tone skin ashen, and her stare blank.
I heard rumors about the attack that went down before our first year here and if I had any doubt about the rumors they were cleared when I saw the way she reacted when the abaron appeared.
I don’t bother trying to coerce her out of the bed, picking her right up instead. She’s not that heavy and her body is warm and comfortable as it presses up against mine. Out of instinct, I inhale a breath, remembering too late that the girl hasn’t had a bath in a week.
“You stink,” I mutter.
I think I hear her let out a small laugh and the pressure on my chest eases a little bit.
The walk back down the hall is quiet and Alik’s body tenses up when he sees me carrying S oskia but he doesn’t question it. A lot of trust has been exchanged between him, Fox, and I. It’s had to be, no matter how reluctant we all were in the beginning.
I gently drop Soskia down on the bed next to Nerys and she slides right on down. Her gaze isn’t quite as far off and she rubs at the arm that’s touching Neryssa, a grimace on her face. She looks up at Alik before glancing over at Neryssa. She lifts her hand and it hovers over Neryssa’s chest, the same way the rest of us have done this week.
“Go ahead,” I encourage her. “Touch her.”
She’s hesitant as she lowers her hand and the moment that she does, she flinches, but she doesn’t pull away.
That energy coming from Neryssa seems to rev higher and I take a step closer, peering at her face. For the first time in a week, she moves, it's just a subtle twitch to her brow, but it's something.
And then her eyes snap open.