Rebirth: The Awakening Of A Witch (25 page)

She shook her head. “
You’ll have your powers soon, Sky. They won’t even be able to come near you when that happens.
You won’t need to learn those moves. We only used them just to keep up with the act that we’re ordinary humans,
”
she said as she rested both her hands on my shoulders.

Ordinary?
What’s so ordinary about that? Did she actually see herself fight?
I resisted the urge to open my mouth in shock. No
ordinary
human woul
d be able to do that. I frowned, trying to figure out if she was bragging about it or something.
I sighed and h
ung my head, not liking the fact that this discussion wasn’t going anywhere at all. “Until I get my other powers, I don’t have anything to defend myself with
. Come on, Elise. You know that there’s a need for me to learn
.
”
I tried one more time with my pleading attempts with her
. She sighed and looked at me with a helpless expression. She was going to give in.
I couldn’t believe it. I smiled and immediately pulled her in for a hug.

“Only the basics,” she emphasized. “And we’ll stop when I decide we stop, okay?”
I nodded, still hugging her tight. I couldn’t believe I was
actually throwing myself into this. I knew very well that I was going to get myself killed with my clumsiness
, but there was no other choice.

We started going at it for an hour or two, Elise insisting that we have to take a lecture on safety measures first. I immediately felt like I was in Mr. York’s class at the rate that she was going
, but I didn’t complain.
I know that I could only ask her among the three of them.
Adrien would’ve flat out
said no
, and Cole… well, Cole would just laugh at me first before saying he won’t agree to
any of
it
in
between chuckles.

By the time Elise said it was time to go to bed, I
happily agreed with
her. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. Maybe it’s because Elise was being gentl
e
with me,
but I can only know the answer to that once I actually put it to the test.
I shuddered at the idea and just went in to bed beside her.
I wasn’t able to sleep instantly. This has grown to be
my normal routine now.
It was rar
e for me to sleep early nowadays
,
because my mind was just too preoccupied with many things.
When I felt that familiar aura visiting me again, I grabbed my phone before my eyelids immediately gave in to the heaviness.

‘Thanks’ I typed in and sent the message.
I was becoming
so
used
with
Adrien’s presence, too. He was like a
natural
sleeping pill that I was
rapidly
growing addicted to.
I wouldn’t know if that was healthy, but I needed
his
presence
to sleep tonight.

‘No problem’ Adrien replied almost immediately. I smiled as I finally welcomed sleep.

I know I agreed to
be babysat,
but Adrien really went overboard. I frowned as I made my way
out of the classroom
.
It was
during Social Studies
, our last class for the day,
that I couldn’t take it in any longer.
I wanted to get away from Adrien
even
for
just
a bit, since he’s been hounding me all
day, sitting right next to me during
each class and shadowing me wherever I go.
I thought I could escape him b
y going to that one place I was so sure
he wouldn’t dare
to
go.
My
remaining
patience sli
c
ed into shreds
when I
saw
Elise already
waiting for me
outside
the
ladies’ room
.

Really now? I
certainly need
to talk to him about this again. This time I’ll make sure I won’t be backed into a corner.

Elise smiled at me, not looking the least bit sorry that she was casually giving in to her older brother’s
obsessed
paranoia.
I sighed and went in ahead of her. Once we were inside, I looked through every cubicle before turning on her.
“I can’t believe him! Even in the comfort rooms? Oh my God!” I hissed as I started pacing the short distance between the
sink and
a stall
. “I can’t even pee in peace. This is
just
absurd!” I grumbled again,
continuing with my
very limited distance march
.

Elise laughed. “You know
,
you both suit each other well. Adrien certainly needs a rebel like you,” she said in between giggles.

“I’m not rebelling! I’m just displaying a perfectly normal reaction because he’s choking me to death by being too
dictatorial!
”

She sighed then. “
Skylar,
he’s only doing this for your safety. That’s all
we’re
doing.”

I slowed my steps when she said that. I felt guilty for her and Cole. I pondered on it a little, but it was easily
push
ed
aside
when I saw Adrien’s
silver
eyes in my head.
“Yes, but this is seriously taking it to the next level. Next thing I know Cole is waiting for me outside to actually walk be back to the remaining half
-
hour of my class,”
I
snarled
.
Elise stiffened
,
and I stopped dead on my tracks as I felt another presence outside t
he bathroom. I looked at her as
she bit her lip
, suddenly
looking all guilty. That presence
felt all
too
similar with hers. It can’t be. He wouldn’t! I angrily trudged out of the rest room and felt my anger erupt when I saw Cole leaning casually on the wall
right beside the door
I just opened.
He smiled innocently at me as I glared at him. “You two follow me now!” I growled
and stomped towards the
stairs leading to the
next floor
of the building
to where the Art room was. No one would be occupying that room at this time.

Once we made it there, I distinctly felt that this has somehow happened before. I brushed it off as I waited for them to both enter the room, telling Cole to close the door behind him. Once he did, I leaned back on one of the windows right across from them. They both stared at each other, questioning
the
other with their eyes.

“Adrien, come here, please.” I spoke with a
n
unyielding
voice.
I knew he heard me like he clearly heard
me yesterday when I called him to my room.
I crossed my arms and tapped my foot, waiting for him to arrive. It didn’t take him long to appear. I felt his presence
at
the door
,
and I dragged my eyes to that direction. He was suddenly there with a
tensed
look on his face. He obviously
felt how
furious
I am
right now.
When he was about to open his mouth,
visibly wanting
to start giving me his own lecture, I stopped him with my own rant. “You domineering
beast
! Even in the ladies’ room? Seriously! I can’t even pee by myself now?” I lashed out, glaring
menacingly
at him as I clenched my hands.

He immediately walked forward and settled himself in between the twins
. Cole instantly
reste
d
his
arm
in the middle of his brother’s chest, a silent gesture asking him to calm down
and stay back
.
Adrien turned
slight
ly to Cole and let out an exasperated breath
,
weakly
nodding to him with his jaws clenched
.
“Skylar, it’s for your own good
. You should know that
by now
!
”
he retorted angrily
as he fixed his eyes back
to
me
, his voice tinted with frustration
.

“Adrien, stop. Let’s give you both a breathing space before you
start
say
ing
things you’ll regret later,” Elise said in a firm voice.

“
Tell her that, Elise,
”
he snarled.
I stiffened. This scene, the position they’re in right now
, my own casual one leaning against the windows
, and how we were all
arguing felt all too familiar.
Adrien immediately tensed as he saw my reaction. “Skylar, what is it?”
his furious expression instantly changing into one of concern.

“Stay down!” I cried out, suddenly remembering where all the familiarity came from. That hazy
premonit
ion I have of this room hastily cleared up as I realized
we
were the four figures in that
vision
. And a loud bomb was going to blow up soon. I tried to reach out for Adrien, but that
deafening
,
explosive sound already went out before I could even move a step towards them.

Chapter
13
-
Captured

It was already too late. The green smoke that enveloped the entire room didn’t even clear up, but I was
certain
that
they were
already
on the ground,
knocked unconscious.
I immediately stepped away from the window and started walking towards them, fiercely hoping
that they were alright
and drowning the anguish I instantly felt
.
I didn’t even make it through two steps before
I felt instant warmth surround me. It was
scalding hot
, prickling
my skin as it got even hotter
each moment
that
passed by. I tried running away from the heat
,
but a pair of arms snaked their way around my body in a vice grip, pulling me towards the scorching heat. I tried fighting back, reaching my arms out
as far as
my body would allow.
But
the grip on my body tightened until I couldn’t move anymore. I felt myself lose the battle as a hazy cloak of darkness
devoured
me.
I finally stopped struggling as I felt my body
slowly
slip away into oblivion.

“Adrien
,
” his name managed to escape my lips before I thoroughly succumbed to th
e
obscured
shadows
.

I woke up in a daze. My head was hurting and so were my arms
,
for some reason. I blinked back hard so my eyes could adjust to the darkness. But I couldn’t make out anything.
I felt my eyes g
r
o
w
heavy again
,
and I was just about to
slip
back
in
to that unconscious
state
when I saw two piercing
silver
orbs staring intently at me in my head. I snapped my eyes open.

“Adrien,”
I whispered.

“Ah. So the Princess is finally awake.” Someone sneered behind me.
I felt her aura and I instantly didn’t like it.
It carried a heavy weight of anger and hatred
with it
that it was awful
to feel the intensity of its presence.
“You certainly took your precious time
sleeping, my Dear. It’s terrible manners to sleep and keep your hosts waiting,
”
she hissed, c
lick
ing
her tongue
at me disapprovingly. I tensed my body as I prepared myself to face her
while
she was nearing me.
She sent out a ball of
fire
right above us as she stepped even closer to me
, the
faint
light catching the yellow in her eyes
that looked
much like a cat’s
.