Adaera's POV
The soft flutter of the curtains, the medicinal fragrance of the rosemary incense, the warm breeze against my skin, the melodic blend of instruments and the quiet chants from my lips envelopes me completely.
The warmth of the Eastern light enraptures my frame wrapped in a silky robe and my hair held up in a tight bun in a golden glow from the window as I sit leg-crossed within an intricate circle of small scented candles and scented powder. The smell of lavender and scandalwood drowning.The rest of the world and its distractions fades away and I immerse myself completely in the serene bubble of peace I only find in these sessions. Breathing softly, the heaving of my chest and each intake of air–a beautiful orchestration.
A quarter of a candlestick runs by and my eyes snap open, a hazy cloud of incense all over the room. A sound draws my gaze to the door, the clinking of heels growing closer.
'Ferai'
Only she would let herself in.
I look away, the door opens to a red-haired lady in pantsuits, the click clack of her heels announcing her entrance.
"I hope you had a pleasant mediation, Ad?" Her deep, hearty murmur resounds across the room breaking my bubble of silence sooner than I'd preferred.
"You are early." I drawl lazily, shutting my eyes to savour the shadowy feeling of the smoky incense against my skin.
"Didn't miss me?" She laughs, plopping into the armchair across my mediation circle.
Of course, I did. Her presence made my days a little less bleak. But, she was never going to get me to say that outloud. Then again, Ferai coming this early into the Session was a rarity in itself.
"What are you doing here?" Opening my eyes, I stare directly at the window, my head tilted slightly in her direction.
"Who would have thought? I have the same question?" The lazy smile on her face disappears replaced by a pointed look.
"What the hell are you doing in a low-tier district, Adaera?" She frowns, shifting out of the chair, her gaze locked sharply on my side profile.
I heave in a puff of the scented air, my breaths hanging between us.
As expected, only my guardian was sharp enough to see through my excuses.
"Sienna told me you were already in Velmora. I decided to drop and cheer on our hardworking leader, only to be informed you took up residence in Skyline."
"Of the lowest of districts!" She continues, her voice rising in disbelief.
"There isn't much to see in Empyrean, is there?" I reply, turning to meet her gaze.
"Hmm" Her eyes flare dramatically in disbelief.
"And you expect to believe that, Ad!" She scoffs, throwing a bubblegum into her mouth. I wince at the loud, indiscriminate sound of her chewing ripping through what was left of my veil of sanctuary.
"The batch of Initiates are very promising." Another excuse rolls down the tip of my tongues effortlessly.
"Adaera, is there something I should know?" The sound of her popping gum goes silent, her worry filled eyes locked on me.
Haa
I purse my lips at her insistence.
How was I suppose to answer that?
Evading won't work with Ferai and lying is absolutely unnecessary.
Ironically, I have no idea why I am here. Other than the sudden impulse….
Not right now, turning to meet her gaze, I still myself. I'm not particularly fond of what I'm about to do.
Not with her, at least.
"You are privy to all that you should be, Ferai." My voice goes an octave lower, taking an icy edge.
She stares at me blankly showing no visible reaction to my warning. But, I notice.
I always do.
The moment she freezes up in shock.
The quiet realization that settles in her eyes–I was reminding her of her place.
"That's good to know." She replies in her hearty tone, the tension from before barely registering afterwards.
A silver of gleeful pleasure snakes into my bloodstream at the gleam of terror within those calm, steady eyes.
Nothing truly beats the feeling of being a predator. I hum softly, losing myself in the afterglow.
Rising slowly, Ferai crosses the room pouring a cup of the herbal tea on the stool across from me for herself.
I chuckle softly at the sight.
'How typical of Ferai, to shamelessly make herself feel at home in another's space.
The warm trickle of the jasmine tea resounds softly and she hands it over to me.
"Here you go." Smiling in delight, she sniffs her cup gulping the content in a noisy, unrefined manner. I sip my tea silently watching her as she poured another and another…
A warm feeling settles in my chest at her simple indulgence, my previous actions of demeaning her completely forgotten. She didn't let it affect her because she understands with no words uttered.
Talk about reasons why she was my longest guardian till date.
"If you don't mind I'll take this with me." She says, taking the jar with her. A small smile softens the sharp contours of my face as I watch her settle lazily into the armchair drinking my tea, her legs slung over my center table as she scrolls through her phone.
Rising, I untie my hair letting the silky wave down my shoulder stretching under the warm bath of the sun.
HAA
Turning around, I lock eyes with Ferai, my brows arching in question at her sudden shout. Looking away from her phone, she holds my gaze.
"The Halecrests are back." She says, disbelief reeking in every word. I freeze, my hands hanging in the air.
"Halecrest? Since when." Frowning, I approach her, my thoughts scattering into a thousands pieces at the possibles.
"About ten days." Feira's expression sours the longer she stares into her phone.
"Plus a Kestrel?" Feira mutters in disbelief.
Oh no. I sigh, massaging my face.
This changes everything.
Unaccounted variables are recipes for failure. Even ones as insignificant as uninitiated trainees.
Especially ones with those names.
"Why are we finding out only now?" Frustration climbs up my throat by the second, my session ruined in three sentences.
"The Halecrest in question is unaware. Here." Feira's UI comes into view displaying the hottest blog post in all of Velmora with over 2 billion views and counting.
I skip the pictures and skim through the content to get the main point.
'This is manageable, everyone is unaware. No advantage to any clan at this point.
I glance up curious about the identity of the hottest topics in all of Velmora.
"Lilli..iana.." I whisper, my voice shaking in shock at the image of the clueless, Extern in outrageous clothing.
Feira pauses at my statement, her sharp eyes tracking down every minute change in my features.
I should smooth over the shock marring my face.
Wipe off the disbelief in my eyes.
Regain my aloof demeanor
But, I can't.
I can't even retract, cover up or deflect.
I simply stand there stunned silent at the strange turn of events.
The clueless, sharp-tongued Extern is a Halecrest?
It never dawned on me to do a background check on her because my judgements are never wrong.
A glance was all it took and I had her unravelled beneath my gaze.
Or so I thought.
'No' I shake my head.
No, there's no way I could've been thrown off that badly.
The innocent gleam in her eyes.
The brimming positivity she exudes.
The little niceties she always has at the tip of her tongue.
The awkwardness she couldn't stave off.
None of that was false.
'Then, she really is clueless' A quiet exhale of relief leaves my lips, loosening the rigid tension in my shoulder.
A burst of laughter and sneers resound from the sound channels overhead, drawing my attention.
On the holographic display, a short viral clip of Lilliana falling into a panic attack in front of hundreds of Initiate plays on loop.
I stare at the scene blankly, taking extra care not to show any more reaction.
"No way she's SK's." Feira frowns in disbelief and I nod in agreement.
I have to agree.
This is too pathetic, even for an Extern.
'If only a few jeers brought her to the ground, how much more this.' I chuckle, amused by the little misfit.
Oh, no!
'How much more, this?' A surge of irrational panic runs over me.
"User Interface." A holograph appears before me, bluish light falling over my features.
Tracking my AVA status at the topmost corner of the board – On Vacation, I discard my robes, putting on the maroon brocade under a cobweb black Victoria lace with steel gray seams running down the waistline.
"Ric, I need Lilliana's live location." I step into the platform boots behind the hanger. Feira stills at my lips, looking away from her phone, taking in my actions.
No doubt she'd figured it out.
But, not right now. I've somewhere to be.
Her gaze lingers before it returns to her phone.
Smart choice.
"Hey, don't you know it's a bad habit to ruin your subordinate's vacation." An annoyed snarl streams into my ears making me smile.
It's been a while.
"And who the hell is Lilliana?"
"Made new friends while I was away?"
"Wait. You don't mean Lilliana as in Velmora's trending dysfunction, right?" I chuckle at his unique title.
"Yes, that one."
"Oh, come on. You know I can't just do that. Privacy Protocols, Consent requirements and all boring stuff you don't want to hear."
"That's a total breach in my Operational Directives." The whine in his voice disappears, leaving a serious cadence.
"Ric, now." I order.
"There's somewhere I have to be." I pause at the door glancing at my guardian, who's back to snipping her tea.
"Be back soon. We've a lot to do." She replies, eyes fixated on her phone.
A ghost of a smile upturns my lips and I step out of the room heading straight to the mansion's exit.
Evening breeze blows softly cooling off the heat of the mid day sun, the tension of the unveiling palpable in the very air.
Initiates gather around the campus talking in hushed voices.
I weave through the shortest route to the main library.
"Adaera? No way you're running to meet this Lilliana?"
"Oh, shut up." I grimace at his words.
Of course, I wasn't running.
But, I sure wasn't strutting down the aisle like I usually did. The panic from before never left rather it seeped into my limbs hastening my steps.
"Your heart rate is spiking beyond normal, your breaths hurried."
"Which part of the library?" I ask, ignoring his unwanted analysis.
"Outdoor Clove. Last stall."
At his words, I turn sharply into a bend staying out of sight of wandering Initiates. The Cloves come into sight and my pace increases as I cross the grassy expanse in seconds.
Rapid, heavy breathes reach my ears from behind the wooden bars of the stall at the every end of the block.
Another panic attack?
A wave of instinctual worry drowns every ounce of composure in me and I cover the remaining distance with a run, throwing the wooden doors open the moment they come within reach.
BANG
My blood runs cold at the sight before me. The clueless Extern lay near lifelessly beneath a pool of her own excretes. Her chest heaving helplessly for air and the slow dimming light in her eyes.
A dull tremor shakes my insides and I call out to her, my voice shaking with something I couldn't recognise.
"LILLIANA!" I yell, bringing her to the present before crossing the little distance between us. With a firm grip, I pull off the floor, supporting her weight over my legs.
"You!" She says in surprise, her voice raw and gravelly. The icy grip of worry tightening my chest loosens its hold. A small exhale of relief leaves my lips at the recognition and surprise filling her lifeless eyes.