Under My Skin

~ Chapter Seventeen ~

"Hecate."

Kieran's POV ~

You never realize how much someone means to you until you almost lose them.

I had been up all night anticipating everything. I would get to see her in 5 hours. We'd get on the plane, if wait those 5 dreadful hours. Then I'd see her. Truthfully I was worried. Worried she'd hate me, worried she'd push me away, worried she wouldn't give me another chance.

Then I think of my father and mother. My father betrayed her over and over again and she still forgave him. Each and every time.

"Kie! Let's go!" Athalia yelled from the common room. I came up behind her silently. "I'm already here." She jumped, turning around and slapping my shoulder. "Come guys we don't want to miss our flight." I announced.

I bolted to the fireplace and announcing our destination. It took 5 minutes for everyone to get through to the other side. After we went through searched and boarded the plane. I sat in my first class seat with a wide grin on my face.

Bella sat next to me making me slightly uncomfortable. "Hey!" She greeted with a smile of her own. I nodded my head at her. "What's got you so happy?" She questioned, I read her mind. She was hoping it was because she sat next to me.

How do I tell my bestfriends sister whom is obsessed with me, that I'm happy because I get to see another girl without hurting her? I don't think you can, so I didn't.

The sun came up an hour later after we took off. My leg bounced from my nerves practically exploding in my limbs. I was wearing a button up black shirt to cover the dark mark imprinted on my forearm. Black trousers to match with Embers Diamond heart necklace around my neck.

She had left it in the van when we got back. I kept it with me hoping to have a chance to give it back. "Would you like anything to eat or drink sir?" A flight attendant questioned. She gave me a polite smile.

"Do you happen to have Makers Mark bourbon?" I wondered. She nodded her head at me. "Then I'll take a glass of it, on the rocks please." She walked away after taking Bella's order as well. She ordered the same as me.

The flight attendant came back with our drinks. Bella took one sip spitting it out, her face breaking out in a disgusted look. "God that's terrible." She wined. "You have to have an acquired taste to like bourbon Bells." I informed sipping on my glass.

She blushed at my accidental nickname. I looked across the isle Scorpius and Lilah were both sleeping. Lilahs head was on Scors shoulder, his hand on her thigh and her arm wrapped around his bicep. In the seat in front of them, Lia sat alone.

She looked nervous. I went to sit beside her but Bella stopped me. "What do you think about this dress?" She asked me. She held up her phone to me. "For what?" My eyebrows knit together.

"Well the Yule ball...it's coming up after the other schools get to Hogwarts for the tournament." She gave me a "duh" look. "Right..." I gave her an "oh" look. "The dress is great." I commented, completely uninterested.

"Are you gonna nominate yourself?" I turned to her. "I might." I had always wanted to. But I had completely forgotten about it since Embers life went to shit.

For the next 4 hours I was tormented with Bella's telling me about her favorite chick flick, pop songs, and balls her parents had hosted. Finally the plane landed.

We rushed out of the plane to find a limousine waiting for us out front. We sat in silence, except for Bella nagging me with what I like. My answers Horror movies, Classic Rock, Greek mythology.

She then proceeded to compare herself to Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty. "Who do you think everyone else would be?" Everyone seemed interested now, waiting on my input.

"Uhm okay...Athalias obviously Hera." Lia liked that. "Scorpius would be Poseidon." He was ecstatic to get that answer. I hated myself for boosting his ego even more.

"Lilah seems like she'd fit into Demeter's role pretty well." Bella gave me a confused look. "I haven't heard of Demeter, who's she?" Maybe she was playing dumb because she thinks I'd like that, but I found it irritating. "Goddess of fertility and earth." I informed.

"Well we know I'm obviously Aphrodite." She gleamed. "Or Medusa..." I muttered. "How about you Kieran?" Lilah asked. "I'd be Hades himself." I blankly replied.

"Why Hades?" Lilah became confused. "Because I'm selfish, i hate living in the dark but who am I to complain? It's not like I got a choice." Everyone understood what I meant as soon as I said it.

"On a lighter note, how about Ember? Who's she be?" There was no doubt in my mind she was my Persephone but I was struggling to choose. "Hecate." I blurted out. "Isn't she like evil?" Scorpius chuckled. "Hecate had it rough, she was assumed evil by everyone but she was neither good nor evil. She was misunderstood." Athalia finally spoke.

I silently thanked her for answering. "But Kieran wanted to say Persephone." She outed. I glared at my sister. "Well I could be Persephone." Bella interrupted. "Yeah right." Scorpius practically insulted.

"I think Ems a mix of them both." Lilah said next. "I think on the outside she's Persephone but on the inside she Hecate." She thought out. We all agreed to that expect for Bella. She seemed angry after Lilah said that. After a minute of silence Bella broke it.

"Why does everyone think she's so misunderstood? She's had it so easy!" At the point we were all dumbfounded. "Her dad just fucking died Bella, how is that easy?" Scorpius hollered. At that moment we were all disappointed at Bella.

So naive and idiotic, just because she has some weird obsession over me. She'd ruin a perfect friendship over something I could never give her.

The limousine stopped outside of the hospital. Our parents waiting outside to greet us. We left our bags in the car, hugging our parents. Well some of us did. I shook my dads hand quickly then rushing past him into the hospital and to the front desk.

"Hi, I need Ember Zabinis room number." I informed. The receptionist looked up from her computer screen at me. "If you're here to see her, just turn around kid." She hinted, looking behind me.

I slowly turned to see Ember with an IV Stand beside her. She was wearing a patients nightgown and smiling. I embraced her into a tight hug. I lifted her from her feet, her scent intoxicating my lungs.

"I didn't expect this from you." She whispered against my neck. "Neither did I." I smirked, refusing to let her go. Our friends stood next to us, waiting for their turns. But they didn't get their chance to hug Ember for a while.

She was mine for now.