Electric Blue Rose - Book One. [COMPLETED] Undergoing Edits

Chapter Thirty-Eight - Manipulation

Alex, Joe, Amelia, Jade, and Edge gathered to cram for midterms. Alex struggled to believe that so much time had already passed. It seemed like just yesterday he arrived back at Inanis and ruined everything he and Jade once had. Now Alex was with Joe on one side of him and Edge on the other side. The growth he wished he had still struggled to play a part that Joe could believe, though he knew that deep down, Joe was aware. Whether or not Alex could eventually move on and fully devote himself to Joe would be another story. Jade's laugh piqued his interest. He looked up, noticing her and Edge chuckling about something and engaging in a conversation about movements. Joe nudged Alex's arm and smiled as Alex directed his attention to him. Alex leaned over and pecked Joe's lips. Looking up, he caught Jade glimpsing at them. Alex often wondered how over him she could be. Jade always proclaimed him to be her future. Well, Alex was the one who proclaimed it to her. Jade just trusted him to stand by his word.

"Okay," Amelia exclaimed, breaking the separated silence. "So we've covered aura, energy, movements, and now all we have to do is review orbs. Professor Q gave me some orbs to practice with." She passed them out, giving each of us three of their own. "Jade. You probably should use your healing to focus on the orbs." Jade nodded in understanding.

The room glowed in various colored auras as the group began their meditation. Alex used this brief moment of privacy to watch her. It was difficult to believe this was the same Serf he had picked up so many years ago. The same girl whose heart broke in front of him as Alex listed how they could never be together. Alex didn't realize that she would be the one keeping them apart, but after what he did to cause her pain after all that. He couldn't blame her. Alex took a deep breath and joined them in the meditation. Alex's father had him practice with orbs since he was a child, so Alex completed it swiftly and laid his orbs in front of him on a cloth. Amelia was the next to finish. Amelia's gaze met Alex's before they turned their attention to Jade. The aura that encased her made his eyes water. The beauty that radiated from it left him speechless. Growing up, his mother would talk about how beautifully certain wielders could wield their abilities. Alex didn't understand it then, but he finally did as he watched the aura swirl around Jade as it radiated from her.

Joe and Edge completed theirs nearly at the same time. Everyone's eyes were on her. Alex gestured to her orbs which were full of her healing ability. The group exchanged a glance before they all watched her intently. This meditation was more than studying. Jade became lost in deep meditation. Alex would give anything to know where her mind was, who it was on. They all shifted back as her various auras swirled around her. They shielded their eyes as the brightness increased, but in another instant, it faded. Jade's eyes opened, and she glanced around at everyone's stares.

"What did I do now?" Jade asked, a frown on her face.

"Your aura became pretty bright," Edge said. "Where did you go in such a deep meditation?" Jade shrugged dismissively of the inquiry. Edge placed a small kiss on her lips, distracting her from the unanswered question.

Alex turned and smiled his attention towards Joe. Joe's smile widened, and he laced his fingers in Alex's.

"Dare I say. We've covered everything?" Amelia said, flipping through the pages of her book. "One last test, and we get paired up into our groups." Amelia's smile widened. "Finally, we'll get to focus on the actual battling."

Alex noticed a shift in Jade's demeanor. Her eyes seemed distant. Edge didn't seem to notice, but he did. With all of the recent events, her shift could result from anything. In just a few months, she went from a Serf who couldn't take a few steps without someone assaulting her; to an Arc, the first-multi wielder since the Enlightened, and finding out she was Princess of Findere. When Edge turned to Jade, her expression instantly changed. Alex recognized that ability. It was one of the reasons he became so frustrated with their relationship in the first place. Now, he realized why she did it. Hiding behind a fake expression was more manageable than explaining the pain she tucked away.

"Do you think they'll separate us when they assign teams?" Jade's question surprised them, and everyone's attention turned to her. While her strength and confidence had grown, that Serf, who desperately reached out for some warmth, remained.

"It could go either way, depending on the compatibility of abilities. They could pair us up in groups, but you, Joe, and I couldn't all be supported on a single team, see what I mean?" Amelia stated, and Jade nodded. "Though I'm unsure what they will label you as exactly, you're probably going to cause some rule changes."

Edge's attention turned to taking some notes in his notebook. Alex watched Jade as her look towards Edge changed. It was a complex expression to pinpoint, but something about Edge sent her mind racing. Alex glanced at Joe, who looked over at Jade and returned his gaze towards Alex. Joe's expression told Alex he noticed it too. The longer she stared at him, the more puzzled her expression became.

"Edge?" Jade said, breaking the silence. "What is your ability?" Alex looked away, processing the question. After all this time, how could she not know? Then again, he was in the same classroom with Edge, and he hadn't a clue. Edge's gaze met her, and she noticed their eyes on him.

"Oh, um." Edge shifted uncomfortably. "Okay, well. Um." Edge sighed and set his book down. "I have the ability of Manipulation. And, yes, before you ask, I did manipulate myself to prevent people from being curious regarding it. It's just everyone automatically makes assumptions about manipulation wielders and." Jade glanced down, and Alex recognized her worried face. The one she got when her emotions were decided for her by someone else. As the one who caused that expression the most, Alex learned it. "I'm sorry," Edge said, turning to her.

Jade opened her mouth, likely to express her acceptance, but her mouth shut. This moment should've been between them, but she was conflicted. "How did I break your manipulation then?"

"I'm not sure," Edge admitted.

"You weren't planning on telling me?" Alex, Joe, and Amelia exchanged glances feeling a shift in comfort as a conversation that should've been privately continued.

"It's not that. I just-." Edge struggled for words. Alex had been backed into that corner before, looking for an excuse for inexcusable behavior. Jade's eyes conveyed a distrust that Alex recognized well. Edge filled her ears with reasons, excuses, and pleas.

"I think Edge and I should be going," Jade said, standing up. "Good luck tomorrow, everyone." Jade grabbed her bag and left the room, Edge shoving his stuff in his bag and rushing to catch her.

"Well, that was awkward," Joe said with a sigh. "Why would he keep that from her? Do you think he was manipulating her?"

"I hope not," Amelia frowned. "It's only going to cause more trust issues in her." Amelia winced, turning to Alex, "Sorry, I wasn't trying to bring up anything."

"It's okay," Alex nodded. "I know the damage I've done." Joe tightened his grip on Alex's hand, trying to bring him some comfort. Alex smiled at Joe, trying to keep him feeling confident in Alex's affection, but right now, all Alex could think of was Jade. After the way he broke her heart this year, the thought of it happening again was unbearable.