Casters [Extraordinary Series 1: Ongoing]

4.30 ✡ Maybelle

2:13 PM
Vivienne's POV

    "Viv? Viv…” a voice starts to call me back to the real world. I slowly opened my eyes, the sunlight helping me make sense of my surroundings. “Thank God you’re awake,” my friend sighed in relief. I sat upright after realizing I was lying on the bed. "What happened?" I asked with a throbbing head.
    "Well, for starters, you fainted,” Van chuckled. She then sat on the edge beside me.
    Dumbfounded, I tried to soothe my head and asked once again. "I fainted?"
    "Not really, you convulsed." She mumbled as she ducked her head. I jumped.
    "Convulsed?!" I exclaimed. "That's much worse than fainting!"
    She chuckled nervously this time, trying to put me back to bed. "Now, now. Aunt Grace said you're all right. You just need to get some rest." I doubt I still need one after feeling a jolt of energy rushing through my body. Even so, I obeyed... a bit.
    "Only for a couple of minutes. We still have a lot to pack." I said as I leaned back by the headboard. Van shook her head. "I doubt Aunt Grace would want you to do so after almost giving her a heart attack."
    Before I could protest, I realized something was missing. Van must have been looking at me because she spoke the answers to my thoughts. "I already put the box back under the bed."
    "But what about the –"
    "Aunt Grace took the book," she replied. She then leaned closer and, in a whisper, said "She was a bit tensed when she found you holding the book though."
    Tensed? But, why? I then remembered the necklace I placed in my pocket earlier. Looking for it, I was relieved when I felt the necklace on the mattress. It must have fallen off when I was placed on the bed. I took it, scanning for any missing stones. To my relief, it was not broken.
    "You still have the necklace?" Van asked, in awe of its beauty. I nodded. I began to place it around my neck and clipped it when I saw a faint light coming from the sunstone. Unsure whether it was doing such or my eyes just deceived me, I did a double take. "What's wrong?" Van asked.
    I do sometimes wish Van was not as observant as she was. Not that I am complaining, though. It was just nice to have a moment where I was not walking on eggshells and be able to act on everything that was in my mind. Yet, my nose involuntarily scrunched itself, exposing my thoughts. Fortunately this time, Van just thought something was wrong with the necklace. "Nothing is wrong," I said as an excuse, "I just don't think it suits me?"
    "Nonsense, it looks good," Van said as she crossed her arms. I raised my eyebrow at her, convinced that she was just trying to make me feel good about myself.
    Van rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Viv, I'm not lying. It looks good."
    "Do you think I should bring this to France?" I asked. Van nodded with a smile.
    Suddenly, Aunt Grace entered the room with a tray of snacks for Van and I. It was out of instinct that I immediately placed the necklace under my shirt. The aroma of chocolate cookies filled the air, making my stomach search for the source. "That smells good, Auntie!" Van exclaimed as she grabbed the tray from Aunt Grace, helping her. "Anything for you two, dear. Anyway," she then turned to me, "how are you feeling?"
    Surprisingly, I was feeling better than ever despite the convulsion Van claimed. It was almost as if I just woke up from a 4-hour nap and not from passing out for 20 minutes. "I'm okay, Aunt Grace," I said with a smile. "Good," she said back, "you should not overwork yourself because tomorrow is going to be a long day." I nodded obediently as Van handed me a glass of the chocolate drink Aunt Grace prepared and a piece of cookie. "Though, I still need to finish packing," I said.
    "Well, don't worry about the packing. It looks like you have packed enough," Aunt Grace said, eyeing the two baggage beside the bed. I began to look at her cane once again, as the emerald crystal on the snake's eyes glimmered. It was almost as if it looked at me.
    "Are we not going to bring everything?" I asked, confused, as I took a bite from the cookie. My gaze shifted from the cane to her. "What? Of course not," Aunt Grace said. "How are we – an old woman, a child, and you, who is the only one with the strength to carry 'everything' – supposed to bring everything?"
    Good point. I did not want to carry all of Genevieve's bag of books anyway.
    "Who is going to take care of the house?" I asked. Aunt Grace waved it off. "Don't worry about such things. I have already taken care of it."
    "Are you going to sleep here tonight?" Aunt Grace then asked Van, who was enjoying her hot cup of chocolate. Van paused to think about it, but I doubt she could stay the night. Her mom was not a big fan of Van staying away from her for more than a day. I could use the word 'despised', but I'm keeping it light. Honestly, I don’t think that is even healthy motherly behavior.
    "I need to ask permission first," Van said. Aunt Grace stood up and followed behind her. "I'll talk to her for you," I heard her say as they left the room, heading towards the telephone.
    The sunlight slowly diminished as the thunder roared. It was already 4 in the afternoon. As I took a bite from my cookie, I continued to wonder how things would turn out for me in France. Despite worrying about fitting in, looking for suitable universities, and even rekindling my relationship with my brother, something was making me feel different. It was almost as if... there was a void in me that I never knew existed. The question of who I was continued to run in my mind, my soul searching for that missing piece.
    As my thoughts continued to scramble, the necklace once again emitted a faint light. I was feeling the strong pull I felt from earlier. Of course, I figured it was all in my head.
        The book.
    I held my breath, taken aback by the voice I was hearing once again – the same voice from when I passed out, the very same one from when Van opened the box.
        You must read the book.
    “What the…” I whisper to myself. I looked around the room, trying to see where it was coming from.
        Remember, the sun. The golden sun.
    I immediately jumped when the necklace, this time, shone brightly enough to light the whole room. "What the hell?" I exclaimed, but only in a whisper.
        Claim yourself.
    Those were the last words I heard the voice say before the room was devoured by darkness once again. I pulled the necklace off my neck, staring at it in horror. What the hell did just happen?
    Before I could process the event that had just occurred, I heard voices outside my door. Aunt Grace and Van were walking back to my room. In a panic, I hid the necklace in the bedside drawer.
    Van was grinning as she waltzed into the room. "Enjoy your stay, dear," Aunt Grace smiled as she closed the door behind Van. Now this was a surprise. I'm assuming her mother did allow her to stay the night. But Van's grin slowly disappeared as she studied my face. She frowned. "Are you alright?" She asked.
    Was the terrified expression still plastered on my face? I did not know. Of course, I could not tell her. Otherwise, I'd be called a nutcase.
    Once again, I had to come up with an excuse for the unsettling expression that betrayed me. "It's just that... I'm really going to miss Louisiana,” I said with a sad smile. Van let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. “So, are you ready for the flight tomorrow?” she asked. I could only sigh. I had a lot of questions in mind – majority of those are unanswered.
    "I'm not quite sure if I’m even ready for France.” I moved to the edge of the bed and met Van’s gaze. “What if I won’t like my family? Or even the people there? What if I could never mend my relationship with Eli? Besides…” My voice trailed off as I let uncertainty ramble my thoughts. “It’s not like I’ve even been outside Louisiana to know what to expect.”
    "Well,” Van shrugged, “that’s the thing about life – we are never really prepared for the next thing that could possibly happen.” Van placed a hand on my shoulder. "Let life unfold the journey ahead of you and see where you go.”
    I gave her a weak smile. “It’s not like I have much of a choice now, do I?”
    Van nodded and softly laughed. “On the bright side, this could be a chance for you to, well, see the world?” She said as if she was unsure, but with an encouraging tone. I chuckled. “And in my opinion,” Van continued talking, “it won’t be that bad."
    “I guess so,” I said with a whisper, appreciating Van’s attempt to comfort me.
    “Talk about seeing the world, you’ll be celebrating your 18th birthday there,” Van said. I gasped. I was too preoccupied with the unexpected move that I did not remember my birthday was coming up.
    "How are you planning on celebrating it?"
    I pursed my lips, unsure of what to say. “I don’t know,” I said as I looked at her, “I genuinely never remembered it until you brought it up.”
    "I guess you'll just have to tell me when you get there," she giggled.