The Destined

Chapter 25: Anna

    Anna    

"You," I say, glaring at C. She turns around, her black hair reflecting the sunlight. She wears a smirk, one that signals she is going to do something bad.

"Clara, leaves us alone!" the guy walks over to her and grabs her arm. "You know I already quit. You have everything I used to have. Why are you still after me?" His voice is shaky yet very firm and angry. His eyes are strained on her, a deep crease forming between his eyebrows.

"You know very well, Rahim," Clara says.

"No, Rahim. You still have something," she says, smirking again. They look so familiar and yet so different. Melissa stands to the side, looking over at me and frowning. She doesn't want us to be here. Neither does Rahim or Clara.

Clara. That's her name. And Rahim. They must be related. They look so similar.

Melissa walks over to Rahim and wraps her hands around his arm. "Clara. Go away."

Clara winks at me and then turns to a pile of dust on the ground. I frown. Avani tugs on my arm to start walking away, but Rahim looks at me and firmly says to stop.

"Are you three part of the Destined?" he asks, his face going from serious to placid. Melissa leans her head against his shoulder, and he wraps his arm around her.

"How do you know?" I ask. "Are you part of Lybrethium?" Something about him tells me that he isn't. His face might look calm, but his eyes look cold and angry. Rahim shakes his head and then turns to Melissa. "I'm sorry. I have to go. Here's my number. You can text me if you want...or something."

Melissa nods and smiles, and Rahim pulls away. He walks over to the edge of the cliff, and without glancing, he jumps off. Avani and I look shocked, but Melissa doesn't seem fazed at all. She starts walking towards the school and we follow her, not saying anything until we reach the dorm.

"Why do you even talk to that guy," I spit out. Melissa frowns at me and ignores my question. Instead, she starts taking her clothes out of her drawers and begins stuffing her bags.

"Anna, calm down," Avani says, as if she's defending Melissa, but I could tell she looks concerned too. She must be skeptical of Rahim as well, but if she is, she doesn't show it now.

I start to pack as well, but my thoughts keep racing. Why did Rahim jump off? Why was he fighting with Clara? I read about the Darkness, this evil world, but can it really be real? I observe my necklace. There's a small, delicate petal hanging off the charm, representing my first ability. The necklace looks more beautiful than ever.

It's midday by the time we finish packing. Today our parents are supposed to pick us up. Melissa puts the last of her things – books, a sweatshirt, a nearly empty bottle of shampoo – into the remaining space in her bag and zips it up. Anything we don't want could be placed outside in the cardboard boxes. Ours is empty.

I lean in to the headboard of my bed and trace the carving of my name with the tip of my fingers. "I'm going to miss this place," I say. "Even if I've been here for only a year. I already have so many memories."

"Yeah, well, high school will be fun too, I bet," Meredith says. Avani nods as she picks up her suitcases. We all do the same, emptying our dorm. We place our keys on top of our beds before we go, though. We walk down the stairs to the front doors, and then we walk outside. The air feels warm and the sky is very, very blue, the sun at its peak. Melissa puts down her stuff and hugs me and Avani, one by one. Avani whispers something into Melissa's ear, and then Melissa nods and smiles.
"Have a great summer!" Melissa says. "If you guys end up stopping by central park, we can definitely hang out!"