You can't find me

Chapter 42

Ari's POV

"And you just want me to go along with all of that? Maybe I don't even have brothers, have you ever thought of that? We're going in circles here if you don't just clearly tell me why you brought me here, away from my entire group." I let out.

Zaniyah's silver eyes stare at me in annoyance and I groan. 

I stand up and she follows. 

"I'm heading back. It's been days and talking to you is like talking to a freaking wall, Zaniyah. I don't even know if my friends got home back safe. What if..."

I pace back n forth and she just looks at the sky like she's never seen it before. 

I walk towards where the horses are and she darts out to grab my arm. 

Girl really knows how to run my patience. 

"Let go." I state. 

"No."

Oh I'm so over this. 

"I said, let go!" I exclaim and yank my arm away from her. 

"Oh my god! Just stop. He'll be here any minute." she replies. 

Who the hell was so important that she was fussing over like this? 

 I rub my arm and go sit back down on a dang rock because there aren't any chairs. 

We're in a forest with the only thing resembling a shelter is a cottage which is on the verge of collapsing. 

I wonder if anyone is thinking about me... 

I hear a high pitched shriek and snap out of my thoughts. 

I look up to see Zaniyah in the air with a cloaked figure having her held up by her throat. 

Okay.. I didn't currently love this girl but she was still nice when she wasn't being so difficult. 

"Hey! Put her down!" I command while walking over to them. 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. You know me!" she yelps as the person now just has her hanging up in the air. 

"You should have known the consequences when you did something so stupid." a manly voice says. 

Is this the guy she wanted me to meet? What a jerk.. 

I clear my throat. 

"Mister? Are you freaking five? Why don't you let her down and talk to her like a normal person would?" I question. 

I probably shouldn't act so mighty in front of a person I don't even know but something inside of me is forcing me to speak up. 

"Now's not the time for this Ari. Just listen to whatever he says." she pleads. 

I walk up to him and poke his arm because he is clearly ignoring my existence. 

"Look here..." I start to say and then he turns his eyes to me and I freeze. 

His green eyes stare at me with so much intensity that I almost am not able to recognize his face. 

"Oh my god." I whisper. 

I take a step back and start clawing at my throat for the lack of oxygen I'm getting. 

I need to leave this place like right now. 

There's no way it could be him.

I hear a thud and then a wail but I can't move my eyes away from him. 

The audacity he has in standing in front of me after all these years!

I double over and start hyperventilating as flashbacks start being thrown at me from when I was a small child. 

Staring at the grass under my feet I try to clear out my vision when a gloved hand grabs my arm. 

"Take deep breaths. You'll be okay. Don't worry everything will make sense to you soon. I already met your friend.." 

My what??

I dart up and face him again. My hands come forward and I reach for his neck, pushing us both to the ground with the force I put in. 

"They've been training you well, I suppose." he chuckles with his brown hair sweeping over his forehead. 

"Leave my friends out of this!" I scream while trying to get the air out of his lungs. 

"What was her name? Hmm. Ryla? Rae? No.. Jog my memory will you, Ariyah?" 

Without him even trying anything he is in utter control like he isn't being choked to death right now. 

Well I am trying at least. 

"Don't you dare hurt them, Adrian." I sputter now that he is no longer smiling. 

"Trying to cover that red hair, are you? Oh sister, mother would have cried over how much you have grown. Too bad she's not here with us right now.." 

He slightly shakes his on the ground. 

"Wha-what? What the hell does that mean? What hap-"

"Calm down. She's fine. I just meant she's not here in this forest with us. And though I love nature, would you mind getting off of me, I don't particularly like laying on this dirty ground." 

"Not until you answer my questions. Now how the hell did you meet her when outsiders aren't allowed on campus? Where is mom and dad? And the rest of our siblings? Where did you learn all of this magic? How the heck do you know Zaniyah? I want to-"

"Actually I don't like this game. You talk too much. Your nowhere close to ready.." 

And with that he gets himself out of being under me and stands me upright too.

I glare at him. 

"You asshole! You think I don't know that you were the one who turned in our parents to the royal court? I was there when they were discussing it. If I had a say I would say you should have gotten arrested not them. You never did things right either way when we were young. Selfish little -" 

I suddenly feel hot and notice his hands are on fire. 

"You better watch your mouth, Ari. Just because I have been letting you push me around this entire time doesn't mean that I'm fine with it." he grits out. 

I stare at his hands and then back at him and he flexes his hands with the fire going off. 

"So your saying whatever I said is false? That I'm lying? We've all suffered long enough. And instead of doing anything your-"

"ENOUGH!" he booms. 

"You have no fucking idea what the hell I'm going through. So shut the hell up when it comes to assuming who has dealt with what. I have enough on my plate as it is." 

Fuck. I missed my family so much. But I didn't want to tell him all the things I had gone through while trying to survive in that damned academy. I knew that he must've had his equal share of pain throughout the years. 

"I'm sorry." I say with genuine regret of being rude. Because the last thing I want to do is argue with the one family member that I had the opportunity of meeting. 

He sighs. 

"Come here, Ari." 

I walk towards him and he pulls me into a hug I never knew I so badly needed. 

"I missed you, you know. I wanted to be by your side as you grew up and be that supportive older brother. I just guess it was never in our fate for that to happen in our early years. I'm here now though. I can't be seen around you though..." 

"And why the hell is that?' a new voice says.