Ulva

Chapter 5 - Awakening

"She literally just collapsed as you walked up. You'd think she'd be able to control herself by now."

"The Change can be challenging, Aiden, you of all people should know that." The guarded reply silenced Aiden.

After a few moments, a female voice sounding like it came from a little further away spoke up. "Still, she's been out for hours, and she collapsed several times on the way here. She might not survive The Change, Magnar."

Magnar seemed agitated. "Of course she will. She survived this long."

Aiden, who by now had been silent for minutes, spoke up. "Her hand just twitched."

Ceyla could feel their eyes on her. Gingerly, she tried moving her fingers again. When she succeeded, she heard a collective inhale. One of them, Magnar, moved closer. "Come on, Ceyla, you can do it," he whispered. His voice sounded oddly familiar, but she couldn't place where she might have heard it before. She could have sworn she had never met him.

Slowly, with a little effort, she was able to flutter her eyelids open, squinting immediately at the light streaming through the window. A woman, presumably the one whose voice she heard, moved quickly to close the curtains when she noticed Ceyla's reaction.

Magnar, a handsome man with a hint of stubble on his jaw that suggested he hadn't shaved for several days, was leaning over her. Around his eyes was a ring of black, and they were a warm shade of amber. He was an Ulva. "Sister," he breathed, a grin spreading across his face.

"Who- who are you?" Ceyla asked, voice shaky and uncertain.

Immediately, Magnar stepped back from the comfortable chaise Ceyla was lying on. "I'm so sorry, I forget we haven't met yet. I feel almost as if I know you, Ceyla."

"Hush, you'll scare the poor girl," the only other woman in the room scolded.

Recognition dawned on Ceyla. "You were in my exam! You started crying, I think."

A small smile touched the other girl's lips. "When I thought I was running out of time and sped up ridiculously? I was laughing because I read it back and I'd written so quickly even I couldn't tell what it said. I'm Isabella. It's a bit much, though, so I prefer Bella."

Aiden came closer, into Ceyla's line of vision as she tried to sit up. He stood at over six feet tall, with large biceps and noticeable abs through the thin cotton of his shirt. His ginger hair looked as though he'd run a hand through it in stress a lot. Like Magnar, he had the eyes of a wolf, but his were a bright blue. "I'm Aiden," he said warmly, sliding a cold hand into Ceyla's limp one and shaking gently. "Nice to finally meet you."

Bella grasped Magnar's hand and pulled him closer to the chaise, into Ceyla's line of vision. "This is Magnar. He can be a bit forward, but he's a nice guy really." Bella couldn't have been over five feet tall, and Magnar was only a head taller than her. He had tousled black hair and looked rugged in black ripped skinny jeans and a red checked shirt, with most of the buttons undone. Like Aiden, he had pronounced muscles, though his were a bit less apparent.

Looking at their clasped hands, Ceyla smiled. "You two are together?"

Magnar looked down at their hands and pulled his away. Bella wasn't far behind. "No," he said calmly. "We're not together."

Amidst the awkward encounter, Ceyla realised something about Bella that was different, and it wasn't her bright pink hair. "You have Ulva eyes!"

"I do," Bella acknowledged quietly.