Broken Angel

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I was sitting in an empty classroom – unsure which room or why it was just me in the room – when Sean walks in. He pulled up a chair and sits on the other side of my desk, facing me. He doesn’t say anything.

Panic begins to take over my body.

Eventually, Sean hisses, “should have joined me.” His eyes are ice cold. “You made a mistake, Ryvre. Say you’ll be mine... Or we’ll make you.”

In a shaky voice, I ask, “who’s ‘we’?” Suddenly other people are lined up around the walls as if they are a neatly organised crowd... watching us... watching me. They are all dressed in black and are wearing masks that have long beaks, like the masks the plague doctors used to wear.

Sean said, ignoring me, “your family,” and in a flash of light, my family appeared in front of the window, huddled in a group as if they were posing for a family photo, “they don’t need you. They don’t want you. Look at them. They’re the ones who let you go. But us-” Scotia and Seth appeared in the seats either side of me – “we care. We want you.”

My brain was telling me to run – that something wasn’t right. But the words – ‘I will join you’ - were playing on my lips. Secretly, I wished for a hero even though I knew no one would come to save me now.

In an instant, Ace was skidding to a halt in the door way – he looked like he had been running for a long time – and Sean lunged across the desk to take hold of me as Scotia and Seth disappeared. The people in the masks closed in on me and all I could see was darkness... I screamed...

‘Ace,’ I woke up with my heart drumming in my chest. A bead of sweat ran down from the nape of my neck as I lay back down on to my pillow.

Ryvre, what’s wrong? Ace’s tired voice entered my mind. Are you okay? Do you need me?

Yes. No, I’m alright. I lied. Just a little nightmare... Go back to sleep.

But you screamed my name – you woke me up. I could tell Ace was really worried. Do you want to talk about it?

I really don’t. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to control my breathing. I dreamed of me falling and I screamed – I must have screamed your name. Just go back to sleep, Ace.

... Okay but you know if you need me you can talk to me... ask me... anything and I’ll come to you. Ace promised.

I know. I smiled thinking of the way he had come through for me at the party and the time when Aura had a go at me. I would have said the same but I didn’t want to promise anything that I might not be able to keep. If Ace did get into trouble at all, I would try to help him and I’d try to come through for him but... I might not be able to. I might not be as strong as everyone thinks I am.

I didn’t go back to sleep. I stayed awake, watching the minutes tick by; watching the darkness turn into light. During the early morning hours, I realised how I didn’t know Seth or Scotia’s powers the whole time I had been living with them. At breakfast, I pointed that out to them and asked them what their powers are but all I got was “it’s hard to explain” and, “it’s too early to discuss this” and, “eat your breakfast or you’ll be late for school.” I became fully aware that they were avoiding my question.

‘Why don’t you want me to know what your powers are?’ I asked, refusing to eat until I got some answers. They ignored me as they got up; put their plates in the sink and Seth left for work as Scotia went upstairs to have a shower. ‘It looks as if I won’t be eating for a while.’ I said to myself.