Guardians of Magic

VII. The Visitors

“What the hell happened to you?” Dahlia asked her in disbelief.

They are currently waiting for Uncle Trevor in the great hall, and are sitting facing each other. Brianna is trying to tie her hair into a ponytail and Dahlia probably noticed her eyebags.

“Did you sleep late last night? Did you cry?” she sounded really worried and her unending questions urged her to answer immediately.

“No.”

“Then why do you look like that?”

“Look what?”

“Like a disaster!” she yelled, wide-eyed.

Dahlia seems unstoppable with her questions and Brianna thinks she will have a migraine if she didn’t stop talking.

“Dhi,” she addressed her bestfriend tenderly “…it’s not a disease. Relax. I just had a bad dream.” She confessed.

“Oh.”

‘Just that?’ Brianna thought. Dahlia is indeed a person that is not hard to please. She is also easily surprised. And she is very dear to her. There are now a lot of things they mutually understood, like they don’t have to explain further even if they uttered only a single word.

“You hadn’t moved on from the past yet?” Dahlia silently asked.

“Had you?” she counter asked which Dahlia responded with silence.

Both she and Dahlia suffered the same fate. They lost their parents during a war. A war that marks Guardian’s history. She can’t remember everything about the past clearly but lately her dreams seems taking her backwards.

The royal couple adopted her and gave her everything that a lady could have dream of. Her title. A royal life. A new beginning. A different start. Way, way different from how she was raised. Empress Veronica kept on saying that she brought new hope to them but she hardly believes it. Brianna only promised she’ll try not to end up being a disappointment.

But it didn’t start quite well because when they enrolled her in an academy for kids nine years ago, her abilities and powers refused to show up. The Healers explained that it was due to shock and depression. They assured though that in time, she will reveal her hidden powers. It never happened. She never did.

Because of this, other kids refused to talk to her, to be with her because she has nothing to share in the first place. A powerless kid. Until she met Dahlia. She is quiet at first, maybe because she had gone through the same things. But most of the time she’s cheerful and they get along very well. They are inseparable since then.   

It happened that her guardian is the advisor of the Emperor so it pleased them both to know that they will be living in the same place. The Palace. It is now their new refuge.

“What time is it? Uncle Trevor is running late.” She asked to change the topic.

“About that,” Dahlia answered. “…Uncle Trevor left a message that they’re getting the modules back from the Forest.” she informed.

Brianna immediately remembered. Empress Veronica probably sent them and again felt guilty about the whole thing last night.

“They shouldn’t be up this early.” She commented which Dahlia only shrugs. “Dahlia about the vampire…” she said when she remembered a question that was remained unanswered, “How did you know that he’s a vampire?”

Dahlia froze, took a deep breath and gazes down at her hands. “I am trained in recognizing hybrids.” She silently explained.

“Wh…What? But why couldn’t I recognize him? I couldn’t remember a lesson about them in school.” she asked. Confused.