Raging Storm {book 2 in SOSfanfic series} [ON HOLD]

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I should be studying, I have a project to submit tomorrow and I'm not even halfway through. It's 11pm and I'm going to regret this so bad. Fuck it.
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Mr. Ambrose did not leave.

"What is happening?"

Reyna went through another forceful shudder. Then she calmed down. Mr. Ambrose leaned over her to check whether she was getting better or not with choppy breaths. Only to see her eyes be overtaken by the same milkiness again.

This time, as he was closer, he saw dark shadows swirling in the whiteness, forming incoherent patterns. Reyna's eyes widened as she clawed at her face, scared by the shapes. She shut her eyes, but soon opened them again due to no avail.

"No. Please no. Don't!" Reyna pleaded as the dark shadows in the milkiness gave way to red splatters. Reyna shuddered again. A sheen if sweat began to cover her as her skin heated up and heart sped up.

Mr. Ambrose realized that the spirit was showing her her memories and worst fears. It was reminding her of why she couldn't choose to leave. Why she couldn't leave at all.

"Reyna!"

She stilled at the sound. She lifted her arms trying to grasp where he was, blinded by the images.

"Rikkard-"

She cut off, arched her back of the ground. Rather than searching for him, she pressed her hands to her ears tightly.

"Make it stop! No." She yelled, her voice cracking in panic. Mr. Ambrose could faintly hear the murmuring, but it was inside Reyna's head, growing audible by the second.

For a while he could do nothing. He had no knowledge, no plan, no anything. And every second the Ifrit was winning. Time was speeding up along with his heart beat.

 
So he did what his heart told him to. He grabbed Reyna's arms and yanked her towards himself.
Fiercely holding her trembling form in his arms he cupped her face with one hand, not bothering where her skin burned his. It wasn't just warm and sweaty, it was painfully hot and the sweat was drying up.

"Reyna, listen to me," He spoke clearly and slowly, "I am right here. I know you can do it. I know you can hear me."

Reyna hesitated for a second. The murmuring stopped. And then came back louder. Reyna let out a small scream as she tried to shut her ears further by pressing down harder.

Mr. Ambrose propped her against the wall and pushed her hair back from her face with his other hand.

"Reyna. Listen to me. You can fight this. Just listen to the sound of my voice." He tried to fight through.

Reyna stopped trembling but didn't let go of her ears.

"Follow. My. Voice. I am calling to you Reyna, I know you can hear me. Reyna. Come back."

Her arms lowered as she gulped air. The murmuring was faint now.

"Follow my voice to me. Come back to me Reyna. Come back."

She opened her eyes. The red was gone. Only the white remained.
She panted hard, sweat appearing again.

"Reyna. I am here. I will always be here. Come, Reyna."

The milkiness faded away to reveal Reyna frantically trying to search for the voice's owner. When she saw him, she let a sob of relief escape and buried her head in his chest, trying to quell her trembling once and for all.
He wrapped his arms around her firmly and placed his chin at the top of her head.

"Reyna..."

-*-

Reyna woke up from her short exhaustion slumber by a series of deep coughs which racked her entire frame, causing her to push away from Mr. Ambrose. When her coughing fits subsided she dramatically sprawled on the sandy floors, all spread out.

"Phew! Thank the Nile that is over. Hate when that happens."

Mr. Ambrose got the hint and stood up and walked away from her.

 
 
After an awkward silence, she straightened her hair and brushed sand off her clothes and tried to avoid catching his eye. He was back to being icily passive as he glared at her from afar.

"Thank you." She mumbled at her feet.

Mr. Ambrose crossed his arms, trying to limit his anger in his eyes alone.

"What was that?" He grit out, pronouncing every word icily.

Reyna preoccupied herself with brushing sand off her clothes.
"Nevermind that. We should check on the men and charter a course-"

Mr. Ambrose was infront of her in a second, moving like a sentry about to crash her down, trying to withhold his fury.

In a steely cold voice which reminded her of the edge of a steel blade he growled out, "I will not ask again, Ms. Mertya."

Reyna refused to look up at him. In anger, he took a step forward and instinctively she took a step back until her back was to the wall and his arms braced around her, caging her in.

Trapped between a rock and a very, very hard place, Reyna finally looked up at him. Shocked by the proximity she gasped and recoiled, hitting her head on the wall behind.

For a while, no one moved. Reyna kept her eyes downcast while Mr. Ambrose kept his gaze on her, trying to ignore her involuntary pout lest he lose control.

Reyna breathed out in defeat, her posture slouched in something alike guilt. She took in a deep breath and gulped before facing him.

"That was my reminder that I shouldn't have too much hope in ridding myself of this curse. Any hope, in fact."

Mr. Ambrose's gaze turned sharp, but not at her. At his memories. He spoke in a daze, "Are you saying that it happens every time when you think you might be alright one day?"

"Yes."

"Like that time on the islands. I wasn't dreaming..."

Reyna hung her head in shame. "Yes. It happens a lot around you-"
She quickly shut her mouth before she finished the sentence but it was too late.

Mr. Ambrose brought his attention back to her, pondering over something, searching her eyes. The coldness returned to him.
"Am I the cause of this more often than necessary?"

He moved to step back from her but she took the lapels of his jacket in her hands, rooting him there. There was something desperate in her eyes as she opened her mouth to tell him something, something she was excited for, made her eyes shine bright. As if a sliver of hope: A message that he could still stay near her without hurting her.

Then it vanished. She dropped her head as she remembered something. With shaky hands she let go of his jacket and drooped her shoulders. She braced herself before opening her mouth again, seemingly for an entirely different message than she was about to give earlier.

With a hoarse voice of a lost cause, she moved away from him.

"Yes. Yes, you are."