Guardians of Anteverum City

Chapter Thirteen: The Old Smoke

Hey everyone! Before you read chapter thirteen, check out this awesome animated Lyra made by my super cool and talented friend to your right - - >

I had to take a screen shot because otherwise the media box stretched the file weirdly

It's also here: http://wolfpup026.deviantart.com/art/Lyra-Request-435813411

Enjoy ~

Escaping the mansion was quite easy thanks to Arelia’s ability. We essentially waltzed out the front door after she trapped the guards in her world of dreams. For me, the affair was entirely boring until I got to hotwire a Ferrari with an electrical force field.

“Where are we headed?” I questioned the adults as I hopped into the backseat with Reese and Arelia. The purple salve had closed my wounds completely and the pain had dissipated, so I was in a much better mood already.

“Anteverum City of course. It’s best for us to get there as soon as possible,” Callista replied as she stomped the accelerator. Her normally carefree expression had switched to one of intense concentration, a look I had never seen on her before. She must have been afraid, not for herself but us. Everyone was fairly silent, so we must have all been deep in thought. I turned to my left and saw that Arelia had fallen asleep. As we were about to leave, I asked Arelia what would happen to her when Silus arrived. She said she would be punished for letting us escape. After she healed me and helped us escape, we couldn’t just leave her there right? So we brought her with us on a whim. Are we being imprudent in trusting her? After all, she is technically still our enemy… Her sleeping face was peaceful and I noticed that her eyelashes were thick and dark. She was surprisingly beautiful in the sunlight whereas in the dark mansion she looked slightly ill.

  “How are you feeling?” Reese asked me softly. I turned to my right and hesitated. Callista and Luciano were already having a hushed conversation, so I went ahead.

  “Not 100 percent, but not bad,” I replied. His words from before echoed in my head. ‘I’ll feel worse if you force yourself to act like that.’ He didn’t want me to lie to him, but if I told him I was in pain, he would worry and become distracted. I can’t explain why, but secretly, I was happy to see his expression when he saw my injuries. It made me feel like he truly cared. I wasn’t going to let my silly little pleasures get in the way of our mission though. Reese turned to look out the window and watched the scenery we were whizzing past. This annoyed me a bit because I couldn’t see his reaction. I reached out flattened the tufts of hair sticking out on the back of his head. “You’ve got bed hair,” I whispered, holding back laughter. He turned around abruptly and ruffled his hair, recreating his signature messy-but-stylish do.

  “Your hair isn’t that great either,” he mumbled.

  “I’m the one who was fighting,” I said, feeling self-conscious as I ran my fingers through my hair a few times. I could tell my weak attempts weren’t helping, so I ended up pulling it into a ponytail.

  “I was kidding. It wasn’t that bad,” Reese said, flashing me that grin of his. I blushed a little and nodded, not wanting to babble like an idiot like I normally do in situations like this. Technically, he didn’t even compliment me, so why did my ears feel hot again? Why does my body feel my pulse all over? And for gods sake why did my cheeks always become splashed with crimson like this? “What exactly happened while we were passed out?” Reese asked, snapping me from my daze. I turned back to Arelia, who was still sound asleep.

  “To escape the dream, you have to realize it’s a dream,” I revealed. Reese’s eyes widened.

  “That… makes sense I guess. But how did you figure it out? What kind of dream did she put you in?” he asked.