Somnia Moon

Chapter 16: Planning

By the time Alex had returned to her hotel room, she had ten minutes until she was supposed to be meeting the others, so she quickly showered, worried that she hadn't managed to eradicate all traces of the blood in the stream. Once she was satisfied, she got dressed into a fresh, loose grey t-shirt and navy blue skinny jeans, leaving her dirty, soaking wet clothes in the bath with the intent to dispose ofthem later. Why was she being so paranoid? She hadn't even done anything wrong. And yet, she couldn't shake the awful feeling of guilt, and the fear that she would be discovered. She hadn't done anything wrong. Why was she acting this way?

She left her phone behind, figuring it would only get broken if she took it, and once again left the hotel, suddenly realising she had no idea where she was supposed to be meeting them. She decided it was probably the Town Hall, and so that's where she went, and once she got there she saw that the library door was propped open. Inside, everyone was gathered around a table, studying what appeared to be maps. Rowen was already looking expectantly up at the door when she entered. Her hair and make-up was flawless, as usual, and she was wearing a deep crimson blazer with no buttons, slightly less formal than usual but still undoubtedly impractical for what they were about to do. Her skirt matched her blazer, and her heeled shoes were the same ebony black as the plain top she wore beneath.

"You're late." She said, looking back down at the maps. Alex didn't trust herself to speak. If the hatred burning inside her expressed itself through words, she would likely get herself killed. One day she'd make Rowen suffer. But until then she had to restrain herself.

She solemnly walked over to stand beside Zoe, who's attire was also impractical, although for an entirely different reason. If any less fabric had been used in creating those clothes she'd be wearing a bikini.

"I believe this belongs to you." Rowen, who was stood on Zoe's other side, picked up a wooden, glossy crossbow and handed it to her. Alex froze.

"Where did you get this?" She practically snapped. If Rowen was fazed by her obvious hostility, it didn't show.

"I found it in one of Piper's display cases."

Alex didn't know what to say. If any other person had given this to her, she would be thanking them, but as it was, she was annoyed, possibly even angry. This crossbow had been a gift from Felix. His murdere rdid not have the right to hold it. She took it, slowly, tears in her eyes. She blinked them away as she ran her fingers over the small indentations that formed the letters A.L.F - her initials. Despite bringing this with her practically everywhere, she hadn't been able to bring herself to use it since Felix died. It was her only form of defence, and yet, using it now seemed wrong; Felix had never liked violence, she knew he wouldn't have wanted her to use it to hurt people, and so it felt like she would be betraying him if she did. Nevertheless, it would be foolish of her to not use it if it would help protect her against whatever danger they were about to face, and so she pulled the strap over her head, attaching it to her back. Rowen then handed her a black belt, which had two quivers, each containing ten bolts, on either side, and she wrapped it around her waist.

"I thought you might need it."

"Why?" Alex inquired, suspicion lacing her voice.

"Yeah, you still haven't exactly told us what we're doing." Zoe added.

Rowen hesitated, taking a deep breath. "The Freedom Complex is run by a man named Maddox Amelin. I...believe you've had some previous experience with him."

Zoe's expression darkened. "You mean the man you hired to kill us?"

"I viewed you as a threat. I was worried you would prevent me from achieving my goal - clearly, my suspicions were justified." She shot a glare at Alex, even though Alex hadn't even known she existed when this man had been hired. This must have happened before she'd met them. "It would be best not to dwell on the past. Maddox has a certain...vendetta against the Enchanted. His goal is to eradicate magic from existence."