Elysian House: Silver Bullet (2)

Chapter 18: Falling

Today, I was going to see Viola. For the first time in what felt like forever. I was seated in the school's cafeteria. It was empty, since it was bright and early in the morning, which meant that all the students were asleep at this time. I spent the whole night last night thinking of what the prophecy meant. Specifically the answering the call part. 

Would I really need to be a bad guy?

An incoming text came in on my phone beside my hand. I looked over at it and opened the message up with a click of a button. 

It was a text from Jazz.

U doin ok?

I didn't get a chance to answer, because Viola came back a moment after the text and I could smell the human on her. I pushed the phone away and watched as she walked in, with the Scudo di Aura strapped to her forearm. She walked toward me, with a silver mask over her eyes and confidence in her step. 

I stand up, because I felt like that was the right thing to do. 

She gives me a tight-lipped smile and takes a seat at the table. A moment later, I sit down across from her and fold my hands on the surface of the desk. 

"Why are we here?" I ask her, with a thump in my chest of nervousness. I tried to ignore it. 

"Winter wants to transport me to to Italy," she tells me and the nervousness I felt before turned into a stomach ache. "She says that there's a unit there that's been keeping an eye out for Snow and reporting back any suspicious activity. She asked me to--"

"You're leaving me?" I cut her off, because I didn't want to hear about the stupid mission. 

Her blue eyes soften a bit and she makes a reach for my hands. I pull away, and tuck my hands under the table instead. "Riley... it's just for a couple of weeks, then I'll--"

"A couple of weeks?" 

"Yes, Riley. Winter needs me. I have a life too. I need to follow my orders."

"But I need you here. What about the prophecy?"

"Riley, I need to do this. Snow's in Italy and there are people there to protect. I've got to do my part to help people too. The prophecy isn't my place."

I shake my head and I could feel the stress from the past several days come back again and I stand up from the table and turn away from her. My arms were crossed over my chest and I was staring down at the ground. 

"Ry?"

"I can't believe you," I say. "I can't fucking believe you."

In that moment, Viola seemed to grow irritated with me just as much as I was irritated at her. "Riley, my life doesn't revolve around you. I have responsibilities. And I have a job. I'm sorry this is so stressful, I really am, but there is nothing I can do for you right now. There is nothing I can offer you."

"You can offer me your support," I say, turning back around to face my mate. I glared down at her and I watched her shake her head. "You can stay here and help me. Like any decent human being would."

She looks up at me, through her silver mask and glares. "Wow. Wow, Riley. Way to pull the guilt trip there. Look, I don't want to leave on bad terms. I want you to be okay with this."

"Well, I'm not. I'm pissed," I tell her honestly. 

She stands up and we're standing eye-to-eye, glaring at one another as if we had always been enemies. "What's wrong with you lately? You've been acting like a... a..."

"Like a what, Viola? Like a bad guy?" I say. "Maybe I am. Maybe I was never the hero. Maybe I was always the bad guy and you are just a fool."

She doesn't respond about the topic, instead, she adjusts the shield on her arm and says, "Go home, Riley. Rest. Sleep for a bit."