From the Ashes

CHAPTER SEVEN

I open my eyes and find myself in a comfortable bed with five layers of blankets on top of me, warming me down to my bones.

Memories from last night start to creep in.

My body grows cold.

I sit upright with a jolt.

I fell asleep on Dragon last night...

Covering my face with my hands, I cringe at the thought. I hope I didn't drool on him or anything. I do that sometimes. And is it just my imagination or did he have his fingers in my hair? My weird, too curly, too fluffy hair. I let him see me vulnerable.

It's gonna be really awkward to see him today.

Just pretend you don't remember.

I was pretty tired last night, and everything that happened is a bit hazy in my mind. Would it be too hard to believe that I honestly don't remember?

The frustration with myself begins to subside as I take in my surroundings.

The walls, windows, ceiling, and floor seem to be made of glass. Now, instead of frustration, I'm struck with panic.

Didn't I pretty much jump out of my clothes last night?

I wrap a blanket around myself as I get up, and the silky blanket trails behind me on the floor. I look through the dresser. A silver and black tunic lies in wait for me.

I glance through the glassy walls and realize that I can't see anything on the other side except for blobs of colors. Anyone looking in shouldn't be able to see more than that, too.

Still...I change into the warm tunic and black leggings behind my blanket.

On my nightstand, I find a small note in messy handwriting that reads: Downstairs 7:15. On the wall behind my bed, there's a clock. It's 7:00 a.m.

A blurry figure moves around in the room to my left. Small, black hair, light skin. I can't make out details, but I'm pretty sure it's Kavi. I tie up my black, knee-high training boots, then take the little note in my hand and leave my room, closing my door behind me.

The rotunda beyond my room has a warm blue glow to it. The ceiling is slightly curved into a gentle dome. There are seven other doors on this floor, heavy and thick, very similar to mine. In the center of the room, there's a staircase going down.

Kavi steps from her room. "I saw you get up in a hurry."

She and I are the only ones in the circular hall. I show her the note.

"Do you think it's from the Prince?" I ask.

A grin parts her lips so I can see all of her front teeth. "You don't mean the one you fell asleep on last night?"

My face burns. "Shut up."

She shrugs. "Pretty cool we get to be trained by the Prince. I wonder who the other teams get trained by."

A door opens on the other side of the room, and Dragon appears from behind it.

"Dragon," I say, trying to make my voice sound confident. "We should get the team ready. We have to be down-"

"Downstairs at 7:15?" He holds up a note identical to mine and smiles. "I got it too. Wake up Xana and Luci. I'll get the guys."

Kavi and I exchange glances.

We go knock on the last two doors on what apparently is the "girls" side. Luci comes out first, rubbing her eyes. Xana takes a lot longer to wake up. Kavi and I have to knock louder, and there is a bit of shouting involved, but eventually, she emerges as well.