When The Stars Align

chapter twenty one | frostbites

TORI WAS UP A little longer than us last night, apparently, when Atticus called her as Lysander and I were drifting to sleep. In the dead of night, Atticus suddenly began to question about his direct bloodline - his parents. And Tori was the exact person that could get him the files he wanted.

Olivia didn't have a real copy of Atticus' birth certificate, instead Professor Lorcan provided her with a fake birth certificate that put him and Olivia as Att's parents. A copy of the actual one was filed somewhere in the castle, and Tori, being the big sister she was to Att, gave him what he wanted.

Atticus ended up going to the cemetery that we were in. And just like me, it took a look at the gravestone and a clue left by his dead parents that gave it away where the amulet was possibly hidden.

Liam Atlas Rhodes

It was his father that was part of the bloodline.

"Trust the people in the home of your ancestors with the items you love dearly."

Maybe it was a long shot, but we were about to take that chance.

I let go of finding my amulet for the moment, because at least it was supposedly safe in between the walls of my own home. As long as no one was able to read my mind, it was safe for now. If Att's was in Auxillium, it won't be long until Ansen decided to head there and search for himself.

Lysander didn't want to send us there alone. He almost screamed at us when Atticus brought it up at first - he was slowly developing the urge to scream more, maybe that's what happens when you have a younger sister. He decided to tag along, despite our protests.

"We're adults, we can take care of ourselves!"

"Vera, you're still seventeen."

"Not for much longer."

"I'm your guardian. Plus, you know you're not allowed out alone. You need to be guarded."

"I have Atticus!"

He gave the slightest smirk. Thank god Atticus was behind us, paying attention to his phone rather than our bickering. "He isn't old enough either. He's also a guard in training."

"Tori literally made him drag me to JAU alone and everything was okay with that." I stomped my foot against the ground, crossing my arms. Lysander didn't have a response to that. But, he did make another point.

"Can either of you even drive?"

So, an hour later, after biking back (Atticus rode his bike to the graveyard too) and telling Tori and Sophia about our plans for the day, Lysander got out his car from the garage and the three of us headed to Auxillium.

I called shotgun, opening the passenger door and sliding into the seat. Atticus didn't mind sitting in the back, which allowed him to have all three seats to himself. The car smelled of lavender, the scent coming from a weird plug on the vent. Lysander got in the car and started the engine.

The car roared, startling me. I've been around cars, sure, but it's been a while since I've actually been in one. Most missions I was on was in the city, within walking and/or running distance. Why depend your life on a vehicle that could break down in any minute?

"It's going to take a while to get there," Lysander said as he reversed out of the driveway and onto the road. "A couple hours, at least. And it's the beginning of winter already in Auxillium, so the road conditions might not be the best-"

"Actually, Auxillium hasn't had a proper snowfall in decade," Atticus clarified. I turn around to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, I do my research on things I'm interested about. Reports say that it's just really cold there, but no snow. It affects the crops there, since their growing season is when it snows."