When The Stars Align

chapter twenty five | t - minus six days (till you're eighteen!)

IT'S TOO HOT IN HERE.

That was my first thought as I stirred awake. Something felt off, but I couldn't tell what. My shirt stuck to my skin and leaving my hair out was almost unbearable. The last thing I remember was fighting Ansen and being blinded by a wave of white light. Last time I checked, we were in Auxillium.

But looking around, I was back in my room. In Noatra. It was dark outside, which didn't really add up, since I was pretty sure it was dark when I blacked out. It's either been a couple hours or an entire day since I've been awake, and I doubt we made the trip back here in less than six hours.

My hand goes to my chest, which was burning. I hated the sensation, and I had no idea what caused it. I don't think it'll do me any good if I tell someone. It would probably freak Tori out - same with Lys.

I finger the necklace around my neck. It's glowing, I realise then. The white gem was flashing, growing brighter, then dimmed. White - we ended up finding the amulet, then. My hands kept fiddling with the chain.

The gold and the blue one was in the hands of Ansen. I had the white one and the red one. The black one - the one I needed to find - was still no where to be found. And I had to pray that Ansen wasn't close to finding the green one.

I glanced at the clock. 4AM, that's what time it was. And the dates says I've been unconscious for at least a day. Another day lost because I couldn't stay awake for more than four hours. My body groans as I roll out of bed. Twenty-four hours of sleep is long enough.

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I searched for the switch to the lamp on my desk table. It was too early (late?) to turn the full lights on. In the orange-yellow halo, I examined myself in the mirror. My clothes were the same from the day before. The bags under my eyes were prominent. My hair looked like a racoon live in it. The amulet kept glowing, my chest continues to burn. I looked like hell, but I didn't have the energy to clean myself up.

There's mark on my skin too, I notice. They look like burn marks, but they had a distinct pattern. It was fading though, barely noticeable, but the pattern was too pretty to not notice. It looked almost as if flames were licking my skin.

Maybe that was what happened after I saw the white blast of light. Maybe I was almost burned alive.

Or maybe the patterns were just images in my mind. Maybe my mind was still disoriented and I was starting to see things.

My stomach growled, vibrating. Gosh, I was starving. It wouldn't be too much trouble if I headed downstairs to grab something to eat, right? If Tori woke up, she'd probably scream at me and tell me to go back to bed, but maybe she was still at the palace. Lysander would probably be exhausted from you trip back - hopefully. Besides, it was the dead of night. Everyone should be asleep.

I make my way downstairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. When I pass by Lysander's room, I notice that it's slightly open. I peak in, seeing him fast asleep, an arm hanging off the bed. Little Aurora tries to climb the bed, wanting to join her parents.

A quick glance and she notices me in the doorway. I put a finger on my mouth, telling her to be quiet. She complies, going back to what she was doing, ignoring me.

The kitchen if fully stocked, and it looked like Mr Hemingworth, or whoever was in charge of groceries, went shopping earlier today. I opened up the fridge finding fresh fruits and cartons of chocolate milk. I left the door open, partially as I tried to decide what to take, partially because the cold air felt nice.

I fiddled with the chain of the amulet again. I'm not quite sure why Atticus didn't keep it with him - maybe he thought it was safer with me, or at least, with the Captain of the Guard living in this very household. But it was his family heirloom, I shouldn't be-