Welcome to My World

Chapter 56 Ez's POV {Pictionary, But Not Really}

 Author's Note: Heeeeeeeeyyyyyy guys! Good news! 2020 is making up for being a total crap pile. WE'RE OFFICIALLY GETTING 4 MORE SEASONS OF THE DRAGON PRINCE!!! WOOT WOOT! Now, sorry for not updating in soooooo long. I know that last chapter was confusing, but trust me, it will make sense. And here's the first explanation. Please enjoy!

Back to school. Sigh. I miss not going to school.

After the New Years incident with Ellis (and Callum being weird and yelling happy birthday at the moon- he's crazy sometimes) she's been kind of closed off. Which was why... I was gonna confront her today. Even if it made my heart race because it's really awkward. Argh, all those hormones Callum keeps mumbling about are getting to me!

Which is why I was stuck in a bathroom stall, attempting to psyche myself up. Bait crept out of my pocket and gave me a reassuring croak.

I sighed. "Thanks, buddy. That really helps."

So with that, I unlocked the bathroom door and walked out into the hall with the most confidence I could muster. Meaning..... Next to none. I sooooooo wasn't ready to be a teenager. I wasn't even 12 yet!

I turned the corner and entered the gym. It was empty besides someone floating on their back in the swimming pool. They dove underwater as soon as they saw me.

Ok, not here. I exit through the door opposite, flinching when whoever was in the pool burst out of the water for air. Maybe Ellis was in the garden?

I wave at Aanya as she passes me. "Hey, have you seen Ellis?"

"She's down by the lake." Aanya tells me. "Are you finally going to ask her to Homecoming?"

"What?" Homecoming? What?

Aanya stares at me for a second. "The sports teams are playing against other schools, and there's a dance. There are literally posters all over the school. How did you not know?"

Cue the awkward silence as I try to figure out an appropriate response.

"Oh, I know." Aanya gives me a devilish smile. "Were you thinking about Ellis that much?"

"NO!" I exclaim. "Why on earth would you think that?!"

Aanya rolls her eyes. "I'm going to be late for class. Ask her out, doofus."

When she leaves, I can't help wondering if the Aanya I know would ever call me a doofus.

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Just like Aanya said, Ellis is sitting on the lake shore (yep, campus is that big). She looks up as I approach. "Hiya, Ez."

"Hey." I reply. "Um, this might be awkward, but I wanted to ask you about last week. What happened?"

She freezes, just for a second. "Well, it's kinda hard to explain. Before, I had this weird voice in my head that would talk to me. Sometimes it told me to do stuff, other times it just answered me. Like a conversation."

I nod, and wait for her to go on.

"Well, one day, my mom took me and my best friend out to pick winterberries for my birthday pie. My voice told me that there were some really good berries a little way down the ridge where we were. So I went to look, and there wasn't anything. It said to go farther, and I went a few steps more when something attacked from the trees. It was dark, and it hit Ava."

At the sound of her name, Ava whined softly, and I could tell she understood.

"My mom ran over to help, of course, and the dark being attacked her too. And... I'm not sure. She disappeared." Ellis started to cry again, so I hugged her. "And then whatever it was grabbed Selenie and disappeared. I haven't seen either of them since. Then on New Year's, my voice came back. It said that it was my fault that they died. But this time it was like something was picking through my mind. And then I had this nightmare about a man I've never seen before, with black eyes and purple veins, and a purple caterpillar."

My blood goes cold. "Wait, I have a pen and paper in my bag. Can you draw him?"

Ellis nods, accepting the art supplies. She puts down the paper on her history textbook for a table, and starts sketching. She is admittedly horrible at drawing, but I can still recognize the man in the picture. He haunts my nightmares too.

"Lord Viren." I breathe. "Ellis, this might be harder, but one more thing. I need you to draw your friend."

She squeezes her eyes shut, then opens them and starts drawing. I watch carefully. This picture is more detailed, as if she spends a lot of time thinking about her. She draws two people. One I'm sure is her mom. She's bigger, and looks like Ellis. The other must be her friend. And then I'm sure of it. Not as pointed as Rayla's, but still. Her hair fluffs a little on top, like it's been brushed over something. Strange crescent markings on her cheeks. Yep, all signs are there.

"Elle?" I say. "I think Selenie must have been a halfling child. That man you dreamed about is Viren. He's the one behind all of this. I don't know why he took her, but I'm pretty sure he did."

She stares hard at the ground. Then she speaks. "That's another good reason to beat him." She says. "But Ez, you're missing something important."

"What?"

Ellis looks me in the eye. "If Viren was able to reach me here, he's getting stronger."