An epilogue to go :)
[Valerie][five moths later…]The mating ceremony did not happen. Even after Davina recovered, she did not really overcome the trauma of that day. Brandon ended his seclusion as he had told us and then as a sheer surprise to all, especially me he announced that his second chance mate was Viola.I wasn’t sure what game fate was playing with us, but I was kind of happy with it.After the incident, my parents along with Xyan visited us. Viola had tagged along too.“I am so glad you are okay. I am so proud of you,” Mom had repeatedly murmured through her tears as she hugged me multiple times.As for Moran and Mia, they hadn’t reconciled which made me only feel worse. Moran’s downcast eyes were too much to bear.“Well, not everyone gets their happy ending,” he had said wistfully when we had finally found free time to talk what with being swamped with work.~~~~As we dug further into Fiona’s case, we found out slowly that she started cultivating demonic powers after she came to know about t
[Valerie] “Very good, Val. You are improving.” I had scowled at Elias’ praise. My mentor had returned the scowl with one of his gentle smiles. I had averted my gaze and focussed it on my palms. ‘Why can’t I control a small amount of water?’ I had wondered petulantly. How childish and idiot I was... “You will learn and improve, eventually. Your mother didn’t start before she was 18.” He would give me that calming smile that he did every time he saw me frustrated at my failure. “But mom had no freaking clue who she was, Elias. I know who I am,” I would whine, which would usually be answered with silence. However, I have stopped whining now. The initial frustration had been a foundation to the present anger and resentment. But standing in the arena at the moment, I felt nothing but fear and regret. Fear that I would completely disa
[Valerie]“Why am I friends with you again?” Sarah asked, huffing. I hitched my backpack on my shoulder and shot her a confused look, but then again she could be upset about anything so I was not worried.“Because no one else will tolerate your drama,” Kenneth quipped, used to her dramatics like I was and slung his arm around her. She didn’t swat it away. I bit back a smile. I said, “Thanks, Ken. You are the bestest friend I could have asked for.” Like the script of a play, Sarah glared at me and then at her mate. “I hate you both, ganging up on me ever since we were 6.”Kenneth snorted. “No, you bullied us, sweetheart. We are just returning the favour now.”
[Valerie] “Yes, I have eaten. No, it’s not a takeaway.” I stabbed the tofu with more force than necessary, the food crumbling slightly. “Viola and Xyan? They haven’t arrived….How will I know?” I shoved the spoon in my mouth. “....Yeah. Love you too, mom.” I ended the call and placed the phone on the dining table. I was not expecting much, but still…I concentrated on the food on my plate. However, when I tasted the salt drops, I realized I was crying. I sniffled as I continued eating. My parents could have spared some time for me today, couldn’t they? Even my siblings had no time for me now. It was not like I wouldn’t see them. After all, Crescentville was a place I was familiar with since my childhood. But still…I would be away and….and wouldn’t they miss me? I swallowed the piece of garlic bread without chewing. It wasn’t always like this….was it? I wondered where everything went wrong? Why did everyone or when did everyone become so busy? Was it when Xyan began to help him and
[Valerie] “You look extremely excited,” Irene commented dryly when I joined her for the morning run. I shot her a deadpan look. The comment was no doubt because of the visible dark circles around my eyes. I could hardly sleep yesterday and when I finally got some shut-eye, the alarm blared painfully in my ears and every ounce of sleep just fled. We ran for an hour. Both of us pay attention to our energy levels and speed. I glanced at my watch. 10km, not bad. I was beginning to feel slightly winded but Irene looked like she could run 10 more kilometres. “What happened? Are you that excited about leaving home and starting an independent life?” Even though she had asked the question lightly, playing it off as teasing, I detected the underlying concern. I decided that lying would be the best option because I had no explanation for mom’s outburst yesterday. “Yeah. Imagine I will finally not be babied by everyone,” I replied enthusiastically, sounding slightly out of breath. Irene sho
[Valerie] That night after an uneventful dinner, I locked myself in my new room. Thankfully, mom managed to get me a room of my own. Maia has to share hers with another girl from the pack even though she is practically the soon-to-be Alpha of the pack. She said, “In Pa’s words ‘Sharing will enhance your sense of responsibility and keep you humble,’ and I don’t see anything wrong there.” Well, she was an extrovert, so of course, she wouldn’t have problems. I, on the other hand, did not like socializing that much. I stared at the glass of water near the bedside table and scooted toward it. Removing the lid, I hovered my hand a few inches above the rim. I wiggled my fingers slowly and, as mom had once said, concentrated on feeling the heat in the middle of my palm. “Feel it spread
[Valerie] “So…Viola is going to the Medeis Challenge,” I said casually over the breakfast table. The said person wasn’t present as usual. Grandpa, and Nan exchanged worried glances while mom stiffened and Maia’s eating slowed down. I shovelled another spoonful of oats into my mouth to keep myself from saying something which would label me as childish and immature once again. “Oh…really? Good for her,” Maia replied with a shrug, uncaring on the outside. She had the ability to lessen the tension and normalize the situation. However, this time it fell flat. I did not bother to reply and that is how the rest of the breakfast went by. That afternoon, Elias asked me to stay back after class. I had yet again failed to show him my ability to control water. &nb
[Valerie] “So, you mean to say….you showed a cool act for the first time and we weren’t there to witness it,” Sarah said petulantly. I felt the corners of my lips tip upwards. Kenneth scoffed before asking, “How are you feeling?” And yet again my traitorous heart skipped a beat. It was so…him. He knew me like the back of his hand and maybe because we have been friends since we were barely crawling, we had that special bond. I didn’t immediately answer, as I tried to push back the lump in my throat. “I am…fine, just surprised,” I finally replied airily. It was easier over the call because if he had been in front of me, he would know immediately that I was anything but. “Okay. So how did Elias react?” Sarah, ever the tension dispeller, interjected.