Page 73 of Lake of Sapphire

It was funny that during my time in LakeWood, all I wanted was to escape it, and now that I was gone, I missed it. I couldn’t wait to be among the familiar buildings and see my friends.

The tour of LakeWood was held at WestEnd. Peter told me that after the tour, he would take me back to the school where Vallie and Miles were supposed to meet us. The day dragged on, the hours ticked by too slowly until I was finally on the familiar grounds.

I’d never been so happy to see the endless brick.

Sie insisted on tagging along with us. He dismissed his own guards, something I was gathering he did often, but Kole refused to leave my side. “It’s night time, nix. That means it’s my shift to guard you and you’re not leaving my sight.” He sneered at me when I tried to brush him off.

When I finally spotted Vallie and Miles in the distance, standing outside one of the Hub’s cafeterias, I sprinted toward them. Miles smiled at me, but it was washed off his face when he noticed Sie, Peter, and Kole flanking close behind.

I went to hug Vallie first, but Miles stepped in the way, sweeping me up off the ground and scooping me into a big hug before I could protest. When he finally set me down, longer than he should have, I noticed Sie’s jaw was taut. I ignored his gaze as I moved toward my best friend and embraced her. She had tears streaming from her amber eyes and already flowing down her pink, rosy cheeks.

“I missed you guys so much,” I breathed into Vallie’s shoulder. Her flaming red hair had the same jasmine scent to it.

“I missed you more, Scottie-cat,” Vallie cried, her words coming out ragged.

“What is he doing here?” Miles glared at Kole.

“I’m her personal guard, Hartlin,” Kole retorted with a smug look on his face. “I get to spend every night watching her sleep, making sure no harm comes to her.”

Miles shifted uncomfortably. I didn’t dare look at Sie or Peter.

Vallie stepped out of my embrace, wiped her eyes, and glanced between where I stood and where Kole lingered behind. She took a step toward Kole. “You better be.”

“Better be what, Val?” Kole asked, taken aback by her glare.

“Making sure no harm comes to her.”

Kole’s expression faltered for a moment as he looked at her, but I didn’t want to wait to hear what he would say back. “What about you two. How have you been? How are your jobs?” I asked, desperate to change the subject.

Vallie’s gaze softened as she turned away from Kole. “The school year won’t start for another month, so I have been preparing my classes for the little nuggets I’ll be teaching. LakeWood actually has a rigorous curriculum.” Vallie said to me, but her eyes drifted toward where Peter stood. He was already staring at her.

“Things have been good at AASP. Although I don’t get to see Vallie much since I’m stationed in Narway,” Miles told me. “We have reason to believe that our home planet of Allium may be habitable again. We are considering the risks of sending some Advenians there soon to investigate.”

My head perked up. “Really? You think we might be able to go back someday?” I couldn’t keep the excitement out of my voice. I’d read countless books about our old planet. Many artists depicted pictures of what it once was, and I longed to see it. The land seemed so vast and strange like you would be in a new world every few miles with the constant changing of plains, twisting rivers, and diverse landscapes. It was a far cry from the cold glacial atmosphere of Tennebris.

The depictions of the night paintings were my favorite. The two pink moons were bright in the sky, and the stars were more extensive, larger somehow, compared to what Earth offered.

Miles drew back a bit, realizing that everyone was listening to him now, not just me. “Well, it’s not official yet. It’s not public knowledge. But yes, there is a possibility of it. I might volunteer to go.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” I asked. “Our home planet is so far away. You would be gone for so long.”

“A year. It would take a year to get to and from Allium. Plus, you have to add extra time for the investigation of the planet. But think about it, Scottie, how worthwhile it would be if we had our own planet. We wouldn’t have to hide from the mortals anymore. We could live freely.”

The thought thrilled me. I’d always known that was the purpose of the AASP. It was what they had been working on ever since our kind descended here. Monitoring our dying planet as well as seeking out the universe in the chance there was another habitable one. But I never imagined it would be possible in our lifetime. The texts always said that the use of abilities during the war killed everything in its path. The ground no longer held any green, the animals having no food. The trees were gone, depriving the air of oxygen. Advenian’s lungs were giving out and our kind was dying at critical rates, shortening their long lifespan. Could it really be possible for the planet to renew itself with our absence?

“I would like to check out your research,” Sie said, speaking for the first time.

Miles stood up straighter, acknowledging Sie and sizing him up. “I would be honored, Prince Noren.” He then bent at the waist. Vallie tore her gaze from Peter, noting her twin’s bow and followed suit. Her eyes went wide as if just realizing that Sie wasn’t only my fiancé but technically royalty.

“No need for formalities unless we are in court,” Peter smiled, gesturing to their bowed forms. “Any friend of Scottie’s is our friend as well.” Vallie gave a small smile back.

“Good. I’ll make the arrangements,” Sie said, taking a possessive step in front of me. His eyes never left Miles’ gaze. They both stared at each other, unmoving.

“Who’s hungry?” I said, too aware of Sie’s closeness. How if he wanted to, he could reach out and graze my arm.

Peter answered with a wide, dimpled grin. “Me. Come on, Scottie, show me your favorite place to eat here, and they better have croissants,” he said as he took me by the arm and grabbed Vallie with his other hand. Vallie’s face turned red at his touch. I’d never seen her so flustered with a guy before. She was always so confident and sure of herself. Now she seemed timid and shy.

The rest of the evening was pure bliss. I’d never felt so happy being among my friends and back at LakeWood. Even Kole didn’t ruin my mood. Vallie and Peter never stopped staring at each other. They talked all night, leaving me alone with Kole, Sie, and Miles.

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