Page 68 of Ascension

“What in the actual fuck is going on?” Nelle shrieks, jumping away from me and stumbles on her heels over the uneven cobblestone. I reach out for her, but she jerks away, staring back at me like I’m a stranger. Adrian throws up walls around us, the familiar room he transported me to that first day appearing around us.

My heart crumples inside my chest like a discarded piece of paper being tossed into the trash. My shoulders slump in defeat. After seeing Nelle and her willingness to do the blood ritual, I hadn’t prepared myself for the sting of rejection from my best friend—my sister. My legs slacken in shock, the logical part of my mind screaming at me that it is entirely rational to react that way. I responded that way. My heart refuses to listen, telling me I’ve now lost her.

Strong arms wrap around my waist, catching me before I crumple to the floor. Adrian pulls me into him, wrapping me against his chest. He cradles my head against him, hand running soothing strokes down my hair.

I wasn’t like this. I was never the one to crack and crumble before—I hide my scars on the inside. I can’t even remember the last time I let more than a single tear fall. Now I gasp in desperate breaths, sobs racking my chest as I ugly cry into Adrian’s shirt. He grips me to him as though he can shield me from the world. His presence stops me from completely falling apart. He doesn’t even seem to mind the mascara bleeding into his white shirt.

This was a huge mistake. I shouldn’t have put the weight of all this on her. There was nothing to be done about it now, though. I open my mouth to ask Adrian to bring her back.

“Get off of her!” Nelle wrenches me out of his embrace, her hands framing my face, forcing me to meet her gaze. “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but you are my fucking sister. You are stuck with me for life. Do you understand?” She doesn’t wait for my response, just moves my head up and down. Not accepting anything less.

My breathing finally slows, her actions freezing my panic. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have freaked out. I should have been there for you. You shouldn’t have to be the one to reassure me.” My voice is raspy from the sobs.

“Liv, you’ve done the same thing for me countless times, you silly girl. That’s what sisters are for. We lend each other strength. No matter what.” Her hands are still on my face, shaking me with every word for dramatic effect.

“Now, can you explain all of this to me? Seems like this is some Harry Potter shit,” Nelle states dryly, startling a chuckle from me.

“Not exactly… “I take a deep breath, preparing to fill her in on what has actually been going on for the last month of my life.

“Not here. I’ll give you both some privacy once I get you to your room,” Adrian interrupts. His words remind me that we are still in the middle of the gardens despite the room around us. Nelle shoots him a scathing glance, huffing out a breath of annoyance.

“You’ll draw too much attention walking in now. I’ll hide us from view until we get to your room. Especially since Nelle doesn’t have a uniform. There are enough students here. No one should notice you later,” he continues. Nelle purses her lips, looking back at me. Surprisingly not arguing with him.

“That’s probably for the best,” I agree, wincing in apology.

“Well, then lead the way,” she prompts, taking a steadying breath and shaking out the nervous tension.

The walls disappear from around us in a cascade of glittering gold lights. Nelle sucks in a startled breath, assessing the greenery now surrounding us. I clasp her hand, and we walk together up the pathway, her lips parting in awe as the academy comes into view in the distance.

The students meandering through the lush gardens don’t even glance in our direction. Adrian’s powers shield us from their view.

We make our way through the halls, now teeming with students, classes done for the day. Nelle stares in wonder at the carved marble walls and the ornately carved fountain.

I tug her along beside me, showing her the way to the dorms, only having to stop and dodge a few times from students walking haphazardly through the hall.

“I’ll release the illusion as soon as you get inside,” Adrian murmurs, sidling up to my door. Unlocking it, I let Nelle slip past, pausing a moment before joining her.

“Thank you, Adrian, for everything. I’m not sure what I would have done without you there today.” I raise up on my toes to place a tender kiss on his lips. His hand clasps the back of my head, holding me there a moment longer. The kiss holds more emotion than any of our previous ones. Our lips usually meet at a hard, passionate pace.

Our lips part and he rests his forehead against mine, sighing wearily. My breath catches in my throat at the charged moment.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asks, worry tingeing his tone.

“I’ll be fine.” My heart swells with an emotion I can’t bear to name. I press another chaste kiss to his lips, backing away before either of us takes it further. He pauses for a moment, indecision warring in his gaze, his lips parting. A mix of dread and elation fills my chest at what he might say.

To my surprise, he takes a step back, biting back his words. “I’ll see you tonight.” He grins and turns on his heel.

I close the door behind me, leaning my weight back against it. The nervous tension leaves me in a long exhale.

“Okay, I need to hear all about this—” she holds out a red lace thong in one hand, the other holding a gift bag. Tissue paper litters the floor around her “—but first, you need to spill about the magic and witches.”

“Seriously? You are such a snoop.” I giggle and lunge towards her, hoping to catch her off guard and pluck the thong from her grasp. She hides the red lace behind her back before I can make it to her.

“S-P-I-L-L—Spill it sis,” she says with a challenging look, still unrepentant as ever.

“Fine.” I huff out a weary sigh, collapsing dramatically onto the bed. Nelle joins me a moment later. Still hiding the scrap of lace from me. I launch into the story, not leaving out any detail.

“That’s why we had to do the blood ritual and bring you back here. Otherwise, you wouldn’t remember a word of this,” I finish, eyes glancing to the window. The afternoon sun, just beginning its descent.

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