Caroline walked briskly through the corridors, oblivious to the other students around her as she ducked and weaved her way to the dining hall. The chill from her latest vision of Tempeste clung to her, and she felt cold to the bone.Ā
As she spotted the dining hall, she felt a wave of relief knowing she would be with her friends again, but before she could reach it, the suited man stepped out in front of her, blocking her path.
āYour aunt wants to see you in her office,ā he stated, his voice low and monotone. Caroline looked up at him with a frown and wondered if heād worked for the secret service. He had that look about him.
āSo my room isnāt a good enough meeting place this time? Thatās a bit coincidental, donāt you think?ā she asked.
āNow. Thank you, Miss Destine,ā he said firmly.Ā
With a grown, she turned around and walked back the way sheād come. At first, she was annoyed by the inconvenience, but with each step she took, a knot twisted and tur
A month laterCaroline stood before the black statue of a phoenix rising from the ashes and stared at the names on the plaque below it.Felicity BennettFleur ToussaintVale AbreoZara Del la CroixAldrick VieuxIt still felt surreal that they were gone. That Aldrick was gone. Caroline kept expecting to walk around a corner or walk into a classroom and see him there with his serious but handsome expression. Always so happy to see her. She wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and exhaled shakily. Feeling a gentle squeeze on her shoulder, Caroline looked up and saw her father standing beside her.āHow are you doing?ā he asked.Ā Caroline shrugged, āI miss them. I feel responsible.āāI know,ā he replied, holding his daughter tight.āWhat did you decide to do with your sister?āĀ Gaspar sighed, āI buried her in the woods on a small kn
It was then that Caroline remembered her motherās warning. Now that Tempeste was gone, if anything was to happen to her, her powers could be absorbed by the female next of kināher aunt. Caroline felt a chill run up her spine, and she tried to manifest the same powers sheād exhibited against Tempeste and The Entiere, but despite her focus, nothing happened. She looked up as her aunt chuckled to herself.āMy dear, sweet, naĆÆve niece. You canāt access the powers of the prophecy if the other half of the prophecy is deceased. It becomes redundant.āCaroline gaped at her.āOh dear, would you have told him to leave if youād known the powers could save you? Hindsight is a fantastic thing, donāt you think?ā Marguerite seemed most amused with herself.āYouāre no better than my mother!ā Caroline spat.Her aunt turned to her in mock surprise, āOh? But I am! Of course, I amābecause Iām still here, and she isnātā¦āāNot for long!ā Caroline jumped to her fe
The whole academy was a raucous celebration, but celebrating was the last thing Caroline felt like doing as she stood in a small, windowless room, where Felicity, Fleur, Vale, and Zara were laid out before her. She didnāt bother to wipe the tears that still spilled over her cheeks, wondering if she could have done something differently to save her friends.Ā āCaroline?ā Aldrick asked from the doorway. She turned and looked over her shoulder, giving him a sad smile.āCan I join you, or do you want to be left alone?ā he asked.āOf course you can come in. Though I thought youād want to be celebrating with everyone else,ā Caroline replied.Aldrick shrugged as he walked in, his hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans. āI just wanted to talk to you. About what happened.āāWhat do you mean?ā Caroline looked up at him, her brow furrowed.Ā āWhen you kissed me on the athletic field, I guessed it was in the heat of the moment. You know, like we
Caroline pushed him away, scurrying back across the grass. She barely registered that sheād sent Aldrick hurtling across the ground. A surge coursed through her, and Caroline looked down at her arms and saw spidery black veins sweeping across her skin, leaving a burning sensation as it spread. She was in agony as she got to her feet, her mind racing as the images refused to leave her.I donāt understand? If the prophecy meant for us to be together, then why is our future filled with death and despair?Ā Caroline howled as the burning spread further, now feeling as though it was burning her from the inside as well as the outside. Just as she thought she couldnāt stand it anymore, it stopped, leaving her panting. Looking up, she saw a horrified expression on her fatherās face as he saw her across the field, yet she didnāt feel anything. Her gaze went over his shoulder to an Entiere closing in.āNo!ā Caroline yelled, flicking her hand toward the enemy and o
Caroline didnāt like being told to hold back, but she trusted her fatherās judgment.Ā They looked on as Tempeste let go of her horseās reins, and raised her hands out to the sides, palms facing up. She appeared to have her eyes closed as though she was praying, and The Entiere all bowed their bald, white heads. Suddenly, Tempeste whipped her arms upward, clapping her hands loudly together over her head. The heads of The Entiere flew upwards, and they charged forward.āSupernaturals!ā Gaspar bellowed, and Carolineās hair blew across her face as the Supernaturals took off at such a speed as to leave a wind tunnel in their wake. They flew forward in a blur of golden light, moving too fast for Caroline to pick out which was Corbin, and the knowledge terrified her. She bit her lower lip so hard that she drew blood, and she quickly wiped her mouth with her fingers.Ā The Surnaturals barreled into the oncoming Entiere, sending many of them hurtling into the air. Followe
Caroline stood shoulder to shoulder with her friends. Certain their hearts were pounding as rapidly as her own. Soon it became difficult to separate the beating of the approaching drums and echoing of her thundering heartbeat in her ears. She jumped as a hand grabbed her shoulder, and Caroline turned around and saw her father standing behind her. In her relief, she didnāt think twice as she embraced him tightly, acknowledging as he hugged her back that they may never get to do so again. Quickly pushing the thought from her mind, Caroline released her father.āFelicity?āāHer body will remain safe and protected until this is over. Regardless of the outcome, Felicityās body will be returned to her family so she can rest in peace,ā Gaspar explained.Caroline nodded, choking up at the thought of yet another funeral. She forced herself to cast the thoughts aside.āLook who I found,ā her father said, and Caroline frowned in confusion before Eloise stepped out f