[Chapter 24]

A week passed, and there was no sign of Kenton. Nothing at all. We were beginning to think that he had moved on to the next target, and even Zane got a little more lax.

We brought Raun out more, another time to the amusement park where Noel and Zane took my role in accompanying him on the rides. I invited Kaz along –much to Noel’s dismay and Zane’s amusement –and spent time catching up with times while Raun tortured the other two guys. Then, to reward Noel for his unfaltering patience with my father and brother, I paid for a ride on the love river while Kaz helped hold back a Raun who desperately wanted to hitch a ride with us. Then I accompanied Zane to a thrilling roller coaster ride, giving him great entertainment and laughter by letting him watch me scream my heart out, then almost puking my guts out with my face turned green.

Noel and I watched a bunch of movies together, which fired Dad’s suspicion, since we were the only two ones, and the theatre was all dark. Of course, all we did was just to watch the movie, but convincing a suspicious dad obviously didn’t work, so we left it at that. As if finding some excuse to get me away from my boyfriend, Dad made me spend more time with Zane, so we spent it sharpening our powers together.

Guardian or not, Zane was an expert at his element, and he sure had lots to teach me about fire. Comparing my two elements, I had initially been weaker with fire, since I never really got over the fear of being burnt, but time with Zane gave me great insight on the element he excelled in. Being with him definitely taught me things I hadn’t known before. Zane was aggressive and encompassed physical fighting with his element; part of why it made him so deadly and dangerous. Needless to say, I picked up a few somethings from him.

Noel made his own efforts to improve on my ability of controlling water. Over time, I could control water like an amateur through the bond between me and Noel. He tried to bring me to the advances, but foundations of my fire-training had been locked in solid, and there had been no way for me to grasp Noel’s element just right.

Of course, we had a fair share of prying eyes. Some accidental, some on purpose. We usually practiced in an alleyway near my house, with firelight as our torch in the shadows. People got curious, and would come looking for answers. Of course, we snuffed out the fires in time.

During one particularly funny session, we had almost been too late to snuff out the fire, and didn’t have time to hide in the dark shadows. Since Noel and I were the only ones there at the time, there was only one thing we could do. Noel pushed me against the wall, and started kissing me with such force that I would have thought he was drowning without it. What shocked me were his hands, sliding my shirt up as if we were about to do something kinky right there and then. We heard a gasp, and mock-jumped to face the horrified onlooker, keeping our sheepish expressions as we shuffled out of the alley.

It was a good safe, but I could not help wondering if Noel would have continued if the person hadn’t turned into the alley. Of course, I knew Noel would do nothing willingly that compromised my modesty, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he did think about it.

But when we weren’t practicing our elements and not trying to placate Raun, I spent my time brushing up on my theories and researching about wards. Noel had his own things to prepare –as a Junior Training Master himself –while Zane… just went around looking for things to do. Most of the time he was just roaming outside.

I had confronted him about having sex with every girl in town, and though he didn’t seem happy that I was meddling into his affair, I made it clear that he could do anything as long as he left the girls happy and not trying to come right up to my house to dole out a noisy revenge on Zane. At least he seemed to understand it, and the last I heard from Kaz was that there were no more girls running up his doorstep looking for comfort.

It was funny how when I was running away from Kenton, fearful of him, he appeared everything. But when I wanted him to appear, to pass his mother’s message to him in hopes of getting him to back down, he never appeared around. It was crazy and frustrating. Waiting and looking out for Kenton was just frustrating, especially with my life on the line.

I saw no hint of Zephyra again either. Looking back at that day, it had struck me how she had looked around worriedly. She had really been chased by her vampires, huh? She had only been out for around five minutes, and she had been so worried that I would get caught by her vampire servants or worse, her husband.

What she said and what Mr. Arliden told me really got me thinking on a new perspective. I will admit; I had always thought the war between vampires and Faens unrelated to me, since I had not been training to fight the war, but only to learn more about myself and my elements.

But with Kenton thrown in the mix, with everything else coming in as a factor, I saw the war differently. If Favian Darkness was the High King Ruler of the vampires, and Zephyra his wife; it meant that I was getting my hands full with a bunch of true-blue-blooded vampires. The truthfulness in Zephyra’s eyes could not be faked, and I believed they once were a happy family.

At least until Kenton became bad and was punished. I understood Zephyra’s regret of letting her child grow up like this, but what could she as a mother of a rebellious and rampant child do? Kenton was all grown up now. I wondered what Treyon, Kenton’s younger twin, would do if he knew what Kenton was doing.

Kenton somehow seemed to have a delusion about me being either a constellation Faen or the one with Cynus’s spirit. Zephyra seemed to get along perfectly well with that idea, with her way of calling me the ‘Princess of Darkness’ when she confirmed my identity.

Of course, I was sure I would have known if I was either. Besides, even if I didn’t know, at least Grandma Elvie would know. At least I hoped she would know…

But Noel and Zane had discovered their affinity for Spirit a few years after they discovered their own elements. Did it mean that I could be a constellation Faen and not know it myself? I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

Still, the chance was there, wasn’t it? A constellation Faen for a member or family member of each Council Family, local or abroad. I could be the constellation Faen for the family of Alveron. Grandma Elvie certainly wasn’t a constellation Faen, or I would have known somehow. Through Elvie herself, or at least through Dru, my personal, non-stop gossip magazine.

Noel was also a complication in the war. Kenton was trying to set up the blinds to start a war, to turn me to his side, or to mislead his father into thinking that I was the one looking for a fight. Like a saboteur in an army, signaling the start of war before the declaration was made; Kenton was trying to be. Noel, however, cared none of the fact that whatever reckless actions he could do with Kenton could possibly start a war. All he cared was keeping his Faen and his girlfriend safe, and though I was touched by his nobility and the idea of protecting me, I still wished he would consider the welfare of the rest of the Faens. Besides, there was no point in keeping me safe from harm when the entire world was at stake.

Zane seemed to not care at all. After all his talk about me being a friend, about Kaz’s proclamation that he knew Zane had a clear mind of infatuation for me, Zane hadn’t shown a single inkling of concern about the war, or even just about me. I didn’t know to be affronted by it, or just be neutral about it. Zane had always made me so confused; the way he made me feel. I remembered the kiss we unintentionally shared, and try as I might, I could not forget it.

Zane and Noel, however, kept on perfect terms. They were like long-lost friends, like brothers who had been separated from each other since Zane was ten. Nothing destroyed the friendship between them. Even the fact that both of them shared the same Faen, the same person to protect with the strength of their faith, and trusting me to watch over them. Simultaneously.

I was happy for them. Seriously. But sometimes, it would be nice to see them not sharing everything about me between them. Some secrets were meant to be kept only to one party.

Raun, for his part, got on well with the guys. As if being with two grown up guys that weren’t our father instilled a sense of maturity in him, Raun began running around proclaiming that he was a man; a grownup like Zane and Noel.

Obviously, my little brother chose to stick onto the guys more than me. Of course, Kaz dropped by whenever he was free, and Raun often loved Kaz more than anyone else. As if by some attachment from young, Raun preferred Kaz, and it was also by chance that I realized Kaz took up the job of babysitting Raun when I was studying in the school.

Of course, both Noel and Zane loved it when Kaz swung by. After staying with me for so long, they finally understood the exact reason why I had always been so tired out by my little brother. Raun just never seemed to have an ending to his energy, and sometimes I wondered where in the world he got his energy from. Mum didn’t dare to feed him high-carb meals since Raun was already hyperactive enough without the extra energy; and yet Raun never seemed to wind down.

Somehow or the other, Raun seemed to develop a strange likeness to asking Noel how it was like for him to take me as a partner. As if my brother couldn’t understand why in the world anyone would take me as a girlfriend, Raun asked Noel at least a million times about what he saw in me. It was Raun’s not-so-subtle way of playing a prank on me, and it really tickled Zane sometimes.

Sometimes, Zane would actually help Raun ask, displaying an extremely fake face of interest as he leaned forward with wide, eager eyes like Raun, looking at Noel, demanding an answer while I glared at both of them for their insolence. When Zane does that, I just wanted to punch his face in.

Yes, I managed to get a hold of Dru and Sarah. We used webcam conversations, and Dru almost freaked out when I told her about Kenton and how it had gotten both Noel and Zane at my house. She almost went crazy, trying to think of ways to come up with a similar story, to somehow persuade Xaviel’s father to send his son over to her. It was funny; how Dru was just so desperate for Xaviel by her side when she could just return to him whenever she wanted.

Sarah, on the other hand, had tons of goodies for us from France. She sent us a million pictures of her and her cousin in Paris, and I will admit; I was a little jealous. I have to say, the guys she took pictures with were really hot. Even if I had a boyfriend already, the French guys in Sarah’s photos were really smoking hot. They say French guys were great looking, and Sarah’s photos were the perfect evidence.

Dru, of course had the same thinking as me, and even begged Sarah to bring a hot guy with her back to the school. It was funny to see her begging the impossible, and fantasizing about spending a night on a Frenchman’s bed. We had to remind her –painfully –that she was already taken by Xaviel, in which she easily said she would give up for a Frenchman, though we knew better.

Two weeks into the term-break passed, and when I caught up with them again, the two were already reunited back at school. According to Sarah, Dru and Xaviel spent a good night in our room, getting naked and such, but I suspected something else.

Sure enough, the exact next day, I got a text from Dru that launched us into a conversation that raged on. Logan, somehow or the other, got into Sarah’s pants. I suspected it was Dru’s prank on me, before she sent me a photo of Sarah and Logan –covered by the sheets of course –on the bed. It was pretty crude, but it gave Dru and me enough ammo to launch on Sarah, who was like the mother of our group.

With enough argument and weak denials, Sarah crumbled and admitted that she had really gotten serious with Logan. It was miraculous, and we went crazy with teasing her. After all, Logan was like the craziest man in our group, and Sarah had somehow tamed him. Her feat was just… awesome.

Attention changed to me being with Zane, Noel, and the guy that I had my crush on since young –Kaz. Dru didn’t lose the opportunity to interrogate me, asking whether I had my virginity finally taken; but it wasn’t possible to admit something that hadn’t happened, so I stayed firmly by my point. Even if I wanted it –by the surge of some hormones –my father would never allow it. My family was conservative and I would not like to disappoint my father in that.

Needless to say, we spent lots of time chatting each other up. I missed them, and despite the many photos Sarah and Dru sent, I missed the contact with them.

Though one time, Raun did steal to my computer and booted up a conversation with the two girls on webcam. They had been curious as to who the kid on the screen was, before Raun –still thinking himself a man after being around Noel and Zane –tried to flirt with them with his six year old innocence. When I returned home after an outing with Noel, I found Dru and Sarah laughing hysterically at my little brother’s tricks, with my little brother thinking that he was successfully with flirting with a bunch of hot girls.

We didn’t bear to let him go through his first rejection, so my friends pretended that they were terribly interested in my six year old brother, instilling a sense of confidence for him. They did, though afterwards, tell me that Raun was a really cute kid. I wished I could see Raun in the same light, but spending six years with a brother like him had gotten me to see him as just the annoying kid in my life.

Three weeks flew past, and it was soon the last week of my term-break. We were all packing and ready to go back, and as if knowing that we would be leaving again, Raun spent even more time sticking along with the guys, recognizing that they wouldn’t ever be back again to accompany him. Raun didn’t even care about his own sister leaving, and I was left to my packing without disturbance; something I relished while I could. Kaz dropped by and treated us all to lunch to serve as a farewell. Noel and Zane promised that they would return for visits, though I wasn’t sure how they would accomplish it when they finished school and started working for the Council like their parents were doing.

Things wound down, and there was no appearance of any vampire prince trying to ruin my life. I truly sighed a breath of relief at that; having been left to my packing in peace. I made my farewells, and was ready to leave to learn more about my element.

I was confident and ready for my life again. I was prepared to meet the world with smile after my break, to take my studies with determination and purpose.

It was the third last day of my term-break. We had planned to travel the next day, reach the school the day after, and use the last two days of weekend to unpack and get ready for school all over again.

But that was also the day I almost died. The day I almost turned vampire. The day I became something and someone else entirely.

The old Ashe died on that day.

The new Ashe Alveron was birthed that day.

The new Faen’s child.