“Yes sir. Kailey suggested the exact same thing,”I joke. He needs to get some of this ego off.
“Kailey?”he hisses.“What are you doing with her?”
“Are you going to walk towards the mountain?” I ask innocently, blinking my eyelashes. Before he can answer, I block him out.
Just for a while. Being alone was never for me anyway.
I swing my arm through Kailey’s and we start walking.
“Let’s do this.” I smile sheepishly. She must have noticed that I am limping due to the constant shooting pain in my ribs. She smirks at me. “You know I am a blink, right?”
Before I can count to three, we are standing further than we have walked the past few minutes.
This will be fun.
“You should spare your energy,” I command Kailey, who hides her yawn for at least the fifth time in the past thirty minutes. “Using too much of your signet can make you black out. You can use it up for a while or fall asleep and in the worst case don’t wake up,” I say all serious.
“Calm your tits. I won’t die from using it a few times. I have had the chance to train for eighteen years. I know when I need to stop,” she says bossily, but she does listen to me, knowing I am right. She had just contacted my sister. Hazel told us that she hadn’t come by a tent, but that she wasn’t near a mountain. She must have been dropped in the same area as Braxton. A shiver rolls over me. This wind is cold. I hope we find those clothes soon. Kailey is dressed warmer than me. She wears a lilac jogging suit. Jogging suit, pajamas or whatever.
“Have you ever tried using your signet with your emotions as stimulation?” I ask curiously. My voice is soft, and I am not even sure she has heard me. She presses her hand across my chest and blocks me from walking further. Her eyes narrow as she speaks up.
“You know that is the strongest and most unpredictable way of using your power, right?” she asks, lifting one of her brows. I shrug my shoulders. Despite her effort to stop me, I walk further.
“Yes, I know,” I continue. “But I think I need to make emotions my main source and stimulus.” She stares at me like I am a psychopath, but reacts as sweetly as she is.
“As I was taught every signet is formed out of emotion. It is the base, but almost everyone is trained to use their power with their mind and focus only. They are scared you can’t control it anymore if you start to wield using your emotions,” she rattles out in one sigh. I raise my brows in shock of the whole literature study she has remembered. “Where do you need it for anyway?” She shrugs as we walk. Should I tell her? I am not sure, though. I can maybe give her a hint.
“I need my signet at her strongest,” I reveal to her in a whisper.
“Your signet to control the sun? What are you planning on doing, Eliane?” she asks, her shoulders are stiff, her face a bit indifferent.
“I can’t tell you yet,” I whimper. “Sorry.” I ball my fist and guilt washes over me. I don’t want to use her. I feel my face frown and Kailey must have noticed too.
“It is okay,” she comforts me, grabbing my hand. “I trust you. Just be careful.”
She shouldn’t.
After what felt like an hour, we reached the mountain. It felt close as I talked to Braxton, but apparently we were still very far away too, not as far as Braxton, though. Despite Kailey’s ability to blink us the first bit of time, it took us a while. We saw a small cave in the mountain and were strolling towards it. My bra is irritating. It must be because of my hurting ribs. My hand pushes the band slightly up to release the pain.
A piece of paper falls on the ground. Is it another clue? It is much bigger than the other one and looks like it isn’t written on the same type of parchment. I unroll the paper and a beautiful drawing unfolds. The person on the drawing stares at me. Big brown eyes, and freckles doting over her face. Her shining hair washes over shoulders. She looks different.
She looks like me, but more stunning than I will ever be. Like she is my pretty twin. The soul of the person on this drawing looks sweet and tears prickle my eyes. Why do I have this?
I put my hand on my head and focus. I must have forgotten why I got it.
Think, Eliane. I think back of the night before. My friends surprised me, but none of them gave me this.
“Kailey, do you know who gave this to me?” I stutter, still impressed by the talent of the artist who drew this. She looks at me with this grin that lifts up her ears, her brown afro curls dancing around her face.
“No, but I do have a surmise,” she says while smirking.
She is talking about Braxton. Then why don’t I remember it? One thing is sure. If he has really given me this, I am going to protect it with my life. I fold it back together and push it in my lace bra. A smile as big as the grin of Kailey’s raises.
This boy really is something else.
We enter the cave and excitement rushes through me. There really is some other weapon and gear place! The cave we just entered is full of weapons, clothing, tents, and other handy survival stuff. Are they really expecting us to stay here for days? I didn’t have in mind to stay that long. Chuckle rises in my throat. Did I overestimate myself? Maybe a bit. The cave is small, but big enough for at least four people to stand straight in. It has small lights hanging on the ceiling. I focus on the excitement and try to let the tingle fluid through me. I can feel it. Come on,make it brighter. The tingles rush through me, but they don’t feel stable. My heart starts to beat in my chest. Fuck, I can’t do this. I contract my muscles and feel myself get smaller, standing inside the cave. It feels like the walls are coming near me.
I need to get out—I need to get out!
