If she finds my question odd, she doesn’t say anything. Her smile grows wider as she points to the center of her chest. “From deep inside. It feels like a well of emotions, a pool of strength that will flow in any direction I want it to. Sometimes it can be based on the emotions I'm feeling and I don’t really have much control over it, but that’s very rare,” she explains, mindlessly rubbing small circles on her chest.
“And are your parents magical, too? Like, is it hereditary?” I clarify at the exact moment my chest tightens with a flicker of panic as I think of my own parents.
I consider their role in all of this and what that means to me.
Are my genes hereditary, or am I a freakaccident mixed into the real world, only privy to this other life at the cost of someone else’s?
“Yes, both my parents have magic too,” Ocean answers, tearing me from my thoughts and a downward spiral.
“Cool. Are they both called witches as well, or witches and wizards?” I say, and she starts laughing so loud that the group in front of us peers back over their shoulders to scowl at us.
“Don't say wizards. That’s weird,” she says with a chuckle. “Honestly, my parents are just cute little high school sweethearts who are still at home.”
My heart aches at the whimsical way she speaks about them. “Where's home?” I breathe, and her smile softens.
“In the human world.”
My eyes widen in surprise. “So, how are you here?”
The look in her eyes darkens as she nods. “The same reason as you.”
“Because you killed someone,” I breathe, and she grimaces, dipping her chin to her chest, but her strength quickly comes back as she rolls her shoulders and lifts her chin high.
It's as if she hates the words, but doesn't regret her actions.
There's a sense that she doesn't want to talkabout it, and I don't want to push her too hard when she's been kind and fair with me this whole time. Glancing away from her, my eyes latch onto Kael, who's now at the other end of the field, staring at us across the distance. “What about him?” I ask.
She follows my line of sight, her eyebrows rising slightly. “Him specifically, or vampires as a whole?” she checks, unable to hide her amusement, and I roll my eyes.
“Vampires as a whole,” I insist, and she smirks.
“They are assholes,” she declares.
It's my turn to laugh too. “I figured that much.”
The amusement wanes in her eyes as she worries her bottom lip, glancing around to see who is nearby. I’m certain she’s not going to say a word, but then she clears her throat, making my chest instantly tighten for some unknown reason.
“They are probably the supernaturals most against The Sanctum,” she admits, and I frown.
“In what sense?”
She shrugs. “They don't like to feel like they're being controlled. The highest percentage of rebels on the outside are vampires. They're more than happy to leave a trail of blood in their path to prove a point,” she says, and I shudder at the thought. “The Obsidian Circle was known as the worst,” she adds, and I gulp.
“Was?” I clarify, my stomach churning as I realize what little issues I’ve actually been dealing with in here in comparison to what’s happening in the rest of the world. Maybe I am safer here, under The Sanctum’s control, than left exposed to angry vampires.
“They've been in hiding since their leaders were captured,” she says, and my gut only seems to twist tighter.
“If they don’t have any leaders, wouldn't you assume the rebellion as a whole would be gone?”
The scoff that vibrates from Ocean’s chest cuts through the air, threatening to steal my breath. “Nothing as dark and twisted as that could ever truly be gone,” she states, the words hitting my chest like a bullet, leaving me to scramble for my next breath.
“I don't think I want to know anymore,” I admit, and she offers me a tight smile.
“Rikard was a member,” she mutters, and an icy chill runs through my veins as my eyes widen in shock. “He double-crossed them long ago, securing his place on The Sanctum. The what, how, why, or specifically when, few know, but no one will ever forget that you can’t trust him,” she adds.
All I can do is gape at her in disbelief, but just like with most things here, it doesn’t make sense.
“That's insane,” I whisper, staring up at the sky as though an answer might fall down any moment and piece it all together for me, but it doesn’t come. Instead, I’m left swirling between the facts I thought I knew. When I asked about vampires, this isn’t what I imagined.
