“Holy crap,” she breathes in awe and wonder.
“Petal,” I repeat, and her gaze finally cuts to mine.
“What's going on?” she asks, and I chance a glance at Ocean first. She subtly shakes her head,confirming she sees it too, but this is my explanation.
I ghost my hand down the side of her face.
“Your eyes,” I breathe, and her jaw falls slack.
“What about them?”
“They're both the same,” I manage past the lump in my throat, and her eyebrows crinkle in confusion.
“Are they both blue again?” she asks, and I clear my throat, but nothing shifts.
“Well, yes, technically, but they both have the same red ring.”
Understanding falls heavily over us as her gaze falls and emotions churn in the air.
“It's okay, Echo,” Thorne finally chimes in, the strain in his voice undeniable. A glance in his direction, and it’s clear he’s struggling. He’s fallen to his knees, the cords in his arms straining as his eyes appear to have gone pitch black.
Sensing the urgency starting to thicken around us, Elodie shakes her head as she pushes herself up to a sitting position. “That's a problem for another time. Right now, I need to figure out where this goes.”
“Where it goes?” Thorne asks, his voice raspier.
“The back of this looks like some kind of weirdkey,” she explains, turning it to show him, but I grab her wrist, pausing the movement as black markings on the middle finger of her left hand catch my eye.
“Uh, I feel like this is new,” I mutter, blinking in more confusion as I tilt her hand to show the others.
“Holy fuck,” Ocean whispers in disbelief, and I'm glad I’m not the only one caught off guard by this.
Elodie blinks at the markings with wonder as Thorne clears his throat.
“I’ve seen a matching pattern to that disc. I know where it needs to go,” he states, regaining everyone's attention. “And those markings on your fingers only confirm it,” he mutters.
“And where's that?” I ask, certain that we must be drawing closer to the end of this downward trail by now.
“Right back where we started,” Thorne grunts, his jaw ticking.
“The basement of Institute One?” Ocean blurts, and he shakes his head.
“No. You’ve never been there exactly, but the building itself you’re familiar with… the attic of Institute Thirteen.”
I can't decide if I'm happy or sad to be back in The Vale.
At least we know what to expect, especially in our own institute. I just hope there are no damn pools of water up there as well. That’s the last thing we need to close out the night.
Thankfully, Ocean blesses Elodie and me with her magic, wringing the water from our limbs and clothes so we don't have to waste time with another outfit change. We are not in the mood to decompress for a moment, as we were earlier.
We're ready to double down on whatever comes next.
Thorne is quiet, but much more himself as we step through the doors of Institute Thirteen, which is why I let him keep Elodie at his side. Sharing flares jealousy inside me, but it’s healthy. It makes me want to ensure I’m always giving Elodie everything she needs and deserves, but in this moment, they need each other more.
Ocean taking the stairs two at a time beside me isn’t the worst, I guess. She drives me insane, like the sister I never had nor ever wanted, but she’s alsoin the contest for being Elodie’s biggest protector. I respect the hell out of her for that.
Rounding the second flight of stairs, we stall, almost crashing into Professor Morton. Her hair is slicked back in a bun, the familiar brown and cream tones swallowing her up in whatever outfit this is, but it’s the pointed look and air of disapproval that irritates me.
Clearing her throat, she twists her lips. “I thought you students were more responsible than running through halls,” she mumbles, tipping her nose up in the air as she assesses each of us.
