Falling [completed]

chapter 4

Remmy didn't have to be at work until later and had finished her classes today. She had a few acquaintances she would sometimes hang out with after classes at a local coffee shop. She sat down and began to study, fully immersed when a trio of girls came up to her table.

"That was pretty impressive what you did today in class."

Another girl chimed in, "Yeah we all tried after you left. No one even got close."

Remmy's face turned crimson and the first girl took that as the cue to leave. "See you around."

Remmy was never good at making new friends. She knew advanced classes meant new people, she didn't really think she would be standing out from the rest on the first day. Remmy finished settling her things and got up to go buy a drink. The register was not far from her table and thievery was not common on campus. She ordered her usual and came back to her table. All of her things were there, but someone had left her a small metal chest with a dingy silver lock. She looked around to see who was playing a trick on her, but everyone was wrapped up in their own concerns.

Remmy looked at the chest with her brow furrowed. This wasn't that funny of a prank and she wouldn't let whoever it was down.

She was standing a few feet away from the table and analyzed the situation.  The box was all steel, a very heavy and thick metal. There was no rust or discoloration, but it was ancient. It looked to be hand-made, all the way down to the hinges.

Remmy did just as she had in class. Before she could finish repeating the process the lock clicked and the chest flew open. A withering energy was released and it washed like a rip tide over her. She felt her blood turn into molten lava eliciting a crawling scream from her throat and she slumped to the ground.

She awoke in her own bed. She was still drowsy, but as the events of this evening flooded back to her, her heart began to race. What had happened? She had opened the old chest and remembered the pain that had started to creep in. She looked at her night stand and saw a note.

"Hey girl, when you passed out someone got one of the elders. He said it was from using too much of your powers at once and it drained your conscious. Rest up for a while and call me when you feel better. -Mack"

She smiled. She had listed him as an emergency contact along with Aurora. They were the only parental figures she ever had. His hand writing was calm and smooth. He felt confident in her safety, in what the elders had told him. That thought made her brows scrunch. Something was different.

She looked up from the note. Her surrounding were being analyzed with every blink of her eye. This was very different. She saw specks of dust on her shelf and remembered rather specifically the last time she had cleaned. She remembered the smell of the cleaner, dropping the duster. She remembered sneezing.

Remmy closed her eyes and calmed herself. She took steady deep breathes. She opened her eyes again and felt, nothing. Then a slight throbbing came from the back of her head. She ran her fingers through her hair and felt a tender spot. Maybe that was why. She looked around the room once more. When nothing came to her, she sighed with relief. She glanced at her phone and saw that it was already ten the next day.

I guess I can skip class today.

She got up to change and saw Aldric's shirt. The memory of him brought a smile to her face. Moments of the time they had shared flashed before her mind and she stilled her favorite ones. The way his wet shirt clung to his broad shoulders and how his frame narrowed down to his hard waist made her cheeks flush. His cheesy grin came to mind next when she was cleaning up his lip. He was handsome and polite. Using her new power only reminded her more of the pull he had on her. Curiosity got the best of her.