It's Not Hers ✔️

40. Are we into the woods?

Rhea's POV

Never try falling out of a window at home. It may seem like you'll fall in an attractive manner, with your hair flowing and your legs in the perfect position...but it's a lie. The wind will cause your hair to enter your mouth, get tangled and your body will start flapping around, trying to slow down the ground that's rushing towards you.

I screamed the minute Hadrian let go of me, howling to the moon like a banshee. Time didn't exist, instead I judged it on how long it would take me to lose my voice. Stupid boy, I thought. I was a few meters away from hitting the floor and I couldn't see the dark headed guy anywhere. I guessed it was time to say bye to the world I knew and admit my sins.

"I'm sorry I took Pia's homework. I'm sorry I ate the last muffin. I'm sorry that- Oof!" I knocked into Hadrian's body, dragging him to the ground with me. "You said you'd catch me!"

He pushed me off him and sat up, smiling to himself. "I did though. You fell for me. You get it?"

"Ha ha. Hilarious," I said sarcastically. Getting up, I brushed off the dirt from my body and looked down at him. "Now what?"

On the ground, the shouts of the demons were louder and you could hear the screams of those who had been unfortunate to meet them. The night was lit up by the burning of the forest and buildings, deforming what the school used to look like. The fire was speadingr quickly while the fire fae tried to control it.

"Well," Hadrian scratched his head in thought, "I have to finish off what I was trying to do before you interrupted me. And you...need to go into the forest"

I stared at the endless mass of trees. There was mist pouring out of it like a cauldron and you couldn't see beyond the first row of trunks.

"You want me...to go in there?"

"You'll be fine. Seth will catch up with you."

"I don't know what he looks like."

"Blond. Blue eyes. Annoying." He finally got up and took me towards the beginning of the forest. "Just keep going straight. Don't go backwards or into the fire and don't stop for anyone."

I let out a deep sigh and he gave me a lamp which he had created out of nowhere. "I'll see you later, right?"

His silver eyes met my golden ones then raised my hand to his mouth before gently pressing his lips to them. He released my hand and smiled, leaving me flustered.

"À plus, mon amour." Hadrian nudged me towards the forest with a smirk on his face.

"You think you're so sexy talking in French. But guess what? You're not," I said. He raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing my lie. I folded my arms and walked away from him with fake confidence.

The second I entered the dark jungle, I could feel the Magyk humming in the air. The only issue was I had no idea whether it was a good sign or not. I turned to ask Hadrian if he was crazy but he had disappeared. It was just me.

I cautiously climbed over the unnaturally large tree root. The plants on the ground seemed to move towards my legs, trying to wrap themselves around my bare feet. I walked a bit faster, picking up my dress that was being dragged on the floor. A howl broke through the silence, shocking me. I held the lantern closer to my body in case I would need to defend myself.

Children who were afraid of the dark were smart because I couldn't help but fear the things I couldn't see. The mist on the ground chilled my feet and I was getting tired of walking in the same direction. I stopped and sat down against a tree trunk, putting the lantern on the floor.

"Rhea. It's me, Tom." I looked around the tree to see the stumbling boy. He grinned at me but something seemed off.

"Hey. Are you alright?" I asked. I got up and moved away from him, deeper in the woods. I spied the ax he was clutching in his hand.

"My master says I have to kill you," he stated, his eyes lighting up as if it pleased him.

"Noah?"

"Yes!" Tom let out a hysterical laugh. "He said that you've been a problem in his plan. But now I shall sort you out."

I began moving faster as he started swinging the weapon. It sliced into a tree causing it to fall to the ground, flattening other trees. Tom didn't bat an eyelid at the destruction he had caused.

"You do know that tree was helping the planet and now it's- Sh*t!" He threw the ax which grazed my cheek, leaving a large cut. It embedded itself into the trunk next to my head. I glared at Tom and pointed my finger at him. "Magnust pyxtos." He flew backwards and fell with a thud a few feet away.

Time to run. I dropped the lantern and ran in a random direction, hoping I was going the right way. I didn't get far when I heard Tom's voice so I hid myself behind a tree trunk.

"Rhea? Where are you? Come and play," he said in a sing-song voice. His feet crunched against the fallen leaves. I was trembling with fear and covered my mouth to stop the whimpers from escaping.

"I'll burn down every tree in this forest if I have to." A ball of fire streaked through the air and exploded, lighting up the night. My eyes widened as if that had hit me I would be gone.

"You're still not coming out? Okay." Another bomb was thrown and landed not too far from me. Tears welled up in my eyes as my future looked like it was over. Until the devil's brother decided to finally make an appearance.

He materialized next to me and gave me the signature smirk Hadrian was known for. Must be a family thing. My mind was relieved but my body reacted in another way. My arms broke out with goosebumbs and I was shaking with irrational fear. My eyes widened into saucers while the blood left my cheeks leaving me pale.

"Calm down Rhea," he laughed. "I'm not that bad. It's just my aura that's causing you to be scared. It'll pass."

Like he said, I relaxed into my less scared self. Tom had now heard us and was coming closer. Seth reached into his coat pocked and brought out a black knife. He vanished and appeared behind Tom and grabbed his neck. Then slit it open. Tom's body dropped to the floor with blood pooling next to his throat.

"You killed him," I whispered. I couldn't move after witnessing the death of someone I knew, even though he was possessed.

"He would have committed suicide in the end. I released him from being trapped with a demon."

"But Hadrian did it without killing."

"Hadrian's a different angel from me. I am the angel of fear so I can't do what he can and he can't do what I can."

"What's Hadrian the angel of?"

"That's the billion dollar question," he replied grinning.

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