The Blood Rite

Chapter Nineteen

Ruby didn't moved from her spot on the carpet as she cried. Even when the tears turned to a numb, dull ache, she stayed. It wasn't until she caught the sound of someone approaching her room that she forced herself to stand.

Sonya arrived to lead her to the cafeteria, all the while talking to her about the Rite, "There was one other vampire like you who had ice as his power. Your friend ended up having the air element. That's a tricky one."

"How?"

"How did she have it? I don't know. It's just like being born with O negative blood or blonde hair. It's a natural part of you."

"No," Ruby said, shaking her head, "I mean, how is it tricky?"

Sonya huffed a laugh, "Oh. Well, because air is a strong force of nature itself. Wind is what pushes water forward to form or break land. It either smothers or ignites flame, and it can feed or drown the earth. To control wind is to control the biggest part of nature itself."

"But doesn't the power just come from inside of her?"

"No. No power does. Your power is your gift from nature. Everytime you use it, you take from nature. Halle will be stealing air from around us, you will be stealing pieces of the night sky above us."

Ruby's brows furrowed. She'd been sure the power had come from that chasm inside of her. The darkness inside of her was the same as the darkness between the stars. Endless and so, so lonely. But Sonya claims it come from outside of her. If that's true, can she control the moon too? Carve it into a scythe to fight her enemies with?

She didn't get the chance to ask anything else as they arrived at the ballroom and went seperate ways. Ruby quickly found Halle at the same table from night before and hurried over to her.

"Ruby," Halle sighed, stiff posture slumping. She grabbed for Ruby's hands, "Where were you? All anyone's been talking about is what you did!"

Ruby slid close to the girl, suddenly feeling more exhausted than she ever had before, "I was in Orpheus's office. He asked me to join his army."

"Army?" Halle's brows furrowed. As quickly as possible Ruby explained it all to Halle, including how this supposed enemy killed their friends. By the end, the girl's grip on Ruby became crushing, her eyes alight with fury, "It wasn't an accident." It wasn't a question but rather statement full of pure anger.

They'd caught Jeremy and Kat's interest now and the boy turned to Ruby and asked, "You mean the Shadows?"

"Shadows?"

Kat nodded gravely, "They are lesser vampires. Doomed to darkness. They kill humans and vampires alike and use their blood for Black Rituals."

Ruby's heart dropped, her stomach churning, "Black Rituals," she echoed. This new world she'd been thrust into continued to get darker and darker. What would happen next? Would she be asked to sacrifice a virgin, an animal?

Bile rose to her throat.

Just then the waiters entered and passed out their bottles. Ruby took deep, aching gulps of the beautiful liquid and successfully cleared her mind. It seemed that every time she drank the blood that it took hold of all of her attention, electrifying her very DNA.

Kat and Jeremy kept up a small conversation, casually sipping their drinks. Halle and Ruby stayed quiet. Even when they'd finished, bodies warm and flush and heads tingly, they sat side by side in silence. The quiet between them wasn't awkward. Instead it made Ruby confident of the fact that she wasn't alone. No matter what happened, she wouldn't be left to deal with it on her own.

"Have you switched rooms?" Ruby asked as the two of them walked through the halls.

Halle gave her a small smile that was no where near the one the girl had given her during the Rite, "Yeah. It's really big."

"Cool."

Silence fell again. But then, Halle looked back up from her fiddling hands and asked, "Do you want to see it?"

Ruby smiled then, truly smiled, and said, "Of course."

Halle's room ended up being the door closest to Ruby's, though still a good distance away. It had blue brocade and, despite a different arrangement, was the exact same as Ruby's. Then they went to Ruby's and found her clothes now in her closet.

Halle riffled through the clothes as Ruby leaned against the wall watching her progress, "Do you think Orpheus lives in this area of the mansion?" Halle asked.

Ruby shook her head, "I doubt it," then she thought back to the black curtain he'd disappeared through in his office, "but it might be connected to his office."

"Really? How do you know?"

She shrugged, "It's a guess."

"Wow," Halle said in a tone that suggested she'd moved on to another subject entirely as she eyed a simple dark red dress, "You have better clothes than me."

Ruby moved beside her, taking in the leather with furrowed brows, "Where would I even wear this?" Halle shrugged, still staring at it with longing. A grin tugged at Ruby's lips. Taking the dress off of the hanger, she handed it to the girl, "Here, take it."

"Wait, really? Are you sure?"

"Of course. It's only a dress."

Halle bit her lip, bouncing slightly on her heels, "Well, consider it a trade."

"No, no. You don't have to-"

"I want to," she said seriously. She leveled her gaze on Ruby, "I know it's only been a day but already you've done a lot for me. Because of you, I don't feel so alone."

Ruby swallowed hard and blinked against the sting in her eyes, "I was thinking the same thing."

Halle smiled, a single tear falling down her cheek. With a mirthless laugh she scrubbed it away, "When will I stop crying?" She sniffed. They both stared at the dress, thoughts a million miles away. After a few moments, she grabbed Ruby's wrists and said, "I won't take no for an answer. Come pick something out from my closet."

Laughter bubbled out of Ruby as she let Halle pull her through the hall to her bedroom and into her closet. After minutes of searching and assuring Halle that she didn't need to do this while Halle adimently disagreed, Ruby settled on a dress of her own. She realized then how many formal dresses and tuxedos they both had and wondered what they could possibly need them for.

Soon they were rushing back and forth from each other's closets to take items of their own. There cheeks were warm with giggles, their steps light as they ran. Ruby's arms were stuffed full when she finally stumbled into her room alone, a dizzy smile on her face.

She took the time to hang each piece up, humming a dancing tune while avoiding any eye contact with her new bed. But when there was no more clothes to put away and her eyes were drooping, she couldn't fight it anymore.

The smile fell from her face. Numbly, she flipped off her lights, slid beneath the covers and closed her eyes hoping that tomorrow would be better. Even if infinitesmally.