Aura

Chapter Eight

  Rowan and Zoe stood facing each other in the hall, staring each other down. They had talked about every possible thing they could think of, but the silence didn't feel crushing at all. It was more like a sign of the secret communication they seemed to hold in their hearts.

  Rowan was taller than Zoe, and he had an urge to touch her arm, but he pushed it away. Zoe was his best friend. He wouldn't dare. Zoe was staring up at him, and Rowan down at her. They were so close. Zoe made the touch for him, and Rowan's arm suddenly shivered with something so familiar he could taste it.

  "Rowan?" whispered a quiet voice.

  Pleading eyes. Sad eyes. Shy eyes. Eyes shut away from the world they should have belonged in. Rowan, there's people coming to your house. Of course. Of course. Rowan should have known sooner, and now he marvelled at the obviousness of it all. The last person he had seen on Earth, and the first on Auradelle. They look important. And now Rowan knew how she had known, how she had seen without even looking.

  "Piper?" Rowan murmured. His hands were at her waist.

  Zoe made no reply, but Rowan saw. He saw how everything snapped in her head, and her eyes flashed with such a brightness that Rowan blinked. Memories, everything, came crashing down, and Zoe was united with her human soul. Rowan saw through her as if she were a window, and inside was the quiet girl he had sat down with on the school bus.

  People looked different when they crossed the gate. Rowan knew that. But why had he not seen it sooner? Why had he not known Zoe was Piper?

  A scream interrupted his thoughts. Rowan whirled around as the crowd parted to reveal Adar Sullivan, standing triumphant, holding a chain in one hand.

  The other end of the chain was attached to Vivian Heatherfield's wrists, bound behind her back.

  "Silence," ordered Adar, and he promptly slapped Vivian across the face.

  The crowd bubbled with whispers. It shifted uneasily, unsure of what was happening. Rowan was studying Vivian's face, trying to read what had happened. Her expression hid more than what he could find, and he suspected he had missed out on something crucial.

  "I found this one by the river," Adar informed everyone gruffly, shaking the chain. "Her friends may now decide if they want to go after her or not. If they want her, they pay for her. If they don't, well, I guess she's worthless to them and I can just do whatever to her."

  Gasps and murmurs and confusion rippled through the crowd. Rowan knew that everything must be meaningless to them. It was all meaningless. To everyone except them.

  "And this one," Adar continued. "May go wherever he pleases."

  A young man stumbled from behind him. He was much shorter, and had perfectly cut hair and olive skin... Viktor's eyes searched the crowd. They were swimming in guilt, and his cloud of emotions was nearly exploding with all the colours it contained; red, pink, purple, yellow, green, grey, brown, and more.

  "Viktor?" two voices called at the same time.

  Rowan saw his aunts, both at either side of the room. Both had been crying, and he could see the mascara running down their faces. Seraphina was shaking, as if she had just woken up, and leaned on a column so she could stand. Vivian, in Adar's clutches, was heartbroken in so many ways that she just seemed hopeless and confused.

  "I'm sorry," was all that Viktor could say.

  "See you soon," Adar grunted, and dragged Vivian with him as he exited the hall.

  The crowd started up again, more excited than before. Rowan and Zoe struggled to find a clear spot outside, and Rowan quickly glanced into her eyes. It was strange to know that she had been with him all her life. And now she was such a good friend. She was with him every step he took and every decision he made. She was the only friend Rowan had ever had.

  Seraphina had stumbled to them, and she was trembling as she stood. Rowan was surprised to see she was still crying, and he knew she had done something wrong.

  "Seraphina, what happened?" he asked.

  "I was drunk," Seraphina explained. "I'm not anymore, though. I got some black coffee and it helped a lot. But back there I did something I shouldn't have, and now..."

  "What did you do?" Zoe pressed.

  "I kissed her," confessed Seraphina. "I kissed her and she didn't like it... the bartender. He saw. He was Viktor! Oh my god, Viktor told Adar he thought I was in love with his wife!"

  "Seraphina, calm down," said Zoe, putting a hand on her shoulder and forcing her to sit down. "Listen, are you...in love with her?"

  "No!" Seraphina exclaimed loudly. Her face flushed red, embarrassed. "I mean, I don't think so? I wasn't myself, I would never have kissed her if I wasn't..."

  "Look, you guys," Roman sighed. "Can we please save this for later? I mean, it's interesting, but we have to figure out what we're going to do."

  "Right," Zoe said. "Seraphina, I'm sorry, but we really have to find the next piece of the key. It's clear Adar just wants to lure you closer so he can kill you. And if we don't find the last piece, Adar will get to it and we won't have a chance at the Aura."

  Seraphina shook her head. "Guys, listen to me. I know what you have to do. But I have to go find Vivian. If I don't, Adar will kill her and I'll never live with myself. She was the one who brought me here, and I'm so thankful for her. I'm so thankful for a lot of things. But tonight I made a mistake and I have to fix it. I think it's better risking my life for something I know I can't live without than to live without it. I know you guys want the Aura. I want the Aura. But we want the Aura because we want it to grant us something. Zoe wants powers. Rowan wants his grandfather. And I just want my adventure back. Guys, Vivian was my adventure. When I'm with her, I can remember the person I used to be. I don't love her. But she was a best friend to me, and I have to be a best friend for her."

  Rowan stared at her, dumbstruck. Seraphina had always seemed like the type of person who lived her life without a single thought, but he was wrong. He finally saw the side of her that was helpless. The one who just wanted Vivian back.

  "I'm not sure," Rowan replied. "We'll be forfeiting a lot of things..."

  "Rowan," said Seraphina. "Would you do it for Zoe?"

  The question caught him off guard and he nearly jumped. Rowan glanced over at Zoe. Did he love her? Possibly. He wasn't sure. But she had always been by his side, and Rowan was fine any way she was. He would do it for her. She deserved it.

  "Yes," he admitted. "I'll go with you, Seraphina."

  "I will too," Zoe agreed.

  "Thanks, guys," Seraphina beamed, and she smiled through her tears.

  "Are you sure you don't like Vivian?" Zoe teased lightly.

  Seraphina's face flushed bright red again. "Yes! I'm positive!"

  "You're smiling," Zoe pointed out.

  "I am. So what?"

  Rowan had to laugh too. It felt good to be this way. He felt like it had been so long, and he rejoiced in being able to laugh along at just the simple things in life. But even so, it exhausted him knowing that what he thought was simple was not actually simple at all. Vivian was married to Seraphina's brother. A marriage set by the government. Additionally, women could not marry women, and men could not marry men... Rowan was laughing, but even laughter did not come for free.

  Together, they set off for what was known to be Adar's home in the mountains of fire.