Eloria

Chapter 4

"A-alright." I turned to grab the door handle. Neither man made any move to acknowledge my presence. I quickly shut the door behind me and ran home. 

Damian was waiting outside. 

"Aria! Hey!" I brushed past him and quickly threw my hand onto the doorframe before rushing inside. My mother was sitting at her desk, adding the finishing details onto some candles. Curiosity got the best of me and I found myself sitting by her feet, watching as she carved.

"What is this batch for?" She didn't break her concentration to respond to me. Her hands moved almost at the same speed as her lips. 

"They're for a special ceremony. Rumor has it that there is one with the Ability in our town. The Order sent one of their members to perform the necessary inspections and possibly collect the Blessed for training."

"Wait wait wait. Who is it?!" My mother chuckled. 

"If I knew, I would be too excited to work. Speaking of excited, you should calm down before heading to bed." 

"Mommmmm."

"Don't "Mommmm" me, you need to get some sleep. Let's just say it'll be a fun day tomorrow." My mother winked at me before waving me off towards my room. If my Mother was speaking the truth, I had a guess that it meant the ceremony was tomorrow. I couldn't imagine anyone in our quiet town discovering that they were a Blessed. Surely they would've mentioned being able to see and communicate with something nonhuman. I knew that I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut about it. As I nestled into my warm bed, I dreamed that I had the abilities. It would've explained the voices I heard in the forest. I laughed at myself before falling into a deep sleep. 

"Aria! Someone is here to see you!" My father's voice echoed throughout the house. His yelled jolted through my veins and I shot out of bed.

"Coming!" I grabbed one of my blankets and wrapped it around myself before nearly falling down the stairs. I caught myself on the last step and attempted to regain my balance. 

"Sorry, sorry. I'm here." I looked out the door to try and see who it was. It was Darius. He smiled when he saw me.

"Just rolled out of bed did we?" I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks.

"Maybe..." 

"Well, that doesn't matter now. There is something I need to discuss with you. When you are ready, I need you to meet me back at the church. I suggest you go get ready." Darius left without any goodbyes. My father closed the door. 

"Goose, what are you waiting for. Go!" My father laughed at my struggle up the stairs. I threw open my wooden dresser and frantically searched for my robes. I only wore them on special occasions and this certainly felt like one. Eventually my eye caught the black fabric and I hurriedly threw it onto my bed. I need a nice blouse to wear underneath. As I scrambled through my drawers, I vowed to be neater and more organized in the future. I decided on a white blouse and some brown slacks to complete the outfit. I buckled the robe shut before neatly tucking my hair into its hood. I sprinted back down the hallway and stairs and almost made it through the front door before I felt a tugging on my back. My mother and father stood behind me.

"We love you so much." My mother spoke while my father just nodded.

"I know... why are you acting so weird?"

"We just won't always get the chance to say it." 

"Ok while I'm gone, you guys should definitely stop acting so weird. I'll be back soon!" I threw open the door and accidentally slammed it shut in my eagerness. I hopped past my obstacles as I made my way to the church. When it wasn't being used for religious purposes, it was typically used as a meeting place for the town's various organizations. I knew some kids from school used it as a place to hide from parents. I hopped that I hadn't taken too long and left Darius deciding to just leave. I held my breath as I entered the church. The sun painted the open room with the colors of the surrounding stained glass. It was definitely a beautiful place and I understood why some spent most of their time there. Darius caught my attention from across the room. He was waiting in the first row and cushioned benches. He seemed to be staring up at some of the art pieces. I slowly walked over to him before sitting down next to him. We sat in silence for a few moments before I decided to speak.

"So... why did you need to talk to me?" Darius didn't respond. I waited a few seconds before I sighed and let my back slide a little down the back of the bench. Darius chose to ignore me. I tried to focus my attention to where his seemed to be, but I couldn't tell exactly what he was looking at. 

"Do you believe in an afterlife?" The question caught be by surprise. I pondered before answering honestly.

"I mean, I'd like to believe there is." This seemed to satisfy Darius. 

"Do you think you've been told the truth?" This question was even more of a surprise.

"The truth about what?" Darius continued to stare at the art.

"The truth about Zaida's murder."