Adorned By Her

**Chapter 33 CALIBER & PROWESS

CADENCE POV

That night, Zephyrus was humming a tune to singing in the rain and it enraptured me because my foster parents always played that tune. "I love that tune," I told her excitedly, "My adoptive parents always played that to get me to eat food," I tell out of the fondness of my heart. "Oh, really, and what other sounds do you like..." she teases me and says it in a sexual way. "Hey!" I shout to her from the top bunk bed, "That's not fair, I thought we were making small talk and you tease me again." She replies nonchalantly, "I would tear your clothes off right now, but I know you still care about Eloise...she did a number on many bloodmates that you were unaware of..." I sit and think about all of the guys and girls she tricked into sleeping with her. I must talk to her myself, I think sadly. She must reveal the truth next time.

I lay there that night, barely asleep as Zephryus says to me, "Are you still up too? Ok...it's time to give you my locket." I sit up on my hardened steel of a bed and contemplate if I should just try to catch some shut-eye, but she reminds me of the locket again. "Here," she tosses the locket up onto my lap with expertise and precision. It lands directly on my right lap and I grab it with my left hand. I open it and nothing happens and she laughs bluntly, saying, "No, silly, you have to say my name in Latin. It's Anemoi, the greek god of the cardinal winds. "Ok, I will- Anemoi," I say and the locket begins to float, glowing a bright red color this time. Usually my prophecy book or the amulet book glows white, but this time her amulet glowed red. I wondered why.

She responds curtly, "You're a new alchemist, so you should know that the amulet glows red when a new alchemist claims it for new ownership for the first time. Mine's never been claimed and also, alchemists may only have one shared amulet once in their lifetime." "Ok, makes enough sense," I tell her; "What's next?" Zephyrus lays on her back and sighs heavily. "Even I don't know. All I know is that once you have my amulet you will gain full caliber powers. What that means, even I don't know. The prophecy that I read to you was from your birth. I've waited so long for this moment... Cadence?" She says with a crack in her voice.

"Yes?" I respond, curious as to what she wanted to ask next. "If Eloise never kissed you, would you have fallen for me?" she asks shyly. Usually I was timid, but Zephryus seemed bashful and reserved asking me this question. "I don't have the answer to that question, but I think you're cute," I told her in a shrinking tone. "I thought that it was you who was working for the Chancellor and not his daughter, Eloise...I didn't even know that they were related to one another..." my voice trails off, leaving the conversation open-ended. Zephryus proceeds to stay silent until she asks me to come sit next to her. I agree, because for the first time, we are friends, allies even, and she is still my other blood master. I climb the ladder down to sit beside her on the bed. She nudges her shoulder into me and I don't know how to react. Then, she turns to face me and gives me a puzzled expression. "Is it strange that I'm over a millennium older than you? Technically, I'm 22 years old, or one year younger than you in vampire years though. "Does that really count though? You're like ancient blood and a dinosaur compared to me. But your complexion looks extremely youthful," I say to her.

"God, thanks for the flattery, but I think you look stunning, even in prison clothes and no makeup," she blushes and looks away, as if embarrassed, I feel something rising up in my chest and I turn her body towards me, with hope in my heart. I take a deep breath and talk to her, "If I never kissed Eloise, you and I might have dated, or had a chance at least." Zephyrus stares at me, as if stunned from my statement. She says, "Really? We would have had a chance? I was only coming on hard because I was happy that you grew up to become such a beautiful young woman." "Ahh..." she sighs again this time more meaningfully. "I won't force you to do anything or even feel anything for me because you've gone through enough baggage with the Chancellor's daughter and her betrayal," she says, sighing again. "Plus, I'm 'ancient blood'," she says sarcastically.

"I think you're extraordinary," I tell Zephyrus, flustered and face turning red. I feel mortified confessing this to her. "You've been protecting me this whole time, and I even planned on killing you," I cry to myself. Tears stream down my face uncontrollably and I grab onto Zephyrus' shoulders to stop from collapsing onto myself. "No, I'm sorry for doing this to you. I couldn't reveal too much too soon or the others would catch on..." her voice trails off as she strokes my hair. "Everything's going to be okay, darling. Just take my hand," she says. I do as told and grip firmly onto her big hands. Her hands are a good, affirming size to play softball with the other gay girls, I think to myself. We sit there in silence except for my small yelps as I have a nervous breakdown. How are we going to escape this prison and rescue Lux? I think to myself worriedly.

DIARY:

I didn't have paper to write a diary entry in prison, so I just cataloged the day in my head. I was starting to warm up to Zephryus again. She was telling me the full truth about her real status as a hybrid-vampire. Not a pure-blooded vampire, she wasn't a purist like the rest of the vampires of the Vanguard Society Order of the Houdsmen. However, only 25% of the percentage of vampires were on the fence about joining us in our rebellion against the Chancellor and his following. The other 75% were of the pro-purist mindset. Only about 25% were allowed into the Vanguard Society, so the 50% that were regular vampire students weren't in connection with Rhett, Eloise, Cerelia, Miles, and the Chancellor himself. The Vanguard Society allowed top-tier vampires and specially-selected blood-servants to be in connection with the Chancellor and his ring of vampires. I was indeed a lucky one, being allowed access to the lounge, and even the Chancellor's headquarters, his office, to do extra credit. I was wondering why I was put on trial for torture though and the unforeseen aftermath will be deadly, I imagine. The rebellion is brewing and a sudden turn of events will be monumental in the next happening at the academy. Kensington academy just took a turn for the worst as New Years just passed and it is the Spring of the year 4,024 now, with the results that a divided mindset between humans and vampires are set in stone.

Love, Cadence Madlock