Rise [Bruno Mars]

Chapter one

Chapter one

an hour later

"Adrian?"

I turned. The white-bluish light of the apartment building's hallway pooled around Joseph. My hand that was curled in a fist to knock returned to my side.

"I've felt you coming nearer," Joseph said, taking a step closer. "What are you doing here, my sweet?"

I stepped aside. He brought out the keys to unlock my apartment. Once the door swung open I grabbed his wrist, which went taut in my grasp, and led him inside, only pausing to let him shut the door. Despite the dark I knew where everything was. I guided him to the dining room area and hopped on top of the table to give me height, still holding unto his wrist until he wedged between my knees. I let go, my hands over his stubbly cheeks, and brought him closer until our foreheads met. Joseph stiffened. I let the memory of earlier become all I could see.

Then this is goodbye, Adrian. This is goodbye.

I had been too stricken by Bruno's words to move or say something.

If you're not coming with me, I want you to leave. Now. Leave, Adrian.

I'm not just leaving you here.

This is my house, and I want you out of it.

And so I took his keys and left.

When the memory was over and the pleasant feeling receded down my spine I opened my eyes. The pain of the memory pounded against my head, and pressed against my chest, creating a throbbing heart. Now that I was actually here, at my apartment, so close to the reality of leaving to the safe houses without Bruno, left me with a deep regret. "I shouldn't have left."

Joseph's breathing ragged in the darkness. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I know." I scooted closer to the edge of the table but Joseph did not move. "Joseph, move. I have to go. I have to go back to him."

"I have lost control," Joseph murmured. "Just let me lose control."

The table disappeared from beneath me. I shrieked. Joseph caught me by the waist and I collided against his chest. He immediately let go and I stumbled back, throwing an arm in front of my face to block out the sudden blaze. My apartment was on fire.

But there was no crackling, no smell of smoke. . .

Slowly, I took my arm away, and gasped.

Grim.

Four ceiling to floor windows cast the brilliant blaze of golden light I thought was fire before. I blinked away my blindness, turning my head to be greeted with rows of rainbows: spines of thousands of books, covering the entire wall. The smell of ink and paper and dust settled deeply into my lungs. It brought an odd comfort, especially how the Victorian decor reminded me of my mother. She used the room, studying to become the Incurses until she and my father pretended to be Sleepwalkers, then made their great escape from here. An escape that inspired, and even, changed, lives.

Joseph ran his hand over a glass lamp on the desk that sparked an unclear memory, and trailed his fingers across the velvet of the chair.

"Where are we?" I was almost too afraid to speak. The silence seemed fragile to break.

"Aegrimonia."

"You know what I mean."

He flipped open a red book on the desk. "It's not real."

"How are you doing this?"

"I was unprepared," he said.

My legs drifted to one of the windows. The glass was sun warmed under my palms. Outside was an endless sea of orange. I took in the strangeness of it all. Being back here. Real or not. Before the memories could began to bleed the glass panel turned into gray rock under my hands. I whirled around, my attention drawn upwards.