When The Stars Align

chapter ten | good night, sleep tight, don't let the nightmares bite

But considering that magic has been dormant for as long as the ruler of Coronam ruled Noatra, maybe it'll be nothing. Maybe the kingdoms and the magic and that part of the history didn't matter anymore. We'd just live as one kingdom, no magic required.

Once in my room, I slam the door. The bang was probably heard throughout the house, and I wouldn't be surprised if Victoria came up to me room sooner or later.

Turned out, she was back in here - or maybe it was a servant. A bunch of Tori's old clothes laid on my neatly made bed - kind of useless considering that if I wasn't being dragged back to the dungeon, I'd be sleeping back in that bed again. I pulled off my dirty, bloodied clothing and tossed them aside, changing into a clear pair of pajamas. I bunched up my dirty hair and put it in a messy bun on the top of my hair.

This time, when looking in the mirror, I paid attention to my features. I was skinny as hell, and could probably be mistaken for a twig. I saw my bone through my skin, which probably wasn't a good sign, despite girls wanting to be this skinny. Dark circles were coloured under my eyes, though it might as well be because it was getting late. I was exhausted. Everything hurt. If I could fall asleep and wake back up in three years, that would be great.

I stumbled into the bathroom, and the second I reached the toilet, I threw up.

There goes whatever food I had in my system.

"Vera? You good?"

I creaked open the bathroom door, seeing Atticus outside. I growled as I flushed the toilet and washed my mouth. "Haven't you heard about knocking? What if I was naked?"

"I've seen you naked before," he said, matter-of-factly, like that was going to help his scenario. He leaned against the vanity, his leg bent awkwardly. He wasn't in his uniform anymore, probably borrowing something from Lysander - a white t-shirt and shorts. Ugh, and he still looked half-decent.

But this wasn't the time for that. "That was by accident. And plus, ten years ago I wasn't even... developed."

"Hm... you've got a point. Now you have boobs and-"

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" I asked, cutting off his sentence. I walked back into my room, closing the bathroom door behind me. Were all teenage boys like that, trying to sexualize every girl they see? Jeez, I'm glad I didn't have to go through any of that in high school. Yet, there goes another part of my life that I missed.

Atticus bit his lip. "Oh right, my lovely girlfriend is probably worried sick about me right now. News probably broke out about the invasion, right? It wasn't particularly quiet." He was right. People probably noticed the constant gunfire. And eventually, it would be reported to police and media stations in the city. "I should give her a call eventually."

"Yeah..." My voice breaks. "When did you guys start dating, anyway?" I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from him. Call me a stalker, maybe, but even trapped against my will, I wanted to keep updated on whoever cared about me. I didn't want to lose the connection, even if it was bound to break.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Uh, it must have been the beginning of grade eleven. I've been meaning to make the first move for a while and, well, I just got the right opportunity..." his voice trailed off. "I'm sorry about how she treated you..."

I shook my head slightly. "You don't have to be. She doesn't either. She just acted like she should have when she sees someone like me - a criminal. I told Lys and Tori this was going to be a mistake. Did they listen? No."

"But you-"

"But what?" I asked, not letting him continue. "She only ever knows me as a criminal. Third grade was so long ago that we're not those people anymore. She wanted to keep herself safe from possible harm, and unfortunately for me, I'm the harm."