The Descendent Protectors

Chapter Thirty-Four

I rolled my eyes, and Ariel smacked him on the arm. "You're such an idiot!"

We all laughed; and my heart felt a little lighter.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Seth. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I-"

"Shhh," he interrupted me. "Don't ever say that, Nora. Don't you ever apologize, this wasn't your fault."

I felt my eyes welling up with tears. "B-but it is," I whispered, biting the inside of my cheek.

Seth straightened up in his seat, reaching out to grip my hand tightly in his. "No, it's not." He said firmly. "You were a victim of this mob's rivalry just as much as any of us. So don't you dare blame yourself."

I swallowed the lump growing in my throat, and reluctantly nodded; even though deep down, I still couldn't help shake off the guilt gnawing at my chest.

*

When I woke up this morning, I was adamant on getting out of bed alone and leaving my room; I grew so bored of staying in the same place for too long.

I stood upright on two wobbly legs and made my way to the bathroom to freshen up. The place was breathtaking and so extravagant with its marble counters and golden mirrors. I took a quick shower and then dried my hair off with a towel, and while still damp, pulled it up into a messy bun. We were approaching Fall but the weather was still a bit warm.

After I put on a pair of dark jean-shorts and a plain white T-shirt, I exited the room and found myself in a familiar hallway; the one covered by hundreds of portraits. I walked past them, feeling an eerie sense travel down my spine as I imagined the eyes of the many characters watching my every step. When I finally reached the staircase, I paused and took a deep breath in preparation to the most challenging part, which was descending the stairs.

My injured leg was healing incredibly fast, but there was still a bit of soreness to it whenever I moved it too often or too quick.

I gripped the staircase rails with sweaty hands and began to slowly descend, all the while holding my breath in agony. When I finally reached the ground floor, I heard the chattering of several people and the clanking of spoons on plates coming from the direction of the kitchen, so I made my way towards the noise.

As soon as I entered through the door, every motion came to a halt as everyone stopped whatever they were doing and turned to stare at me horridly as if I was the last thing they expected to see. I gulped awkwardly as my eyes traveled about the room, finding three pairs of eyes to be trained on me.

"Luna," suddenly a voice whispered to my right, and I shifted to look at one of the housekeepers who was in the middle of drying a plate with a piece of cloth; her hands fell limp to her sides and she dropped her head in a respectful bow.

"Oh, I.." I frowned in confusion. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else," I chuckled awkwardly. "My name's Nora, I'm Xavier's guest."

A slight gasp could be heard to my right, and at an impeccable speed, a young girl sitting on the counter stool dropped from her seat and stood on her legs, her head coming down in a soft bow.

I stared at her then did a double take.

"W-why are you doing that?" If I was being completely honest, the action chilled me to the core.

"Are you hungry, Luna? I can prepare you something." A voice spoke from across the counter; which belonged to another woman who stood by the oven with a grey spatula in hand, and a grey apron wrapped around her waist.

"Why are you calling me that?" I narrowed my eyes. "I told you my name's Nora."

The three ladies glanced between each other in confusion.