"Can we please talk now?" Axel implores, rising from his seat. Juniper shoots me a curious glance as she ascends the spiral staircase towards the girls' dormitory.
"What is it now? We already had a discussion earlier," I respond, my annoyance evident as I fold my arms and lean on one leg.
"I wouldn't exactly call that a conversation," he argues, his voice lowered. "Whether you like it or not, we're bound together by Nico's death. We can't afford to confide in anyone else."
"I'm not your therapist, Axel," I whisper back to him.
"I saw how you looked that night. You need someone to talk to. It weighs heavily on you too, Em," he says, his tone softer this time as he places a hand on my shoulder. I quickly shrug him off as I see a vision of Nico falling out of the floor of the treehouse from Axel's point of view and I can feel everything he felt in that moment. Damn this gift.
"It does. But there's nothing we can do about it. Talking about it will only put us at risk," I say firmly.
Axel looks down, his embarrassment evident. I've never seen him embarrassed a day in his life. "I can't eat. I can't sleep. All I can think about is his lifeless body and what I had to do to dispose of it. The guilt is consuming me."
"It's tearing me apart too. If only I would have slept with him, none of this would have happened," I confess, my gaze fixated on the floor. Perhaps I should have never gotten involved with someone I didn't even like. That would have spared us all this heartache and guilt.
"Don't say that. Your first time should never be because you felt pressured. It should be because it's what you truly want," he says, gently taking my hand and causing me to look up at him. Thankfully, there is no vision this time he touches me and I'm proud of myself for blocking them out again.
"I appreciate that, but haven't you tried to make a move on me multiple times?" I playfully tease him.
"Never," he responds, his tone serious, and I give him a skeptical look. "Think about it. I enjoy flirting with you, and if you wanted me, I would have eagerly slept with you. But have I ever even attempted to kiss you?"
I bite my bottom lip, pondering his words for a moment. Axel has been flirting with me for years now, but he's right. He has never made a move to kiss me. How did I never realize that before? "Why haven't you?" I ask, curiosity filling my voice.
"Because when we do have sex, and we will eventually, it will be you coming to me, begging for it," he replies, a smile playing on his lips as he releases my hand and begins to ascend the staircase leading to the boys' dormitory. "Thanks for the talk. Goodnight, my Snow Witch." He winks at me before disappearing from sight.
I let out a sigh and begin making my way toward the girls' dormitory when I suddenly collide right into Juniper.
"What the hell are you doing, June?" I exclaim, nearly jumping out of my skin and stumbling down the stairs. I quickly grab onto the railing to steady myself. "Were you spying on us?"
"Room. Now," she demands, grabbing my arm and practically dragging me to our dorm room before locking the door behind her.
"Nico's death? Disposing of his body? What the actual fuck, Ember? Did you and Axel murder Nico?" She whisper-yells at me, causing our familiars to crawl to the edge of Juniper's bed, watching the commotion.
"No, absolutely not! Do you really think we're capable of something like that?" I ask, completely taken aback.
"No... not you, anyway. Maybe Axel," she says quietly. I can hear her breathing heavily, trying not to panic. The last thing I wanted was for someone else to live with this burden.
"It was an accident. Nico tried to pressure me into having sex and he called me a slut. Axel stepped in to defend me, and Nico threw the first punch. Axel accidentally kicked him out of the treehouse, and that's how he died. Axel has been fucked up by it ever since," I explain hurriedly, trying to keep myself from breaking down as I replay the scenes of that night in my mind.
"Wow... I'm sorry... That's heavy stuff," Juniper says, taking in a sharp breath. "But why didn't you tell me?"
"We couldn't tell anyone. If The Sisters found out, they would strip us of our powers and force us to leave," I explain. "We want to come clean, but it won't bring Nico back. It will only ruin mine and Axel's future as witches. And regardless of what you may think of him, he's a talented warlock. I don't want to take that away from him."
"I understand. I'm just hurt that you didn't trust me enough to tell me. But while we're on the topic of sex, I slept with Taylor three nights ago at the 'fuckhouse,'" Juniper confesses.
"June, you sleep with everyone at the 'fuckhouse,'" I point out.
"Yeah, but you could at least act surprised when I tell you about it. And I really like her. She's cute in a bitchy way," Juniper says, smiling to herself.
I roll my eyes. "I'm happy for you, but I have a feeling you'll move on to your next victim in a few weeks."
"I do not have victims!" she protests, and I simply smile at her innocently before getting ready for bed. As soon as my head hits the pillow, exhaustion washes over me, and I quickly drift off to sleep.