It was so, so cold and dark. Sleet stung my face and the wind howled in my ears as I staggered forward. The only coherent thought was that I had to find him, whoever he was. I squinted, looking for something, anything, other than this blinding snow. Then I saw him. His back was turned to me, but I just knew that I had to get to him. Each step was harder than the last. When I finally reached him, I reached for his hand. The blizzard died down the moment we touched.
He turned to me with those cerulean eyes, and gave me the warmest smile.
"You found me, Zoe." Nathan said.
I bolted up in bed, but immediately regretted it. I closed my eyes, feeling quite nauseous.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It was all I could feel, all I could hear,as if someone had stuck an axe in my head. Each moment was worse than the last. I threw the sheets over my head and then covered my ears. Now this was why Father advised me not to drink rum.
" Zoe?" A bandaged hand gently pulled away the sheets. "It's Nathan."
I winced at the sound of his voice. The slightest noise caused me to double over in pain.
I slowly opened my eyes.
"Where am I?" I croaked, my throat dry. "How long have I been asleep? What happened to--" A wave of nausea hit me and I leaned over and vomited into a bucket.
Nathan rubbed my back until I was finished. Just the smell of my vomit mad me want to retch again, but I managed not to. But after the initial relief of not vomiting, the true horror of it all settled in. This was so embarassing, the lowest I had ever been. And of all the people, Nathan had to be the one to see me like this. At least it wasn't Eric.
"Here, this will help." He handed me a warm, steamy mug of broth.
Memories of last night started to flood my mind. I found it hard to meet his eyes.
"Thank you." I tentatively took a sip of the broth, hoping it wouldn't come back up later.
"Minerva and Alex were somehow able to..calm you, and they decided to keep you in this room. You've been asleep for a few hours. It's morning now."
"Did I hurt anyone last night?" I asked hesitantly. The details were still unclear, most of last night was a blur.
"Just me." Nathan said, grimacing. He showed me his two bandaged hands once more. "Nothing serious, though."
My insides felt like they were being turned inside out, though it wasn't because of the rum.
"Nathan, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to--"
"It's fine. It's nothing I haven't dealt with before...I-I'm just glad that you're safe."
There were a few moments of blessed, if awkward, silence, which seemed to soothe my headache.
"So, Zoe, what happened last night?" Nathan tried to meet my eyes again, but I looked away. "What led you to...that. To the magic. And rum, of all things!"
Now I remembered why I tried to leave last night. Because of him.
"I tried to escape." I said shortly.
Nathan sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.
"Out of all the stupid things you could do, I have to say this is the worst."
He wasn't here because he cared about me. He was here to scold me, as if I were a child.
Maybe it was the after-effects of the rum, but suddenly, I couldn't handle being around Nathan much longer. I clenched the mug tightly in my hands and itched to throw it at him.
"As if you have any right to hold this over me," I snapped, "You've done worse."
Nathan glared at me.
"No. We are not doing this now. You're obviously hungover and confused, but I just want to know what the hell happened last night."
And I just want you to stop treating me like a child, I thought. I set the mug on the bedside stand, my hands shaking.
"I can't talk to you right now." I said tiredly. I rubbed my temples.
"I just want to know---"
"Oh, for the love of---I kissed Eric, alright? That's what started it all! It's all your fault that this happened, anyway."
Nathan looked at me, stunned.
"What on earth are you talking about? What did I do? And you kissed Eric?!"
I turned away and pulled the sheets up, my cheeks burning. Stupid. I was so stupid.
"Just leave, Halfsoul." What I meant to come out as a shout came out as a feeble croak.
"Fine," he snarled.
I heard his footsteps get farther away and then the slam of a door. I cringed, covering my ears. I might as well have been successful in escaping, because I lost Nathan, anyway.
I woke up to the sound of my door opening.
"Nathan?" I called out hopefully, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
"No. It is Alex and Minerva," Minerva said, "I hope we're not disturbing you."
"No, no. It's fine." I sat up, closing my eyes for just a moment as my headache came back with a vengeance. "I apologize. I'm not feeling too well, with the...er, magic and all."
"Love, what you're experiencing is a result of drinking three bottles of rum in a row, not magic," Alexandra said with a smirk. "Must be one hell of a morning, huh?"
I nodded.
"So what is it that you need of me? I am sure you wouldn't visit me to be friendly."
Minerva smiled uneasily.
"Zoe, do you have any recollection of what happened last night?"
I nodded again, trying to ignore the stabs of pain by my temples.
"It is essential for you to tell us everything so that we can help you."
I bit my lip and looked down at my thickly bandaged hands. What else was I to do? What more could I lose?
So I told them everything with as much dignity as possible, even the kiss, which I attempted to downplay.
"...That's all I know. Though I have no recollection as to how I got here." I reached for the mug and took another sip.
"We had to use a bit of magic ourselves, actually." Minerva said. She waved her hand, and it glowed silver. "I was able to put you to sleep."
"What do you know about the magic?" I inquired.
"We don't know much," Minerva admitted, "But what we do know is that it's controlled by the necklaces, when one becomes Matched he or she loses the magic. Outsiders, if trained properly, have the greatest ability to manipulate the magic. I have no idea as to how you unlocked it. "
So because I had no significant other, I had power of sorcery? I'd much rather choose the former, honestly.
"Apparently, actions that can cause strong emotion, such as kissing one of my men." Alexandra said mischeviously. My cheeks burned.
Minerva glared at Alex.
"What we're trying to say is this: you're one of the few who can access your powers. With your help, we could change the tide of the war against the Order, and eventually, all of Lornia." Minerva said.
For years, I had always been the odd one out, the black sheep. But now, the Defiant needed me. I pictured myself leading others into battle against the Order, and Minerva and Alexandra looking to me for guidance, and a dark, selfish part of me was satisfied. My one flaw was now my greatest strength.
"When does my training with magic begin?" I asked numbly.
Alexandra smirked.
"It begins tomorrow," she said as she headed for the door, "You'll be moved to the women's barrack like the rest of us, and then the real work begins.
I nodded.
The real work. Who could've imagined that this is where my Halving Day would lead me?
"Oh, and love? Good luck with that headache." Alexandra then slammed the door loudly.
I pulled the covers over my head and groaned, my head pounding.Sorceress or not, I wasn't going to be getting out of bed for the rest of the day.