SIX: BEFORE EVERYTHING GOT SO COMPLICATED
JANUARY 3
PHOEBE DOMINGO
BY SUNDAY, EVERYONE HAD HEARD about the Royal Council's not guilty verdict. Word about Wil Diamond's return had spread and opinions were mixed. Half thought she should've been expelled (or Banished) while the other half believed she was a victim and was only in the wrong place at the wrong time.
In an attempt to remain neutral (given that her new roommate was the girl in question), Phoebe made every effort to move back into the Academy as quietly as possible. She arrived on campus early enough in the morning to avoid the rush of her classmates and from there, made her way to the North Hall, where she and the rest of the senior class lived.
The Academy of Magic & Magical Studies was an old castle and over time, had been expanded to six buildings. The first, at the front of campus, was the Main Hall and it was the original castle. It had been updated and renovated into a school building with a large library, Dining Hall, Faculty's Residence, classrooms and more. In the center of campus was the Athletic Hall, a state-of-the-art gymnasium complete with team locker rooms, training rooms, and an incredible stadium. Then, positioned around the campus in their respective places were the North, East, West, and South Halls—dorm buildings for the students.
The North Hall—the most prestigious of the four residence halls—was a ghostly kind of empty when Phoebe arrived with three duffle bags thrown over her shoulders and a backpack dragging along the ground behind her (courtesy of a levitation charm which was still a work in progress). When she entered the building, she was pleased to see Dr. K sitting in the lounge with a clipboard on the cushion beside him and a few room keys.
"Phoebe Domingo," he smiled upon her entry. "How were your holidays?"
She shifted one of her bags on her shoulder. "They were good," she lied seamlessly. "Lots of food. Did you enjoy your break?"
Dr. K nodded. In addition to his responsibilities at the Academy, Dr. Evan Karamazov was King Diamond's closest friend and spent the majority of his time at the Royal Home during the holidays—more so after recent events. WoMWeekly published an article about him after he stopped Reagan's attack and the press had yet to die down.
"It was eventful, to say the least," he replied with a chuckle and then he glanced over at his clipboard. "If I remember correctly, you're switching rooms for the semester?"
Phoebe nodded, recalling the letter sent to her from the Academy. "Room 406," she replied.
Dr. K scribbled something on his clipboard and then dug through the keys beside him before selecting one carefully and passing it to her.
"Room 406," he said as she secured the key in her hand. "I don't believe my goddaughter has arrived yet so you should be the first to your room."
Phoebe nodded. The goddaughter Dr. K was so fond of, the one and only Wil Diamond, was notoriously late and likely wouldn't arrive on campus until later that day. Her absence meant Phoebe would have time to move in by herself, a luxury not afforded to many.
She thanked Dr. K for the key and then with her bags hoisted on her shoulders, made her way to the elevator. On the fourth floor, she dragged her bags along the carpet before stopping at the third door on the right. Then she unlocked the door and pushed her way into the dorm with a victorious huff.
The inside of Phoebe's new dorm looked exactly like the room she'd lived in during the first semester—only emptier. Like every other dorm at the Academy, everything was a set of two—two desks, two sets of drawers, two four-poster beds, and two large trunks at the foot of each bed. The beds were positioned on either side of a large bay window which overlooked the Academy's stadium (where Phoebe spent most of her time) and the curtains had been pulled back to allow the white sunlight to spill into the room. On the walls were several large paintings—from portraits of past Royal Families to landscapes of the mesmerizing Academy grounds—and the beds, bare of sheets, were carved with designs by some of the most skilled craftsmen in the World of Magic.
Almost a full hour later, Phoebe still hadn't unpacked. She was standing at the foot of the first bed which she'd claimed for herself when the door was pushed open behind her. She spun around and was shocked to see Wil on the other side of the threshold. She carried a single Louis Vuitton trunk with her while the rest either followed behind her magically or were carried by her older brother, Prince Leo.
Wil froze when she saw Phoebe standing there and Phoebe's eyes traded between her and the second green-eyed Diamond—who made her stomach flip for all the wrong reasons.
"Fi," said Leo, his face like that of someone who'd seen a ghost. "I didn't know you and Wil were rooming together."
Phoebe nodded slowly, surprised that he'd come along.
"Yes you did," Wil said with a sassy eye roll, entering the room and throwing her trunk on the free bed. "I told you that on the drive over here."
Leo didn't appear to hear his sister because he continued staring at Phoebe with that same blank expression. Then he adjusted the hair tie holding his shoulder-length locks back. He was long overdue for a haircut but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, Phoebe almost found the prince more handsome with longer hair—if that was even possible.
He cleared his throat and the air dripped with awkwardness.
"Okay weirdos," Wil said, staring at the vacant room for a full fifteen seconds before biting her lip and huffing out of frustration. "I have to go back down and dismiss Mr. Flynn. Otherwise he'll be waiting downstairs until graduation." She slipped out of the room and closed the door behind her.
"She brought Mr. Flynn with her?" Phoebe asked Leo of his sister's longtime bodyguard. Usually, palace security stayed away from the Academy in an effort to allow the princesses a near normal school experience.
Leo nodded. "Dad insisted. He wasn't sure how people would react to her coming back. So far, so good though."
Alone with Leo, Phoebe trained her attention to one of her duffle bags and began unpacking—unfolding and then refolding the clothes into piles on her bed.
He hovered by the door with his arms folded across his chest. He was good at that—standing there and not saying anything. He did it often. And though Phoebe only got tiny peeks of him through her eyelashes, she knew he was watching her. Her fingers knotted in a t-shirt from last season's championship tournament—it was in the finals of that tournament that she had a record number of saves as goalie and was even contacted by a coach to play college ball—and in an effort to appear distracted, she read the list of names on the back.
Anderson, Racheal
Bruís, Giuliana
Domingo, Phoebe
Doer, Francis...
"I wanted to call," Leo finally said, probably because there was a limited number of times a person could unfold then refold something and Phoebe was swiftly approaching it. "I really did. So don't think I was ignoring you."
"I didn't," Phoebe said, placing the shirt on the bed and reaching for a gray Nike jacket. "You went through a lot. I get it."
"So did you," said Leo, forcing her to finally look up. Her eyes met his and he looked sincere. Then again, he always did.
Her face felt hot because Leo had just reminded her of the very thing she was trying not to think about—her mom. It was weird going through it all without him. Aside from Wil, Leo was the only person who knew what was going on with Lyla. But it would have been even weirder to have him there. Then they would have had to face the reality of what they'd done.
"How is she?" Leo asked of Lyla. "Wil hasn't said anything."
"That's because Wil doesn't know that you know," answered Phoebe. "If she knew you knew, she'd wonder why you knew and I couldn't tell her. Not after November."
Leo nodded and then he was quiet again, probably thinking about the months leading up to November—and everything they did.
"I was going to break up with her," he blurted and Phoebe's violet eyes flickered for a moment.
Two months ago, she would've loved to hear those words. He'd said them so many times before that eventually, she stopped believing them. She had to. She couldn't hold on to false hope any longer.
"But she died," Phoebe said, her lips pressing into a line.
Leo scratched the back of his head anxiously. Wil was bound to return soon and Phoebe couldn't talk to her about this. This was the worst thing she'd ever done.
"I was already confused before she died but then November happened and I didn't know what to do," he said and leaned his back against the door. "Half of me was devastated because Mare was dead and the other half of me was almost relieved which is pretty messed up. But I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my chest because—"
But his voice trailed before he said those last words. He never could say them. Phoebe was always the one to do it.
"Because you were cheating on her."
She stared at her socks—calf-height in Academy red—and let out another breath. Then she met his olive eyes.
"With me."
His Adam's apple bobbed and he swallowed hard.
"I'm a jackass, aren't I?"
Phoebe shrugged. "You're a jackass for cheating on her but you're allowed to grieve her. She was in your life for three years. You loved her. Everyone thought you guys would get married. But she died. So you get to grieve her."
He nodded like he believed her and then he let out another heavy breath. "But I'm still a jackass, right?"
He chuckled to lighten the mood and she found herself smiling because for the first time in weeks, she saw a piece of that guy she used to be so drawn to. He took a few steps towards her before sitting on the bed.
"I missed you," she said and leaned her head against his shoulder. "And I hate that I missed you. You're not mine to miss."
He pressed his lips against the side of her head and she felt his hand slip down her arm until it found hers. Then he wrapped their fingers together, carefully and because they knew they wouldn't get another opportunity like that one, they turned to face each other. Their noses brushed each other and she closed her eyes. She didn't want to leave the moment. That moment, albeit brief, was perfect.
"I'm sorry I didn't call," he whispered and his breath was soft on her skin. "I wanted to."
She took a breath. "I know you did."
"I missed you, Fi," he breathed against her face, leaving the tiny hairs on the back of her neck standing. "I missed you so much."
She inched closer. "I know you did."
That's when he pressed his lips firmly against hers and kissed her just like he used to. She held onto him and felt her way around his shoulders, remembering every curve and contour despite the time that had passed since she was last with him. His lips fit against hers like they were supposed to be there and she knotted her fingers in his long hair.
He deepened the kiss and smiled against her lips. His hands slipped under her sweatshirt and he leaned her back against the empty bed, climbing on top of her. She held him close, embracing every second that his skin was on hers. Someone on the other side of the door fumbled with the lock and in a panic, they broke their kiss.
The door flung open just as they separated from each other and Wil barged in. Phoebe sat on her bed, rubbing her thumb along her bottom lip, which was still tingling from Leo's kiss.
Wil took a breath. "That took a little longer than I expected. Mr. Flynn was very adamant about staying I had to practically threaten the man to get him back in the car. And then Dr. K asked about Dad and then I asked about Briggs. Have you heard from him? I tried calling but he hasn't picked up. Anyone know when he's coming?"
Never before had Phoebe appreciated how oblivious Wil could be. She was blind to the sexual tension lingering between Phoebe and Leo so Phoebe shook her head and glanced over at Leo who was doing the same. For as long as Phoebe could remember, Wil Diamond and Drew Briggs had the closest (and arguably, strangest) of friendships. Their bond was rooted in the comfort that no matter what bad thing one of them did, the other had done worse. In all her life, Phoebe had never met two people more alike and she couldn't be sure if that was a good thing or not.
"What?" Wil asked. "You guys are being weird."
Phoebe blushed again.
"No we're not," Leo replied before she could. "When you were sending Flynn off, did you check outside? Did the paps clear out?"
"They're here?" Phoebe asked, shocked. She hadn't seen a single reporter when she arrived on campus. "I thought your dad banned them."
Wil offered a quick raise of her eyebrows and then sighed. "He did. Guess they don't care. Damn vultures," she said as she threw herself back onto her bed, causing her trunk to bounce off and thud against the floor. "I'm sure they came as much for Leo as they did for me. Everyone is just itching to know how Prince Charming is doing after a month in hiding."
Leo chuckled and then blinked over at Phoebe—just long enough for her to know that he was thinking about her but not long enough to arouse suspicion from his sister.
"You know, Wil, those vultures wouldn't harass you if you didn't put on such a show," he advised. "Maybe you should consider turning it down a notch or two? Tone down the whole Wil Diamond aspect of it all?"
Wil cackled. "What's the point of being the spare to the heir if I can't have a little fun?"
Phoebe hid her giggles in the cuff of her sweatshirt, covering her mouth with her hand.
Leo and Wil continued their sibling debate on how royalty should behave in public and Phoebe watched them, smiling. Being at the Academy had a way of doing that. Out in the hall, she heard her classmates arriving, talking and laughing while they made their way back to their dorms.
It was weird, she thought. Everything was so new, so fresh. It was almost like November never happened.
"I MISSED YOU, YOU KNOW," Phoebe told Wil that night, long after Leo was gone. The girls spent the day talking while they unpacked and by the time night came, they were all caught up on each other's lives.
"I know," Wil beamed and Phoebe rolled her eyes. Wil giggled. "I'm kidding. I missed you too. Not having you in my life has been weirder than anything else that's happened lately."
Phoebe slept soundly that night. So soundly that she didn't even notice each time Wil stirred in her bed. It wasn't until around midnight, when Wil let out a murderous shriek that Phoebe's violet eyes finally popped open.
Before she had a chance to ask what was wrong, her ribs were hit with a strong burning sensation. Panicked, she flung forward in bed and ripped up her shirt. In the moonlight, she saw her skin was noticeably red and blistering as though she'd held a flame to it. Tears rushed down her cheeks and she clamped a hand over the side but the moment she touched it, she cried in pain.
"Fi?" Wil gasped in the darkness, biting her lip to contain her cries. "What is this?"
Phoebe gasped for breath and she looked over at Wil to see her cradling her arm the same way that Phoebe held her side.
"I don't know," Phoebe answered through clenched teeth. Her vision became spotty and she could feel her consciousness wavering. It was only a matter of time before she would lose it. The burning intensified and right when she thought she couldn't take any more, unconsciousness came for her.
She had no idea what was happening to her or if it would even stop. All she knew was unbearable pain. Even death would have been more merciful.