Chapter 17
Ileana
At the moment, I wasn’t sure whether I was more worried or more annoyed. I was worried about Isis-more now than normal- and I was annoyed at the reason why I was worried. The whole situation should never have developed in the first place.
I was also pissed that I started acting like I was forgiving Quinn yesterday. He knew who Isidore really was and he never told me, even when I knew that they were hiding something. If we just would have known…. No, I don’t think that it would have changed anything. I don’t think that Isis could ever forgive him for what they did when they were younger. I wasn’t even sure that I could ever look at him the same way again and I wasn’t the one in love with him.
I could tell that she really was in love with him otherwise she wouldn’t be in so much pain. She was trying to kill herself to ignore that pain. I’ve never been a violent person but I just about felt ready to kill Isidore for what he was putting Isis through more than what he did when they were little.
I sighed and forced myself out of bed and into the shower. My mind kept wondering back to yesterday when I broke down in Quinn’s arms. I gritted my teeth on a wave of anger. I wanted to stay mad at him… but I couldn’t. I had to constantly keep reminding myself to be mad at him, that wasn’t a good thing. It probably would have been easier if he didn’t keep saying that he loved me. I was still trying to come to terms with that, I just couldn’t imagine that anyone but Isis could have that feeling for me and Isis’s was only the family kind.
When I got done in the bathroom, I tried to think of ways to get Isis to stop… brooding wasn’t the right word, it wasn’t strong enough, but it was the only word that I could thinking of to describe what she had been doing. After ten minutes of coming up with nothing, I just decided to wing it. Now all I had to do was find Isis. It was surprised to find her still in her room. I knocked quietly, there was no answer.
“Iz,” I called through Isis’s door, “it’s eleven, time to get up.”
“Go away!” she yelled.
I sighed. “Come on, Isis. Open up or else.”
There was a loud thunk like a shoe smacking the door. I took that for my answer. I walked back into my room and searched until I found a small flat-head screw driver then I walked back to her door and stuck in the lock, a few seconds later I was opening the door. There was a shoe on the floor, telling me that I was right about what she threw and Isis was laying face down in the bed. Not moving.
I walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, running my hand over her hair. “You going to stay in here all day?” I asked her quietly.
She took a deep sigh. “I don’t know,” she mumbled, then a few seconds later, “do you want anything to eat?”
I blinked in surprise. “Uh, yeah sure. Are you sure that you are up to it?”
“Yeah,” she said as she got up and pulled on a large sweater and walked quickly out of the room.
“What do you want?”
I followed her downstairs after a shocked second. “Pancakes.” That was the first thing that I could think of.
She didn’t look at me as she moved around the kitchen and I gave her her space. “Kay,” she said quietly.
“Isis, you know that you talk to me, right? About anything, at any time.”
“I know. But there is nothing to talk about.”
So she says, I thought, but didn’t say anything, if she wanted to keep her emotions all bottled up inside then she was entitled to. “Do you ever plan on doing anything with your cooking?”
“Not really. It’s not even that special. Anyone can cook.”
I snorted. “Yeah, anyone can cook, just not like you can.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, Lea.”
I sighed, some days she was impossible, today was one of those days. “So what are the plans for today?”
“Practice some more.” Her tone made it sound like that was the most obvious thing to do. Even as she said it, she was opening the journal that Quinn brought while still making the pancakes.
I didn’t say anything as she finished cooking, but just got out two plates for us. I sat down at the table and ate contemplatively. “Let’s go down to the lake,” I said abruptly.
“I don’t know…”
I put my dishes away then leaned my hip on the table right next to her. “Come on, Isis,” I begged.
“Ileana,” she sighed, “I can’t. I have to train today.” She got up and brushed past me to set her dishes in the sink.
I grabbed her arm before she could go out the door. “Please, Izzy, for me.” This was the best plan that I could come up with for getting her out of training and I really did want to go to the lake, but I still wasn’t able to go alone.
She closed her eyes. “Fine,” she sighed after a minute.
I smiled at her. “Thank you. Oh, and grab a swimsuit, I want to go swimming.”
She sighed again and muttered something under her breath before trudging up the stairs.
“You’re the best!” I called up after her.
“I know!”
I chuckled then headed upstairs myself to put on a swimsuit under my clothes. I was so relieved that Isis was coming with me that I actually felt a little giddy. I just wanted to help her forget for a little bit and I felt like just maybe that I could do that with this.
When I headed back down the stairs, my swimsuit on under my clothes and a bag in my hand, Isis was leaning against the couch, waiting for me. “About time,” she muttered.
I shrugged. “Well I had to make sure my hair is perfect for when I get it wet in a little bit,” I joked.
She rolled her eyes. “Weirdo.”
I smirked. “Just remember, you’re related to me.”
“I guess I’m stuck then.”
“Yeah, you are,” I said cheerfully then draped my arm over her shoulder, giving her a half hug as we walked to the door.
“Oh the joys of sisterhood,” she sighed.
I laughed. “Race you to the lake.”
“Oh, you are so on,” she said then Changed.
I Changed then ran as fast as I could, but I was seriously hampered by the bag in my mouth. We were there in a moment. “You cheated,” I said, spitting out my bag, “you got a head start.”
She laughed, but it sounded more like a cackle. “I did not cheat.”
“Yes, you did,” I mumbled as I Changed back.
“Nope.” With a yawn, she laid down on the ground.
“Are you even going to Change back?” I asked her as I put my clothes in my bag.
She sighed and growled something that resembled ‘if I have to’, or at least that is the choice that made the most sense. In a second, she Changed back into her human form. I jumped into the water and splashed her. “Hey!”
I chuckled. “Sorry.”
“Yeah, sorry my ass,” she muttered as she stripped off my clothes then threw them on top of my bag. When she was down to her black swimsuit, she dove in after me. She dunked me under the water.
“Hey!” I yelled right back at her.
“No yelling in the water,” she laughed.
“Too late,” I yelled and swam away from her.
She shook her head, then leaned back to float on the water. “You’re crazy.”
“I am and don’t forget it.”
“Trust me, that’s not possible.”
Isis
I hated being out here. At this place. In this water. In the sun. It just made everything hurt so much more. You know that hurt you get when your boyfriend breaks up with you, and you know your in love with him? Well this is ten times worse, because that boyfriend, also had my parents killed. I can't believe that he was the guy who did that! And he was probably even watching in the bushes, even at that age.
Why did the Goddess have to hate me so much? Why did she have to make him my inspirit? As I floated on my back in the water, with my eyes squeezed shut, I tried not to let the tears escape for yet another time. I don't even know how I have this many tears left, after every morning that I cry, when I'm training, and then crying myself to sleep. No wonder why I feel like shit, I probably don't even have any more water left in my body.
And just then, the hurt came in a wave again. Every little thing lately has been reminding me of him, and every time it gives me a short memory of one of the very few times that we had together. It stung, it felt like somebody had stabbed a knife into my heart that day. And then they keep twisting it every time I thought of him. Every time I see someone happy, or hear someone say his name or something that is close to it. And a lot of people have been saying his name lately, it was really starting to get to me. Every time I would hear it, it would bring that stabbing pain back down on me again, no mater how 'good' I may have felt that day. And then the tears would come.
But I couldn't start crying right now, not here, not with Ileana. She can't even understand how much this hurts me, or how much I cry. She doesn't get the extent of it, nor will ever I allow her to. But that wasn't the only reason why I wouldn't allow myself to cry at this point. It was also because of where we were. I had sworn to myself, after my parents had died, that I would never shed a tear on the property that they had lived their last minutes on. That is the last thing that they would want me to do, so I would not let their spirits see me like that.
As I continued to float, not feeling anything but hurt and hatred to the one man that could probably feel every single one of those emotions – which, secretly, I was happy about, serves him right – I could tell that the small current of the lake had carried me to the shadow of a near by tree. I couldn't feel the sun on my face or body anymore, which made the cold feeling inside of my body even colder. I shivered lightly, but refused to move unless the water deemed it so.
I opened my right eye to peek over at Ileana, noticing that she was swimming slow laps on her back while humming some tune to herself. She seemed happy, or at least happy enough, which was good. I didn't know how she would react to everything that was happening, especially after Quinn had came to see her. She didn't seem so pleased to see him, like she should have been, and that made me feel terrible. She was too worried about me to even enjoy having him there, after she had insisted that he would never come to see her.
I stood up after a long while, pulling my hair out of my face and across my right shoulder, yawning and coughing a bit. I hope I'm not getting sick, I thought absently. I then glanced over at Ileana, seeing that she was still doing laps and went up onto the shore, going through my stuff until I found my watch. My eyes widened slightly as I noticed the time. It was almost two o'clock, which meant that we had left almost four hours ago.
I glanced back at Ileana as I dried myself off. Once she looked up at me, I motioned for her to come up onto shore with me. She nodded and swam back across the lake, coming up onto shore and grabbing her towel. “Hey, I know you don't like how much I've been training lately, but I really need your help. That book Quinn gave me, I haven't been too good at all of that stuff, I'm having issues trying to read it while training. Do you think you could help? Please?”
She frowned and took a bit to answer. “Fine,” she sighed while pulling her jean shorts and t-shirt over her swim suit.
I smiled. “Thanks, Lea,” I said while slipping my short black shorts on, leaving my t-shirt off and giving her a hug. Yes, now maybe I might actually be able to get this shit down before the war starts.
“No problem. I'll help even if I don't agree with it,” she muttered while hugging me back.
I smiled lightly, grabbing my stuff and heading back home, Ileana following behind me. Once we got back to the house, I went inside and set my stuff down on the table and grabbing the journal that Quinn gave me. I opened it up to the Earth section, walking out and standing beside Ileana.
“Alright, I just need you to read off the directions for me. After you see I have done the first one, then read off the second one,” I said while handing her the book and getting into position.
“Clear your mind, and picture the earth surrounding you,” her first instruction was. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and trying, so very hard, to finally clear my mind.
I took a deep breath as I stared at the ground, willing it to bend to my every will, and slowly raised my hand. The ground began to shake lightly, and I was getting a bit excited that I may have finally learned how. Just as a small chunk of the Earth separated and began to float, it instantly fell back into the whole that it had come from, making me stumble and fall down onto my ass. I groaned, the anger of failing taking over me. I laid back onto the ground, placing my hands over my face and taking another deep breath. “Dammit.”
“Well, it was good until it fell, until then you had it. Do you want to try again?” Ileana asked from a few feet away.
I sighed, shaking my head. “Not particularly, no.”
“We should do water, that's always a fun element.” I could hear her flipping through the pages of the Journal.
I sat up, shaking my head again. “No, I think I'm done for right now,” I muttered while glancing over at her.
“Good,” she mumbled, closing the book and setting it aside, “So, what are we going to do for the rest of the day?”
I frowned and shrugged. “I have no clue. What do you want to do?”
“Anything but running.”
I laughed lightly, shaking my head. “Bailey been making you run more?”
“YES! I hate it!”
I shook my head, smirking. “Speaking of Bailey, where is he? I haven't seen him in a while.”
“With his beau. And do not ask me what him and Caleb have been doing, because I haven't asked, and I don't want to know,” she said while shivering at the thought.
I yawned, while nodding. “Yeah, I wouldn't want to know either. But it just seems as if he-” I broke off when I heard a sound behind us, and I was instantly on guard. “Did you hear that?” I whispered.
She closed her eyes for a second, and listened before nodding. “There's something there. Behind us.”
I nodded slowly, trying to keep myself calm. I fought the urge to Change right away, because it could set off whomever was back there. I stood up slowly, looking back into the woods. “Whoever is back there, show yourself, now.”
Quinn slowly walked out of the forest, his hands up in the air. “Don't shoot,” he said while smirking.
I frowned, shaking my head and sitting back down, glancing over at Ileana. She refused to look at him as he continued to walk over, and I had no clue why. “You know, it's not really smart to sneak up on us. Or rather me. How long have you been there?” I asked him.
“Just got here,” he said in a distracted tone.
I nodded lightly, laying on the ground and closing my eyes. I could tell that he had walked over at Ileana, and was probably trying to get her to look at him or something. Then I could have sworn that I heard something, or someone else, but I was probably just hearing Quinn and Ileana.
All of a sudden I heard Ileana yell something. “What the hell is he doing here?!”
Confused after not hearing Quinn say anything, I opened my eyes. Instantly, I felt it. That connection that I had loathed for days, that hurt that I had been feeling, all of it coming back. I sat up, looking over at Isidore. I could feel the hatred building up inside of me, and I stood up, my eyes flaring. At this moment, I couldn't feel anything but anger. Anger at what he did to my family, how he tricked me and made me fall in love with him, and most of all, him being here.
“You have no right being here. I have the right to kill you, right here, right now, for stepping onto our land,” I growled, not even recognizing that I was saying that. I had never said anything like that to anyone before.
I could see the shock in his eyes, and feel it in his emotions. I could feel how sorry he felt, but I refused to accept that. He stepped closer to me, trying to keep me calm. “Isis. I just came to talk. Please, just listen to me. I'm sorry, and I lo-”
“Do not say that!” I screamed at him, my hand shooting up and the Earth below him rising, making him float up into the air. I was so surprised that I could do that, that I was almost ecstatic about it. But then I remembered what was going on.
I looked at Isidore, who was almost clinging to the rock as if he was afraid that it would crumble from underneath him. “I-Isis. Stop,” he stuttered.
I shook my head, my hands shaking from anger, making the rock shake too. “Isis, calm down,” I heard Quinn mutter from behind me.
“Do not tell me what to do,” I said while turning on him. I noticed him stepping towards me, keeping his eyes on Isidore.
“Ileana, make your sister stop before she hurts someone.”
Ileana calmly walked over by me, standing between Isidore and myself. “Killing him wont change anything,” she whispered to me.
“Who said anything about killing him? All I said was that it was the law, and that I could.”
“Just don't get any ideas,” she muttered while stepping to the side. “then you can continue scaring the shit out of him.”
Quinn stared at her as if she was insane. “Ileana-”
“I can't and don't want to stop her. It's her choice,” she said while shrugging.
I shook my head, dropping the rock back into the ground, making Isidore fall back. After a few seconds, he was back on his feet and looking up at me. “Go,” I hissed at Quinn and Isidore. Once neither of them made a move to leave, I flicked my wrist at Quinn, making the wind shove him back by Isidore. “Now!” I then made a Wind barrier around the field and house, making sure that they wouldn't be able to do anything but leave.
I then turned on my heel, storming into the house. I instantly went up into my bedroom, laying down onto the bed, the tears coming yet again. I couldn't believe what I just did. That was so not like me. But most of all, I couldn't believe that I could actually control the elements. It made me feel good, yet horrible. I probably even just hurt my own sister with how I treated Quinn. Why do I have to ruin everything?
Ileana
I was dumbstruck. So were the guys. They were staring wide eyed at the house while I was staring wide eyed at the wind shield. After a few moments, Isidore’s face collapsed into a seeming unbearable pain, he mumbled something to Quinn before he turned and nearly ran back across the boarder.
Quinn put his hand out to touch the wind wall, then exerted a little pressure, he didn’t get through it and it didn’t move and inch.
“Take that as a hint,” I said quietly, but I knew that he heard it since I saw him flinch.
“Ileana, do you know why we came over?”
I had planned on walking back into the house, but I froze. “And why is that,” I asked cautiously.
“Isidore needed-and I seriously mean needed- to talk to Isis… and we wanted to make a truce.”
I blinked like I had never heard the word before. “Truce…?”
“A way to end the war. We know what’s coming and neither of us want it to happen. We will be back,” he told me then turned to walk away.
I was shocked. Their clan has wanted the war for as long as I can remember, maybe even longer, but our clan has really only wanted it recently after they killed my parents. Why would they want… I broke off the thought, their reason was obvious, they were being selfish. They wanted us to forgive them, that was the reason they were doing this, more than for their people. Well that just sucked, we would probably agree to stop the war, but I wasn’t sure about the whole forgiving them thing.
I slowly made my way back into the house. I stopped by Isis’s room. I knocked, but there was music playing and she didn’t answer. I went to my own room.
“I hate you,” I told Bailey wearily.
He grinned. “Now why would you say that? You love me.”
“No. I. Do. Not. I hate you and I hate running. I am supposed to be training not running. See? They are two different words!”
He laughed. “Well then, hate me or not, we are still running, come on, girly.”
I groaned and sat down on the ground. “No! I am not doing it and you can’t make me.”
“Oh really?” he said raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, really.”
I screamed as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. “I can’t make you, huh? What happens when I drop you off some place as far away from the road as possible, what then?”
“I will make my way back then kill you! Let me down!”
He laughed again then set me on my feet. “Then run, girly.”
I mumbled various swear words under my breath that I usually never said as I started to run along side him. I kept them up for most of our half an hour run.
When we got back, Isis was floating in the air with headphones in her ears. Both Bailey and I froze when we saw her. “What the...” I whispered just as Bailey yelled, “Yo, Isis!”
She gasped and fell to the ground. “What the hell?!”
I whacked Bailey’s arm when he began to laugh like a maniac. “I… knew… that… was going to happen,” he gasped out. “I’ve… always wanted… to do that!”
She stood up and glared at him. “Do you know how much that hurt?!”
He forcibly gained control of himself. “No, but from both the question and your scream when you fell… a whole hell of a lot,” he smirked.
She rolled her eyes. “You wanna see how much?” She smirked and motioned with his hand.
Suddenly, Bailey was floating up in the air and he let out a half-scream. “I love this,” Isis sighed, clearing enjoying herself.
“Let me down,” Bailey was gasping over and over again.
“Isis-” I began.
“Oh hush, Ileana. I’m not going to hurt him,” she said while she joyfully was moving him in the air.
Bailey looked about ready to puke. “I’m not so sure about that! Let me down!”
“Isis-” I tried again.
She giggled and shook her head, gently setting him on the ground. “See? Besides, you two needa get used to it. I’m not the only one who can do this.”
I didn’t want to think about that. “I’m surprised you didn’t drop him,” I muttered.
Bailey still looked pale. “So I am. I think that I am going to be sick,” he ran into to house.
“He never was good at roller coasters,” I said distractedly.
“Oops.”
I chuckled. “He’ll live. I was thinking of pay back for him anyway so if he really pisses me off soon then don’t be surprised if I ask you to do that again.”
She laughed. “Okay.”
“Oh, hey, I have something to tell you-” I started to say but I broke off when Bailey walked back out of the house.
“So what’d I miss?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I said a little too quickly.
He gave me a look. “Were we planning my demise or something?”
“No, Ileana was about to tell me something.”
They both looked at me. I looked down. “It was nothing,” I shrugged, aiming for nonchalance, “just some sisterly thing. I’ll ask her later.”
Isis frowned but didn’t say anything.
I was saved from an awkward moment when Bailey’s phone went off. He looked down at it and swore. “I forgot all about meeting Caleb. I got to go. But you are telling me later,” he said then ran off.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
“Spill it,” Isis demanded, crossing your arms.
I shifted. “Well, there’s something that I have to tell you that Quinn told me,” I began.