Pain laced my mouth. It startled me awake with the metallic taste of blood on my tongue. I sat up, disoriented in the space I was in. Squinting against the dark, I took note of my clock sitting on my nightstand. 4:38AM. August 25th. The previous events all rushed back to me in a hard wave.
I pressed a hand to my mouth, and felt the split on my bottom lip. I’d bitten it in my sleep. I’d tried to bite whoever had covered my mouth, it must have transferred over to my reality. Pulling away, I stared down at the dark spots on my fingers, near impossible to make out in the darkness. Tears welled in my eyes.
With a harsh breath, I kicked the covers off me and went to the bathroom. I flinched against the light and turned to look at myself in the mirror. Exhaustion was heavy on my face and my eyes were puffy from tears. At least my lip wasn’t too bad, the swelling mild.
Washing my face, I headed back to my room to organize my thoughts. Another dream. Another story. I collapsed at my desk, turning on the table light. Without thinking I flipped opened the journal I’d gotten, only distantly surprised it had transferred over through the reset. Tucked into it was the picture Kade had given me. My fingers ghosted over the image of him and Wells together, beaming up at me. Those memories had never happened.
The threat of tears eclipsed me again and I shook my head. Taking the photo, I flipped the journal open and tapped it inside. The time we’d shared had been just over a month. It didn’t stop the hurting. How was I going to explain to everyone why I’d woken up crying my eyes out?
The reasoning didn’t help. A sob forced it’s way out of me and I curled up in my chair and wept.
//
“She’s been like this all morning.” My mom whispered to Abigail, not quite quiet enough for me to miss. Abigail furrowed her eyebrows as she examined me. My hair was still a mess, damp from my early shower. My face must have looked worse after crying most of the morning, and I felt like the last time I’d slept was a year ago.
Abigail slipped into the space next to me, her gaze catching on my mouth, “What’s wrong?”
“Can I take a raincheck?” My voice sounded raw. I blinked, startled by the state of it.
Her expression became more severe, “…Sure. Should I be concerned? Did someone jump you or something—”
“I bit my lip in my sleep. Had a bad dream.” The explanation didn’t ease her expression at all, but she let it drop. I poked at my food, trying to convince myself to eat something but not finding the energy to. As Abigail reached for breakfast, I mumbled, “Um, hey. Can I leave early?”
Her hand stopped just over the plates, concern tipping over into plain alarm. She eyed me, withdrawing her hand and placing them in her lap, “We’re going together.”
“N-no, it’s ok! I don’t want you to not eat and besides mom made enough for the both of us.” My own plate was untouched, a mountain of food going to waste. I’d wanted to try to talk to Fox, but I’d set everyone on high alert.
The break of routine and tradition cracked Abigail’s expression. I could see the wheels turning as I hastily stood. She watched each movement, still taking in my appearance and counting the wrinkles on my uniform.
As I threw my bag over my shoulder, she followed, “I don’t have an appetite.”
That was a lie. Abigail could devour a continent worth of food. Still, words failed me as I tried to claw at an excuse for being alone. Even outside of talking to someone, I wanted to be on my own in case the sight of school lead to another break.
My parents exchanged a look, but I did my best to ignore them as I mumbled, “Ok, sure. We’ll head out together then.”
Abigail linked her arm with mine, throwing a smile and wave at my parents, “I’ll see you guys later then! Thanks for breakfast and sorry for not eating more!”
“Be safe girls.” Mom raised a hand as Abigail all but dragged me out the door. The morning air hit and I was aware of how there was warmth still coating my skin. The steady chill I’d gotten used to was gone. Something that should have been obvious, but zapped through my senses.
I let Abigail drag me along, hardly registering where we were going. I kept glancing around as we walked, as though I’d catch sight of Kade. Even if I did, what was I going to say to him? Was I even allowed to say something? Fable had ordered me not to, and it was best to obey. When I’d attempted to talk to Abigail and tell her what was actually going on my entire body had gone stiff. There was a chance it’d be the same with him.
“Ok, spill it. What the hell is going on with you this morning?” She whirled on me right before the gates of the school. In the distance I caught Nia leaning against the pillar of the gates. Her red jacket a beacon against all the other students.
I forced my attention back to Abigail, “I told you, it was just a bad dream.”
“Really? How bad was it?”
“…Do I…have to talk about it now?” She folded her arms across her chest and I flinched away. There was no lie I could tell, my exhaustion making it impossible to think. There was nothing that would convince her it was just a dream. She kept focusing on the split of my lip, on the shadows under my eyes. She hadn’t let up since she first saw me.
“Cinder—”
“Would you two get out of the way?” I jumped. Abigail’s lip curled up. Jen stood behind us, her hair up in it’s usual ponytail. Her gaze was flat.
I shuffled to the side, “S-sorry.”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“You should take your little argument somewhere that isn’t the sidewalk.” She started to walk, but Abigail already had her teeth barred.
“We’re not fighting.”
“Could have fooled me.” Jen gave me a once over, before she raised a finger and tapped it against her mouth. “Your lip is still bleeding, in case you didn’t notice. Did Abigail do that to you?”
“Fucking bitch.”
“Says the one interrogating your little pet instead of taking her to the nurse. Really makes it seem like you’re the villain from where I’m standing.” Jen’s voice echoed out as she slipped through the gate. Her voice alerted Nia, and her head raised to stare at us with wide eyes.
A guardian, Fable had said. The absurdity of it finally registered. Abigail would never have accepter her in that role. She’d have sooner gone through the fires of hell herself, before she’d accepted Jen as someone needed to help her.
Heat spilled into my chest as I realized my thoughts had wandered. I pulled away from Abigail raising my hand towards Nia. As the three of us converged, I tried to ignore the way Abigail had her jaw set, “Morning Nia.”
“Did you get run over on the way here?” Nia frowned, and I brushed away the concern.
“Bad dream.”
“A hell of a bad dream.” Abigail had her head turned, still tracking wherever Jen was heading.
Nia’s eyebrows raised, “Wow, you both are in fantastic moods this morning. A real good omen for the rest of the year, huh?”
“I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.” I waved my hands in front of me. “What’s your schedule like?”
I dove into the familiar. This would be my third time having this conversation. The third time Nia would talk about her granny, the third time having to introduce myself during all my classes. The repetition hung over my head, a rock in my stomach throughout the day.
//
Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t find Kade. Wells wasn’t in my drama class either. I stood in the back, too anxious to sit, and listened to all the introductions. Jen kept eyeing me, and I kept ignoring her. As the drama teacher clamped her hands and said we should go introduce ourselves to each other, Jen made a beeline for me.
Even I was too tired to deal with her and whatever antics she had in her brain, “You don’t look any better.”
“…Yeah.”
“Is there a reason you’ve been fidgeting all throughout class? Is your best friend acting like your worst enemy?” Catching the eye of Jen on the first day felt like a curse. Mom said everything came in threes. This was the second and I wasn’t looking forward to whatever the third thing was going to be.
I took a deep breath, “C-could you please leave me and my friends alone?”
Her grin was all teeth. The rock in my stomach doubled in size, “Is that a backbone? No wonder Abigail was livid. She’s not used to her lackeys talking back.”
“That’s not what happened…”
“I figured. You’re too pathetic to ever stand up for yourself against her. Thank god I’m graduating this year so I never have to see you three again. The little show you three keep up is disgusting.” I stumbled over sounds, unable to form a word. As the single thread I’d clung to snapped, her eyes slid away in pity. “It’s not like you’re even aware of it though, are you?”
“Just stop! I’m sick of you berating us every chance you get.” Everyone froze, a deathly quiet at my outburst. Jen only watched me, and I wiped furiously at my face trying to get the tears before they rolled down my cheeks. “Just leave me alone.”
“What’s going on here—?” As the drama teacher approached us I ran out the door. I didn’t care if my parents got a call today. I didn’t care if I got in trouble or landed in detention. I needed to get away from her. Even with my back turned I could feel her eyes watching me on my way out.
The halls were quiet, and I didn’t pass anyone as I ran towards the back exit and slipped outside. The air was true warm now, the early afternoon washing over me. I collapsed on the steps and burrowed my face in my hands. My shoulders shook despite my desperation to keep it in.
My mind kept conjuring the image of Kade and Wells’ faces twisted in concern, Abigail’s disbelief, and Jen’s cruel grin. It was happening all at once. Some of it had never happened.
It was a wonder how long I sat there and cried. My throat was raw and hurting. My eyes were sore and a throbbing headache had overtaken me. At some point, I’d stopped and merely sat with my face in my hands. I could have stayed there forever.
“Cinder?” I lifted my head up, looking at who was in front of me without really seeing them. Fox’s frown was more severe than I’d ever seen it. “…It’s been rough, hasn’t it?”
I only shrugged, wrapping my arms around myself and scooting over on the steps. He sat down beside me, his legs stretching out in front of him. I wanted to ask about class, but I doubted he truly needed to attend in the first place.
He didn’t say anything more, but his presence forced me to ground myself. I looked up, noting the whisps of clouds in the sky and the tops of the trees that rested beyond the school fences. From here I could also see the various sport courts and the kids currently in PE darting around them in blurs.
“Was it also like this with everyone else?”
“Mostly.” He was also looking out. His posture relaxed and his gaze unfocused. When he noticed my stare, he offered a smile. “You’ll be ok, I swear.”
I hoped it was true, “It’s just been a rough day. Outside of the…the Game Over, I mean.”
He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything his head snapped towards the side, body tense. I felt a stab of anger, sinking hard into my stomach alerting me to a deep red haze spilling into the air around us like noxious gas.
I scrambled to my feet, reaching for Fox only to find there was no one there. It was too soon for the next opening of this story. Sick to my stomach from magic, I ran towards the door back into the school building.
As I reached out for the door handle, a series of shouts drew my eyes. It was a mistake but I turned. From around the corner of the building a body fell back. Another collapsed on top of him. A fight. My hand froze on the door.
My dream. It was here, an opening scene playing for me. I could take the bait, react as I had when I’d seen Fox and Fable at it. Instead, I pulled open the door and ran inside.
//
I kept eyeing the boy with bruises in history. He was a few rows away from me and a few desks up. I hadn’t caught his face, but there were fresh bruises on his knuckles. When the teacher had done roll call, I’d managed to catch his name. Cyrus Woods. I kept glancing at him, as if I’d gather any information from the back of his head. All I saw of him was short brown hair and the flash of his battered hands.
If I was desperate to be an optimist, it would all be coincidence. But I knew this was someone from this story. Which one, I couldn’t be sure. I’d tried to sense for magic, but whatever I’d felt before was gone.
My mind had been spiraling for most the day. Nia and Abigail had spent most of lunch trying to figure out what was wrong with me, and the most I’d given up was that Jen had been bothering me again. It took me and Nia to stop Abigail from finding her and starting a fight.
It was a relief when class was over and I darted from the room and to my final class of the day.
The moment I took my seat, I spun around to Fox, “You left me.”
“Sorry, sorry.” He smiled like he was trying to hide a grimace. “I can’t be around them.”
“I know, but…” The real reason I couldn’t stop from thinking about it was because of how heavy the rage had been. I could taste the blood the user had been wanting to draw. I could picture the feverish intent as fists raised and flesh met flesh. When the magic had wrapped around me, it occurred to me I’d never felt true anger before.
“Be careful.”
“Huh?” His fingers tapped against the table, each tap a resonate of anxiety.
I couldn’t read his face, “If something happens to you, I’m not allowed to intervene.”
Goosebumps rose along my skin. Everything had been so calm before. Fox’s warning wormed it’s way into my head. It wouldn’t leave no matter how hard I tried. The next tale was waiting right in front of me.