Page 111 of Dark Embers

She cast her eyes down, and they were distant, unseeing. “My flight back from Thanksgiving break got delayed, so it was late at night by the time I was getting to the subway entrance. A group of guys came up to me, and one of them said, ‘Hello, Arya.’ I didn’t understand. Why did they think I was you? I’m so much hotter.”

I couldn’t not roll my eyes at that statement, and I never thought I’d be so happy to make that gesture again.

“But as they came closer, that same guy said, ‘Wait, you’re not Arya. Is this some kind of trick?’ I told him I didn’t know what he was talking about. He got angry, and the three guys he’d brought with him attacked me. I didn’t realize they were vampires until they were biting me, and by then it was too late to try to escape.”

She stopped talking, and her face puckered up in remembered pain. A tear plopped as it landed on the sheet over her lap.

“It was a nightmare, Arya,” she continued in a small voice. “They didn’t just drink from me, they… they…”

My eyes flitted to the bite scar on her neck. And when she raised her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, I saw another on her inner arm. Horror struck me as I realized she must have more all over her body that were covered by the sheet, and I winced.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it,” I said, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s over now. You’re safe.”

Letti’s face flicked in my direction. “But you’re not. They weren’t looking for me, they were looking for you. If that’s what they did to me, I can’t even imagine what they would do to you if they got you. And you can’t even use your mermaid abilities to defend to yourself.”

The comment hadn’t been meant to offend—surprisingly—but the confirmation of just how useless I was hurt.

“They left me for dead on the outer platform. But I knew I had to get back here, to warn you somehow. I crawled to open the secret door and dragged myself into the secret platform. And that’s all I remember.”

I was lost for words, my brows twitching in uncertainty. I was truly touched by how much my supposed nemesis cared about me, after basically trying to kill me only two weeks ago. And I was relieved that Letti didn’t hate me for being the cause of her near-death experience. Even I would’ve held a grudge if I’d been beaten in the name of someone else.

“Why don’t you get some rest?” I said, patting Letti’s hand. “I’ll have the harpies bring you some food.”

I made to stand up, but she grabbed my wrist.

“Wait,” she said. “Please be careful. Don’t let them get you.”

My heart panged with a strange emotion I didn’t yet understand, but I forced a smile. “Everything is going to be fine. I promise.”

Letti slowly released me, and I left the room to find Ms. Heather, to let them know Letti had woken.

But as I walked away, I worried I’d made a promise I couldn’t keep.

*?*?*

I was so nervous about my imminent sparring session in Defense class on Monday that my whole body seemed to buzz with electricity as I stepped onto the mat inside the gymnasium. Thenervous energy both amped me up and made me fear I would shatter like a mirror at the slightest touch.

After the run-in with the vampires, I was even more determined to learn how to handle myself in a fight, and not just for my own safety. Poor, wonderful Tobias was laid up in the hospital wing at that very moment because of my uselessness. He almost died trying to protect me. In fact, we all might’ve died if it hadn’t been for Ashlyn’s explosive fire scaring the vampires away.

I would never allow a friend to suffer because of me again. Hadrian would keep coming for me. I had to make sure I was ready.

After visiting Tobias and Letti in the hospital wing Friday afternoon, I’d spent the rest of my weekend training with Caesar morning and night. We had run more drills over and over again in the last three days than I could recall. It had been the longest, most intense physical exercise of my life. My limbs were practically jelly at this point.

Now I had to spar with someone in front of the whole class. My heart was fluttering like a coked-out hummingbird in my chest. Every crevice I had was sweating like a swamp, stealing the moisture from my mouth and leaving it a barren wasteland. And my nerves were sizzling so frantically, I could hardly remember anything Caesar had taught me. It was all just one big exhausted blur in my head.

There wasn’t a snowball’s chance in Hell that I was ready, but I had no choice but to be strong, and to try my best. For Tobias. For Niko and Ashlyn.

For everyone.

Every pair of eyes was on me, and I could tell that half of them were confused as to why such a fresh student had been called upto spar, and the other half—mer, mostly—were hoping to watch me get my ass kicked. I scanned over all their faces, wondering who Caesar was going to pair me with.

“Cora,” Caesar called loudly. “Would you please join Arya on the mat and demonstrate your skills to the class?”

My eyes begrudgingly closed without my permission. Why did it have to be her?!

Cora’s perfect blonde hair rose up from the sea of heads, and she emerged onto the mat.

“Gladly.” Her eyes practically glowed as they locked and narrowed on me with spiteful glee.

---