Page 56 of In Between Darkness
I look down at the hairband around my left wrist. I always keep one on me just in case I need to swoop my hair out of my face, which is often with curls as crazy as mine. I pull it off my wrist. I hold it in my right hand and cradle it between my fingers, stretching it out as I normally do, beginning to gather my hair into a low ponytail. I try to wrap the band around it, but my hand spasms a little, making the hair band ping out of my grasp. I lean down under the table to pick it back up in pursuit of making my head less flammable. My right hand tingles again, but I ignore it and scoop the elasticated band from the wooden floor. I sit up to begin the process again. I open my hand, but the hairband I just picked up is gone. Confused, I look down at the floor again, where the band lay just a second ago… but there is nothing there. My right hand jolts again, and a black glow swirls on my palm. I panic and swiftly close my hand into a fist before anyone sees it, concealing it under my desk.
“Not now,” I mutter to myself in frustration. I gulp and fidget in my seat. My heart is beating so loudly in my chest, I am conscious of the others hearing it.
The tingling sensation floods back to my hand, and I feel a deep pressure in my palm. The table begins to vibrate, and Ihave to press it hard into the floor with my left hand to stifle its tremors. No one has noticed its subtle shaking yet, but the quakes are becoming more frantic, and I can feel more power brewing. I need to do something fast. I keep my fist closed tight, hoping not to draw any unwanted attention to myself, but the table is still shaking, and I don’t think I can hold it down any longer.
‘Breathe, Asha.’Oriah’s voice soothes me and calms me down instantly. I do as she says and take three controlled deep breaths. The pressure slowly begins to dissipate, and the table stops shaking. I take a peek at my hand under the table and reluctantly pry each finger open one by one, making sure the darkness has retired. I am relieved to see the familiar skin of my empty palm. I place my hand back on the table and decide to bide my time and wait for the bell to ring. I think I have practised enough for one day. I reach out for the pen that was sitting on my desk at the start of the class. That’s strange. It’s gone too. Could this day get any weirder?
Chapter Twenty-One
“You ready, princess?” River stretches his hand out to me from the doorway of my dorm room. He looks very smart in his blue shirt and jeans. He is obviously trying hard to impress me. A charming look is plastered on his face, which makes me blush. I take his hand tenderly and follow his lead.
“Where are you taking me? Back to the archives?” I question, the last comment a joke, as Nala’s voice plays in my mind. She is right though; surely there are not many places suitable for a date around here.
He drops my hand and walks slightly ahead of me, grinning from ear to ear.
“Why? Are you not a fan of surprises?” He fakes concern and smirks a little, knowing he has me right where he wants me.
“How can you tell?” I raise my eyebrows and lace my words with sarcasm, making him laugh a little. He turns his head to face me whilst we walk along Solaris corridor.
“Apart from your obvious sarcasm?” he laughs and turns his head back in the direction we are going. His gelled hair stays slick and smart as he moves. He definitely put in the effort for me, which makes me smile. I like his hair parted this way, a little to the side with some strands hanging loose down his forehead. I hit him playfully on the shoulder and furrow my brows.
“Well, I can’t help it. How many places at Sun Sovereign are fit for a date? Not many, I’m sure.”
“Oh, Asha, you have little faith.” He takes my hand and speeds up. “Follow me.”
I huff and roll my eyes, but excitement bubbles in my body. I try to conceal it as best as I can because I don’t know what triggers my Gifts yet, and the last thing I need is to get overexcited.
He leads me into the courtyard towards The Greenhouse. Every time I look at him, he grins and speeds up. We have been having a light conversation about how our days have been so far, but I can tell River is more focused on the date he has planned. We reach the dome-like structure, and he turns to face me, still grinning.
“What are we doing here? We can’t get in; neither of us has the Gift of Poten,” I say, staring up at the large structure.
“That’s what you think,” he winks and takes my hand. He leads me around to the back of the structure.
There are three stone benches and some almost bare trees dotted around, and in the middle is a square drain. River uses his Gifts to Influence the lid of the drain up and a set of stairs becomes visible, just like the door to the archives. He ushers me down the stairs.
“Ladies first.” His eyebrows rise again, and I giggle before leading the way.
“You better not be walking me to my death,” I joke, staring menacingly at the cobwebs and cracks on the walls.
“You must not think very highly of me then.” He laughs.
As I continue walking, the stone stairs slightly cracking under my feet, a walkway becomes present. Almost like a tunnel, but not very long. I can see another set of stairs at the end of it; these are ascending. He takes my hand through the walkway and stops when we reach the stairs. He climbs them confidently and raises the hatch with one hand before looking down at me.
“You coming?”
I smile and walk up the stairs, squeezing myself between him and the edge of the hatch. He is still holding the lid up for me to pass through.
I am first greeted by bright shades of luscious green. Various floral scents floods my nostrils like a strong perfume. I take a deep breath and feel my doubts about this date slip away. A sea of petals in every colour bloom from their flower stems and sway gently in the wind. There are no open windows, but somehow this place has its own ecosystem; a slight cool breeze and even running water. The crystal-clear stream flows a few metres away from us and travels the length of the greenhouse. I can see in the distance, at the far end, there is a vertical waterfall somehow flowing through the glass in a continuous shower.
This is amazing. I lift my head to revel in the beauty as sunlight radiates off my face and around the room, creating little rainbows that sparkle. Colourful birds swoop across the sky and land on branches from the various types of plants and bushes, tweeting in their own language. A smile spreads across my face, and a butterfly flutters playfully around me. It is bright blue but has pink and green specks along its wings. I hold out my finger to encourage it to land. The delicate creature dances around my finger before briefly landing on my fingernail. I bring my face closer towards it, being careful not to spook it. It really is beautiful. I raise my finger higher, and it flies away. Light footsteps increase behind me as River approaches, which brings me back to earth.
“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?” he says, not taking his eyes away from the view in front of us.
“It’s beautiful,” I say, spinning three hundred and sixty degrees to take it all in. “How did you swing this?” I look back at River, who is smiling proudly at his choice of location.
“My foster brother Jace — he’s a restorer. He used to go to this school. He graduated last year but showed me a way to get in.”
He takes my hand and leads me further into the green depths. I make a note to be careful where I step, not wanting to trample on any flowers. A stray tree branch tugs at my denim shorts as I brush past its leaves. He leads me onto a sand path where we continue walking.
