SERAPHINA'S POV
I wait for a response from her for a second before risking a look at her face. Her expression is stoic, lips pursed into a straight line, making me nervous.
"Say something," I almost beg.
Finally, she blinks as if waking up from some trance and shakes her head.
"So... you think you're connected to the Astria Tribe?" she asks calculatingly, like admitting my claims out loud is even more alarming.
"Yes, exactly"' I exclaim, a little too loudly.
A surge of excitement courses through me. Finally, someone understands me, without judgment, without thinking I've lost it.
I let out a small chuckle until I see her brow arch slowly.
"Right... Are you sure you didn't knock your head during the altercation with Morgan? Or could this be stress-induced paranoia?"
My excitement drops, replaced by a sinking feeling of disappointment.
"See? I knew it. I knew you wouldn't believe me," I mutter, standing up from my bed and pacing the room, unable to sit still.
"Come on, Sera, you have to admit that's a lot for anyone to believe. Everyone knows the Astria Tribe is just a myth, created to add some spice to the origin of the Crimson Fire pack - to the Sinclair legacy. You can't seriously think you're connected to all that."
"Then how do you explain the dreams, huh? The voices, the visions-they feel too real," I challenge her.
"That could all be stress-induced. You've been bottling up a lot lately, haven't you?" she counters, still clinging to logic.
I roll my eyes, frustrated by her rational take on matters that defy explanation.
If only she were there.
If only she felt the strong compulsion that overcame me, the urge to stab Morgan, to soak my fingers with his blood - to kill him with my bare hands.
The very thought sends shivers down my spine.
She rises from the bed, closing the distance between us.
"Look, it's okay to admit you're not okay. This school messes with everyone. You're not alone, and you're certainly not being judged."
Ignoring her comforting words, I march past her towards my closet. In haste, I rummage through my clothes until my hand clasps around 'it'-the red book I'd stolen from Artemis's room during my first awakening.
"Here," I say, tossing the book her way.
Her wolf-like reflexes snap into action, catching the book effortlessly. She studies its intricate design, her fingers tracing the worn leather before she opens it and flips through its ancient pages.
"What's this?"
"Proof," I reply tersely.
She spends another minute scanning the pages, her expression blank when she finally looks up.
"It's a nice book, well-preserved and seemingly ancient, but how is this proof?"
Without a word, I step closer to her. I flip through the book, stopping at a specific page.
"Watch," I whisper, my palm gliding over the text, invoking the magic locked within.
At first, nothing happens, causing her to shoot me a skeptical glance.
But a second later, it finally occurs.
The words on the page flicker in a golden light, rearranging themselves into an entirely different text.
Her eyes widen like saucers, and her jaw drops. The moment she takes the book from my hands, the golden words fade back to normal.
"Holy fuck!"
"I told you," I retort, smug satisfaction washing over me.
"It didn't do that when you touched it."
"Exactly. It's like the book only responds to me, which leads us back to my connection theory. I mean, why else would a hidden text about Astria only reveal itself when I touch it?" I muse, staring at my palm before rubbing my fingertips together. "I've been struggling with this for weeks, and it's been getting worse-far beyond murderous thoughts and compulsions to stab people."
"Murderous thoughts?" She glances at me like I'm unhinged.
"Long story."
She takes a step back, settling on my bed, lost in contemplation. Sitting beside her, I can sense her internal struggle.
"Honestly, I've never seen or heard anything like this," she finally speaks. "If the stories are true, they were wiped from existence nearly 500 years ago. That something like this responds solely to you..." She pauses, her eyes meeting mine, softening. "I might have doubts about some aspects, but I do believe this is genuinely bothering you."
It's not the full affirmation I had hoped for, but her words bring a sense of comfort.
"Thank you," I murmur.
She nods slowly, and we both sit in silence, the weight of the situation settling over us.
"What do we do now?"
"Well, I figure, connection or no connection, we need more information about them. Maybe then I can find some remedy and return to normalcy."
"That's the tricky part," she points out. "The school library has very limited resources on this topic, and most people only know folklore and bedtime stories meant to frighten young pups."
She's right.
Even the few teachers who claim to know anything about it offer only watered-down, distorted versions of the truth. Deep down, I know that the real information is locked away, concealed from prying eyes like mine.
"Where did you get the book?"
I freeze, hesitating as memories of acquiring the book flood back to me.
"Um, I borrowed it from Artemis' library," I finally reply, avoiding her gaze.
A moment of thought passes before her eyes light up.
"That's it!"
She turns to me, visibly excited. "I just remembered, there's this hidden library at school. No one knows exactly where it is, but it's rumored to have extensive information, even the restricted kind. Only high-ranking teachers have access to it, along with the Alpha Prince and Princess. If we could just find a way to get in there..."
"We'd have to locate it first," I cut in, skeptical.
Even entertaining the thought of asking Artemis for help makes me uneasy. I mean, isn't the Astria Tribe rumored to be an enemy to his family?
The last thing I need is to jump through hoops trying to convince yet another person that I'm not crazy.
More so, our contract is ending - I might never see him again.
"Yeah, that's true," she deflates, nodding her head slowly.
Frustrated, I fall back onto my bed and stare at the ceiling. It feels like I've hit yet another dead end, but at least now I have an ally.
"Don't worry, Sera," she reassures me, her voice holding a newfound confidence. "One way or another, we'll figure this out."
I smile, a small sense of hope trickling in.
Yeah, we will.