SURVIVE (THRIVE: Book Two)

Chapter 16- And Then There Were Two

"Good morning everyone. First things first, I have an announcement to make." Miss Ashley explains as we all get settled in "As you all know, at the end of this year, once you have finished your studies, you will all have the opportunity to stand before High Priestess Aurora to see whether each one of you could be a reincarnate of the Eternal family. At that time, you will all get to visit the palace. I had to pull some strings, but I am happy to announce that this Friday, we will be having a field trip to take a tour and meet a few members of the family." she explains happily. Suddenly, everyone else seems to be whispering amongst themselves excitedly, but I can't help but freeze up. This feels like the worst time for an unexpected class trip.

"Holy shit." Aria states quietly "Do you think we'll get to see Nixi again?"

"I hope so." Pearl smiles hopefully. Suddenly they both turn to me and I fake a smile.

"That would be so cool," I say, trying to sound like seeing them again was going to be a special circumstance. Suddenly, I notice Magnus turn around and wave at the three of us. I can't help but awkwardly wave back. When he turns back to the front of the class, Pearl smiles at me judgingly and I shake my head at the notion. The rest of the class is boring to me. We talk about my mother's and Aunt Carmen's lineage lines, things I knew inside and out at this point. It's sad knowing for sure that it might be a few decades before Carmen came back, Aurora is surely having a hard time without her.

"That's all for today." Miss Ashley concludes our lesson "Tomorrow we will be talking about Scara and Mateo. Class dismissed." she says as she makes her way back to her desk, proceeding to sit down and sift through papers.

"I swear, I dozed off there for a bit." Aria yawns as she leans back to stare at the ceiling.

"I wish I had gotten more sleep." Pearl sighs as she puts her head down.

"Sheesh, what's up with you three today? You look like zombies." Alex states as he comes over and sits on Pearl's desk.

"None of us slept for shit," I state as I lean forward, resting my head on my arm.

"You know, it's days like this that I'm happy that I don't have a roommate." Alex laughs as he looks at our dreary faces.

"Sounds lonely," Pearl says as she tries not to yawn.

"Depressing," I state as I close my eyes.

"Plus, there's no chance for middle-of-the-night morbid conversations." Aria laughs as she playfully pushes him off Pearl's desk. As I start to look forward, I notice Magnus starting to come over.

"Wow, you three look like-" he begins, but Aria cuts him off.

"Zombies, we got it." she huffs.

"I think I'm gonna go home and take a nap," Pearl states as she slowly starts to stand up.

"Same." Aria says as she pushes herself up "Wanna cuddle?" she jokes.

"Sure, boo." Pearl winks as she starts to giggle "Tessa, you want in on this?" she asks playfully.

"I would, but I won't be able to sleep tonight if I do. You guys go on without me." I explain as I lazily climb out of my chair.

"What are you gonna do then?" Alex asks curiously.

"Beats me, I'll figure that out when I get there," I answer sarcastically. Truth is, I really do need to go home since I couldn't yesterday.

"Don't pass out," Pearl states as she grabs my things. "Later," she says and she and Aria head out.

"Well, that makes three," Magnus says as he looks between Alex and me.

"Two," Alex sighs "Brendan needs me to help him patch the roof before it rains again."

"When did it start leaking?" I ask curiously.

"Last time it rained. The damage is only over my room, go figure," he states as he rolls his eyes, spinning around and waving back as he leaves. Suddenly, Magnus turns to me and gives an awkward smile.

"And then there were two." he laughs as I start to yawn.

"You're assuming I want company." I state as I rub my eyes, then see the nervous look on his face "Dude, I'm kidding." I laugh. I really do need a cover story already.

"Is there anything that you wanted to do tonight?" he asks.

"Not really, I was just gonna walk around town or maybe go to the jungle to relax," I explain.

"My parents don't need me again tonight, so I don't really have anything to do. But you... you seriously look like you're going to pass out. Are you sure that you're okay?" he asks worriedly.

"Yeah, like I said, just tired." I sigh. We make our way out and decide to head for the jungle since the town seems kind of busy. The bright sun is making my eyes hurt anyway, so it's probably for the best. Apparently, we aren't the only ones with the idea of staying out of the sun since the walking path seems busier than normal. Suddenly, I hear rushing footsteps coming from behind us.

"Artemis, wait up!" I hear a man shout, and suddenly a young woman with long golden hair dashes past us at full speed, tears streaming down her face. When we turn around, we see a tall, somewhat thin man dash between us with a serious look on his face. Whatever is going on with them, it doesn't seem too playful. When we look forward again, we see the woman dart into the foliage and disappear. The man suddenly slows down and wheezes, trying to catch his breath as he looks for her, but she's gone without a trace.

"Goddamnit." he huffs as he rolls his head back, then suddenly notices us walking in his direction. "I'm sorry you had to see that, I swear, it's not how it looks," he explains worriedly.

"Is everything okay?" Magnus asks as he looks into the bushes, but Artemis is long gone.

"Yea, it's just..." he begins, pausing to take a deep breath "I said something stupid and must have offended her. She's always been really sensitive and I guess I struck a nerve." he sighs.

"Oh," I say apologetically "I honestly thought you two were fighting or something. She looked like she was crying." I explain.

"Yea, that's Arti for ya." he sighs as he brushes his fingers back through his thick brunette hair. "Once she comes back it will be fine, I just get worried when she's this upset and runs off on her own like that."

"I can see why." Magnus says worriedly "I hope you can get this all cleared up, dude." he states as we start to continue down the path.

"Thanks." he says kindly "If you run into her by any chance, just tell her that Sterling went back home."

"Sure," I say reassuringly as we wave goodbye. I swear, I run into all sorts of people when I head out this way. It's always interesting to see little glimpses into people's lives after just a short conversation. Seeing siblings quarreling, little kids playing, friends taking time off and complaining about work, and of course how strange it had been running into Rynn and Nixi out of nowhere.

Magnus and I find a soft grassy patch in the woods and decided to relax, sitting back and leaning on a large boulder. Hearing the birds and the insects singing while the wind rustles the leaves on the plants is so calming. It's no surprise that I happened to doze off.