I couldn’t get up… couldn’t sleep… couldn’t erase the nightmare that terrorized me the night before.I kept waking up throughout the night to every creak of wood, or whisper of movement, the sheets shifting around me…thinking I’d be dragged away to that dreadful place and drowned. I still remember the foul scent of decay and suffering, the taste of the blood as it entered my nose and lungs… it was a harrowing experience…one I’d never forget.And now I was only lying in wait, waiting for the moment a shadow would creep into my cabin and steal me into the night.

  Fear was an understatement… I’d never felt so utterly hopeless in that moment…never felt so weak and pathetic. It was just enough to have me calling my cousin at 3 am. He was always a phone call away… but as I stared anxiously at the caller ID I wondered if he’d ever pick up at all…

  But as I lay down to rest my eyes, his warm voice spoke through the speakers.

  “Scar?! Oh, my gods! I was wondering when you’d call!”He exclaims on the other end and it’s enough to warm my heart… but my happiness soon turns to sadness as I’m met with the cruel reality of my situation.

  “Hey… woah… what happened… what’s wrong!?”

  “Flore I hate it here… I wanna go back home…”I manage to choke out.

  “Why? What happened… did someone hurt you.”

  I open my mouth but my voice cracks into a sob.There’s a moment of silence before he speaks once more…

  “It's ok… It’s ok I’m here.”

  But that was the problem… he wasn’t… he wasn’t where I needed him… he wasn’t there to hold me… to look out for me… he wasn’t there and It was killing me.

  A couple minutes pass by and my tears start to dry as I explain the horrific events of the previous night.

  The other end is silent… and it lasts for longer than I’d expect from Florence. But when he finally speaks the anger in his voice is prominent… vengeful and unforgiving.

  “I’ll fucking kill them… All of them! How dare they!?”He roared,

  I could hear the promise in his voice. One thing about Flore was he never broke a promise. And I could only imagine what would have happened if he was here.

  “We have to tell your parents… they can’t possibly let you stay at that place after what happened.”

  “No… please… They can’t know about this.”I pleaded,The very thought of my parents finding out about my near-death experience was the last thing I needed. Especially when I knew how they’d react. Mom would cry and Dad would probably withdraw me… and make a scene. I was already an outcast because of my inability to transform into my fae form… I was 20. And there was a slim chance that I'd ever discover what my fae form would be.

  I take a deep breath, despite the fact I wanted to tell my parents… I was also scared of them not knowing. It may be a foolish decision to stay at this school after what happened… but I came here with the purpose of discovering myself… I’d made friends and I wasn’t ready to just leave them behind..

  “Scar… uncle and aunty need to know about this… I can’t just keep quiet about…”His voice cracks and it breaks my heart knowing he’s holding back tears.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “I don’t want them to hurt you. I’m not there to have your back…”

  I nod solemnly though he can’t see me.

  “I know… but this would kill them… I don't want them worrying about me. I’ve caused enough stress for them.”

  “Scarlett you almost died! And I wouldn’t even have gotten the chance to… I wouldn’t…”He pauses and I feel a pang of guilt for worrying him.“I can’t lose you… I can’t.”

  I can hear the desperation and fear in his voice as he cries and it wrecks me. The faucet in my eyes turned and overflowed with tears.

  “You won’t… you wont lose me Flore…”I try to reassure him… I can’t remember the last time I heard or saw him cry.Not even at his dad's funeral…Flore had always been so strong and resilient. He was everything I wasn’t and so much more. Even as a kids he held his head up high, and his heart in all the right places. He never let anyone break him down… he was the one person who’d never judged me for not having a fae form.. And he was the only person that made me brave enough to speak my mind.He was a force to be reckoned with… but now as I listen to his heavy breathing as he weeps for me… I feel broken.He usually gives the best advice. But the pain in his voice makes me realize something.For the first time in my life. I was truly alone. If Flore is breaking apart because of me… what chance do I have of surviving this school?Who am I if not a weak and worthless fae…

  I take a deep breath…Gathering my thoughts.

  “I should’ve been there for you…”Flore says after a moment.

  “I couldn’t protect you…”

  I shake my head.

  “No… it’s not your job to protect me Flore… you shouldn’t have to carry my burdens.”

  “Scar… I know you’re strong. I know that you want to work through this on your own. But you’d be crazy to stay after that… that wasn’t just an attack… that was a goddamn promise. If you stay what if they try other methods… what if they finally do something permanent? You were lucky… but I could have lost you. We all would have.”

  His words sink deeper than anything I’d ever felt, and I know I can’t disagree. There was a chance this incident would repeat… a chance they might attack me again after discovering I survived… but it was the very thought that I survived that spurred me on. And I will hold onto that hope… as small as it is that I can make it out alone. This was my chance to prove not just to myself but to my family that I wasn’t helpless. I had harbored 4 elements… and even if I didn’t know how to use them… that must mean something.It has to. I may not be as brave as Flore. But I sure as hell am not a quitter… and if this was a warning then I’d have to be stronger… smarter if I want to survive this battleground.

  “I have to tell you something.”

  “What is it…”

  I take a deep breath.

  “I harbor 4 elements..”

  “What do you mean…?”He asks.

  “During the freshman ceremony… after the ascension I… I was gifted with the power of earth, fire, water, and moon.”

  I can hear the wheels in his head turning, I imagine the look of astonishment on his face as he sits on his bed.

  “And you’re telling me this now?!”

  I let out a tiny laugh.“I’ve just been caught up. I wanted to tell you but I guess I forgot…”

  “Scar… do you know what this means? This changes everything.”

  There’s weight to his words and as they sink in I feel my doubt replaced with something powerful. Determination… justice? No… this feeling… this was hope. And it was rising in my heart…

  “You cannot let them win. Not staying would only prove them right Scar… you are so much more than what they believe. You aren’t weak… withered… you are powerful… you just need to harness it.”

  His words restore pieces of my shattered heart and I feel myself growing more determined than I’ve ever been.

  “We’ve been through worse…”We say at the same time and both erupt with laughter as we recall the countless near-death adventures we’ve had over the years.

  “I may not be there physically but I’m always a phone call away…we’ll see each other soon. But until then.. Promise me you’ll train as hard as you can… promise me that no matter what you will stand your ground.”

  “I promise… and I hope the same for you.”

  “That’s my girl… my half and half gladiator…”

  I chuckle at his description of me.

  “Speaking of how is everything on your end?”I ask him and he lets out an exasperated sigh.

  “You have no idea how much I wanna tell you…”