Truth- Shadow goddess seris(COMPLETE)

Chapter Nineteen

I woke with a moan, my mind still groggy from sleep and my body screaming and protesting every move I made. What the hell happened? Why does it feel like I’ve been run over by a truck? Or a train is more like it. They hurt worse, right? I would assume getting hit by a train would be worse, but in the state of mind I was in at the moment I couldn’t really be sure. What time was it anyway? And why was I awake when it was still dark outside? Yeah I may have been an early riser sometimes but in no way was I usually awake this early. Or was it late? 

Sighing heavily and already regretting what I was about to do, I sat up. Every cell in my body seemed in protest and I barely contained the scream that rose into my throat. What was wrong with me? Why haven’t I healed myself yet? Whenever I have ever been hurt I would heal myself. I don’t know how and I honestly never questioned it. This was one of those times where that would come in handy. 

A groan, and movement beside me made my heart and body still. My blood froze in my veins and my eyes widened as my body began to shake. Who was in my bed? Why were they in my bed? I looked around subtly, yup I was in my room, in my bed. With a gulp that felt like I was swallowing lead, I twisted my head to look down on whoever was laying there. Black hair peeked from underneath the cover, and the size of the lump of person told me it was a guy. With shaky hands I lightly moved the hair that covered the guy's face, and screamed. I screamed so loud and so hard I swear the entire Academy must have heard me. 

I quickly jumped out of the bed, my legs and body getting twisted up in the blanket sending me careening to the ground where I hit with a loud and painful thud. I groaned, stunned for a moment by the pain that ricocheted through me. But when I heard his footsteps hit the floor, I scrambled up to my feet and placed the bed between us. 

“Rose. It’s not what you think.” He told me carefully, his hands raised in front of him. 

“Good, because I don’t know what I'm thinking anyway. Why are you in my room? Why are you in my bed? What the hell is going on Caleb?” 

My door burst open before he could answer, three very pissed off looking men snarling at us. My brows met my hairline, and my jaw hit the floor. I’m dreaming. Yeah, that’s it I’m dreaming. That is the only way I can think these four would all be in my room at the same time. Not that I’ve ever dreamt that before. 

“You…” I pointed at the guys, “And you” I motioned towards Caleb. “What are?.....Are you? I’m dreaming.” I finally mutter, running my hands down my face. “This can’t be real.” 

“You’re not dreaming Rose.” Ryker said to me softly as he approached. 

“Uh uh, no.” I raised my hand towards him. “You. and you, all of you stay where you are.” I narrowed my eyes as I took all of them in. “What the hell is going on here? And a better question, what are all of you doing in my damn room? And why were you in my bed?” I snapped. 

“You were in her bed?” Ryker growled. 

Caleb sighed. “When I brought you to your room I tried to lay you down and go stay in one of the spare rooms like your uncle said. But when I went to lay you down you wouldn’t let me go. You held on with a vengeance. So I lay down with you. I fully intended on leaving when your grip loosened, but I fell asleep.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, his eyes and aura flaring with embarrassment. 

“Well that explains you. What about you three?” I asked, putting my hands on my hip. “How and why are you all in here?” 

“Well originally, your uncle asked professor Cassius to bring you here and stay with you. Then, professor Phoenix argued saying Cassius was needed there and he’d bring you here. Professor Cassius didn’t agree, and you spoke up asking for me. But my parents were here and I couldn’t take you. That’s when Caleb ended up bringing you here. And I guess after everything was handled we all had the same idea about coming to check on you. That’s when we heard you scream. So Professor Phoenix busted the door in so we could get to you.” 

I gaped at them. Complete and utter shock rendering me speechless. All of them, all four of them, were checking on me? Arguing about who would bring me to my room. And somehow I ended up with Caleb and him in my bed? What in the world happened for all of this to have gone down? Last I remembered I was in my potions class. 

I looked down and massaged my temples. “I think all of you should go.” I finally whispered. “I’ll go to my uncle and find out what happened.” 

“You’re not fully recovered.” Cassius said to me in concern. Looking up to him, I saw the intensity of his worry shining back at me in his midnight eyes. His orange aura swirling with emotion as it merged and danced alongside the sadness. 

“I’ll be alright.” I gave him a small smile. “What time is it anyway?”

“Four in the morning.” He answered. 

“Four?” I gaped. “How?”

“You had a rough day red.” Phoenix said. 

Red? Did he just call me red? Why? I arched a brow at him, tilting my head to the side. I liked it oddly enough. It was the first nickname anyone had ever given me. And despite the fact it was linked to my hair, it was cute. But again, why would a professor call me that? I decided not to say anything about it, and shook my head and smiled. 

“I guess you should all just come down to the kitchen and explain everything.” I said walking past them. “I’ll make coffee.” Halfway down the stairs I remembered. “Oh, and someone needs to fix my door.” I called over my shoulder. “There is no way I am sleeping in this Academy without a door.” 

I heard Phoenix laugh. “I’ll fix it.” 

In the kitchen I started the coffee pot and decided to find something to eat. I can’t remember the last thing I’d eaten and I felt two seconds away from my stomach eating through itself. Okay so maybe that was an exaggeration, but I was hungry. I was always hungry though. But with it being so late/early a snack was better than nothing at all. I would eat properly when the dining hall opened for breakfast. 

“Do any of you want anything?” I asked, pulling some chips from one of the cabinets. I looked over to them questioningly. They all shook their heads, but out of all of them, I could see Cassius struggling the most. I didn’t know what Phoenix was, but I assumed it was some kind of shifter. Ryker was a vampire, but he looked okay. His color was its usual dark tone, his eyes were bright and he looked like himself. Cassius looked a little worse for wear though. He was paler than usual, his midnight eyes were duller and darker. He had dark half rings under his eyes and his entire posture was rigid. Looking around him to his aura I noticed it was pulsing rapidly, as if it were attuned to his heart. But even then it was pulsing rapidly. “Cassius? Are you alright?” I asked. 

“I’m fine.” He told me tightly. It sounded like the same tone he used everyday, but I could tell something was off with him. And I bet I knew what. I guess this would be a time when I was glad I did what I never thought I would ever do. 

“I have blood in the refrigerator if that’s what you need.” I pointed behind him. 

“Why?” His brows furrowed before he turned and quickly grabbed two bottles and downed them. 

“Vampire friends.” I shrugged. “Thought it would come in handy to have around.” 

“Do you mind?” Caleb asked, his eyes hungry. I noticed Ryker also looking at me intently. 

“Go ahead.” They both shot towards the fridge and grabbed a bottle a piece before taking a seat at the table. “Coffee, Professor Phoenix?” I asked while making my own. 

“Yes, please.” 

“Let me guess, black, sugar, no cream?” I turned to him and smiled. 

“That’s right.” He nodded, but didn’t smile in return. 

I turned away from him confused as I made his coffee and sat it down in front of him, before taking my own seat beside him. I wanted to be where I could see all four of them, which ended up with me being between the professors. Because that would not be distracting at all. “So what happened?” I finally asked. 

“You were all making potions in class.” Professor Cassius started. “But one boy, instead of the potion you were all meant to make, made a soul potion. It is what is basically a death potion. It is meant to eat at someone's soul until the person's entire soul has been consumed. And like always in that class he tried the potion on himself.” 

“Is he alright?” I gasped in horror. Why would anyone create such a potion? It sounded incredibly painful. 

“Thanks to you, he will be just fine.” Ryker beamed proudly over at me. 

“Me? What does any of that have to do with me?” 

“You don’t remember?” Caleb asked. 

“No.” I shook my head. 

“Well you healed him. No one knows how though. That potion was meant to kill, no one has ever been able to stop it before.”

Oh, that’s right. I remember now. That murky thing ate away at his soul like a parasite. It crowded it into one small corner trying to smother it. But the boy had hidden a part of himself somehow, and the murky grey was trying to get to it when I intervened. But if no one had been able to stop it before me, then my best bet was to play stupid. 

"I don….I don’t remember that.” I mumbled, my brows furrowed as I looked down into my coffee. “The last thing I remember was making a potion in that class, but nothing else.” I plastered on my best confused face before looking up between the four. “What does this mean?” 

“It means it is more important than ever you figure out what your supernatural is.” Cassius told me stiffly. 

“I’m trying.” I groaned, setting my mug on the table too hard, making coffee splash over the sides. “I don’t know what else to do.”

“You’re not motivated enough.” Caleb finally piped in. 

“What do you mean motivated?” 

“Vampires never have to actually awaken, they are born. Yes we can be created as well, but even then we instantly know what we are. The other supernaturals aren’t so lucky. They all have to wait until whatever they are decides it wants to emerge.”

“And it’s usually when you need it most.” Phoenix added. 

“Would have been helpful when my parents were attacked.” 

“You were in the human world. It was protecting you and itself.” Ryker told me gently, reaching over and placing his hand over mine. 

I smiled at him briefly before pulling my hand away and busying it with cleaning my mess. “So you’re telling me, it will come to me when I am in danger or something?” I asked.

“Yes.” Phoenix said casually. 

“Okay, so...That may be a problem.” 

“Why?” Caleb asked. 

Phoenix laughed, a glint shining in his eyes as he looked at me now. “Have you seen her fight? With or without her supernatural she’s deadly. Easily on par if not more advanced than myself.” 

Caleb’s eyes widened as he looked between me and Phoenix, making me laugh. Considering My size people always find it hard to believe I can fight as well as I could. Not to mention the opponents I was able to take on. Most of them easily thrice my size and strength. But you see, strength isn’t everything. Skill vastly outweighs strength. You could be as strong as a mountain, but be brought down just as hard if facing the right person. 

“You can keep up with him?” Caleb finally asked. 

“Yes.” I laughed. “I find sparring with him fun. It’s hard to find someone that can so easily match me.” 

We all stayed like that talking for a little while longer before I decided it was time for everyone to go. I wanted a little bit more sleep before class and I couldn’t, no I wouldn’t do that with any of them here. Them just being in the same tower was a distraction to me. For some reason Ryker didn’t have the same heavy effect on me the others did. Ryker was good looking, yes, and his eyes were amazing and I didn’t care what anybody else said. But something about Caleb, Cassius and Phoenix drew me in. All three of them occupied more of my mind than I would ever want to admit. And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t confuse me. They were each equally attractive. Well, that’s a lie. They each held their own kind of beauty. Each of them is unique and perfect in their own way. 

But I really wanted to know what the big deal was. Why I was so attracted to them and drawn to them. It didn’t make any sense, and most of all, I didn’t want to be attracted to them. Especially not the professors. If I wanted any kind of relationship, Ryker would be the best and safest choice for me. He was my friend. He was sweet and caring, he was loyal and would always be there. But Cassius and Phoenix are forbidden. Like against the law forbidden. And Caleb was one of the heirs. Yes, so was Ryker, but it wasn’t the same. Ryker was an outcast from the heirs even though he still wanted the seat. Caleb was in the “in” Crowd. He was accepted as an heir, worshiped. None of them were good for me. 

Deciding I would think about it more tomorrow, I trudged back up the stairs and threw myself back into bed. Caleb’s scent of warm vanilla and spices remained behind making me smile. Damn he smelt good. It almost reminded me of the apple cider I liked. I was weird. I always added vanilla into my apple cider, telling my parents it was good, even as they wrinkled their noses at me. 

Without even thinking about it, I wrapped myself up in the blanket, bringing it under my nose and snuggling into it like a fox making its burrow. Never again. I told myself. I’d never allow this to happen again. Nope, I’d clog my nose with vicks from now on. Their scent will no longer draw me in. I laughed at myself, because who was I kidding? I’d be able to smell them from across a room. Oh, that sounds really wrong. I can never say that out loud, people would think I’d lost my ever loving mind. With thoughts on Caleb and the professors I drifted off to sleep, the familiar darkness wrapping itself around me peacefully.