Cher walked towards Roger and her armor was adorned with golden metal similar to his. It disappeared with each step she took and fell back into place in her armor. No more fancy metals covered her magenta bodysuit.
Roger moved his chair back as his wife moved between his legs. She put her hands on the side of his face and embraced him.
“We’ll figure this out… we always do.”
Roger sighed and moved his face back as Cher sat on his leg. “How is she doing?”
“She’s fully a Dreammare now and still clueless about her situation,” Cher whispered.
“Good, we need to keep her that way until we figure something out.”
Cher got off Roger and leaned against the edge of the table. “It doesn’t feel right, Rog. You should’ve seen her today, I didn’t want to walk away.”
“It’s for her good, we’re doing the best we can. Until we figure out exactly what Edgar’s words meant and what the Dark Realm is brewing, I – we can’t risk her.” Roger grabbed ahold of Cher’s hand and looked up at her. As much as it hurt them both to see her the way she was, they needed to tread carefully.
Scarlett was becoming something unpredictable and it deep down terrified them all.
‘I won’t let anything happen to my girls.’ The thought rolled through Roger’s head on constant repeat. They were true, until his last dying breath, he’d make sure they were safe.
Yet alongside this thought, Edgar’s last spoken words haunted him from the second he saw Scarlett at Cain’s side.
“The One with the mark will be the one to end it all.” He’d bitterly laughed. “Sadly, I just won’t be around to see it.”
Scarlett’s the only one that has had any impurity on her armor without having gone to battle. They had no other reason to not believe… that Scarlett was The One.
Sixteen
Jayden hesitantly stepped towards Scarlett whose hands were fisted at her sides. She lightly touched Scarlett’s shaking shoulders and wrapped an arm around them.
“Scarlett… let’s get you home okay.”
Scarlett hardly registered Jayden’s words and licked her cracked lips. “Uh... Yeah.”
Jayden shook her head and looked up at the white spotless ceiling. ‘This was absolute shit.’
She led Scarlett to the window and unlocked the hatch. They wouldn’t be able to go through the front without attracting eyes, therefore, the window was their best and quickest option. Jayden hopped out first and helped Scarlett through. They were only on the second floor, not that it mattered as they were going to fly. It was faster than walking and Jayden didn’t think Scarlett wanted to walk. She grabbed Scarlett’s hand and flew high above the bustle below towards Jenna’s home.
The star came into view and morphed into the yellow dome.
“How did you know where my sister’s house was?”
Jayden suppressed the urge to tense and brushed it off. “With as few of us there are now, it’s necessary to be aware of all homes.”
Scarlett nodded and let it go. Jayden released a silent breath.
While that may be true, the main reason she knew was because of Cain. He had her on guarding duty and wanted to know of Scarlett’s whereabouts. She may seem like a regular Dreammare from afar, but she was far from it and the only one that didn’t know… was her.
Scarlett led the way into the home and the living room was empty. She was about to make her way to the room when a rustling caught her attention. Someone was inside the hallway beside the kitchen.
“Jenna?”
Scarlett called out but got no response. Jayden opened her palms and lightly pulled on the strings of her power. The two eased their way to the edge of the hall. They looked at each other and stepped around the wall with their palms open.
Jayden quickly closed her hands and held them behind her back while Scarlett let hers go limp at her side. Jenna twisted around and quickly walked towards the girls.
“Oh, hey! What are you doing back so early?” Jenna wrung her hands and lightly patted her hair.
“We got dismissed early today.”
Jayden zoned out their words and observed behind Jenna. The curtain that covered the floor to ceiling window was crumpled and still flowed as if hastily closed.
“Well, uh I’ve got somewhere to be so I’ll leave you two.” Jenna gave a grin and kissed Scarlett on the head as she passed. Jayden narrowed her eyes at Jenna’s back as Scarlett lightly rested against the wall.
“Weird.” Scarlett muttered under her breath. “Anyway, let’s go. I’ll get you something else to change into if you’d like.”
Jayden nodded, pushing aside the thoughts of Jenna and what she could’ve been doing. For now, she’d focus on Scarlett. She could tell she didn’t want to be alone.
Sometimes someone else is needed to help make everything feel alright.
They changed out of their armor and Scarlett handed Jayden one of the long dresses Jenna had in her closet.
“What the hell is this?” Jayden scrunched her nose in disgust at the white cloth Scarlett handed her.
Scarlett stared and busted out laughing. “Honestly, I don’t even know myself. They’re my sister’s and she’s been known to have weird taste, hence the yellow domed house. As hideous as these may be, they’re freeing.”
Jayden shivered at the ugly fabric and reluctantly slid it on. Scarlett laid on her back on the bed and her head hung off the edge, giving her an upside-down view of Ever Realm. Jayden climbed up and settled beside her.
Silence fell over them and Jayden kept her eyes trained on the stars. She’d never done this before; stopped for a second to watch Ever Realm and have someone beside her. Specifically, a female. The other Dreammares sometimes were bigger bitches than her and she didn’t feel like wasting energy on them. She mainly hung with Trevor, her brother, and Liam. Occasionally Cain, when he was free to join.
“Thank you, Jayden.”
Scarlett’s words broke through Jayden’s train of thought. She slightly turned her head towards Scarlett who kept her eyes on the view.
Jayden didn’t have to ask what for, she knew exactly what.
She didn’t have any other female to bond with. Her mother passed and her father’s a deadbeat. On the system he was a parental figure, to Jayden and Jasper he was nothing more than a signature on their birth certificate. They were raised by nannies that were constantly fired.
As much as she tried to fight it, a hint of a smile formed on Jayden’s lips. She reached for Scarlett’s hand which hesitantly clasped around hers. Jayden felt something inside give and the need to cry pushed the back of her eyes.
This comfort was something they both longed for. In a way, both of them needed this moment of peace and pause. They silently knew they’d have each other’s back because, in this world, it couldn’t be done alone.
Their clasped hands tightened.
Seventeen
“Before we begin, I have an announcement to make.” The professor swept his gaze across the room as he waited for the students to quiet. Scarlett straightened in her seat as she made eye contact with the professor. His eyes lingered an extra second before they moved onto Jasper who occupied the seat next to her.