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Acacia/Ciarán - Age 15

I don't know how long it's been...not having closed my eyes for a second to fall back asleep after what happened. Vexy leans against the bars of her cell, absentmindedly looking at her sharp nails while I still recoil from the way the vision still lingers...

...it's different...it felt real...like somehow it was happening right here and now, but that's not possible.

Footsteps are somewhat rushed as I can hear individuals coming down the "T" intersection before turning down the hallway. Vexy eyes me briefly before I see one of the individuals come into slight view from where I sit on my cot. Her dirty blonde hair is tied into two long braids coming down her back before it reaches her waist, her voice full of irritation when she sighs, "Loki's pissed as hell..."

Her eyes scan over me, those belonging to a true born hybrid as I sit further back and away. Another one of the women with short ebony hair and light brown eyes states, "Em 'n Em...wouldn't you be?"

"Ha! If I were him, I wouldn't have allowed them to escape, to begin with!" She laughs while shrugging her friend off and stating, "Then again, you're going to be tracking Mandy, so I don't know why you're all calm about the situation. How are you going to find the individual with limited information, hmm?"

As the three draw closer, I notice the way Vexy takes a few steps back, my head tilting to the side as I see her eyes flash with something dangerous.

"Calm down the both of you," the last woman shakes her light brown hair from out of her citrine eyes. Em 'n Em and Mandy release a heavy sigh, and both go into a pouting fit briefly before they turn to the older one. She then reiterates, "If they're injured in any form, we'll need to find them quickly."

"Leave it to Samami the healer to put us back on track," Em 'n Em nods, and it appears all three of them are coming to gather as a united front for whatever it is they're about to do. Mandy moves rather quickly forward through the hallway, bypassing Vexy and I's cells in the blink of an eye.

Em 'n Em is about to pass us both when she halts and suddenly slams against the cell bars of Vexy's confinement. She giggles menacingly at Vexy while Vexy yips and skirts back further into the shadows. Em 'n Em smirks and says, "Awe, what's the matter little vixen...afraid of my wolf?"

Vexy snarls back from the furthest reaches of her cell, "Chaos can only be restrained for so long..." her voice trails off before she hisses, "...and when it's released, it'll come for you tenfold."

"Psh, ain't that a laugh," Em 'n Em shakes her head while continuing to taunt the kitsune.

Her voice fades away into the background as Samami comes to stand in front of my cell door. Her eyes trail over my form, and I draw my legs up close to my chest and rest my chin on the tops of my knees.

When Samami speaks, it's not in an aggressive tone...watching the way her irises quickly flicker to reflect that distinctive golden glint, "Glofish and Brilite mentioned Dante brought a human into Elysium..." when her voice trails off, I see the flash of pain from her wolf that throws me off guard when she states, "...I didn't think it was true."

Em 'n Em backs off from Vexy...only to come near Samami's side as her irises scan me with perception. She tilts her head to the side and asks more to her companion than directed at me, "What'd she do?"

"Dante pretty much told them, in short, to keep their mouths shut..." Samami nods. Those two didn't tell others who I am...at least I can be thankful for that because now I'm feeling more embarrassed the longer I'm in here. It's like I'm on display for whoever walks by and I want to curl up in a corner and disappear.

"Must be baaaaaad then," Em 'n Em turns slightly away from me, glancing back to see Vexy creeping closer to the front of her bars. A mischievous glint reflects off those reddish-orange eyes before the true born hybrid moves faster than I can follow. She slams back against Vexy's bars and causes her to fall back onto the stone floor. Em 'n Em is howling with laughter as she sighs, "You're never getting out of here vixen."

Vexy narrows her eyes and snaps back, "Whatever helps you sleep at night...bitch."

She's about to get all riled up again when Samami interrupts, "Em 'n Em...don't let her provoke you. Save your aggression for our task."

"Pft, she's not worth my time anyways," Em 'n Em's anger all but subsides as she turns to head down the hallway the tracker Mandy left minutes prior. While she starts, I can't escape the gaze from Samami as her eyes linger on me.

It's a few moments later that Em 'n Em is calling, "SAMAMI! LET'S GET A MOVE ON!" Before she's turning away from me while shaking her head, a sigh escaping her lips.

She murmurs while walking away, "There's nothing for us to go off...how can we-"

The sounds fade into the distance, not able to hear the conversation she's having with herself any longer. When I glance back to Vexy, I see her rising to her feet with darkness lingering in her eyes.

I ask very quietly, "Why did she go after you like that?"

Vexy turns her attention on me when she's standing and states, "Wolves and foxes don't necessarily get along..." she brushes herself off while stating, "...I'm trapped so she wants to take shots at me when in fact, if it were fairgrounds...she'd be running to her alpha for protection like the scared little pup she truly is."

I see...

My arms remain locked around my legs while I release a small sigh, the air catching in my lungs every so often as I try to find some calming peace.

Before subsiding into the darkest shadows of her prison, Vexy warns me, "Your daddy is on his way...I can smell that distinctive scent of him a mile away..." I turn my face away from the wall across from me and look at her before she states, "...play the pawn you're meant to be and reach for the endgame."

I know...

I whisper back to her quietly, "Thank you..."

"Don't forget about me," she smirks before I can't see her form any longer, "don't forget about our deal."

"I won't," my voice is even quieter as I can hear footsteps coming from the direction Mandy, Em 'n Em and Samami left. I understand now that whatever I say or whatever is in my blood memories won't show the truth and even my own family doesn't believe me...

...I have to hope Mercury will screw up on his own and in a way, everyone will see the truth because naturally whatever comes from my mouth or my blood memories is twisted.

Play the part of an innocent pawn that falls into place and remains below the radar?

The footsteps come to a halt while my mind is deep in thought, not realizing how long he's been standing before the bars to my cell. I hear Dante say, "Acacia."

The grip my arms have around my legs tightens, and I look away from him. It hurts and cuts at my soul more profound when I'm the one who has to apologize, though my voice cracks when I whisper out, "I'm s-sor-ry."

Almost like a wave of tension rolls off Dante's shoulders, because, in a matter of seconds, I hear the door open...but I feel his arms around me. He's kneeling in front of me, feeling his cheek pressing against my own as I can't help the tears that escape from the corners of my eyes.

His voice is calm and I know it before I see his irises that it's his wolf comforting me and saying, "Little one..." he brings my gaze to meet with his, his thumb brushing away my tears as he continues, "...it hurts us more than it hurts you having to punish you. I'm sorry for almost losing it with you, and I hope you've learned a lesson not to lie."

What causes a hand to grasp my heart, squeezing it hard...

...the words he once spoke to me as a child...

"...no matter what happens, trust in us to be able, to tell the truth," my heart falls when he reveals to me, "no matter how big or how small, no matter if you think we're going to be angry, sad or hurt...please tell us the truth. We will always love you, no matter what."

I did tell the truth...

...now I know I can't.

"I love you..." the strain in his voice is evident as he says, "...I will always love you."

"I love you too," my voice is so quiet I can hardly recognize it, but my arms unlock around my legs as my arms wrap around his neck. The warmth of his embrace brings me back and away from the coldness that Elysium brings. He brings me to my feet as he says, "Let's take you home," he pauses a moment before I step out of the cell and into the hallway, "you know you owe another an apology."

Apparently in everyone's eyes...I do.

No matter how sick it makes me think...apologizing to my abuser is twisting my mind and it just hurts more every second I think of it.

"I understand," my voice remains hardly above a whisper as Dante guides me through the many hallways of Elysium, leaving behind those foreboding doors as we finally come outside. Taking the few steps toward his car, I'm halted in my tracks. The warmth of the sunlight kisses my skin, goosebumps breaking out across it as I release a very ragged sigh.

I never knew how much the sunlight could be considered a gift and privilege until now...

We're driving for a few minutes when Dante says, "I'm going to take you to the Thornton estate where you'll apologize to Mercury before we head to Meliorist Sanctum," he pauses after that. I'd noticed my bags were in the back seat of his car when I first got in, knowing school would be soon though I hadn't realized that classes start in a day or so...

...that's okay. I don't think I can face my dad after this anyways.

As we continue down the freeway, he informs me, "Ciarán is already at school settling in for sophomore year."

"Why so early?" I ask quietly, picking slightly at my pant leg.

Dante returns while he takes an exit off the freeway, "He's starting his campaigning for school council as he was vice president last year, he has an excellent chance of becoming president."

Their proud son...

...with Mercury as his guide, I'm sure nothing will stand in his way.

"Oh," is all I can say, not wanting to continue further into the conversation about how my brother can do no wrong. My heart skips a beat when I realize we're pulling up to Mercury's residence, seeing that Dante took a different route then dad throws me off. Once the car stops, I feel like my blood is running cold.

Dante glances over at me and asks, "Do you want me to come with you or can I trust you can act cordially on your own?"

Does it matter what I think anymore?

No.

"It's fine," I reply while opening the car door and finishing, "I'll apologize."

With my answers short, I step out of the car and head toward the front door of the large estate. It feels like I'm walking to my doom, more so than when I was taken to Elysium. When I come to a halt, I reach my hand out tentatively toward the doorbell before letting it ring. It's only a few moments I'm waiting before the door opens...

...but I'm met with Cypher's presence.

He eyes me up and down and asks with slight amusement, "How was prison?"

That's right...I'm a criminal.

Mercury and Ciarán would have told all their friends about what I'd done and how well that worked out for me. Instead of becoming angry or wanting to spit insults right back at Cypher for the truth he knows, I, in turn, say, "If you'll fetch Mercury for me, I'd like to apologize."

The corners of his lip twitch upward into a smirk, though it soon drops when he realizes I've called him a dog ready to play fetch for his master.

"Cypher, we're getting ready to leave," a woman's voice emits from within the estate, calling him back while he takes a few steps inward.

Cypher replies back, "I'm going to get Mercury first...the liar's here to apologize for accusing him of sexually assaulting her." In the process of moving inward, the door swings open wide, and I can see Delaney sitting with another woman while they are talking with one another on the couch in the living room.

While Cypher runs off, I see Delaney catch sight of me before she quickly stands to her feet and asks, "Acacia?"

I look away from her and reply, "I'm sorry."

"I'd like to speak with you sometime when you have more free time," the tone of Delaney's voice alters, and I bring my gaze back to meet with her's. Something is lingering in her eyes I can't quite understand, but I nod my response...not knowing when that time might be.

The other woman gradually stands to her feet just as Cypher returns with Mercury walking a few feet behind him. Cypher stops next to the woman and says, "Alright...I'm ready mom."

Mercury comes a few feet in front of me before my heart begins to speed up. He tilts his head to the side and asks, "Did your dad make the right choice?"

"Surprisingly...yes," that one defiant word I know irks him very much because his features shift for a moment. I know whatever he's going to do is coming and I can't avoid it forever...but I know it's not going to happen today. After breathing in slowly, I release the air from my lungs and say, "I'm sorry for accusing you...I wasn't ready, and that's my fault for making you believe I was."

Having to play the part of his supposed 'girlfriend' after what everyone else believes makes my stomach churn.

Mercury appears to brush it off by stating, "Don't worry...I don't hold any grudges. Next time," he pauses, and my heart drops into the pit of my stomach at those two words, "we'll make sure you're ready."

Next time...

We'll?

"It was great catching up with you, Delaney," the woman smiles as my apology comes to a close, though I see the way her eyes trail onto Mercury and then I.

Delaney smiles, and they both hug one another before she says, "Likewise, Abigail."

💫--To Be Continued--💫

Delaney Starr

Abigail Ewing

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