SURVIVE (THRIVE: Book Two)

Chapter 19- Relief

 "Have a good evening everyone. And don't forget, we have a spoken test tomorrow about the first generation of reincarnates. If you don't pass, you will not be welcomed on the field trip. The last thing the Eternals want is teens who don't appreciate their legacy parading around their halls." Miss Ashley explains. Aria suddenly glances over and sticks her tongue out at Jewel, who suddenly seems pale since she must have realized that she has little to no chance of passing. Jewel sneers at us, but we all just ignore her as usual. The minimal torment we push on her is nothing compared to the shit she pulled on me the other day. Luckily, my leg feels a lot better now.

"You know, you don't need to poke the bear. She already hates us." Pearl sighs judgmentally.

"I take my shots where I can get 'em'." Aria shrugs as she stands up and stretches.

"I just hope that after we're done with school, I never have to see her again." I state bluntly "I don't need that negativity in my life."

"Speaking of your life," Pearl begins inquisitively, "do you wanna tell us why Miss Nanea kept you this morning?"

"Seriously, she said that you weren't in trouble, but that seemed even weirder." Aria mentions "So, what's up?" she asks. I look between them and take a deep breath, but just before I can speak, I see Magnus coming to us from the front of the class. Apparently, I couldn't stop staring since Pearl and Aria both turned their heads at the same time. Suddenly, he freezes up nervously.

"Um..." Pearl says awkwardly as she glances at Aria "We'll leave you to it for now." she states as she quickly swipes up her things, nudging Aria to do the same.

"But, you aren't off the hook." Aria winks as they start to rush out, grabbing Alex by the ear and dragging him out with them "We'll talk later, okay?"

"Smooth." I sigh as I turn my attention back to Magnus, who seems to be staring at the weird display he just got to witness.

"There's never a dull moment with you guys, is there?" Magnus laughs as he casually leans against Aria's desk.

"Gotta love them." I laugh, then shyly look down at my feet.

"So," he begins nervously "How have you been doing since yesterday?" he smiles awkwardly.

"Good," I state as I look back up "Yesterday was... wow."

"Agreed," he says as he crosses his arms, seemingly poking at his skin with his fingernail. "Well, since we... you know, I was wondering if you would be interested in going somewhere with me tonight?" he asks, sounding excited. Every part of my being wants so eagerly to say yes, but unfortunately, things aren't that simple anymore.

"Magnus," I sigh. "I'm sorry, but I'm actually really busy tonight. I have my first official day of training tonight and don't want to be late." I explain sadly.

"Training?" he asks curiously "What kind of training?"

"Oh, um..." I begin, nervous to explain it despite the fact that it's my official cover story "Aurora wants to train me with the sages, not necessarily to become one, but to maybe become something in that field." I explain anxiously.

"Holy crap, how'd you manage that?" He asks, suddenly sounding even more curious.

"I guess I made a good first impression the other day. She thinks I have potential, so, who am I to question her motives?" I smile, trying to seem more excited.

"Wow, congratulations." he smiles happily as he suddenly takes my hand. I nearly pull away at first, then realize that I don't want him to stop.

"Thanks." I say happily as we start to walk out together "I need to get home soon so Nanea can take me. Do you mind walking me home?" I ask nervously.

"I'd love to." he smiles, and soon we begin to make our way through town. I can't help but think, is this what everyone has been telling me about for so long? I've been interested in people in the past, boys, and girls, but it's never gone anywhere. These little notions, little conversations, and little baby steps each feel as strong as an earthquake, changing my world in an instant. The longer we walk, the more comfortable I feel as we talk and tease each other. It was beginning to feel like a true teenage romance.

"Well, this is me," I state as we approach the front door.

"Yup." He says as he stops and turns to face me, taking my other hand. I begin to tilt my head back as he leans in, once again making me smile with a soft kiss. I want nothing more than to savor this moment, but it's suddenly cut short by a door suddenly opening. Startled, we turn to see Alex standing there in disbelief.

"Dude..." he blurts out as he turns his attention to Magnus "Nice job, my guy." he states as he pushes past us, presumably heading into town.

"Uh, thanks?" Magnus says as he watches Alex casually walk down the street.

"Well, now all three of them know, so that's kind of a relief." I laugh.

"Wait, what?" He asks nervously as I start to head inside.

"See you tomorrow." I giggle as I shut the door behind me. As I turn to head down the hall, I stop and can hear Pearl and Aria in the kitchen. I decide that now is as good a time as any to talk to them.

"That's not true," Pearl states as Aria squeezes the juice out of a pineapple.

"I'm telling you, it is." Aria laughs as she meticulously stares into the half-full glass.

"What's going on?" I ask, confused.

"Aria seems to think that Nanea is hiding something from us lately." Pearl states, rolling her eyes.

"She's been acting weird, that's all I'm saying." Aria explains as she sets the mangled fruit down, studying the glass before finally taking a sip "It's not like her."

"I mean, I can tell you why she is. Unless of course you wanna sit here and come up with conspiracy theories all day." I laugh as I swipe my finger over the counter, licking away the sweet juice.

"Alright," Pearl says as she hops onto the adjacent counter "What's going on?"

"Nanea took me to see Aurora the other day because she wanted me to have a talk with her." I begin confidently "Aurora apparently saw some sort of potential in me and wants me to start shadowing some of her practices to see if I would be interested in going into the spiritual field." I explain. Pearl and Aria sit there speechlessly for a moment before Aria tips the glass and chugs every last drop, gently setting it back down on the countertop.

"Why?" she asks, then suddenly startles herself when she burps.

"I wish I could tell you, but who am I to question her, really?" I shrug as I peek under the counter and grab a cracker.

"Well, that's not what I was expecting," Pearl states.

"What were you expecting?" I ask curiously as I bite into the stale cracker.

"I'm not sure, but it definitely wasn't that." she says as she starts to smile "I've gotta say, it's really cool that you made a good impression so fast."

"I thought so too." I smile in relief when suddenly, Aria starts to walk towards the living room.

"Well, let's not keep you any longer then." Aria shrugs as she heads down the hall.

"Aria?" I ask nervously.

"I'm fine, I swear." she sighs "You're gonna have to forgive me for being a little jealous."

"I didn't mean to-" I try to say.

"Really, go ahead." she says as she turns around and smiles at me reassuringly "Have fun, okay?"