Adaera's POV
An awkward silence passes between us. Amusement wells my eyes as I watch the little Extern tidy herself nervously under my watch.
"You finally decide to show up, huh?" Lilliana murmurs in resentment wiping away the snot off her cheeks.
I chuckle softly at her at the croaked whisper and cute glare she throws at me.
'Now, she's talking.' I relax seeing her come off her previous trance.
"Why are you here?" She walks forward stopping a few feet before me. My gaze moves over her taking in her soiled clothes, tangled hair and red eyes.
"I was curious what The Halecrest would look like? Leaves very little for imagination." Her eyes widen dramatically in surprise.
"Right, you know."
"But, no way you believe all that!" She stiffens, a defensive heat filling her words.
Huh.
I raise an eyebrow at her words.
"Look at me!" She gestures to her not-so-heiress look, "do I scream 'Heiress'?" She asks with an animated expression on her face.
"Not quite." I clip out.
"You see and no way that SK is my Mum."
"Sure." At my words, Lilliana's eyes grow wide in surprise
"Yo..uu believe me." She stammers, her eyes glistening with gratitude.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night." I scoff at her naivety, reeling in the spiteful glare she gives me.
"Come with me." I turn for the exit, her hesitant steps following behind me. We move through the Outdoor Clove to the back entrance of the Library. A gate of steel and iron at the entrance.
Without missing a bit, I place my palm against the mid section of the steel spreading my fingers as a familiar tingling sensation curls around them. The metal door slides open and I step in.
"You're not coming?" I pause at the silence from Lilliana's side.
"Where's this..?" She asks, glancing about in suspicion.
"Library. Secret entrance. Trainee Privileges. You coming?" I give clip note answers and turn on my heels. Her footsteps follow a few seconds later and the steel bar shuts with a quiet slam.
"Ffff" I grimace, hearing her flinch.
Overhead lights beam on with full intensity the moment the darkness settles. The smooth glide of my boots and the cautious shuttle of her sneakers on the tiled floors resound through the high walls of the corridor.
We reach the lobby, a mirror replica of the main entrance except it was void of human presence.
Glancing back briefly to check on Lilliana who stared about in astonishment. I walk to the elevator's doors where the stairs should have been and click on the call button stepping inside.
"Why are we here?" Lilliana asks, her arms wrapped around her body, the moment the elevator slides shut shooting up in seconds.
"You need to see this." The elevator doors chime open at the very top floor. Thick marble columns line the empty lobby, our uniform steps echo against the tall walls as we proceed through the giant archway at the very end of the room.
The huge hall is partitioned into two with a twenty feet wide aisle in between. Rows of shelves fill the space to the left and lintel doors line the right.
Without wasting a moment's breath, I walk into the hall, pulling open the first door before beckoning Lilliana who still stood by the entrance dumbstruck. She scrambles across the hall at the sight of the annoyance crawling up my face.
She scurries into the room, and I shut the door behind us. A green light shines over the door, a crisp voice announcing 'In Session'.
A wave of nostalgia overwhelms me, and for a second I stand there soaking in the familiar calm of this room. Whirlwinds of memories swirl rapidly in my head, I look away clearing my throat to snap the awestruck Extern from her daydream.
"This is…" She runs to the window, grinning at the sight from below.
"..amazing."
"The twenty-first floor."
We say at the same time, and Lilliana giggles at the coincidence. I shake my head, moving straight for the study setup in the middle of the room.
"Mina" I call out softly, earning a bewildered look from Lilliana. I ignore her, staring at the monitor screen that boots up.
"Welcome, Ad. How may I be of help to you?" A soft, whimsical voice resounds from the hidden sound channels, a voice bubble on the screen.
At the sound, realisation dawns on Lilliana, and she draws closer keeping a cautious distance from the computer. My brows furrow in confusion at her actions.
Sit. I motion with my eyes.
She mopes a bit in contemplation before sitting.
"Is this okay?" She whispers, looking up at me.
"What?" I murmur, confused.
"She doesn't mind?" She turns to me, peeking sneakily at the voice bubble on the screen.
Oh.
"She does. So, I'll do the talking." I smirk as she moves further into the seat, making as much distance between herself and the desk.
So dramatic.
Sure, AVAs dislike communication with other Trainees, but it sure wasn't on a physical level.
"Mina, I need the most objective video on Sylvia Kestrel. A summary of her time in Velmora. As soon as possible. " I instruct with short, concise statements.
I glance down at the Extern, her curious smile fades as she stares at me, shock written all over her face. I hold her gaze and she looks down ten seconds later not saying a word.
That's that.
The silence stretches thinly between us and the screen loads rapidly. Heavy breathing breaks the icy quiet between us as Lilliana's chest heaves faster in anxiety.
I look away, refusing to comment on her personal battles.
She'll need to brave them if she wants to survive Velmora. The buffering finally stops, the screen displaying a video.
The Consciousness Perspective: the screen fades to a close-up of a young girl with dark hair and pale skin, dressed in shades of red, grey, and blue.
"I'm Sylvia Kestrel, an heiress of the Kestrel Clan and the Kestrel Sovereign." She begins confidently, as the camera zooms out to the interview setup.
"Initiation will begin in a few days and I'm excited about it. This is all a whole new journey and I can't wait to be the best I am."
How do you feel about enemies in Initiation Grounds?
A calm voice asks. The young Sylvia smiles, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
"I have no issue whatsoever with enemies." She says slowly enunciating each word.
"And, I don't mind a few bloodbaths, and what fun will it be if there's no conflict? It's no surprise with my identity and status that I have a lot of haters, not to mention my personality.
I love the chaos and I'm going to be at the center of it all.
That's a promise I plan on keeping."
She smiles sweetly, sipping on her drink.
Lilliana shifts uncomfortably beneath me. I look away from the screen, catching the dig of teeth on the soft flesh of her lips and the glistening in her eyes reflecting on the screen.
I sigh softly at the sight, a tug of guilt nicking at my chest. Knowing her, she sure as hell would deny it with everything in her and doing that any further will make things messier than they are already for her.
What she needs is a wake-up call. One I am very willing to give her.
Denying and fighting the truth will only get her killed sooner. The sooner she gets over whatever phase this is, the better for her.
The video continues playing, showing snippets of her major achievements and most defining moments. A snicker escapes my lips when Lilliana flinches at a particular snippet. It was quite a defining one of Sylvia, one that played a huge role in her reputation as The Role Model.
It was quite stylish too. One of the highlights of her year and batch. It was just about thirty seconds-a shaky figure knelt before her, tears streaming down her reddened cheeks as she rambled on but the young Sylvia in the video barely listens and walks past with the other girl holding her by the leg. In an instant, Sylvia spins unsheathing a dagger and splitting her throat open without blinking.
Blood oozes down in rivulets of crimson staining her gray pants. Unperturbed, she continues walking without any restraint, blood dripping down her dagger with a step forming a trail of blood behind her.
It was edited quite well and even I have to admit- it was quite iconic.
But clearly, Lilliana didn't think so, looking away as tears rushed down her eyes.
'Her walls finally caved, it seems.' I smile at sight, very pleased with myself.
Anyone else would have been proud if their Mum was that badass.
I myself included, why the hell was she…
Never mind, she do she.
A picture of Sylvia amid severely injured Trainees, dual sword in her hands. Another of her, strangling a Trainee while whispering sweetly into her ears, videos of her stomping on other Trainees and many more gothic scenes played out on the screen while a voice over of her justified each action and decision chirped cheerfully.
I barely looked at the screen, my eyes fixed on the shivering Lilliana, I was impressed. I had expected her to knock out the screen from the desk or shriek that I turned it off by now.
Instead, she watches every moment, never taking her eyes off the screen and when the tears become too much or they blur her vision, she wipes them away. Or when the scene gets too overwhelming, with shaky hands, she pauses the video herself and continues when she feels better.
The unsettling routine continued for over two hours as I observed her in astonishment.
I must say, I did undermine her.
At the end of the day, she's SK's daughter.
The video ends and the computer shuts down making her sniffs and sobs more audible with the room silent.
I sit there silently watching her cry her heart out.
Ugh. I groan.
What the hell am I supposed to do with a crying girl.
Console her? That'll be disastrous.
I'll probably make her feel worse.
I don't even remember when I was last faced with a crying person, much less consoling them.
"Let's get you home." Resigned, I wrap my hands around her shoulder, no longer able to endure the awkwardness.
"Haha, that's all you could say? After watching her cry for the past two hours?"
"Ad, you truly are one of a kind."
Ric mocks without reservation.
"Shut up!" I whisper, taking care not to startle the crying Extern. Thankfully, she was too engrossed with whatever was going on in her head to notice.
She stands up mindlessly with my help, her eyes dull and swollen with tears. Good thing, she could stand on her feet as there's no way I'll be caught supporting dead weight.
I tail her to her Dorm Complex to ensure she doesn't collapse or worse gets attacked on her way there.
"Thank you." She mumbles weakly, gratitude visible in her watery eyes.