Eventually, Aura left the bathroom to find a set of white linen pajamas laid across the bed waiting for her.
She looked at the clothes in disgust. While she was losing her mind, someone had entered and brought these for her.
She didn't want to accept them, but her clothes were soaked. So she reluctantly changed and sat on the bed.
The fruit basket from earlier had been replaced with a sandwich and a bag of chips. Aura didn't touch the food, though. Just the thought of eating made her feel queasy.
She rolled over and did her best to sleep. No matter how much time passed, she couldn't relax, so the night felt long.
Hours later, she banged on the door, jiggling the doorknob, and screaming,
"Let me go! I need to go back! I have to!" No one came. She kept struggling until her hands were bleeding and covered in bruises.
Aura eventually gave up and went back to bed.
That's when someone finally opened the door. She sat up, expecting Fenix, ready to yell at him, but instead, there was a girl she didn't recognize.
The woman was petite, with dark brown hair, put up in pigtails.
In her hands was a tray of food.
Toast and scrambled eggs.
"Who are you?" Aura asked. Her voice was weak from screaming all night.
"Oh, Good morning. My name is Flow. I'm assigned to attend to you," she answered. Aura narrowed her eyes at her and asked,
"Assigned by who?"
"By General Torch," Flow answered, while picking up last night's plate of food and placing the new one in its place.
"Why would he assign an attendant to me?" Aura asked with a sigh,
"You are an important person to his son." Flow's answer was concise. Her tone was indifferent and steady. Aura didn't reply right away, so Flow turned to leave,
"Wait!" Aura called, "Can you... Take me to where my sister is?" Flow didn't turn to face her for several seconds.
As the silence stretched, panic gripped Aura.
What if she says no?
Or worse, what if something had happened to Mirror?
"I can do that," Flow replied finally.
Aura released a sigh of relief, then she got up to follow Flow, who had left the door open for her.
As they walked through the halls, she noticed many people with uniforms like Flow's pacing the halls. The people all gave friendly smiles and waved as they passed, which was...
off-putting.
Flow led Aura down a stairwell, then to a heavily guarded door.
"Our guest wishes to see the others," she explained to the men posted there. They glanced at Aura, then gave a respectful bow and said,
"Yeah, of course." One of them hurried to unlock the door, and the two women entered.
Inside, the room was filled with familiar faces. Some were sitting at a long dining table, talking in hushed tones. Some sat against the wall with defeated expressions, matching Aura's. All were wearing the same suppression bracelet she had.
Then she saw her sister huddled in a corner with Caster.
"I'm so worried about Aura... I keep looking, but I can't find her anywhere," Mirror muttered through tears, "No one has seen her, what if she's dead?" She asked, wiping her eyes. Caster embraced her tightly and stroked her back.
"Don't cry... Maybe she escaped... or she's just in one of the other aircrafts," he offered. Before she could respond, Aura entered into view. Mirror's eyes grew wide, and she stared on in disbelief.
"I'm so glad to see you're okay," Aura mumbled, then Mirror yanked away from Caster, stood up, and leapt forward. Trapping her little sister in a tight hug.
"Where have you been?!" Mirror asked, squeezing tighter. Aura smiled and hugged her back,
"... I'm sorry I worried you."
They held each other for several moments, then Caster joined in the hug, and Aura ended it.
"Do you know where we are?" Mirror whispered to her sister.
"... Yes. We're on a transportation shuttle, that's headed to an uncharted island." Mirror looked startled by this answer,
"How do you know?" she whispered. That's when Aura sighed and looked down.
"Fenix told me." There was a heavy silence.
"How does he know?" Caster asked, while taking hold of Mirror's hand.
"He... He's involved. I," Aura's voice cracked, she felt the tears coming so she muttered, "I don't want to talk about him." Her older sister pulled her back into a hug, while Caster patted her shoulder.
"It's about time that we return to your room." Flow stated, cutting in. Mirror shot her a dirty look.
"No," Aura began "If it it's alright, I'd like to stay here."
Flow's expression slowly changed from neutral to terrified.
"No I don't think that would be a good idea." She replied in a trembling voice. The group watched Flow who seemed to be on the brink of a nervous break down.
"Then... can you come get me in about an hour?" Aura offered. Flow blinked and calm returned to her face.
"Yes, that's fine," she said with a slight smile, "Also, will you be eating dinner today?" Aura nodded which seemed to uplift Flow even more. "I'm glad, I'll return in an hour," she added, with a bow then she left the room.
"That was weird," Mirror noted, eyes locked on the exit. Caster nodded in agreement.
"So... should we try to escape?" Aura mumbled quietly. The other two looked at each other then leaned close to Aura before replying,
"Some people tried that yesterday. None of us can use our powers and all of the guards here can." Mirror explained,
"That woman who came in here with you, knocked out ten people at once by herself. All she had to do was graze them." Caster added. The gravity of their situation set in.
"Then we... hold off on escape plans until we land." Aura declared. Her sister and Caster nodded, then they spent the rest of the hour sharing their plans with the other students.
Flow was not even a second late when she returned. Aura begrudgingly followed her back to Fenix's room. He wasn't there but there was a small dining table in the room now.
On it sat a plate with grilled salmon, lemon, and a side of broccoli.
Flow bowed and left the room, locking it behind her. Seeing Mirror safe and sound revitalized Aura's appetite so she ate. Plus, she'd need strength when it came time to run.
After eating she went to bed. Every cell in her body was beyond exhausted.
In the middle of the night she heard shuffling so she opened her eyes to see Fenix laying next to her,
"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" he asked sweetly. Then he reached over and brushed her hair back. His fingertips tickling her skin.
"What are you doing here?" she muttered in confusion. Fenix met her eyes,
"You know I can't sleep without you," he answered in a low voice with his eyes locked on her lips.
He placed a hand behind her head and leaned forward to kiss her. Aura gasped.
That's when—
Her eyes fluttered open and she clenched at her chest.
She was alone.
Was that a dream or a nightmare...
Flow knocked on the door early the next morning. Aura was awake, getting some exercise done so she yelled,
"Come in!"
Flow was carrying folded clothes in her arms. She neatly laid them on the dresser, before turning to leave. "What no breakfast?" Aura commented.
Flow froze mid step, then faced Aura.
"We'll be landing soon, breakfast will be served after," she answered, before finally leaving. Aura's heart raced excitedly.
It's almost time to plan their escape.
She picked up the clothes, the material felt weighty and expensive. There was also a faint scent of vanilla wafting from them.
They fit perfectly. A V-neck cropped top and cargo pants. It was as if these clothes were picked out just for her... so she knew Fenix had something to do with it. Just thinking of him made her want to rip the outfit to shreds but... that wouldn't solve anything.
There was a moment of intense turbulence so she sat down and braced herself.
The second the floor stopped shaking Flow entered the room.
"We're here." she announced calmly, "Allow me to lead you out." Aura nodded.
The hallway was mostly empty this time, and she was led in the opposite direction than the day before.
As soon as she stepped out, Aura had to cover her eyes because of the bright sunlight.
Once her eyes adjusted and she could take a look around she saw a grand city.
One half had a row of beautiful houses, all with unique architecture.
Some were painted in vibrant colors, some had a large garden or pond.
On the other side was mainly farmland, and fewer homes.
There she could see people chatting while using their powers to harvest grain.
The streets were crowded.
Children were riding on the backs of giant wolves,
dancers performing in the sky.
Aura was in awe.
It was obvious... all the citizens were Cursed.
But they were all free,
and they all looked happy.
It was beautiful, but that didn't matter because, they still needed to leave.
A little later General Torch revealed himself, floating high above the students, the air around him electrified.
"Welcome to Talitha!" he began. "After a week, I will remove your binding bracelet. For now explore, and make yourselves at home," his voice was kind, completely contrasting with his intimidating appearance.
Too much was happening at once for the students to process, but Pierce vanished without answering any questions.
After the speech Mirror and Caster found her. They were soon joined by Veil and Vision.
"I'm so glad you're all safe," Aura said tearfully. She scanned the area and even though she hated to think of him, she wondered where Fenix was.
By the end of the first day, she still hadn't seen him anywhere on the island
but she got to interact with the citizens who all spoke highly of him and Pierce,
"I was running from town to town barely getting by when they rescued me," One girl said. She was now a librarian.
The next day,
"It was hard to get used to at first, but we're really free to do whatever we want here." The bartender answered cheerfully.
Aura had asked him how he felt about living here. His answer matched up with everyone else she'd spoken to.
"But..." he began again, "If you don't like it here, you're free to leave at the end of the week."
This new information was confusing, so she thanked him then returned to her table with the drinks Mirror and Caster had ordered.
They each took sips then Mirror exclaimed,
"Mmm! Oh my god! This is so good!" Caster smiled, holding out his drink to her,
"Try mine too," he offered. Aura slouched in her chair and sighed. Drowning out the voices around her.
Then she noticed something.
"I'll be right back," she muttered to the others. She jumped from her seat and bolted over to where Flow was standing.
Aura shook her shoulder saying, "Where is he?" There was no reply, all she got was a puzzled look in return so she added, "Where's Fenix?" Flow's lips parted, then she pressed them into a hard line.
"He went to the Prison of the Bedevilled," she answered. "I thought you knew," Aura froze, then she toppled backwards. Flow broke composure to catch her, "Are you okay?" she asked, sounding genuine in her worry. She checked Aura's forehead, then her neck and muttered, "Your pulse and temperature feel normal."
"Why did he go there?" Aura blurted. Flow frowned, pulling her hands away and replied,
"To release your parents, of course."
Aura vomited. The world around her felt as if it was spinning as many other unfamiliar people rushed to tend to her. That prison is so heavily guarded, that she couldn't imagine anyone breaking in, much less breaking someone out.
Why would he do something so foolish? A slap broke her out of her despair, and she turned to see Flow, glaring.
"What are you panicking for?! The young Master will return! There is nothing he cannot accomplish!" There was not an ounce of doubt in her voice, and that resolve steadied Aura.