The Circle

13 | The eagle

The blue river running through my veins disappears as if someone had closed a tap. The wind, which was roaring around us at a dangerous speed, finally settles down, and I can hear myself panting in the silence of the balcony.

Nobody moved a muscle at first. Maybe they were scared of me, maybe they didn't know what do to. I propped myself up on my unstable elbows, feeling completely drained from energy as they all stared at me. They were absolutely speechless.

Alec breaks the reverie and walks towards me, helping me stand on my two feet, placing his arm on my waist for support. 

"Let's get her inside," Kaia commands, and grabs my other side.

Nick opens the door for us and we walk into the living room, my legs gellatin-like. Alec and Kaia help me sit down on one of the couches, and then both peer into my face for some sign of life. Alec's eyebrows are furrowed so deeply that I fear that they'll end up like that forever.

Bronte paces from side to side in front of me, her face a mask of worry and confusion. She stops and whispers with Selene and Nick, and then runs a hand through her hair in curly, wind-swept hair in distress and continues walking again.

"What the hell is going on?" I croak, my voice cracking in the middle of the sentence. 

Water. I need water. My throat feels like the Saharan desert. 

"It can't be possible," Bronte finally says, and then looks at me. "It hasn't happened for over two thousand years."

"We just saw it happening, Bront," Lucas whispers from the armchair besides me.

"Guys?" I try tentatively and my voice is either ignored or isn't heard over the frantic conversation happening all around. 

"But why did it happen now? It was supposed to happen earlier, right?" Kaia asks into the living room, and nobody has an answer.

"It explains what happened in the woods at least," Nick says and I struggle to keep up. 

"Who would have fucking thought?" Selene laughs ironically, and shakes her head in amazement.

"Can someone please answer me?!" I try to stand up but my legs give out and I fall back into the couch pathetically.

"Just tell her," Kit's voice is loud above all others. He looks at me from the corner of the room. Bronte sighs. All seven of them share a look between themselves and my eyes waver between all of their faces.

"Lux, this isn't going to be easy to hear or believe," Alec starts and I manage to raise one eyebrow.

"After what happened I think I can believe almost anything you tell me," I say and he gives me a small, tight-lipped smile.

"I think we should start from the basics." Bronte says, and sits down in the chair in front of me. "Have you ever felt or thought that you were different?" 

My blood runs cold. She's going to tell me that i'm crazy, a freak, someone that belongs in an institution. I think about lying, but after all that we saw it would be pointless.

I nod my head slowly.

"We're all different, Lux. All eight of us including you," She looks at my face and I get the feeling that she's trying to gauge my reaction.