Argent Eye II

23

My head hurt.

My legs felt like jelly.

All that rage I'd felt was beginning to die down, but the sudden loss of adrenaline had left me shaky.

I continued to let the calmness of the earth run through me, as I stared at the door which Kate had just left through. Like she might come back.

I jumped when a hand landed on my shoulder.

"Sorry." Irina said, but she didn't take her hand away. "Do you feel better?"

I sighed. I'd come very close to losing control.

Ronan would not be happy.

I just nodded, not really feeling anything.

David came running through the door then.

"Is everything okay?" He asked, out of breath like he'd run here. "I felt a huge surge of electricity- I thought something was gonna blow up."

I saw Irina look at me out the corner of my eye. Was she shocked? Perhaps she hadn't quite anticipated how close to blowing I actually was. I had to say, even I wasn't. I didn't think it had been bad enough to draw David's attention, that's for sure.

"Did I miss something?" David asked, puzzled.

I didn't want to talk about it.

I needed some air.

I walked away.

____________

I decided to walk along the Thames again, a steady breeze blowing my hair out of my face. It was dark. I stopped and leaned on the railings, my fingers wrapping around the metal spikes, squeezing tight. It creaked under my grip, the metal warping in my hands like play dough.

I let go, shaking my hands like there was something sticky attached to them. As if I could shake off this feeling of... guilt. Why did I feel guilty? Was it because I'd nearly lost control? Or was it because I felt like perhaps I should have told Kate about being an Argent? I mean, if Kate had been right about one thing, it was that we wouldn't be in this situation if I had.

I rubbed my face with my hands, and was surprised to see them come away wet. I didn't realise I'd started crying again. I was sure I would have no tears left to cry sooner or later.

"Fuck." I whispered to myself, and slumped onto a bench. I then punched down on my thigh. "Fuck!" I exclaimed, putting my head into my hands, watching the little drops of water splash onto the concrete between my shoes. I then kept my fists clenched in my lap, watching the ice snake from the centre of my right palm to cover my hand like a second skin. Immediately I was reminded of a dream I'd had last year, where I'd been walking though the high street and had managed to destroy everything with my ice. This same thing had happened, although I'd never actually been able to do it in real life.

I opened my hands- the ice didn't crack or break. It stayed put, like a glove. I channelled more of it, and watched the ice creep up past my wrist, right up to my elbow- I couldn't get it any further, though. I tapped it with my other hand, and it clinked like glass. It glimmered a little under the moonlight.

"When did you learn that trick?"

I jumped, the layer of ice cracking from my skin and dropping all over the floor. I looked up to see Ronan standing there, who then came and sat next to me.

"Just now, actually." I said, perhaps a little amused.

"Why do you always sit here?" Ronan asked.