Potent

Chapter 16

The next morning, I get dragged into going for breakfast with all the others. In the gigantic dining hall there is a long dining table to which I sit near the end of. Luckily, I am placed next to Aquarius because we’re both Elementors but also next to me at the head of the table is Terron and Aeolius is on his right as Terron’s right-hand man. There has to be at least 100 Light Potents here all chatting to each other. I quickly notice that the people with the same powers wore the same kind of clothes-the psychics all wear white, loose clothing, the Naturors all wear green and brown, the Talentors all wear plum purple clothing and the Defenders wear orange. I scan the faces of all of the Defenders but none of them I recognise. I suppose it wouldn’t be fair to expect Thaddeus to be here not as it would make him very uncomfortable to be in a room full of noisy people but since everyone’s here, shouldn’t he?

The food is delicious-as expected. There are all different kinds of fruit that I’ve never seen before-some are multi-coloured, others covered in spines and a very few have dense, furry coats. Terron tries to engage me in a conversation a couple of times but each time I give him the cold shoulder, turning to talk to Aquarius instead.

“I am sorry, you know,” Terron says sincerely.

“No amount of ‘I’m sorry’s are going to change what you’ve done. So stop seeking forgiveness because I won’t give it to you until you deserve it.” I snap at him. Realising my words is harsh but true, Terron nods his head in acceptance.

Once I have finished, I excuse myself and go outside sitting down on a worn, wooden bench, enjoying the peace and quiet. Jumping up, a cute, little bunny joins me. Not being able to resist it’s adoring, big eyes I allow the fluff ball to curl up in my lap and then I stroke it repetitively.

“I see you’ve made friends with Snowdrop,” a female voice says as she sits down beside me.

Snowdrop turns and scrambles joyfully out of my lap and into hers. Feeling the tiniest bit betrayed, I turn to look at the woman and then immediately turn my head away in disgust. It is Fauna. Her light brown hair is frazzled and green leaves are threaded through it and still she looks like she’s glowing form within. Freckles dot over her petite nose and her large, hazel eyes gaze at me with sympathy-which I do not want.

“What are you doing here?” I ask grumpily.

“I just thought you would want some company,” she says, innocently.

“Why in the world would I want your company, after I’ve seen you with my father?”

“I-I I’m very sorry, it was a stupid idea…” She stammers.

“I’m sick of everyone saying sorry to me all the time! Why don’t you just crawl back to your animal friends and leave me alone!” I say angrily.

Fauna leaps up and leaves promptly, arms clutching protectively around Snowdrop, realising her mistake. I grunt. She should’ve left the bunny. I liked the bunny. So much for trying to be nicer, I think to myself.

“You know you’re not going to have any friends left if you keep treating people like that,” a familiar, screechy, female voice points out.

“If you’re here to interrogate me, Lotus-not-the-car, then you can forget it,” I reply.

“Hello, to you too, little Miss Sunshine,” she teases. I look up to see Lotus looking down at me with a smirk.

“You’re not exactly Little Miss Happy-go-Lucky either,” I argue.

She shrugs. “True, but I don’t need people to like me.”

“Do I? It’s not exactly a democracy where I win on popularity.”

“Well, it helps because would you rather be ruled by a wicked witch or a pretty angel?” I turn and glare at her.

“Are you saying I’m a wicked witch?”

Lotus laughs. “Well, you’re certainly no angel.”

“And you are?”

“Never said I was.”

We are both silent for 5 seconds and then Lotus randomly starts whistling. Can’t she stay quiet for 1 minute! I thought.

“Okay, okay you don’t need to scream it from the rooftops, I just don’t like silence.”

“Can you please stop picking through my brain?”

“I could, if you keep your thoughts to yourself.”

“How can I do that if you’re always reading them anyway?” I point out.

She gives me a half-shrug. “What can I say, it’s what I do.”

“Evade people’s privacy?”

“Well, when you put it like that…”

“Are you always like this?” I ask, fed up with her.

She laughs and then considers. “I’m probably not as bad around others.”

“So you’ve got something against me then?”

“No…you’re just more fun to annoy!” She says cheerfully as she jumps up from the bench.

“You’re impossible, you know that?” I yell at her back as she walks away.

“Whatever you say, wicked witch,” she says cheekily.

“Shut up,” I retaliate.

Suddenly, I remember that I’d promised to meet Thaddeus and so I make my way into the Potent Forest and stop in the exact spot where we last met. There is still a dent in the leaves from where I fell out the tree. I can feel that something is off though, as soon as I arrive. I feel a smoky haze blanketing the area and it makes me tremble as I feel the tentacles of dark, evil power reach out and try to touch my pure light.

“Safara! So glad you could come.” Turning around, I am caught in Thaddeus’ too tight embrace.

“Thaddeus, there’s dark magic here,” I whisper afraid.

He gives me a creepy, twisted smile. “I know.”

Slowly, two other dark, cloaked figures appear on either side of me and they quickly seize both of my arms.

“Get off me!” I struggle and try to burn their hands to ash but they’re protected by these special gloves.

Before me, a dark cloud forms and it stretches into a large screen.

“Enjoy the show,” Thaddeus says wickedly.

I watch in horror as my mother and Izzy appear on screen both screaming in pain as they are repetitively beaten by an unknown man. They both look a bloody, broken mess. I see the pain and desperation in their eyes and know that I have to do something to help them. The sickening image disappears.

“How could you?!” I scream. “They’re innocent! Where are they?”

Thaddeus chuckles and the sound sends a shiver down my spine. “You can trust no one…if you want them to survive then you must walk through this portal into the Dark Potent realm -only there can you save them from a certain death.”

Although I don’t want to leave Aquarius behind, I would never forgive myself if I left them to die.

“I’ll do it,” I say with all the bravery I can muster.

“Good,” then the two men push me into the foreboding dark cloud and I come out the other side in a dead land.