Eminence by Danielle Kneusel

Author:Danielle Kneusel [Kneusel, Danielle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-09-28T00:00:00+00:00

14

Upside Down

It was late when I returned home for the day, well past dinner, and yet no one awaited me in the entryway. I frowned as I examined the empty halls, perplexed. It was unusual for my parents to be away on a Saturday night without prior arrangements, and even more unusual for them to allow me to miss dinner without questioning. Especially when I'd already missed dinner only days before.

“Mother? Father?” I called cautiously, straining my ears for movement, but silence answered. I shrugged, heading towards my room. Just then, I heard a sound at last: a soft sigh, followed by light footsteps. I frowned; surely I was hearing things, exhausted by the day. I should just go to my room, sleep it off. Even as I decided it, my feet already moved towards the noise, driven by that annoying curiosity of mine. I passed the doors quickly—kitchen, dining room, my father’s office—but as I rounded another corner, I bumped into someone. They swore as we tumbled to the ground, and an obscure hand reached out to me. I followed the sight, my eyes roaming up the familiar tan arm.

“Vi?”

Vi looked different than the last time I had seen her; face sharper, eyes darker. I gaped up at her, and she smiled tightly.

“Well, are you going to take it or not?”

I tilted my head, utterly perplexed, and she gestured to her open hand. I took it cautiously, and she pulled me up with surprising strength.

“What are you doing here? And where are my parents?” The words came out flustered and uncertain. It had been so long since we’d spoken and, well, she was in my house.

“Are they not here?” she asked, a perplexed expression gracing her features as I shook my head. “I just assumed they were in bed already,” she said.

“Why are you here?” I asked again, eyes narrowing at her diversions.

“I-I wanted to apologize.” She blushed, seemingly flustered. “I haven’t been fair to you.”

“No, it’s my fault,” I insisted, relief flooding my chest. “I promised you, and I should’ve stopped it sooner. I’m sorry.”

She was shaking my head before I was even finished. “No matter—what’s done is done.” I opened my mouth to respond, but she spoke before I had a chance. “I want to be friends again.”

My chest lightened at the words, a month’s worth of pain melting in just moments. “I want that, too,” I whispered, a smile working its way onto my face. “It’s all I’ve wanted for weeks.”

She grinned as well, and as the smile lit up her face, she looked just as I remembered.

“Now,” she said, pulling me towards my room, “tell me everything.”

I opened my mouth, and the words began to flow once again. We talked for hours, learning every detail we’d missed in the past weeks. I glazed over the parts with Leo—no need to rub salt in the wound—but told her of Oakley’s sass, my struggles with training, and even my fight with my mother. The conversation streamed from topic to topic effortlessly, natural in a way Leo’s and mine could never be.

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