Starlight Academy #2: Darkness Rising by Charity Williams Smith

Author:Charity Williams Smith [Williams Smith, Charity]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-18T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

SAANVI DOWNED HER DRINK and then put down her empty glass. Her dark eyes had a strange glint in them, and her bronze cheeks were flushed. "I’m not sure if it’s true or not, but it makes for a killer buzz. You want one?"

"Yeah, I’ll take a rain check."

Sullivan shrugged. "You’re missing out." He leaned back and draped his arm around Saanvi’s shoulder. She leaned closer into him as he said, "So, should we get to the part where we bond over our dark magic and then perhaps take body shots?"

“Sullivan…” Saanvi warned.

“What?” Sullivan asked.

Saanvi gave him a warning look.

"What’s your story, Felicity? I’m sure you have an interesting one,” Sullivan said.

It was interesting alright if you counted heartbreaking and devastating as interesting. I doubted Felicity would tell them anything. She waited months to tell me. She’d only known these two for a few weeks. I looked at her, waiting for her to shut them down.

Instead, she let out a long breath and said, "It’s kind of a long story, but basically, I was in love with this girl at thirteen. The Order killed her and I killed someone because I was hungry. It’s how I figured out what I was."

Felicity’s voice was cold and detached, but I knew why. If she told the whole story, she would break.

"Oh, wow," Saanvi said. "That’s horrible. I'm so sorry."

“Yeah,” Sullivan said. “That’s awful.”

Surprisingly, there was genuine sadness in their eyes. It was weird to see them have actual compassion for someone.

The music slowed, and the thumping sound of the techno became something softer and more melodic. I imagined the Celestials on the dance floor were now slow dancing with each other. "So you guys have no clue how you have dark magic?" I asked. It was only fair that I pried into their business. They had pried into Felicity’s.

Sullivan shook his head. Saanvi laid her head on Sullivan's shoulder. "We can’t remember anything before we were changed." She got a distant look in her eyes as she said, "Not our families. Not where we were born. Not even our birthdays. The House had to find out everything about us because we weren’t any help."

Sullivan’s jaw clenched. "We didn’t want to be like this," he said.

Felicity and I exchanged glances. She raised an eyebrow at Sullivan. “Why do you say that?”

"It’s a feeling," Saanvi said, closing her eyes. One tear ran down her left cheek. “Something was taken from us and we were-”

"We were robbed," Sullivan finished, and Saanvi nodded in agreement.

"Everything feels all weird inside,” she said. “It’s like something’s living in our body."

I was beginning to feel sorry for them, and I thought that was something I’d never experience.

"The pain is unbearable sometimes," Saanvi said. "Our magic feels like pins and needles sometimes. This nectar helps with that."

She took a deep breath as if she was fighting the urge not to cry. I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t happy about having dark magic either, but I certainly didn’t feel what they felt.

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