Smoke and Wishes (Best Wishes #1)(59)

“I see it in you. I recognize that spine of steel behind that broken spirit. I believe it’s there, Lucie,” he stood once he’d finished the last of his food, moving slowly due to his old age. “Thank you for having lunch with a lonely old man,” he chuckled. As he looked down at me, I saw only warmth and acceptance in his wrinkled face. “You just need to believe that fire is there too, dear,” those words of advice hung heavy in the air as he turned and hobbled out of the dining hall. The white noise was no longer calming as I sat there. Now it was all-together too loud, but I couldn't bring myself to move. Where do I go from here?

October 18th

Thursday Afternoon

Lucienne





Head held high, and with a purposeful poise in my stride, I made my way into the power building. Jonathon’s words had stuck with me from our lunch on Monday. I knew the more advanced class would be coming in to do practical work on mental attacks and defenses, allowing powers this time. While I still hadn’t spoken to the guys, my goal today was to talk with Cam, if he was up to it. I hope they don’t hate me.

The advanced class was already filtering into the auditorium when I arrived. I didn’t see Cam or Hudson initially, so I started towards my seat. I was nearly to my chair when I heard them talking from somewhere behind me. Hudson looked frustrated as he glared at Cam, while Cam just looked exasperated. At least they’re talking? I sighed. Cam walked away from Hudson, shaking his head. I caught his eye and gave a small wave. Almost instantaneously his face lit up, the wide grin he gave me made my heart melt.

“Hey, Cam,” I greeted quietly when he reached the seat next to me. “I wanted to apologize for not talking to anyone the last couple of weeks, I just needed some time I think.”

“Doll, don’t ever feel like you need to apologize for taking time for yourself. I won’t say I wasn’t worried about you, but I am glad you’re ready to talk now at least,” my heart swelled, I really had missed them so much.

“How’s everything going?” I asked looking across the auditorium at Hudson, who seemed to be purposely facing the opposite direction.

“Well, most of us are good. The only ones still struggling are the twins and Hudson. Logan and Landon won’t talk to Hudson until he apologizes, and Hudson is being stubborn. Obviously, he knows he was in the wrong, but he’s avoiding what he needs to do. You would think having emotion-based powers would encourage him not to ignore his own, but who knows.” Shifting his attention from Hudson and back to me, a small smile formed. “I promise, he’ll come to his senses. This isn’t the first time we’ve had a fight nor will it be the last. I don’t want you to think this is your fault, Lucie.” Lowering my head in acceptance of his words, I couldn't help the guilt I still felt.

“I hope so, but I don’t want to make it any worse. I’ll probably keep my distance for a while longer until he comes back around. I’ll text and stuff, but maybe not come hang out yet, if that’s alright. I’ll talk to the others though, so they know I’m not upset with anyone,” peeking from under my lashes I risked a glance at Cam, expecting him to be upset. Instead, I only found compassion etched into his features.

“I completely understand. None of us blame you, Lucie, I promise. It’s just a bump in the road,” the professor chose that moment to address the class, so we weren’t able to continue our conversation. Alex slipped in quietly as Professor Dorsial’s confident voice echoed through the room.

“Alright, class, we’re going to be working on some attacking and defense. So let’s pair up and work down here on the main floor of the auditorium.” Standing, I followed Cam down the stairs to the front of the room.

“Lucie, I would like you to work with Mr. Nguyen,” Alex stated calmly as he stared at Hudson with a raised eyebrow, almost daring him to argue. Hudson dipped his head and walked over. Rolling my shoulders, I faced him for the first time since that night. An impassive expression masked almost all emotion except for his eyes. His eyes held a deep sadness; the purple was dull and shadowed, not luminescent and bright. Putting on what I had hoped was a blank expression, I stared into those lavender depths. His words from the party echoed in my mind, but they didn’t sting as much as they had that night. I might still be mad at him, but I nowhere near hated him.

“I’ll go first,” he stated. His usually warm, baritone voice was rough.

“Fine by me.” Making sure my mental barrier was holding strong I shifted into a fighting stance. Uncrossing his arms, he reached for the leather pouch situated on his right side. I’d always wondered about the miniature satchel-looking accessory but hadn’t had the chance to ask. Fae dust sprinkled throughout the area we were in after he’d tossed a handful at me. While I knew some of the subspecies of fae, I hadn’t read into their items and powers, so I knew nothing about the glittery substance.

Unsure of the repercussions, I took a step back. The dust morphed into a thin wall between us. Once it was solid, I felt around for it in my mind wanting to manipulate it with my reality warping. I visualized what I wanted it to do. It folded down in half, then continued to fold in on itself until it was almost nonexistent. Hudson had been distracted by my little show of power allowing me to sneak into his mind; his mental shield was weakened by his tumultuous emotions.

It was a strange feeling, being in someone else’s mind. The marble flooring was familiar, but it was cracked and dingy looking. The lighting was off too. Unlike in my mind, where there had only been a single beam of illumination, flashes of light were going off intermittently. It reminded me of a thunderstorm almost, brilliant flares of lightning brightened the dim landscape.