Typhon's Revenge

Chapter Twenty-Nine

WIND

I looked for her everywhere. As soon as I had finished taking a shower and getting dressed, I left my room in a hurry, not paying attention to the confused and intrigued look Alex sent my way as I rushed out. I would explain everything later if I got the chance. Andrew said it was best for Aileen not to know about this for now, but that didn't mean I couldn't tell Alex. She wasn't as close to Noah as Aileen had become. 

But no matter where I looked for Rubie, it was as if she had vanished out of thin air. She wasn't anywhere in the library, not even in her small office she kept at the back of the room, and certainly not at the front desk. The whole room was empty. 

I wasn't sure of where she had taken Aileen the day she had asked her about Typhon, but it wasn't a place I had ever been to. After almost half an hour of looking, I gave up and shook my head. If I didn't find her today, I would look for her tomorrow. 

So I went back to the common room where Alex and Mason were talking in soft voices. As soon as I came in, they both smiled kindly at me and I looked around the room but found no sign of Andrew. "Where is Andrew? Wasn't he the one who told us to meet here?" I asked and Mason pursed his lips.

"Yeah, he did. But he must have felt pretty tired because he went to sleep as soon as he got into the room. I showered and got ready and he was still asleep. I didn't want to disturb him so I didn't tell him I was coming," he explained with a shrug and I raised an eyebrow.

Andrew did look a bit off today, but I had thought it had something to do with Aileen going with Noah into the Underworld. Maybe he was sick.

Suddenly, the door of the common room opened again and all eyes turned to look at Andrew that looked a bit pale, but much better than when we finished our training. "Hey guys, I'm sorry I took so long. I just woke up and the first thing I did was to take a shower," he said with a smile as he sat down on the couch in front of Mason and Alex. 

"How are you feeling?" Alex asked. She sounded genuinely concerned. 

"I feel better now that my head isn't pounding but I'm still a little dizzy," he said casually as he turned to me and I could see the expectation in his eyes. Pursing my lips together, I shook my head and his expression fell slightly before he shook it off and smiled. 

"Okay then, and I believe Aileen hasn't shown up either, right?" He asked just as there was a knock on the door and Aileen popped her head inside. 

"Hey, I'm here," she said with a smile as she stepped inside with Noah at her heels. Andrew kept his comments to himself but his fists had tightened so hard that his knuckles were white.

"Hey, did you find anything?" Alex asked with interest in her voice.

Aileen nodded her head and reached into her pocket before pulling out a necklace we had all seen before. Alex's face paled as she looked at the necklace in both shock and disbelief. It was a piece of jewelry she had thought she had lost forever.

Slowly, she got to her feet and walked towards her friend as she opened and closed her mouth a couple of times in bewilderment. When she could finally form the words in her mouth, she looked at Aileen with tear-filled eyes and shook her head. "How? How did you manage to get this?" She whispered as her hands touched the silver object as if it were the most precious thing in the world. Which probably was for her. 

Aileen smiled as her own eyes began to fill with tears and she placed a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "I was able to cut up a deal with the man. It appears he does have a heart, after all, and you seemed to have left a great impression on him since he was willing to accept the silver coins instead," Aileen said and Alex quickly pulled her into a hug. The two of them hugged each other tightly as tears slipped from Alex's eyes and when she pulled away, a wide smile covered her face. 

"Thank you. Truly, thank you. I didn't know it was possible to recover this but you made it happen and that means the world to me," she whispered and Aileen smiled. 

"I know how much that locket means to you. Keep it safe and don't trade it again for anything in the world," Aileen said as she gave her friend a pointed look and Alex nodded her head and let out a deep breath.

Mason got to his feet and offered to help her put on the locket. Once the locket was hanging from her neck, Aileen clapped her hands together and turned to the rest of us. "Noah also showed me the den of the Oneiroi. It isn't that far away but there's something about that place that makes your skin crawl."

Andrew nodded his head as he got to his feet and stood in front of Aileen. "And did you find anything else?"

Aileen hesitated and I noticed she was playing with her hands behind her back. She was nervous. Which meant there was something she wasn't telling us. 

"Nope, that's the furthest we went to. On our way back we passed the River of Styx and we traded some silver Noah had been carrying. I already had the intention of going to negotiate the locket but I forgot my silver and Noah had some," she said after a moment of hesitation.

Alex didn't seem to notice how strange her friend was acting since she walked up to Noah and smiled. "Then I also have you to thank. Thank you, really," she whispered and Noah bowed slightly.

"It was my pleasure. I'm happy to see you have recovered something so precious to you and I was happy to help," Noah said politely. Then he cleared his throat and motioned towards the door, "now, I believe everyone must be very hungry by now, so why don't we go to the dining room?" 

Alex smiled and nodded, "will you be joining us?"

To our surprise, Noah shook his head, "not this time. Since I wasn't here all afternoon, I'm a little behind with my work, but maybe another time. Either way, I will be happy to walk you to the dining room."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Andrew relax slightly as he followed after Alex and Mason who had taken Noah's lead. Aileen was about to make her way out when I quickly made up my mind and said, "wait."

Aileen stiffened slightly but she stopped walking and turned to face me. Her expression was neutral as she studied me. "Is there something wrong, Kalani?" She asked, trying to sound kind. 

Taking a deep breath and sighing, I nodded my head. "I wanted to see if we could talk. Just us. I wanted to clear the air."

Aileen pursed her lips together as she thought it out. She studied me for a second longer before sighing and nodding her head. "Okay, I'm okay with that. I think it can help... calm the whole situation. But not right now. Right now, I don't want to think about that. I'm starving and a bit tired. Why don't we talk after dinner?"

Nodding my head, I offered her a smile and she only nodded her head in acknowledgment. And without another word, she turned around and left the room. 

I think that's the most civil conversation we have ever had, I thought to myself as I walked out of the room.

...

Dinner went by smoothly, Andrew looked much better now that he had eaten and I also believed it had something to do with the fact that Noah wasn't here. We all talked about our day but we left out the part Andrew had cut our training session short. 

Mason's yawn was what reminded us we were tired and sleepy. We had gotten up very early this morning and we would have to do the same tomorrow morning. We all picked up our plates and washed them in the kitchen while Alessandro and his kitchen staff cleaned the appliances and tables. By the time we were done, I could barely keep my eyes open and I considered telling Aileen we could talk another time. 

We made our way towards the door when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I turned around and saw Aileen standing there with a confused look in her eyes. "Where do you want to go talk?" She asked as she shifted her weight uncomfortably. 

I pondered where we could go but no specific place came to mind. I was too tired to think. "Let's just go to the common room. I think there's a coffee machine there," I said tiredly and she nodded her head.

The others had gone ahead and probably hadn't realized Aileen and I were missing from the group. We talked side-by-side in silence and we avoided looking at each other because of the awkwardness we felt. 

When we got to the common room, it was empty and I made my way to the coffee machine to make some coffee. I was going to need it if I was going to spend one more second awake. Aileen followed my lead and once we had our warm coffees, we sat down on the couches on opposite sides. 

I saw Aileen shiver as she took a sip of her coffee as she waited for me to begin. 

Taking a deep breath, I realized I had completely forgotten the speech I had rehearsed in my mind and now I couldn't think of anything else to say other than, "I'm sorry."

Aileen's gaze turned to me as she titled her head to the side in confusion. "What?" She whispered.

"I said I'm sorry. I'm sorry I picked a fight with you yesterday. I'm sorry I underestimated you as a fighter and as a person. And most of all, I'm sorry I kissed Andrew. What you said was partially true. The darkness wasn't an excuse. The truth is, when I started to get to know Andrew, I started to develop feelings but as soon as I realized he had a girlfriend, I tried to put a stop to it. I know what it's like to be on the other side. To be the one cheated on. It feels like s**t," I paused as I recalled the way I had felt when I saw my boyfriend with another girl. Shaking my head, I sighed, "I always told myself that if for any reason I found myself on the other side of that situation, I would talk to the girlfriend and straighten things out. I didn't and I should have. That thing controlling my mind made me act on my deepest impulses and it was hard to say no. I don't expect you to forgive me or even grow to like me. But I do want you to understand. I never had the intention of making a big mess of things. And I know I can be a very... difficult person to be around. You might think I'm the snobby, rich, spoiled girl you see in movies that bullies everyone, and maybe, at one point, I was. I'm trying to change that. I can see why you probably think I'm filled with pride and stubbornness. I may have flaws, but so do you. So does everyone, that doesn't make us bad people. We're all just on our own process to becoming a better version of ourselves. And this is me trying to be just that. I'm putting my pride to the side, I'm admitting I was wrong and that I did wrong and I'm also here telling you that I'm willing to do anything to put this behind us. I am not in love with Andrew nor will I ever pursue anything with him. If anything, I see him more like a brother now that I have gotten to know him better. And I don't want this tension to grow between us. I propose we let go of our differences and move on. We don't have to hate each other," I finished after a couple of minutes.

Aileen was looking at me with an expression I couldn't read. She was eyeing me and processing what I said, trying to figure out if I meant what I said or not. She didn't say anything for a couple of moments and I took a sip of my coffee to keep from bursting and telling her to tell me what she thought. 

"I get it," she finally said. She wasn't looking at me, but at the wall behind me. Her fingers were wrapped firmly around the coffee mug. "I understand what you're saying and I would also like to apologize for making you feel as if you were being challenged by me. Truth be told, I have never felt as if I belonged anywhere more than I feel with Alex, Mason, and Andrew. So when you came into the picture, I wasn't the most welcoming person. And I could excuse myself by saying that you kissed my boyfriend, and it could be partially true, but it's not the whole truth. I was scared to let anyone else in out of fear that you would try and take control of everything, especially since you came from a very distinct background from the rest of us. And those are my biggest flaws, I like to have everything in control and to top it off, I can be a little emotional and get carried away. I'm sorry for that. You shouldn't have to feel misguided with us. And regarding what happened between Andrew and you, I get it. I know that you weren't acting in your right mind. And it's bad for me to hold it against you, but yes, I need to go through my own healing process. And I accept your proposal, I'm willing to put all this behind us and start over. Agreed?" She asked as her silver eyes finally met mine. 

I let out a big breath and nodded my head. "Agreed."

Aileen offered me a small smile before leaning forward and extending her hand. "Well then, my name is Aileen Estelle Hagan."

I chuckled and smiled as I leaned forward to shake her hand. "And I'm Kalani Himmler. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

Aileen chuckled and sipped the rest of her coffee in one big gulp and then sighed. "Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow, Kalani. Sleep well," she said as she began to make her way towards the door. 

'Oh and if Alex worries in the morning if I'm not in my room, tell her I'm in my other room," she said sheepishly as she turned to face me.

Raising an eyebrow, I said, "so you're going to stay over there?"

Aileen nodded and smiled, "yeah. I like it. And it feels like... me. Not to mention that the bed is much comfier than the ones here."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Alright then. Have a good night, Aileen."

A moment later, she was gone and I was left alone. I finished the rest of the coffee as I looked out the window. It was dark outside and I wondered how my parents were doing. I hadn't talked to them in a day or so because I had been too tired to pick up the phone. I also didn't want to see all the notifications of my friends spending their winter break together. I felt bad for how things had escalated between us. 

A sigh escaped me and I pushed myself to my feet when I started to feel cold. Quickly, I made my way out of the room and headed over to my room. When I walked inside, Alex was already snoring softly and I chuckled as I got into my pajamas and headed to my own bed. 

My conversation with Aileen played in my mind, trying to find things that I could have said differently but there was nothing, I was happy with what I'd said. And maybe things could finally be better between us. Only the future would tell. But for now, I needed to sleep.