Typhon's Revenge

Chapter Twenty-Seven

WATER

I realized too late the mistake I had made. How my words had sounded. How Aileen could have taken it. I wasn't trying to call her a child neither was I trying to judge her reaction. But the words left my mouth before I could stop them. Before I realized the damage they could cause. Aileen wasn't the one at fault here. She was only reacting to what she felt and I always knew her emotions could get the best of her. Her fight with Kalani was bound to happen at some point. That much I knew, but I also knew that what she needed was support, not judgment, and I had misread those signs.

She didn't even let me say another word because by the time I opened my mouth to say something, she was gone and I was left standing in an empty hallway wondering if I should follow her or wait until she was calmer. 

I should probably let her calm down. I don't want to say the wrong thing again and then have her even madder at me. it wouldn't be fair for either of us, I reasoned in my mind as I watched Aileen disappear from sight. 

I didn't know where she was going, but I knew she was bound to turn up after dinner. And as soon as everyone had eaten, I would talk to her again and apologize. 

I sighed and shook my head as I turned to the stairs and slowly started to walk up. My feet felt as if I were carrying a sack filled with stones, pulling me down onto the ground and making it harder for me to move. I didn't know why I was so tired. I hadn't used my powers enough to feel so drained. And yet, I did. 

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts and the cloudiness in my mind, I reached the top of the stairs almost gasping. I reached the hallway that led to my room and my eyes widened when I saw Kalani sitting with her back against the wall outside of her room. She had her eyes closed so she didn't see me come until my steps sound much closer. 

Slowly, she opened her eyes and turned to me. Getting to her feet, she straightened and pushed her hair back. A trademark of hers when she was uncomfortable. I could also tell she was nervous by the way she played with her hands in front of herself and the way she couldn't seem to meet my eyes. 

"Hey, is everything okay? Why are you out here?" I asked as I stopped a couple of feet away from here. 

Kalani hesitated for a moment before looking at me and her gaze lingered on mine briefly before she turned away and let out a deep breath. "I was just waiting for Aileen. I thought she might come up the stairs and we could talk. How are you?" She asked and something in her voice made me fidget. She had probably heard Aileen and me arguing while she was waiting.

"Tired and defeated, I guess. You heard, huh," I said, my tone sounding more like a statement than a question. Kalani stiffened and a small blush filled her cheeks as she cleared her throat and nodded her head.

"Yeah. I mean, I didn't mean to. I was just waiting for Aileen and then I heard you arguing and by the time you were done arguing, I had a feeling Aileen wasn't going to come up so I decided to wait for you to see how you were doing," she explained quickly without meeting my gaze.

I chuckled and shook my head. "Yeah, well, as you probably heard, she's pretty mad right now and I feel as though I screwed everything up," I confessed with a shrug and her sad eyes turned to me.

"I'm sorry I caused so much strain in your relationship. It wasn't my intention. I actually don't know what came over me when I used my powers against Aileen. I was just so... angry and defensive because of the way she has been acting around me and... I guess I just burst. I know it isn't an excuse or any way to make up for my behavior but it's what happened. And, I just wanted to straighten everything out with her," she whispered honestly. I looked at her and nodded my head while I tried to offer her an encouraging smile. 

"I get it and you did well. I mean, for it being your first combat, it was good," I said, trying to cheer her up.

Kalani just chuckled and rolled her eyes before saying, "No. Aileen is right, there is still so much I don't know. So much I still need to learn. And she's a great fighter, I know she was going easy on me just to prove a point. That I have no stamina when it comes to fighting. I realized that when I felt my powers start to falter as I became more tired."

I chuckled. "Yeah, that's one of the side effects of using our powers. You become very tired and hungry. Which I why I don't advise you to skip dinner or else you could feel a lot worse."

Kalani nodded her head and a small yawn escaped her and she quickly covered her mouth and blushed. "Sorry. I'm just tired. I think I should probably take a warm shower and then take a nap. It's been a long day."

"Sure, and like I said, don't skip dinner," I said with a pointed look and she chuckled and said, "aye aye captain," and waving me goodbye as she walked into her room. 

I stayed out in the hallway for a moment longer as I thought about what I would say or what would happen during dinner. Everyone seemed to be a little surprised and confused by Kalani's and Aileen's fight and I hadn't seen either Mason or Alex since then.

Shaking my head, I walked into my room and was surprised to find Mason sitting at the edge of the bed looking tense. He had freshened up and wearing a fresh set of clothes. When he saw me come in, he straightened and tried to offer me a smile.

"Hey, were you talking with Aileen? I heard you talking outside and I didn't want to intrude so I waited in here for you to come in," he said sheepishly and I waved him off.

"Don't worry, you don't have to explain. And to answer your question, I did try to talk with Aileen but she left. I was talking outside with Kalani," I said as I sat on the opposite side of him. 

Nodding his head, he hesitated for a moment before finally saying what was bothering him. "I know you and Aileen have kind of... a tense relationship right now. And I know you guys are still working things out. It's not my intention to get in the middle of that and I'm not taking any sides. But sometimes it's hard for me to not let Aileen's feelings affect me. I mean, I felt her anger as if it were my own and then I felt her hurting and I guessed something had happened. I still don't know how to block her mind or feelings from mine like she does. So I hope you understand where I'm coming from when I say that I don't like what she's going through. She's my cousin and I might just have started to get to know her, but I care about her. And I know she can be... intense at times, but that's just because she cares. She's really hurting, you know? I'm not trying to tell you what to do, hell, I wouldn't even know, but I am asking you to have a little patience. Try to put yourself in her shoes. She's hurting and she needs to know that above everything else, you have her back and that you'll always be there for her. No matter what had happened in the past. Her confidence is hurt and she needs to find it again," Mason finished softly as his green eyes bore into mine. 

A silence fell over us as I pondered what to say next. I opened my mouth and closed it a couple of times until Mason got to his feet and nodded. "Just think about it. I know you're a good guy, or else, I wouldn't believe you still had a chance with my cousin," he said with a chuckle and I thought he was teasing me until his expression grew serious. 

He made his way to the door and at the last second, he turned back and sighed, "I'll see you at dinner, Andrew. Hopefully, Aileen will be there too." And then he was gone. 

Sighing, I got to my feet and headed over to the closet to find something to change into. We still had an hour or so until we left to go to dinner, but I planned on taking a long, hot shower to relax. I couldn't help but feel as though walls were closing in on me and I needed to breathe. 

Getting into the shower, I let the warm water pour over me and my muscles relaxed instantly. A sigh escaped me as I stood there for a couple of moments, just lost in thought. 

...

I was walking out into the hallway feeling much more relaxed now. I considered knocking on Aileen's door to offer to walk her to dinner and I had just raised my hand to knock when I heard the door to the left click shut. 

"She's not there," Alex said with a slight frown. Kalani was standing next to her looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Oh," was all I managed to say and Alex chuckled.

"Come on, we were just on our way to the dining room. Isn't Mason with you?" Alex asked slowly and I shook my head.

"No, I thought he was with you. He left a little over an hour ago," I said and she nodded her head.

"Well then, let's go. I'm starving," Kalani said as she turned around and headed towards the stairs. Neither of us said anything as we walked down the hallways until we reached the dining room. 

Mason was already there with his eyes glued to a book as he sat in his usual spot. Alex seemed surprised to see him so caught up in the book and once the three of us had joined him, she asked, "hey. What are you reading?" 

Mason seemed surprised by our presence and he almost jumped as he marked the page he was reading and then shut the book. 

"It's a book about psychic bonds. I'm trying to understand the bond between Aileen and me a bit more to see what else it's capable of. So far, I have only read what it is and apparently, the four of us also share a bond. Not the same, but it's still a bond," Mason said as he pointed at me and Kalani.

"What do you mean? What type of bond?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's sort of a connection that helps us locate each other no matter how far we are. We still have to train it, of course, for it to work, but it's there. And apparently, there's a way to join our powers together. It also takes practice but I think it's something we can do," he responded with a smile.

My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to say something when the door behind me opened. Everyone froze and stayed silent as we all anticipated Aileen's entrance but as soon as I saw Alex's confusion, I knew something was wrong. 

Trining around, I saw Noah walking in with his usual smile and he headed our way. 

What did he want? I couldn't help but think.

"Good evening, guys. Don't mind me, I'm just passing through. I have to talk with the chef," he said kindly as he started to make his way towards the kitchen.

All of us shared a look and Alex said, "he didn't ask about Aileen. Which means he knows where she is."

I stiffened but didn't say anything as Noah walked out of the kitchen, pushing a cart with food on it, through the room, towards the door. 

"Noah, hold on. Before you go. Have you seen Aileen?" Alex asked as she got to her feet and made her way towards him.

Noah stopped and slowly turned to face her. "The princess is not feeling well at the moment. That's why I came to get her something to eat. She's in her chamber right now, resting."

Alex stiffened and shook her head. "But, she wasn't in her room when we came here."

Noah nodded his head and smiled awkwardly, "yes, that's because she's in her Royal Chamber. She said it was something she wanted, to change rooms. I must be going. If you need anything, Alfred will be here shortly." 

Then he quickly kept on pushing the cart and soon, he was out of the room and a heavy silence fell over us.