AQUA

[25] - Returns

Her presence.

She sensed it.

Aqua rushed outside the room, taking fast strides all along the corridor before she came in direct contact with Jayden. He as well held a letter in his hand, and anger was written all over his expression.

He held up the letter to Aqua's face. "I remember now. You freakin' altered the incident!"

"What incident?"

"Read." He pushed the paper towards her.

'Aqua never saved Brooke. Remember, she was the one who tried to drown her.'

Her eyes widened. "Where did you get this?"

"That's all you care about?"

"Jayden, who gave this to you?" Her tone came out rushed. She had no patience for his confrontation.

"Aqua, that's the least of my worries—"

"Goddammit, Jayden, just fucking say it." The paper wrinkled with the force of her grip.

"My dad said someone left it for me. But that's not important. What's important here is that you lied to me. And you were so shameless about it too."

"How did you suddenly remember all of this?" she whispered, desperate. Through the tips of her fingers, she could feel a soft humming, a low vibration, coming from his letter. Some sort of spell was possibly casted upon that paper. But who could have? Who could have known what happened that day and casted a spell for him to remember it all? Even after she'd modified his memory when she healed him.

Ruth doesn't know anything about magic. It could never be her.

"Why, Aqua? I thought we started to trust each other." He furrowed his eyebrows, disappointment laced within his voice.

"That was before!" She didn't know what she sounded so defensive, but it definitely had something to do with the fact that this wasn't the time she'd want to lose the sort of friendship she'd forged with him.

"I know that. But why didn't you just admit it after?"

"Jayden–" She moved forward to reach him.

"No." He stepped back. "You intended to kill my father, and almost killed my cousin, I can't forgive that. Just because you had a hurtful past doesn't mean I'm supposed to suck it up because I pity you."

His words slashed through her heart like a dagger. He was so sharp, with a bitter tone that had her weaken. He brought up the one thing she entrusted him with, and that was a betrayal she wouldn't forgive.

He shook his head, bearing a look of disgust towards her before he turned around and walked away, leaving her standing all alone amidst the hallway.

Igujin showed up before her. "Come with me," she ordered and for the first time, Aqua obeyed without arguing.

They headed back to her room, and Igujin blew the door shut.

"What do you know?" Aqua balled her hands into fists, her teeth gritting.

Ignoring her question, Igujin looked at her veiny hands, then her gaze moved up, and with a bit of effort, she could see the veins slightly branching out from beneath the neckline of her dress. She tutted." You don't have much time." She nodded towards her blackening veins.

"I don't need to hear that from you. What do you know?"

"Aqua, I've tried aiding you from the very beginning. But you were always so rigid."

"Igujin, please... is it Ruth?" Her eyes begged the God in front of her for an answer. And the answer didn't satisfy her. As it only made her heart throb.

She softly closed her eyes and nodded twice, her chin up, demanding respect. "And your mother."