02. Bets, Fame, & Premonitions
||Edward's P.O.V.||
What's up with you? Emmett questioned via his thoughts upon noticing my dull expression.
He was stretched out on the couch, looking up at me quizzically.
"Elliana..." I breathed out in response, my shoulders slumping forward as I took a seat in the chair across from him.
He quirked a brow. That bad, huh? "What happened?"
I pursed my lips, shaking my head in a bid to force the enticing image of her in that gown from my memory. "I was.. in for a bit of a surprise tonight..."
Now, he was thoroughly intrigued, sitting up and giving me his full attention. I'm listening.
A wry smile sprung to my lips. "..Everything was fine when I got there. Same as it is every night. She walked into her room in her giant fluffy robe like she always does..."
He knitted his brows. "Giant fluffy robe?"
I nodded. "She always wears a set of SpongeBob pajamas or some other cartoon underneath. She has a different pair for every day of the week. Tonight, she was supposed to wear her Patrick pajamas."
"Supposed to? Did she switch him out for Squidward?" He joked.
If only...
"Emmett.." I pinched the bridge of my nose and leaned back against the couch. "..She had on lingerie."
His jaw went slack before he threw his head back and cackled like a hyena. "Wait. What kind?" He asked amid his laughter, genuinely curious.
"What does it matter?" I retorted, unable to hide the annoyance in my voice. "Want me to paint you a visual?"
Yes. "Could you?" He had no shame.
I shot him a well-deserved glare that he chuckled at.
"Relax. I'm kidding." Sorta. "Seriously though.. Why the long face? A better question— Why are you here? You should be with your girl in her 'sexy little gown'."
"How do you know it's a gown?" I challenged, narrowing my eyes at him suspiciously.
Figured it wouldn't be anything too skimpy. Not yet anyway. "The super scanty outfits come when they're more sexually confident. But you never answered my question—" What are you doing here?
I released a deep sigh, folding my arms across my chest. "..She got upset when I told her we.. couldn't..."
I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence.
His brows flew up his forehead, getting the gist of it. "..So, she's pissed that she went out of her comfort zone and purchased a sexy little gown in the hopes of seducing her boyfriend... only for him to reject her?"
Guilt coursed through me for the umpteenth time. "Well, when you put it that way, Emmett. Geez..."
"So... What? You're just not ready?" You've waited over a century to get your dick wet, bro.
I visibly grimaced at his vulgar thoughts. "I couldn't possibly be intimate with her, Emmett."
His brows flew up his forehead. Like, ever?
I slowly shook my head, my heart in my throat.
His eyes grew in surprise. Wow. "And you told her that?"
Nodding, I said, "I did."
I'm sure that didn't go too well. "But why can't you, if you don't mind me asking?"
I looked at him in disbelief. "Because I could kill her!"
He shook his head, chuckling lowly. You're such a worrywart. "There are different things you could try, you know. Different positions. You don't have to—"
He cut himself off, displaying a series of erotic images via his mind. My breath hitched at the thought of seeing Elliana on top of me like that... Her breasts on full display... My groin filled with desire, despite my best efforts.
Clenching my fists, I snapped, "That's enough, Emmett! It's not going to happen."
He laughed at my flustered expression. "You're missing out, man. You're missing out."
My jaw ticked, rubbing my hand over my face in frustration. Once more, he chuckled.
"I give it three months before you're ripping her clothes off yourself," he mused, quirking a brow in challenge.
That was one bet I would make sure he lost.
||Elliana's P.O.V.||
"Yet another win!" Jay smirked as the five of us walked backstage.
So far, our team has made quite the name for ourselves in Pro-Dueling, chalking up win after win over the past few months.
"Yeah. Love what you did with that finishing move, man. The Black Daggers never saw it coming!" Lonnie laughed, his Discretion Cloak still pulled up to obscure his features.
The team members, aside from Jay (or shall I say— Rowan) wore Discretion Cloaks to conceal our identity. Jay believed it added to our 'allure', claiming the 'mystery' is why our team has quickly become a fan favorite.
Speaking of, a teenage girl squealed when she saw us walking by. She clutched at her backstage pass and darted towards us, hopping right in front of Jay with wide eyes and flushing cheeks.
"Ahhh, I can't believe it! ROWAN! Will you sign my wand?" She asked in a high-pitched voice, extending her wand towards him.
'Rowan's' smirk grew tenfold before conjuring a sharpie and proceeding to sign her wand, marking it with a messy scrawl and causing her to squeal in delight. She clutched the wand to her chest and thanked him repeatedly before reluctantly walking away, blushing every bit cherry red.
"Wow..." I chuckled, smiling. "Your first autograph."
Brice folded his arms across his chest, shaking his head. "Careful. If your head gets any bigger, you won't fit through the door," he said to Jay, sounding bitter.
Angelica snorted in response, causing Jay to narrow his eyes at them both.
The second we were in the privacy of our dressing room, the cloaks came off, revealing our true identities in all their glory.
"..That's bullshit, you know. You're getting all the fame, and we're just your shadows because of these stupid cloaks," Brice commented, throwing his Discretion Cloak to the floor in frustration.
I sighed, sensing yet another heated debate between the two. Lonnie placed a hand on his hotheaded boyfriend's shoulder in a bid to calm him, but to no avail. Brice simply shook him off and stepped towards Jay, squaring his shoulders.
"Brice, we've been over this..." Jay mumbled as he walked in front of the full-length mirror and started styling his disarrayed curls. "The 'unveiling' will come in due time. And when it does, you'll be all the more famous."
Famous. The word left a bad taste in my mouth. I was the only one out of the group that preferred to keep their identity hidden. I didn't long to be in the spotlight by any means.
Brice rolled his eyes. "And when exactly will that happen? I'm getting sick of being considered nothing but a 'Wisp'. 'Rowan and the Whispering Wisps'. 'Rowan' this and 'Rowan' that. I'm not the only one feeling this way. We're all sick of it." He turned to his wide-eyed boyfriend and said, "Tell him, Lonnie."
Lonnie flushed, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly. "..I-I.."
Jay quirked a brow at Lonnie, waiting for him to speak. No words ever came.
Brice frowned, realizing that Lonnie wasn't going to be the backup he wanted him to be. Instead, he turned to Angelica, who was all too quick to agree.
"He's right," she spoke up, fixing Jay with a steely gaze. "This is getting old. The cloaks gotta go."
Jay pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes as he ran a hand through his hair.
My heartrate picked up at the thought of having to ditch the cloaks.
"..I rather like the cloaks," I put in my two cents, pulling the hood off my head. "..I don't want to give mine up."
Brice and Angelica both shot me a glare.
"The Princess can keep her cloak all she wants," Brice said with an eyeroll. "But the rest of us are fed up."
Princess? The nickname made me frown.
Jay sighed, turning around to face his vexed teammate. "Look. At the very least wear them until we start the UK tour."
"UK tour?" I spoke up, my brows flying up my forehead.
That was the first I was hearing of touring in my home country.
"That's right," Jay smirked, looking at each of us. "The United Kingdom wants a piece of the action. Pro-dueling is becoming a big hit all across the world. This is huge for us."
Lonnie's eyes widened with delight. "I've always wanted to go to England and have some 'tea and crumpets' like a proper Brit," he giggled excitedly, nudging me with his elbow.
Brice's eyes remained narrowed at Jay, but it was clear that he, too, was intrigued by the idea of travelling across continents. Angelica was practically glowing, her usual stoic features lit with glee.
"..But Lonnie and I are still in school. How are we going to—" Before I could even finish the sentence, Jay was voicing his answer.
"The duels will only be held during the weekends, same as here. We'll be using transcontinental portkeys. Elite access." He smirked devilishly.
My mouth fell open in shock. I was well aware that those particular portkeys were reserved for those considered of utmost importance in wizarding society.
Lonnie gasped. "Guys... Are we like.. famous?"
Brice's jaw clenched. "We're not. But he is," he nodded in Jay's direction. "We're basically his glorified backup dancers."
Jay gave him a pointed look. "All in due time. Trust me. We're going to the top. All of us. The whole world is going to know our name."
My lips pulled down in a frown, hoping I wasn't on the path to stardom. Fame wasn't something I was seeking. I loved my life as it was— Falling asleep in Edward's arms every night, joking with my muggle friends at school, and dueling with the Whispering Wisps every weekend. I didn't want anything to change.
***
After saying 'goodbye' to my teammates, I made my over to Potions Parlor, hoping to pick up some Dreamless Sleep potion. Occasionally, I still struggled with nightmares, so I tried to keep some of the potion on hand at all times. It was safe to say I had a bit of PTSD after everything I've been through. Watching my best friend die right in front of me seven months ago had left a permanent mark. And the incident with Reining in the clearing only added fuel to the fire.
Don't get me wrong— I believe I was coping well. For the most part. But we all have our good and bad days, do we not?
The bell 'dinged' when I stepped into the shop, the door closing behind me. Immediately, Bibble appeared with the potion already in hand. The house-elf had a knack as a 'seer', a gift he kept hidden from most witches and wizards, so it was no surprise that he had anticipated my arrival.
Bibble placed the vial in my hands, wearing the saddest of frowns.
"What's wrong?" I asked my little friend, staring down at him.
He sighed, his shoulders slumping forward as he walked behind the counter. "..Bibble is going to miss Ellie."
I offered him a reassuring smile as I placed the coins in his hand for the purchase. No doubt, he was already aware of the fact that my dueling team would be traveling to the UK every weekend for the tournaments.
"I'll only be gone for a day at a time, Bibble. I'll be back every Sunday," I assured him, taking note when his forlorn frown deepened.
He solemnly shook his head, clutching the two galleons in his tiny hand. "..Ellie won't be back.. Ellie won't be back at all.."
I furrowed my brows in confusion. "What? 'Course I will. What makes you say that?"
"Bibble knows," he whispered quietly. "Ellie is leaving. Ellie must leave."
Now, I was even more confused. "..What?"
He reached out and patted the top of my hand, as though he was trying to comfort me. "Ellie must keep her loved ones safe... So, Ellie will leave."
All I could do was stare at him, trying to process his words. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.
He stared up at me, his big, brown eyes glistening with tears. "Promise not to forget Bibble?"
My heart lurched. I knelt down to his level and pulled him into an embrace. "I would never forget you, Bibble. Never. I promise."
I hugged him for a long moment before standing up, offering him a gentle smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. I thought about trying to pry more answers from him, but I knew I would only get vague responses. His visions tended to give him a cloudy head, so I was hoping the interpretation of his latest vision would change when the brain fog lifted.
As I placed my hand on the door, preparing to exit the shop, Bibble's wavering voice came from behind me, his words heavy, "...Ellie must keep herself safe too.. The darkness is closer now.."
***
A sigh escaped me when Ollie returned from the post empty handed. I hadn't heard from any of my friends at Hogwarts in months. Had they just.. forgotten about me? My heart sank at the thought, my shoulders slumping as I walked through my front door.
Normally, Edward would have escorted me from Stitchers Bend to my home, but he and Emmett were out patrolling the area. My overprotective boyfriend was starting to loosen up the reigns a bit since there haven't been any further attacks from the lurking newborn army in several weeks. Luckily, there hasn't been any recent activity from any 'dark wizards' either (that we're aware of anyway). Despite the Cullens working closely with the Aurors to safeguard the wizarding village and surrounding towns, the Aurors still haven't been all too forthcoming with the family of vampires, so it was hard telling what was really going on.
I glanced at the clock, a small grin flitting to my lips when I realized that Edward would be here shortly. Every time I so much as thought of my 'fated mate', a warmth coursed through me. My thoughts were pulled elsewhere, however, when I pulled the potion from my bag, recalling my conversation with Bibble. The House-elf's words replayed through my head, that same sinking feeling from earlier settling in the pit of my stomach.
When I rounded the corner, I glimpsed at the picture of me and Cedric hanging on the hall. A bittersweet smile spread across my face at the sight, an array of memories gripping me. Used to, I would do anything I could to avoid reminiscing, not wanting to add to my anguish. But now, I allowed the memories to wash over me, relishing them. My, how I missed my sweet friend. Despite missing him every day, I no longer broke down at the mere thought of him. Over the past several months, I found myself healing. Time heals all wounds, but even then, it leaves behind a scar.
Sometimes, I still half-expected him to pop up like he used to. It had been months since I last hallucinated him, and sometimes, I wish I still did. But I knew it was best that I no longer have those delusions. That entire situation had been confusing for me. While my hallucinations helped me cope in a strange, unorthodox way, it also complicated the grieving process.
Just as I was preparing to ascend the stairs, I heard a knock on the front door, the sound echoing through the foyer. My parents were out on their weekly 'date day', so I was the only way home, leaving it up to me to answer the door.
When I turned the doorknob, a gasp flew through my lips when I was greeted with a pair of dark, steely eyes and a solemn frown that was etched onto a familiar, brooding face.
After a moment of stunned silence, I somehow managed to find my voice. "...Professor Snape?"