The Dawn’s Dusk - 3. Chapter 3- Old Scars, part 1

"Here's the plan, Rhy-Fry," Owin whispered to me. We hid beneath a cloth-covered table at one of the many Presentation ceremonies our parents always forced us into. Both of us knew it wouldn't be long before we were discovered. Time was running out.

The determined glint in my brother's golden eyes meant that we were going to have to devise another "great escape." Both alphas and betas were easily enchanted by my older brother. But, the alphas tended to chase the betas away in their pursuit of him, which generally ended in someone getting hurt. Neither of us wanted that.

"...I'm going to pretend to be sick. You escort me to the bathroom, and then I'll clamber out the small window there," my brother deduced. "It'll be a tight fit, but anything's better than staying here."

"Got it," I responded. The two of us wasted no time in putting the plan into motion. I lifted the table cloth, and we crawled from one empty table to the next.

We encountered no problems getting Owin to the restroom. I lingered outside the door as a look-out while my coral-haired brother made his escape. I didn't count on a group of alphas to rush towards me in their haste to search for Owin. I almost ended up trampled in the aftermath.

One of the alphas managed to trip me, and I fell against a stranger's back.

"I'm so sorry! The alphas...my brother, a-and..." I rambled in apology as I found myself staring at a pair of turquoise eyes framed by dark and thick, down-cast eyelashes.

"Is everything alright?"

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I woke up with a strange feeling in my chest. Two weeks after I'd begun living and training at the Vesper estate, I missed my brother so much that I cried myself to sleep. Memories of Owin manifested in my dreams. But that night, the dream also brought forth my first memory of Vis Sepherus.

I had to stop thinking about the handsome alpha. Such thoughts were dangerous. Sepherus was Owin's mate. Owin's.

Perhaps a quick visit to the art room would help me think straight. As I reached for my plant journal, I caught sight of Owin's personal diary. If I opened it, it would reveal Owin's feelings for Vis Sepherus. My patron was, after all, the only alpha my brother seemed to get along with. As much as my brother's letter urged me to read the diary's contents, I still felt too queasy to peruse his private thoughts.

I rushed over to the art room and opened my plant journal to one of the latest entries. The plant I studied the day before was called Iloden. The extract was generally used to stun crop-eating insects for an hour, effectively spooking them away from fields. But, Iloden was also brightly colored and beautiful. Though I had sketched it out, I wanted to make a larger sketch with a splash of purple, fuchsia, and goldenrod. My favorite medium to use was chalk pastels on textured paper. My mind would go blessedly blank whenever I lost myself coloring. Within minutes, my apron, arms, and face were covered in brightly colored mud.

"That's awesome," a voice drew me out of my focused state. "If only it weren't a portrait of a poisonous plant!"

I peeked over my shoulder and sent my visitor a grin. Lucio was a beta who worked with the kitchen staff. He was shorter than me and downright adorable. He had a heart-shaped face with blond hair and pale blue eyes. The art room was out of his way. Had he been purposely looking for me?

Lucio and I first met on my third night at the estate. He'd been heading to his room after a long night in the kitchen and heard me crying. At first, I had evaded any questions about the troubles that kept me up at night. But, on the fifth night in a row, I told him part of the real reason my parents had me training with Eld Emery.

"If they're so worried about our patron being with someone else, why don't they offer themselves up as his mates?" He had huffed, reminding me of Owin's own words. "Betas always end up doing all the work!"

The two of us became amiable after that. Lucio felt that the reason betas weren't Favored was so they could support one another. The blond especially disliked omegas. One night, he confessed to me that he was afraid that when my brother took his place as Sepherus's mate, all of the betas in the estate would get cast out. But, when I questioned him about it, he wouldn't tell me why he felt that way.

"It seems like you're always covered in different kinds of mud these days," Lucio pointed out as he handed me a clean handkerchief. "Just what does Eld Emery have you doing out there, replanting the whole estate?"

"Thanks," I responded as I carefully wiped at my face with the cloth. "We're not replanting. We're caring for new seedlings in the nursery."

"Still sounds like a lot of unpaid work to me."

I shook my head. "What I've learned so far from Eld Emery is worth more to me than any moieties. With a Craft, I can finally live on my own." I tried to ignore the pang I felt at the thought of living without my family, especially Owin. I felt miserable whenever I dwelled on it for too long, but I had to learn how. I had no choice. My brother could live a happy life with Sepherus. I didn't want to become a burden to either of them.

"And on that note, it's time for my next lesson," I added.

"I better not hear you whining at night about being sore all over," Lucio warned as I rushed out of the room. "Don't overdo it!"

"I won't!" I called back as I made it down the hallway. When I neared the back patio, I was intercepted by my Scholar himself. He wasn't wearing his boots, which piqued my curiosity.

"Today, I have another task for you," Emery explained as lavender eyes perused the pages on a clipboard in his hand. "I need you to pick up several supplies that we'll be needing in the upcoming weeks."

"Alright, which roads should I take?" I asked.

He gave me an unreadable glance. "You'd have to travel to the Nere region. It's about two weeks' travel on foot. Flying should get you there in only three hours."

I felt my stomach drop at the revelation, and my breathing quickened. "You meant for me to...to fly there," I verified even as I felt the blood draining from my face. A dizziness came over me. The walls and floor began to sway. "Forgive me, Eld, I c-can't...I can't..."

Blurred darkness bled into my vision. I lost control of my limbs, and dropping towards the ground was the last thing I remembered.

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