The sun streamed through the windows of the ancient school, casting long shadows on the stone floor. Aurelia and Nickolas stood at the entrance of the labyrinthine library, their assignment clear - explore and document.
“Are you ready, Goldie?” Nickolas asked, his voice echoing slightly in the vast, empty space full of books, bookworms and the occasional silverfish.
Aurelia nodded, her eyes brimming with anticipation. “Absolutely, Nicky. Let’s see what secrets this place holds.”
With a shared look of determination, they stepped into the library, the door closing behind them with a soft click. Little did they know, their exploration would reveal more than just the secrets of the school.
“By the way… can we talk?” Nickolas asked. “It’s important.”
“More important than an elemental storm which could potentially destroy the world?”
“Probably not,” Nickolas replied with a frown. “But it could potentially destroy our bond.”
“Why would our friendship be in danger?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “It’s only a nickname. I accept that you’ll call me Goldie, while you’ve accepted that I call you Nicky. What’s the big issue then, that Lead call me that?”
“Well, technically the only reason I don’t say anything is because I’ve given up.” Nickolas sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s not about the nicknames, Aurelia. It’s about us. I feel like we’ve been drifting apart lately. We’re so caught up in our assignments and the storm that we hardly talk.”
“What do you mean? We’re talking right now.”
“No, not like that. I mean that we’re just not the same since what happened at the ball, when you decided to float off.”
Aurelia chuckled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Oh, I see. You mean, we don’t talk about the really important stuff. Like whether unicorns would win in a fight against dragons, or if there’s a spell to make chocolate calorie-free?”
Nickolas couldn’t help but laugh, while he replied, sarcastically. “Sure. Such pressing issues of our time…”
“Alright then,” Aurelia said, grinning. “Let’s start with the unicorns and dragons. I say the unicorns would win. They have the element of surprise. Everyone always underestimates the unicorns.”
“And the calorie-free chocolate?” Nickolas asked, playing along, an eyebrow raised in sarcasm.
“Well, if there isn’t a recipe for that yet, we should definitely invent one. It would be a service to people everywhere. Maybe we should ask Lead. Chocolate is a carbon compound anyway.”
Nickolas’s smile faded slightly at the mention of Lead. “You’re right, chocolate is a carbon compound,” he said, trying to keep his tone light. “But I don’t think we need Lead’s help with that. We’re perfectly capable of handling it ourselves.”
Aurelia looked at him, surprised by his sudden change in mood. “Nicky, is something wrong?” she asked, her tone hinting at concern.
“No, it’s nothing,” Nickolas replied quickly, forcing a smile. “Let’s just focus on our exploration, okay?”
But as they delved deeper into the library, Nickolas couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy each time Aurelia mentioned Lead. He knew it was irrational, but he couldn’t shake off the feeling that their bond was slowly being overshadowed by Lead’s presence in their lives. And that thought made him more unhappy than he could ever admit.
As they continued their exploration, Aurelia couldn’t help but notice that Nickolas seemed quieter than usual. “Dude, everything all right?” she asked. “You seem unusually quiet. And honestly, kind of ticked off. Let go of it. I’ll punch him in the face for you next time he calls me Goldie. There, we done?”
“Yeah, everything’s just peachy.” he shouted, visibly annoyed. Not even the most oblivious of oxygen-wielders could ignore it.
“There’s no way everything’s ‘just peachy’. You don’t even use the word peachy. Come on, just say it.”
“Say what? What is there to say? Our conversations are what, 99 percent teasing, and the other 1% is about work. I’m honestly out of things to tease you about, and there’s no new findings in the exploration department either.”
Aurelia, not missing a beat, retorted, “Oh, so now you’re a statistician? And here I thought you were a magnetic physicist. But fine, if you want to talk, let’s talk. What’s on your mind, Nicky?”
Nickolas hesitated for a moment, then finally blurted out, “It’s about Lead. I can’t help but feel that he’s coming between us. And it’s not just about the nicknames or chocolate. How did chocolate even enter this conversation? Anyway, it’s about… us.”
Aurelia looked at him, her eyes wide with surprise. “Lead? Really, Nicky? You’re jealous of Lead? And here I thought you weren’t one for drama…” She burst out laughing, but then she noticed the serious look on Nickolas’s face and her laughter faded. “Wait, you’re serious, aren’t you?”
Nickolas nodded, his expression grave. “Yes, Aurelia, I am. And it’s not just jealousy. It’s more than that. I feel like we’re losing our connection, our bond. And it scares me. Do you know for how long I have had to deal with this?”
“What’s ‘this’?” she asked, genuinely concerned.
“No, your obliviousness. I want to be able to trust you with anything, but I don’t know…”
“What don’t you know?”
“If I can. No offense, but… I just feel like I can’t properly talk to you, without the conversation being at least 90% stupid nicknames, teasing, etc. Like, do you remember the last time we had a serious conversation? And I don’t mean debates about the best NBA team or whether peanut butter is better than Nutella, or regarding Gallus’ powers.”
“Actually… no. I don’t think we’ve ever had a proper, solid conversation.”
“Exactly. Even when we were returning home from the lab that day, we confessed our feelings for each other in the weirdest way possible. A, we skipped half of it. B, we were pretty much still cracking jokes the whole time!! And as much as I want to, I can’t stop it.”
Aurelia was taken aback. “Nicky, I… I didn’t realize,” she stammered, her eyes widening. “I never meant to make you feel this way. You’re my best friend, and I would never do anything to jeopardize our friendship.”
Nickolas sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know, Aurelia. And I don’t blame you. It’s just… it’s hard for me in general, you know? I glitch out almost as bad as Gallus’ powers at stuff like this, and so do you.” he replied, chuckling slightly at his analogy.
Aurelia gave him a small smile. “Nicky, you’re just as glitchy as me, you know that?” she said softly. “You always thought I’d be helpful, but I’m just as lost as you are. Only, I’ve always been able to hide it easily. We’re both navigating this… whatever this is… together. And it’s okay to be glitchy. It’s okay to not have all the answers. Even my mom can’t get all the answers with her powers.”
Nickolas looked at her, surprise evident in his eyes. “You think you’re glitchy too?” he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Wow, I did not expect that.”
Aurelia nodded, chuckling. “Absolutely. But that’s not a bad thing at all. It’s what makes us human. And I absolutely don’t mind at all.”
Nickolas was silent for a moment, then he laughed - a genuine, hearty laugh. “Well, I guess we’re both glitchy then,” he said, shaking his head in amusement. “Come on, let’s just continue the search.”
But as they continued their exploration, the tension between them remained, a silent reminder of the unspoken words and unresolved feelings. And though they tried to ignore it, they both knew that their friendship would never be the same again.
As they kept moving around and exploring the bookshelves in silence, the backdrop being books, books and more books, the air filled with the smell of old paper and wood, they didn’t find too much. Suddenly, they heard a loud creaking noise. The floor beneath them started to shake, and before they could react, a trapdoor opened beneath them. They fell into a dark, damp room below.
Dazed and disoriented, they found themselves in what appeared to be an underground chamber. The only source of light was a small, flickering torch of fire on the wall. They were surrounded by walls of stone, and the air was thick with dust.
Nickolas and his friend looked at each other, their faces pale in the light of the fire. “We need to get out of here,” Nickolas said, his voice echoing in the chamber. Aurelia nodded, but there was a hint of hesitation in her eyes.
“Should we call Lead for help?” Aurelia asked, pulling out her phone. But Nickolas shook his head. “No, we can handle this. We’ve been in tough spots before.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “My powers are healing, luminescence and levitation, none of which are very helpful right now. Unless the torch goes out, or you get hurt. You can levitate using your magnet thing. The trap door’s shut, so there’s no escape.”
“Well, mine are magnetism, manipulating metals and setting things on fire. I don’t think you’d want the whole place on fire, huh? Plus, there’s nothing metallic around here.”
“You can set fire to the door, though.” Aurelia suggested. “Try to fly up there.”
Nickolas was a bit confused, but soon, he understood what she meant. It had been a while since he used his phosphorus element, last time being high school, but he knew he could do it. He floated up slowly, concentrated his energy on the door, expecting a fire to slowly flicker in and burn the door so that they could exit.
But there was no result. “It’s no use. They’ve probably made it power-proof.” he said with a defeated sigh. “Aurelia, we need to call Lead.”
“Two steps ahead of you,” she replied, a smirk on her face, as the room began to fill up with the sound of Aurelia’s phone ringing Thalia’s and Selena’s on a conference call. “Not only am I calling Thalia, but also Selena.”
Aurelia talked to them for a minute, settling in the air, hovering gently as she waited for them to arrive. It was going to be a long wait.
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