THE FESTIVAL LOOMS

The storm had passed, but Amanda couldn’t shake the one inside her. Since that night, since the almost-kiss against the wall and Skylar’s abrupt retreat, everything felt… wrong. She hadn’t seen him the following morning or the day after and when she finally caught glimpses of him in the halls or at school, he turned away, his jaw clenched tight, his expression unreadable.  Avoidance. Complete, deliberate avoidance was what he gave her and it hurt. Amanda told herself she should be relieved: Skylar’s distance gave her space to breathe, to pretend nothing had happened. But instead, she found herself moody, restless, caught between wanting to scream at him and wanting to ask why he’d pulled away.

Cassian noticed, of course he noticed. He was always so attentive to things especially with her.

"You’ve been sulking for days", he announced one afternoon at lunch, flopping into the chair beside her with a grin that was a little too bright for Amanda's current mood. "It’s ruining your mysterious aura", he teased.

Amanda sighed, stabbing at her food. "I’m not sulking."

"Right", Cassian stole a fry from her tray, chewing thoughtfully. "Then what do you call this gloomy cloud of doom you’ve been dragging around?", he asked.

"Being tired. I'm just tired", Amanda muttered.

"Why? From what I hear, you’re eighteen in a few days. You should be excited", Cassian pressed, tilting his head.

Amanda paused. "How do you know my birthday?", she asked curiously. 

"Oh, your mother may have mentioned it."

"You've been talking with my mother?"

"Moms love me", he shrugged, and Amanda didn't doubt it, he was charming in that way.

"Anyways, Moonridge throws the wildest festival of the year and you, lucky girl, get to attend as part of the family", he continued.

Amanda grimaced. "Festival?", she asked.

"Don’t tell me no one’s told you", Cassian said, eyes wide in mock horror.

"The Moon Festival. Bonfires, feasts, music. Half the pack tries to out-sing the other half, and the rest just get drunk. It’s chaos, but it’s tradition and, most importantly, it's fun", he grinned.

Amanda pushed her tray away. "Fun isn’t exactly what I’m feeling up to these days."

Cassian frowned slightly, but covered it with another grin.

"Then clearly it’s my sacred duty to drag you out of your funk", he said with a solemn tone that almost made Amanda break into a smile, almost.

---

That evening, Amanda tried to protest when Celeste mentioned the festival. 

"I don’t think I should go", Amanda said, pacing the kitchen while her mother stirred a pot of stew.  "I’ll just… stand out. Everyone hates me already. It’ll make things worse"

Celeste set the spoon down with a sharp clink. "Amanda, listen to me."

Amanda froze at the firmness in her mother’s tone. Celeste rarely raised her voice, but when she did, it brooked no argument.

"You — WE—are part of this family now. The festival is not just a celebration, it’s tradition, it’s unity. If you hide away, people will think you have something to be ashamed of", Celeste said, wiping her hands on a cloth before turning to face her.

Her expression softened, but her eyes stayed steady as she added, "And you don’t. You will attend, if not for anything, for me."

Amanda swallowed, guilt and reluctance warring in her chest. She wanted to refuse, but the look in her mother’s eyes silenced her.

"…Fine", Amanda muttered.

Celeste’s smile returned, gentle and relieved. "That's my girl."

---

Cassian, of course, took the news as an excuse for mischief.

"If you’re going to the festival, you’ll need some confidence", he declared the next day, tugging Amanda toward the edge of the training field when no one was looking.

"I don’t need confidence, I need invisibility", Amanda muttered, dragging her heels. 

Cassian only grinned. "Too bad. Lesson one: how not to fall on your face when someone picks a fight with you."

Amanda gave him a look. "You’re joking."

"Nope", Cassian crouched dramatically, raising his fists in what was probably supposed to be a stance but looked more like a dance move. 

"Come on, hit me."

Amanda laughed despite herself. "Absolutely not", she shook her head.

"Scared you’ll make a fool of yourself?", he teased. 

"Scared I’ll hurt you", she shot back.

Cassian’s grin widened.

"That’s the spirit", he gingered.

He grabbed her wrists gently, showing her how to lift her fists. "Here. Guard up, always guard your face. Unless you like getting punched, which, honestly, might explain your thing for my gloomy rival."

Amanda flushed scarlet. "I do not have a thing for-"

"Sure, sure", Cassian cut in, still grinning as he demonstrated a basic jab in the air. "Anyway, if anyone tries to mess with you at the festival, you give them one of these", he exaggerated a punch so clumsy it made her snort.

"Instant respect."

Amanda couldn’t help it, she laughed, the sound bubbling out before she could stop it. For the first time in days, the heavy knot in her chest loosened. But she wasn’t the only one watching.

From across the field, Skylar leaned against the fence, arms crossed, his expression a thundercloud. His golden eyes tracked every movement, Cassian’s hands on Amanda’s wrists, her laugh, the way her shoulders loosened under his easy teasing. Skylar’s jaw clenched. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he didn’t need to, the sight was enough. Cassian throwing mock punches, Amanda laughing, her face lighting in a way Skylar hadn’t seen in weeks. It twisted something inside him, sharp and relentless. He knew Cassian was doing it on purpose. The smirk he tossed Skylar’s way when Amanda wasn’t looking said as much. But Skylar didn’t rise to the bait, not here, not in front of her. Instead, he turned away, his fists tight at his sides, his chest burning with something he couldn’t name.