FREYA'S POV:Now, the crowd is thrown in a full-on buzz and we all know why of course. For some reason, Silas finds this amusing because he smiles brightly despite the confusion bustling all around us.“Are you crazy?” I whisper the words to him while watching the eyes around me. “This isn’t the time to be pulling crazy stunts, Silas.”He seems full-on amused by all this, unaffected.“I’ve chosen you as my partner, Freya, you should be honored.” He talks loudly without bothering to tone it down, making me more embarrassed.Xena just stares dumbfounded whilst Lucas watches with a foreign look in his eyes, saying nothing about it. I had half expected his friend to talk some sense into him but he remains silent.“Well then, I refuse.”Silas snorts. “You can’t refuse once the red thread is tied.”“Well, then untie it.” I make a move to twist the knots open but he stops me.“That’s a taboo, Freya. You don’t want to receive some kind of libera
FREYA'S POV:The chilly silence is more painful than the embarrassment flooding through me while I sit there covered in fluid. I can’t even look up at Silas, wondering the look he would be giving me right now.The crowd reacts finally and all I hear is laughter that echoes around me incessantly. Just like that, I’ve become some sort of laughing stock to the whole school — most likely to Xena and Silas as well.I bite my quivering lips, squeezing my eyes shut. I’m fine, no matter what I was going to be fine.I don’t notice when the flames from the arrow start a fire that licks up the flammable liquid spilled everywhere. In seconds, it runs up the trail to a larger puddle around me, bursting into a flaming wall of fire that engulfs everything around me. Too shocked to move, overcome by my fight adrenaline response, I remain frozen in place till Silas tackles me out of the way before the burning flames combust around me.I open my eyes, breathing hard
SILAS' POV:“So… what’s with you and Freya”“There’s nothing between she and I except the bet.”I walk to the exit of the small shack, having no reason to be here anymore. He tags along, following closely behind and ignoring the obvious cues I’ve been giving him to leave me.“It doesn’t seem like just that, Silas.”I pause in my steps. “What are you insinuating right now?“You’ve never risked your relationship with Elena for one of your bets before. You draw a line at that. Now you’re choosing one as your partner for the solstice event?”I can understand the origin of his doubt. I admit to myself things have been a bit different with Freya and at varying points, spiraled beyond my expectations. I find myself going out of my way to please her, doing things I’ve never done or considered doing for anyone else, but I tell myself that Freya also isn’t like other girls. She’s more witty and daring, going against the flow of the crowd and not flin
FREYA'S POV:The beating organ in my chest pulses at an abnormal rate to a faster rhythm. My wolf howls within me, urging me to let it all go and take his hand, risk it all and follow him — and let him in.My cautious nature takes over and I hesitate again.“Don’t tell me you’re going to leave me hanging.” He’s so smug and prideful, yet there’s something that draws me to him that I can’t seem to understand. It should appall me but I find it intriguing.I stretch out my hand to his but then wary, I pull it back.“How am I sure you’re not trying to kidnap me and sell my organs to some shady organization?” I’m speaking gibberish now. Maybe it’s to hide my fear or whatever it is inside me.He laughs out, not expecting my answer.“I’m sure you have beautiful organs but right now, I’m interested in the completely whole Freya.”It’s stupid but I laugh, despite the coldness on the tips of my fingers from my anxiety.“Just give me a chance,
FREYA'S POV: Unfortunately, though as against his promise, we don’t make it back before Xena is done taking her bath. By the time I’m back, she’s full-on panicking and about to report me missing.After an hour of intense chiding, she finally settles down. We laugh and finally fall asleep.The rest of the week runs by with me taking extra care in being invisible and unseen. The rumors about my performance still actively spreads around school and I try my very best to ignore them altogether. Xena sticks closely with me, threatening every Bill and Harry that dares to even whisper my name with her eyes. The effect results in complete silence where ever we go but I don’t mind it. Infact, it's everything I need and more.And then, the first day of the solstice event arrives.School hours are apparently cut in half, which for me is the only good thing that comes with it. It’s funny how a few days ago, I had been excited by the idea of it. Now,
FREYA'S POV:The solstice festival is riddled with games of different categories. Students compete to win and winners are honored by the Alpha king. It’s the highest honor one can get as a student and it opens bright possibilities for the future. The various categories included; archery, spear throwing, sparring and tug of war, all of which Xena was participating in — except spear throwing. I still don’t know why and no matter how hard I have tried to pry the information from her, she was adamant about keeping me in the dark, which resulted in more curiosity of course.The first category to begin is archery. I had hoped it would be a long while before I set my eyes on another bow and arrow again but here I am.The participants line up with their gear, ready to begin. From my spot, I see Xena in her attire, hair tied up and looking all badass with her bow. She pulls off the whole Artemis look effortlessly. I want to scream her name out but my whole judge ac
FREYA'S POV:Xena crashed onto the soft plush bed layered with wool and cotton covers, sighing in sweet relief. The warm bath definitely did a lot of good to her tensed-up joints and generally relaxed her after the most tasking day of flaunting her goddess-given talents.I sat stiffly on the edge of my bed with a small smile — a small forced smile. Behind it though, the various thoughts revolving around her ominous history with her supposed rival and now past ex, swirl endlessly in my mind.I smile nevertheless, because what else am I supposed to do about it? I want to pry so badly that the edges of my forced smile cracks a little but I reinforce it. It’s a delicate topic and I need to gently slide it out of her, like a very greasy baby.“I am so out of it. I think I’m going to call it a night.”“Right now? No way.”“I have to. I’m participating in tomorrow’s sparring category, remember?”Darn it! I had forgotten about that one.“Well… there
FREYA'S POV:I read the message on my phone for the tenth time since I had received it. She had given little to no detail on what we were going to talk about — if she had gotten over our argument, if she was still pissed. Her words had been very curt and simple.‘We need to talk, meet me below the school in the basement.’She proceeded to give a most detailed direction on how to get there, probably imagining that I’d have trouble finding my way. Honestly, it felt a little ominous to me but I’m desperate right now. If she was finally ready to let me in, I would do it in a place she was most comfortable in — even if it was below the school, in restricted areas students were not allowed to walk into.But would she really forgive me? Would we go back to how things were?A part of me begins regretting rejecting Silas’ offer to tag along. I had seen it as an effort to only bother me further but the company would have done well to keep my negative thoughts at