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Someone knows

Author: Author Calypso
last update Last Updated: 2025-05-31 16:53:13

ALTHEA

I push the door open slowly, my breath caught in my throat. The room is dim, lit only by the moonlight spilling through the tall window. Shadows stretch across the floor. At first, I think I’m imagining things—just my nerves playing tricks after the night I’ve had.

But then I see her.

Caroline.

She’s standing near my desk, holding something—no, moving something. Her back is to me, and she doesn’t seem startled at all by my sudden appearance.

I blink, confused. “Caroline?”

She turns around, her expression oddly blank. “Oh.” Her eyes trail down my clothes—still covered in soot and dirt from the tunnels. Her lips twitch into a small, sharp smile. “You’re back.”

I take a cautious step forward. “What… are you doing in my room?”

Caroline sets a folded piece of parchment back on the table. Her movements are slow. Too deliberate. “I was looking for you, actually,” she says. “When I noticed your door wasn’t locked, I thought I’d check if you were already inside.”

I stare at her. “You th
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  • The Mate Games   I don’t need the cards

    ALTHEALady Ivanna skips off to double-check everything, her heels clicking on the marble floor. I watch her disappear around the corner and try to breathe slowly. I’m last. That’s supposed to be good, right? More time to prepare. More time to panic. I guess Marcy has it worse. She’s first.I glance at her. She’s sweating through her silk blouse, fingers gripping her cards like they’re a lifeline. Poor thing. She keeps blinking hard like she’s trying to force her brain to work. I want to feel bad for her, but I’m too busy fighting off my own anxiety.Then my eyes drift to Caroline. I can’t help it. My stomach tightens as I stare at her. She looks so calm, like she always does, head high, posture perfect. She doesn’t know I saw her and Asher. That part haunts me more than it should. Why hasn’t she told anyone? She’s not the quiet type. Which makes me think … maybe this isn’t the first time.And that makes it worse. So much worse.“Nervous?” I ask her, watching her pick at her fingernai

  • The Mate Games   Nothing will be the same

    ALTHEAIt’s been a week since the last trial. Things have been quiet, at least as quiet as things can get here. The bruises have faded, the wounds are healing, and now we’re all getting ready for the next big thing: our philanthropy presentations.Lady Ivanna asked what I needed for mine, and I kept it simple. “A small desk for my books,” I told her. “And an easel for the poster I’m working on.” She looked excited when I said that. I think it’s because no one else is doing anything artsy. I’m the only girl here with any real experience making art.I spent hours on this project. I wrote my speech out on note cards, made sure I flagged important parts in books so I could show them during my talk, and even practiced in the mirror. Some parts of the speech made my hands shake just thinking about them, but I kept going. I didn’t let myself give in to the fear.When I asked Mira to make me a dress for the Report, I told her I wanted to look innocent. Her eyebrows jumped up.“You make it sou

  • The Mate Games   More then their games

    ALTHEA The forest collapses behind me. A soundless scream—wind tearing through leaves, light bursting from the roots up like veins filled with fire. I’m running, bleeding, choking on my breath, the seed clutched so tightly in my hand I think it might crack. And just when the world feels like it’s folding in on itself— Everything stops. I hit solid ground hard, knees scraping against cold stone. My vision spins. I blink up at a sky that’s no longer covered by ancient branches. The Mirror Woods are gone. I’m back at the trial grounds. But I’m not alone. Coughs echo to my left. A sob to my right. I turn my head slowly, limbs trembling. Elise is doubled over, hands pressed to her face, shaking like a leaf. Her blond braid is half undone, dirt and blood streaking her once-pristine robes. Marcy staggers to her feet, her jaw clenched. Her clothes are shredded down one arm, and blood darkens the fabric. But she’s alive. Breathing. Caroline lies facedown a few feet away. Her fingers t

  • The Mate Games   I faced them

    ALTHEAThe path the raven showed me twists and narrows, winding deeper than I ever imagined the Mirror Woods could go. The trees grow older here. Their bark is gnarled and silver, their roots thick as wolves’ backs. The forest hums with power, old and pulsing beneath my feet. Every step feels like a choice. Every breath like a question.Then I see it.The clearing opens suddenly, like a breath held too long finally released. And in the center stands the Weeping Tree.It’s massive, taller than any tree I’ve seen, its black bark cracked and weeping silver sap. The branches stretch high and wide, tangled like veins across the sky. Beneath it, the ground glows faintly, marked with ancient runes too old to read. The air is colder here. Heavy. Sacred.My heart stumbles.Because I’m not alone.Caroline stands at the base of the tree, arms crossed, her posture calm. But her eyes, sharp, calculating, give her away.“Well, isn’t this a surprise,” she says smoothly, brushing a leaf from her coat

  • The Mate Games   I’m not giving up

    ALTHEAI wake with a jolt, my skin burning hot, my body shaking like a leaf in the wind. My breath rasps in and out, shallow and sharp. The world swims before my eyes, trees bending, twisting, dancing like shadows in a fire. My throat feels dry as ash.I reach out blindly, fingers digging into the cold earth. Caroline is gone. No trace of her beside me, just crushed grass where she might’ve slept and a bitter scent in the air, like betrayal.I try to stand, but my legs won’t listen. My feet are bare, I must’ve kicked off my boots during the fever. The ground bites at my soles, rough and freezing. I stumble forward, arms stretched out like a broken puppet. The forest spins. I blink, trying to see straight, but the trees blur together.I walk, or maybe I crawl. Time doesn’t feel real anymore.Leaves whisper my name. Althea. Althea. Mocking me. Pulling me deeper.My breath hitches when I see him.Asher.He stands beneath a crooked tree, one hand clutching his side. Blood stains his shirt

  • The Mate Games   Is it real?

    ALTHEAThe dawn seeps through the tangled branches like pale fingers, brushing my closed eyelids. I wake suddenly, a sharp sting crawling up my arm. Cold sweat slicks my skin as I pull back my sleeve and freeze.A deep, jagged wound cuts across my forearm—red and raw, fresh and bleeding. But I don’t remember falling, or being attacked. The forest must have done this while I slept. It feeds on weakness, on fear. I swallow hard, tasting copper in my mouth, and bite back the rising panic.I force myself to breathe slow and steady. I can’t afford to lose control.I press my hand against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, then look around. The trees stand tall and silent, shadows curling at their feet. The forest watches, waiting for me to falter.I have to move.My stomach growls. I haven’t eaten since before I entered the woods.Finding food and water feels urgent now—more than just survival. It’s a lifeline.I remind myself of the goals I set before: find water, find food, keep mov

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