smiling, which lit his face
up and made him even more handsome than before. It was
as though an enormous weight had been lifted from his
shoulders.
Petre approached us looking like thunder, but before he
could say anything, Rain pushed him in. This resulted in
all of us trying to wrestle each other off, and I managed to
be the last one standing.
“Ha!” I yelled triumphantly.
Arms picked me up from behind again, and the person
holding me jumped off the ledge. We both hit the water
and surfaced at the same time, Phoenix grinning at me and
my heart wobbled again.
“Sky,” he said. “Do you want to have dinner with me
tonight? I feel bad about the last time you tried to eat with
me.”
I opened my mouth to accept (and to ask if I was
dreaming) but was interrupted by the one voice I didn’t
want to hear.
“Phoenix!” Someone yelled, and we all turned to the
forest path to see Eleanora standing on it, hands on her
hips.
“Phoenix, weren’t we supposed to be having lunch?”
“Oh,” I heard him say. “Sorry, I was…”
“I don’t care what you were doing,” She yelled.
Everyone turned to stare at her. “You stood me up!”
“Ellie, I was just—,”
“Having fun,” I continued for him, still in the water
next to him. I tried to ignore all the smart comments my
mind was throwing up about him having a nickname for
her.
“Let it go, Eleanora,” I continued. “Get in the water
yourself, have some fun.”
Everyone waited to see what she’d say, and I swear the
water got colder.
“No.” She said finally.
“No?”
“No,” she repeated. “C’mon, Phoenix, we’re leaving.”
He didn’t say anything as he heaved himself out of the
water and wrapped his towel around himself again. I
turned away to find everyone else looking at me. I just
sighed and shook my head at them.
After that, the afternoon lost something; a friendship
that could’ve been made, a truce that could’ve been had.
Even Dustin seemed to understand that his soul mate had
ruined the afternoon. We splashed around in the water for
a while, trying to recapture some of the earlier fun, but
not even shoulder wars could bring back the joy of a few
hours ago. When Yasmin and Rain began to complain
about being sunburnt, we eventually headed back to the
castle. It was dark when we got back, and I headed up to
my room, getting changed back into my breeches and shirt
before heading down for dinner. I scowled as I was
changing, the pink glow of my skin itching and irritating.
I hated sunburn, and no matter how many times I swore
to myself that I would never let myself get sunburnt again,
I always forgot and ended up getting burnt worse than last
time.
I headed back down to the mess hall, where we ate
twice as much as normal; swimming always made me
hungrier than normal exercise. Judging from how much
everyone else ate too, I think it was safe to assume that
they operated in the same way I did. We ate in silence,
exhausted after spending the day swimming.
Dustin accompanied me back to my room, holding my
hand. We didn’t speak about the afternoon, instead
choosing to discuss our classes. He kissed me goodnight at
my door just as Larni came up the stairs. She waited for
Dustin to leave before breaking into an enormous grin.
I grinned back sheepishly and we entered my room
together.
“He seems nice,” she said slyly and we both giggled.
“He took me to the Knight Ball,” I confessed. “Thank
you for the dress.”
“My pleasure,” she said happily. “It didn’t take me very
long to stitch it-“
“Hold on, you made that dress?”
She nodded eagerly.
“By my own hands.”
“Larni,” I was swimming in disbelief. “It was gorgeous. I
have to do something for you, to pay you back.”
“No,” she said firmly. “It was enough to see you so
happy. You’ve been quite miserable these past few days.”
I didn’t know what to say to her, so I just handed my
washing to her and she left.
Despite what she’d
up and made him even more handsome than before. It was
as though an enormous weight had been lifted from his
shoulders.
Petre approached us looking like thunder, but before he
could say anything, Rain pushed him in. This resulted in
all of us trying to wrestle each other off, and I managed to
be the last one standing.
“Ha!” I yelled triumphantly.
Arms picked me up from behind again, and the person
holding me jumped off the ledge. We both hit the water
and surfaced at the same time, Phoenix grinning at me and
my heart wobbled again.
“Sky,” he said. “Do you want to have dinner with me
tonight? I feel bad about the last time you tried to eat with
me.”
I opened my mouth to accept (and to ask if I was
dreaming) but was interrupted by the one voice I didn’t
want to hear.
“Phoenix!” Someone yelled, and we all turned to the
forest path to see Eleanora standing on it, hands on her
hips.
“Phoenix, weren’t we supposed to be having lunch?”
“Oh,” I heard him say. “Sorry, I was…”
“I don’t care what you were doing,” She yelled.
Everyone turned to stare at her. “You stood me up!”
“Ellie, I was just—,”
“Having fun,” I continued for him, still in the water
next to him. I tried to ignore all the smart comments my
mind was throwing up about him having a nickname for
her.
“Let it go, Eleanora,” I continued. “Get in the water
yourself, have some fun.”
Everyone waited to see what she’d say, and I swear the
water got colder.
“No.” She said finally.
“No?”
“No,” she repeated. “C’mon, Phoenix, we’re leaving.”
He didn’t say anything as he heaved himself out of the
water and wrapped his towel around himself again. I
turned away to find everyone else looking at me. I just
sighed and shook my head at them.
After that, the afternoon lost something; a friendship
that could’ve been made, a truce that could’ve been had.
Even Dustin seemed to understand that his soul mate had
ruined the afternoon. We splashed around in the water for
a while, trying to recapture some of the earlier fun, but
not even shoulder wars could bring back the joy of a few
hours ago. When Yasmin and Rain began to complain
about being sunburnt, we eventually headed back to the
castle. It was dark when we got back, and I headed up to
my room, getting changed back into my breeches and shirt
before heading down for dinner. I scowled as I was
changing, the pink glow of my skin itching and irritating.
I hated sunburn, and no matter how many times I swore
to myself that I would never let myself get sunburnt again,
I always forgot and ended up getting burnt worse than last
time.
I headed back down to the mess hall, where we ate
twice as much as normal; swimming always made me
hungrier than normal exercise. Judging from how much
everyone else ate too, I think it was safe to assume that
they operated in the same way I did. We ate in silence,
exhausted after spending the day swimming.
Dustin accompanied me back to my room, holding my
hand. We didn’t speak about the afternoon, instead
choosing to discuss our classes. He kissed me goodnight at
my door just as Larni came up the stairs. She waited for
Dustin to leave before breaking into an enormous grin.
I grinned back sheepishly and we entered my room
together.
“He seems nice,” she said slyly and we both giggled.
“He took me to the Knight Ball,” I confessed. “Thank
you for the dress.”
“My pleasure,” she said happily. “It didn’t take me very
long to stitch it-“
“Hold on, you made that dress?”
She nodded eagerly.
“By my own hands.”
“Larni,” I was swimming in disbelief. “It was gorgeous. I
have to do something for you, to pay you back.”
“No,” she said firmly. “It was enough to see you so
happy. You’ve been quite miserable these past few days.”
I didn’t know what to say to her, so I just handed my
washing to her and she left.
Despite what she’d
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