We get it. Everything this week is meant to kill us, maim us, or ruin us.
Noted.
“In case you haven’t figured it out yet, you and your teammate will be working your way through a carefully constructed maze.” His eyes dart upward before flying back down to his hands. “But this isn’t just any maze. No, don’t fall into a false sense of safety. This one is filled with darkness and unlike anything you’ve come across this far in your short lives. It is filled with creations of dark magic that will strip you to the essence of your core.”
The Noctryns alongside him throw us taunting grins.
Slowly, I sneak a peek at Ambrose to gauge his reaction to all of this. Is this what he went through? I wonder if the trials are replaced each year with new ones. I know his feelings on dark magic, and to say he hates everything Noctryn would be an understatement. He’s way too self-righteous to ever think there is a valid reason to use any kind of magic except the one that manifests within us. The one that slumbers since birth, just waiting to be awakened.
A boy, a few inches taller than my five-foot-four frame, moves directly in front of me, making it difficult to even see Ambrose.
I shuffle a bit to the right to get a better view. When I spot him again, his eyes are already on me. The concern and frustration filling them are the only things that aren’t rigid and battle-ready. He can mold everything into their demands except his eyes. Those will always tell me the truth.
It sucks, with him being there and me here. Opposite ends of the playing field but with the same objective. And with what feels like endless hoops to jump through until we can just be with each other again.
He was mine before theirs. Now I have to share him.
I curl my hands into tight fists.
I’ve never been very good at sharing.
I lower my eyes and move back to my spot in the crowd. There’s no sense in torturing myself any more than I already do. The professor is speaking, and I missed some of it because my heart is on my sleeve, and I can’t seem to keep my eyes or mind off Ambrose.
“You’ll line up in pairs in front of one of the three sets of doors. After receiving your malediction, you will both enter at the same time,” he informs us. “You can ask me any questions at any time before you enter. After that, sadly, you are on your own.” He scratches the back of his hand while nodding his head in approval. “I’m Professor Tainey, by the way. Almost forgot to mention that!” he adds. His tongue comes out to quickly lick his lips as he raises his eyes to meet ours before swiftly lowering them again and moving to Professor Lyric’s side.
It’s all done in jerky motions, and just watching him is stressful.
“Everyone, line up. Hurry now,” Professor Lyric demands urgently. He pushes a pair of timid-looking girls, hovering off to the side, toward the third maze with his small, chubby hands.The girls throw a cautious look over their shoulders as they quickly shuffle to the steel doors. They’re probably scared he’s going to throw them into the maze.
Mallory breaks my attention by grabbing my shoulders and pulling me into a strong hug. I’ve never really had girlfriends before. It’s different but nice. They’re a lot more affectionate, though, and I’m not sure how I feel about that yet.
The verdict is still out.
“Don’t forget, we have a party in our room to attend tonight,” she promises quietly before pulling back.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I say, offering her a bright smile that I don’t necessarily feel inside. If my face reflected how I actually feel, it would come out more like a grimace.
Mayline approaches Mallory from behind, and you can see the resolution in her spine. She has her war face on, and I know Mallory is in good hands. They made Mayline a lieutenant for a reason. She exudes the leadership skills you read about.
Still not sure why they made me one.
“Good luck to you both,” she says to Finnley and me in that stern way of hers.
Finnley, who’s now leaning half his weight on my shoulder, blows her a kiss. “You too, babe.”
With a roll of her eyes, she turns to walk toward the maze doors, pulling Mallory along.
“See you on the other side!” Mallory yells over her shoulder while simultaneously tripping over her feet. She keeps her eyes on Finnley and me as long as seemingly possible, almost as if she’s scared this is the last time she’ll be able to.
“Welp, just you and me now,” he murmurs in my ear, watching them go. “Finally, alone.”
There he is. For a second, I thought this trial might have robbed him of his jokes.
“You, me, and the monsters ahead of us,” I retort, shaking my head.
“We’ll just kick Mallory out of the little shindig tonight, and you and I can have our very own party. Nothing but alone time,” he says in that thick drawl of his.
“Un-fucking-likely,” a voice of steel responds directly behind us.
