— The Girl Squad —
The forest swallowed sound fast. Whether it was because of the mist or the oddity of the forest itself, I wasn’t sure. Even our own footsteps sounded muffled.
We heard nothing from the other squad, we just saw their silhouettes moving in the distance.
Ashley, naturally, couldn’t stand the silence for long.
“So,” she whispered like a conspirator, sidling up to Eve. “Now that our fearless leader has chosen her demon prince, you could totally make your move on Lionel.”
Eve stumbled mid-step and I wasn’t sure how to react.
“Excuse me?” Eve stammered.
“Oh, comeon,” Ashley hissed, grinning. “You think I haven’t noticed the looks? The whole two-snipers-longing-from-afar vibe? You two would be adorable.”
Eve’s ears went a little pink, but her tone was razor sharp. “I think you should focus on your own disaster romance with Nate before matchmaking anyone else.”
Ashley blinked. “Wow, that’s harsh.”
“Accurate,” Eve corrected. “Besides, he’s not looking at me.”
Ashley pouted. “You’re supposed to be flustered, not roast me alive.”
Eve smirked. “You walked into the fire all by yourself, darling.”
The group fell quiet after that, tension rippling faintly in the air, the echo of all the things unsaid lingering between them.
Faelin, walking a few paces behind, finally broke the silence.
“Must be nice,” she muttered, kicking at a root. “Fighting alongside people who actually give a damn whether you come back.”
The words hung heavy, half-envy and half-truth.
Ashley slowed, glancing over with a soft flicker of guilt before masking it under bravado. “Hey, stick around long enough and we’ll start worrying about you, too.”
Faelin snorted, not looking up. “Yeah, can’t wait.”
Eve gave her a sidelong glance, quieter now. “We all worry. Just… in our own ways.”
“Can I ask you something?” I asked and Faelin met my gaze. “Your powers… are they like an extension of you?”
“Well, I guess…” she shrugged, her brows furrowing. “I can control the air close to me, but sometimes it feels like it’s controlling me.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“Not in a dangerous way!” she corrected quickly, putting her hands up. “It’s just… sometimes my magic reacts in line with my feelings rather than what I want.”
I felt relief. It was the first time I had heard someone who struggled with their abilities because of the emotional connection, like me.
“It’s the same with my flames,” I said, now smiling.
“Yeah, you should’ve seen her torching the entire forest back when she was all newbie,” Ashley snickered and Faelin’s eyes widened in horror.
“I-I didn’t!” I stammered defensively.
“Pfft, yeah right,” Ashley smirked. “Demon-boy had you combusting all the time; it was my personal dinner entertainment.”
Faelin averted her eyes from us, and I glared at Ashley who skittered happily in response to the chaos.
