Chapter Three
Blaze
“Next semester starts in a month. By that time who knows where we’ll be.”
“I don’t know. At this rate maybe finally sharing a bedroom.”
“August. We’re eighteen.”
“I know but can’t you let me have one fantasy without crushing it?” I roll my eyes and lace my boots tighter. “Hurry up slowpoke, daylights a-wasting.” Almost every single minute of being out of Sanctum we spend outside, the woods, the fresh air. This morning is no different after a week of being free. He takes my hand and we walk into the deep pine. Our wings are hidden due to a new technique me and August discovered. If we fold our wings tight enough, a camouflage gene kicks in and makes it appear as if we have no wings. The sun hasn’t even risen but we walk anyways. The sky feels so familiar. The dark of the cabin makes me feel claustrophobic and reminds me of Sanctum, no matter how beautiful the gift is. I know August feels the same way.
“What do you think school will be like?” He asks me.
“If it’s anything like I’ve read, it’ll-”
“Wait, wait, wait, wait. You can read?”216Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTnCLguBh0
“Haha, very funny. A real comedian. Ten out of ten on the funny scale. I’m-” He cuts me off again.
“I’m kidding.” He sighs. “So serious.” ,
“Yeah, so serious” A voice agrees mockingly.The hair on the back of my neck stands up. How did we not hear her, or see her for that matter. A figure stands right in front of us, shrouded in the darkness of a tree. I hear a low chuckle come from the girl. “After all you don’t want to die without a last laugh. Such a terrible way to end it all, without laughter.” I can hear a hint of a smirk in her voice “It’s a shame really, such a cute couple.”
“Touch her and you die.” His wings flare up to block me from the girl’s view.
“You resist, and you die slower.”
“Resist what?” I let out a forced chuckle. “Death? Clearly you didn’t plan out this monologue.”
“And clearly you and your boyfriend here didn’t plan on being attacked today...did you?” I grind my teeth together. I hate fighting people who are good at comebacks.
“So, lets just get on with this” she says “I have to get to school” The girl steps out from behind the tree. She’s wearing a mask, but I can clearly see brown tufts of hair sticking out from the bottom. “Time to die” she laughs and lunges at me.
August jumps in front of her and attempts to stop the dagger that has appeared in the girl’s hand. It slices a slit in his hand, he gasps, reeling back. I dodge the next swipe but am not so lucky on the last. The dagger bares down on my forehead and over my eyelid. Pain explodes in my eye as I stagger back and fall in a heap on the grass. August lunges at the girl screaming something about revenge. She easily dodges and kicks his feet out from under him. He grabs her ankle twisting her around and bringing her to the ground. She yells in frustration and kicks at his hand. August clambers over her and pins her one arm to the ground.
“Who are you? Who sent you?” He yells.
“Your worst nightmare” she responds rolling out from under him and bringing him to the ground with one swift kick to his lower back. Now she’s the one standing over him. There’s a knife at his neck, he yells in pain. I want to help, but there’s blood gushing from my eye, and that’s all I can focus on. Drip Drip Drip. The edges of my vision are blurry. All I can see is August, with fear in his beautiful golden brown eyes. I attempt to stand, but fall and hit my head. Suddenly, I am left with nothing but the back of my eyelids for company.
~~~
“You’ll pay for that.” August hisses. The girl sighs.
“Trust me, I will” she responds kneeling next to him “I’m not going to kill you. You and your girl are free to go, just take care of her okay?”
“Why do you care?”
“Contrary to what you believe I’m not a completely horrible person.”
“Dragon crap” He spits in her face
“I deserved that” she comments, wiping the warm saliva off her cheek. “Now, if you’ll allow me to be of service, I know a ghost who can help with that eye, I’ll send her along shortly. Keep the wound clean and dry until she gets here.” She says standing, wiping blood off her dagger.
“Why are you helping us?” August asks touching his neck and wincing. The girl chuckles dryly.
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for romance.” she sticks her dagger into a sheath and turns, preparing to leave.
“Wait!” he says stopping her “What’s your name?”
She pauses, thinking.
“My name’s Kara. Kara Castellar”
ns 15.158.61.17da2
