Page 10 of Tear of Destiny

“Yeah, and now you’re gonna tell me how you feel sorry for her. I mean, she’s going through such a rough time with her parents,” Kate snarls.

“Her parents have been fighting for as long as I can remember. It’s all Max knows. They’ll never split up.”

My eyes bulge. “So even that was a lie. Why? Why did she have to invent that drama?!”

“She was afraid that you’d be pissed at her if she kept trying to spend time with Ayden. And she couldn’t risk losing you as a friend – at least until now.”

“That’s sick,” says Kate.

“Max is really determined when she sets her mind on something. You were just unlucky to get caught in the crossfire. I don’t approve of everything she does.”

“But you still choose to stand by her,” I conclude, staring daggers at her.

“Like I said, we’ve been friends forever. I’m kind of going behind her back telling you all this. It’s the best I can do. I’m sorry that everything turned out this way.”

With that, she stands up with her tray and hurries to Max, who’s still waiting in line to be served.

“Those two deserve each other,” Kate says, glancing over at them.

I’m stunned, still trying to process what I just heard. It was bad enough being used by Max. But the fact that Lucia also knew all along and did nothing really takes the cake.

“Let’s go,” I say to Kate.

I’m going to need a while to process this new information. I’ve just lost two people I considered good friends.

Part of me is relieved when Ayden doesn’t show up at training in the afternoon. It would have been hard for me to be near him and feel the distance between us and be reminded of what I’ve lost. On the other hand, maybe I could have talked to him, which is something I urgently need to do.

Training is a challenge today regardless. I’m constantly afraid of crossing the line again or getting too close to it. I keep looking at my hands to see if flames are coming out of them. Then, there’s that voice still trying to tempt me. I’m not sure if I’m strong enough right now to resist it, so I send Yoru minimal odeon, which makes his attacks pretty weak and earns me a few reprimands from the teachers. But that’s better than risking turning into one of the fallen.

Max ignores me for the entire class, and even in the locker room she doesn’t say a word to me. She seems to be in high spirits, talking excitedly with Lucia and a couple of other girls and acting like I don’t exist. Only Lucia glances at me apologetically now and then.

After I’ve showered and changed, I say goodbye to Kate. We have plans to meet later in the evening to talk, eat chips, and maybe watch a movie. Anything to take my mind off things.

But as soon as I’m alone, I start running through the scene in my mind’s eye again, as much as I want to delete it from my memory. What can I say to Ayden? What can I do to make him believe me, understand me? Is there any chance at all? I know I made a huge mistake. I was set up by Max, but I only have myself to blame for my reaction. And then there’s Noah’s kiss.

As if that’s not enough, I get an text message from him. He wants to know how I am, and I can’t lie to him about the fact that I had flames coming out of my fingers a few hours ago.

“We should meet up again as soon as possible and get you in the lake.”

I know he’s right, so I arrange to meet him, although I have a bad feeling about it. I’m turning a corner into the next corridor when I suddenly bump into something. The collision is so unexpected and violent that I almost fall over backward. A hand quickly grabs my arm and steadies me.

“Sorry, I was in a hurry and wasn’t looking where I was going,” says the young man in front of me. He has dark brown hair in tight curls framing his face and secretive brown eyes, which makes him look kind of mischievous. I definitely haven’t seen this guy before, and he seems a little older than me. I’d guess early twenties. He’s well dressed, in dark pants and a blue shirt. His clothes are nondescript, but they complement his physique, and I’m pretty sure they’re tailored.

“Oh, wow!” he says, walking past me and kneeling down beside Yoru. He looks impressed and runs his hand through Yoru’s fur, saying, “Not bad. The pelt is glossy, long, and strong. Good insulation.” He looks surprised by the three tails. “Hmm, only three? Is he still young or does he have more tails when he transforms?”

“Uh… yeah, then he has nine,” I reply, a little perplexed.

The guy whistles through his teeth appreciatively. “That would increase his power a lot. Which is handy with a fire spirit.”

“How do you know he uses the element of fire?”

“Years of experience. I’m pretty knowledgeable when it comes to key spirits if I say so myself.”

He turns his attention to Yoru’s paws and inspects his claws. My key spirit allows it to happen, looking at the stranger doubtfully as if questioning his sanity. My reaction is the same.

“Hmm, his claws are a little blunt and way too short. With the right care, you could get a lot more out of them. It’s always good if they can fight physically too and don’t have to rely solely ontheir magic.”

He stands up and gives me a friendly smile.

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