Chapter 6 JEALOUS WHISPERS

CHAPTER 006 : THE JEALOUS WHISPERS

Alaric finally let go of me, his fingers sliding down my arm like he didn’t want to.

His crimson eyes locked on my eyes, it is sharp and unreadable. My chest rose and fell too fast.

I tried to step back, but the crowd behind me was already feeling too suffocating, it's like a circle of wolves waiting for them to pounce on me.

“Look at her now, she's acting special.” One girl hissed.

“She thinks she can take all of them to herself, we've been trying this for years and she thinks she can steal the spotlight.” Another girl spat.

“Let her try that again and we’ll break her face.”

Their voices crawled up my body. The anger in their eyes gives me this weird goosebumps.

Alaric didn’t move. He watched them, his expression mixed with something like anger and resistance, like he was daring someone to touch me.

Sofia finally broke through the crowd and grabbed my wrist. “Now move...” She snapped at the girls, her voice sharp and fearless. “Unless you want me to scream and bring a teacher.”

The girls backed up but their eyes didn’t soften.

Sofia pulled me down the hall as fast as she can. “You’re crazy.” She whispered under her breath. “Kissing two of them in one morning? Do you want these Duskmoor girls to murder you?”

“I didn’t kiss anyone on purpose.” I muttered. “I tripped and fell, twice.”

She gave me a long look. “They don’t care. Those girls, they are obsessed with the four boys to the extent like they write-their-names-in-blood obsessed. You need to be careful around everyone and everything.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. My body still felt warm from the kisses, and the stares made me want to just make the hall ground to open and swallow me whole. “They can be obsessed all they want. I didn’t ask for any of this.”

“That’s the thing.” Sofia sighed. “You don’t have to ask. They’ve been waiting for fifty something years but the boys never look at anyone, not even for a second and now they're looking at you. So it'll definitely make these girls lose their minds.”

My stomach twisted. “Fifty years? They’re not that old.”

“They don’t age like normal people.” Sofia whispered like it was a secret. “Everyone knows that.”

I stopped abruptly. “Sofia… what do you think they want from me?”

She tightened her hold on my hand. “I don’t know, but you better not trust them too fast.”

But somehow it's too late, I thought. Something about them pulled at me in a way that I couldn’t even bring myself to explain.

As we walked into the training hall, the whispers followed me. Everywhere I looked, someone was always pointing fingers, someone was smirking and someone was angry.

“I think I've made myself a big problem.” I muttered.

Sofia nudged me. “Don’t look at them, look straight and act like you don’t feel a thing.”

I tried but I couldn't.

The training hall was huge and compelling, many students in training combat filled the room, training in pairs. My heart beat louder each time someone released their powers.

“Okay.” Sofia whispered. “Just try not to die.”

“Okay, thanks.” I muttered.

Instructor Hale blew a horn. “Training partners! Pair up but try not to kill each other. I don’t want paperwork.”

I stood alone at one side, because no one was wanting to partner with me.

Then a tall girl with dark green hair and sharp eyes walked toward me. She had a smirk that made me shiver.

“You’re the phoenix toy, right?” She said. “I’m Morgana.”

I swallowed. “My… name's… Thalira.” I stammered.

Morgana circled me like choosing where to bite first. “I heard what happened this morning, it must be nice… to have two kisses early in the morning. Are you the kissing bitch? My question is… how did someone like you even pull that off?”

I forced myself to stand straight. “It was an accident.”

“Sure it should be.” She said. “But let's see how well you fight by ‘accident’ too.”

I didn’t like her tone. I didn’t like her eyes but Instructor Hale shouted for us to begin before I could turn around and walk away.

Morgana struck first, her attacks very fast.

A whip of water snapped toward my shoulder. I barely dodged, but the edge of the water still strained my skin, which cause pain in my arm.

“Come on.” She taunted. “Show me something, anything even if it's one of those yours flirtatious skills, just show something.”

I raised my hands, trying to call my power, but nothing came. All my attempts felt useless.

Morgana moved again. This time, she grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. I gasped as pain shot through my shoulder.

“Oops.” She said. “You’re still fcking weak bich?”

She pushed me forward, and I landed on my knees. The room erupted in whispers again.

“She can’t even defend herself.”

“Maybe the boys should pick something stronger.”

“She’s f*cking embarrassing.”

My face burned.

Morgana leaned down beside me. “If you want to stand next to them, you should try not being so pathetic.”

Suddenly, something snapped inside me, but before I could react, a shadow moved in front of me.

It's Kieran.

His jaw clenched tightly. “Let her go.”

Morgana smirked. “Why? You want to save your little phoenix again?”

Zev and Cassian appeared too, Alaric came last, his eyes glowing red like he was two seconds away from ripping someone apart.

Cassian crouched beside me, his fingers brushing my injured shoulder. “You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing.” I muttered, even though it stung so much I wanted to bite my tongue.

Alaric’s voice was low and dangerous. “You touched her again and see what happens.”

Morgana laughed. “So you guys are being so protective today. What? So all four of you are planning to share her?”

The whispers grew louder and spread like a wildfire.

Kieran stepped closer to Morgana. “Don’t test me.”

Morgana flicked her hair. “She’s so weak. If she can’t take a simple spar…”

Sofia rushed forward, her eyes blazing. “You didn’t spar her. You attacked her.”

Morgana rolled her eyes. “Stay out of it, fish girl.”

Sofia hissed under her breath. “Say that again and I'll…”

Instructor Hale finally walked toward us. “What is going on here?”

Morgana pointed at me. “She’s too weak, she couldn’t even keep up and I even barely touched her.”

Alaric’s laugh was cold. “ I dare you to lie again. I dare you.”

The instructor looked at my shoulder and it was already swelling.

“Enough.” He said. “Thalira, get to the healing room and for you Morgana, you're under detention.”

Morgana scoffed. “For what?”

“For attacking a student without warning. Now move.” Inspector Hale ordered.

She glared at me before walking off. The promise in her expression made my heart dropped.

Sofia helped me up. The pain made me dizzy. I tried to walk but a warm hand grabbed my arm. It was Kieran.

“I’ll take her.”

Zev shook his head. “No, I will.”

Cassian sighed. “You two are impossible. She needs help and not a fight.”

Alaric stepped between all of them. “I’ll take her.”

“No.” I said quickly. “Sofia will take me.”

All four of them stopped arguing and blink embarrassingly.

Sofia nodded and pulled my good arm around her. “Come on. Let's get you somewhere safe.”

As we walked away, I could feel their eyes staring at my back. I didn’t know what any of them were thinking, but a part of me felt something different.

When we reached the hall, Sofia let out a breath she’d been holding. “You need to be careful. This is just the beginning. Those girls don’t fight fair.”

“I noticed.”

She looked at my shoulder. “You should tell the boys about the letter.”

“No.” I whispered. “If they know, things will get worse.”

She grabbed my hand. “Thalira. Someone wants you dead.”

“I know.”

We kept walking in silence until we reached Sofia's room. I sat down on her bed, breathing slowly.

I felt a presence, staring at me, I looked around for anything, maybe something.

Sofia frowned. “What’s wrong?”

I swallowed. “Something is in here.”

“What thing?”

Before I could answer, something slid under the bed.

Sofia grabbed my hand. “What was that?”