The Awakening

Liked - Maybe Even Loved

Unknown POV

For my plan to work, I had to stage the perfect attack. It had to be a proper Neverseen "raid" in some sort of important elven facility.

The only ones that came to mind were Foxfire and the Sanctuary.

So, I altered my plans to center the attack around Foxfire. The Sanctuary would've worked just as well but I was against harming animals due to my family's occupation.

With the little contact I had with a minor Neverseen member, I demanded numbers to help me carry out the "attack."

Esme, my Neverseen point of contact, informed me that my request was accepted. Fintan himself organized a small band of conscripted Exilium students to orchestrate the fake attack on Foxfire.

The next thing I needed to clear up was our motivation.

The Neverseen would never visit Foxfire to simply attack a student. They would've acted in such a way for leverage, attention, information, or a distraction.

The most reasonable motivation, from all of my dealings with the Neverseen, was hands-down distraction. But, that would've involved a whole other plan, so I doubted I could pull it off-

My Imparter alerted me of an incoming hail. Sighing, I discarded my pointless train of thought and answered the unknown caller.

Imagine my surprise when it was Fintan himself to instigate this hailing.

"I have an idea for your little plan."

Biana's POV

When Soph hailed me, claiming that Tam had basically locked her out of the hideout, I was fuming.

What if she was in a life-threatening situation where she'd have to "Foster it" for the millionth time in her short life? What if some other members of the organization needed to get in?

Tam's immaturity was really starting to seep through the cracks of his "nonchalant" behavior.

And, it bothered me that I had virtually no problem with it - besides putting my bff in danger.

I knew that, in reality, he was just a shy Shade that hid most emotions with excuses and sarcasm - like pretty much all of our friend group. His cold exterior was often mistaken for rudeness, but he actually tended to shy away from conversations and develop a great distrust for others he had no Shadow Vapor reading for, among other reasons.

With this new playful side, fueled by the demigods' presence, I was admittedly drawn more to him. I would never admit it out loud, but his immaturity didn't phase me as much as I let show.

Exactly why I dramatized my response to the Sophie-Tam situation.

He was not going to be let off the hook, because of all of the complications his foolishness could've caused, but I could not deny that I laughed for five minutes straight after hanging up on my hail call with Soph. 

Now, I was standing directly in front of the hideout. True to my words, I'd gotten here in about four minutes or less.

I pushed open the doors and confidently strutted to Soph's room. Upon entering without knocking, I found her sitting criss-crossed on the floor, eyes closed and mouth slightly parted.

Not wanting to disturb her, I lingered in the doorway for a bit longer, before stepping out and quietly shutting the door. The small click of the door locking into place made me cringe, but no movement from the other side was audible, so I figured I didn't interrupt whatever she was doing.

Changing my path to that of justice, I marched to the boys' side of the hideout, stopping directly in front of Tam's door.

Like with Soph's room, I barged in without knocking. Tam knew better than to hide from me when I was angry, so I wasn't surprised to find him sitting at the edge of his bed.

The moment I entered, his eyes snapped up to mine from their downcast gaze and his whole body went almost unnoticeably stiff. The proper, uptight seated position nearly drove me to another round of tear-invoking laughter for the day.

I closed the door behind me with my back and leaned against the door, folding my arms patronizingly in front of me. "So, I heard about your eventful day."

Honestly, my heart was telling me not to be mad at him, and I wasn't even planning on scolding him too much. But . . . he was already scared, so might as well take what I'd been given and run with it.

"Just chilling in the hideout. Haven't seen anyone all day," he answered curtly, then flashed me a bright smile. "How was your day, Biana?"

"It was amazing. I went shopping with some old friends and met up with my mother in Atlantis. I got to see the cutest pets and the best fashion I've seen since we landed in this boring place," I gushed, leisurely making my way to him as he listened eagerly and attentively. I knew he was just faking his intrigue.

"But, then," I paused for dramatic effect, keeping my overly sweet smile plastered on my face as I stepped directly in front of him. "I got hailed by my best friend, my girlfriend, my partner in crime, my other half, and my soul sister, Sophie Foster."

As I rattled off the powerful titles my best friend held, Tam got increasingly paler - even more drained of color than usual. He tried to play it off by leaning back on the bed, supported himself with locked arms, but I could see the anxiety held in his taut muscles.

"To my complete and utter surprise, she revealed some disturbing news about your "chill" day at the hideout. Any of that ring a bell?" I interrogated him further, bending down slightly.

When I received no response, I continued to invade his personal space, "No? Well, I'm not going to repeat what you did because you're not privileged enough to hear a girl repeat herself and live to see the next day.

"But," I began after a meaningful pause. "Let this be a reminder to never underestimate the power of my anger whenever you pull a stunt like that again."

Now, leaning forward to where our lips were merely an inch apart, I said, in a breathy whisper, "No kisses for a week."

I vanished and backed away swiftly, laughing maniacally as I heard him groan from behind me. Running out of the room, I envisioned his heavy blush and exasperated expression in my mind.

Meanwhile, my heart was beating out of my chest at the close proximity I had dared to venture to. My feelings were officially confirmed, just like that.

I, Biana Vacker, liked - maybe even loved - Tam Song.

And, I was 100% okay with it.

A/N: not me going on an unannounced hiatus 😳
honestly, things have been crazy for me during my winter break, so i had virtually no time to write. BUT, i'm going to be posting regularly again so don't get too pressed : ) the next chappie is going to be a MAJOR plot twist in the story *cue evil laughter of nefarious author*