Golden Prophecy

X X I I I

BACK AT Hornwell, Andorra felt exhausted. She'd stayed up far too late last night finishing her homework and assigned reading. Her body ached from the way she'd attacked the hunter, using muscles she hadn't known existed. 

She had gotten through her classes, just barely, and now had to go to Cadmus training. Which, part of her was looking forward to, and the other part of her was worried about. She would have to see those Wyvern again, and they terrified her. Also, the chances of Noah showing up were slim, but not impossible, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. Part of her didn't want to see him again. The other part? The other part wanted to see him every day, for hours on end, as they talked about what had happened.

She tried to clear her head of that thought. She hated that he had such a hold on her, even still.

"I'm sure you'll do fine!" Win smiled at her. She was like having a mini cheerleader by Andorra's side. "You were so great at tryouts!"

"Yeah, but Anders will be there." A true thorn in her side, waiting for her to fail. Waiting for her to fall to her death. He may be hiring people to murder her, but he was the one with the intent to end her life. Whether he did it by himself or by hired help didn't matter. His intentions made him dangerous.

Her betrothed. Andorra never wanted to know what it was like to be married to that monster.

"Who cares what that lunkhead thinks."

"Is it weird? That Callum is his best friend?"

Win gave a shrug. "It used to. When I first found out that Callie was my soulmate. But Callie is different than when we first met. And it's obvious to me that Anders is his friend because of convenience and because of their pre-established connection. I don't think Callie would consider Anders his best friend anymore."

That was news to Andorra. To her, it seemed the two were close and tight knit. But, if this was after Callie had changed, Andorra didn't want to know what kind of person Callum was before he and Win were brought together.

"I really hope I don't have to marry the lunkhead." Andorra pulled at her workout shorts, feeling for a moment like she was too exposed. She wasn't cold, but for a moment, she longed for her bundles of clothes. She hadn't realized just how much they helped make her feel invisible.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. You were saying that you met with Princess Carling and she mentioned how to go around it. I think with you, that's one hundred percent possible."

Win had an unwavering sense of belief in Andorra. It made the Princess feel like maybe she could do this.

As they exited the school building, Win waved goodbye to Andorra. "I have to go meet up with Callie before he finds you. He's so paranoid all the time. I'll see you later!" Win waved as she bounced away, her hair floating behind her in a phantom breeze.

Andorra tried to muster up a quarter of Win's enthusiasm as she moved towards the field. What was it like to have that much faith and determination for someone? To be that upbeat all of the time?

She caught sight of the other team mates lounging around the field, warming up. She let out a long sigh of relief when she didn't spot Anders, but she couldn't say the same for the feeling that crawled up her throat at the realization that Noah wasn't there either.

She didn't really know these people. She hovered for a moment, wondering where to stand, wondering who to talk to, when someone motioned her over. He had bushy green hair, with flowers embedded between the strands. When she got closer, she noticed that his hair wasn't exactly hair, but rather it was long strands of grass. A few leaves were sticking up in the back, almost like he'd forgotten to get a haircut there.