Eyes of Emerald

Chapter 17 - Happy

        I stared at Wynn, wide eyed. I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out. I blinked, the adrenaline from the kiss still roaring through my body like lava, igniting everything in a spray of flames. 

        "Uh...mm..." I managed to say, which made him smile. 

        "I've been wanting to do that ever since I met you, you know." he told me softly. I dropped my gaze in embarrassment. I'd never been kissed before, I didn't have a clue what to do. 

        "You...uh.." I tried again. He laughed. 

        "You're an odd one, you know." he said. "Every other girl I've kissed has tried to kiss me again." 

        "I...I'm not...not your everyday girl," I said, getting my breath back and trying to rein in the butterflies still running riot inside me. 

        "I can see that." He smirked, looking like that overly arrogant boy once again. I met his eyes, then flickered my gaze down again. Why did I have to get so embarrassed? 

        "H...how far behind are we?" I asked timidly. It was going to be embarrassing walking in with Wynn, far behind everyone else.

        He grinned. 

        "We're not behind." he said. I blinked, my thoughts still far away from there.

        "What?" I burst out suddenly, after processing his words. His sapphire blue eyes were so distracting, they were the same colour as the sea in the background. 

        "I said we're not behind. You were running so fast, faster than anyone else. I had to run hard to catch you up, I knew you'd do something stupid." 

        "Excuse me?" I exclaimed. "It was not stupid." I pressed my lips together in a thin line. 

        "It was, and you know it. There's a bridge up ahead." he grinned crookedly, smile lines crinkling by his eyes.  I blushed beet red, looking at the ground once again. He tilted my head up again and smiled at me. "You're really beautiful, you know." he whispered, which only made me blush more. 

        "Don't, I'm not." I told him quietly, looking away. I didn't want to be told that, I wasn't. I'd been told I wasn't enough times for me to know that it was true. Why would anyone lie with something like that?

        "You are." he told me quietly, his dark hair falling into his eyes, and he flipped it out of the way. Even that made me want to kiss him more...

        "But-"

        "Just listen to me, will you?" he said, sounding exasperated. I sighed, and nodded. 

        "Fine," I smiled slightly in spite of myself, I was just too happy that finally...he had kissed me. 

        We had only known each other for a day, and already we were...well, were we together? Or did this not count as together? Was he already in a relationship with that girl that hung onto him at every opportunity?

        "Good." he smiled at me, taking my sweaty hand in his warm, big one. He didn't seem to notice the wetness of my palms, he just held it tenderly, like it was made of china. 

        "Why are we ahead? I can't run, you saw me this morning." I said, still confused. He grinned, bowing his head. 

        "Your Shifter abilities are coming through. You'll be able to run faster, move quicker...your reactions will be sharper and your senses will be emphasised slightly." he put his forehead against mine lightly. "Soon, if you work at it, you'll be able to Shift."         

        "Really?" I squeaked, a smile lighting up my face. This was exciting, but terrifying - what if I got stuck as something? Knowing me, it would end up to be like a rat or something stupid like that. A platypus, maybe. 

        "Yes." Wynn grinned, and kissed me again, igniting the butterflies to fly again, this time set on fire. My mind was scattered, I felt like a survivor of a tsunami, storm tossed but oh-so-glad to be alive. "And..." he began, but stopped himself like he didn't want to say what he was going to.

        "Yes?" I asked. Why was he keeping a secret? Was something bad going to happen? My insides clenched in panic, the butterflies all gone, their wings burnt away. 

        "It...doesn't matter." he smiled at me suddenly. I bit my lip slightly. He had a secret, I knew it. Why didn't he want to tell?         

        He's only known you for a day, Autumn, give him a chance.

        I sighed, and smiled up at him. 

        "Let's get back to the camp. You can help me past the obstacles this time." I grinned, and together we walked away. 
                
                                                                                                        *
                
        Time went quickly after that. Five weeks passed in what felt like a matter of days. My Shifter abilities were certainly coming through - I was now the first to finish the obstacle course and morning runs every time. Angel. Iris, and Celie were ecstatic when Wynn and I announced that we were going out together, two weeks after our first kiss. Iris especially, she had spent a good five minutes screaming that we were perfect for each other. I don't think my ears have recovered from that yet.         

        Target practice went well, every morning we had to practice weaponry. I was getting better at aiming now, I would usually hit the target near the bulls-eye. The first time I threw the knife seemed to have been beginner's luck, seeing as I had only hit it a few times after, which frustrated me to no end. 

        Angel would practice swordplay with Ffi and Wynn, often winning with her talent in the weapon. It was frightening how she wielded it with deadly accuracy, stabbing and slashing with no mercy. She would be a formidable enemy, I thought, if we were ever attacked. 

        Hand to hand combat was my weakness though, which was something I hadn't expected. I had thought I wouldn't be too bad at it, what with my karate lessons, but obviously not. I was still being thrown about like a rag doll every lesson. Angel, Iris and Wynn found that hilarious. 

        Another Choosing day went by, and I couldn't help but think of Cain, who had bravely stood up for what he believed in, to his last breath. I think his death was on everyone's minds that day, for no one seemed to speak much as King Balthazar came to take the child once more. It was a little girl this time, with pale blonde hair in two small plaits. She was crying, you could see the tear trails on her pale cheeks and the wet patches on the blindfold. 

        King Balthazar was as frightening as ever, his eyes still not visible as he stalked across the field to take the child. I was terrified of him after what he had done to the Fae boy. Celie had only recently stopped mourning his death, she had wept for days after his death. It had turned out that they were related, he was her second cousin. They had been like two peas in a pod, according to Ffi, never leaving each other's side. 

        She still visited his grave every morning to leave flowers.

        My heart was heavy as I held Wynn's hand tightly, leaning my head upon his shoulder. He squeezed my hand, knowing what was going through my mind. He always seemed to do that, predicting what was on my mind before I even registered it myself. 

        I asked him every morning what his secret was, but he still refused to tell. He looked like it was weighing on his mind, so maybe he was getting ready to tell me. I know I'm not the best girlfriend (I still get a rush of happiness when he calls me that) when I ask him for his secrets every day. I was curious though. 

        He worked harder than ever on his fighting, running for longer, practicing sword cuts for hours on end like he knew something bad was going to happen. Celie, Oberon, Tatiana, Ffi and even Iris had tried to wheedle it out of him but he insisted that nothing was wrong. 

        I knew something was troubling him. But I didn't pay any attention to it, because, for the first time in my life, I was truly happy.