Cold Moon

Chapter 11

"Tess? You zoned out. Everything okay?"

She snaps back to the present trying not to think about her feelings. Has she always felt this way about him?

"Yeah I'm fine. Just thinking about, stuff."

"What kind of stuff?

"Well, Cara mentioned that if we can't find any gems for the goblins we can give them some old jewelry."

"Sounds like that could work."

"I'm hoping it will. What did Nurse Baker say she need again?"

"Witch hazel, but I don't know what it looks like."

"We're close to some. Is that all she needed?"

"Yeah, that's all."

They find the shrub and cut a few twigs.

"Alright, this should be good. Let's go."

Once they get back to the Academy Ryder and Tess run into Cara and Kristen.

"Hey Cara."

"Tess, got what you needed."

"Yeah. Witch hazel."

"What do you have in the bag?" Tess referring to a small bag Kristen was holding.

"Some old jewelry. Kristen and I just got permission from the headmasters to take it to the goblins to get the drool."

Tess was confused.

"What? I thought we were going to go do that."

"We were both occupied, so I asked Kristen to join me instead."

"I wasn't busy."

"Yes you were, this morning. We were talking, Ryder informed me to go with Headmaster Reyes, and you went with him."

Ryder cuts in.

"Hey, Kristen. Care to accompany me to take this witch hazel to nurse Baker?"

"Sure thing Ryder."

They both walk off leaving Cara and Tess to talk.

"Awkward don't you think, Tess."

Tess says nothing.

"What's the matter Tess?"

"Stop it Cara."

"Stop what? Socializing?"

"No. This game to get back at me."

"You think this is a game? If that's the case I'll play."

"I don't know how many times I have to say it, I had nothing to do with Keith's death."

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you, I don't believe you."

"Cara, why would I hurt you?!"

"To put us all off track! To distract us!"

"Cara, you're sick to even think that. I couldn't."

"You say that, but it doesn't mean you wouldn't."

"Stop doing this to yourself. What happened was not my fault."

"Maybe you're faking it. Forgetting your memory. You wanted to seem like a hero."

"Cara, this past month I've had to get to know you and everyone else all over again, if I could stop that dart from reaching you, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat."

"I wish I never met you."

Tess freezes. She couldn't believe the words coming out of her best friend. Tess holds back the tears building up.

"You don't mean that."

"If I never met you, we wouldn't be friends, I wouldn't have bitten you, and you wouldn't be standing here..."

"And I don't think you would have met Keith either."

"You're right, it's because of you that I met him. I wouldn't be devastated from losing him. He and my sister would be alive."

"Cara I'm sorry. Neither of us knew this would happen."

"What did they offer you?"

"Excuse me?"

"The Slayers. To put us all off track from finding them, just to recover your memory. Because I'm sure they knew you were a good fighter. You know, maybe you were in on it with Edwin. Maybe both of you decided to turn on the Academy. On all of us!"

"I can't believe you're saying this!"

"Well?! Anything to defend yourself?!"

"Stop trying to convince yourself of these ridiculous ideas!—"

"No Tess! You stop this act!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Why would anybody from the Academy work with a Slayer!? Are you giving him information about us?!"

"No! I told you he's trying to protect Matthew, his brother!"

"Matthew is an only child. He said he was 7 when they were attacked. His father died. Matthew and his mother were the ones that survived. I'm pretty sure he would remember growing up with an older brother."

"What?" Tess couldn't believe Chris had been lying to her since the moment they met.

"You're a traitor Tess. Working with the enemy."

"Cara. You have to believe me, I didn't know he was lying! He told me this the day I woke up in the infirmary."

"You could've told me. But you decided to take things into your own hands, now you're on your own. Good luck trying to explain this to the headmasters and everyone else. Doubt they'll trust you either."