Between Shadows (Shadows Saga bk2)

Chapter 3- Dare...

"Well, what's it going to be Mara?" Trixle asked wiggling her eyebrows.

"Um. Dare." Mara stuttered slightly, she was afraid of what her friend might have up her sleeve.

"Excellent!" She threw her hands up in the air. "I dare you... To kiss Marx."

Mara just stared open-mouthed at Trixle. What on earth is she doing? 

"Come on, you heard me."

"I-I changed my mind. I want to do truth instead." Mara said looking at the ground.

"Can she do that?" Emmett asked. Of course he would be on her side. 

"No she can't. You can't do that Mara."

"You never said that in the rules."

The entire time Marx kept trying to interject, but the girls were ignoring him. 

"That's because I shouldn't have to explain the rules!" Trixle stated.

Mara kept her eyes on the ground. "You should have stated at the beginning that you couldn’t change your mind."

"Fine." Trixle huffed. "Then truth it is. Why don't you want to kiss Marx?"

"I-it's not that I don't want to kiss Marx..." She trailed off.

"Well, then what is it?" Trixle prodded.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Mara, even if they didn't want to admit it, everyone was curious as to why anyone would want to deny their mate in the way Mara had done to Marx.

Mara could feel anxiety building up inside until she felt like she was about to burst.

Suddenly she was sitting in the dark. She looked around trying to find her friends in the blackness but came up empty. She called out for them but no one was around. 

In the dark silence Mara dropped her head into her hands frustrated at herself by the situation she had gotten herself into.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marx stared at Trixle, with a tinge of anger in his eyes when Mara disappeared from right in front of them. 

She read his glare loud and clear. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to help."

"And how well did that work out Trix?" Marx snapped at her.

"I just thought that if she shared what she was feeling then it would finally move things along." She trailed off.

"Right idea, wrong way to go about it. This isn't your battle, this is between Mara and myself."

"Okay, well I'm her best friend. I know when she needs a push." 

"Well obviously you pushed in the wrong way. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to track her down."

Trixle sat on the floor in her room in silence as Marx stormed out the door in search of Mara.

He picked up a scent he recognized as hers. It smelled like roses with a cinnamon spice. She was still on the same floor he could tell. 

There wasn't really a trail since she had transported herself from the room, but he could smell the general direction she was in. 

He turned down the hallway to his left and stopped short outside of a supply closet. He sniffed once more double-checking that her scent was actually coming from the other side of the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mara could see a shadow in front of the door by the small line of light coming from underneath. It shifted from side to side before the door opened and Marx stepped through.