Sky

I race after Octavia, desperate to calm her down. We really need to talk about her running from her problems, both metaphorically and literally. My hands are still stinging, blood dripping heavily. Shit. They should have closed up by now. I glance up seeing Riven and I have reached the barrier.

"Fuck!" Riven shouts out.

"She must have gone through." I say hastily, rushing forwards to cross myself.

"No, Sky- wait. Your hands"

I whip around, protests already falling out of my mouth but when I look down at the injuries. I freeze. They're covered in black veins. As if they had been filled with tar. My stomach churns at the thought. What the hell is going on Tavi?

"Find Harvey and send Silva after me if I take longer than an hour." Riven says, clasping my shoulder.

I look at him - really look at him - his eyes are pleading, glancing between me and the blackened flesh. I tense at the desperation in his eyes. This is his way of apologising, he would never say it out loud but- he needs this. He needs to do this. To help someone.

"Go" please trust me to do this. He says.

I nod, watching as he breaks back into a sprint. Riven crosses the barrier and I stay still, waiting till he is out of sight before turning back to school.

My hands have gone numb but I can feel a burning sensation begin to fill the blackened veins. Tavi has got a shit load of explaining to do. I make it back to the courtyard, fairies and specialists alike are hanging out. Fuck- weekend. They'll all be out of class and filling the hallways. They can't see me like this, they'll ask questions. About how I got injured. How Tavi did this. Why did she do it. They'll think she's a threat. I turn hastily, walking as fast as I can to the specialist block.

"What happened to you?" A cocky feminine voice asked.

I looked to my left seeing a short redhead with dark lipstick smirking at me.

"Excuse me?" I ask, glancing around only to see we were the only ones on the path.

"Your hands." She arches a manicured eyebrow in question. She drops the smirk, her staring blue eyes darkening. "I know those marks anywhere."

I tense, feeling the air around me crackle to life. How-

"Octavia." She drawls, " and I are old friends."

I straighten up, angling into a fighting stance as my instincts roar to life.

"I don't know what- or who you are talking about." My voice is low and dark. That ridiculous smirk curls over her face.

"Oh?" She steps toward me. "So you have been trailing after my friend for the last week and a half like a lost puppy?"

I pause, glaring at her. Some dark primal instinct rises. Who does she think she is? How dare she threaten what is mine.

"Where is she?" She asks, her voice low. But her eyes- something small and dark flickers there. Wrath builds at her tone.

"Listen, and listen well." I demand, stalking towards her.

"I don't know who you are." She opens her mouth mockingly to respond. "And I don't care." I snap and she stops with a pout. "Whatever you think is going on, isn't. Stay away from me and my friends. Or so help me Helios, I will rip your fucking heart out."

She blinks.

Shock contorts her features. For a second, just a second, I see a rage similar to mine burning in her eyes. Then it's gone, replaced with that condescending look.

"Fiiiine." She sighs, dramatically rolling her eyes at me. She walks away from me and I fight the urge to attack while her back is turned.

"Don't tell me, I'll find her either way." She calls over her shoulder, her scoff audible at my responding snarl.

Helios, this is a shit day.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Octavia

Guilt fills me as I look at the unanswered texts on my phone. Sky keeps reassuring me that he's fine, that I should come back to his dorm and talk to him. Or not his dorm, my dorm, or Stella's dorm, or even the training grounds, whichever I prefer. I smile slightly at his texts. My rogue hero, so desperate to help everyone. I flick through the other texts, leaving Sky on read.

Harsh, Darkling comments humorously. I like it.

Shut up, I grumble. This is your fault anyways.

Our fault? Asmodeus asks incredulously. Your the one who ran.

And I told you top stop me if I tried to do something stupid again. I whine.

Would you have listened?

...no. But they already know that.

I let out a sigh and scroll through Riven's texts. Laughter bubbles inside me. Could he be any more ridiculous? Only Riven could make insults and threats sound loving and concerned.

Where the fuck am I. What the hell is my childish little brain thinking? My weak fairy arse can't protect myself outside of the barrier. Running away was petulant and silly and rude of me to make him chase after me. Phone him back and stop being such a brat.

Honestly, if anyone ever saw these they'd think he was abusive or something. Not just an emotionally repressed teenager who uses sarcasm and insults to cope with life.

Not that it matters to me. Stella says I have a type- that type is apparently red flags and garbage.

Somethings out here. We can't see it yet.

Shit. This was so stupid of me. This was 'first blonde white bitch to die in a horror movie' stupid. Not that I'm technically blonde anymore, hair dye really-

FOCUS.

Fuck, right. Threat.

I clamber to my feet, hastily looking around.

Shield Octavia. Belial Snaps

The shadow tinted shield snaps down around me with an audible thud. My magic hums and sings in delight at being used before it sharpens and cools into something predatory and protective.

Find Riven and get back to school. Belial commands

Riven- Fuck. Why did he have to follow me?

Riven's a ten minute run away. Head towards your 2 o'clock- get a move on. Belial demands

The sound of snapping branches underfoot fills the area as I race through the forest. I weave in and out of trees as fast as I can, desperately searching for any sign of Riven or the threat. Above, I see a flock of birds take to the sky.

It's picked up on your scent. Some kind of mountain beast, non-magical but still deadly.

Okay, okay. I got this. It could be worse. My lungs start to burn with panic. C'mon, Octavia- you've been training with Drea for months, you've got this. Distantly I see a humanoid form ahead. Please be Riven.

The figure starts running toward me and I recognise the familiar mop of messy brown hair. Thank Helios.

"Pixie!!!" he shouts alarmed.

I hear the cracking and earth shattering of trees being crushed behind me. Motherfu-

RROaaaaAAAAAAWWWWWWWWR

"RUN!" I scream.

Riven doesn't hesitate to fall into step beside me. To his credit, he doesn't falter at the sight of whatever is hunting us. I feel the earth shake beneath us as the barrier comes into sight.

FASTER Belial roars.

I stumble as my shield takes a hit. The sheer power in the blow made a dent in my magic reserves. Riven grabs hold of me and continues to drag me along with him, refusing to let us lose speed.

8 metres.

The sound of thundering steps gets louder and louder. The ground shaking and causing us to stumble.

6 metres.

My lungs burn, Riven's panting beside me.

4 metres.

The Alfea forest is in sight.

The beast roars, sending us tumbling to the ground. I roll onto my back, getting a glimpse of a massive jaw filled with teeth before the area erupts into darkness.

FIGHT ME YOU WEAK MONGREL

Belial, you're a fucking legend.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Riven and I sit just inside the barrier, watching the mass of dark shadows as the sounds of roars, whimpers and crushing trees fill the area.

"How long do you think this is going to take?" Riven asks hesitantly.

"I- I'm not sure. It's not done this before."

"Huh"

We fall back into silence. Staring at the receding shadows as Belial appears to be dragging the creature by its tail back into the forest. Boss move.

I sigh and rise to my feet. I need to see Stella, she's going to be so pissed that I nearly got eaten by some creature again. Riven glances up at me, eyes wide in concern before he relaxes at the sight of me. I guess I'm not the only one who gets jumpy after these... incidents. I walk through the forest, admiring the world without the constant buzz of the shadows. They can't permanently leave but they can travel distances without me, it's how they hear and see things. I've not been alone like this for years. They never all leave at once. For a second, just a second, elation fills me. Just me.

"Where are you going?"

Not just me then. Me, myself and- Riven.

"Stella's dorm. I need to vent." I snip. Irritation born of exhaustion and near death fills me. 

"Are you going to explain what just happened?" He demands.

Probably not Riven, I don't know what that thing was either. I hear hurried footsteps behind me.

"What about what happened to Sky?" he hums, a sharp edge to his tone. I pause, pain flickers through me at the thought of the blond specialist. "Are you going to explain that Octavia?"

Shit. Full name. Never a good sign. I stop and face Riven.

"What do you want me to say?" My voice is tired but frustration bubbles within me. Why can't he just wait. Haven't we had enough shit going on today.

"What do I- AN EXPLANATION." He yells, eyes blazing as he steps towards me. "Sky- my best friend- got hurt."

I flinch. Guilt consumes me but- no, no .He doesn't get to judge me for losing control.

"And then you were being hunted by that creature. Then WE nearly got eaten by the damn thing so yes, I'd like a fucking explanation."

He stops, panting as he glares into my eyes. Riven clenches his jaw as he trembles with restraint. I'm shaking too. Anger filling me, bubbling up to near desperation. I feel tears burn at the back of my eyes. Too much, today has just been too much.

"I lost control. Just for second. It happens to everyone." I grind out. Riven scoffs, taking a step closer to glare down at me from above.

"Oh stop being such a brat!" He's trembling, "Why must you always run away from the real problems, huh."

I huff and ignore him, choosing to stare out at the forest around us.

He snarls. "And what about the forest creature? The one that nearly ate us"
"I didn't ask you to follow me!" I yell.

"Oh I'm sorry, pixie. Next time you're in danger I'll let you die without a fight shall I" Another step closer - I take one back. His eyes are ablaze with heat. I watched transfixed as his jaw clenches.

"So you were worried about me." My voice comes out breathless as I pant. Riven's eyes darken as he glances down to my lips. Disbelief fills me at the thought, I hurt Sky. I don't understand.

"I thought-"

Whatever I was about to say was cut off the second Riven pressed his soft lips against mine. He pushes gently against me and I feel him pin me to the tree behind me. My mouth parts in shock, allowing his tongue to slip inside.

-avia octav- OCTAVIA

I gasp as Riven is suddenly ripped away from me. Looking around frantically I find him pinned to the mossy floor. I freeze, eyes widening in horror. Black tendrils of shadows have wrapped around his arms, legs and torso, pinning him to the ground like twisted vines.

"What the FUCK pixie!" He yells, thrashing against the bonds.

We said GET AWAY FROM HER

I clutch at my head. The shadows' screeches fill me until I can hardly think. It's like I'm frozen in place, incapable of movement. Fear claws at my throat as I double over in pain.

"-avia" no. nonono, no,no. Not again, please not again. "Octa-"

Please be quiet, I beg

"Octavia!"

I bolt upright, gaping at Riven. He's stopped fighting against the shadows. His blue eyes are clouded with worry causing me tense all over again.

"You know, there are less extreme ways to say you're into it. " He says, voice filled with breathless humour. He pauses - seemingly seeing something in me because his voice loses that hint of laughter.

"You could have just said you didn't want to Pixie," His voice is stern but comforting. "You can calm down now, I'm not going to do anything you don't want."

I pause. He thinks I did it on purpose. That I didn't want to kiss him.

"Sorry," I wince, heart racing. "The shadows are attracted to my light. I can't really control them"

His brows furrowed in confusion as he glanced down at the slowly receding shadows.

"I thought you said they were a part of your magic" He questions.

"They are," I stumble slightly. "It's- It's just more complicated than that"

He looks at me clearly unimpressed with my non-answer. I sigh. Helios, my limbs feel so heavy.

"I can control shadows, yes but I was originally a Light fairy- like my sister." I reach forward and pull Riven up."

"You said they were attracted to the light." He says curiously. His are filled with fascination as he glances down at the shadows still on the floor.

"My family believe they are residue from an ancient spell, or the lost magic of a powerful fairy. Power calls to power, so when my light started emerging- they started appearing" We begin walking back towards the school. Riven takes the lead.

"So.... they're like a separate entity." He asks.

He catches on quick.

Yes, yes. Smarter than he lets on.

... He's still and arsehole though.

"Exactly." I grin at him, feeling lighter than I have all day. It's nice, having someone who understands. It's still there- that weight. But he's made it easier to handle.

"Well," Riven pauses as he glances at the still visible shadows clinging to me. "I guess you weren't exaggerating when you said they were overprotective."

He arches an eyebrow at Darkling who is clearly more agitated than the rest of the shadows.

"You know that was barely a peck."
I choke on a laugh as Riven looks challengingly at the shadow who has stilled in shock.

InsoLENT CHILD. HOW DARE HE-

I flinch back, one hand reaching to my head at the reverberating sound. The other slaps at Darkling, though my hand merely sifts through him.

"Shut it," I snap, irritation bubbling back up. "Riven's only messing with you."

He was trying to kiss you. The shadow says in a horrified tone. He doesn't deserve you.

"And who are you to decide that, hmm." I ask mockingly, glaring at the devious creature

"What the fuck is going on?" Riven asks incredulously.

Sky

"Octavia didn't mean to hurt you." Stella says as she slowly heals the wounds. She's looking at me in desperation, begging me to believe her. I do, but- somethings wrong. Stella and Tavi are keeping secrets, secrets that seem to be causing some damage.

Stella sighs as I look around her dorm from my perch on her bed to avoid her gaze.

"I've not been in your dorm before, It's nice." I comment.

"Tavi helped me decorate but I've always wanted to design my own room, I've been planning this since mother announced I was coming here. I planned Octavia's room too." She moves onto my other hand as I look at the pictures stuck up on the wall. 

"Octavia's room? As in, on her own."
Stella sighs and I see he hesitate.

"Mother, isn't fond of the shadows." She begins, glancing at me hesitantly. "I don't know how much you know about them but their not exactly ideal for public image. So, mother had Octavia given her own room to hide away in. And I was forced to take a room with more students than normal to promote our 'light and good' image."

Helios, that woman's a bitch.

There are a few of Stella and Ricki, Stella and some of her suite-mates at a party- Stella looks irritated but I can see the joy in her eyes... there's barely any of Tavi. No- there's none.

"Why don't you have pictures of Tavi?"

Stella pauses.

"I told you, we weren't close before."

Before what, Stella? Why won't you tell me?

"Stella?" My gaze shoots over to the sound of Tavi's voice.

She's stood in the doorway to Stella's room, exhaustion clearly overtaking her mud covered form. Behind her I can see an equally bedraggled and tired Riven looking, who's staring hesitantly at the small shadows swarming around Tavi's shoulders.

"What happened?" cries Stella as she rushes forward to bring Tavi into her room. I snort at the irritation on Riv's face as Stella barely spares him a glance before pulling him in as well in a clear afterthought.

"Pixie's shadows are weird as fuck is what happened." Riven exclaims as he falls onto the other bed.

"What?" Stella's voice is incredulous as she glances at me in question.

I don't know Stel, just because I befriended the two of them doesn't mean I can immediately translate their moods into stories.

Her eyes narrow- Well maybe you should learn.

I scoff- right, because I want to know all the reasons why Riven looks so frustrated every time Tavi ignores him.

Stella rolls her eyes at me before turning back to the pair in front of us.

"I lost control for a second." Tavi looks at my hands nervously, watching as Stella begins to apply cream to the injuries. She claims she hasn't mastered her power enough to heal much more than surface level wounds- therefore, the poison is just out of her reach. 

"I left to clear my head." Riven snorts at Tavis explanation. "Riven followed me and we ended up running into a little trouble on the way back."

What in Apollo's name happened now????? I open my mouth to question her but Tavi let's out a loud yawn that has me pausing in concern.

"Why don't you get a bath Tavi. Riven can explain further while he waits for his turn." Stella all but commands. Sometimes I think she could rival Silva as a drill sergeant. Stella finishes wrapping my hands before walking into the connected bathroom.

Tavi looks like she's about to protest but her shoulders sag before she nods slightly and begins to rummage through Stella's draws. I tense slightly at the defeated posture she carries, I sit up- eager to comfort her.

"Maybe I should join you Pixie." Riv grins softly. "Save water and all."

She scoffs, straightening up to face Riven. "In your dreams, Riven."
"Oh most certainly." He calls out as she strides into the bathroom.

"Could you be more of a dick?" I irritatedly ask.

Riv rolls his eyes at me before standing up. "I'm going to go get a shower and change."
"What about an explanation?" I ask but Riven laughs as if I've amused him.

"Bring the girls back to ours, I doubt Tavi wants Stella's suitemates overhearing this conversation. Besides, I've been practising my cooking skills. I can make us all dinner."

He calls out over his shoulder as he exits Stella's dorm.

A dinner date with the Siatara twins and Riven, what could possibly go wrong.