Capítulo VXIX- Resistir

     Patience crossed her arms behind her back, pacing around her students. There was an arm's length of space between each student aligned in rows. Their legs were further apart from the length of their shoulder and squatted down, hands formed in fists by their hips. Patience kept them in a horse stance to build mobility and strength in their legs as they completed the move she announced.

     Some students had their hips dropped lower than the others, but she didn't mind. They all learned at different rates. Patience paced around the students with her hands clasped behind her back. She viewed her students as she repeated the specific move. She shouted a command and her class responded, giving a loud grunt.

    Patience reminded them, "Breathe out with every strike. I want to hear a louder Kihap." She hopped onto the platform of the training room. She squatted down to a low horse stance in front of the dummy. She inhaled and exhaled pulling her feet back into a fighting stance. "Keep your knees bent. We don't want a stiff stance or else, we'll be knocked off balance." Patience lifted her leg and snapped her leg out, exhaling. She released a strong Kihap. She struck the dummy's chin with the ball of her foot, rocking it back.

     Patience faced her class and she instructed, "Do it again. Go, side kick!" Her class repeated the same move and released a louder Kihap. She stepped down and complimented, "Great! Again!" Her class once again repeated it. She moved around, hoping that none of her students would accidentally target her. She kept enough space between each one of them. "Two!"

     Apollo pivoted his foot and snapped his leg out. His foot returned and he lowered himself in a horse stance. "Apollo, keep your foot tucked in even when you put it down," Patience advised. "We need to stay on our toes."

     "Got it, Patience," he replied.

     She sent him a thumbs up and turned to another student a few people down. She helped her as she slowly lifted her foot. Patience raised her hand to her belly button, "I want you to hit it a little lower. Let's focus on having the correct form and strong kicks." The student pushed her foot out and her shoe hit Patience's palm. "See, I knew you could do it! We'll do our stretching drills again for a cool down."

     Once the student returned to her horse stance, Patience demanded, "One more kick." She made her way back to Apollo. This time he kept the side of his foot curled inward and placed it on the floor. "Very good, Apollo."

     His lips formed a fine line as she walked back onto the platform.

     "Okay, you can stand upright while I demonstrate a hook kick. Let's give your legs a little break and watch me," she pinched her fingers together and smiled. "This one is one of the harder kicks we're learning right now."

      She stood in a ready stance with her left foot forward and right foot back, knees bent, and arms up. "You lift your knee about 45 degrees like we were with the side kick. But instead of bringing your leg straight out, we are shooting it out at an angle across your hip," she slowly kicked her back foot up. "Then swing it back straight in front of you." Her leg copied the movement. "Once it's here, bend it in. Then bring it back."

     Patience swiftly lifted her right foot. She loudly grunted, striking the dummy's side. It tumbled to the floor and strung right up to its position. "See how the back of my ankle hit the dummy?" She received replies of confirmation around the room. "Okay, any questions?"

     Leo raised his hand, "Uh, yes. Let's say someone's balance isn't quite there yet, is there an alternative?"

     "Practice your side kicks. If you feel confident, you can practice a hook kick at your own pace."

     "Ah, gotcha."

     "Any more questions?" Nobody replied and she said, "Okay. You may begin."

     The bionic students checked their space again and began to practice the new kick. Patience glanced at the pads she had out on the platform. She picked up a clapping pad and her first stop was Leo. He had his leg in the air, balancing on his front foot. He pivoted his foot and lost a bit of his balance.

     She stood beside him, pointing at his hands, "Keep your arms up. If you swing them around to balance yourself it won't help. Aim lower when you kick, too. Maybe try the height of your hip."

     "You only showed it once. You know, it's hard to remember all of it." He raised his hands in front of his face.

     "I know. that's why I walk around to help whoever needs it," she mentioned. "Now, try again."

     Leo brought his knee up and shot his foot out, the ball of his foot hit his invisible target. "I definitely got it that time."

     "You did!" Patience took a step back. She held out the clapping pad at the same height as his hip. "Give it your best kick."

     Leo clenched his fist and narrowed his eyes at the clapping pad. He was on his toes and pivoted to the side, once again kicking out and exhaling. "Kihap!" The clapping pad echoed throughout the room. His martial arts shoes softened the sound of his foot stomping the metal floor.

     "There we go!" she held her hand up for a high five. He slapped her hand, smiling.

     Bob called Patience's name and before she could answer, he asked, "Is there like a punch or something I can do instead." He placed his hands on his hips, "Cause I don't know if you've noticed, kicking isn't my thing."

     She hummed, "There are ways to disarm people like learning the pressure point of the body."

     "So how do we do that?"

     "You'll learn eventually. Right now we are working on kicks. You won't get better if you ignore it."

     He gestured to himself, "But I was made for punching and throwing."

     "That's what you think. If you keep practicing, you will get it down, Bob."

     Spin sighed, "You say that for everything we do."

     "It's because it's true. Look at Leo," Patience gestured to him. "Before, he could barely get his leg up. Now, he can kick me down." Her eyes widened, clarifying, "I'm using Leo as a good example. I wasn't saying he was weak. The same thing happened to me. I used to take classes until I was ten. Then I just practiced on my own and watched YouTube videos. I've been learning for years."

     "Great, so it's gonna take us six years to get where you're at?"

     "Maybe, maybe not. If you keep practicing every day then you might get there quicker. But just because I'm a mentor now doesn't mean I stopped learning. I have much to learn."

     He groaned, "Fine."

     "Oh," her eyebrows raised remembering. "Please, feel free to use the wall again to practice!"

      Some of her students split up to find space on a wall, including Bob and Spin right behind him. Bob returned to snapping his leg out. He continued another series of side kicks to sustain his balance. Besides he didn't want to embarrass himself by falling flat on his bottom again. Meanwhile, Spin practiced swinging his leg for a hook kick.

     Apollo completed his hook kick and planted his foot on the ground, roughly turning to the side. His messy speed caught his mentor's attention. Patience mentioned, "You should slow down."

     He stood in his fighting stance, glancing to his side. He clenched his fists and brought his legs up again. His back leaned and his leg messily bent on the hook.

     "You're leaning far too back."

     "I know, Patience," he huffed. "I'm trying to get it down."

     "I'll be here to guide you through it. Let's start without bending the leg like-"

     Silvia cut in, "Patience, I need help, too." She sent a glare to Apollo and his attitude as Patience spun around. "I think I'm doing whatever Apollo is doing."

     "I can help you both!"

     Apollo could've sent a thankful glance to Silvia, thanking her for keeping Patience off his back. However, his irritation blindsided him. Patience gave directions as Silvia intently listened. Some of her words escaped Apollo's ear.

    It was a repetition of the same instructions she had said on the stage, to Bob and Spin, and the same compliments when he achieved something minor. His hindrance didn't need to hear it again, Apollo didn't want to. Not everyone could get it quickly, even less with her talking in his ear. He had three months of experience compared to the eight years she had. Having his bionics was like first nature to him, unlike fighting. It was ridiculous given his only purpose was being a bionic soldier. Or so he thought.

     Regardless, Apollo let Patience go over it again.

     After training, Apollo didn't meet his friends for dinner. He grabbed something small and he finished it before they arrived. He walked off to a secluded area of the academy. He aired out his shirt feeling it stuck to his sticky skin from the hot sun and humid air. Wherever Apollo was taken from, he didn't think he grew up in a humid environment. He held his hands out front of him and pinched the air, pulling up his arms. The seawater below him copied his movement in a stream. His foot stepped out and his arms gently flowed the water closer to his body.

     Hands spread out, he sat down on the edge of the island. The rushing water wrapped around his shin. The clear saltwater lightened the bruise he received from training. He had accidentally struck the support beam during a sparring session with Silvia. She ducked, dodging his kick and he lost control and hit the metal.

     Apollo's pants were already rolled up to his knees from previous attempts. The wet material stuck to his skin. There was no point in removing the water when he struggled against it. His fingers tensed above the glowing water. Slowly the temperature of it began to rise as did his frustrations.

     He groaned and released it. It splashed back into the ocean as he threw himself back onto the patch of grass. His eyes squinted glancing up at the sun as he caught his breath.

     "Apollo? What are you doing?"

     Apollo nearly let an audible complaint slip out as he heard Patience's voice. He pushed himself up on his forearms, turning his head to the incoming girl. "Sunbathing," he replied.

     Patience tilted her head looking at his exposed injury and the water droplets sticking to him. "Were you practicing-" her finger circled to the nasty bruise on his shin.

     Apollo didn't have enough energy right now to shoo her away. "Yeah. I've been trying to get the hang of healing. All the water does is glow." He questioned, "How do you heal?"

     "I don't. It just happens. Which is really nice, but because I have no control over it, I can heal things improperly."

     "Like what?"

     "If there was an explosion and a shrapnel got stuck somewhere, it would heal around the wound and it'd be stuck in me. Or a bone could improperly heal if it isn't positioned right. Unless I remove my chip and get surgery."

    "Damn. That sucks."

     "Yeah. I've never thought about gaining control over that." Patience crossed her arms and leaned her weight on one foot. "Do you want any help? How long have you been out here?"

     An hour.

     He shrugged, "I don't know."

     Patience placed her hand on the ground and sat beside him. "You almost boiled your leg. Don't you think keeping all that anger in you is holding you back?"

     He kept his gaze on the open ocean as he lied, "That was a mistake. I don't have complete control over my bionics remember?"

     "I don't think so. I think you have enough control not to do that."

     Apollo rolled his eyes and the temptation to throw himself into the ocean crossed his mind. It's always the same thing, I know you can do it! Great job, guys! You may think your progress is nothing but we're getting somewhere! Why couldn't Patience admit that he wasn't excelling like some students were? He had never seen a frown on her with disappointment as her students failed to accomplish something on the first try.

    A wave splashed against the academy's metallic walls below him. "I don't need you to hold my hand like you're my mom. Just cause others accept it, doesn't mean I do."

    Something in Patience's stomach twisted. A tight knot at the back of her throat nearly choked her words. "I don't hold you're hand. Do I?"

    "Uh, yeah, you are. You did it today. You did it the day before and you'll do it again tomorrow. Why is it that you're so positive all the time, even when things aren't perfect?"

     Patience stayed silent, sitting up straight. She contemplated whether she would give him an honest answer. She barely knew Apollo and giving him details of her life he didn't care about seemed out of the picture.

     "My dad is the most positive person I know. When I was going through dark times he would always encourage me to push through." She softly smiled at Apollo, "I guess that's why. I want to encourage and help you to do your best." He bit back his tongue as Patience stood up. "I want to say one last thing before I go to give you your space. Instead of trying to go against the water-" Patience wiggled her arms, swaying them as she lowly balanced herself side to side, "Relax your body and go with the flow of the water." It was supposed to sound like a joke, however, it left her sounding flat. Patience turned on her heel and left the silent boy on the edge of the island.

     He scoffed feeling the unsettling feeling at the pit of his stomach as she tried her best to hide the hurt expression on her face. Apollo was angry yet guilty. She could have left it at that, being the positivity in people's lives like her dad was to hers. Then, he would ruminate by himself in the corner of the academy. Yet she had to add the last piece of advice to hold his hand again.

     He had only been outside for an hour. Apollo wasn't ready to give up. He was annoyed but he wasn't ready quite yet. Whether it would be another two hours or four. Four more hours when the moon is climbing to its peak, sitting outside in the cold ocean breeze, pitch black waters with sea creatures lurking around-

     Apollo looked at his dangling feet above the water. He backtracked thinking of the wonders below him. The only thing stopping him from drowning was the academy stuck to the sea floor. Maybe he should get up before it gets dark. Just one last time. Apollo twirled his finger and water swirled up.

     He took a deep breath and exhaled, listening to the sea swoosh below him. He felt the ocean breeze forgetting the humidity, closing his eyes. He let go of the tension on his shoulders and his fingers danced the water around his leg. The water glowed again, however this time, it continued to circle his leg. The purple bruise felt cool against his skin, slowly turning red, then back to his ivory skin tone.

     When Apollo opened his eyes, he stared at the empty spot on his shin, frowning. He lifted his dangling feet back on the island. In a fluid motion, Apollo pinched the water drenching his leg, and returned it into the ocean. He let his pants cover his dry leg as he stood.

     Apollo paced to the glass doors and pulled them open. He wasn't far from the dorm rooms. He could have ran, but he'd rather not receive odd stares from his classmates. Usually running meant running for danger or trouble. It happened way more often than it should in a secure bionic island. There's not much he can say other than he didn't build it.

     Apollo recognized the wavy hair bouncing on Silvia's head. She was in her black pajamas set every student owned. She grimaced hearing the running steps. It was too late for someone to be running near the student dorms. "Why are you running?"

     He came to an abrupt halt next to her. He didn't care enough to take steady breaths. His body would soon adjust to the sudden stop. "Look at what I can do. Show me your most recent bruise," he demanded.

     Her forehead creased, "What are you talking about?"

     "Let me just show you." Apollo gestured to her arm, "Let me see your wrist, isn't it still bruised from Spikette?"

     Silvia held back the urge to roll her eyes and rotated her arm to expose the blue and purple bruise around her wrist. He flipped open the lid to his artificial water skin. His arms guided the water to wrap around her wrist. Apollo took a deep breath and exhaled, repeating the same steps as he did five minutes ago.

     The water glowed and Silvia jerked her arm back, "What are you doing!"

     "Um, healing you," he obviously stated.

     She calmly held her arm out,  "You could have started off with that."

      Apollo maneuvered the water back on her wrist. Goosebumps erupted on her skin as the cool water touched her injury. The glowing water rushed around her bruise for a few seconds without a change of color. But as she was about to ask Apollo another question, the bruise faded. It didn't have a strain on her skin or a numbing feeling. It was like stepping into cool water to refresh yourself on a hot day.

     Apollo drifted his arms to his left side. A thin stream aimed at the small opening of his water skin, pulling the water off Silvia's skin.  She pushed on the spot where the bruise was supposed to be, not a single wince. "When did you learn this?"

     "Eight minutes ago."

     "What? And you made me your first victim?"

     "What's the harm that can happen? I was healing you."

     "I've seen you cut a bench in half."

     Apollo waved it off, "Stop being dramatic toward your personal doctor."

     "Don't disregard my concern," Silvia shoved his shoulder. She continued her walk to the shared living space. "Does Patience know about this?"

     "Yeah, she does. She sorta helped me with this."

     "Sorta? I won't let you do your weird healing magic if you don't explain."

     Apollo held back the urge to mock her, but he had yet to master the ability to heal. "I've been practicing since Douglas and Patience scanned our chips. She caught me healing my leg and tried to help."

     "So where is she?"

     He licked his lips, answering honestly, "I lashed out and she left."

    Silvia shoved his shoulder again roughly, "You're a jerk!"

     "I know, I know," he shifted his body away. "I already feel bad, you don't need to make it worse."

     "Uh, yes, I will. She was trying to help." Her hands gestured to his entire being, "You don't even look like you feel bad."

     "Yeah, I do." Apollo crossed his arms and knitted his eyebrows. He deepened his frown like a child not getting what he wanted. Silvia sneered, laughing. "What?"

     "You look stupid. Just cause I said that doesn't mean you have to. I was just saying." Silvia sighed, tossing her head back. She pushed the doors open and let it swing back for Apollo to open them himself. "Look, Patience just went out to watch a movie with Chase. They'll be back in two hours or something like that. Think of an apology while she's gone."

     Apollo grabbed Silvia's arm before she could walk away. "How do I do that?"

    "All you need to do is say this and listen closely," she motioned for him to come closer. Apollo leaned his head closer to her and she drawled, loudly, "Patience, I'm sorry!"

     "Oh, what the- Silvia," he groaned, leaning away.

     "It's not hard. It's just hard because you're terrible and emotionally constipated."

     "Emotionally constipated? What does that even mean?"

     "You bottle things up and lurk in the corner." Apollo scowled, trudging to the couch. He threw himself on it and his body lay limp. "Is it really that hard for you to openly express yourself?" she asked. She crossed one leg over the other and leaned back on the soft cushions.

     "...yes."

    "Come on, Apollo. You speak to me just fine. Patience is no different. She's probably a better option actually 'cause she won't make fun of you."

     "Well, I've known you longer than I've known her. We've been friends since day one."

     "That's cause you're not trying hard enough to seek other people. All you do is give grumpy remarks and look mad when someone tries to talk to you. More than half of the time it's your own friends."

     Apollo wanted to rebuke, but it would only prove her point. He had been stuck with a small group of friends for almost three weeks. It wouldn't seem like a long time if they didn't live with each other. By then, he should have given them something. It took him two weeks to comfortably speak to Silvia. And Patience was his mentor. She had been for a little over a month. He trusted her as much as she annoyed him. If anything were to go down, Apollo could rely on Patience. So, why couldn't Apollo merely talk to her?

    "Apollo?"

     He turned his head to Silvia. "What?"

     "What are you holding in?" she simply questioned.

     He rested his elbows on his knees and interlaced his fingers together. Apollo leaned forward avoiding to look at her. "You know, I can't stand Patience sometimes. I like her-"

     "She has a boyfriend."

     "Gross, Silvia. Not like that. As a human being. But I can't stand how she hovers over me sometimes. She's like an overbearing mother worrying about her children."

     "Have you ever like, I don't know, told her that you need space during class?" she sarcastically said. Though, it was a genuine answer.

     "No. I should, shouldn't I?" One glance at Silvia's stupefied face and he knew his answer. "That was a stupid question."

     "It was. You get mad at everyone else because you hold everything in and you just explode."

     "When I talked to Patience earlier, she mentioned my anger holds me back. Could it be possible that it's not holding back just my bionics?"

     "Are you listening to what I'm telling you? Yes, it is. You just have to let go," she expanded her arms.

     Apollo cracked a small smile. Patience said something similar making a funny gesture. Even if she was upset, she cracked a dumb joke. Perhaps it was only to hide her hurt expression, but thinking of their similar poses brought him humor. "Patience and Chase should be back in two hours, you said?"

    "Something like that. Just tell her what you just told me just now. I'm sure she'll understand. Just don't be a jerk about it," she sternly pointed her finger at him. "Or I'll make our next spar session a sure trip to the infirmary for you."

     He rolled his eyes, "Yep, got it."

     "Can I leave now?" Silvia asked, pointing her thumb at the door. "I did all I could to help. The rest is up to you and your internal battle."

     "I don't have an internal battle."

     "I was joking... not really," she stated, grinning. She pushed herself off the couch. "But I'm serious, think it  through, and don't be a jerk about it."

     "I got it, Silvia," he said, exasperated. Apollo bounced his knee as he quickly added, "Thanks."

     She shrugged, smiling, "Yeah, you're welcome."

     The radio was low and Patience's voice bounced in the car. There was a redness around her eyes and a streak of tears she wiped with her knitted sleeve. It stained the light blue material, but she continued to talk. Chase glanced at the road ahead, car headlights beamed underneath the setting sun. He took worried glimpses at his girlfriend, listening as much as he can.

     "It was so sad, Chase. He finally reunited with his wife and he died thirty minutes later," Patience sniffled. Her hands covered her face, "And Toothless didn't even mean to kill him. It was Drago's fault."

     The teenage couple had exited the theater 15 minutes ago and were near the academy. Patience had silently cried in her seat during the final act of How to Train Your Dragon 2. She thought she had finished crying stepping out of the theater. She excitedly spoke about the movie as they drove out of the parking lot until she got to the final act.

     She rambled about the new movie they had a scene and called back scenes from the first one. He had some things to say and inputted his thoughts, but he let Patience speak. It was cute watching her speak passionately about it. He let her talk her heart out like she let him run his mouth about his passions. Even if she was crying trying to explain it. He could only offer a gentle hand on her knee before watching the road again.

     "And the song, it was so beautiful!"

     Chase had seen the first movie more times than he could count on his fingers. Patience surpassed him by watching it more than the amount of weeks in a year. Of course, he would watch it when she always was. The first movie became repetitive to him, allowing him to recite the lines with her. He didn't have the heart to tell her to switch it off. More so when she watches Alien Gladiators when he switches it on.

     "Toothless is so adorable though. He has a goofy smile and I love it so much." Her face was still stained with tears but the smile was on her face again. Patience turned her body to him in her seat, "Chase, I want to get a pet again. You need to take my phone away."

     As she withdrew her phone from her pocket, he said, "First it was Otis, then, Toothless? As much as I think you'd be a wonderful pet mother, I think you should think things through." His free hand reached for her phone. He simply placed it in the cup holder, "I'm not taking your phone."

     She sighed and placed it back in her pocket. "You're right. I need to think it through before I get one. I'm too busy to have one."

     "Maybe later on. I mean, right now you have school and it is your last year, too. And you have the academy and missions."

     "I know! They're so cute, though! But I have to be responsible. Why did Toothless have to be animated so cute?"

     He added, shrugging, "But I have to agree. He is pretty cute."

      "You understand me."

     Chase passed through security to park the car in the academy's lot. Patience hopped out of the vehicle and patted her white skirt down. She threw her purse over her shoulders as he locked the car. Patience looked up at the twinkling stars above and an arm rested over her shoulders. She smiled at Chase, "The meteor shower is soon. Are you excited?" She placed her hand over the arm dangling on her shoulder.

     He scoffed, "Excited?" Chase's eyes glimmered and he bounced up, grinning, "I'm thrilled! We get about 30 meteor showers a year, but this year, I upgraded Mr. Davenport's telescope! If Saturn aligned with us, we would be able to see its rings! Of course, we wouldn't be looking so close. It just gives you an idea of how far we can see."

     Patience looked up at him with a soft expression on her face. She loved hearing him ramble about the things he created or had an interest in. From afar, she probably looked dazed with admiration with his words flowing from one ear and out the other. However, she listened contently.

     "Patience, we'll be getting front-row seats to the show, and it's during the night, too! Hey, I could show you Mr. Davenport's meteorites! Technically we're not supposed to touch them, but let's be honest, when have we ever listened to him?" he shrugged. He tilted his head to her and furrowed his eyebrows, "What?"

     She lightly pinched his cheek, "You're cute when you geek out."

     He lowered her hand so she wouldn't feel his face heating up. "I wouldn't exactly say I was geeking out. I was expressing excitement for a particular event."

     She corrected herself, "I love it when you get excited over that kind of stuff." She cupped his face in her warm hands. Compared to the heat trapped on his face, her hands were a lot cooler. "It's cute because it makes you happy." Her thumbs caressed his cheekbone and she giggled feeling his warm face. She stood on her toes, pecking his lips.

     Chase could have sworn he melted like an ice cream on a sunny day. A small part of him felt embarrassed, but the necessity to be near her overtook it. He gently pinched her chin, tilted her head, and pulled her close by her waist. He didn't let her get away as he connected their lips again.

     Every kiss felt the same. Not in a foul way, however. He loved holding Patience close and he took the opportunity of being alone in the lot without his siblings poking fun at him to do so. There was nothing better than his lips against hers in the quiet lot, under the moon with the brightest star in his hands.

     Patience's phone buzzed, bringing them to an abrupt stop. Still, in a small daze, she questioned the intrusion. Her eyebrows shot up reading the note, "It's almost curfew!" A small pout popped on Chase's lips. "We better go before Mr. Davenport calls us."

     Patience giggled at his pout. She tapped his chin up, "What's wrong? I thought you liked following schedules?"

    "But I like being with you more. It went by too fast," he replied. She stood on her toes and pecked his cheek. "Okay," he shrugged, grinning and admitting, "I'm a little better now."

     Patience kissed his other cheek, "Thank you for taking me to the movies."

     His eyebrows knitted together, "Even if it made you cry from sadness?"

     "Yeah, even if it made me cry." She hooked her arm with his, "Toothless is so cute!"

    Chase laced her fingers with her letting her adoration for the dragon show again. It only came to a stop when the Hydroloop doors closed to take them to the academy.

     Upon their arrival to the hydroloop room, Apollo waited for Patience on the bench. He hadn't been sitting there longer than ten minutes. He had managed to get some information through Silvia from Xue when Patience would be back. So he waited on the bench before their curfew in case they returned early.

     Apollo snapped his head up at the doors opening and immediately regretted his decision. Patience had a frown on her face and her eyes looked pink from where he stood. There weren't any tears on her face so it must have been a while since she last shed some. Apollo had to pick the worst day to snap.

     If he messed up his apology and made her cry even more, he'd never hear the end of it from Silvia and Xue. He'd either get remarks or slapped upside the head or worse, attacked by both girls. He grumbled and folded his arms across his chest like a pouting child. He would have to apologize later.

     Patience laughed at something Chase had said. He had a grin on his face as the hydroloop shut behind them. She felt Apollo's presence and she grinned at him. It was genuine, unlike the pathetic smile he saw last. Her welcoming gaze almost led him to walk toward the couple, but he directed himself in a different direction.

     It was like he never lashed out. Apollo didn't understand her. He could probably shove her into a pile of mud and she would forgive him. It hadn't even been a full day. He asks himself for the millionth time, why does she act like nothing happened? Like there was never a problem to begin with?

     Chase furrowed his eyebrows as he continued down the tunnel. Apollo wasn't much of a talker but he'd at least reply with a short, "Hey." and ignore any eye contact to discontinue the conversation. Patience fell sullen to his avoidance and the only thing she concluded to his disdaining look was their conversation.

-

My bad ya'll I was supposed to have this out last week, but I rewrote a scene and then I procrastinated. But at least that procrastination led me to make new book covers lmaoooo. As apology I added for the two or three month wait I can't remember there's some Chase and Patience fluff.

There's a small glimpse at Apollo. I'm enjoying making chapters from different characters POV

-Aithusa