Waves of Destiny (Twisted Wonderland)

Chapter 50

Chapter 50

I ended up having a good time at the culture fair with Kalim and Jamil. Later on, Ace and Deuce texted me, so I invited them to join us. By the end of the day, I had almost forgotten about my problems. But then it was time to return to my dorm. My friends offered to walk with me, but I told them I would be fine. I had to get through this on my own. Or, at least, that was what I thought.

"And where do you think you're going?" Floyd said when I had taken only a single step towards Ramshackle. He slung his arm around my shoulders and gave me a lazy look.

"I'm, uh, heading back to my dorm for the night," I said.

"No, you're not," Jade said, appearing at my other side. "I talked to Azul, and he said you may stay with us in our room until the situation with Grim is settled."

I looked at him in surprise. "Really?" I could not deny the relief I felt at this news. "You sure it's okay? I... I'll be fine."

Jade clicked his tongue and shook his head. "You know better than to lie to me, Ona."

"We don't want you to be alone, Shrimpy," Floyd said, tightening his arm around me. "And it might not be safe. We're worried about you."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We don't like the idea of you being alone in a dorm with no one who knows magic," Jade explained. "Your dorm is the least secure because you don't have to pass through a mirror to reach it. I know no one has disturbed you up until now, but someone may learn about your situation and choose to take advantage of it."

I reluctantly had to agree with his point. "Yeah, Jamil said the same thing the first day of training camp." I looked from Jade to Floyd with a smile. "Alright, I'll go with you. But we still need to stop by Ramshackle so I can grab some things I'll need."

"No problem!" Floyd said happily.

A little while later, I found myself in Floyd and Jade's room and ready to turn in for the night. My bag of belongings was placed against the wall in between the two sides of the room. Unlike the last time I spent the night here, there were no blankets for me on the floor. I looked at the twins. "So, how is this going to work?"

Floyd grinned at me. "You need cuddles, right? You can sleep next to whoever you want."

I hesitated. "Well..."

"You should choose Floyd," Jade said. "He is much better at cuddling than I am."

"I'm happy with that," Floyd said. "Unless you want to choose Jade." There seemed to be something more to his tone that I did not understand.

Jade chuckled lightly. "Of course she doesn't." There was something different in his voice too.

"I wouldn't mind either way," I said. "I'm too tired to play games. You guys figure it out."

Floyd and Jade exchanged a series of glancing, seeming to communicate without words. Finally, Floyd grabbed my arm and pulled me to his bed. "Don't worry, Little Shrimpy. You'll have a great sleep."

I smiled slightly once I was cuddled up beside him on the bed. "Yeah. Good night, guys..."

***

I slept fairly well that night. The morning went by smoothly as well. Soon, Floyd, Jade, and I were walking down Main Street together. We had not gotten far when Ace and Deuce approached me like always. Today, however, they appeared a bit more cautious, especially as they glanced at the twins.

"Good morning, Ona," Deuce said politely. "How are you doing?"

"Good morning, guys," I said, giving them a small smile. "I'm doing alright. Thanks."