**PREQUEL to Another Love || Edward Cullen**
In another life, I would have been the one he chose. I would be the one holding his hand and giving him a good luck kiss before going into the final event.
In another life, he would have fallen in love w...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
A giggle flew past my lips when my bare feet hit the ground, where I took off like a bullet. The salty wind blew through my hair, and a blush crept to my cheeks as Cedric chased me across the beach. He was much faster than I was, so it didn't take him long to catch up with me.
I giggled when he wrapped his arms around my waist and twirled me around. His laughter echoed in my ears as he slung me over his shoulder like a ragdoll. My own laughter mingled with his. I couldn't stop the butterflies that fluttered in my stomach at the gesture.
Before I knew it, he was running towards the sea. I squealed when he tumbled forward, causing a cold wave to swallow us whole. We both came up giggling and sputtering. The water was chilly despite it being the middle of the summer. Still, in that moment, when he flashed me a crooked smile, I felt warm.
"Happy fourteenth birthday, Cedric," I said to him, returning his smile.
His smile grew and I melted.
***
"Name a spell to keep enemies away," I said to Cedric, briefly glancing up from the textbook to meet his unenthused expression.
I was sitting under the oak tree overlooking the Black Lake and he was pacing back and forth, clearly antsy to get our study session over with. Every day for the past two weeks, we met after dinner at the Black Lake or the courtyard, so that I could shove as much information into his brain as possible before the first challenge. We also practiced dueling every day, and we had both gotten significantly better.
"Cave Inimicum," he mumbled, continuing with his pacing.
"Good." I smiled up at him. "What about a defensive cloud of smoke?"
"Fumos," he was quick to say, wearing a solemn frown.
I quirked a brow at his expression. He hadn't smiled or laughed once during our session, which was definitely odd for my usual happy-go-lucky friend.
"Quick! Your wrist is broken! What spell would you-"
He interrupted me mid-sentence, his grey eyes flashing angrily as he shouted, "Enough!"
My mouth fell open and my eyes widened, completely in shock. Cedric had never yelled at me before. As a matter of fact, I've never heard him yell at anyone. A piercing pain shot through my chest at the realization.
He abruptly stopped in his pacing and stared down at me with a look of pure annoyance and frustration. "I can't keep doing this day after day, Elliana. I know you're worried; I get that, but I have other priorities."
I blinked rapidly, struggling to keep the tears at bay. I closed the book and sprung to my feet, staring up at him. "Surviving the tournament should be your top priority, Cedric. I'm trying to help you. You need to be prepared for-"
