Heart of Fire: The Fire Within (Book 1)

Chapter 39

I heard the buzz of talking and laughing as Solis and I made our way to Tida's room. The early eagerness of my plan began to wear off as it was replaced with apprehension. What would Tida say? What would Val say? Of the three, I was usually the most honest. What if they hated me for this?
Solis rushed forward to make a "grand entrance," but I stopped him before he could. Slowly opening the door, I peered in. Not waiting for a response, since my two friends were on the floor, I walked through and deposited my blankets and pillows on the floor, acting casually. Solis followed suit and plopped down on a beanbag chair. Tida glanced at the scene, then did a double take in surprise. "Erm, hi Solis!"
Val's reaction was a little less pleasant. He immediately shut up and turned his head.
"Hi Tida! Tida it was, right?" Solis confirmed.
"Y-yup..." Tida flashed me a look, but I merely smiled. Val stared daggers into my back.
"Alright, so let's get this party started, eh?" I blurted, trying to alleviate the tension. Tida smiled in agreement, obviously suppressing her questions in order not to offend Solis. "Yeah! What should we do? Ooh, how about Truth or Dare?"
"Sounds like a terrible idea," I said in the same time Solis said "Sounds like a great idea!" He tilted his head at me, wanting an explanation.
"No," I reiterated firmly. "Last time I played Truth or Dare with these wackos, Val and Tida almost got lost in the woods."
"That was a good dare," Tida laughed. "You told me to go out into the woods for ten minutes! And then I didn't come back, so you sent Val to find me."
"Ah, so you're the one with the dangerous dares, Ember," Solis observed. Heat flared up in my cheeks. "N-no! Not normally. That was in revenge for a particularly embarrassing truth."
"Do tell!" Solis insisted. Tida opened her mouth to reveal but I tackled her onto the bed. "No! Bad Tida!"
"I think you've made me curious. Thankfully, I know how to get this information!" Solis leapt onto the bed as well, and I soon felt him tickling me. Tida scrambled to avoid the tickle torture as I flailed, powerless against the flurry. The entire room resonated with laughter.

"I'll... never... tell you!" I managed to get out between laughs that were against my will. "Val... save me!" The dark-haired Catalyst had scarcely moved a muscle since Solis got here.
In a flash, Solis soon wound up on the floor as Val stood over him, a crooked smile on his face. "How's that?"
I gasped for breath. Being subjected to tickling took a lot of energy out of you. "Yup, just fine, thanks. Solis probably has a bruise on his butt now, though."
"So uncool! Totally not worth it," Solis pouted.
"Anyway," I continued, "Let's figure out something to do."
"Still trying to avoid telling me your secret?" Solis grinned. I shook my head at him. "I'm gonna tickle you if you keep this up!"
"How about charades?" Tida suggested.
"Yeah! Charades!" Solis agreed. Val and I gave each other a look. We both knew how awkward I was at acting out in front of people. We didn't play charades much.
"I'll go first!" Solis ran up to the front, leaving me little choice but to join the chosen game.
"Topic can be... um... animals!" He immediately started hopping and flapping his arms up and down.
Tida and I bust up laughing again. Even Val was chuckling. "Solis... please! You're going to kill me with laughter!"
Solis made nearly-unrecognizable squawking sounds in response.
We started throwing out guesses. "Bird," said Tida. Solis motioned his hand in a tight circle to indicate that she needed to elaborate.
"Um... robin."
Solis shook his head at me.
"Penguin?"
"Duck?"
"Duck-billed... platypus?"
"Tida, that's not a type of bird!"
"Swan." Val's quiet voice rose up to the top. Solis exaggeratedly pointed at him. "Yes! God, how did none of you get that? It was so obvious!"
I mentally sighed with relief, but physically grinned at Val. "Looks like you're up next, buddy."
He blanched for a moment, then straightened his face as an all-too-familiar gleam came into his eye. That meant he was thinking deeply.
"Nothing too obscure, please," I requested.
"Darn." Val took his place in the front of us. We waited for him to begin. He just stood and tilted his head at us.
"Statue-monster?" Solis began. He and Tida began competing as they rattled off random animals. I instead watched Val, giving him the stare-down. He just raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. Tida and Solis made note of this observation.
I knit my teeth in suppressed annoyance. I hoped Val wasn't doing this to throw off the game. He was Val, for goodness sake. The crazy one. The badass one. This was really not him.
As if sensing my thoughts, he lightly shook his head at me. I frowned. And then it hit me.