In Your Element

Chapter 8- Twisted

"He was the kid who always played with the mollusks. The one with the wild hair?"

I look at her with comprehension. "That was Mire?"

Clarisse smiles widely. "He turned out to be a hunk, right? I feel so bad for being so hard on him."

"Me too," I agree. "He definitely isn't the same now."

"He's so sweet! He walked me all the way back to my barrack the night of the party, even though it was so far from his. He held my hand the entire way too. Then, he kissed me on the cheek and said, 'See you in the morning, gorgeous.' I think I floated for a while. Hey, the other night, you made it back, right? Nothing happened? Don't you dare lie to me."

I shrug like it's no big deal. "Just an encounter with a Fire."

"It's not the same one that harrassed you the other day is it?"

I stay silent, searching for an answer. 

"It was, wasn't it!" Clarisse cries, outraged. "You need to report him to someone!"

"It's not that bad, Clarisse," I soothe, lying  through my teeth. "I'm sure once classes start he'll leave me alone. I'm just something to pass the time. No need to worry."

I'm grateful when she nods. "So, how do you feel about Zen? You know he's into you."

I sigh. "I know, but I'm not sure I'm ready to be with him."

"We aren't in Water anymore, Maia!" Clarisse huffs. "You can have a relationship that doesn't involve staying together forever. You and Zen might not even end up-"

She cuts short, not wanting to say the obvious. Zen and I might not end up in the same division. There's also the fact that Clarisse and I probably won't either. 

"That's a year away, Clar," I say. "We've got a whole year before that even happens."

She nods. "Come on, I think it's time we rejoin the others."

--

We did rejoin the others, eventually. We did a fair amount of talking on the way, the kind only best friends who are practically sisters would engage in. Clarisse told me all about Mire and their relationship. She told me her class schedule. I was pleased to hear she was on a work schedule and a Manners class with me. After our catching up ceased, we found the others in the middle of the field. 

Zen immediately scooted over to make room for me next to him, mirroring Mire for Clarisse. Tria look less than pleased, but her thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. Martin and Hera sat at the farthest point from me, looking very much like the two odd fish in the pond. It was cute to see them together. Hera deserves a guy who's grounded. 

We mainly chat about our divisions to wear the time away, since classes don't start for another few days. Mire, Clarisse, and I don't have much to say about our division. I tell our group about Jujo, who is probably lonely back home. 

"We should send him some sort of note when we write our parents. I can't wait to see him!"

I nod in agreement. We talk until the sun sets, then head back to our rooms. The Fire Boy makes no move and I don't see him all day. Still, I have nightmares about him again. He refers to me as a butterfly again. I wake in the night and can't sleep until sunrise. I am almost a walking zombie the rest of the day. Everyone frets over me, but I wake them away. I tell them I'm just stressed and excited for the classes to start. They start the next day. 

Our last day of freedom is spent in companionship. We all stay together and don't seem to want to move. We all have our schedules and we seem to be ready for classes. We play Touch and a few other games to pass the time. Hera and Tria are almost always the undisputed winners everytime in Touch. Mire and Zen beat them twice. Our day ends too quickly, it seems, and we all head in. I toss and turn all night, worrying about the next morning. I don't fall asleep until halfway through the night.