Dance of the Lunars

Morning Texts

(skip to 6:49 AM)

Cress woke up to Thorne's unbearable snoring. She giggled in her mind at how not even he, Carswell Thorne, was perfect.

His grip on her was far to tight to escape, so she'd just have to wait until he came out of his dreams to get up. She slipped her phone out from her holster to play some Angry Birds. Imaging her surprise when she received a text from Winter to join the group's private chat room.

Winter: You awake?

Cress: Yes. What's up?

Winter: Nothing. I just can't get up cause Jacin won't let me.

Cress: Thorne won't let me up either. He woke me with his snoring.

Scarlet: Anyone else up?

Winter: Yeah, me and Cress.

Scarlet: I can't move. Wolf is crushing me.

Cress: Same for me and Thorne.

Winter: Is Cinder up?

Cress: No idea.

Cinder: Hi guys.

Scarlet: What would you call last night?

Cinder: The best dance ever. Also the most unexpected.

Cress: Ditto ;)

Winter: Yep! PS I like Bulbasaur.

Cinder: Pikachu all the way!

Cress: Freaking Squirtle man.

Scarlet: CHARMANDER!

Cress: Ya! I started a Poke-fest.

Winter: favorite Jedi, GO!

Cinder: Obi Wan Kenobi

Cress: Mace Windu

Scarlet: Luminara Unduris

Winter: Anikan Skywalker!

Cinder: Why? He killed all the younglings! And Padme!

Winter: In the end, he kills Palpitine.

Scarlet: True.

Cress: I thought you would have picked Plo Koon, and Cinder would've pick Ani.

Winter: He's cool, but Ani is boss!

Cinder: No! Jacksepticeye is boss!

Scarlet: This is what happens when 4 girls are friends and like the same things. Fangirl fighting.

Cinder: Well he is!

Cress: Boredom has struck us once more.

Winter: Preach to that.

Cinder: Did any of you see 'The Maze Runner'? Man that movie was bad, compared to the book.

Scarlet: Isn't the maze actually underground.

Cress: Yep. And Gally wasn't supposed to die! And why was he so strong?

Cinder: Like Thomas and Teresa's lack of mental telepathy. Another mistake on the directors part.

Winter: When we get home, who wants to play Minecraft?

Cress: ME!

Scarlet: Sure.

Cinder: Once I fix my computer. Adri kicked it for no reason.

Winter: Why does she have to do that? Also, CRESS!

Cress: What?

Winter: I think Thorne is awake. He's looking over your shoulder at what we're saying.

Cress ripped her eyes from her phone to see Thorne. Sure enough, Winter was right. He was intently scanning her texts. She could tell he read the last as his face scrunched. Cress stored at him with a mix of anger and disappointment. "Oh," he chuckled nervously. "Uh ... Hi Cress."

"Hi Thorne." She shut off her phone. "Why were you looking at my texts?"

"No reason." Now he was becoming defensive. "Can't a man just look around."

"There's this thing called Privacy. Most people like it."

"You don't come off as 'Most People'."

"Well, don't look at my texts."

"Okay." He pretended to pout, Cress gave him a glared of disbelief. Changing tactics, he nestled his head in her neck. The warmth he transferred to her gave her a numbness everywhere.

"Thorne ..." Her voice cracked when she spoke. Thorne was trying too hard to get her to smile. Her bones began to shrink, her muscles tensed. His lips brushed against her skin, leaving a trail of blushing skin. "Thorne, please don't."

"Why not?" He broke away from her neck. "You're adorable, sweet, and ... sort of my girl-friend at this point."

"I never said anything about that."

"Well." Thorne pecked her on the cheek. Cress couldn't help but blush again. "Would you like to be my girl-friend?"

"Maybe. As long as you don't decide to do something stupid while we're here."

"That's going to be hard," he whispered sarcastically.

"I know," she joked.

................

Scarlet replied to her friends' random comments was ease. She was, in fact, being smothered by someone who had the frame of an ox. Yet she felt so free and relaxed. Never in a million life times did she imagine herself in the arms of a man. Who actually had similar emotions about her that she had about him.

A burst of heat sparked in her neck. Wolf. He had shoved his face into the back of her neck. He pulled away, only to coax her hair out of his way. Once he finished, he rested his head in the rear of her neck again. His arms tightened around her mid section. "Hi Scarlet," his voice muffled.

"Hi Ze'ev."

"How do you know my real name?" he lifted his head and leaned on his elbow to see her.

"It was on the restraining order for your brother. So technically, you're not even supposed to be near me right now." His face dropped. His eyes filled with fear and sorrow, like he was losing all he held dear. "But I'd never make you stay away from me. Because there are two things that make me want to be with you. You're not your brother, and I know that now."

Wolf grinned and cuddled her even nearer. He would have crushed her if she hadn't sucked in a breath of air. "Don't kill me," she joked.

"I won't." He playfully brushed his nose against hers. "I just want you close."

"Well, I guess the Big Bad Wolf isn't so bad after all."