The Elementalists

34.

"Nah. I'd just picked up martial arts alongside school." My grin seemed to unnerve Flo.

"And—" Eric forcefully continued "—she went to the guy who did it, flirted with him, and then punched him in the face." Eric gave an impressed nod as he pulled into the school. "She knocked him out."

Flo gasped. "One punch?!"

I turned to Eric in confusion. "He fell to the ground but I don't remember knocking him out."

Eric groaned exasperatedly. "Why couldn't you have let that be, Fi?"

"Oh." I paused, realising how I'd messed up. "Sorry."

He continued to grumble under his breath as he pulled into a free space.

Flo chose that moment to warn me. "Be careful today, okay? Don't get angry if strangers approach you. Don't talk a lot. Just te-"

"-tell them to mind their own business." I gave a wry smile to myself as I reached for the door. "Not the first time I'm a part of the gossip. I may not have spent a majority of my life in this realm, but gossip works the same everywhere."

The day was tough to get through. More incredulous stares and whispers than when I'd placed second in the Trials. That was almost kind of offensive. There were random people coming to me and feeling up my sides, asking if I was okay after having violated my personal space. After the first couple of times, I would pull up my aura anytime I saw someone approaching me. It tingled on my burnt skin but people usually refrained from groping me once they felt the heat.

Eric and Flo found this highly amusing. They were chuckled over it as they walked off to their Gyms after recess. My worries shifted from my apparent lack of personal space, to Rhaeya.

I was a bit afraid of how she would react. More appropriately, how much she would hurt me again. I still wasn’t fully healed, but I no longer wanted to curl up into a ball each time fabric brushed against my still-sensitive side. Eyes turned to me as I walked into the Gym and people immediately erupted into whispers. I recognised a few people who'd... 'met' me during the day.

It didn't matter if I wanted to keep a low profile. I didn't care about it anymore, and it's not like I would be able to with everyone just staring at me all the time. I had no idea what the gossip was. It could've been me summoning a dragon into the fight, or Elizabeth having stabbed me, or the two of us ending the fight in the makeout session. I honestly didn't care. I was more than happy to finish my day and move along with this.

"Fiera!" I heard a familiar voice snap my name.

I closed my eyes in an effort to curb the apprehension inside me before I stood up. Phantom pain flashed across my body and re-ignited the anger I still harboured. Rhaeya had her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her T-shirt had the 'No Pain, No Gain' motto stencilled on it in all caps with a very muscular looking anime character. The blonde one who levelled up depending on how hard he screamed. How could she still glare at me like considering what she’d done to me? Does she not have a conscience?

I walked towards her, but she turned away from me to walk into a corner of the hall. I could already hear the new rumors about me getting chewed out by Rhaeya for losing or for getting into a fight. At this point, they write themselves. Dammit, it's just one thing after another. I want a break already. Maybe I should’ve skipped school today too.

She turned to face me again once we were out of earshot. I stood out of her arm's reach... just in case things went south again.

Her sharp eyes scanned my body. The lingered on my side before she met my eyes. "Are you okay?"

Surprise passed through me, my anger shoved aside. Three words I'd never expected her to say. I sputtered out a reply. "Y-yeah. Kind of. I have bruises all over my sides and... and a first degree burn all around to my front."