Arrow ━ Cedric Diggory

1 ━ NOXIOUS.

Adrenaline pumped energy into her body, drawing Cupid's attention from the wounds on her hands. Cupid bolted for the backyard fence gate. She couldn't run straight home, it was a dead-end course that would only lead to her being caught. She had to be smart.

However, the man was taller and a lot faster than she was. He cut her off and Cupid made for the apple tree at the edge of the fence, giving it a wide berth so that her pursuer would have more ground to cover. But, he cut her off again, backing Cupid into a corner of the yard.

Back-stepping, Cupid tripped on a stray tree root. The tears came faster now, falling freely as the man bore down upon her. The adrenaline was fading and her hands throbbed with pain. "Leave me alone!" Cupid cried, hiding her bloody hands behind her back.

The man paused and Cupid could see that he was flustered, " I'm not going to hurt you." He ventured closer and Cupid felt her body tense up. She'd never been in serious trouble before, simply because she had never done anything to deserve it. Now, it terrified her to imagine what this foolish act might result in.

Cupid had never seen Castor angry, and she wanted to keep it that way. The mere idea of her brother's rage was so terrible that Cupid could hardly form a coherent thought as the man reached out for her. Terror took hold. All she knew was that she was scared, her palms burned, and she wanted to be left alone. She hadn't taken anything, she was innocent.

Cupid closed her eyes and curled into herself as she screamed, "Go away!"

There was silence, then a distinct thump.

It took Cupid a while to register what it meant when no hand seized hold of her arm. Shaking from exhaustion and the sight of her own blood, the McLean girl lifted her head to find the man in collapsed heap on the ground. He was on his back, eyes closed. Cupid couldn't tell if he was breathing, and the guilt was jarring; she had done this, this was her fault.

Cupid's heart stuttered in her chest. It was a strange realization, to know that she had willed something like this into reality, and it horrified her. She only wanted him to stop─ but, that didn't mean stop living. If she could do this, what more was she capable of harming? A choked sob escaped her and, when something moved in the corner of her vision, Cupid bolted upright.

However, the McLean girl froze, wide-eyed when she saw that it was only Castor. He was a vision of silent rage. He stood still as stone, hidden in the shade cast by their neighbour's house. His arms were crossed along his chest, eyes seeming to calculate the situation with a coldness that gave her a chill. Cupid couldn't bring herself to move, not even when he stepped out into the sunlight, crossing the yard in quick, graceful strides.

When he reached them, Castor leaned down to kneel beside the man. He pressed a finger to his neck, muttering something beneath his breath before he stood. Cupid watched on, breathless with relief when the man began to rouse. Then, before he could fully wake, Castor grabbed her arm and the world seemed to suddenly shift─ but no... it didn't just shift.

That day, the whole world changed.

Cupid felt her nausea increase tenfold as the world darkened around her. She was pulled and pushed from each side, head spinning and throat constricting. Hysteria flooded her thoughts. Then, light came back into the earth, and she was standing in her Aunt's kitchen. Cupid immediately collapsed on her knees, heaving and sobbing. Something shattered to the ground.