GRAVICTA

CHAPTER 17.

"What were you thinking running off on your own?" Buttertooth searches my body for injuries. "If you wanted to leave you should have told me."

I decide to stay quiet, just like I've been since Zed saved me. He offered carrying me back but I didn't let him. I think it's best I give him space instead of going about kissing him and fantasizing about a relationship that will never be.

"You said it had horns?" Decklan looks unfazed about the whole thing. He's only been giving Zed a look once in a while as I told them what happened. Plus, he keeps repeating things I said like he's trying to pass a message.

I nod and his eyes land on Zed again. I take a peek at Zed myself and I see he looks frustrated. He's sitting down but has his head bowed and rested on both of his hands. Slowly, his hands go through his hair and he lets out a sigh.

Something is off about him and I know it. It's like he's really frustrated about something but can't tell anyone about it. Now that I really think about it, something has been off about him since Decklan arrived. I was just too dense to notice it earlier but I can feel it strongly now. How can I even feel this? It's as though I feel his emotions.

I want to know what is bothering him but now I don't know how to approach him. Just as I am thinking of him, he gets up and goes upstairs. The sound of a door slamming against the wall signals that he's in a really bad mood. I just hope this is not my fault.

Who am I kidding though? It's totally my fault.

"Tell him I said goodnight," I say and Purplestorm nods briefly as she understands that it's Zed I'm talking about. "Let's go Butter."

"Sure." She follows behind as I leave the sitting room and head for the front door.

"Wait up," Puffer says loudly and then appears behind us. "I obviously can't let you two go home alone."

"So, you're going to walk the both of us home?" Buttertooth asks with an amused look and he nods. "You do know we don't live in the same house, right?"

With a sigh, he shrugs. "It'll be easier if Zed could just walk Eva home. I still don't trust that Decklan dude," he whispers the last part so no other person would hear him.

After turning around to see if anyone else actually heard him, he continues. "So, I have no other choice but to walk you two home."

"Thanks Puffer but I think I'll be fine. People will still be walking or flying around right now so all I have to do is avoid unfinished buildings and anything alike," I chuckle sadly and he stares at me for a moment as if wanting to say something but then doesn't.

"You can walk me home though. I really enjoy your company," Buttertooth says and he smiles before stepping forward to open the door for us.

"Thank you. Goodnight Puffer, Butter. I'll see you around," I say and fly away, leaving before any of them can respond.

As I fly home, thoughts of Zed fill my mind. I truly don't understand anything that's happening anymore. My life was basically very simple before I kissed Zed two years ago. Well after that day, everything was still pretty much the same. But then I start noticing him again and then I develop a huge crush on him in only a few days.

We both get prophecies and his secret gets exposed. I become an evil person to my own people and when they are about to kill me, he saves me. We kiss again, amplifying the already huge crush I have on him but he says we can't work so I ignore him and wander off to an abandoned building only to get saved by him, again.

I also can now feel a bit of his emotions. I can tell when something is off about him. He can mind talk to only me. He's the chosen one and I'm the priestess, whatever that means. I'm one of the very few people he calls home. It's as though he's becoming a very important part of my life, just like he said I am in his life. Even though he said we can't work, I know he cares about me and that's just enough. It only took me a fight with him and being attacked by a creature to figure that out.

"You're stupid Eva," I say out loud.

"Are you just going to keep standing there, talking to yourself, or are you going to come in." My mom's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. She's talking through an opened window.

Scanning my environment, I realize I'm actually standing in front of my house and I don't even know when I got here or even when I landed. I turn to look at the way back to Purplestorm's house with hopes that I'll see Zed secretly following me or something.

After looking for a while, I figure I'm just being stupid right now. He wouldn't want to follow me home after everything. With a sigh, I open the door and walk in, greeting my mom who's still standing by the window.

"Are you okay honey?" She stands nervously as if not knowing what to do at the moment.

"I'm fine mom." I smile and she stays quiet, staring at me like she's not still convinced.

"With everything that has happened, I get really afraid that you might not be able to handle it and I'll lose you someday. It just..." She sighs and rubs her forehead, slowly making her way towards me. "It just reminds me of your father."

She never talks about my father. She only told me that he left after I was born and each time I brought him up, she'll get really moody so I stopped asking. I'm really surprised she mentioned him.

"I'm not going to leave you mom," I say and she hugs me, tears in her eyes. "But I'm curious to know how this reminds you of my dad. Who was he? And why did he leave? You're going to have to tell me sometime mom."

She releases me but her face says she's not happy. "Your father didn't leave you because he wanted to Evalaine. He left because he wasn't accepted by my parents. They hated him and he just didn't want to cause any trouble."

"I don't understand. You're saying he didn't want to leave?"

She sighs and nods. "His name was Frego Harpfill and he was a Fallen."