Cecil had to remain a few more nights in Attwood after the incident before his family's carriage arrived for him. He didn't bother packing much and only really worried about the chatter in the Conclave. He took a deep breath, savoring what he felt was going to be the last few days of peace before the world came to a crashing head. He made a personal goal with himself to spend as much time possible over the break sleeping in preparation and wondered if he could feast then hibernate like a bear or if that wouldn't be humanly possible. He was already without much fat reserves so he reasoned he needed to eat at least once a day. The other problem would be his family. His very loud, and overpopulated family with nine siblings that were swarming full of life and vigor. And Cecil found nothing more exhausting than life and vigor.
He sighed as he waited in front of the boy's dorm where some of the last remaining students were gathered outside talking with friends while Cecil kept to himself, as he always did.
Luke hung around with Rowland on the second-floor balcony, watching over everyone as they evacuated. He spotted Cecil down below, him and his strange haircut, and the small girl that had just approached him.
"Excuse me."
Cecil dragged his eyes towards the direction of the voice, to where a human-sized mouse was suddenly beside him. Freya stood as tall as she could, as if facing off against an apex predator.
"What do you want, mouse?" Cecil half questioned, half threatened.
Freya forced down the lump in her throat, stepping forward with a box outstretched to him.
"Please accept this gift as thanks for saving my life," Freya said, keeping her head bowed. Some of the boys near enough to overhear the two stopped to watch the scene, as did Luke who though from the outside view, it looked like a love confession.
Cecil's hand remained firm in his pockets as he glared down at the offering. "You really think I would accept anything from vermin."
The eavesdropping boys all went into momentary shock from the scathing insult, even Luke's mouth flung open. Their eyes darted to Freya wondering if she was going to start crying from such a brutal rejection, but she only lifted her head with iron resolve rumpling her eyebrows.
"I understand how you feel about me," Freya earnestly responded, "But I can't help the way I am, just like you can't. And though I hate it, I feel the need to thank you for what you did. So please accept this." Luke wondered why the dialogue reminded him of a bad romance novel, though Rowland had become as emotionally invested in the scene as he was when he read his romance novels.
Everyone again held their breaths, waiting for Cecil's response.
"You know you're unreasonable short. And you cause a lot of trouble for me," Cecil stated with the same callous degradation. "I should have let you get killed and cut one more worry out of my life."
Again all the boys redirected their attention back to Freya.
"But you couldn't let me die," Freya replied, her voice assured and growing louder like she was putting forth a performance. "Because whether we like it or not we are connected by the energies of this world." Cecil's eyes narrowed at her, not looking the slightest bit swayed. "I know you feel it too." Freya stepped forward, as all the boys listened anxiously for a love confession, with Luke being the only one who could see the lack of romance and the actual bizarre bond between the two.
Cecil glanced Freya over before averting his eyes. Rowland thought he was being coy, trying to look cool in the face of such an earnest and strong love revelation. "A mouse could never understand the thoughts of a human."
The boys felt their own hearts shatter at yet another vicious turndown, but Freya pressed on.
"Perhaps not, but I do know that even as much as you hate me, you still seek me out." Freya clutched the box closer to her chest, holding on tightly. The sound of a pin dropping could have been heard, everyone stayed so quiet to listen, and Luke was rightfully assuming everyone was getting the wrong impression of what was really going on. "Just like a cat seeks out a mouse with all it has. It becomes its entire reason for living, and without me, you wouldn't have any will, any purpose."
Cecil's eyes turned to the sky, looking as if he was ignoring Freya.
The audience waited for Cecil to say anything back, to deny or accept her feelings as his carriage had just arrived. The coachman opened the door and everyone watching wondered if he was going to ignore her and drive away without so much as a word back.
Freya looked down where Cecil had taken his hand out of his pocket and held it flat out in the air. She got the hint and laid the box in his open palm.
"Don't assume this makes us anything but enemies still." Cecil declared with his eyes focused straight ahead to inside the carriage.
"Of course."
Cecil climbed into his ride with his gift and without another look back.
Rowland and the other boys grabbed at their chest with the eruption of emotion they felt from witnessing the touching scene.
Freya watched the carriage as it drove away, holding her head high before strolling away with the weight lifted from her shoulders.
Luke observed it all thinking what a simple but complicated relationship the two had even despite their lack of romantic connection. And then he watched Cecil's carriage come to an abrupt halt.
Cecil jumped outside, hurling the box of treats onto the road while screaming "Don't give food as a present if you're going to take a bite out of everything!"
Luke then watched Freya run as fast as she could away from the boy's dorm.