"Mel...what in the world..."
Adrian was still staring at me in shock and I immediately dropped my control over the orb.
It splashed back onto the ground.
Silence.
"Adrian," I said haltingly. "I can explain."
He laughed, but it wasn't a pleasant sound. He sounded like someone was throttling him. "How long have you been able to do this?"
I hesitated. "Since about...a month after the Ceremony?"
Something lit behind his eyes. No matter what other people said, he was still always quick to catch on. "That's why you were asking me those questions. You wanted to know if I was the Earth's whatever."
The Serpentine were superstitious.
After a second, I nodded slowly.
Venom filled his voice and I flinched when he spoke. "Why didn't you tell me? You know what, that doesn't matter, does it. The real question is if I'm the Earth's Chosen, isn't it?"
They don't trust anything or anyone outside of what they know.
I glanced down, not knowing how to feel. Adrian went on as if he hadn't noticed, but I saw the pain in his eyes and heard it in that way he talked.
"Well guess what," he said shakily and I looked up. "I'm not it. Too bad, huh?"
And Adrian was one of them now.
I saw him clench his hands tightly.
"We always tell each other everything," he murmured and I had a memory of back when we were children.
He'd been the only one to reach out to me even before the incident with Sora. We'd spent happy days just lying side by side and watching the clouds.
On a windy autumn day, he'd held out his hand to me, eyes sparkling and smiling. "Let's make a promise, okay? No matter what tribe we get into, we'll always tell each other everything!"
I'd shaken his hand and promised. We'd even marked the spot with a heavy stone to signify our pact.
And we'd shared everything with each other. He knew everything about me and vice versa.
We always do. We tell each other everything, right? I wanted to say, but it wasn't true now.
Not after I'd lied to him. I felt sick.
"I really did believe that it didn't matter," Adrian continued on, almost as if he was talking to himself. "I thought that no matter what, we wouldn't keep secrets from each other."
Adrian had always been very trusting. Once you had his loyalty, he'd always be there. But break that trust, and thing could get really ugly. The more trust he'd put in you, the more it hurt him when it was all revealed. The more he'd hate you if it backfired.
I'd seen it happen. And now it was happening to me.
I opened my mouth to interrupt his rant.
If I stopped him now, maybe he wouldn't hate me as much...?
Wishful thinking.
Adrian beat me to it, speaking first. The pain in his voice made me wince. "What even are you?"
That stopped me cold.
That was a question I'd also thought about. Ever since I'd found out, I'd wondered if it'd just been fate or coincidence or what.
Because I knew I definitely wasn't a normal tribe member. Far from it, if I was being honest with myself.
What was I?
My best friend cut himself off. "No, you know what. I don't care. I don't care." He repeated it like a chant. "It doesn't matter. I just want you away from me and my girlfriend."
It would've been less painful if he'd straight up punched me in the gut. The air left my lungs and I struggled to speak.
I couldn't come up with anything to say.
"Mel?" A low voice asked from the doorway. "What's up?"
Glancing to the side, I saw Ash looking between Adrian and me. "Is everything okay?"
Adrian's eyes widened. "Wait...is he one of them too?"
Ash had already deducted what had gone on in his absence. "Woah, hold on. Before you jump to any conclusions --"
"No." Adrian cut in. "Are you one of them -- " he flailed an arm in my direction. " -- or not?!"
Narrowing his eyes, Ash was working through what to do. I could almost see the gears turning in his head.
"I am," Ash said simply and I gaped at him. He shrugged at me. "There's not really any reason to keep it a secret."
How could he be so calm?
Then again...Ash didn't exactly know Adrian that well...
Adrian just gaped at Ash, fear flickering in his eyes.
Fear. Of us.
Of me.
"Just..." Adrian seemed to lose his nerve. "Just stay away from us!"
Ash furrowed his brow but Adrian only dashed into the house. A moment later, our belongings were thrown out and I heard the bolt slide into place as Adrian slammed the door.
"Well," I said, cursing mentally as my voice shook slightly. I fought to control it. "Looks like we just got kicked out."
Ash walked forward a bit, gathering the items tossed carelessly on the floor. He handed me my knives and I buckled the belt around my waist, feeling slightly more reassured. I tapped a finger nervously against the hilt.
He sent a worried look at me. "Yeah. Guess so."
I cleared my throat. "So what's our next move? We obviously can't stay here."
Unlatching the gate, Ash held it open and we walked out onto the dusty street. Almost absent-mindedly, Ash glanced around, occasionally holding out a steady arm as I stumbled.
"How many more days?" I asked him, almost dreading the answer.
Ash was silent for a long time. It was almost as if he knew I wouldn't take the news well. The nauseous feeling in my stomach grew and I gripped my arm tightly with the other hand. He noticed and I slightly loosened my grip.
"The competition...it starts..." Ash started slowly.
Feeling impatient, I urged him on. "Just tell me already, Ash."
"It starts tomorrow night."
(Side Note: Alright, so the competition will be starting soon. What are your thoughts on Adrian's reaction? Was it reasonable? Tell me what you think in the comments!)