The Crystal Trials

20 Taury

After we had all bought our outfits most of the girls went into another shop for fresh underthings. Nik was in and out with practical items. She sat on the bench next to me, the streetlights shinning down as the sky darkened to night. She fidgeted with her new shirt. I didn't give her an inch though. She could come to me.

"Are we ok, Tor?" She mumbled, unsure.

Little did she know I played this conversation out in my head so many times that I lost count.

"No. Yes. Maybe?" I shrugged. She waited patiently. Annoying. Fine, we were going to do this.

"Ok, no. We aren't ok." I gathered my thoughts and rubbed my palms on my knees, the gauntlet itching.

"You ditched me, Nik. You left me, your family, to be a fecking Prime. You show out anytime I do anything remotely cool. Like, when I made the water, did you even notice?"

"I did, you put light in it. It was-"

"I'm not finished. You don't talk to me for weeks, not like we used to. You flaunt your stupid level ten magic in my face. I get, it you're super special, you're Erix's favorite little pet. Which is weird because he looks at you like he's going to eat you alive. And then, you play the fecking sob story to your mom and my parent's during the welcome banquet. Because gods for bid we have anything nice going for us." I took an angry breath and fought back the tears of my truth.

"Well grow the fuck up Nik. Everyone has tough things going on in their life and have to actually work for what they have. We can't all be blessed by the gods like you." Nik had her hand over her mouth choking on her tears, gauntlets gleaming from her natural ability. Just looking at them proved my point for me.

"Let's also not mention the fact that Dath has been following you around like a lost puppy since Undergrades and you're so self-absorbed that your own fecking eyeballs have missed it. He is so completely in love with you and you're over here flirting with Alden, maybe even Ameer, who knows. But that man has stood by your side since the beginning and deserves better than being strung along like some damn pet. Maybe, Uncle Nerin should have done a better job beating you down, whipping your ass, and you wouldn't have elevated yourself too high."

Nik wailed from the jab of my last words. I knew I would come to regret them, but my temper was too great to back track in the moment. She stood up and I gave her a look daring her to come back at me.

"I wasn't ditching you. I am doing something for myself for the first time, rather than take care of everyone else. Erix offered me a job straight out of university as a teacher. You seemed upset, so I let you be and gave you space instead of barging in on your life. I was being patient to show you I was near if you needed me. Well joke's on me then huh? This whole time you've been hating me behind my back, all because you're jealous?

"That's shallow, even for you Taury. I didn't want anything more than the gold coming here. Instead, I found a family I never asked for, magic I didn't know I had, and peace. I looked in the mirror today, Tor, and saw my face without bruises for the first time. You want to be a Prime? Take it. I don't care. You want this power, then it's yours. I don't care for that either. What I do care about is that I am safe, and my mom and Zay are safe for the first time in seven years. The next time you want to invent me in your mind, do so with the godsdamned truth."

Nik stormed off bawling and coughing. She turned down an alley way and disappeared. Holding on to my last shred of pride, I stood up. And found Dath staring at me in horror. By the look on his face, he heard the whole thing. He turned on his heal and head back down the market streets.