As Vladim moved to turn the locks, I heard Genya whisper. "You definitely owe me a kiss after all this, Don't think I won't hold you to it."
I laughed lightly. "We'll see."
"There is no seeing, you will, if I have to be the one to do it then so be...
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THE NEXT MORNING COULD'T HAVE COME ANY faster after that, but sadly it did and it was the same routine over and over for the rest of that week. Genya would come early in the mornings, then I'd go to breakfast, then Boktin, then Baghra with Alina.
I'd made no progress, each day got worse and more frustrating than the ones before, but I couldn't stop. I wasn't a tracker anymore, and if I couldn't manage to become a Grisha, where would that leave me?
I thought of the Darkling's words to me from the tent, you two will change the world. He really believed that, didn't he? Well, Alina could probably manage, I on the other hand, no, I wasn't like Alina. I couldn't help destroy the fold, so although I was half Sun Summoner, that didn't mean I had all the possible access to the light as Alina did.
Baghra tried getting me to summon tides at nearby lakes, with all Grisha watching from close by but I wasn't successful.
My daily failures with Baghra were matched only by the torture that Boktin put me and Alina through, he'd run me and Alina all over the place grounds, through the woods, up and down hills, until we both collapsed. He'd put us through sparing drills together and falling drills until our bodies were covered in bruises and my ears aching from the constant grumbling. Too slow, too weak, too skinny for a little Shu and Fjerdan girl.
"Boktin cannot build houses from such little twigs!" He had shouted in my face, squeezing my arm. I looked over to Alina who was glaring at the back of Boktin's head as he walked away, "is he always like this?" I asked breathlessly, wiping away sweat.
Alina let out a laugh as her gaze turned back to me, "you get used to it, trust me." she said.
"Come on, let's grab something to eat before Baghra starts her shenanigans," Alina said, grabbing my arm and leading me away from the pavilion.
❂♕
When we got into the domed hall, we took our places at the end of the Summoners' table and ate porridge, the maidens had brought us. Over the course of my first week, being as I was with Alina every day, had gotten to know her quite well. She was fairly easy to talk to, and when she had something on her mind, instead of bottling it up, talked about it. Most topics were about Mal and how she hadn't gotten any letters back from him.
I tried understanding her and Mal's friendship, and I did, to a certain degree. But I'd also never known what it was like to be so close and personal with someone, so when topics like this came up, I didn't know how to respond. I hadn't said much to Alina about that though, I didn't want her to feel guilty for me in any way, especially when she had her problems to face.
