Veins of Magic - Bloodbound Sorcery

The Long Walk Home

Olive attempted to hold her head high as she walked past to higher vampires and towards the door. She tried to ignore the looks of the higher vampires af Cao, especially Cam, hungerly eyeing her down. The door was heavy and it slammed behind her. Where would she go now? She thought. She didn't remember the way back to house and she certainly couldn't go back to her apartment. Thankfully she didn't walk too long before Eli, Ava, Zed and Ray caught up with her, and began to walk her back to the house. They didn't walk for very long before the tension between Eli and Ray finally caused an argument.

"Ral is insane," Eli said, looking over towards Ray. It was unclear whether he meant this or just said it to provoke, as either could be the case.

"You're kidding, right? You are the dumbest person I've ever met. Ral is the most calculated person you'll ever be near" Ral said and abruptly stopped walking forwards and instead moved over in front of Eli. It was clear that Eli's statement offended Ray.

"Look at it logically before you start making statements, Ray. Ral is a very well-spoken person, AND his opinion is the middle ground between Orn and Cao. Had he just argued for his case he most likely would have gotten his way" Eli said and lifted his head. He was slightly taller than Ray in the first place, this seemed like an attempt to look even bigger.

"Idiot... you are such an Idiot! Ral didn't want to keep her there, he knew I was gonna vote for her to leave, he just said that so he could seem impartial" Ray said, raising his voice so he was nearly yelling.

"Yeah, well seems like a dumb risk to take considering how unreliable you are!" Eli yelled back. This was Ray's breaking point, in a swift motion he threw his fist in Eli's face. This clearly hurt Eli but he quickly punched back and a fight began. Zed and Ava readied themselves for a fight, in case Eli needed assistance. Olive reacted quickly, she saw an opening between them after a punch from Ray had landed and she stepped in between the two.

"Stop!" she yelled. Holding her arms out the either side. The guys stopped attempting to hit each other but otherwise ignored her.

"What are you really angry about Eli, it's not Ral! And I haven't done anything against you. Do you just want to start a fight?!" Ral yelled

"Maybe I just got tired of looking at your smug face, you think you got everything figured out, but you don't know shit" Eli yelled back. Ray almost attempted to push past Olive to hit Eli again, but then composed himself and even slightly calmed down.

"Yeah? Now that you mention it, I think I do know what this is about. I'm not about to fight over something that stupid, if you had a chance, I wouldn't have already won" Ray said surprisingly calmly.

"You are so arrogant! Stop digging into my brain, with your useless party tricks, now get out of my sight" Eli said, still yelling.

Ray turned to Olive, "If you want to learn how to use your magic from someone who can actually teach you, let me know" he handed her a business card with a number on it, then smiled smugly at Eli.

"If I am so much of a disturbance to your existence, I'll leave, I let you know though, that everything you want... you're the only reason you can't have it". Then Ray disappeared, he was gone in the blink of an eye.

Olive put the business card in her purse and they continued walking, now in silence. Olive was purposely falling a slight bit behind the others. She wanted some space from them. She had spent the last however many days with them, and they were very complicated people. Olive was a quiet and shy girl, as she always had been. The last couple of days had really pushed her, for many reasons. Her emotions were in turmoil.

Eli noticed Olive falling behind and started walking slower to match her pace. Eventually, he walked beside her. And then he broke the silence.

"I'm sorry... gosh I feel like I'm saying that a lot to you. I'm stressed out, I was scared we were gonna lose you" he said quietly so Ava and Zed wouldn't hear him.

"It's fine........... Eli, why don't you like Ray?" Olive said, not looking at him. She couldn't right now, she could almost feel the pain he was in.

"Ray is fine. I just don't trust him. He doesn't do anything if there's nothing in it for him. And... I don't like the way he looks at you" Eli said, almost whispering the last part.

"Why?" Olive said, this time looking up at Eli.

"You won't understand Olive, I can't explain it," He said, this time he was the one looking away.

"No, tell me why," Olive said firmly.

There was a long pause, for a moment it seemed like Eli wouldn't answer, but then he said.

"Olive... It's difficult enough for me to be around you, knowing I can't have you... but then someone comes around and rubs it in my face..."

Olive wasn't expecting this answer, and she didn't quite know what to say.

"But...But you rejected me, not the other way around. You don't want me" Olive then said

"It's not that ... It's not that I don't want you... It's that it's far better for both of us, especially you, if we don't get involved. But I don't wanna talk about this anymore, okay?"

Olive looked down at the ground and didn't answer Eli. Eli took this as a suggestion to move away from her, so he did. Olive's mind was spinning around even more than it had been when she first left the ballroom. So Eli did like her? Maybe? Even if that was the case it didn't matter, it was a stupid situation and like Eli said himself, she shouldn't get involved in it. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder about it just a tiny bit.

As they approached the house, Ava and Zed exchanged glances, sensing the underlying turmoil. Eli seemed lost in thought, and Olive, usually reserved, now wore a troubled expression. The night had taken an unexpected turn, and the complexities of the relationships she stumbled into were becoming more apparent.

Olive went into her room quickly. She also got into bed very quickly. But she did not fall asleep quickly, her mind filled with both the words of Eli and Ray. Her emotions confused her, and overwhelmed her. She had thought about Eli a lot the last couple of days, it had brought her a lot of mental struggle, with Ray that all went away, she had felt at ease for a bit. She didn't know what to do. She laid in her bed turning the business card Ray had given her, between her fingers. There was something special about him, she wanted desperately to know more, but Eli's words were stuck in her head. She trusted Eli, She liked Eli... a lot actually. But Ray was right about what he said at the Ball, she needed to make her own decisions, not ask for permission for everything.