Aurora borealis - the academy

Chapter 23

Light footsteps pulled me out of the nothingness I couldn't even call sleep. I was still very much aware.

"Oh sh..." someone cursed. More footsteps sounded and some figures with their distinct auras gathered around me.

There was Lilac...
...then also Blayze and Juliette.
Not that I wasn't happy to see them but I was elated that Lilac was back, appearing unharmed.

Quickly I sat up against the bloody tree behind me.

A purplish aura gained my attention. It reminded me of the dark orbs that belonged to no other than Ronan.

"Why does it look like you were just sleeping?" Blayze asked with a frown. I hadn't been sleeping...
I had just killed a monster and had almost been roasted in the process.
But I didn't tell them that. I had watched my wounds heal so there were no traces left but my torn clothes and the blood on the ground. Explaining that would be hard.

Instead something else attracted my interest.

"Did I pass?" I asked in a raspy voice to Ronan.
His face gave away nothing besides scrutiny. His gaze wandered over my body, especially inspecting the places where my clothes had been torn. Luckily my good old bra was still mostly intact so while my top looked like cheddar cheese my nips weren't out in the open.

Under Ronan's stare I felt my cheeks heat up so I quickly jumped to my feet and patted the dirt from my back. I had to appear presentable for this.

We all looked at Ronan in expectation.
"We'll talk about this later"

I sighed in exasperation. How can someone mostly give one word answers yet be this complicated?

"Can you walk?" he asked me.
To demonstrate I jumped a few times, almost kicking some dirt into his face. I grinned at him sheepishly while he still remained expressionless.
"Then walk" was his only rude reply.

We walked behind Ronan in a direction that was almost opposite to where I'd run from. That's how great my sense of direction was.
"It's so nice that you guys came looking for me" I said because I was sure finding the way back myself would've been very troublesome.
If I'd ever decided to get up from my little slumber party.

"Aurora, why did you just run away, Lilac told us" Blayze asked sternly.
I looked over at Lilac who was now staring ahead of her, visibly trying to ignore me. I hadn't even realized that she hadn't even uttered a single word since finding me.

"I'm sorry Lilac, I didn't know what else to do" I apologized to her. This was my first ever friendship fight and I didn't know what to do at all. It felt weird that she cared about me to an extent at which she was angry that I saved her.

"Maybe anything other than just running away with a f*ing monster?" she snapped without turning back.

"I'm sorry, I won't ever do it again. Can you forgive me pretty please?" I asked while gently brushing her finger with mine. I didn't want to touch her too much because I was scared that she'd snap at me again. Rejection always hurt so I just gently tapped her fingers.

"Oh come on, you stupid person" she said, dropping her stiff facade. I was abruptly pulled into a hug which was awkward since we were still walking.
"Just don't do it again. Promise" she whispered into my hair.

"Promise, Lilac" I said, happy now that we were still friends.

"Guys, did you pass? Tell me that you all passed!" I demanded excitedly after Lilac let go of me. The second hug in my life!

They grinned to themselves which could only mean one thing.
"Aww guys, you all passed!" I yelped.

When we got back to the academy I was quickly separated from my new friends.
Ronan took me straight to his room. Walking along the hallways, our path was filled with silence. He was seemingly seething in anger now, his shoulders stood rigid while his hands were balled into fists inside his pockets.
I was yet to find out what was going on with him but one thing was sure: Once again, I was the reason he was acting like this.

Standing in his room opposite to him my nerves grew but I quickly wiped my sweaty palms on my pants.

"So did I pass?" I asked hesitantly into the unbearable silence. I wasn't harmed in any way so why couldn't he just tell me that I had succeeded?
Something told me that the answer to the question was going to be more complicated than I'd hoped for.
I was already feeling like I was in for a reprimand judging from his expression.

"How can I let someone like you pass? "he exclaimed pulling his neck hair roughly.

„First, you come to this tournament without any training, without any foundations. Then you act impulsively again and again. You decide to tackle a herd of bisons, then an unidentified monster" he began seething in anger but he wasn't finished yet. His face had morphed into an expression of deep loathing while I was beginning to bow my head down, hoping that I could avoid his anger this way.

"You're unprepared, irresponsible, a chaotic mess and stubborn as hell. How do you simply find every chance to put yourself in danger?" he asked exasperatedly, hands dropping back to his sides.
Was he finally done now? Was he done telling me that I was shit at this, that I should just give up at this point?
I couldn't look him in the eyes, scared that he'd see the anger and hurt in mine. But I wished that I could throw these words at him as easily as him. Was I really as hopeless as he made me out to be?

I slowly breathed out before speaking.
„Why do you even care? It's not like I'm doing this on purpose!" I replied steadily, keeping my emotions at bay.
I didn't understand why he was mad at me now? He never seemed to care about me. Whenever I'd been around him I'd taken the initiative, I'd followed him, I'd sparked the conversation.

At my cold voice he seemed to calm down a little. He sat down on his desk where his hands found his face. He almost painfully dragged them over his eyes to cool off.
Meanwhile I was poking my fingers against each other behind my back. I always did that when I became too nervous.

„Why did you join the tournament?" he asked, back to his expressionless self. Soon he'd forget his little slip up, leaving me alone with his painful words.
I couldn't answer his question when the barely build trust between us had been shattered merely a minute ago. How could he expect an honest answer if I had to fear to be shredded to pieces again?
Maybe he didn't understand how it felt to lose every ounce of freedom that I never even completely had. Because if he did he wouldn't question me like this. He wouldn't feel the need to interrogate me when the answer was crystal clear.

The tournament was the only opportunity to escape meaninglessness. I could be my own person, free of societal restrictions.
No amount of money and no fire spitting sister could stop me when I was already at the top.

„Why don't you ask your other students?" I replied coldly.
He looked visibly annoyed by my words and the fact that I didn't answer his question but he needed to understand that we could either be friends or enemies, not both.

„I'm telling you this once. This is not a joke. A simple 'I won't do it again' won't cut it..." he said, meaning that he must've listened to our conversation. „You'll either put all of your strength into this or die!" he ended.
His face still very much showed anger but his words came from a place of concern. I could detect a tinge of fear in his voice but I didn't need that. Only a chance to follow my dreams.

„I won't die, Sir Ashdracon" I promised firmly. I was still mad but I acknowledged that his anger wasn't solely to hurt me.
But I didn't want anyone to control me anymore.

„Training starts Wednesday evening. Don't be late" he said and stood from his desk.
I knew what this meant for me. I was supposed to leave.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I feel like if someone talked to me like that I'd immediately run off to cry somewhere else.

He's being pretty rude but there has to be some space for character development, right?

Anywho, thank you for reading and don't forget to vote!!