Classy, Controlled Chaos - The STEAM Team Adventures

🔥 Liquidation [6/8] 🔥

Marshall's POV:

I was airborne before my mind could react.

With my wings tucked in and my arms tucked close to my sides, I shot for the prince, streaking toward the ground like a fiery comet.

Even though I knew Edward would survive, I wasn't going to take any chances.

He was panicking, spreading out the corners of his royal robe as if he were a sugar glider.

What an idiot...

"That's not how gravity works!" I called after him, barely managing to grab him by the shoulder.

In a fraction of a second, I stopped his rapid descent, pressing his back up against my chest to keep him from slipping out of my grasp.

The two of us were only mere feet away from plummeting straight through the glass.

Luckily, my broad wings opened up just in time, spreading themselves out to act as a parachute.

Drifting towards the ground, I flipped him over and held him so he could cling to my vest. "What were you thinking, Ed? You clearly don't have any survival instincts."

"What was I supposed to do, flap my arms like an idiot?" The prince protested, flinching as we smoothly landed on the cobblestone path.

"With your logic, that may as well have worked." I snorted, promptly dropping him on the ground. "Alright, now you try to fly up and back to the platform again. I'm gonna check on Addison and pray she didn't have a heart attack."

He said something, probably about asking me not to leave him down there, but I was already back up at the platform.

The librarian had her face planted in a book, her hands visibly shaking as she hid her distressed face.

Sophii sat beside her, nuzzling her fluffy face against her companion's violet cloak.

"Addi?" I began, tucking my flaming wings back into my fireproof vest. "It's fine. Edward's okay, and I'm okay, too. Did you really think I'd ever fall to my death?"

"That seriously scared me." She breathed at last, letting out a tense sigh. "You caught him, right?"

"Of course he did," Edward came levitating back up to us, awkwardly shaking midair like a newborn horse trying to stand for the first time. "Marshall is quite the gentleman, y'know."

"I'm flattered," I chuckled, watching him clumsily land beside me. "Still not used to those sweet new wings of yours?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "Marsh, c'mon. I'm trying my best over here."

"You're struggling to even lift yourself off the ground." I commented, gesturing to his lanky legs. "One, you shouldn't skip leg day when working out, because you clearly have been. Two, I should give you some flight lessons."

"Oh, come on! I work out, or at least I try to..." The prince grumbled, adjusting the tiny golden crown on his head.

"Is once a year too much for you?" Sophii teased, playfully swatting at him. "I bet that you're the weakest out of this group. No offense."

"Normally when people say 'no offense' it means they're gonna say something rude," He huffed, combing through his amber-blonde hair with his silk-gloved fingers.

"I'm not a 'people' or a 'person' for that matter," The shadowshifter began, raising her head from Addison's side and grooming her flanks. "So that doesn't apply to me."

"Fine, then. A living, breathing organism. There." Edward countered, crossing his arms. "Happy now?"

"How do you know I'm alive?" The panther meowed, combing through her fur with her scratchy tongue. "For all you know, I could be a spirit. Not all shadowshifters have to be alive in order to interact with you and vice versa, some can be ghosts."

"Stop it with the mind-boggling questions..." I groaned, putting a hand up to my forehead. "Could be just to the parkour already? I'm getting tired of waiting."

"I thought it was just Sophii and I?" The prince asked, eyeing me. "You're joining too?"

"Why not?" I shrugged. "No harm in doing so."

Addison lifted her head from her book, giving me a supportive smile. "Win for me, Marshmallow."

I returned her gesture with a charming wink. "No promises, but I'll try."

Sophii read over the rules of her little parkour race thing before we started.

It was very simple stuff: No flying, no use of magic, and no pushing your opponent off the course.

Just for safety measures, Addison cast an extra spell on the pillars, essentially manipulating the ivy to make an intricate set of webs and nets to catch us if we fell.

Not that I'd need them, but Edward definitely would with his wonderful balance.

"Alright, Mister Klutzy over here gets a head start." The shadowshifter meowed, playfully -but gently- nudging the prince with one paw.

"Don't push me into oblivion again," He chuckled, swatting at her.

"You won't," I replied, pointing at Addison. "She set up the nets just for you, Your Clumsiness."

"Wow..." The prince huffed, crossing his arms. "Such an honor to be deemed the most uncoordinated person on the team."

"Prove us wrong and win this, then." Sophii meowed, tensing herself up to spring. "Uhh, I guess Addison's reffing?"

The sorcerer stood up, not moving her eyes off her book. "Okay, I mean, sure. I'll start a countdown. Get ready."

She reached over, subtly patting my back and whispering into my ear. "You got this."

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One..."

Sophii shot from the platform, bounding across the stones and clawing her way up the next levitating pillar.

Edward, surprised that he didn't get an actual head start, scrambled after her, desperately holding on to the ivy that he jumped on.

I quickly leaped from the starting point, moving past him and spreading out my wings to balance.

This was going to be fun.

☁️⭐️☁️⭐️☁️⭐️☁️⭐️☁️⭐️☁️⭐️☁️⭐️☁️

In the end, Sophii still managed to win.

The two of us were neck-to-neck in the final few jumps at the very top of the course, fighting for first place.

I nearly lost my balance a couple times, but my wings came in clutch.

As expected, the prince came in dead last.

Addison was waiting for us at the final pillar, reading through her book.

"Sorry, I took the golden trophy," Sophii meowed, rubbing her muzzle against the hood of the librarian's cloak. "I hope the first place prize is a ton of pets, because I really need some."

"Hey, that's my job!" Edward panted, scrabbling up the rocks to meet us. "May I pet you instead?"

"Be my guest," The panther chirped, giving him a toothy grin. "Belly rubs, please."

I couldn't help but smile at the duo's wholesome interaction. "I didn't know you liked being pet everywhere. I thought you only allowed head pats and back scratches."

"Doesn't matter as long as it's Edward," She purred, rolling onto her back and tucking her legs in. "I mean, with a couple restrictions, of course."

For a few moments, all the tension on my shoulders were lifted.

I forgot about the whole thing with Spiritvale's attack and the sorcerers causing chaos out in the world.

Sometimes I forget that as long as we stay within the Horizon Library's forcefield, we would be safe.

Safe within these boundaries, and safe from any harm...

Just how I like it.