Daughter Nature

Resolved Issues

Fall break had finally come to an end. The bruises on Leia's neck had now fully disappeared and her voice had returned back to normal. It had been a long week for Leia; after the incident with Kael, she had told Elias everything that had happened, making him promise that he won't tell anybody about her strangler's identity. 'Can I seriously not punch him? Not once?' Elias asked her with a pleading look. 'No, not even once.' 'But he strangled you!' 'I need to figure out why he did it, he must have a reason,' she told him, smiling at the fact that he wanted revenge for her. 'God, you're too good for this world, Leia.' 'Am I though? I left my parents without saying anything.' 'Yeah, but you left a note.' 'Wow, a note. How special,' she said, rolling her eyes playfully. Leia had shared her past with Elias, feeling a trust she hadn't expected. They always chatted during mealtimes and still teased each other a little from time to time.

Phoebe still avoided her at all costs, even in their dorm she wouldn't say a word to her. It broke Leia, she thought she might have lost her first-ever friend forever. 'Come on, Phoebe. We can't keep going like this. We need to talk,' Leia urged one evening. Phoebe completely ignored these words, grabbing her stuff and disappearing into the bathroom. Leia sighed, but she wouldn't give up. She won't lose her best friend over some guy. At breakfast, Phoebe still sat with Kael, continuously smiling and laughing. While Leia loved seeing her friend happy, it hurt to see her with him. He was using her, and Leia had to protect Phoebe from the inevitable heartbreak.

Leia's friendship with Lilly had developed a lot over the holidays. They spent their days together, just hanging out and being able to talk about anything. Leia had learned that Lilly possessed the power of the air element as the only one in her family; she also came from a non-magical family. This connected Leia and Lilly in a way; they both knew nothing about their powers before coming to Silvarana. They trained together in the training rooms, practicing moving objects and sensing movements around them. However, how much she loved having Lilly around, she couldn't help but miss Phoebe.

As the first day back at school began, Leia felt the heaviness of her unresolved issues pressing down on her. She had to mend her friendship with Phoebe, but the thought made her stomach twist with anxiety. They had shared so much, and she couldn't let Kael come between them. When entering Elemental Beasts and Beings, Leia spotted Phoebe sitting at their usual spot, but Kael occupied the chair Leia normally sat in. She hesitated to approach them at first, but then remembered what the Queen had told her: 'To survive, you need to be cautious, but fear will only lower your chances of surviving.' Leia decided to not show a single sign of fear towards Kael and started walking towards them, not giving up her spot that easily. 'Ahem. You're sitting in my seat,' Leia told Kael, crossing her arms. 'Well, I'm sitting here now,' he told her in his annoying, mocking voice. 'There are plenty of seats left, so move.' 'And what are you going to do? Tell the teacher?' 'I won't, but I learned this cool trick in Earthly Enchantments to make vines grow out of your nostrils and I've been looking for somebody to try it on,' she said in a challenging tone. Fear filled his eyes as he quickly gathered his things and moved to another empty seat.

As Leia sat down, Phoebe sent an angry glare in her direction. 'Why did you do that?' she asked her. 'Because we need to talk and you know it. You can't keep ignoring me forever.' The confidence in her own voice surprised her, but she needed to mend her friendship with Phoebe as soon as possible. She didn't know how much longer she could go without it. 'There's not much to talk about-' 'There is. Please stop denying it. I care about you, Phoebe. I don't want you to get hurt,' Leia interrupted. Phoebe's gaze softened, as she sighed. 'Fine. Let's talk tonight in our dorm.' 'Okay, great,' Leia said, relief flooding through her.

The two girls didn't talk for the rest of the day. Instead, they sat silently, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavily between them. Leia tried to focus on her classes, but her thoughts kept drifting back to their earlier conversation. What would they say to each other? Will Phoebe listen to what Leia has to say about Kael? And will she believe her?