GROWL (Semi-Haitus)

TWENTY-TWO

"We're seeing my brother? Now?" I quickened my steps to catch up with Cressida as she stormed down the stairs, blood stains still fresh on our clothes. I was dreary and lightheaded, the adrenaline flushed away most of my energy, yet I couldn't help notice the sudden weight of my muscles, the feather-light feel of my footsteps on the ground.

It'd been so long since I'd seen my brother. Weeks. I missed him so much that it ached, but the thought of seeing him after so long...Even I couldn't recognise myself in my reflection, what's to say Seth would?

"Well we're gonna have to talk to him sooner than later," Cressida said. She pushed open the double doors to the gymnasium and I halted, fearing the stares of my teammates—only to realise Roxas was standing there alone, surveying an impressive dent in the wall that spiderwebbed the cement.

He turned to us and, taking in the state of me, gawked at Cressida, "Holy mother of Olympus, what did you do to her?"

"A favour," Cressida's voice echoed across the walls as she strode inside. I wondered if she knew how much blood was still splattered on her face. I wondered if she liked the smell or even the taste of it. "We're going to pay her brother a visit. Care to join us?"

Roxas's eyes narrowed cautiously. But then he gave me an almost sad look, once again taking in the state of my ripped clothes and bloody hair. "Give her a break, Cress. The girl looks half dead," he said, not unkindly.

I didn't argue with that. I felt half-dead, like half of me was a corpse and the other had just been reborn. Although I was no longer breathless and the dull ache was ebbing, there was a drowsiness that had started to take over. 

"When's the last time you ate?" He asked me. At the mention of food, my stomach instantly felt hollow. I didn't actually remember the last time I had a decent meal.

Cressida's shoulders deflated a little. "Fine," she huffed, "Get her some food. I'll be in my office, meet me there when you're done."

"Wait—" But she was already gone, ghosting away like grains of sands swept away by the wind.

Roxas loosed a sigh, "Athens almighty, she's a handful," he turned to me, "Get changed. The guys are in the din—"

"If you think I'm going anywhere near my teammates, you can think again," I jerked my head towards the large dent on the wall.

Roxas made a face as though to say something, but snapped his mouth shut when he glanced at the damage. "Take your time."

I did. I meandered my way back to my dorm room, testing the sudden strength in my calves, the tension in my arms, the clarity of my vision. By the time I reached my room, I was practically giddy with hysteria. So much so that I got half way through tearing off my clothes until I realised someone was in my room.

"Sexy,"

I startled, grabbing the closest thing to a weapon I could before turning to the intruder—

Only to find Levi sitting leisurely on his bed, staring straight at me with a lopsided grin.

And it was like seeing him for the first time.

I thought my vision had sharpened during the Audition—but it was nothing compared to this. Even from a distance I could count the gold flecks in those emerald eyes. I could see the patterns of his dry lips, the iridescence in the light of his obsidian hair...

Even more than that, I could sense warmth. A strange radiation that counteracted with the cold smile on his face, the strange sparkle in his eyes. I was so mesmerised that until I noticed Levi's appraising gaze, I forgot I was half naked.