Magnetic Attraction

[Chapter Eight]

[Chapter Eight]

Elora's Point of View

Ember's arms tighten around the middle of my body, securing me to his muscular chest. I thrash my body weight to try and loosen his grip, but his arms only continue to tighten. I swiftly bring my leg up and smash the heel of my shoe into his leg.

Howls of pain encase the room as I make my get away. I feel dreadful for hurting Ember, but I need to know what's happening.

"Move out of the way," I yell.

Despite my shouting, nobody moves. Their bodies are like bricks cemented to the ground which creates a barrier keeping me out of their entertainment.

There are small gaps but it looks almost impossible to get through without ruffling some feathers.

"I said, move out of the way!" I scream. "This is your final warning and then things aren't going to be pretty."

The pleas are mixed within the roar of the crowd. I'll never make it through at this rate.

I claw, elbow, and shove people out of the way until a small gap eventually opens from on lookers not wanting to be injured.

My shoes sink into the soft grass as I travel across it, but it doesn't stop me from falling through the group and landing face first into the grass.

The cheering and grunting stop as silence falls around us. I quickly scramble to my feet and attempt to gather my wits. A bright light shining into my eyes makes this impossible.

I squint and then use my arm to shield the light from my poor eyes. I try to take in my surroundings, but all I can see is the blinding blue frosted light.

Gunther grumbles a command to someone, telling them to move the light. The spotlight is shifted to the side which makes my surroundings come into view.

I'm in the middle of a punch up.

Gunther stands before me, teeth bared, eyes squinted. Gazing into his eyes is like looking into bright orbs of danger.

Is he even human?

He stalks towards me like a wolf hunting its prey. I am not prey! I am an independent woman who isn't about to be intimidated by a man and his creepy eyes.

"Stop it," I yell.

But Gunther doesn't look at me. Instead, his eyes stay trained on Elias. I hear him wheezing which rattles me from the inside out. If I turn around and see the state Elias is in, this facade will shatter.

"It's your choice Elias," Gunther urges.

"Go home, Elora," Elias say.

Without uttering another word, I storm into the house with Ember following. Anger boils in my system. How could the pair of them be so idiotic? Why is everyone getting a kick out of people beating each other up?  

"Where are you going?" Ember asks.

"Home because I can't be here," I reply. "This whole fucking thing is barbaric."

"Elias chose this."

"Who the hell would actually want to be beaten?" I frown. "And if that's some kind of stupid requirement for whatever little Girl Scout group you three run, it's pathetic."

I snap without regret and let the rage flow out of my system. When I'm heaving with tears, Ember wraps his arms around my waist, hugging me to his chest.

Resting my head against his jumper, I try to block the noise out.

The crackling of bones breaking makes my stomach flip. Is Elias hurt or did he get one through Gunther's defenses? I want to look, but Ember's arms hold me in place.

Regardless, my feet don't move, they stay planted on the ground because I am afraid of what I might find.

Once the fight is over, Ember's arms drop.

"I should take care of Elias now."

"Thanks." I nod.

"Will you be okay here?"

"I think I'll go home now."

"Okay."

Ember steps towards the back door while I pursue the front. I feel physically sick because I can't seem to force myself to walk back into the house and help my brother.

Could I be of help? The sight of blood makes me woozy. I'd be on the floor in seconds.

I make it onto the grass before Gunther walks across the front lawn. For an intense brawl, he's only sporting a split lip and a reddened cheek.

Prior rage burns in my body.

"I can't believe you!" I shout. "You're an animal."

"Stop it."

"Does my yelling make you uncomfortable? Because you've done a lot worse to my brother."

Gunther bumps his chest into me which makes me stumble back. He takes a step towards me to close the gap.

"If you don't like how things are run, go." His voice is low yet authoritative.

"Is that all you have to say? Your way or the highway." I shake my head. "That's weak."

"Heed my warning. If you decide to tangle yourself with bad people, expect there to be consequences."

"Go shove your warning up your-" Gunther's hard body smacks into my shoulder as he wanders back into the house. I'm left standing on the grass in the cold.

My heart thumps inside my chest as I consider walking back inside and finishing my sentence, but something stops me from doing so. It's like someone's tied a string around my waist and started pulling me away from this.

I don't fight that feeling, I let it take me over. My shoes clatter against the footpath as I walk down the pathway. I take my phone out and order a vehicle to collect me.

With each passing step, I think about Gunther and his glowing eyes, how they terrify me to the bone. Then I think about Elias and the terrible state he's in.

But I keep walking because, at some point, we look away because it's easy. I pretend I never saw it, that whatever happened back there doesn't exist.