Burst Finish My Heart: Free de la Hoya x OC | A Beyblade Fanfiction

Chapter 32: Panic

Clank!

The door to BC Sol's gym swung open, and gasps sounded off among the bladers. Free never showed up to training. Valt squealed, excited that he might get to challenge Free. On the other hand, Stan felt betrayed, falsely assuming that Free had only bothered to come because of Ferox, not because he genuinely cared about BC Sol's bladers.

Christina and Trad shared a glance, each wondering if Free's appearance had something to do with the fact that Ferox had not turned up to training yet. Christina was about to ask Free if he had come to see the progress of BC Sol's bladers, but Free moved to hold the door, and Ferox stepped inside the gym.

A silence fell across the gym.

Indeed, Free had held the door for someone else, and not just that, it was a girl.

"Thanks," Ferox said, gazing warmly at Free.

Free's cheeks turned a bit pink, which did not go unnoticed. It was the most emotion that anybody had ever seen Free display, and it was out-of-place from what anybody was used to from their captain. Free and Ferox also carried contradictory personalities---one reserved and the other emotional--making this scene all the more baffling.

Stan, conversely, understood precisely what was happening and dreaded what this meant for the dynamics of BC Sol.

Valt, of course, was the first to break the tension.

"Ferox!" he yelled, and he dashed forward. Valt wrapped his arms around Ferox, saying, "I was looking everywhere for you. You didn't show up to the dorms last night, so I was super worried, and--" Valt zipped in front of Free, and he screamed, "Free! You've turned up to training, so let's battle!" He pulled out Valtryek, showing it off to Free.

Free almost rolled his eyes at how poorly Valt read the room, while Ferox blanched at how openly Valt had mentioned that she was nowhere to be found yesterday night. This was deeply embarrassing, and she already wanted to hide in the bleachers.

"Hold up!" Trad exclaimed, nudging Valt aside and crossing his arms. "Look who decided to show up for training. Ferox, you have always turned up early to training before now. What is the meaning of this? Also, what is Valt saying about you not showing up yesterday to the dorms? Explain yourself."

Valt clamped his hand against his forehead, and he burst out crying, "Ferox, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have said that. I didn't think that would get you into trouble with Trad!"

Ferox flushed. "It's okay, Valt."

But her fingers already started to tremble, and her feet began to shift as she melted under Trad's scrutinizing gaze. It had been a long time since Ferox had been under another person's critical examination, and she loathed the sensation it was giving her, what it was reminding her of.

"Shush," Trad said. "What do you have to say for yourself, Ferox?"

Realizing that she would have to say something, Ferox felt her heart growing increasingly congested, and something slowly died inside of her as the large crowd of bladers shifted into unforgiving, malevolent shadows.

Ferox's body froze up, and her mind blanked out, darting back to the time when she was hiding behind a couch, hoping that she would no longer exist, desperate to simply disappear because the horrors unfolding before her were too much to bear. Blood soaking her hands, the brains of her mother pouring across the carpet, the blaring shots of a gun--

"She was with me," Free interjected, coolly staring back at Trad.

Trad was taken back, not expecting Free to defend Ferox. "She was what?"