Helix

Chapter 11 - Ruby

His back disappeared behind the backdoors of the arena. A couple of birds squawked in the distance, but everything else was silent. Everything happened so quick that it was over before I could comprehend what was happening. Numbly, I grazed my fingertips of my cheek.

Tingly. Warm. Strangely, I didn't dislike it.

----

The next day, I woke up bright and early to go to the academic office and apply for a course change. The desk lady raised an eyebrow at me. "Was something wrong with your Swords class?"

I smiled. "It wasn't for me. I don't think you can force compatibility with a weapon."

The lady nodded in agreement. After filling out a stack of papers, I was finally allowed to leave. There was a bounce in my steps as I skipped back to my dorm.

Since it was the coveted Sunday of the week, all my dormmates were chatting and hanging around the living room. A familiar, delicious fruity aroma wafted into my nose as I walked in, and immediately I broke into a grin. "Is Hady baking again?" I asked excitedly.

One of the four girls sprawled on the couch – Penelope – turned around. "Yep! Apple cinnamon pie this time!"

My stomach grumbled just in time, so I joined the other girls on the couch. It wasn't long before Hady opened the kitchen doors, sending waves of mouth-watering aroma through the living room. She efficiently split the pie into sixths and passed the pieces along. Finally, she joined us, forming a circle.

"I feel like we haven't really gotten to know each other like this since the start of the year," Yusha said. She was Penelope's roommate and sat cross-legged, her pigtails falling over her shoulders.

The girl whose long, brown hair swirled around her like a waterfall said, "Yeah, we should play a game or something. We don't have anything else to do, right?"

"Truth or dare!" the last girl squealed. From our limited interactions, she seemed to be the most adventurous of our lot. With a name like Fire and the fact that her clothes seemed to all be in bright, warm colors, her personality felt expected.

Hady went to the kitchen to grab a cup to spin. I never saw her this eager to do something like this, seeing as she felt shy and more closed to me, but I was happy that she was starting to branch out.

She returned quickly with a brown cup. "I'll go first!" she volunteered. Putting the cup on levelled ground, she gave it a quick twist. The cup spun wildly on the ground, gradually slowing down until it stopped at.....

"Shoot," I muttered.

"Truth or dare?" Hady smiled mischievously.

"Truth."

"When and what time were you born?"

Fire nudged Hady. "C'mon guys, juicier questions!"

But I ignored her, relieved that her question wasn't too hard. "August 8th at 1:14 pm," I fired without batting an eyelash.

On with the next round. I spun the cup, which stopped at Penelope. "Truth or dare?"

She puckered her lips in contemplation. "Truth," she decided at last.

"Favorite book?"

Fire scowled again. "Even jucier!"

"I'd say The Misadventures of Mulberry Fish," Penelope answered. "Next!"

We continued to play, and when Hady's cup landed on me again, I chose truth and told everyone how to get from my home's kitchen to my bedroom. A weird question, but I had fun envisioning myself weaving in and out of the Castle's endless corridors. I spun my cup, and this time it landed on Fire.