Stoll Her Heart: Tratie's Story

3. Stupid Stupid Stupid

Chapter 3

Katie's pov

I close the door behind me, sighing in relief. I pranked the Stolls and no one caught me...now I won't be facing any  consequences for that. Even better, Ares would be getting it. A win-win situation if you ask me.
That night, I don't go out stargazing. I want to avoid Travis at all costs after what happened the other night. So awkward... I don't even know what happened. All of a sudden I fell and he caught me and...no. What is happening to me?
Going to bed without watching the stars before feels wrong and uneasy. I take a long time to fall asleep, and my last thought asks if Travis is out there looking at the stars.
The next morning I wake up half expecting more canaries or blue strawberries. Instead, I hear the Ares campers screaming in rhyme about balloons. The Hermes cabin must have gotten their revenge by teaming up with Apollo on the Ares. The last time campers were cursed with this week long rhyme time we all were practically driven crazy by it — not the Stolls though. They found it 100% funny.
The rest of the day consists of avoiding Ares campers and enchanting wheat until after dinner, when Chiron announces we will play Capture the Flag. Tonight, the teams are Athena, Poseidon, Hermes, and Hephaestus against all the other cabins, including mine, Demeter. I'm pretty sure we will lose because we are 1.) against the intelligent battle strategists of Athena, 2.) against Percy, best swordsman and hardest to beat when battling for a flag, and 3.) against Hermes, the biggest and most tricky cabin. Our best hope is the Apollo cabin.
When both teams are equipped and Chiron had repeated the rules, we assume our positions. I'm put on guard at the border of woods around the clearing where the flag is. It's one of my least favorite positions. I prefer the depths of the woods because I can use my best powers there and rarely have to have one-on-one combat. The game begins and it's quiet for minutes. They tick by slowly, and I feel like I'm being watched. I keep looking behind me, feeling as if someone were going to steal the flag and it would be my fault. Where is everybody?
All of a sudden, I see Connor Stoll and Tori leap out of the trees high above. Just before they land, Travis pops out of the woods and throws something to the ground where they tuck and roll, coming to a safe fall. Colin and Miranda come out of the woods where Travis was and shout for backup. I sprint to where the offending Hermes campers appeared but I realize Travis is no where to be seen. Miranda and Colin battle Connor and Tori, and use powers to make roots grow around their feet so they fall.
Colin sets me and Miranda on guard as he goes to scout the woods. They don't seem to realize that Travis is still somewhere around here hiding. They must have thought Connor and Travis were the same brother.
When a few minutes pass, Colin calls for backup in the middle of the woods near the border. Miranda heads off to assist him, leaving me there with Connor and Tori. They are wrapped good in the ground, under thick roots and grasses. Nothing fatal or dangerous, just a simple tree cage. It's easy to see they won't be getting out any time soon. Still, I have to stay there just in case.
I think I hear shouts of victory from our team on the other side but I'm not sure...and I can't confirm it because then, someone knocks me over, carries me away out of the clearing and leaving no one to guard the other two. I can't even tell who my kidnapper is but I realize this must be their team's plan. As we disappear into the thicket, I can just see Percy Jackson burst into our clearing laughing gleefully.
"Plan worked, huh? Here, I'll get you two out and then we'll get the flag real quick..." Percy knows they won, he's about to take the flag. I failed my duty, we lost the game because of this kidnapper.
I'm kicking and yelling for this person to put me down, I can't even tell who it is because of all the armor. They don't seem to notice that their team had won already.
Finally, this person lets me down in a gentler way than you would expect a captor would handle his prisoner.
When I get up, I get a good look at my captor. Just as I thought.
"Stoll!" I leap up and we engage in a heated sword fight. I have to admit, he's good, but doesn't have the powers I have. I will the roots to surface and trip him like the others. What I don't bargain on is how much nature I uprooted. I fall over my own trick and (this is the worst part): land on top of Travis.
How stupid can I be?
I groan at my mistake and again realizing that actually hurt my ankle. I roll to the side and struggle to stand up. Humiliatingly, Travis is not deterred by this at all and even lifts me to a standing position from my awkward injured squat on the forest floor. He is standing too close, uncomfortably close now. "I almost feel guilty but... I just wanted to somehow get you back." Travis replied with a sneaky grin and raised an eyebrow. Then, a bucket of the blue strawberries I had gotten rid of dumped from a tree branch with more blue paint all over me. I manage to get out of the main stream of the mess, but not before getting my back doused in it.
I'm about to reprimand him big time but before I can, he laughs and runs away, sticking both his index fingers up with victory.
I cannot believe this. What was that about?!
I storm back to my cabin and I change my shirt out of the blue strawberry one. What was that, I am possibly the worst demigod in the history of the Greek gods. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Falling over my own trick then making it awkward? I might die if I ever see Travis Stoll again.
Then I go back outside to where the other team celebrates their victory. I need to find Miranda and Colin to explain why I failed my duty in the game.
Instead, as I'm passing the gap between the Hermes cabin and next cabin, someone pulls me there by the arm. I stumble and for the second time that day, look up at my captor who is again, and I am furious about this: the one and only Travis Stoll.
I cross my arms and scowl at him. "What in the gods names do you think you're doing now?" Really, this is already getting so old after two attempts.
Travis leans against the cabin wall with his arms folded across his chest and legs crossed casually. He smirks at me playfully as if he enjoys seeing me annoyed and humiliated to capacity. "Oh, can't I just have a friendly chat with my friend Katie Gardner?"
"Stoll! First of all, I am not your friend. And no, you cannot yank me aside for some stupid chat!" The nerve of him.
"I know it was you"
"What?"
"You're the secret and not-so-very notorious criminal who 'pranked the pranksters'. Everyone might have thought it was Clarisse, but I, being the amazing detective I am, happen to know you are the one who stuck those birds into our cabin," Travis grinned sarcastically, as if he was amused by my speechlessness.
Finally regaining my words, I weakly try to deny it in case there was a chance he was just trying to mess with me. "N-no, how could I have done that, I just returned the canaries to the cabin and Clarisse must have..." I stop, realizing he doesn't believe me one bit.
"Kinda hard for a smart girl like you to play dumb, isn't it Katie?" Travis, seeing Connor looking for him on the pavilion, flashed me another smile. I hate myself for noticing the dark blue shade of his eyes and kinda enticing smile. Ok, seriously, what is going on with me today?
He insists on patting me on the shoulder and saying cheerfully, "Catch ya later huh?". Still grinning he swaggered away to meet his twin, leaving me only with the thoughts of why he told me and what was going to come of it.

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