TIGHTROPE | fitz vacker

Chapter 2.

WHEN AZALEA RETURNED home, she found Elvy at the door of her small hut, glaring at her. He barked, which Azalea was sure it translated to: 'You're in big trouble, Young Lady.'

"Yeah, yeah, get over it. I needed to get to school." Azalea said, lowering her hood and taking her mask off as she entered the hut.

Elvy let out another bark: 'You don't even like going to school.'

"I don't have a choice, do I? Besides, Tam is always there to annoy me out of leaving that stupid, so-called 'school'." Azalea said, checking the cabinets for food.

"Your welcome," Azalea heard a voice from the doorway. Immediately, she grabbed her dagger from her pocket and pointed it at the figures at the doorway.

Seeing purple handprints on their sleeves, their ability pins, and the way they stood beside her, she could tell that they were the twins.

"What's up?" Azalea said as she searched all her cabinets, guilty that they were empty and Elvy couldn't have a proper meal. The forest was plagued and the animals had all run off, leaving Elvy to eat the food Azalea grew. She felt a surge of pride as Elvy stood beside her. Despite their harsh living conditions, Elvy remained loyal and didn't run off or eat Azalea as some lunch.

"We just thought you'd need some food," Linh had a warm, soothing voice. It always made Azalea feel as if she were at a stream, on a boat, stargazing. Linh  held out a makeshift bag about the size of Azalea palm. "There is barely any food left to harvest but we managed to salvage some plants."

Azalea tentatively took the bag of food and opened it. Inside were a few gnomish plants, enough to sustain her for a few weeks (with a bit of rationing).

"Unfortunately, we still don't have any meat," Linh said, turning her head towards Elvy. "But we could go to the stream nearby. Elvy can get some fish there."

Elvy barked loudly, as if trying to say: 'Thanks, Linh. Man, why didn't that Dummy Azalea think of that?'

"Mhmm, thanks," Azalea said.

"Great," Tam grumbled. "Come on, let's go."

"Tam," Linh said in a somewhat threatening voice. "Don't you need to tell her something?"

"No," Tam shot back.

"Wrong answer," Linh pinched her brother's arm.

"Hey! That hurt!" Tam complained and rubbed the spot where Linh pinched. Then he faced Azalea and said. "I know that this is three years overdue but: Thanks."

"For what?" Azalea teased, knowing that he was thanking her for the Happy Place Trick.

"Thank you for helping us tolerate the horrors of Exillium with that Happy Place Trick of yours," Tam said. "And thanks for helping me realize that I'm able to restrain myself from murdering you."

Azalea rolled her eyes. "Someone's anger-control isn't as good as their self-control."

"I swear-"

"Who said I was talking about you, you narcissist," Azalea shot back.

"Why are we even helping her?" Tam sighed.

"Because Zee is our friend," Linh said.

Azalea always insisted that the twins called her by another name. She didn't want to be known as: 'Azalea Sencen', that was her life before Exillium. So, the twins called Azalea 'Zee'.

"Come on, let's go get your wolf some food before he collapses," Tam said  as the twins removed their mask and lowered their hoods.

Azalea had seen their faces before; they had jet black hair with silver tips, pale blue eyes with a hint of silver, and a pale complexion.