TIGHTROPE | fitz vacker

Chapter 5.

THE WEEKEND WAS about to end when Azalea heard a soft knock on the door.

   She had spent the last two days crying, screaming, complaining, and talking to ELvy. Azalea was sure that Elvy was close to ripping her head off. But every night, he snuggled close to her and kept her company as she slept.

   Well, she couldn't really sleep. She spent most of her time reprimanding herself and cursing her fate.

   She had counted the number of friends she had. It was the same as the number she had lost.

   Another series of knocks came from her door.

   Deep inside her, she hoped that it was the twins.

   Oh man, she hated hope.

   As much as it had fueled her for years, it'd disappointed her too many times to count.

   More knocks.

   "Whoever you are, I suggest you leave before I get mad. And when I'm mad, you'll be dead. And your family won't even have a body to grieve over."

   The door creaked open. "Even with bodies, I doubt our family would grieve over us."

   Maybe hope didn't always disappoint her.

   Azalea didn't stop herself from throwing her arm around Tam and Linh. A small sob escaped her lips. She heard barks and saw Elvy jumping around the three of them.

   "There, there," Linh said, patting her back reassuringly. Tam tried to pry Azalea arms away but Azalea held on tight.

   "I'm sorry," Azalea said, pulling away. "Whatever you're here for, I can't help you."

   "We aren't here for anything." Tam said. "We don't care about that anymore. We've-"

   Azalea raised an eyebrow at him.

   "We've missed you," Linh finished for him. "And we don't care about your banishment, or whatever."

   "But," Tam interjected. "You won't tell me, so I'm assuming that you pooped your pants at some meeting with the Council and they were angry."

   Azalea let out a laugh, the first laugh she had in days. "Yeah. That's exactly what happened."

   "I trust you guys, you know?" Azalea added. "I really do, but it's complicated."

   "You don't have to explain," Linh said, even though Tam looked a little reluctant, he agreed.

   "GUYS! COME HERE!" A fourth voice yelled. Elvy started barking wildly, like he did when there were intruders. Tam shoved Linh and Azalea into the hut and told them to be quiet. Linh and Azalea tried to calm Elvy down but the Wolf only barked more and joined Tam outside the hut.

   "God, I hate that he always thinks he should protect us," Azalea said.

   "He can," Linh said. "But we can protect ourselves too."

   The two peaked outside between a crack in the wooden walls. There were five teenagers in gowns and tunics and... a wrinkly old man.

   "Is that a human?" Linh asked.

   "Who are they?"

   "That's Sophie!" Linh whisper-exclaimed.

   Azalea squinted her eyes to focus on Sophie's features. She had blonde hair and Azalea couldn't make sense of her eyes.

   "Her eyes are brown," Linh said.

   "STOP!" Tam shouted as he stretched out his arms and pulled every shadow toward his grasp. Beside him, Elvy growled menacingly.