Taron throws me a glare, sparking laughter from the girls across from us.
“Maeve and Wren,” Savannah says thoughtfully. “You’re from Moondance Haven, correct? Privately trained?”
“That’s us,” I say.
“Nice. I’ve never been that far north in Astraloria.” Kara’s blue-green irises twinkle as she leans forward, wrinkling her nose slightly. “Not to be insensitive, but why were you two working in a tavern? I thought privately trained students are meant to be loaded.”
“Oh, about that…” I recite our tale of being cut off financially. “So, it’s out of principle, you know? Sticking it to our parents or whatever.”
“Totally,” Savannah agrees.
“That makes sense,” Kara says. She leans in, voice hushed. “For a moment, I thought the Games Master changed the rules. Can you imagine if any random person were able to enter the tournament?”
Savannah shudders. “That would be the Constitution out of the window. It would make a mockery of the tournament itself.”
“Totally.” I force a tight-lipped smile.
“Anyway, I’d like to know what we’re going up against.” Kara rocks excitedly on her heels. “Tell us your talents. Rumour is you’re an Aqua and a Pyro.”
There are rumours about us?I resist chewing my bottomlip. This is exactly why I wanted to discuss our strategy in more depth. Does Taron want us to lay our cards on the table for everyone to see, or keep them closer to our chests?
“Actually, I’m an Emo,” I say, realizing I can’t exactly ignore Kara’s question. “Wren here is a Luna.”
“Interesting.” Kara folds her arms. “Good combination, I’m sure.”
“How about you?” I counter.
“I’m Kara, a Helio.” She looks lovingly at Savannah. “And this is Savannah, my girlfriend. She’s a Psam.”
“We know who you are,” says Taron gruffly.
“That’s nice.” Kara smiles, but that’s when I notice something – her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. There’s the tiniest quiver in her upper lip, minuscule enough that most people wouldn’t notice. But I’m not like most people. I’m an orphan. I’ve been doled out more than enough artificial smiles over the years to recognize one when I see it.
An icy realization chills me to the bone –it’s all fake, they’re not friendly. Like everyone else, they’re here to win by any means necessary.
“What do you plan to wish for if you win?” I venture. There’s no point in my skirting around the subject. Especially now I’ve realized this isn’t a conversation any more than it’s an interrogation. I can do some digging of my own.
There’s a twitch between Savannah’s brows. A sort of defensiveness in the way she pulls Kara closer, fingers still woven together.
“That’s a little personal, don’t you think?” she asks.
“It’s OK, babe, they have the right to be curious.” Kara places her palm over her chest and takes a steadying breath. “My mother … she’s not been well, you see. She’s been diagnosed with a degenerative condition that only affects Helio elementals. When we win the tournament, we’ll wish for a cure. A cure that could help other Helios, too. We just want to help make the world a healthier place.”
While also immortalizing yourselves as selfless heroes who risked their lives to help others, I think. And I immediately feel bad.
For all I know, their intentions are genuine. However, that doesn’t change the fact that their seemingly noble wish will come at the price of spilling blood.
“How about you?” Savannah asks. “What are the two of you wishing for?”
“Oh, uh…” I suck the inside of my cheek. It was a stupid question to ask, and now it’s come back to bite me. Taron remains silent, staring ahead. My blood boils. I might as well be by myself here.
A loud gong reverberates through the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” booms a voice, “please come through to the banquet hall, as dinner will be served shortly.”
Everyone turns to leave.
“Saved by the gong,” Taron whispers in my ear. “How about you rein in the questions for now, OK?”
