Haze of Dusk (A trilogy) (23 page)

“
Are you sure, is it boy related? Are you in love?” She whispers. I look at her in amazement.
How the hell did she figure me out so soon? Is it that obvious?
“No, I'm not in love." I assure her. She miserably sighs. “Love is complicated. It’s hard to understand it really.” I frown, what would she know about love? She’s a kid.

“You…have
been in love?” I awkwardly suppose.

“If I tell you a secret, you promise not to make fun of me,” I nod,
secret… please do make me laugh, that way I can find comfort. Cruel way of thinking Judyala.

“
What we learned in arclaw communication. How the arclaws love… you see, I felt this before,” her cheeks redden. She places behind her ear a strip of hair that falls on her face. “The reason why I was fascinated by you…I mean Jorsay…is because… he was everything I wished for since I was a little girl. I thought when our foreheads collided, it was destiny… and after losing everyone I love… having nobody in this world. I thought I found the man I was going to share my life with…my…soul mate.” She timidly says, looking down at the grass. I scowl. Her story is too gloomy to laugh and her thoughts are foolish. There’s no such thing as a soul mate. I think even for the arclaws it’s untrue, a simple myth, like everything else in our world.
Don’t crush the poor girl’s dream, just don’t say anything.

    “I’m sorry I kissed you. It’s
bizarre. When I think about it …my first kiss was with a girl,” the more she speaks the more she flushes. I press my lips together. The thought brings me a bitter taste. With a point of her finger Azania revives a dying rose from the grass. I gaze at her, impress by the flower's stillness. “You’re a nature elf?"  She smiles and slightly nods. 

“I’m not great
with healing bodies. I’m good with potions, but I am better reviving plants.” She says smiley. I purse my lips, fascinated by the blooming rose, and how the magic rule doesn't intervene with the elves' good magic. It must be their pure heart. “Strange, and still they brought you to the war…”

“The
leaders are recruiting everyone.”

“But…you can bring
dying nature back to life without interferences. It is foolish to bring to the war the only people that can bring nature back to life.”

“I don’t mean to be a pessimist
but…although I can heal the dead plants…what’s the point, without water…they are bound to dehydrate once more…” she looks at the bright blue sky and sighs. “I guess…that’s why they do not care…” she says. Her sad expression suddenly changes. She beams a smile. “Hey, why don’t you come with me, to the tournament?” I grimace. “Oh come on, it will be fun, I will sit with you. I’m a backup, meaning I won’t play unless someone gets hurt or gets kicked out, in which it never happens…come on… please,” she insists with her cute innocent face. I bite my bottom lip. It can't be too bad. It's just a tournament. It's what I need, a different environment and a girl to befriend. "Alright, I'll go."

I'm baffle
d by the quantity of people sitting on the exterior of the arena, waiting for a bunch of girls to start playing. I've mindlessly been buried with so many sentiments I forgot there's a life out there. Azania leads me to the center-bottom of the arena, a place where the backup girls await. It wasn't difficult to get me in, as the coach is no other but Miss-Sol, our meditation elf-instructor—she adores me, more like my knowledge. I gaze around my area— fifteen backup girls dress similar to Azania but in another color remain sitting a few feet away from us. I grasp their kinky outfits are actual uniforms.  I sit cheerfully for I rest in the best seats of the ground. Besides, I can disregard my misfortunes. For the first day since I returned to my body I can finally say, I’m release. 

Elusion sphere is a game with two teams combating against one another. They’re more likely separated by race. The girls dress
ed in green are the Greenland, the pure elves. The girls dressed in scarlet, are likely to be humans or half humans. They call themselves the Scarletta—also known as the champions. The teams wear a short sleeve mini dress with slits, and a white waist corset. Their color singles out their team. Their uniform is rather provocative. No wonder hundreds of perverted boys line up to see the tournament.

From our slight
unclear spot, I see a familiar person walk toward our sector.  I struggle for breath as I notice his perfection, stiff walk, and his mysterious gaze. He too is going to watch the match. I hide my face. “What is he doing here?” I hiss to see Khysso, behind him is his bitch. I let my hair cover my face. Not encountering him is my priority, especially now that I’ve done such a good job avoiding him. From afar, I also see many instructors; in them is Ronneto, Vaniele, and the headmistress with her followers, sitting on a secluded area with guards and caretakers. I frown
. So much for a change of mood,

“What are they all doing here?” I
say through my teeth. Azania's face wrinkles. She glances at the instructors, “oh, they always come to watch. I mean…it is for
they’re
entertainment.” I peek behind me. Khysso is sitting down. His perfect hair flows on his face. I distractedly gape his way, until his sight moves my direction. I stream my head downward. I pant softly descending my body to the surface.
“What
is
wrong with you?” Azania notices my weirdness. I strain a smile and exhale harshly. If I knew I’d be sitting near them, I would’ve never joined her. This is bad, too bad… things can’t get any worse.

The crowd cheers, t
he competitors enter the arena. My mouth drops open to see who the captain of team Scarletta is. “Holy crap…no way,” I whine. It is no other but Jameson’s chunky-cheeked sister. “Wh-what?” Azania panics.

“What…that girl…oh
crap. I should go before she sees me.”

“What girl?”
Azania asks bushed by my weirdness.

“The captain of team scarletta, she’s…the
sister of the boy I fought in deathrow.” Azania’s eyes widen. She gapes at her direction, finally understanding my bizar
reness. “Don’t worry. I doubt she’ll see us. Please don’t go. I don’t have friends here. I’m the only Greenland backup. And Scarletta crew girls are mean.” I emit a purr.
Damn you, Azania.
I have no choice but to stay and watch the game from close. I just hope I’m not noticed by the two people I fear meeting with.

The
teams are ready to initiate. Team Greenland has seven girls, all to the left of the arena, each holding their bows. Team scarletta, also a set of seven, stands to the right, over a hundred glowing black spheres lay on their ground. Instructor Miss-sol calls all of our attention. The noisy audience hushes, for the game is about to start.

“Ball carriers
can use magic, and throw the ball as powerful as possible. Archers, hit and destroy as many spheres as you can. When the balls come to an end, the team will change places. The ones to obtain more balls after five rounds wins…now,” she lifts a white flag.

“May the best
team win!” she shouts. 

Scarletta begins the game by elevating the spheres and dashing it to the other side. By the
strength they use when moving the ball, and by the quantity of balls they can lift, I can tell the girls from team Scarletta are fairly powerful. More likely
sway
novice
healers, especially the captain of the team. Jameson’s older sister is able to toss three balls at once—an impressive amount of balls for a healer to elevate. The Greenland girls are good archers. They hit two balls with one arrow but miss a few. Still, Scarletta team is frighteningly strong and quick, that with a point of their finger the ball rushes to the other side with an intensive speed that easily confuses the Greenland girls. In a short time, Scarletta balls end and the teams switches position.

“The game is moving fast. We'll be gone in a jiffy.” I say excitedly. Azania shakes her head. “Not really, whichever team loses, plays with the further teams,” she points at some girls sitting on the grounds of the arena.  A team call, the Yellow Puff flowers, and the Blue Sirens wait for their turns. “Whoever wins plays with the following team. The winner gets to eat for one entire week with the instructors. My group is hoping to win so we can sit with Sorcerer Shorewen,” she dreamily sighs.
Holy crap, she likes him too. Who am I kidding? The entire castle crushes on him.

“Oh, what a lovely
bequest,” I say sardonically. She giggles.

“Not only that,
silly, but the winner wins new bows marked by the great leaders, that way we can use it in battles.” I scoff and look back at the team. Scarletta is kicking Greenland’s behind. Scarletta team is not only powerful, but they’re great archers. They don’t allow any ball to set foot on their grounds. Until unexpectedly an arrow pierce the foot of a Greenland girl.

“Foul!!! Halt!!” Instructor Miss-Sol runs to check on the girl who has an arrow stuck to her foot. She yanks the arrow out and heals the girl. The
audience is tranquil.
Poor girl, that must really hurt.
What Azania pledge is rare to happen, occurred. Greenland lost a team due to the injury, and Scarletta lost a member because of her mistake.  “Yes...it happened, one of us can play,” a girl dressed in a scarlet color uniform says happily. I scowl. “What now…” I ask curiously.

“The team captain gets to choose a new member,” I frown. This means that girl is coming my way. Both team captain
look around the backups. I bury my face with my hair. But when Azania is call, I rise. I wheeze. Jameson's sister spotted me. She artfully stares at me. I sense the hatred in her vibration.

Azania
grins at me, “I can’t believe it. They called me,” she says excited.
Well, you are the only Greenland backup
. I faintly smile. “Good luck,” I undertone. She giggles, and runs down the small stairway. Jameson's sister still glares at me. In a trice she twirls meeting the girl who was kicked out because of the foul. Then, she marches back to her station. I heave a sigh. I’m relief it's over. But anxiety still prevails in me. I wonder has he…? I bite my lips, and slightly turn to view the instructors. They all talk among one another, except Khysso, he stares at the diversion in a reverie. “Hey, Judyala, come sit with us,” a girl from Scarletta team calls me.  I shake my head. Brainless girl, don’t call me aloud. He will know I’m here. Why would I change seats any ways? That’s betraying Greenland. Not that I favor them.

“Oh come on. You’re all alone there. Come closer,” she says noisily. I rapidly march to her afraid her loud voice will call the instructors attention.
I sit by the backup girls from Scarletta crew, now facing the Scarletta players.

The coach repeats the rules, but over her voice,
far away from my area I spot a familiar person fanatically shouting. I narrow my eyes and intently look over the crowd. To the other side, in the first line— standing and screaming in excitement are my friends; Ramuso, Onnet and Osys mainly bellow to the girls. I smile.
Why I am sitting with these girls when I can sit with my friends?
“So Judyala, what do you do to your hair to get those beautiful waves? I wish I can get rid of this straightness,” a dark hair girl says, bouncing her dead-hair.

“
Wet it…” I say plainly. She awkwardly smiles.

“Why do you
walk around with that elf girl? Elves are so…ugh,” a dark blonde criticizes, the others rapidly agreed.
Oh-GREAT. I’m sitting with a bunch of narrow-minded bitches.
“They don’t know archery for sure…dumb elves. They should all go back to the forest and live underneath a tree,” the girl who was suspended says, amusing the others. I grind my teeth, and stand up in a dash. If I stay one more second, I think I might just kill them all. “W-wait, where are you going?”  The girl who caused the injury exclaims. “Away from you all…” I say turning to leave the sector, but a thrust on my chest throws me back to the ground. I’m overtaken by the flares in my head. The soreness in my chest causes delusions. The screaming and panic of the girls becomes unbearable to listen to. It’s not until I clearly observe my chest when I see what hit me. An arrow struck my heart.

-18-

Untouchable

“Get out! Get out!” Ronneto
shuns people. He dashes to me, he now remains next to me. Vaniele too, she holds me. So much for hiding from them all. Dim-witted Scarletta girls for screaming,
Judyala is shot!
“Oh goodness…oh goodness…” Vaniele’s eyes rapidly water. They are afraid to see the damage, but I’m not, especially since there’s no pain anymore.  I handle the arrow, and yank it out of me, but there’s no blood.
“In the name of heaven…” Ronneto halts. Vaniele digs inside my shirt. The tip of the arrow penetrated Ramuso’s amethyst amulet, not me. Vaniele picks up the broken amulet, and meets with Ronneto. They chortle in relief. But nobody is as respite as me, a blow to the heart—difficult for any priestess to heal.

“She’s all-right. It did not hit her!” Ronneto bellows to the people that en
circle us. I sit up. The instant I do Vaniele's arms wrap around me. “Goodness, what a relief. Again, you almost killed us,” she whispers somewhere near my ear. I strain a smile. The warmth of her body is motherly. Vaniele and Ronneto help me up. The game has been stopped, and Jameson's sister is imprisoned.