Chapter One

Ella was gone. Completely, utterly, gone. No one knew where she was, not even her best friend, her confidant, her companion. Arieda was as clueless as everyone else, and was more than a little sad that her best friend had run off without even leaving her a note. That wasn't like Ella at all, but then again, Arieda supposed you can never really know someone. Her naivete had gotten her into trouble in the past, and it seemed to have happened again. Bitterness swelled inside of her, tainting everything the longer it had to grow. She spent her classes with her head down, sitting alone at the table Ella always occupied with her. She had no one to teach Ayorthian to now, no one to converse with in her own tongue, no one to share quips about the other students with. She was alone.

Loneliness was a suffocating feeling.

The only other person who seemed as phased by Ella's absence as Arieda herself was Hattie. She looked exceedingly upset, sitting alone instead of with Blossom and Delicia, staring off into space instead of socializing or taking notes as usual. Arieda couldn't understand why she was so upset. Last she knew, Hattie and Ella were enemies, and Ella's absence should have overjoyed the blonde.

But it didn't.

She looked just as lonely as Arieda felt. It was uncomfortable to see her like that, acting anything but haughty and superior was just odd. And really, Arieda was starting to feel bad. No one was picking up on it, no one was asking her how she was, they were ignoring it and doing their best to stay out of her way as long as her frown was present.

It was just sad.

After classes and dinner, Arieda didn't see Hattie in any of her usual spots. She asked Blossom and Delicia, and was met with dismissive shrugs and "I don't knows." The only other place she had to check was the garden, where her and Ella often went together.

Hattie was curled up on one of the benches near a flower bed, wrapped up in a cloak, practically moping.

"It's a bit cold out, isn't it?"

Arieda said, desperate to break the silence. Wind whipped around them, sending leaves flying every which way. The sun was setting, and the flowers Madame Edith had planted the week before were starting to bloom.

Hattie's response was terse, "well, it is fall." She didn't even turn her head, and instead seemed to be addressing the leaves and the trees.

"Can I sit with you?" Arieda asked, deciding to ignore how agitated Hattie sounded.

"I don't know, can you?"

The snark was overwhelming.

She sat down anyway, pulling her own cloak tighter around herself.

"You've been upset. Is it about Ella?" As soon as the girl's name fell from her lips, Hattie turned to look at her.

"She didn't even leave a note! Can you believe that? What an ass."

The curse caught Arieda a off guard, "I know. I expected her to tell me, at least."

Hattie snorted, rolling her eyes, "You know, I did, too. But you didn't seem like you knew anything. You've looked just as desolate as me. Did you know?"

Arieda nodded, looking down at the ground. She'd cried herself to sleep the past few nights, crushing loneliness and grief and worry consuming her and threatening to drown her if she didn't release some of it.

"I just…" she paused, looking up at Hattie again, "hope she's okay. "

Hattie shrugged, biting her lip, looking up at the setting sun, the sky soaked orange slowly fading into blackness.

"I'm sure she is. She's stubborn, she's smart. She's brave. All good things to be if you're going to run away."

Hattie was right, and that calmed Arieda for the moment. Ella was capable, but could she deal with ogres? Dragons? Gnomes, even? Homicidal gnomes weren't exactly commonplace, but you never know.

"And if she does come back, you can give her a piece of your mind first." Hattie's smirk was back, and Arieda noticed the dimples in her cheeks for the first time. They were charming, and gave her a look of innocence that made Arieda want to smile.

"You'll yell at her, won't you?" She asked, and Hattie's smirk turned into a grin, though it looked sly when she said, "maybe."

Hattie didn't seem as bad as everyone made her out to be. Callous, sure, perhaps exceedingly self-centered. But she didn't seem bad. If anything, she reminded Arieda a bit of her brother, Ollo.

"It's...strange. Missing her. It's not like we were terribly close. I suppose I just got so used to her being around…" Hattie trailed off, tucking loose strands of blonde hair behind her ear. Her eyes, Arieda noticed, were shockingly blue, and she couldn't help staring into them whenever Hattie looked over at her.

"That...makes sense," Arieda said, feeling a bit strange at how Hattie was affecting her. She remembered talking to Aza about the Ayorthian prince, how handsome she thought he was, and she wondered if that's how she felt about Hattie right now. The thought made her cheeks redden, and she quickly looked down to hide it.

"It does? I miss her. I'm sorry," Hattie sighed, shivering a bit and looking up at the darkening sky, "I'm sure you miss her more than I do."

She was probably right, but Areida chose not to say anything. She couldn't even look at her, with the way her face was flushing, and the way it felt like there were butterflies flittering about in her ribcage, bouncing off her heart, making it pound. Suddenly, it didn't feel cold at all anymore, but rather, Arieda felt like she was boiling.

"Are you alright?" Hattie asked, looking over at her, raising an eyebrow, that little smirk on her face again. It was like a trademark expression, Arieda had seen her several times, and Ella always remarked how much she hated it. But Arieda wasn't sure if she hated it at all. It was almost charming, an endearing sort of sarcasm that agitated the butterflies in Arieda's stomach again.

"Yes! I-I'm fine. Just chilly. We should...probably go inside soon. Madame Edith will be upset."

Hattie groaned, rolling her eyes in an exaggerated way, acting like the mention of the head of the school gave her physical pain.

"She's so stuffy. It's annoying."

Arieda blinked, looking surprised,

"I was under the impression that you were her favorite."

Hattie laughed at that, shaking her head, "No, no, my mother is her favorite. Because of what she pays her."

Arieda had only heard Hattie talk about her wealth when she was gloating, and hearing her mention it from a place of annoyance was surprising. She stood up, adjusting her cloak before taking Arieda's hand, "you're right, though. We should go."

The touch made Arieda's cheeks redden again, deeper this time, as her skin met Hattie's and their fingertips intertwined. They were holding hands. It wasn't exactly intimate, her and Ella had held hands before, but it hadn't quite felt like this. Arieda stood up, having to look up at Hattie, who was much taller than her.

"I...may I sit with you at breakfast tomorrow? I usually sit with Ella, and I know you always sit with Blossom and Delicia, but…" Arieda trailed off, regretting asking. Her and Hattie weren't exactly friends. They just shared a pleasant conversation about a mutual annoyance. That was it. She wasn't going to alleviate Arieda's loneliness and make her feel welcomed and at home again. She expected Hattie to scoff, and say "no," but she paused instead, cocking her head to the side, blue eyes searching Arieda's face.

"Maybe. Ask me again tomorrow."

She smirked again, and again, it made Arieda's heart pound.