I really wanted to update yesterday, but work called me in unexpectedly yesterday and today, so here you go! Hope you like it!
"I'm telling you, Helia, you need to talk to him," Alexandros said as the brothers walked down the sidewalk. They were "It's not good to let it fester."
Helia shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I would, but you didn't see how enamored he was. He was smitten as soon as he laid eyes on her. I can't tell him what she said about him."
Alex sighed, shaking his head. "Then don't tell him that part. Tell him the truth. She hit on you. Don't let that ruin your friendship."
Helia let out a sigh of his own as the two made their way into a coffee shop. "I don't know, man. Maybe it'll blow over."
His brother shook his head again as the two stepped into the waiting line. "Stop being an idiot," he chided quietly, shoving Helia a little.
Helia stepped away to keep his balance and accidentally bumped into someone. "Sorry about that," he said sheepishly, smiling apologetically and facing the front again. Surveying the shop, Helia realized how crowded it was. There were barely any tables available, and several people were standing around.
"I'll grab us some seats," he said, digging in his pocket for the correct amount of money. "Get me my usual?"
Alex simply nodded and took the money his brother handed him.
Managing to find a small, empty table, Helia plopped down in a seat and began to think.
Eric had seen Kendra about to kiss Helia. But in his anger, Eric had accused Helia of making a move on her. Even though Helia protested at first, Eric had ignored him and stormed out of the castle.
As soon as he was gone, Krystal came in from one of her lessons. She looked at the specialist and her cousin, confusion and slight hurt on her face.
"What's going on here?" she asked softly, but Helia could hear the anger that tremored her voice.
Helia looked down to see that Kendra's hand was still holding his. He shook it off and stepped away from her, his brows drawing together in anger at himself. "Nothing," he said curtly, facing his princess as he tried to relax his features.
"Oh, Helia," Kendra cooed, looking triumphant as she took in her cousin's appearance. She flipped her dark hair over one shoulder and propped a hand on her hip. "You don't have to lie to the poor girl. Just tell her the truth! Tell her all about what we were in the middle of!"
Helia felt a tick in his jaw as he turned his steely gaze to her. "The truth," he began, biting out the words, "is that I have no desire for you, Kendra. I am not interested in a relationship at all, much less one with you. And I was just trying to leave."
Turning back to Krystal, he bowed politely. "Excuse me, Krystal, but I must go. It was nice to see you again."
And with that, he had left the castle, running to find Eric, but to no avail. And now, two weeks later, Helia was getting breakfast with his older brother before he left for Red Fountain. Eric was leaving later than Helia, as a captain had to be there earlier than the others.
Alex set a cup of green tea in front of his brother as he took a seat.
"I don't get it!" Helia exclaimed quietly, sitting back in his chair and running his hands through his short hair. "How is it possible to fall in love on the spot? Dad did it, you did it, and now Eric. I don't understand."
Alex chuckled, taking a long sip of his coffee. "You will one day, little brother. It's like the heavens open and the angels sing. You'll get it when you meet the one."
Rolling his eyes, Helia picked up the cup in front of him to take a drink. However, the name on the side caught his eye.
Flora.
"Alex, you got me the wrong cup," Helia mumbled, half-annoyed, half-grateful for the distraction. He stood and went back up to the counter. Without a word, he set down Flora's cup and picked up the one that had his name on it before returning to his table.
Once back at Red Fountain, Helia unpacked his bags quietly. No one on his team was back yet, but that was expected. Captains had to be back for the staff to give them their evaluations.
The empty room gave him solitude, but Helia wasn't sure if he wanted it. He found himself longing for something louder, more . . . full of life.
A sharp knock on the door startled him, causing him to instinctively reach for his gloves before he opened the door.
"Cordatorta!" Helia answered in surprise, looking at the man in front of him with wide eyes. "I thought Dr. Dossik was delivering the evaluations?"
Cordatorta grinned and shook his head. "I'm here because the headmaster requested you. Follow me to his office."
Helia followed quietly, wondering why in the world he'd been formally summoned by his grandfather. As they wove through the castle, Helia felt his heart sink. Had there been a death in the family? His father had been Saladin's only child, so the only unaccounted family members were his mother and brother.
Once in the office, Helia sat in a chair in front of his grandfather's desk, his foot bouncing quietly in anticipation.
"Helia, we've requested you here to talk about your evaluation scores," his grandfather explained, looking from a neat stack of paper to Helia.
His heart skipped a beat, and Helia wondered just how badly they did. Getting called to the headmaster's office about test scores couldn't possibly be a good thing.
"Your scores far outstand our expectation, young man," Dossik said from his place to the left of Saladin. Under his breath, the medical professor added, "Not that I expected much."
Cordatorta cut his coworker a glare before turning back to the student in front of them. "Your team scored higher than every other freshman team and a third of the sophomore teams, lad."
Helia felt his eyes go wide as pride swelled in his chest. He knew they were good and worked well together, but he didn't know they were that good.
"And as a reward, we have decided to give you boys a new mission," Cordatorta continued. "The Magix Wildlife Reserve has been having some issues with a troll. This is the third time it has escaped the Reserve's barrier. Your job is to track it down and contain it, and then call me to come get it. We'll give you the full details of the mission tomorrow."
"You are dismissed," Saladin said, grinning proudly. Helia stood and bowed deeply.
"Thank you," he said before turning and leaving the room.
Helia walked to his room, feeling elated and nervous. Even though things weren't going smoothly between everyone on the team now, maybe this mission would help them get over their differences. It all began on a mission, so it would only be fitting for the problems to end on one.
He approached the dorm, but a voice stopped him before he rounded the corner.
"Dude, I get it. He's totally a show-off."
That voice was Eric's. Normally, something like that wouldn't make him stop in his tracks, but it was the annoyance in his voice that left Helia feeling as though he wasn't supposed to be here. As though he wasn't supposed to hear this.
"Wow, wouldn't expect that from his best friend," Chase's voice called.
Helia peeked around the corner quietly, not wanting to be seen.
He saw Eric and Chase standing outside the dorm door, their bags at their feet. Chase was leaned up against the wall across from the door, and Eric was standing in the middle of the hall, arms folded across his chest.
"Yeah," Eric snorted, picking up his duffel bag and throwing it over his shoulder. "You should hear what he did over break. Let's just say it opened my eyes, and now I see who he's been all along."
Even from this distance, Helia could see Chase lift an eyebrow in curiosity. "Oh?"
Eric faced Chase fully. "He stole my dream girl right out from under me. I asked him to help me ask her out, but when the time came, she told me that he asked her out first."
Helia's eyes narrowed as he realized. That's what Kendra had wanted all along. Two men fighting over her. Helia hadn't asked her out but she had told Eric that he had. That sneaky little b—
"Damn, that's cold, bro. I'd never do that," Chase said, hanging his head and slowly moving it from side to side. He pushed himself from the wall and placed a hand on Eric's shoulder. "So now you see what I've been saying all year. He knows how much influence his family has, so he's trying to use it to his advantage. He wants all the power, all the money, and all the girls. He's a selfish asshole who leaves nothing for the rest of us."
Helia's eyes widened in shock, and his mouth parted softly. No way would Eric believe this. Eric was his best friend since childhood. They had been through everything together. There was absolutely no way that he would ever believe the things Chase was saying.
But, to Helia's horror, Eric nodded.
Helia turned to leave, not wanting to see any more of this, but bumped into Lance after his first step.
"How long have you been behind me?" Helia asked, keeping his voice low and his emotions in check.
"Long enough," Lance said at the same level, giving Helia a pity-filled gaze.
"Tell them to be ready for a meeting soon," Helia ordered, avoiding eye contact and wanting nothing more than to be away from this exact spot and this exact situation. He walked passed Lance after the dark-skinned man nodded. He needed to be alone for a while and process what he'd just heard.