Chapter 3: Interested
Cassie's POV
Finally, Monday, the day of the tournament, arrives. The specialists and I wake up extra early to grab some breakfast, more than we had the day before; we need a lot today if we're going to keep our strength up in the early rounds, let alone if any of us make it to the final.
Yesterday passed in a blur of relaxation, fun and laughs in Riven's dorm. The guys didn't at all seem fazed by the change of pace with the addition of a girl to their usual testosterone-only company at Red Fountain; they seemed to accept me simply as the new addition to their circle, as well as their girlfriends' circle considering how much they talked about them.
I had even got to see and talk to one of the girls; Riven must have noticed me fingering the hem of my black tank-top uncomfortably, conscious of the fact that I'd been running and even sleeping in my outfit for three days straight. He relayed that information to Brandon, and he had apparently got the coded message that I was missing, pulling his palm top out of his pocket. He pressed one of his speed-dials, and the guys all crowded around to see the screen. I followed their lead after Riven beckoned me over.
A beautiful young woman materialised on the screen, her long, thick and slightly wavy hair matching the golden hue of her unique eyes. The skin on her face at least seemed well cared-for, and the shoulders of a turquoise and purple striped outfit showed a certain finesse with fashion. After a few moments, I recognised the stunning – and possibly self-absorbed – face of Stella of Solaria, from the Winx.
"Hey, there, shnookums," she beamed. I tried not to giggle at the nickname, obviously for one of the guys as I recalled Riven saying the Winx each have one of the specialists as their boyfriend. Apparently, Stella's is Brandon, as he smiled back and answered.
"Hey, there, beautiful," he greeted her. "Listen, we need your expertise on clothes for a second." He gestured to me, making me the centre of attention. "This is Cassie, Riven's sister."
At the total shock on Stella's face, I had shaken my head at her boyfriend. "Brandon, you can't just drop that bomb on her and not answer any of her other questions. Let's tell her the full story."
"Are you sure you're okay with that?" Riven placed a tender hand on my shoulder.
I smiled at him. "You told me I could trust the Winx. So that's exactly what I'm doing."
So we told her. Everything, including my "disability". This took fifteen minutes straight, and Stella looked horrified by the end of it. Brandon tried to steer the conversation onto happier and more comfortable territory for the fairy.
"But Cassie's feeling a little uncomfortable in her clothes at the moment, considering she's had them on for seventy-two hours," he explained.
Stella's face brightened. "So you want my help with choosing an outfit for her that will wow the world?"
Brandon winked. "Exactly."
She had studied me carefully for a few seconds, obviously thinking of colour combinations and other things that I have no knowledge of whatsoever.
"Well," she spoke up, "you're too short to use any of my clothes, so I'll have to buy you new ones. But it just so happens that I saw the most amazing outfit on my favourite shopping website yesterday. It's in the sale, so it shouldn't be that much – but don't you worry about the price, because this one's on me." She smiled at me again, and I really hoped she could see how much her gesture meant to me from my own grin. The display on the screen changed as she moved her own palm-top with her, and we saw her tapping away at her computer, presumably logging on to that website. "I can order it right now, and with my many loyalty cards and numerous contacts that I can call and use a bit of leverage with, I can have it delivered directly to Red Fountain within about, ooh, two hours." The radiance of her wink definitely reflected the magic of the fairy of the sun, moon and stars.
"That's my girl," Brandon laughed.
"Wow, Stella," I chuckled breathlessly. "Thank you so much. This means a lot to me."
She waved her hand dismissively. "Think nothing of it. A 'welcome to Alfea' present from the Winx."
"But I'm not at Alfea yet," I objected.
"No, but you will be," she reminded me. "And when you are, I can say on behalf of the entire Winx club, we'll have your back. We'll be starting our first year as teachers when we go back in a few days, so we can have a lot more power over students. Although, why Alfea decided to start school again on a Thursday, I have no idea. But it gives me only a few days of school before another weekend, so I'm not going to complain."
I laughed again. "Thanks, Stella. I can't wait to meet you in person."
"You too, Cassie," she waved. "You can thank me for the outfit then. Bye, Brandon! Bye, guys! Bye, Cassie!"
About an hour and three-quarters later, a knock had come to Riven's door. It was a specialist, I assumed, telling us we had a delivery and handing it over to my brother. Riven grinned and thanked the guy before closing the door and turning to me.
"Go on, it's your present," he passed it over. "The bathroom is just at the back of the room and to the left. You can change in there, then we can see the full effect of the outfit."
In the bathroom, I carefully opened the box, my breath catching in excitement. A set of underwear – a little more fancy than my usual selection – sat on top of the outfit, and I removed my previous clothing before slipping those on. Next were the light denim stone-washed jeans, and they hugged my thighs nicely as I pulled them up. But they didn't feel like normal jeans; they felt light, and I had so much movement it was like I wasn't wearing anything. Which is a weird and unnerving feeling. The same could be said for the T-shirt. The freedom inside it was incredible while I still could feel the benefit of the layer, and it was tight enough to make it seem like I had curves around my upper chest area, which was amazing; I've always considered my 34Bs a bit of a disappointment, but my lack of size helps in physical fighting. Less "rebound" if you get my meaning.
The T-shirt was mainly black, with a spattering of smallish deep purple hearts near the bottom, beginning halfway down the T-shirt, then growing in number and becoming closer together as they got closer to the hem. Looking back in the box, I find a pair of new white sneakers to complete the look. But, even more surprising, under some tissue paper below the sneakers, a set of plain black pyjamas sat folded up: a short-sleeved shirt and some shorts. Wow, I really needed to thank Stella, big time.
With the whole ensemble of the black T-shirt, the stone-washed jeans and the white sneakers on, I stood in front of the large mirror, perusing myself.
Notbad, I concluded. Enoughfemininitytomakemelooklikeagirl,butnotenoughtomakemeseemuselessinafight.
Stella is a genius.
The guys' conversation stopped as they heard the lock clicking back, and I stepped out to face their gazes. Their smiles showed their silent agreement that I looked good. Riven shook his head as I walked back to him.
"You are too beautiful for anyone, you know that?" he put an arm around my shoulders.
"What, even Danny Qator?" Brandon stared at me pointedly, fortunately for him out of hitting range.
"Huh?" Riven turned to him.
"Your sister and Danny Qator were flirting at breakfast, over by the sausages," Brandon laughed.
As I glared at Stella's traitor boyfriend, Riven's purple eyes slid to me with a 'seriously?' expression, obviously disapproving. I raised my eyebrows at him.
"Would you rather people stayed under the impression that I was your girlfriend?" I pointed out. "I was just talking with him anyway; we'd accidentally bumped into each other by the sausages, and we got talking. That's all. Stop freaking out and being all over-protective big brother on me. I don't need your help when it comes to relationship advice."
"Uh-huh," he'd said, not looking away from me. I knew that that look meant 'this isn't over', and resisted the urge to groan in frustration.
Sky had left last night, saying his dad wanted him back in Eraklyon, so we said our farewells to him. That's why this morning it's just me, Riven, Timmy, Brandon, Helia and Nabu.
Despite my claims to my brother last night – which, okay, may have been little white lies – I find myself holding the serving fork for the sausages longer than necessary. It only takes me a few seconds to realise it's because I want Danny's hand to bump into mine again, so we could have another conversation, even if it's without the flirting. I find him so fascinating and charming, and his words captivate me, especially as they seem to echo my deepest thoughts and principles.
But, sadly, a repeat of yesterday doesn't occur, and I return to the guys' table alone, feeling a strange emptiness that has nothing to do with hunger.
After going back upstairs just to brush our teeth – the guys are already in their ridiculous uniforms, and I'm wearing my new ensemble – we head outside to the arena, where the tournament will be taking place. Riven opts to train a little before the actual tournament, so he's up on the floor kicking another specialist's butt.
"Save some for the tournament, hot-shot," I call to him, taking pity on my brother's poor opponent as the guy falls to the ground painfully.
"Whatever," he retorts, barely breathing hard as his slightly-curved purple laser-sword sheaths itself in its own hilt. He strides confidently over to us, not even helping the guy to his feet.
"Sorry about my brother," I shrug sheepishly at the guy as he pushes himself up. After he's caught his breath, he waves his hand dismissively at me, as if to say 'don't worry about it; I'm used to it'. I swing a look back to Riven.
"What?" he spreads his hands out to his sides, palms facing upward.
"You could have at least helped him up," I gesture to the guy, now walking away.
"I won't be helping him up in a few minutes; I'll be fighting him. I was practicing for a fighting tournament, not a chivalry test."
I snort and fold my arms. "You don't know the meaning of the word 'chivalry'. And if I hadn't spent yesterday laughing with you, I'd think you never stopped training or being serious."
"He doesn't." You would think the other guys practice their synchronicity; the sentence is said perfectly in time with each other. Even if I hadn't wanted to laugh at my brother, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself.
"Ha, ha. You're real funny, guys," Riven sulks, flopping onto the bench. "I just want to win this thing."
"There's a surprise," Brandon mutters sarcastically.
Realising how close Riven and I have come to a sibling row just now, I opt to steer the conversation onto safer, more light-hearted ground.
"Seriously though, I'd heard that specialists were brave, but I didn't know you guys were this brave."
Helia looks up from writing something in a notebook. "What? You mean holding fighting tournaments?"
"That's part of it," I allow. "But that's kind of generic. But wearing those uniforms must take some serious courage."
The guys all have to be careful not to fall off the benches their laughing so hard. Even Riven's shoulders are shaking as he tries to hold in his laughter and to not break his sulking streak.
But after a few seconds, I realise there are one too many voices laughing to fit in with the number of the guys here. As I look around, I begin to recognise it, linking it to a voice in my memory, and I finally spot the source sitting on a bench just a few feet from me. Danny Qator's ocean eyes are sparkling with amusement, his smile making the sun dim in shame again. My heart lifts at his presence.
I shrug at him, feigning nonchalance at his entrance. "What? It's true; you all look ridiculous."
He returns the shrug. "Yeah, we do. But it's protocol. At least you don't go here, so you're allowed to look great in that new outfit."
Turning to him with a sly grin, I ask. "Why, Mister Qator; was that a compliment, just now?"
He winks at me. "Take it however you want. The fact still stands that you look amazing."
My smile turns soft, flattered by his compliment. There's no need for me to return the compliment though; it's the most obvious thing in the world, so I don't feel the need to point it out.
"Trying to sweet-talk your way into a victory, Qator?" The tension around Riven's forced smile is obvious enough for me to gather he didn't want to conceal it. He wants Danny to know that I've got a brother in the background, waiting for him to make one wrong move – by his rules. I glare at him, and not just because of his downright insult to Danny.
"Not at all, Riven," Danny replies, all politeness. "Besides, I don't think your sister would be one to be sweet-talked out of a fight."
Well-played,Danny. The use of Riven's first name means he's tried to take a figurative non-threatening step closer to him, instead of using the last name and putting the aggression on, as my brother had. The use of "your sister" is also a response to Riven's veiled threat before; an acknowledgement that Riven is there, and that he will be watching his every move, but a show that he's confident enough that he won't make a mistake.
A brief "Hm," in agreement is the only response my brother deems acceptable.
"Lay off, Riv," I scowl, using my childhood nickname for him. "He was just saying I look nice."
"Whatever," he mutters, deliberately not looking my way.
Making a noise in the back of my throat, I stand up and intentionally walk to Danny's bench, taking a seat beside him. The other guys act like nothing's wrong, going back to talking or writing in their notebook, but I can see my brother tense in his seat. I ignore him.
"I don't want you two to get into a fight because of me," Danny says, quietly now, leaning his elbows on his knees and turning his head to talk to me.
I shake my head. "Don't worry about it. Since you've been around him for a fair while, I would have thought you'd know by now that he can be stupidly obnoxious."
He shrugs. "I don't blame him though. I know if I had a sister, especially a younger one, I would probably do the same; grilling any guy who's interested in her and interrogating them while pointing a bright light in their face."
The image of Danny doing such a thing makes me laugh; it just seems so absurd, what with his gentle and amiable character.
"It's just frustrating, you know?" I continue, on a roll now. "Yeah, he wants to make sure I'm okay, I get that. But he does this with everything; he barely lets me do anything by myself. It's like he doesn't believe in my capability or something. Sometimes it's just annoying, but other times…it hurts, you know?"
"He just loves you very much," Danny smiles. I can't believe he's defending him. It's not that I don't think Riven should be defended, it's just that most people are infuriated with Riven's character, and definitely not tolerant of it.
"I made one mistake," I look up towards the sky, far away in my memories, and yet I can tell Danny's still looking at me. "One guy I liked, I chose wrong. Along the line, he hurt me emotionally, and I was a wreck for at least a week. Riven doesn't want that happening to me again, I get that. But does he have to look over my shoulder all the time? Does he always have to tell me to 'sit this one out' so I don't have to do anything because there's the smallest chance in the world that I could get hurt, emotionally or physically? He doesn't think I can handle it, doesn't believe in me."
"Well, it's that guy's loss," Danny says after a pause. "I agree with you though; I think Riven should think a little more highly of you. I heard you ran here for almost three days straight, little food, little to no sleep, and you made it. I think that's an achievement. A stupid one, yes, but it's still incredible that you managed to do that."
"All Riven saw was me lying on the floor after passing out," I agree. "Nothing wonderful about that."
He makes no comment, offering his silent support and comfort instead. My breath catches slightly as something he said earlier triggers a delayed reaction.
"Wait," I say, and Danny turns back to look at me. "What you were saying before, how you would protect your own sister from guys who were interested in her…Does that mean you're interested in me?"
Meandmybigmouth. That's probably the most embarrassing question I've ever asked, and my face agrees as I feel it heat up with a blush.
A slow, sweet smile spreads across Danny's face, his eyes sparkling with amusement at my discomfort. He doesn't verbally reply to my question, but I get my answer through that look. Suddenly, his position and expression tense, making him look vulnerable.
"What about you?" he whispers, almost seeming scared of the response. "Are you interested?"
My blush intensifies, and a shy smile reveals itself to Danny before I can turn away. Unable to resist the temptation of sneaking a peek at him, my heart jumps when I see the joy in his new smile, and I can't help but return one to him. He laughs, his happiness too vast to stay silent. Mine too; within seconds, I'm joining in, and we're both trying to stifle our laughter for fear of seeming completely insane in the eyes of the other specialists around.
Eventually our laughter dies down, and we settle for smiling and staring at each other like idiots. The specialists' combat teacher, Codatora, walks out into the arena, and we have to break our moment.
I won't bore you with the details of what he says; one-on-one fighting matches, initial pairs already made – check the board, winner of each match goes to the next round with a new opponent while those defeated will stop fighting, final will be the two who last that long with no defeats. A normal tournament. Then we're told to go choose our weapons from the trolley he just pulled out if we don't already have one.
After browsing briefly though the swords and spears and generic stuff, I come across a weapon that's perfect for me, and I grin as I pull it out of the stack, clutching at it confidently.
Helia is by Danny when I automatically walk back towards him, and he raises his eyebrows at me, smirking. Making sure Danny isn't looking, I stick my tongue out at him, and his shoulders shake with silent laughter. Waiting for Codatora to give the signal to check the board to see who we're all up against, I stand by Danny's right side while Helia flanks his left.
"You know," Helia says casually, "Riven's probably going to want to kill you, Danny, if you go up against him."
Danny shrugs. "I know. But I don't think it'll be that much different to his normal fighting style."
We all laugh, recognising the description of my brother.
"Well," I smile slyly. "I'd still prefer not to risk it. So I'll just have to win against him in order for him not to meet you."
Danny's ocean eyes flick down to me, his expression a mix of being surprised and impressed. I grin at him, and he returns it. "I am so looking forward to seeing that."
Yeah, go Cassie, power to the women! Just joking; I'm not a feminist. I would love to be able to fight, though. That would be pretty cool. Anyway, I hope you don't think the Danny-and-Cassie bit came too early in the fanfic. It's just that it kind of did happen that fast for the original Winx characters; they saw each other, and it was 'bang! Like at first sight'. Let me know your thoughts.
Fly on,
NitnatRide
