The days ticked by for Callie and her group, they spent every morning doing there seperate excersizes, every afternoon meditating, and every evening jousting.
The nigh of September first found the group standing in a circle around the fire, all with great looks of anticipation on their faces.
"Okay cast your nominations!"
Dakota stepped in towards the fire as 9 slips of paper burst out of the flames one at a time. He caught each of them and gently opened the singed pieces.
"It will be between Callie and Carter tonight."
Both stepped forward, grinning evilly.
"You have got to be joking."
Ben and Eric gave Selena reassuring smiles, making her worry even more. Of all the people they could have voted for they had to picked the two that would readily kill eachother. She looked at the two figures standing tensely on either side of the flame. She looked at Carter, his face set in a manic smile, he looked excited, Selena caught his eye and gave him a desperate look.
"Don't worry baby, I won't kill her."
Selena just shook her head,
"She's not the one I'm worried about."
Callie smiled as Eric and Ben let out two "oooh's!" Carter stopped smiling and a look of determination took over his features, Callie merely looked at him with slight interest. Selena had fought alongside Callie often enough to know that Carter was in a very dangerous position right now.
"Okay, I was thinking, since we promised to go help Dumbledore and his students for this year, maybe it would be a good idea if we sorta, umm, didn't kill each other this time?"
Everyone turned to look at Alexa, she seemed to shrink back from them, her face flickering between no emotion and pure terror. Carter just laughed a mean laugh at her, but Callie nodded.
"That is a very wise idea Alexa, thank you for speaking up."
Carter looked at Callie in disbelief and anger, Callie just smiled coolly back. Alexa seemed to gain confidence from Callies praise and smiled at the intimidating girl.
"Well, that being said, there will be no killing curses or moves tonight, under no circumstances is the other to die. Is that understood Callie?"
Callie just rolled her eyes,
"Yeah sure whatever."
Carter pulled out his wand, sliding his foot back into a ready stance. The group turned to Callie but she hadn't made a move for her wand. Instead she slid her left foot back so that she was about 6 inches off the ground, one arm was wound back in a fist by her ear while the other was stretched out infront of her, two fingers extended. She had pulled her hair into a pony tail, it swished lightly in the gentle breeze. The onlookers watched as she bowed her head slightly, Carter did the same.
"Okay, on the count of three you will begin, you will disarm and disable only, no killing or inflicting serious injuries, understood?"
Both nodded slightly, never taking their eyes off eachother. Dakota couldn't help but noticing how they each represented an animal, Callie looked like a ready wild cat, waiting to pounce, Carter looked to a coiled snake ready to strike. He noticed Midnight, Callies cat, sitting at Selena's feet, watching her Carter intently with fierce eyes that matched her owners determination. Demon hissed behind carter, staring steadily at Callie.
"One, two….THREE!"
Carter waved his wand and a red jet shot out, headed straight for Callie, but she wasn't there anymore, she was in the air, she tucked herself into a flip as she soared through the flames. She landed gracefully on her feet, twisting her body and kicking out with her left leg, she missed and Carter dodged to the right, dropping to a crouch. His face a mask of determination, it was obvious this fight would be harder for him then for Callie.
Calie swung with her right arm only to stop suddenly and thrust her left hand up into Carter's nose. Blood spurted out as Carter rolled away, jumping to his feet. Anger on his face, Callie was very good with fake-outs. She jumped and rolled over the ground, coming up across from Carter, a smile on her face.
"You've got some red stuff on your face bud."
Carter growled and swished his wand in a complicated figure eight, his eyes glinting maliciously as a get of electric blue light flew from his wand, Callie dodged it but the light followed her as she rolled and twisted away from it. It was a tracking spell, it would follow her wherever she moved.
Callie jumped over the flames again, now on Carter's side, the jet of blue light not far behind her, she rand and slid, going right inbetween Carter's legs, the light, trying to follow ran straight into Carter hitting him in the chest. Blood spurted out of his mouth and it took him aminute to heal himself, by the time the blood had stopped Callie hd already danced back to the other side of the fire, her smile just as wide as before, not at all put out by the spell carter had tried to put on her. She waved and winked cheekily at him, causing Eric to laugh and Ben to whoop.
Selena watched through worried eyes, but she couldn't help the rush that went through her as she watched the fight, the adrenaline pumped through her veins like blood and she urged to be the one out there fighting. She watched as Carter swished his wand and Callie dove, she watched as Carter gut hit in the gut and thrown back. She watched as Callie ran and jumped, landing on top of Carter, pining his arms to the ground and throwing his wand far away.
"Pinned ya."
Eric laughed and high-fived Ben, ben passed Eric five galleons, Alexa ran over ot heal Carter but he pushed her away. Alyssa and Keilly went to console Alexa and Selena followe Carter off into to woods.
Selena watched as Carter pushed his way through the undergrowth, growling in rage evrytime he stumbled over a root. Selena watched as he spoke to demon in a raspy hissing voice, she watched as he turned on her, pure rage in his eyes.
"Why are you following me?!"
Selena just stood there, waiting for it to subside, waiting for his eyes to become their beautiful green again instead of this enraged black.
"You are fools to follow her! She thinks of no one but herself, she will lead you to your deaths when I could lead you to immortality! We should leave her, run now before she makes us go to that stupid school to teach! She is not this god you make her out to be, you've seen her arm! How can you follow her!?"
Selena stared back at him calmly, not letting her rage show, how could he say that about her?
"Because she is my family, and I will follow wherever she directs me, and I will only leave her when she wishes me to! I will not turn my back on my family Carter."
Carter scoffed, giving her a malicious look,
"Liar! You would turn your back on your family, you're doing it right now, you're turning your back on me, me! Your own boyfriend, we have dated for two years Selena and yet you choose someone over us!"
Selena just nodded, turning, he would find her when he was ready,
"Chicks before dicks Carter."
With that she left him, walking off into the gathering darkness, heading in the opposite direction of the campfire. She walked silently, her feet barely making a noise as she tread on the fallen leaves. She barely saw the scenery, not really focusing until she felt the salty breeze on her face. She walked over to the cliff edge, leaning over and eyeing the foam depths. She carefully lowered herself over the egde, scaling the cliff face expertly, finding foot and hand holds were no one else could, well no one besides Callie. She made her way quickly down the side, resting on a slight outcrop about 10 feet from the rocks. She could feel the spray hit her face, the salt making her eyes sting slightly. She crouched and sprang, floating up intot he air and down again to land on hr feet on one of the rocks. She le the spray and foam drench her, pulling her dark hair out of its bun and letting it fall down past her shoulders, flailing in the wind. She looked down at the deep blue depths, the small lights of plankton catching her eye before the dimmed.
"How is he?"
Selena was just able to conceal her surprise, Callie was so god damned quite! She had made it all the way down the cliff face without Selena knowing.
"Well, he's about as chipper as always."
Callie settled herself down beside Selena, wrapping her arm over her friend's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done it. I knew it would infuriate him, but it was just so tempting, your boyfriend is a complete ass, just incase you didn't know."
Selena laughed her tinkling laugh, nodding her head as a solitary tear rolled down her cheek.
"Yeah, I realized, but I still love him."
Callie made a fake retching noise,
"Eugh, love, gross!"
Selena laughed again and gave her long time friend a slight shove, it would have sent anyone else over the edge of the rock but Callie was able to find her balance within a second.
"Tryin to kill me? How thoughtful. He isn't worth crying over Selena, he'll be begging to be back in your good books before morning. Morning, eugh! I can't believe I agreed to go teach at that damn school. Why didn't you knock me out when I gave a sign of consenting!?"
Selena gave an exasperated sigh
"Because Cal, it's the right thing to do, they need our help. We can save them, plus we have one of the most powerful wizards in our debt now!"
Callie gave her an exasperated look of her own,
"You are devious, did you know that?"
Selena nodded, laughing slightly.