Chapter 3
It's been two days and Tessa was still avoiding Will. Will flashed back to yesterday's encounter between him and Tessa in the corridor on the way to dinner.
Will had been standing in the shadows of the hallway so when Tessa came out of her room she didn't see him. She looked down both sides of the corridor to make sure he wasn't coming and then started down the path to the dining room. That's when Will stepped out.
"Tessa can we please talk?" he asked her. She spun around and stared at him hard and he started to feel uncomfortable.
"I-I'm b-busy," she stuttered. Will could tell she was lying. They were on their way to dinner after all.
"Tess, we're on our way to dinner. What could you possibly be busy with." He stated clearly. Heat flooded into her cheeks and she had absolutely no idea how pretty she looked. She turned and quickly continued down the corridor before he could say anything else.
He needed to make it up to her. He got off his bed and went to the training room. Tessa had asked Gideon to do some extra training with her. Will thought it was mostly because she needed to take her mind off her thoughts. Will trained when he was upset too.
Tessa threw her dagger at the target about fifteen feet away. It hit the bulls eye right in the middle. Tessa smiled, she had finally gotten the hang off it!
"Good throw Tessa!" Gideon congratulated her. He stepped up with a cloth filled with ten more daggers. That's when Will walked in and she glanced at him, then immediately turned back. Will took a seat against the wall to watch her train.
Tessa eyed the ten targets all lined up at the wall with a fierce look in her eye. She picked up the first dagger and threw it at the first target. She threw it so fast that even Will barely saw it and it stuck firmly in the middle of the bulls eye. His mouth dropped open as she did the same with the next nine.
Will was speechless and Gideon was smiling at her. When she finished Tessa was smiling too. She had mastered the dagger throwing.
"Okay Tessa that was very impressive. I think we are done with that section of training and you can have a break for the rest of the week," said Gideon proudly. Then he walked out of the training room.
Tessa was sad. She used training as an excuse not to see Will or Jem. She just couldn't bring herself to face either of them. Teachers needed a break too though. Tessa walked to the targets and took the daggers out of each one. She looked back at Will who had started to come towards her.
Tessa turned around and put the daggers where they belong. Then she walked right past Will towards the door completely ignoring Will. She was almost to the doors when he grabbed her wrist and turned her around to face him.
"What on earth do you want Will?" she asked exasperated. "You've made it quite clear that you do not even wish to be my friend so why do you keep following me?"
"Look Tessa. I just wanted to apolo-" he started but Tessa cut him off.
"Will that's what you always say but then you come back and just start it all over," said Tessa and she looked at the floor.
"I know but the curse is gone now and I don't have to do that anymore. I want to be your friend." He said sincerely. Tessa had almost forgotten the curse and then she got mad at herself, at Will and she kicked him in the shin.
Will stumbled back. He had clearly not anticipated that and that made Tessa laugh. That started Will even more. She kicked him…and now she was laughing.
"Sorry," she said between giggles. "I don't what came over me." Will then stuck out his foot and tripped her. She let out a shriek and fell onto her back on the matted floor. Now she wasn't laughing and Will thought she might be mad, but then she smiled. Before Will realized what was happening she swung her leg and he was lying on his back also on the mat next to her.
Then they both started laughing. Will would always love her but he could settle with just being her friend. It would hurt him just a little but it would hurt him more not to be with her at all, but what Will didn't know was that this would hurt her too.