"I can't say how disappointed I am," Anastasia said, her eyes flickering between the two emissaries seated in front of her. As soon as the two troublemakers had been tended to in the med wing, they had been summoned to her office. Anastasia was aware that the two would have issues due to their notorious tempers, but she had hoped that it wouldn't come to them destroying the academy. She had apparently been wrong in assuming they could handle each other's presence. "You've both been here long enough to know that what happened in the cafeteria today was against every tolerance policy that we have in place."
She adjusted a small wolf figurine on her desk and continued, "I've been more than lenient with both of you, considering your histories, and I don't appreciate the fact that you just cannot seem to keep your tempers in check." She lifted her eyes to the two and was even more disappointed that their expressions remained stoic instead of remorseful. "Because of this, I will be implementing a new rule that will go into effect immediately, and the two of you will be the first to demonstrate what happens when we cannot get along with our fellow emissaries."
A small frown pulled her lips downward as she considered the weight of what she was about to say, but this was something that she had to do in order to establish order in the complex and keep the prophecy on track. If they wouldn't get along on their own, she would force them into it. "From this moment forward, until I declare otherwise, you will do everything together. You will work together, eat together, go to class together. You will even sleep in the same dorm."
"That's not fair, Anastasia," Harmon protested, standing from his seat. His eyebrows furrowed together as a frown shaped his lips. "I've already graduated from the academy. I should not have to attend any more classes."
"I don't want to hear another word, Harmon," Anastasia said sternly. She would not back down from her decision. Everything had to go according to plan, and Harmon's disagreements were small in comparison to what would happen if Eleanor didn't figure out exactly who she was. Besides, destroying the cafeteria was not something that she could just let slide. He would have to deal with the consequences as would Ellie for that incident. "My decision is final. The two of you will start your punishment by repairing the damage you caused to the cafeteria. I expect both walls and the floor to be fixed before next week. Your beds are being moved to a separate dorm as we speak. I don't want to hear any complaints from either of you for the duration of this punishment. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am," they replied simultaneously causing a glare to be shared between them.
"Very well," Anastasia said, a look of warning on her face as she had not missed the hateful looks they had given each other. "I don't want to see you in this office for disciplinary purposes again. That will be all. You're dismissed."
Ellie stomped her feet as she walked down the hallway with Harmon right behind her. She was not happy that she had to deal with this arrogant boy who thought he could get away with calling her names she was not okay with. He had no idea who she was or what she had been through, and she would not make this easy for him.
"Would you slow down?" he asked, his frown growing with each passing second. It wasn't that he couldn't keep up with the blonde. His legs were more than long enough to do that. He just didn't see the point. Not to mention, he just didn't want to make things easy for her. It was bad enough that he had to see her in the hallways, ever reminding him of what he did not have, but did Ana really have to go as far as forcing them to be attached at the hip? This was the worst idea in the history of ideas. "We don't exactly have anywhere to go until they get the materials to patch up the caf. You don't have to rush."
"I'd rather rush than be near a jerk like you," Ellie snapped, pushing herself further down the hallway. She didn't care what he wanted. He wasn't going to get his way just because he thought he was better than everyone else. She was going to make sure that there was as much space between them as she could get.
Harmon had to suppress a growl. This girl had another thing coming. He picked up his pace and wrapped a large hand around the stubborn girl's arm. "Let's get one thing straight, Princess. You may be able to say and do whatever you want with anyone else in this complex, but I'm not one of those people. You don't get a say in anything concerning me. I'm not afraid of you, and that's going to be your downfall."
He released her arm and continued to walk forward, leaving Ellie to stare at his retreating figure. She narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth together before stomping after him. Her long legs were quick to catch up, and as soon as she reached his side, she turned him to face her. "Look, I don't know what your problem is with me, but if you continue to call me princess, I'm going to show you how much of a problem I have with you. I'm sure you don't want to go through that again."
"I'm not the one who passed out," he quipped, pushing her hand off of his arm. "So maybe you should accept the defeat that came with that."
"I didn't pass out because of anything you did," she snapped, balling her hands into fists and continuing down the hall. A lump was growing in her throat at the thought of the real reason she passed out, and she was finding it harder to breathe. Jasper Hale didn't deserve her tears, and she refused to give them to him. It was bad enough that he was the cause of everything happening to her. She would not give him the rest of her dignity.
Harmon watched as she moved quickly through the hall. There was something she wasn't telling anyone. She had more walls up than anyone he had ever met, and he was determined to find out just what she was hiding. He released a sigh and followed the blonde, knowing he couldn't afford to get any farther onto Anastasia's bad side. They trusted him, and that was a lot more than other people cared.
Reaching the blonde's side, he asked, "Why did you pass out then?"
Ellie looked over at him and rolled her eyes. This guy just couldn't take a hint. She obviously didn't want to get to know him. He was a jerk who over stepped all of her boundaries, and her secrets would not be shared with him. "That's none of your concern."
Harmon shook his head and dug his hands into his pockets, but he kept his mouth shut. She wasn't going to share with him, and she wouldn't be able to keep her secret forever. They would be rooming together. It would eventually come out.
Ellie trusted his silence less than she trusted his words. She had learned a long time ago not to let the silence of anyone affect her judgment. People were far more dangerous when they didn't speak their thoughts. "What? Nothing snide to say?"
Harmon merely shook his head and wet his lips before giving a curt, "Nope."
Ellie gave him a suspicious look but said nothing else. She turned her gaze back to the path ahead of them and didn't notice the small smirk curling his lips.
This punishment might not be so bad after all.
Silence reigned in the cafeteria as the two troubled emissaries made their way into the damaged room. The emissaries couldn't believe what they were seeing as the duo entered together. Each of them were bad enough on their own, but to see them together, to think of the damage they could cause together, was enough to send a few of the weaker stomached on their way out of the slowly crowding room.
"I'm not sitting with those idiots you call friends," Harmon said, snarling his nose as they carried their trays into the seating area. Spotting an empty table, he easily made his way toward it before he sat and began eating, not waiting for Ellie to state her opinion.
Ellie released a sigh and rolled her eyes, but took a seat at the table anyways. Munching on a French fry, she asked, "Do you even know "those idiots" I call friends?"
"I don't have to," he said, a smirk tugging at his lips and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "They're friends with you. That's all the proof I need."
Ellie refrained from rolling her eyes again and instead, chose to chuck a French fry at his face. "Stuff it, Cartwright."
Harmon narrowed his eyes at her and prepared to toss a pepperoni at her face only to become distracted by slender fingers pulling the chair beside of Ellie back. His gaze traveled up only to find eyes the shade of chocolate widened in his direction. He recognized her as the girl often in Ellie's presence, but he had never actually met the girl personally. Now that he was seeing her up close, he wished they had destroyed the cafeteria sooner.
Ellie heard the chair beside of her being pulled back and allowed a small smile to tug her lips upward. Trust Felicity to find her no matter the situation. Swinging her eyes to her friend she found the brunette's wide eyes locked with the boy's in front of her, her lips parted ever so slightly as she held his gaze. A sigh left her lips as it looked like Harmon might be staying around longer than necessary. "Felicity, this is Harmon. Harmon, Felicity."
"Hi," Felicity said, a small smile forming as a light blush dusted her cheeks. She hadn't expected him to be so handsome up close. Quickly casting her gaze to the ground, she slid into her seat and took a deep breath before turning to Ellie. "So... Did you two work out your differences?"
"No," they both said before narrowing their eyes at one another.
Rolling her eyes, Ellie crossed her arms and looked to the side, not noticing that Harmon had done the same thing in the other direction.
Felicity's lips were parted wide as her gaze drifted between the two. What was happening? Thankfully, she didn't have to diffuse the tension as Dawson Knight had chosen that moment to find his way to their table.
Pulling out a chair beside of Harmon, he merely raised his eyebrows at the two eerily similar emissaries before they turned back to their meals. He didn't have to say anything, knowing they were well aware they needed to be on their best behavior. He just had to let them know they were being watched. Picking up his fork and taking a bite of his salad, he was pleased to, at least, see they were being semi civil with each other. "I had Amira run out to get the materials you'll need to fix the walls. They're in my office. You can come get them after lessons tomorrow."
Ellie nodded but kept her eyes on her tray, picking at the pepperoni on her pizza. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. Seeing the disappointment in his eyes would be like looking into his brother's eyes and seeing how disappointed he was with her after she had refused to make her first kill. It was just more than she thought she could handle at the moment; especially when it was paired with the thought that she was only getting worse.
Taking note of the distraught look developing on Ellie's face, Dawson frowned. For reasons he couldn't understand, seeing that look on her face didn't settle well with him. He had never experienced a moment where someone else's emotional pain caused him to physically feel it. It was strange in every way. There had to be something that he could do to ease her mind. He wet his lips before clearing his throat. "Eleanor, would you mind stopping by my office later? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
Ellie knitted her eyebrows together and tilted her head to the side, a small frown pulling her lips downward. What could he possibly have to say to her that everyone else at the table couldn't hear? Running a hand through her hair, the word slipped through her mouth and sealed her fate.
"Sure."
A/N: Hi, everyone! I hope you're enjoying Battle Wounds! I know I'm enjoying writing it. So, you've gotten a glimpse at most of my original characters at this point. There are still a few more to come that I hope you'll love or hate, or love to hate. I know I feel that way about some of them, but I was actually curious to know who your favorite characters are so far. Why do you like them or dislike them? And what kind of trouble do you think they're going to get into?
Thank you all so much for reading this series. You don't know how much it means to me that you gave it a chance. I hope you continue reading and enjoy what is to come! Don't forget to vote and comment to let me know what you think of it!