Chapter 3

Cassia

Cassia lay in bed, her dagger in hand as she twirled it around her fingers, scowling at the memory of Hunter. She couldn't believe she lost. She couldn't believe Hunter had overtaken her. It made her feel weak.

The competition was the one thing Cassia looked forward to and it crushed her to have lost like that at the tournament. And with everyone cheering Hunter on as if they were thrilled by her downfall was the worst part. Maybe she wasn't perfect, but why did everyone hate her?

Her heart sunk as she realized maybe Hunter was right. Her father got rid of her because clearly, Cassia was unlikeable.

"Do you think my father sent me away because he hates me?" Cassia asked.

Her eyes slipped to Astra who also lay in bed. Astra was holding a book in her hand - a Romance book, which she regularly indulged in.

"Your father doesn't hate you," Astra said, her eyes sliding to meet hers. Her eyebrows knitted together. "You just... can be a nuisance sometimes. And your father thinks this will put a stop to your shenanigans."

"I hate the word shenanigans. I'm not a child."

Cassia grumbled and Astra sighed. Astra wasn't quite her friend. She was her guard, but sometimes she filled the spot of therapist.

"Well, it's his fault," Cassia said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "He's the one fuelling the fire."

Astra was quiet for a moment. She could feel her eyes lingering on her, thinking about how pitiful she was, and Cassia hated that. She hated how pathetic she was when it came to her father.

"I don't know if you heard, but there are rumours of trouble stirring up in your kingdom," Astra said. "Violence is near and your father fears that the commoners are scheming."

Cassia frowned. "Scheming? What's going on."

"I don't know. It's just a rumour, but I think your father sent you away to protect you."

Cassia snorted. "I highly doubt that. My father would happily throw me at my enemies if he could, but he's stuck with me because I'm his only heir."

"Don't say that, princess."

Cassia ran her fingers down her long dark brown hair that cascaded down her back until it reached her hips. It was wavy and silky and smooth and Astra had braided it earlier, and she sat up. She didn't want to talk about this anymore. She hated talking about her father.

"I'm going on a walk," Cassia said.

She rose up, grabbed her satchel, and dusted off the blue dress she wore. It was like most of her dresses - long and reaching her heels, but cinching at the waist. And as she walked towards the door, Astra shot her a look.

"Okay, where are we heading to?" Astra asked.

"We aren't going anywhere." Cassia rolled her eyes. "I want to be alone."

Astra opened her mouth to argue, but Cassia exited the cabin. The sun shone down on her, warming her skin and she could see the field that ran on for miles. And on that field was Liana, Chase and Hunter having a picnic with Locke. They were laughing and chatting and Cassia's heart twisted at the sight of them wearing smiles and chatting away. Hunter was turned away and staring off into the distance - at the forest that ran on for miles a few meters away, and Cassia's feet led her towards them.

Cassia neared the picnic. With what happened earlier, she wanted to forget. And maybe, she didn't want to be hated, so she made her way towards the group of campers and the closer she got, the quieter they became. Liana shot her a look as she approached them, her blue eyes cold and piercing. Cassia tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

"Hi," Cassia said, stopping in front of the picnic blanket. Chase and Locke gawked at her and Hunter's head swivelled to look at her. His expression was concealed behind a mask of nothingness.

"What do you want?" Liana sneered. "To tell us we're pathetic peasants again?"

Cassia faltered. She tried her best to keep her expression neutral.

"Um, no," Cassia said. "I was actually wondering if I could join you guys. I don't really know anyone here and-"

Liana barked out a laugh. She screeched with laugher, throwing her head back and her wavy red hair flew around - like a cloud of fire. Chase and Locke joined her, laughing and snickering, and Cassia paled. Hunter didn't laugh, but he didn't react either.

"You're hilarious," Liana said. "You act like you're above us and now you're asking to be with us. Why does a princess fancy sitting amongst peasants?"

Cassia flushed. She could feel her cheeks crimsoning and she stepped back.

"Well, if the answer isn't obvious by now, then I'll say it to your face." Liana smirked. "Get away from us. A bastard princess isn't welcomed."

Cassia scowled at them and spun on her heels. She stormed off farther down the field - towards the forest, but she spotted a small pond and she wheeled towards it. Liana and her friends were still howling. Her hands curled into fists and once she reached the pond, she plopped down on the grass and leaned forward to gaze into the pond that glistened with the sunlight reflecting off it.

And in the pond she could see herself. Her french braid had locks of hair sticking out to frame her face. But, it was the reddening of her cheek that caught her off guard. And she sneered at her reflection, feeling shame wash over her like a familiar presence.

She jumped when a fish burst out of the pond and gazed up at her, its mouth opening and closing as it gulped and her eyes flew wide. Two other fish joined it to stare at her and Cassia yanked out some leftover raspberries from her satchel and tossed them into the lake. The fish devoured the berries and kept coming back for more, and Cassia's lips tugged up into a small smile as the fishes crowded in front of her like loyal subjects.

But, she then stiffened when someone settled down next to her. She whipped her head to see who it was and there was Hunter, sitting next to her, his eyes captivated by the pond in front of them.

"What do you want?" Cassia snapped. "To laugh at me some more? I left when I was told."

Hunter's eyes slid to Cassia, his hazel eyes shimmering with the radiant sun pooling into them. Cassia's guard flew up. It was as if she had thrown up a shield to hide behind, to protect her from whatever would happen now that Hunter was next to her.

"No, I just want to look at the pond," Hunter said. "I didn't know there was one."

Cassia glowered at him and Hunter didn't react. He made her so mad. She didn't know why, but just looking at him made her want to yell until he disappeared.

"You have an audience, princess," Hunter said, waving towards the pond. "Now is your time to act."

Cassia shot him a dark look before feeding the fish again. They swam in circles around each other, racing each other to chug down the berries that floated around in the pond.

"Don't you think it's strange to see your reflection," Hunter asked. His voice dropped an octave. "It's strange to see yourself as a blank slate, without the parts of you that make you, you. Sometimes I wonder who I could have been if my life had been different."

Cassia frowned. Her eyebrows knitted together and she shot Hunter a look.

"Why are you spewing out some poetic rubbish? I'm just trying to look at some fishes."

Hunter gave Cassia a blank look and their eyes locked onto each other's. Cassia was still frowning, wondering why in the world Hunter was sitting with her as if they were friends.

"Do people tell you you're a ray of sunshine?" Hunter mumbled. "Because clearly you light up every room you're in."

Cassia smiled sweetly. "Of course. Wherever I walk flowers bloom."

Hunter rolled his eyes and his eyes rose to the blue sky above them - as if he wished to launch himself into it to be rid of Cassia. It was clear and cloudless, a sea of aqua that stretched on for miles.

"If you mean withered flowers, I'd believe that more," Hunter said.

Cassia glared at Hunter and he shot her a playful smile, his eyes gleaming. She gaped at him and to her surprise, she realized with him there she forgot about everything that'd been bothering her.

"Look, you didn't make the best impression when you came to Camp Trillion, which is why my friends aren't your biggest fan," Hunter said. "No one wants to see a princess acting like a brat. You're privileged and to see you acting out isn't a good look."

Cassia's eyes widened and she had to look away to conceal her look of surprise. Her shoulders grew slack as she realized what everyone really thought of her. Spoiled. Merely because she was a princess, everyone thought she had everything.

"Being a princess doesn't equate to happiness," Cassia whispered. She spoke so quietly, Hunter had to lean forward to catch her words.

"What?" Hunter asked.

Cassia shook her head. Her cheeks flushed as she wondered why she said that to Hunter, who now looked concerned for her.

"Nothing," Cassia said, scowling now. "Honestly, I would rather stab my eyes out than continue talking to you, so I'm going to leave."

His eyes flashed with surprise and Cassia rose. She shot him a glare, her eyes hoping to burn him with her fury, but he merely looked at her as if she was a new specimen - as if she was a puzzle he couldn't quite figure out, and she wheeled around and stalked off.

But the entire time, her heart felt strange. It was racing too fast, as if she'd been sprinting, and she stormed back to her cabin, wishing to erase the image of Hunter. Specifically, the way he stared at her so intensely, she could feel herself melting.