— The Girl Squad —
The forest swallowed sound fast. Whether it was because of the mist or the oddity of the forest itself, I wasn’t sure. Even our own footsteps sounded muffled.
We heard nothing from the other squad, we just saw their silhouettes moving in the distance.
Ashley, naturally, couldn’t stand the silence for long.
“So,” she whispered like a conspirator, sidling up to Eve. “Now that our fearless leader has chosen her demon prince, you could totally make your move on Lionel.”
Eve stumbled mid-step and I wasn’t sure how to react.
“Excuse me?” Eve stammered.
“Oh, come on,” Ashley hissed, grinning. “You think I haven’t noticed the looks? The whole two-snipers-longing-from-afar vibe? You two would be adorable.”
Eve’s ears went a little pink, but her tone was razor sharp. “I think you should focus on your own disaster romance with Nate before matchmaking anyone else.”
Ashley blinked. “Wow, that’s harsh.”
“Accurate,” Eve corrected. “Besides, he’s not looking at me.”
Ashley pouted. “You’re supposed to be flustered, not roast me alive.”
Eve smirked. “You walked into the fire all by yourself, darling.”
The group fell quiet after that, tension rippling faintly in the air, the echo of all the things unsaid lingering between them.
Faelin, walking a few paces behind, finally broke the silence.
“Must be nice,” she muttered, kicking at a root. “Fighting alongside people who actually give a damn whether you come back.”
The words hung heavy, half-envy and half-truth.
Ashley slowed, glancing over with a soft flicker of guilt before masking it under bravado. “Hey, stick around long enough and we’ll start worrying about you, too.”
Faelin snorted, not looking up. “Yeah, can’t wait.”
Eve gave her a sidelong glance, quieter now. “We all worry. Just… in our own ways.”
“Can I ask you something?” I asked and Faelin met my gaze. “Your powers… are they like an extension of you?”
“Well, I guess…” she shrugged, her brows furrowing. “I can control the air close to me, but sometimes it feels like it’s controlling me.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“Not in a dangerous way!” she corrected quickly, putting her hands up. “It’s just… sometimes my magic reacts in line with my feelings rather than what I want.”
I felt relief. It was the first time I had heard someone who struggled with their abilities because of the emotional connection, like me.
“It’s the same with my flames,” I said, now smiling.
“Yeah, you should’ve seen her torching the entire forest back when she was all newbie,” Ashley snickered and Faelin’s eyes widened in horror.
“I-I didn’t!” I stammered defensively.
“Pfft, yeah right,” Ashley smirked. “Demon-boy had you combusting all the time; it was my personal dinner entertainment.”
Faelin averted her eyes from us, and I glared at Ashley who skittered happily in response to the chaos.
We continued walking in silence once more, the forest around us whispering like it knew every word we weren’t saying.
The further we walked, the quieter the forest became.
Even the birds had stopped singing.
The air felt heavy, thick like fog, but sharper somehow, pressing against the skin rather than brushing it. The ground underfoot was soft, each step sinking just a little deeper into the sand.
Eve slowed first. “Does anyone else—”
“—feel like they’re being watched?” Ashley finished.
Faelin glanced around.
“It’s not eyes,” she said softly. “It’s like the trees are… listening.”
Then the first whisper came.
Faint. Slithering. Impossible to tell if it was behind us or inside our minds.
“Why pretend you don’t want it, little sniper?”
Eve froze, her hand reaching for her dagger.
The voice was low, almost affectionate. “You keep it quiet, that spark. You could have him if you asked. He’d say no, but he wouldn’t mean it. You can see it in his eyes, the way he longs for someone else to take a step towards him.”
Her breath hitched.
“Shut up,” she muttered into the nothingness.
Ashley frowned. “Eve?”
But before Eve could answer, another whisper bloomed, softer, sweeter.
“Ashley,” it sighed. “You’d trade anything for your twin, wouldn’t you?”
Ashley’s eyes widened, and she swallowed hard, trying to push down her emotions.
“The way she smiled, the way she called your name. You dream of her every night. You could have her back, it’s just one step, one breath in the right direction…”
Ashley shook her head. “No. No, that’s—”
“You don’t need to live without her,” the voice coaxed, like a lullaby. “You could join her, be together again. You’d never have to feel guilty for living in her stead.”
Her hand trembled where it gripped her sleeve.
Then another voice, the same, yet not, rippled through the air, brushing across Faelin like a breath.
“But you,” it purred. “You don’t need anyone. Do you, little scholar? Clever thing. Already whole, already enough. The others fight and ache for what they lack. You? You’re complete… Except no one will miss you.”
Faelin’s jaw tightened and her walk faltered. “Stop it.”
“No one sees it yet. But I do. You could be so much more if you stopped pretending to be small. Everyone would be at your feet.”
The air grew colder and the mist thickened, twisting like smoke around our feet.
And then it spoke again, this time to me.
“Ahhh,” the voice sighed, deeper now, a vibration that crawled under my skin. “The half one’s favorite toy.”
My pulse stuttered along with my magic.
“Tell me, little flame. What happens when he remembers who he is? When he stops pretending he can live beside you?”
My breath came sharp and uneven. The being knew all of our inner thoughts and worries.
“He’ll choose his blood, his kin. He’ll go home, and you’ll be left here, human and hollow. He’ll look at you like he’s never seen you before.”
“No,” I breathed out.
“He’ll love you until it’s inconvenient. Until the day you need saving more than he wants you.”
Something in me twisted, the words sinking in like hooks under my ribs.
Ashley’s hand caught mine, tight, grounding. Her voice was a whisper, shaking but alive. “Don’t listen. It’s not real, none of it’s real.”
But my fear was real, the words it spoke had been lingering in my mind. I glanced over at Ashley, who reached for Eve next, taking her hand as well.
“Take Faelin too,” she instructed Eve, who weirdly enough didn’t argue.
The forest exhaled, and for a second, the mist almost sounded like laughter.
“It must be a demon, right?” I exhaled.
We walked closely together, as if preparing for an ambush.
“Yes,” Faelin breathed out. “They prey on fear and greed, do they not?”
“Well, no one can bring the dead back,” Ashley mumbled. “So there’s no way it can get me.”
My hand twitched around hers, a gentle squeeze.
“Don’t wander off,” Eve ordered.
“Pfft, this temptation demon or whatever isn’t tempting enough.” Ashley shrugged, and her expression seemed to relax a bit.
The forest’s voice snickered. “Who says I’m temptation? I might just be a better version of you.”