"You want what?"
It seemed that my question was too ridiculous to be considered to Sharp-eyes, but I had to ask nevertheless.
"I feel suffocated." I said, giving an attempt at explaining my reason.
"Which is why you want to join the look-out groups?" He repeated with a straight face.
My head bobbed up then down.
He looked at my with narrowed eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "If it were me I wouldn't allow it, however, it's not up to me to decide. I'll bring it up to Mr. Small."
I gave him a slight bow. "Thank you sir."
With a slight scowl he turned back to the group of children who were training.
As I decided to head out of the salon, a piercing stare tickled my neck.
Glancing backwards, the boy with black hair was staring at me intently. They were hard to read, murky and sticky. A slight chill went through my body.
Who is he?
Someone called his name and he turned, his eyes instantly clearing up and turning warm.
He's dangerous.
The feeling of uncertainty wouldn't leave and stuck with me even as I left the the training area. When was the last time I met someone with those type of eyes? Were they dangerous?
The way his eyes stared at me continued to replay in my mind. It wasn't until I felt someone's presence that I completely moved my attention.
"Snow!" It was Tristan who limped over with a sloppy grin. "Whatcha doing?"
My eyes moved to his leg. "You bruised?"
He flinched and blushed. "Uh, a little."
Two days ago we had a private training session as promised, this time however, I decided not to take it easy on him.
The scratch on his lips and his limp was evident of that much. He's weaker than I thought.
"You're weak." I muttered and trudged along.
"I'm better than Parker though." He huffed suddenly.
The image of that red-head popped into my head. Despite the state of his hands, his body wasn't in horrible shape. Parker however, had the power of his element on his side and I doubt Tristan could beat that in an actual fight.
I simply hummed in response.
"He's actually top among the trainees right now but once he gets into my turf, I'll do the talking." Tristan puffed his chest.
I doubt that.
"Hey, I actually have today off. Mind if I ate lunch with you?"
I stopped walking and looked at him. His idea made me uncomfortable for some reason. "No."
He frowned. "Why not?"
I ignored his question and resumed walking.
"I'm gonna do it anyway." He smirked while walking next to me.
I resisted the urge to scowl. "I'll give you a one-sided beating next time."
Tristan shrugged. "Isn't that better for me anyway?"
I almost stared at him with disbelief. Is there a word for a pain-seeking wierdo? He's crazy.
And crazy he was.
There was an awkward and almost suffocating feeling that moved among the members that sat down with me. Arianna and Parker glaring wildly at Tristan who only cared for the plate in front of him.
"What are you doing here?" Arianna growled at him.
Tristan cocked his head and smirked. "Why do you care? I'm here to have lunch with Snow."
Even Parker stared at him darkly, a sight that even I knew was rare.
"Leave Tristan." Arianna started.
"No."
"Go away."
"I don't want to."
"Why not!"
"'Cuz."
"Stop acting like a child!" She hissed.
"'Stop acting like a child!'" He mimicked.
Parker finally decided to cut in. "Seriously Tristian, what do you want?"
"I told you already! I'm just here to have lunch with Snow. I'm sure others would too if you guys weren't crowding her like mommy and daddy." Tristian mocked them with a smile.
Parker frowned. "I'm not daddy."
Arianna stared at him with disbelief. "That's all you picked up? Seriously?"
"What?" Parker exclaimed.
"Snow needs to live a little." Tristan shrugged.
I resisted the urge to scoff.
He turned to me. "How about we raid the kitchen for some chocolate after midnight?"
My ears twitched at the word chocolate despite my resolution to ignore him
"Really? In front of me?" Parker asked incredulously.
Tristan grinned darkly. "You don't need to remind me your uncle runs the place. We already know."
I bit my lip. Some more chocolate wouldn't hurt right?
"Snow!" Arianna scolded as if seeing my wavering disposition. "No! Don't listen to him!"
Tristan's eyes brightened and he rapidly turned to look at me. "Let's do it."
At the moment I wasn't completely sure about the layout of the kitchen and he wasn't trustworthy enough. The idea of chocolate was persistent though.
"When?" I asked peering up at him.
"Snow!" Arianna protested.
He grinned. It was bright and excited like a child who had received a treat. "Tonight! Louis doesn't do his rounds tonight. It's the best time."
"How confident are you with the layout of the kitchen?" The answer to my question weighed heavy on my decision.
He smiled quite mischievously. "I practically live there."
"Only because you get so punished so often!" Arianna huffed angrily. "Parker say something!"
He stayed quiet for a few moments until he gave us a resolute look. "She can only go if I come along too."
Tristian was taken aback for a few moments before shrugging. "Do whatever you'd like."
I was gonna go regardless.
Parker stared at me intently before heaving a sigh.
"Then it's a deal!" Tristan laughed and stood up, winking at me as he did. "See you at the lounge one hour after lights are out."
We watched him saunter off into the crowd of people that left at the same time.
"Are you both crazy?!" Arianna screeched quietly. "Chocolate is only given on special occasions!"
Parker only avoided her gaze.
"When was the last time you had chocolate?" I asked.
She pursed her lips. "When I got hurt two years ago."
She knew what I was thinking since she moved her attention to the food on her plate glumly. At this rate we'd never see chocolate ever again.
The rest of the day, thankfully, was spent peacefully. Arianna spent the rest of the afternoon preparing for art day while I "practiced" with the other elementalist.
It was finally time for our nightly raid and the moment the lights were off, I began to count the seconds.
I sat up five minutes before the allotted time. My heart beat rabidly and I felt my eyes twinkling with excitement. Although it wasn't an actual raid, it was similar to one and it had been awhile since I've done one.
I crept out of bed, leaving the lamp I was given behind as well as my shoes.
Even though I didn't expect anyone in the hallway, I was still cautious while walking down them.
It seemed like I wasn't the first one there, someone's light flashed and disappeared at the sound of my footsteps.
"Snow?"
It was Parker's voice.
"Hmm."
His flashlight turned back on and he looked for me.
"Where's your flashlight?" He whispered.
"I didn't need it."
He stayed quiet for a moment before asking, "Do you have night vision or something?"
I frowned. "Should I?" How would he act if he found out I was wearing no shoes?
My ears picked up more sounds, so naturally I reached over and snatched his flashlight to turn it off.
The both of us stood still, our breathing falling to almost a complete stop.
The footsteps grew nearer and then suddenly stopped. There were three people in total waiting in the dark, but whether it was the proper people was the question.
Moments passed and Parker finally decided to speak up. "Tristian?"
A flashlight turned on and illuminated Parker's face, who blinked at its brightness.
Behind it, Tristan grinned. "Hey Carrots."
Parker rolled his eyes.
I took his presence as a go and began to walk towards the cafeteria. Noticing my advance, they walked alongside me.
What's the point of not bringing a flashlight if these idiots are going to expose us anyway?
"Hey Snow," Tristan began to peep, "are you not wearing any shoes?"
"What?" Parker gasped.
I glanced over to him. At this rate, I should just go back to my room.
"You kinda look like a shadow guard wearing all black and no shoes." Tristan giggled.
My lips thinned.
In a swift movement, he was hunched over clutching his stomach in pain.
"Here wear mine." Parker reached over to his feet but I stopped him.
"No need. And you, shut up and turn off your light. One is enough." I hissed in his ear.
He nodded quietly, following us without another word.
We made it safely to the cafeteria, where there was in fact someone guarding over the kitchen. A dim light glowed from the guard's lantern. Our bodies crouched together behind the farthest table possible.
If that's their only source of light, this should be considerably easier, I thought carefully.
Parker waved slightly to gain our attention, then began to give a lot of hand signals. "I distract guard. You two sneak in and take. Meet at hallway. Seven minutes."
Understanding his message, Tristan and I nodded.
Almost instantly, Parker got up and began to waltz up to the guard. "Hey, Joan!"
His voice echoed through the cafeteria, echoing loud enough to mask any little mistake we might make. In the meanwhile, we edged closer to the kitchen.
"I didn't know you made night shifts!"
The woman responded, "I don't, I just did a favor for a friend of mine."
"That's nice of you!" Parker smiled. "Who was it?"
"Its was Amahale, she wasn't feeling so well."
"Oh Amahale! She got her period, I guess her cramps are really acting up huh?"
Tristan and I were at the kitchen door as we crept behind the guard. Inside, I motioned for him to obtain the chocolate. I watched as he hobbled towards a small cabinet. He moved open it but paused after an attempt.
I carefully walked towards him as he attempted again.
"It's locked." He hissed.
Grabbing his shoulder so that he'd stop attempting, I pulled my bobby pin from my shoe. Inserting the pin into the key hole, I skillfully maneuvered the pin until a small click was heard.
With a nod of mine, Tristan proceeded to open the cabinet. A large pile of carefully wrapped chocolate pieces of different kinds sat there along with bottles of wine and alcohol. We only grabbed enough so that each one of us would get two pieces of chocolate.
After closing and locking the cabinet, Tristan and I made our way out of the kitchen. Parker was still chatting away with the guard.
Parker finally arrived after a few minutes to join us in the hallway.
We silently agreed to walk a little farther before speaking.
"That wasn't so bad was it?" Tristan scoffed when we arrived at the lounge.
I moved to hand two pieces of chocolate to Parker when he shook his head. "You can have mine."
"You came all this way and you're still not taking the chocolate?" The question slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it but he responded with a smile.
"It seemed like you really wanted chocolate." He shrugged.
I paused and scrunched my eyebrows.
"Show off." Tristan coughed while sending him a glare. "Anyway, we should do this again soon."
I heard footsteps and put my hands up, causing them to freeze.
"Who's out there?" It sounded like young man. His light came into view.
It'd be best no one noticed us at all.
Deciding quickly, I ran up to the boy lowing my head so that he wouldn't see my face. Just as I stood in front of him, I crouched slightly and jumped. My left leg swung high enough to kick his hand, knocking the flashlight out of his hands.
"Ah!" He cried.
I reached for the device and turned the light off. After doing so, I reached for the guys collars and pulled them away from the stranger. I shoved them in the direction of the boys hallway and told them to run.
By the time the boy had his light back on, I was already running down the hallway towards my room.
I reached my door and closed it behind me, each movement as quiet as possible. My heart heated with adrenaline and I breathed with excitement. It wasn't until I noticed Sani staring at me intently.
"What were you doing?" She whispered.
I looked for ways to respond but I knew she was quick witted. Nothing I said to her would pass except the truth.
Looks like I have no other choice.
"I went to go steal chocolate."
A few moments of silence passed before she said flatly, "That's kinda selfish."
"Who isn't nowadays?"
She hummed at my respond and I walked past her, placing a chocolate on her bed.
"Is this a bribe?" She asked.
"You better eat it now."
She snickered in a hushed tone. "It's never a dull day with you."
The both of us lied down, sucking and chewing on our pieces of chocolate in the dark. Stopping occasionally when one of the girls would stir or mutter in their sleep.
"My girlfriend liked chocolate." Sani quietly said out of nowhere. "It's a shame she didn't have any before she left."
I swallowed what was left of my first piece and closed my eyes. Her words could only mean that her girlfriend was dead. I knew inquiring more would bring back bad memories but a part of me wanted to know. A part of me wanted to remember that lost soul too.
"What was she like?"
The question filled the air like a somber tune.
Sani sighed. "Kiyo was wonderful. Kept me going even on the hardest days. Her eyes were a mix of blue and brown. It seemed like the sky twinkled in them. Her short blue hair looked cute in that horrible haircut of hers. She was the type of person who would emphasize with even the worst human. She was naive despite the life we lived. Yet cunningly smart."
There was a type of sadness to her voice. She was smiling, I could tell, but it was a sad smile.
"There isn't a day I miss her."
Kiyo. A beautiful name for a beautiful soul.
"How about you? Lost anyone you've loved?"
I looked up at the bottom of the bunk that sat on top of mine.
"Plenty." The words were barely a whisper as they escaped my lips.
Many names and faces popped into my head. Deep down in my heart, I also knew there was many names and faces I did not know but still lost.
A silence fell over us, enveloping us softly. Death was something the both of us were familiar with. It had touched every aspect of our lives, rotting and eating away at what we loved.
Only we were left.
"This chocolate is good." Sani said lamely.
We and these last few pieces of chocolate.