"Hey, what is that?" Rio, of course, asked pointing at Oli's ring.
"She gave me," he beamed. "It's a promise ring."
"A promise ring?" They all gasped.
"Like… to get married?" Felix jaw dropped.
"Where did the original plot go?" Dorothy eyes widened.
"Did you stop trying to break it?" River asked, star-eyed.
I rolled my eyes, feeling embarrassed, "It's not that kind of bloody promise, you idiots. Crone above, you can only think of that?"
"It kind of matches the one in your finger," Yumi pointed.
["So… no breaking the bond anymore?"] Jack asked.
Oliver arched an eyebrow at me, "Oh, no. She's trying, but it'll all be of no use. Hel's that stubborn and doesn't listen. She needs to be sure for herself that there's no way out and she's stuck with me. Right, babe?"
"Ugh," I rolled my eyes, feeling my cheeks heating. "I'm not going to talk about this."
Agatta crossed her arms, "Why are you even trying that? You look pretty into fangs Crowned Prince. I mean, you two can't get your hands off one another, even in class you're always together. I thought you were super in love with him, like, heart-eyes, like he's clearly for you."
This is getting harder, "Oh, no. I hate him."
They all gasped in confusion, but Oliver grinned, "She totally hates me. You know, she's allergic to the right words. We go reverse. She just can't say it, her pride is too big to accept that she fell for me like I said she would."
"You are an arsehole, you know that? A bloody fucking arsehole. And I did not fall for you!"
He grinned ferociously, "Bloody damn straight, you did, beautiful. She has quite the dirty mouth too. Curses all the bloody time. Death threats too. It's a lot to get used to."
I frowned, "You talk too much. You only lose in the big mouth to bloody fucking cotton candy baby blue hair," I side-glared at Rio for a second. "And why do you even care? Are your lives so boring that you all need to be onto our business?"
"Yes?" They said shamelessly.
"So, you're in love with my brother, right?" River asked.
Sucking on my bottom lip, I stared at him, "I said I hate him. Why are you making difficult questions?"
"She does," Oliver grinned.
I glared at him, "No, I don't."
["DeNile is a river in Egypt, Hel,"] Jack exclaimed.
And though everyone laughed to that, I brought him to me with my magic, catching him by the wings, "Is that so? I've been dying to give you a beating for a while, you little shite."
He dared to turn to Oliver, ["Save me, Oli. I'm scared!"]
"Hey, you bastard. I'm your bond. Not him!" I hissed.
["But he's more reasonable than you are!"]
I frowned, "Excuse me? I'm being reasonable. I'm very reasonable, am I not?" I glared at the kids and they all froze. "Am I not?"
"Y-yes?" They squeaked.
"Is that a question?" I glared deeper.
"No."
"So," I tilted my head, still glaring, "am I unreasonable?"
"No!" They all said.
"A little bit?" Oliver said behind me. "No, more like a lot."
"Oliver, are you asking for a fight? Again?" I looked over my damn shoulder. "You know that I can't runaway from one, right?"
He feigned innocence, "But I'm just being honest, beautiful."
"Honest like a little bitch," I scoffed.
"Come on, let Jack go. He's just trying to help."
I arched my eyebrows, "Help where? I only see a nuisance."
["Aye, I love how brutal you are. What a way to love people!"]
"Still talking, Jack?" I asked with a fake smile.
Oliver came closer and touched my shoulders. "You know that he's trying to help you, beautiful. It's just that you're in a denial state. I mean, you always are in a denial state about everything. Mating bond, twenty-six kids, blood-related matters, you possibly being the aether-"
"I am not," I hissed, freeing Jack from my grasp and turning fully to Oliver. "It's not me. Why don't you understand? Thinking that will all but take our eyes of the right person, dumbarse. And we've talked about the other stuff, no need to bring it up," I glared up at his turquoise eyes.
"No. Not thinking that will take our eyes of the fact that it's you," he held my face with his two hands and brought me closer, but I stayed with my arms crossed on my chest. "Because I know all these kids in here, each and every one of them, Hel. We make up the top 26 without you. We've been here together in this Academy for ten years. None of them have it."
I disagreed with my head, "My mom and Naël told me… they said I would need that power. That I would find while I was here. Mia also said the girl is in here, Oliver. It can't be me. Maybe it's dormant in their body, laying in waiting. Maybe they need to be triggered."
Felix sighed, "As much as I don't like to agree with Sean there, Hel, I also don't think it's anyone of the kids who were already in here. We all have awakened everything we had to. No new powers," when I turned my glare to him, he kept his ground. "But that's not the same for you."
"As scary as it sounds, I agree with the dragon," Rio exclaimed. "Maybe it's dormant in you, little serpent."
"You do remember when I said that I'm 17 meters tall, right cotton candy baby blue hair? You keep calling me little because this common body of mine is shorter than you all, though, I'm not short. Since again, I am 1.68m tall. I could easily smash you to the ground in my serpent body," I grinned contemplating the idea. "A serpent's body is slander but 3 meters large it's still a lot bigger than you are."
He grinned back, "No, thank you. I'm good. But I'm serious, Hel."
Why are they looking at me like this? "If you keep insisting in this bullshite, I'm going to get mad. And shouldn't you all be praying that I'm right and it's not me? I mean, what would that even make me? Aether is a God-like power. Winged-serpents are already too powerful. That combo would be catastrophic, and in a girl like me?" I scoffed bitterly, "That would not go well."
Oliver turned me to him again, "Hel, babe, we don't know what is the true power of a black winged serpent yet. How it works. It might be aether. We know the other six, but we got almost nothing on you, aside of all the stuff the seven types gave in common."
I clenched my jaw, "Fucking damn it. It's not me. It can't be me. It can't, alright? It can't. It's too much. It's too bloody freaking much, Oliver. My shoulders are getting heavier and heavier with all this."
His eyes softened, "You are stronger than you think, Hel."
"Oli's right, Hel!" River exclaimed.
"You are strong as fuck," the others added.
"That much is obvious," Agatta affirmed. "By the way, I'm kind of off orbit in here. What do you mean there's seven types of your kind? Also, what's is this twenty-six kids thing? Oh, and, you said you have a place for your kind, what's the name? One more thing, can you shift for us?"
"Why are you here?" Igor, Irene, Yumi, Nicolette, Rio, and River hissed. Oh, seems like she might be the heartbreaker.
I turned around and walked to her, "I called her here. How would I know she dated six of you?" I scoffed. "Good job, Agatta," I winked. "You got some good ones."
She blushed, "I mean, it gets boring in here."
"Why are you near her?" Yumi gasped. "Hello? We're your room mates? She's not even in our teams."
"Still bitter, baby?" Agatta grinned.