Gwen's stomach churned and she threw up again for the third time this hour.
Two hours ago, she was practicing the basics with Thorndyke before the pretty Professor Winguard— who was apparently the Head of Drakona House— arrived at the scene and reprimanded Professor Edwigg for not involving Gwen in his class.
Since then, Professor Edwigg made her perform the somersaults even though she was a fresher and didn't have any idea how the sitting positions on dragons functioned during flight.
Thorndyke pulled Gwen's hair up, away from her face as she crouched in front of one of the trees and throwed up the contents of her breakfast.
Gwen sat slumped against the tree, her head spinning as she clutched her stomach.
"I feel like I'm about to pass out," she muttered, her voice muffled and slightly slurred.
"That fool is pushing you too hard," Zyre grumbled, standing next to them, his gaze fixed on Professor Edwigg. "It's almost as if he's trying to break you."
"Slow and steady," Thorndyke instructed, his voice firm and soothing in contrast to Gwen's trembling breaths. "You'll be better in a minute, just hang in there."
His fingers continued to comb through her hair, the slight touch acting like a grounding presence as Gwen tried to get her breath back.
After a while, she slowly managed to regain a semblance of composure, and her breathing started to return to a more normal pace. She lifted her head from the tree and locked her eyes with Thorndyke's.
"You didn't need to help me out, you know. I'm not a baby," she mumbled, her voice slightly hoarse.
After a pause, Thorndyke snorted, rolling his eyes, "You were about to pass out, Missy. Someone had to watch over you."
She could feel her heart pounding in her ears as the nausea subsided, her breaths still coming out in short gasps.
"You can stop stroking my hair now," she mumbled, "I don't need you acting like my bloody mother."
Thorndyke's smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"It's called being a gentleman, Gwen. Get used to it," he quipped, his fingers finally leaving her hair.
"A gentleman? You?" she broke out in a hysteric laugh, "That is the best joke of the century, Thorndyke."
Thorndyke feigned offense as a hand flew dramatically over his heart, "Oh, you wound me, Venom. Here I thought you finally learned to appreciate my charm. But I guess I was asking too much of your poor little brain."
Gwen rolled her eyes, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Please. You're about as charming as a rock," she retorted.
Thorndyke let out a scoff of indignation at her barb, "A rock? That's a bit harsh, don't you think? I like to think of myself as more like a suave devil."
As Gwen slowly straightened up, he held out his hand, offering to help her up from her spot against the tree.
"I can take care of myself," she refused his hand and tried to get up herself but almost slipped. He immediately caught her elbow.
"Careful, little venom," he teased. "You were about to go crashing down a few minutes ago."
"Oh, Damian, you are such a cliché. The tough, brooding bad boy who has a soft spot for a defenseless damsel in distress." The two snapped their heads to the direction of the voice to see Sibby looking at them in awe with glittering stars in her eyes.
Thorndyke's face instantly twisted into a scowl. "Please, spare me the dreamy eyes," he grumbled sarcastically, rolling his eyes at Sibby's comment.
"I'm far from a damsel in distress," Gwen chimed in, a hint of annoyance in her tone, "I was just a bit dizzy."
"Uh, a 'bit'?" He shot back, looking amused, making her roll her eyes.
Sibby's starry-eyed gaze shifted to Gwen, a wide smile spreading across her face.
"Oh, I totally get it," she said dreamily. "Miss White Lestrange over here has the whole 'tough as nails, doesn't need anyone's help' vibe going on, and Thorns D' Broody here has the whole 'grumpy bad boy who secretly has a heart of gold' thing down pat."
Thorndyke rolled his eyes, clearly exasperated.
"For the love of the damned Fae, Sibby, stop reading those cheesy romance novels and come back to reality."
"Come on, you two," she said, a cheeky grin on her face, "You're like a cliche made in heaven."
Gwen made a face at Sibby. Not a fucking chance.
Thorndyke scowled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yeah, because nothing screams romance quite like vomiting and being on the verge of passing out."
Gwen gave him a side-eye before another voice chimed in. "You're right, Sibby. The constant bickering, eye rolling, and sarcasm. Truly the epitome of a fairy tale romance."
Gwen turned her face to the handsome brown-haired guy. His brown eyes were filled with mischief as he looked at Gwen, "Allow me to introduce myself, my lady." His smile was flirty at the least, and Gwen raised her eyebrows, amused.
Thorndyke cleared his throat, grumbling in a warning tone, "Ty."
Ty, clearly unbothered by Thorndyke's warning, took a step closer to Gwen, "Don't mind him, my lady. He gets cranky when someone else steals the show."
Gwen rolled her eyes, "And who are you?"
He chuckled, seemingly unfazed by Gwen's snarky tone as he flashed her a charming smile, "Ah, where are my manners? The name's Ty, but you can just call me charming."
Gwen raised her eyebrows. He was cocky- with a reason- but still cocky.
"Charming, huh?" Thorndyke sneered, with a sarcastic edge in his voice. "How original."
Ty turned to face him, grinning eye to eye, "Jealous much, brother?"
Thorndyke's scowl deepened as he retorted, "Jealous? Hardly. I'm just wondering where the originality went. Charm? Seriously Ty?"
Ty chuckled, clearly enjoying the banter. "Hey, I may be cliche, but at least I don't look like a moody statue all the time."
Gwen rolled her eyes, exchanging a look with Sibby that stated 'Men'.
Zyre grumbled under his breath, "What a bunch of fools they are. Acting like hatchlings playing courtship games."
Ty's attention shifted back to Gwen. He stepped closer, a sly smirk playing on his lips. "Can't help but notice how you seem to have a real knack for finding trouble, huh?"
Gwen crossed her arms, her annoyance becoming more evident as she replied, "It's not like I'm asking for trouble. Sometimes, life just has a funny way of throwing curveballs at you."
He chuckled, leaning against a tree, "And you seem to catch all of them, head-on. I have to say, it's quite entertaining to watch."
"Gwen!" Rose jogged towards their group, "Gwen— why do you look like you were dragged on a hedge backwards?" she frowned pointing at Gwen's pale face and disheveled hair. Gwen was about to reply but Ty beat her to it.
"Rosetta Sinclayr," all the previous humor vanished from his face as he glared at her.
"Tyson Sylveryon," Rose lifted her chin, glaring right back.
"Sylveryon?" Gwen muttered, dumbfounded. Her gaze darted between Ty and Rose, who were now practically glaring at each other in a standoffish fashion.
"What are you doing here, Tyson? Snooping around to find more gossip for your gossip mill?" Rose asked, the disdain apparent in her voice.
Ty sneered derisively, crossing his arms. "And what if I am? Can't a guy come see the sights?"
Zyre chuckled under his breath, "Ah, the sweet sounds of a catfight. Just what we needed today."
"Here we go again," Thorndyke grumbled, rolling his eyes.
Gwen raised her eyebrows in confusion, "You two know each other?"
Rose crossed her arms across her chest, "Sadly, yes."
Ty's smile turned into a smirk as he looked at her, "I would say that I was expecting a bit of enthusiasm from you, hellfire."
"Seriously, Sylveryon? You still haven't outgrown that stupid nickname?" Rose fired back.
Ty chuckled, his smirk firmly in place, "And you still haven't outgrown that fiery temper, Sinclayr?"
"This is pure gold," Sibby interrupted, barely containing her snort, "I can practically picture you guys ripping each other's clothes-"
"Sibby!" Ty and Rose shouted in unison, glaring at the brunette who was now laughing her ass off.
Gwen's stomach churned and she hurriedly crouched in front of the tree again, throwing up for the fourth time.
Thorndyke crouched down beside her and gently held her hair away from her face again, "Hey, hey...easy now," he said softly, his hand making soothing circles on her back.
Meanwhile, Ty and Rose continued their verbal sparring, oblivious to Gwen's predicament.
"I feel like dying," Gwen managed to get out in a weak voice, as she clutched her stomach.
Thorndyke shot a glare at Ty and Rose before turning his attention back to Gwen, his voice soft and reassuring, "Just take deep breaths and relax. You're going to be okay." He paused for a moment, his eyes scanning her face with a hint of concern, "Can you stand?"
"Yeah, I-" Her words were cut off by another dry heave, her stomach clenching painfully. After a few moments, she finally managed to take a shaky, shallow breath, "Yeah, I think so..."
She tried to stand up, her legs wobbling but Thorndyke quickly put his hand on her shoulder, "Don't rush it. Take your time."
Gwen slowly pushed herself up, with Thorndyke's support, and stood next to the tree on shaky legs, her breath coming out in short gasps. She looked up to find Thorndyke's face contorted with concern.
"You sure you are okay?" he asked, studying her for any signs of worsening.
She nodded as a response, "Yes. I can do this."
At least she hoped she could.