I didn't know where I was going. I went outside into the training center, then headed to the woods. I found a tall tree and started climbing. I was awful at it, but I clumsily managed to get pretty far up. Then I started sobbing, every single emotion inside me unraveling. I didn't even know where some of it came from.
All my insecurities turned into little water droplets on my skin—my fear of hurting people, my insecurities about my looks, my fear that I would never be worthy of anyone's love, and so much more. They all just came spilling out. At least I didn't have to worry about bears; I'd probably scared them away with all the noise I was making.
"Pyra, is that you?" a familiar voice called.
"Evander?" I replied.
"Are you OK?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I sniffled.
"Oh, um… OK… you sure?" he asked.
"Um… honestly, not really."
He probably heard my crying…
"If you want to talk about it, I'm all ears," he yelled up to me. "Although you might want to come down. I might have big ears, but that's pretty high up."
So I started climbing down, trying to wipe my tears and pretend I hadn't been crying, even though he obviously knew. When I reached the ground, he sat on a rock and patted the one next to him. I sat, and there was an awkward silence for a few seconds before he spoke.
"So, what's up?"
"Nothing… Has Alexander always been so awful?" I asked.
"What do you mean? He's never awful," Evander replied. Then a look crossed his face, as if he had realized something.
"Pyra, I don't think you understand. Boys… have awful ways of… showing emotion. I mean, it's not acceptable or anything, but… that's just how some boys are because they have no idea how to actually… Never mind."
I was confused. Alexander was an awful person—fairy person? Either way, how could being mean be a way of showing emotion? And what emotion could he possibly be trying to show? Evander was probably just confused.
"Anyways," Evander said brightly, "we have a food center, and the chef loves experimenting with human and fairy food, so she's come up with the best ice cream ever. Do you maybe want to go get some? I'm sure it'll help your mood."
I nodded, and we headed off.