TGoF Chapter 8

After what Calder had just told me I couldn't help but hug him. He laughed at my excitement and hugged me back.

I was just in one of those giddy moods I got in every so often.

"I think I'm gonna read while I kill the time. What about you?" He asked.

I walked over my bag and grabbed my drawing stuff and sat in the chair near Calder's. He nodded when he saw what I would be doing.

I looked around and tried to decide what to draw. I couldn't find anything when I figured it out. I could draw Calder, obviously!

I began to sketch and draw his facial features before working on his clothes and then the chair he was sitting in. There drawing took a while but it was incredibly helpful that he didn't move much.

I decided to keep it black and white so I gradually started to shade as I sketched, working on it in a bit of a random order instead of the methodic way I conquered these drawings.

Calder for up before I was done but all I was doing was shading so I finished relatively quickly. He sat back down as I was putting it with my other drawings.

"What'd you draw?" He asked.

"You."

"Me?"

"Yep. You didn't move so it was easy," I explained as I quickly pulled out the drawing to show him.

"Wow," was all he said when he handed to back to me. I smiled slightly as I put it back away.

"Since my hobby is drawing, what's yours?" I asked.

"Music," Calder mumbled.

"That's awesome! I love music but I'm terrible at it..." I gushed. He walked over towards the desk and pulled a guitar case from underneath it.

"Brogan doesn't know I have this."

I looked at him. He seemed really happy to have his guitar with him.

"Play," I prompted. He pulled it out and put the strap over his shoulder.

He strummed a chord before thinking for a moment.

"I'm a little rusty since the music is lost somewhere in this mess of a room but I can at least remember the chorus to a song by The Fray..."

He strummed the guitar a bit, like an intro, before singing.

"You can never say never,

While we don't know when.

Time, time, time again.

Younger now than we were before.

Don't let me go, don't let me go, don't let me go. Don't let me go, don't let me go, don't let me go."

He strummed a bit of an ending before stopping. He looked at me again.

"You're amazing!" I complimented.

He blushed a little, "Thanks."

I laughed a little at his blushing when I complimented him when he hid his guitar again.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"You look kinda cute when you blush..." I answered, "You're doing it again!"

"Whatever," he mumbled looking away. "I'm gonna go get some lunch. What about you?"

"I'll go with you," I answered.

He looked at me win furrowed eyebrows. He looked cute when he did that too but I didn't laugh. "Are you nervous about being around Brogan?"

"Yes! I'm practically a traitor, I can't be the only one who thinks he's suspicious."

"Trust me, he's not smart enough to be suspicious."

I nodded and we walked to the kitchen. Gwyn and Rory were there talking while eating.

"Where Terra?" Calder asked. They shrugged and I found stuff to make a sandwich while Calder made soup.

We were all sitting at the table and eating when I could hear footsteps coming down the hall.

Whilst the others talked I listened to the footsteps. They were probably Terra's.

"Hello Cascata," an eerie voice greeted. I was wrong. We all fell silent.

My back was to him and I froze up. Calder hand gave mine a reassuring squeeze under the table.

"May I talk to you?" I stood up from the table and followed Brogan into the hallway.

He was wearing a black suit with his black hair combed back and black eyes sparkling. I realized just how pale he was, the light practically reflected off of him.

"I'm so happy to have you here!" He drawled out.

I nodded, "It's an honor to be here, especially in the presence of someone as powerful as you."

He circled me like a predator.

"Good. I trust your loyalty to me is undoubted." I nodded.

He stopped in front of me and smiled, "Then I hope to see you at training tomorrow. You won't have to participate then, though."

Once that was said he simply walked off, shoes rapping softly on the floor. I breathed a sigh of relief and walked back into the kitchen.

Everybody was staring at me. "We heard what he said."

With that it was silent. Almost uncomfortably silent.

"I'm done eating," Gwyn excused himself.

"Same." Rory left with him.

Calder laughed, "Well, I'm kinda stuck here so don't worry about me giving some lame excuse to leave because I actually want to finish my food."

I smiled slightly. "Thanks."

It was silent but a less awkward silence.

When we finished Calder bet he could beat me at checkers since he didn't know how to play chess and I ended up winning. After that I suggested we go on a walk like we did where I lived.

"I don't think that's a good idea... Most of the plants are dead and the dogs that roam this island are deadly," Calder explained. I nodded so we wasted the way playing various games.

Dinner was also pretty uneventful. What was had been when Calder and I were deciding where to sleep.

"I'll sleep in the closet," I insisted.

"No, you're the guest. I'll sleep in the closet."

"Exactly, I'm the guest so I should sleep in the closet."

"Rock paper scissors?"

He beat me so he got to sleep in the closet. I went to change into some of Terra's night-clothes in the bathroom. By the time I came back Calder was doing something in the closet.

"What are you doing?" I asked suspiciously.

He stood back up again, "Moving stuff around so it's more comfortable to sleep in."

I nodded and walked over to the bed. I sat on the edge of it and watched Calder for lack of better thing to do.

"I think I'll go to bed now. Goodnight!" He called as he slipped into the closet. I got into the bed and snuggled under the warm covers.

I fell asleep rather quickly, it had been an insane day to day the least. I didn't have a nightmare even though I thought I would. I have so much at risk. Too much.

"Wake up!" I vaguely heard someone scream. All of a sudden I was drenched with cold water, with bits of ice.

I heard the bucket clang on the ground as I sat straight up and screamed, "What the fu-"

"Get up! It's training time!" Calder shouted in a mock happy mood.

I grumbled a profanity while Calder left so I could get dressed in some clothes Id been given.

I followed everyone to the training ground. They all trudged quietly and whispered a few things that I couldn't hear.

When we got there Brogan shouted for them to begin warming up. They started doing various exercises in the expanse that mimicked ours.

I leaned against a wall as I watched them. I saw Brogan was sitting in a chair about eight feet in the air. Next to it was another identical chair that was slightly lower.

"Cassie, come here..." Brogan called. I glanced at my friends who all watched me out of the corners of their curious eyes.

"Yes, sir?" I asked cautiously. I'd heard he had a temper that could set off by the tiniest of sparks.

He smiled at me, "You're our... Guest. Why don't you sit here?" He gestured to the chair next to him.

I plastered on a nervous smile and sat next to him. I was watching my friends quietly when Calder saw me. The worry in his eyes was evident.

"Everybody, split up into pairs for fighting!"

Rory and Terra sparred together and so did Calder and Gwyn. It looked pretty brutal. Calder and Gwyn seemed pretty evenly matched. Rory was obviously stronger but went easy on Terra.

A in my opinion, Calder was the best fighter. I'm not just saying that because he's my… boyfriend… but because he really was. He was able to get lots of good punches in and even to overpower Gwyn entirely.

After a few more minutes Brogan clapped and they all stood to attention, "Now I know I said CASSIE wouldn't be training but I do want to asses her skills. We'll begin with fighting... Terra!"

Terra nodded and I ran over to her. Before we started she whispered to me, "Be ruthless. The more the better, for Brogan. Don't worry about hurting me."

"Thanks," I told her gratefully.

"Fight!"

We began circling each other. Our fighting styles were very different. She protected her midsection loosely while I held fists up by my face. She went to strike quickly to my midsection but I blocked with my forearm and went to punch her in the nose.

This is when we really started to fight.

She bent back to dodge so while her center of gravity was back I grabbed her foot and she toppled back. Easy.

"Nice work. Now onto... Gwyn!" Brogan cheered. I went to help Terra up from the ground but she gave me a look telling me not to.

Gwyn stepped up and glared at me while getting into stance.

"Fight!"

Gwyn went to charge me and I realized he was a bit of a brute in fighting. I took advantage of that and pushed him over so we were tussling on the ground.

I kneed him in the stomach and he tried to get the advantage. He managed to flip us and we fought at a standstill for a while until he sat to far up on my so I was able to knee him in the back. I pushed him off me and pinned him down.

"Tsk tsk tsk... Gwyn! Being beaten by a girl! Next is Rory!"

We stood across from each other and I realized how similar our fighting styles were just from our fighting stances. When Brogan said to start we both hesitated so I took the change to fake a swipe at her midsection. When she let her guard down I shifted one forearm to cover my face while going for her nose.

She realized my plan so she ducked and charged at me. I rolled out of the way but tripped her. While she was on the ground she kicked me in the side before getting up. Once she was up I went for a gut punch followed by a sweep of her feet but only the punch worked.

She managed to punch my nose she I brought my foot up to push her back. She fell and I wiped my nose to check for blood. I looked down to see the sticky substance on my fingers.

Rory sent my an apologetic look and I nodded discreetly.

I went at her but she dodged and pinned me down. I struggled underneath her and dodged her attacks until I was able to grab her arms and flip us.

I just managed to pin her down. When Brogan said I had won I hadn't even loosened my grip when she broke free.

"Nice match," she mouthed.

I mouthes back, "Thanks. You too."

"Finally my best fighter... Calder!"

I gulped and looked at him. He looked stone cold but I had a feeling that he was really just worried. I needed to show him that I wasn't someone he needed to look out for constantly.

As part of the act he spat at me, "Need to clean up that blood? You bleed like a girl!"

"When I'm done with you you'll be the one bleeding like a girl," I spat back.

"Enough! Get in position..." We did as we were told and Brogan yelled, "Fight!"

I knew Calder was good fighter so even though I'd beat everyone else I knew it'd be next to impossible for me to beat him.

While we circled I noticed a good sized rock. If I could back Calder against it and trip him. The tricky part would be getting him to back up, one of the things you never do in a fight.

He threw a quick jab at my stomach area but I tightened my abdomen and absorbed the blow. I started to throw quick jabs at his face, making him fumbled back so he didn't get hit. He realized what I was doing when he fumbled and saw me looking at the rock.

He threw some punches back at me and in self defense I panicked and punched him in the nose, hearing it crunch and feeling it break.

He kicked at my feet so I fell backwards. He immediately sat on me so he was straddling me. I struggled but couldn't get free.

"Sorry about your nose," I apologized.

He shrugged, "We've learned to deal. When we can get away from Brogan we should really clean up yours and your lip."

Then I realized I also had a busted lip. Great.

I tried to look at Brogan, "Why hasn't he called time?"

"He's testing you. He wants you to win."

I struggled and tried to kick Calder with all my might, I even resorted to trying to pinch him. He stopped that and when I tried to shimmy my shoulders and wiggle out from under him he put his hands on my shoulder and leaned down to my face.

"I win."

He sat back up and I glared at him as Brogan declared him the winner. They were dismissed and Brogan congratulated me but I didn't really pay attention. When he was done I rushed inside.

I jumped when I realized Calder was waiting inside the door. "You look like a creep," I commented as he dragged me to the bathroom.

He laughed as we walked inside together. He shut the door so there was room to get the first aid kit and a rag. I sat on the counter and waited for him to finish.

"Did you already clean up your nose?" I asked incredulously. He nodded and I noticed the blood in his collar, which he probably wiped the blood on.

He handed me a glass of salt water to swish in my mouth and I put Chapstick on my lip. He went to wipe the blood off of my face but I backed up.

"So you're gonna sit there with blood on your face?" He asked.

I snatched the tag away from him and looked in the mirror while I began to wipe up my blood, "No, I'm gonna clean it myself."

He snatched the tag away from me and I tried to get it back but gave up and just glared and crossed my arms while he wiped up the rest of my blood.

"Well, I just cleaned it be chase that's what boyfriends do."

"Boyfriends don't typically let their girlfriends get bloody noses and busted lips in the first place."

"Whatever."

I chuckled at him. We walked out of the bathroom together and Calder said he was going to get changed back into some regular clothes.

I went to find Terra and Rory in the kitchen. I ate lunch with them.

"It's a relief to have some girl time," Terra muttered, "Those boys are insane!"

Rory laughed, "You shoulda seen my older brother when we were younger."

"Yeah! My little brother was so annoying," I added in.

"This is why I'm glad I had a sister," Terra commented. Rory and I nodded with wide eyes.

We chatted about girly things for a while until the guys came in. They'd taken a shower because apparently they "fought harder" than us even though I'd beaten one of them.

Calder sat down next to me with his lunch and Rory, Terra, and I decided we'd let the guys have guy time or something. Whatever boys did in their free time.

We decided to head down the the beach. I was told it wasn't it too bad of a condition but it wasn't exactly magical.

"See that little dot way out there on the horizon?" Rory asked. I concentrated my stare until I found it.

"That... That is where you lived," Terra informed me solemnly. I nodded and wondered what they were doing.

How were they faring? Was everyone getting along? How was Damia doing?

"Cassie!" Rory shouted, "You're staring off into space again!"

"Sorry," I blushed. She shrugged and gently stepped into the water. When she was waist deep she went under.

I turned to where Terra was sitting on the beach, "Why don't you get in?"

"I'm more of a sand girl. Rory stays in the water the whole time while I stay here." I nodded as I waded into the water.

I was getting deeper when I felt something grab my ankle. The water was to dark to see what it was so I tried to stay calm and brought my other foot back to kick it off. Before I could do that Gwyn surfaced.

"Jerk..." I mumbled. He glared at me and Calder surfaced next to him.

I walked back to shore and sat next to Terra. She laughed at me.

"What?"

"That's Gwyn's way of saying he accepts you."

I quirked my eye brow at her.

She explained, "By being a doofus. One time he scared Rory and she broke his nose."

I nodded and we watched everyone in the water. Rory was swimming while the boys were having an "element fight".

I whispered to Terra, "Watch this." Then, I used my powers to pull up a huge orb of water before dropping it in both of the boys. Terra and I were laughing hysterically.

I was so busy laughing I didn't even notice that Calder had grabbed me until I felt myself being shoved into the cold water.

I surfaced and glared at him.

Gwyn started laughing so with a flick of my wrist I drenched him.

Before you know it we were raging a full on water fight. By the time Gwyn surrendered and we stopped we were all soaked.

"Where'd everybody go?" I asked when I realized it was just us.

"Inside."

"Well, I think I'll join them," I td the boys as I headed off.

I went to find Rory and she gave me a towel and then showed me how the shower works so I could take a shower. It felt amazing to be clean again.

When I was done I slipped into some clothes Id brought into the bathroom. It was nothing fancy, just a green t-shirt with some sports team on the back and black basketball shorts.

I wrapped my hair up into the towel before searching for a brush. When I couldn't find one I went to see if I'd brought one with me.

After Id entered Calder's room I saw he was laying on the bed flipping through a book. During my search for a brush I could see him look up at me every now and then.

When I finally found a brush I was brushing my hair when I asked, "Can you please stop staring at me?"

"I'm not!"

"Liar," I mumbled quietly. Once I'd finished with my hair I put it in a messy french braid to keep the wet waves out of my way.

I thought for a minute before bringing up a rather important topic.

"Can we go see Arethusa and the others now?" I questioned.

Calder didn't look up from his book for a moment. When he did he started biting the inside of his lip.

"Well..." He began, "Okay. You have to do exactly what I say though."

I jumped up and hugged him, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He laughed at my excitement and hugged me back. We walked down to where they were being kept. I tried to conceal my excitement.

Calder stopped walking in front of an empty cell. He didn't say anything to me. Instead we went to find Brogan, and from Calder's demeanor it wasn't good.

While he went to approach Brogan I waited around the corner so i could still hear but wouldn't have to approach that creep.

"Sir, what happened to the prisoners?" Calder asked.

Brogan laughed a sick laugh, "Those scum bags? You couldn't expect me to keep them forever."

I gulped and Calder asked, "What do you mean?"

"Are you slow? I killed them."

That was all I needed. I slipped away until I was out of earshot and started to speed up. I found myself on the beach when the tears started to flow.

I came here to get my friends back. They were dead.

They were dead.

They were dead.

I repeated this over and over. They could've been dead for days and none of us knew.

"Cassie!" Calder shouted. I ignored him when he shouted it again.

I felt him put his hand on my shoulder but I moved away, "Leave me alone."

I didn't hear him move.

"Just go away! Let me just... I don't know! Be alone, grieve, whatever! Just go!" I yelled, breaking down. I didn't look at him because tears were falling harder and harder in streams down my face.

Calder grabbed my shoulder and spin me around to face him. I quickly wiped away my tears.

"Look, I'm sorry too. I don't know what else to say..." He mumbled awkwardly.

"Not good with crying people?" I laughed a little. He was adorable when he was all awkward like this.

He nodded, "What else do I say?"

I shrugged and we both laughed, "I think you're doing just fine if you're making me laugh."

"Good. Now come inside." He grabbed my hand and we walked inside.

He pulled me around until we found the girls. He filled them in before going off to find Gwyn.

"I'm so sorry!" Terra gushed, hugging me. I sniffled and hugged her back.

Terra clenched her jaw, "I can't believe Brogan would do something like that."

"He's despicable," I spat in response.

My blood boiled. I was over being sad. I wanted Brogan to pay. I couldn't wait for the day when we could take him down.

Terra looked at me, "Don't do anything stupid."

"Killing him isn't that stupid..." Rory trailed off, being silenced by Terra's glare.

I laughed a sick laugh, "That'd be stooping to his level. No, I think my friends would want to be there to help."

"That's what I'm saying!" Rory cheered, pumping her fist in the air.

Terra put her head in her hands and mumbled something. She was a little too timid, kind of like Ana.

We were talking about various things, probably a sly tactic to get my mind off of the incident, when Calder and Gwyn walked into the room.

"Brogan said that they're death was painless," Gwyn informed us gravely.

Calder nodded, but I could see right though their thin little lie. I'd have to ask Gwyn, Calder wouldn't speak. I needed and deserved a truthful answer.

While everyone was leaving for dinner I told Gwyn I wanted to talk to him, lying that I couldn't tell the girls or Calder this.

Once everyone was out of earshot, I looked at him.

"Tell me the truth because I don't buy that lie."

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

I stepped closer so I was in his face, "Tell me the truth. If not I'll have to go ask Brogan myself. Wouldn't he find it suspicious?"

He narrowed his eyes at me, "You wouldn't."

"Really? You aren't exactly in a good place to judge that," I warned.

He sighed, "Ok then. It was a lie. Brogan had no shame in brutally murdering each one of them. Happy now?"

I looked away and stepped away, "Yeah. Tell the others I'm not hungry. By the way, your still a jacka-"

"I know!" He exclaimed, walking away. I chuckled and headed up to Calder's room.