There was a silence between Luc and I as we walked away from the little band hideout. He kept looking at me with those beautiful, warm golden eyes that were surely going to be the death of me one of these days. I would stare into them for hours, and time would just fly by. I mentally chided myself. I must have looked like such a dork.

Luc may have been silent, but his actions spoke volumes. The quickening of his pulse told me that he was nervous, and the slight shakiness of his breath told me that he was excited. I wondered what kind of gift would get Luc so worked up like this. It must have been important, or something that he had put a lot of time into.

He cleared his throat and looked me in the eyes again. "So...Scarlett,"

"Yeah?" I replied.

He took a deep breath. "I want to show you a place that's kind of important to me. I don't want you to laugh at it or anything...okay?"

I nodded. "Of course not."

He breathed a sigh of relief and put his arm around my shoulder. He led me through a winding trail that led through the trees in the courtyard, worn from many years of being walked upon. It must have been there a long time before Eternal was built. I looked up to him.

"How old is this property?" I asked Luc.

He gave me a warm smile. "Actually, while Eternal was officially founded fifteen years ago, this area had been sacred to dragons and humankind alike for centuries. It was originally used as a sacred area of worship to the Eternal Flame. There's still an old temple that still is here on campus. The shrine, however, was as big as a regular mansion. About a hundred years ago, Xiao was sent here by the former Oracle Mironas after he received a vision that ancestors of a dragon bloodline would need tutors to guide them."

I felt my eyes widen. "So you're saying Xiao is over a century old?"

"A century and a half to be exact. Dragons can live up to 500 years, while Scale Children can live up to 300, but we're getting off track." Luc said. "Xiao originally opened this place as Eternal Summer Camp, which was open strictly to Scale Children. When there were too many kids and not enough cabins, Xiao and the founding dragons started to build the campuses around you. It was finished in the 1940's, and officially became a school a few years later. The founding dragons figured it would be better to help Scale Children if they could stay year-round. It's existence was made public shortly after Kali attacked Sciana, so that Scale Children would know where they could hide."

He stopped walking for a bit and pointed to my left. "Do you see those?"

I looked over in the direction he was pointing. I saw seven statues, each about ten feet tall and carved completely out of precious gems. One was made of sapphire, another of amethyst, another of onyx and another of yellow topaz. "Yeah." I said.

"Those are the seven founding dragons that helped Xiao create this place. The one made of sapphire was Kiyana, the Ice dragoness. The dragon made of diamond is Zephyrus, the Air dragon. There was also Aros, the Ground dragon; Roxiana, the Fauna dragoness, Morik, the Illusion dragon; Eroma, the Shadow dragoness; and Tilani, the ash dragoness."

I stood, looking in awe as the light from the sun shone through each of the statues, casting shadows of vibrant colors. "They're beautiful, Luc."

He smirked. "And they're not even the best part of this little trip." He took my hand, interlacing his fingers through mine. "Come on. I'll show you what the real surprise is."

I laughed nervously. What did he mean by real surprise? I wondered what this big gift was. Honestly, I didn't really care. I wasn't that hard to impress. Just get me a bag of bite-sized candies and a plastic rose and I would be content. Something gave me the feeling that it wouldn't be as stereotypical.

The silence between the two of us was starting to to get to me. I wanted him to say something--anything--just to stop my mind from jumping to random conclusions. I was already so anxious, I don't think I could really handle surprises like this at this point. Just when I thought I was going to scream, Luc turned around and shot a big smile at me.

"I want you to close your eyes." Luc said, his expression full of excitement.

I chuckled. "This must be some surprise. Do you really want me to walk with my eyes closed? I mean, I grew up with the queen of clumsiness and learned a lot of her traits. Do you really think it's safe for me to be walking when I can't see?"

"You won't hurt yourself." Luc assured me. "I won't let you. I'll be holding your arm, right by your side to help guide you. Trust me, Scarlett."

I took a deep breath. "Fine. I guess." I said as I closed my eyes.

I felt Luc's warm hand wrap around my shoulder. I felt him move as he began to guide me, walking in a straight line. This reminded me of a game in Elementary school that I used to play called Assassin. Me and my so-called 'friends' would shut off all the lights in whatever building we were in after we had an adult choose the assassin. The assassin would walk around in the dark, and would put a finger to your neck if they found you, thus 'killing' you. If you were 'killed', you had to go and wait in a room that had lights on until time was called. Needless to say, I never had won a game. My hair was easy to spot in the dark since it was bright red. It was actually kind of annoying.

There were no sounds around me apart from Luc's breathing and the sound of our footsteps against the grass. It was kind of creepy, actually. If I was alone, this would be highly concerning. I never did like quiet things much, or being alone. But since Luc was with me, I didn't mind it as much as I normally would have.

After walking for a good twenty minutes or so, Luc finally stopped. A shiver ran through my body as I felt his hands grab my shoulders. I nearly squeaked as he whispered in my ears.

"Okay," He began. "You can open your eyes now, but I want you to open them slowly."

I did so, and gasped at what I saw. He had taken me to a small hill that overlooked the ocean. There was a tree that was in full bloom, and a small picnic table set up with a cake atop of it, but that wasn't the best part. The best part was the sky. The sun was glowing bright pink, streaking the sky with reds, purples and oranges. The water out on the ocean acted as a mirror, reflecting all of these beautiful colors. It was absolutely beautiful.

"Isn't it amazing?" Luc asked.

All I could do was nod. "It's the most amazing thing that I've ever seen."

He laughed and squeezed my shoulder, standing at my side. "My mother used to call it 'the fire in the sky'. Now that I think about it, it kind of reminds me of me and you." He looked me in the eyes. "How you felt when you looked at that sunset is exactly the way I feel everytime I look at you. As you said: the most amazing thing I've ever seen is you."

I felt my cheeks grow warm in a blush. I cleared my throat and tucked a lock of hair behind my ears. I wasn't beautiful, I was Scarlett. That's what I'd always thought about myself. To know that someone else looked at me in that way was a whole new perspective. "I had no idea that you felt that way." I told him.

"Well, now you know." He chuckled and ruffled up my hair. He gestured towards the table. "Why don't you sit down?"

I giggled and took a seat at the picnic table. Luc took out a knife and cut a piece of the cake for me, placing it onto a plate. I waited until he gave me some plastic cutlery to start eating. When I dug in and took a bite, my tastebuds were instantly met by the instant sensation of rich flavor exploding in my mouth. The frosting and the cake were perfect together. It was simple, but delicious.

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "Who made this?" I asked, taking another bite.

Luc laughed, scratching his head. "Well, actually, I made it."

My eyes widened. "Really? No way!"

"Yeah." Luc said. "We learned how to make it in Culinary last year."

I raised an eyebrow. "You, the diplomat of Sciana and one of the most popular guys at Eternal Academy, can cook? Much less took a class for it?"

Luc rolled his eyes. "Oh, ha ha. Crack jokes about my masculinity all you want. Knowing how to cook is a good thing."
I laughed. "Of course." I took another bite. "Thanks by the way. It's delicious."

"Thank you." He said, giving an over dramatic bow.

Once I was done eating my cake, Luc smiled at me. "Scar..."

"Yes?" I replied.

He leaned in. "If it's not too much to ask, I need you to close your eyes one more time."

I laughed. "Okay, first a walk through the woods, then an amazing desert by the ocean—with a complimentary sunset might I add—and you're telling me that there's still more to this outing?" I asked, putting a little emphasis into my words.

He nodded. "Yep. Now, just close them.
I closed my eyes one more time. I heard a shuffling and a metallic clinking. My mind raced at what Luc might be doing. I suddenly felt Luc's warm fingers brush past my neck and a cold metal around my neck.

"You can open them again." Luc whispered.

I looked at my neck. He had given me a golden pendant with two angel wings folded over one another in the shape of a heart. I lifted up the charm and saw that there was a small latch on the side of it. It was a locket. I opened it up to see five names engraved on the inside: Tatianna, Anaïs, Marianne, Haizea, and my name in beautiful calligraphy. I traced the small lettering with my fingernail. Scarlett. I looked up to Luc. "Is this really for me?"

Luc nodded. He held the charm in his hand. "It's a family heirloom. You see, my great-great-grandfather made this for the love of his life, Tatianna, when he asked her to marry him. He made it from the gold of his mother and father's wedding rings, and shaped them into two wings, symbolizing his last name, D'Ange, which means 'the angel'.

"Tatianna agreed and the two had a baby boy a few years after they were married. This was my great-grandfather. My ancestors came upon hard times, and Tatianna was about to sell her pendant to make ends meet. My great-grandfather refused. He said that she should keep it as a symbol of her love for his father. Tatianna then decided to pass it to my great-grandfather. She told him that he was to give the pendant to the love of his life whenever he met her.

"And that's how the tradition goes, from firstborn son to wife to firstborn son.My dad gave it to my mom, and my mom gave it to me shortly before Kali attacked Sciana. I never thought I would ever give it to anyone, but then I met you." He looked me in the eyes. "It's yours now, Scarlett."

I looked at it. The pendant was simple and beautiful, but I couldn't quite wrap my mind around why Luc gave it to me of all people. I looked up at him. "How are you sure that I'm your true love?"

He leaned in and gently kissed my forehead. "Because you're my mate, Scarlett." He answered simply. "You're the perfect girl for me. You are the first person who has given me a reason to want to continue muddling through this repetitive and boring existence that we call life. You make me feel happier than I did when I was growing up with my mother. Everything about you perfectly fits with me. I know I can give you this pendant because I love you, and I will never stop loving you. That's just who I am."

He brushed a lock of hair out of my face. I was touched by his words. He rested his forehead atop of mine, once again giving me a clear view of those perfect golden irises. "You know how much I love you. Do you love me, Scarlett?"

I flinched. Love was a very strong word. I didn't want to go around saying that I loved him. This was a relationship between two teenagers. Who was to say that this would last? If I told him that I loved him, I'd just get hurt. I tried to dodge the question.

"Yeah, I think you're cute, and, um, you have a great personality and sense of humor." I offered.

He frowned and looked at me curiously. "You didn't answer my question. Yeah, okay, I like your personality, too, but I asked you if you love me."

I coughed. "I don't know, Luc. To be honest, I don't know what love is. I've never experienced it before. I don't want to say that I love you unless I am positively sure that I do. I don't want to rush into anything. So, I guess the answer is, I don't really know yet."
He looked to the ground, separating from me, dejected. "Okay."

I mentally yelled at myself. What was I doing? "Look, Luc, you're a great guy. I don't know I may love you. I just don't know. Look, I'm sorry. I'm not making any sense right now."

"Don't apologize." Luc quickly said, meeting my gaze again. "I shouldn't have asked. I didn't know that you felt that way about it. It was my fault for trying to rush things." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Come on. Let's go back to the Academy. I heard that Madoc wants to meet you in the auditorium for training. Why don't we go there for now?"

I wanted to punch myself. I was so stupid! Now Luc thought that I wanted nothing to do with him! I sighed and decided maybe I could take one last crack at lightening the mood with a joke. Maybe it would ease the tension between the two of us.

"Hey, maybe some other girl will know she loves you." I said.

He regarded me, his normally warm eyes suddenly becoming serious. "But I won't love them. They wouldn't be you."

"What makes me so special?" I asked.

"You." He answered simply. "You are what makes you so special. You may not realize it yet, Scarlett Kaida, but you are mine. I'm not going to back down or go away any time soon, so you'd better get used to it. I'll fight for you if I have to."

Needless to say, we didn't exchange many more words until we arrived at Eternal. At least Luc wasn't going to hate me anytime soon.

Hey guys! This book is slowly but surely coming to its end. So is my school year. I get out tomorrow. Y'all know what that means. More updates. Oh yeah! Thank you guys for everything you've done! You're all amazing. Tell me how you enjoy this book and I wanna take a vote. Who is your favorite character now that we're this far into the book? Please reply in the comments!

Signing Off, Kiera Savage