MY HEART was a nonexistent beat within me, nevertheless, I kept my eyes on him.

My lips shivered against my shaky breaths, my body stiffening allowing his blue orbs to melt in mine.

He had no control of my body, not like before when I was helpless. He was not forcing me to keep my eyes on him and yet, this feeling was even worse.

Having complete control of one's body and yet somehow still hypnotized, stole my reason, unable to be anything- but be present.

He didn't say a word after this, his eyes lingering off me for a moment, whilst I watched him curiously

My mind blocked all of the noise resounding from the crowd as a result of the ongoing fight below.

I was much too stunned by the being that calmly opened and was now flipping through his black notebook.

Ethereal silence suddenly existed above all else, not immune to the soft low sounds of his shallow breaths, as I studied his cool and collective expressions whilst he flipped through the white pages.

Taking out his pen, he clicked it open, his eyes flashing back to mine, stealing another breath from my lips.

I couldn't describe it. He was dangerous and beautiful at the same time. It bewitching to be the center of his attention.

Watching as his gaze slowly trailed down my face seemingly studying it once more, I could do nothing but study him too. His long eyelashes, his hair, his lips-

I sucked in a breath when his eyes flashed back to me, holding the stare for a moment before looking away once more, his pen moving effortlessly across his book.

I knew what he was doing when his eyes flashed back to my face seemingly recapturing me, before transferring the image by pen and paper.

He was drawing me, like he did by the wilting tree.

He seemed very calm whilst he drew me. He seemed content. For a moment, it didn't feel like we were fighting, or like I was running. It felt like the blood moon night. Only me and him. It didn't matter what or who he was.

It was just a boy and a girl. And a feeling.

I caught a breath at this, wondering if anyone else was seeing this. My eyes dashed over my friends, but they all seemed much too occupied with the ongoing fight below than anything anyone else could be doing.

Even the people beside Harvest didn't seem to notice that his attention wasn't fixed on the fight.

He too, obviously, didn't seem to mind, drawing as if nobody was watching, as if there weren't a thousand voices roaring in the air right now

As if it was just the two of us.  Sitting beside each other as the firewall gleamed in the distance.

The memory flooded my mind and my heart skipped a beat, my cheeks heating up at the flustering thought.

When it was just the two of us...

Who would have guessed that I would ponder on such a moment so longingly?

My eyes slowly trailed up to his, doing my own studying, all those beautiful features he had.

Flashes of all the little things he did roam my head unleashed. I could barely pay attention to the roaring of students and the claps that surrounded me.

It was like I was in a different plane of existence, where only he was too.

Gaze lingering on his face, I caught the beautiful movements of his eyes as they darted to and fro, calmly.

Could he feel it? Had he felt what I was feeling too?

His eyes flashed to mine, holding it longer than usual, and my heart beat faster than I ever thought possible. Licking his lips, he released a low breath, his chest slightly falling as if the moment was lying heavy on him too.

Opting to look down again to escape it, I tried to take a moment but his voice echoed in my head not a second later, asking me to slightly turn, to which I complied, knowing he was trying to capture the side of my face.

I had no idea why I was complying with him.

No idea why I was this compliant with his calm commands in my head.

I knew I was not under any body control, my body repeatedly reminded me I could say no, or simply focus on the fight and ignore him but I couldn't.

Because deep down in me, in what I started to realize was a sick-sick mind, this was what I wanted.

His attention, his whole being focused on me.

A shiver crossed my spine at the sound of his voice in my head again, gentle and low.

I turned slightly the other way, at his ask. My breathing was shallow against my skin, my heart still a steady beat as it had been since this escapade began.

Suddenly- I felt my hand being tightly squeezed.

My eyes flashed to Lira's hand, as she squeezed harder, my eyes trailing to her tight face, noting that she was very much invested in the fight, but seemingly so nervous at what was going on, she was mindlessly reaching out for support.

Little did she know, that I needed support of my own.

I couldn't understand the feelings that swarmed within me.

That paralyzed me, knowing that those blue orbs had never left my face. Yet that feeling was wrapped in a warmth that sent butterflies in my stomach and heated my cheeks.

Staring at her face to avoid looking back at Harvest was some kind of a relief.

From the 21 expressions she was making, and the way she was biting hard on her bottom lip, I could easily tell that Andrew was not doing well.

My eyes ventured to the rest of my two friends, and even they seemed alarmed. I was about to look at what was going on with the fight when Harvest's voice intruded on my thoughts, asking me to slightly turn the other way.

I complied with this, pushing a stray lock of hair from my face, my eyes darting back to his figure, being pulled to him automatically.

He was now intently focused on his paper, and I watched as he sketched, an unplanned smile slowly growing over my face the longer I did, only stopping at the low babble the crowd was emitting beneath us.

My eyes flashed back to the dome automatically, immediately latching onto the fight at the highest climax as the crowd grew louder.

I raised an eyebrow at the sudden sight of a heaving Roman, eyes a dim gleaming rage of fire, hair sleeked back, scratches on his face, whilst his whole right arm formed a fist that was engulfed in flames at full force, slamming his fiery fist into a bloody lipped Andrew.

It sent him flying back into the grassy fields, landing on the hard ground with a large thump, his body unmoving in the slits of already scorched grass.

The crowd went silent, only the low buzz of the lights ahead filled the Arena as people held their breaths.

Roman was breathing heavily, his eyes still flames, but after a few passing seconds, his normal eyes formed, his fiery hand dimming into his combat suit, eyes narrowing down on his opponent who stayed in far dead grass.

The only sign of Andrew moving was the slight rise and fall of his breaths that had just started, Lira, sucked in a breath at the sight of this.

When his breathing became deeper, Andrew attempted to get up but he could not even sit up, groaning loudly as if he were in some kind of immense pain. His body immediately collapsed on the ashy ground.

Groaning once again in severe pain, I pursed my lips at the sight of this, the scene tugging at my heart. I knew it was over. He was much too hurt.

I reluctantly glanced over at my friends, catching the sad look of Clair as she looked at me with despair, a replica of my face.  We both risked a glance at Lira, whose hand on mine tightened whilst a look of horror was pasted on.

I looked back at the howling Andrew as he tried to get back up again but failed, releasing a hurt cry in the air, that if anything tore my heart in two, tears clouding my eyes at the scene.

It looked like he had broken a few ribs at the impact.

I looked at the ground, biting my lip trying to control the tears.

I was an emotional person, I just didn't like to see pain, not on Andrew where it was physical, and not on the toughest girl I knew, Lira, where it came from deep within.

"Tears?" a calm voice asked in my head.

My eyes immediately shot up to Harvest, who now lay back in his seat, not seeming affected by what had just transpired.

"Why am I not surprised?" He scoffed, his eyes shifting off me as he studied the dome, before his gaze flashed back to me, "tell her to reach for him," he stated plainly.

My eyebrows arched at this, slightly confused.

He kept his eyes on mine, watching me intently.

Pursing my lips, I turned to Lira, my eyes shifting back to her hand now trembling slightly around my own I took a soft breath out, placing my hand over it gently.

This brought her attention, as her overwhelmed gaze met mine, emotions rolling through them faster than I could identify.

[Talk-to-him] I signed each word carefully, knowing she would understand.

Her eyes widened at this, chest rising and falling, whilst I nodded to her assuringly.

"Are you going to get up Myers? Or is this all you got, boy?" Roman mocked as he paced the field, grinning whilst an encore of oranges roared a cheer after him.

Andrew was still on his back, refusing to throw the fight- lift that hand to show he had surrendered.

The image ahead showed his face still screwed up in pain, eyes shut.

Breathing heavily as he lay on his back Lira glanced at me again, and once more, I prodded her on.

She pursed her lips, her jaw ticking, and the glimpse of the Lira I knew whisked back into place, as she got to her feet.

Both David and Claire looked at her abrupt movement in shock as she cupped her mouth shouting louder than I ever thought possible over the space of the dome,

"ANDREW!!!" she yelled the Arena falling into silence after her, her chest falling up and down as her voice echoed around the space.

The screen showed Andrew's face. He didn't open his eyes, but his breathing changed almost as if he was holding a breath in.

"YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS UP BEFORE I COME DOWN THERE AND DO IT MYSELF!"

The room was deaf silent, Andrew showing no signs of listening —until he suddenly laughed, a hoarse kind of laughter that turned into coughing, and then a slight struggle for air, before his eyes opened squinting in the direct light.

Lira managed a small hopeful smile at this too, hope now echoed on her face.

"YOU'RE WINNING THIS FIGHT OR SO HELP ME GOD!" she shook her head chuckling a bit too crazily for my taste, "IT'S A RED HEAD ANDREW, JUST A PRICKLY LITTLE PAIN IN THE ASS!" she yelled, as Romans eyes flashed to her with a scowl, not at all amused whilst the crowd laughed, a smile forming on Andrew's face.

"GET UP!" Lira shouted this time more firmly, "YOU CAN DO IT."

Andrew lay in the grass for a moment, staring straight above, before nodding. He seemed to count down taking a large breath in.

"Rodger, Rodger," he muttered, sitting up with one painful heave, groaning as he did so.

The Greens went banana's, a low cheer beginning for him on his side of the Arena, prodding him to get up, as he managed to stagger to his feet, half hunched over, his suit that I was told was nearly indestructible and a fiery red ring at the center of it

Roman's eyes narrowed on him, a sly grin returning to his face.

"Good! Let's finish this Myers! " he grunted as Andrew finally got to his feet, hair shaggy, blood dripping from his open lip, which he rubbed away.

"Give me all you got, Algrand!" he gritted back.

Roman nodded seemingly pleased by this, suddenly lighting himself on fire, burning to his maximum capacity.

Full body flame on.

I sucked in a breath at this.

"Let's give them a show," he grinned.

Andrew's eyes glazed over, his once hazel ones, turned dark, "That's right, C'mon puppy, come out and play," Roman taunted.

"He's at full capacity," David whispered beside me; I turned to look at him, his face was entirely focused on the fight but he turned to look at me when he said.

"He can only display that amount of heat for a short while before he burns himself out, this is his last move. All or nothing," He explained before looking back at the fight as this settled within me in horror.

This was the showdown.

Andrew started limping towards a grinning Roman, then jogging, running, increasing his speed in each second and I watched in absolute terror as Roman expelled the most enormous flames I had ever seen in his direction.

Andrew was running at full speed towards his blast, and I caught my breath as he reached a hair length away from the tips of the licking fiery that spanned an impressive amount of space, jumping and then doing something in midair that completely bombed my mind.

In a matter of seconds, a large wolf formed in the middle, a dark muddy fierce brown, ferocious teeth, leaping over the flames and on a stunned Roman who was knocked over cold, his flames turning off in an instant as the terrifying wolf had its teeth barred in his face, his large paws pinning his hands on either side, dark eyes full of rage.

It came as no surprise when Roman immediately surrendered, Andrew growling and the greens as well as we on team Roman erupted in cheers and roars.

The wolf remained on him even as Gravis announced who the winner of the first-ever qualifying match of the season was.

Lira's eyes poured with pride, her face adorned with a huge smile.

She didn't say a word other than her clapping, but the look on her face was enough to show the emotions she failed to release.

My eyes shifted to that of Lucas, surprised to find him already looking towards me, whilst clapping a huge smile on his face.

I blushed back at this and smiled at him too, my eyes finally trailing to Harvest.

His face was stale, there was no warmth in his eyes. Shaking his head he got up, storming off with his black drawing book swinging by his side as people clapped on obliviously.

I frowned at this, my heart clenching, but soon enough my attention was taken away by a rejoicing Claire who hugged me in celebration.

Andrew had won.

That's all that mattered.

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Next chapter "Dawn of the Games" is available on Patreon ! New advanced chapters will be dropping tonight on Patreon. Please leave a comment and vote if you're enjoying the book.
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