CHAPTER ONE. ACCUSTOMED FIGHTS AND DRUNKEN NIGHTS

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THE CLASH OF SWORDS BROUGHT AN UNNATURAL SOUND TO THE OTHERWISE QUIET FIELD. The sun was barely starting to rise, beginning a new day. Tarinne grunted as she blocked another blow from her opponent's sword. Her curly silver/white hair flew behind her head in its ponytail as she spun and blocked the next blow.

Her opponent didn't let up, gracefully shuffling his feet and moving around her, striking at her with his sword. The flat end of the sword tapped her back before she could dodge it and she huffed, whipping her head around to look at her father. There was a stern look in his eyes and she already had an idea of what he was going to say.

"Don't say it," she breathed, readying herself to continue sparring with the man.

"I shouldn't have been able to do that," the man said. She swung her sword and his blocked hers. "I keep telling you not to turn your back on you opponent. Looking cool means nothing if it gets you killed."

"I wasn't trying to look cool, I was trying fix my footing," she huffed, their swords clashing again.

"If you listened to what I said earlier, your footing would've been correct and you would've been able to block my hit. Or better yet, land a hit of your own," he continued. She shuffled backwards, parrying his next blow by holding her sword vertically. She pushed his sword upwards with her own, pushing him backwards before swiping at him. He leaned his hips backwards to avoid it.

The two continued to maneuver around one another, metal clanging against metal. He landed another tap on her back and he sighed in disappointment. His gaze shifted over to another part of the field, watching a familiar redhead spar with Commander Ballantine. "Look at Jade. How she expertly faints, tripping up even the Commander," he father said.

Tarinne watched as Jade bested Commander Ballantine, a cocky smile dancing on the redhead's features. Commander Ballantine saying how she shouldn't let her head get so big. Jade merely shrugged, her smile remaining. The redhead turned her attention to Tarinne, as if feeling the girl's eyes on her. The two stared at each other for a moment, Jade's face softening ever so slightly before Tarinne scowled at her, turning her attention back to her father.

"She's impressive. She is exactly what the Shining Legion will be looking for in a knight. And they are looking at her when they should be looking at you," Esai turned to face his daughter.

"Well I'm sorry you were stuck with me as a daughter instead of the ever-so-perfect Jade Claymore," Tarinne grumbled.

He ignored her comment and continued, "You need to get your act together if you truly want to join the Shining Legion. There's only so much I can do for you. You're nearly out of time."

Tarinne rolled her eyes, making sure he didn't see her. He rolled his own eyes, "Take an hour and then meet me back here and we'll continue training." He sheathed his sword and walked away. Tarinne watched his retreating figure before sheathing her own sword.

"That looked brutal," a voice spoke as they approached her. Tarinne rolled her eyes and looked at Jade.

"Can I help you with something?" She deadpanned.

"Do you want to train with me?" Jade questioned, the ghost of a smirk, or maybe it was a smile, on her lips.

"Why, so you can beat me like you always do?" Tarinne asked.

"You never know, today might be your lucky day," Jade spoke.

Tarinne merely scowled at the redhead. Once upon a time, the two girls used to be friends. They wanted to be knights together and used to train together all the time. It used to be fun. But Jade was better than her, and while that never bothered Tarinne, it bothered her father Esai. He wanted Tarinne to be the best of the best. And she couldn't do that if she was friends with Jade. Because according to her father, if she was friends with Jade, she wouldn't be able to do what she needed to do to be better than her. So he made her end their friendship. And thus their rivalry was born. Now when they trained, it wasn't fun like it used to be. And now, many years later, Tarinne didn't like Jade. At least, that's what she told herself.

Jade stared expectantly at her former friend, waiting for her response. She was sure Tarinne would turn her down, knowing the white-haired girl hated training with the redhead. But Jade wanted an excuse to spend time with her; she missed her friend. To this day, Jade didn't know what she had done wrong.

"I only have an hour before I have to go back to training with my father so, I'll pass," Tarinne finally said.

Jade nodded her head and Tarinne began to walk away from her. "Hey, Tarinne!" The girl in question turned back to Jade. "Try going for the hands."

Tarinne's eyebrows furrowed, "What?"

"They don't usually expect you to go for the hands. And you can't fight without hands," Jade explained. The two locked eyes for a moment. Tarinne's lips nearly twitched up into a grateful smile. Nearly.

Instead, they turned downward into a frown. "I don't remember asking for your help."

Jade, taken aback, blinked. She searched her brain for a snarky comeback. "Well you clearly need it."

Tarinne scoffed, "Fuck you."

"You know, I don't know why I bother," Jade scoffed back.

"Yeah? Neither do I. Maybe you should stop," Tarinne bit back.

"Maybe I will," Jade confirmed. She turned around and made her way off the field. Tarinne sighed, turning to walk in the opposite direction.

••••

Tarinne's muscles ached as she hobbled into her home. She grumbled to herself as she placed her sword down in her room and slowly lowered herself onto her bed. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, embracing the peace she had finally acquired. She trained with her father for a few more hours before he finally called it a day. She was over everything.

Before she could even truly relax, her bedroom door opened and her mother walked in. "What are you doing?" Raia asked, looking down at her very exhausted daughter.

"About to take a nap," Tarinne mumbled.

"Tarinne, Princess Kit's engagement party is tonight," her mother reminded.

"I'm not going to that," Tarinne muttered. She knew that she would have to, which is why she made plans for how she would get through the night beforehand, but she hoped her mother wouldn't make her go. But she knew better than that.

"You don't have a choice. Your father is on the Royal Guard and we were invited," her mother continued.

"If it were up to Kit, I wouldn't be invited at all," Tarinne stated. Tarinne and Kit used to be friends too. They had met through Jade. And when Tarinne cut Jade off, she indirectly cut Kit off too. Though when Kit found out about what went down between Tarinne and Jade, she would've taken Jade's side regardless. The brunette and redhead were best friends after all.

Her mother sighed. She hated how things with Tarinne and her former friends turned out. Her daughter had finally been happy after what had happened in Felea. And now, she was back to being miserable. "I already made your gown. One of my best," Raia tried to convince. Her mother was a dress maker, the best in Tir Asleen. She even had a little shop where people, even the Queen herself, went so that she could make them gowns.

The white-haired girl sighed. "It's not like I have a choice." She pushed herself up into her hands.

"Go take a bath and I'll help you with your dress. You'll be the most beautiful person at the party," her mother said. She sent Tarinne a grin and walked out of the room. The younger girl stood up and went to do just that. After taking a bath, her mother helped her into the dark green, long-sleeved gown that the woman had made. She put Tarinne's white hair into an updo. When she was done, she smiled proudly before going to get ready herself.

Tarinne played with the necklace around her neck, wrapping its cord around her finger and unwrapping it again and again. She didn't want to go to this engagement party. She didn't care about the arrangement between Tir Asleen and Galladoorn, it had nothing to do with her. She wasn't from Tir Asleen; it's not and would never be her home. Her true home, Felea was destroyed years ago, a tragedy she would never forget.

A few more hours passed before she and her mother were on their way to the castle. Her father was already there with the rest of the Royal Guard who would be protecting the people at the party from any threats that may come up.

There were a lot of people around, mingling and catching up. The royal party from Galladoorn all took turns bowing and curtsying to Queen Sorsha and her children. Tarinne refrained from rolling her eyes at the scene. She never got used to the idea of being under the rule of royalty. Felea was one of few places that was unruled by a king, queen, or lord. Their village was so far from kingdoms such as Tir Asleen and Galladoorn that the journey to get to Tir Asleen when they fled Felea was a long and tortuous one. Tarinne would always be grateful to Sorsha for giving her family and what was left of her people a home after theirs was destroyed. Even so, she hated the idea of being under someone's control. But that was something she no longer had a say in.

"I'm going to go greet a few people. Behave," Raia said to Tarinne, giving her a look.

"I always behave, mother," Tarinne smiled innocently.

Raia pulled her daughter close to her, "If I hear that you've done anything out of line, you will be helping me in the shop every day after training for the rest of your life."

"Understood, you won't hear anything bad about me," Tarinne assured.

"I better not." Raia began walking away from her and Tarinne sighed before beginning to make her way through the party.

She looked around the room, searching for Cedoric, a knight trainee who promised to provide her with an endless supply of alcohol for the night. In exchange, she got him extra training time with her father. She wasn't sure why he wanted that but it was easy enough for her to do. After a few minutes, she found him hiding in a corner and made her way over to him.

"Cedoric," she greeted with a head nod. "Did you bring it?" Cedoric looked around conspicuously and she rolled her eyes. He cautiously pulled out a woven bag, opening it to pull out a jug just enough for her to see. "Is that all? What happened to the 'endless supply to get me through the night'? We had a deal, Cedoric, and I held up my end."

"Look, this is all I could get, okay? But I promise, this ale is strong, it'll give you the effects you desire," Cedoric assured.

She glared at him for a moment before taking the bag from him. "It better."

"It will," Cedoric stated with a head nod.

From across the room, Jade's attention managed to be grasped by the two speaking in hushed tones in a corner. She watched the scene with curious eyes, a twinge of annoyance in her chest as she tried to read their lips. Kit sidled up beside her, bumping Jade's shoulder with her own. "What're you looking at?" The brunette questioned. Jade tore her gaze away, turning to Kit with a forced smile.

"Nothing," she denied. Kit looked over in the direction Jade had previously been looking, taking note of Tarinne and realizing what the redhead had been distracted by.

"Right," Kit dragged out, unconvinced.

Tarinne moved away from Cedoric and walked over to an empty table in the back. She grabbed a chalice, poured its contents onto the floor, and began to fill it with the ale. Tarinne took a small sip, cringing at the taste but smiling shortly after at how strong it was. She took a larger sip and looked back at where Cedoric stood, sending him a thumbs up. A relieved smile crossed his features and he sent her a thumbs-up back. Tarinne finished the contents of the cup before refilling it again. She would have to avoid her parents for the night but that wouldn't be too difficult, her father was standing guard for the most part and her mother was talking to anyone and everyone that crossed her path.

She lazily looked around the hall, watching people chatting and dancing, food slowly beginning to be served. Her gaze moved over to where Kit and Jade were now sitting, both of whom were staring in her direction. Her eyes furrowed in confusion before she sarcastically raised her chalice to them, a faux smile on her lips. She took another sip of the alcohol and looked away from them, wondering what they were talking about. It was most likely her.

A few people began to sit down at her table, all of whom began making small talk with her. Tarinne forced herself to converse with them, trying not to come off as awkward. She was slowly starting to feel the effects of the alcohol and hoped her words didn't begin to slur. The chatter in the hall was jovial as time went on. Tarinne busied herself by eating, successfully avoiding most of the conversations that were happening around her. She continued to sneak ale into her chalice, no one, that she was aware of, paying enough attention to her to notice.

"Nobles of the realm," a voice boomed, gathering everyone's attention. "The Queen!"

Queen Sorsha stood from her chair and began addressing the great hall. "Two-hundred moons since the Knights of Galladoorn vanquished Bavmorda's legions and freed Tir Asleen from its curse. And for two-hundred moons, we've maintained a civil alliance, governing with mutual consent, while preserving our autonomy. One realm, separate kingdoms. Until now. Tomorrow, Prince Graydon marries my daughter, Kit. At last unifying Tir Asleen and Galladoorn, ensuring us a harmonious future, and strengthening us against any threat we might face. To the bride and groom, may they rule wisely and justly, and defend our realm till that day when the true empress Elora Danan returns. Till that day!" Sorsha held up her glass.

Everyone around Tarinne stood up and began chanting, "Till that day! Till that day!" They began applauding shortly after, the sound echoing.

The white-haired girl burst into a fit of giggles that was drowned out by the loudness of the room. These people were ridiculous. Her giggles died down as her gaze landed on Kit. The brunette looked less than pleased at the moment and Tarinne began to feel bad. Kit would be marrying Prince Graydon against her will. She knew that was the last thing the girl wanted to do and she hated that Kit didn't have a choice. The brunette met Tarinne's gaze, their eyes locking in an intense stare. Tarinne wasn't sure what to do at that moment so she sent Kit a small, sympathetic smile and looked away before she could see her reaction. Kit continued to stare at Tarinne long after the girl looked away and jumped into a conversation with someone at her table. Kit then looked at Jade and sighed. Kit wouldn't admit it, but she missed Tarinne too. But she wasn't sure she could ever forgive the girl.

A short while later, everyone was back to dancing and having fun. Tarinne found herself dancing with anyone and everyone around. She was very drunk at this point but hid it by pretending she was just overly happy and in a good mood. The music was light and slow but her body moved at a faster tempo. The adults were looking at her strangely while the younger people that she danced with matched her energy. Cedoric had come to join the little dance group, a little tipsy himself.

A hand gripped her arm and yanked her away from them and she let out a small shout of surprise. She came face to face with her father who was looking down at her with mild disdain. "What on Earth are you doing?"

"Um, dancing?" Tarinne replied unsurely.

"You should be trying to speak to the King of Galladoorn, pitch the idea of the opportunity for you to join the Shining Legion to him. Instead, you're here embarrassing yourself," he chastised.

"You need to relax. I'm just having some fun," she struggled to get the words out without slurring.

Esai's eyes narrowed at her, "Are you drunk?" Uh oh.

"No," Tarinne denied.

"You are unbelievable. Did you know that Jade Claymore has been accepted to train with the Shining Legion? She leaves tomorrow and is one step closer to being a knight. It should be you, not her," the man said.

Tarinne let his words sink in. Jade was going to be a knight. That was everything the redhead wanted. Tarinne should be upset, it was what she told herself she wanted too. And she was upset, but not because Jade got the opportunity instead of her. "That's good for her."

"I have worked so hard to try and get you to the same caliber that she is at and yet you continue to throw it back in my face," Esai said.

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I don't want to be a knight?" Tarinne almost yelled.

Before the man could respond, Kit's loud voice drew their attention.

"Hey! So, we're getting married. That's weird, right?" Kit said as she walked over to Graydon.

"Uh, I'm looking forward to it," Graydon replied, though it was obvious he didn't mean his words.

"Why? You don't even know me," Kit fired back. It was true, he didn't know her and she didn't know him. The whole situation was weird.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the realm," Graydon said as if he was repeating what someone had told him to say.

Jade attempted to pull Kit away, "Sorry. Excuse us."

Kit pushed her off, "Hey, hey. I am getting acquainted with my betrothed here, but you can go wherever you want, as you've made abundantly clear." Tarinne wasn't sure what had gone down between the two friends before this but it must have been bad.

Kit returned her attention to Graydon, "Have you ever heard the story of Taramis? She was a princess of Cashmere thousands of years ago, and she was, like, by all accounts, like, the most gorgeous woman that ever lived. So, the King invited all the knights and all of the princes to compete for her hand," Kit was moving around now, walking over to a table to pick up a piece of fruit. "The winner of each event advancing to the next until two remained. This cocky young knight of Galladoorn and this helmeted warrior from some far-off distant land whose face no one had yet seen. And after a fierce battle, our mysterious stranger bested the knight, then removed his helmet. Can you guess who that was?" Kit paused for a moment. "It was Princess Taramis. Secretly entered the tournament to fight for herself, for a chance to, to choose her own future."

Airk walked over to his sister, also trying to pull her away from the situation. "Sis, just a quick word, please?" It didn't work.

"I tried that, already" Jade informed him.

"Why don't you make yourself useful?" Kit placed the small pumpkin on his head. She then grabbed Graydon's wrist and pulled him backward, "Say there was a tournament for my hand, we were competing. Do you think you would win?" She grabbed a knife from one of the metal trays.

"You want me to..." Graydon trailed off unsurely.

"What? Scared you might blind my pretty twin brother?" Kit taunted.

"I'm worried about that," Airk raised a hand.

King Hastur cleared his throat loudly as he re-entered the hall, people bowing and curtsying to him.

"Perhaps not," Graydon spoke before walking away from Kit.

"Mmm, wouldn't wanna miss," Kit said. Then, as if to prove a point, she raised the knife, ready to throw it at her brother when her wrist was grabbed from behind. The knife clattered to the ground and Kit turned to face her mother who was very angry. Queen Sorsha dragged Kit out of the room. The party was officially over now.

"Go home," Esai told Tarinne before walking away from her.

••••

Tarinne found herself alone, stumbling around the castle trying to find her way out and get home. She didn't know where her mother or father had gone at this point and she didn't care. She didn't even want to go home.

She stumbled into a wall, chuckling to herself as she fell to the ground.

"Tarinne?"

The girl in question turned around to see Jade walking over to her.

"Oh hey, what are you doing here?" Tarinne questioned, an unfamiliar drunken giddiness in her tone.

"I was just leaving. Are you... are you drunk?" Jade replied as she came to a stop in front of Tarinne.

"Yes, very. I'm very drunk," Tarinne laughed. Jade looked her over for a quick moment before sighing.

"Okay, come on," Jade helped Tarinne into a standing position. She wrapped a secure arm around Tarinne's waist and began nearly dragging her down the hallway.

"What are you doing?" Tarinne asked.

"Taking you home," Jade responded simply. Tarinne didn't live far from the castle, it would be a short walk there and then back to Jade's own place at the stables.

"Why?" Tarinne asked.

"Because you're drunk," Jade said as if it were obvious.

"Yeah but you could've just left me on the floor," Tarinne pointed out.

"Yeah well I didn't," Jade said. The two became silent.

They came to the exit and the guards at the door opened it for them. The two stepped out into the cool night and continued on their journey.

"I wouldn't have blamed you if you had left me there. I haven't exactly been the nicest person to you since we stopped being friends," Tarinne spoke as she looked up at the stars in the sky.

"No, you haven't," Jade agreed.

Tarinne hiccuped, "Sorry."

Jade looked at her for a moment and Tarinne began a drunken ramble. "It's not that I want to be mean to you. I honestly really hate the way I've been treating you and Kit. Neither of you deserve that. Like, at all."

"Then why do you do it?" Jade found herself asking. Tarinne's words confused her. If she didn't want to be mean to them, then why was she?

The two were getting closer to Tarinne's home and Jade began to slow down a little so that Tarinne would have enough time to answer. So that Jade could finally get some clarity.

The white-haired girl sighed, "Because of my father. He's the reason for everything. Why I stopped being your friend, why this stupid rivalry started." Tarinne took a breath, looking up at the sky and coming to a stop. "The stars are pretty," she randomly mumbled before looking at Jade. "My father would never admit it but, I think he wished he had a son instead of me as a daughter. So when I told him I wanted to be a knight, he was so happy. He could finally mold me to be like him. Do the things he would've done with a son if he had one. He didn't know that the only reason I wanted to be a knight in the first place is because you did and I wanted to have something in common with you and have an excuse to hang out with my friend. But you were so good, better than me and you didn't even have to try. And my father, he saw that. He wanted me to be the best and to be the best I had to beat the best and the best was you. I just wanted to have fun but he... he wanted me to take it seriously and he thought that if we were friends then I wouldn't. And that I would just hold back because you were my friend. So he made me stop being your friend, and Kit's, and he just made me focus on being a knight. And I didn't listen at first. I pretended like I had stopped being your friend and snuck around to hang out with you and Kit. But he found out and said that if I didn't cut ties with you, he'd make sure that you'd never become a knight. And he's second in command and he could've stopped your dream before it could even really start so I had to. He said it would be easier if we weren't friends but it hasn't been easier, it's actually really sucked. And to make things worse, I don't even want to be a knight." She released a relieved breath, finally able to get that off of her chest.

Jade merely stared at her, unsure of what to make of what she had just heard. For years she had wanted an answer and now that she's finally got what she had desperately wanted, she wasn't sure what to make of it. Tarinne ended their friendship, for her. She did it so that Jade could be a knight.

Tarinne blew a strand of white hair out of her face and looked over at Jade. The redhead pulled herself out of her thoughts and began pulling Tarinne forward, continuing the journey to her house. "You could've just been honest. You could've told me," Jade spoke.

"No, I really couldn't have. My father would've found out somehow, I couldn't risk it," Tarinne muttered.

After a beat of silence, Jade spoke up again. "You know, I spent years wondering what I had done wrong. I kept trying to make it right but I didn't know what it was that I needed to make right. It's good to know the truth, that it wasn't me at all."

"I'm really sorry Jade. I wish things didn't happen the way the did," Tarinne apologized, looking away from her in shame. It was the most sincere Jade had seen the girl in a long time.

The redhead sent her a small smile, "It wasn't your fault."

"It feels like it was. Like, if I had told him I didn't want to be a knight, maybe this all could've been avoided and I'd still have you and Kit as friends," Tarinne stated.

"Maybe. Maybe not. There's no way of ever really knowing," Jade spoke softly. Tarinne shrugged her shoulders. She was right.

The two walked in silence for a while before Tarinne remembered what her father had told her. "I heard you got accepted into the Shining Legion." She rubbed her nose and sniffled, starting to feel cold.

"Oh, yeah. I-I did," Jade nodded and Tarinne looked at her.

"You don't seem excited," she pointed out.

"I am, I am. I just, didn't want to throw it in your face," Jade explained.

Tarinne laughed, "Trying to spare my feelings, huh? I already told you I don't want to be a knight. I'm the drunk one, I should be forgetful, not you."

Jade found herself chuckling, "Right right."

It was silent again.

"I'm really happy for you Jade," Tarinne spoke, halting her stride temporarily to look her in the eyes.

"Yeah?" Jade asked unsurely.

"Yeah. I mean, you've wanted this for, for, for like a very long long time and you're finally getting it. And you're gonna be like, the first woman knight ever and inspire so many young girls and it's amazing. And-and if it should be anyone, I'm glad it's you because you deserve good things," Tarinne rambled.

Jade's chest began to grow warm and tears began to prick her eyes. Did she really mean that? "Thank you. It, it means a lot coming from you."

Tarinne smirked, "Didn't know my opinion mattered that much to you."

"Well, it does," Jade confirmed. More than you'll ever know.

Tarinne smiled and the two started walking again in silence. Eventually Tarinne's house came into view.

"So..." Jade began, pulling Tarinne from her drunken thoughts. "If you don't want to be a knight, what do you want to be?" The two came to a stop in front of Tarinne's front door.

"I don't know. I don't know what I want at all. I don't know anything. I never have. I feel like I never got the chance to figure it out," Tarinne replied. She rested her back against the stone wall of her house. Jade stood in front of her, the two now in their own worlds. When Tarinne looked over at Jade, she realized that they were a lot closer than she was used to. So close that she could see the redhead's freckles in the moonlight. Jade also realized how close they were and took a small step back.

"You should get inside," Jade spoke at the same time Tarinne asked, "Can I tell you something?" The two paused and looked at each other before Jade slowly nodded. "What do you want to tell me?" She asked.

"I..." Tarinne took a breath, her heart beginning to thump harder against her rib cage. "I don't want you to go to Galladoorn."

Jade's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "W-why not?"

Tarinne smiled a tiny, bashful smile. "I think... I'd miss you." Jade's breath caught in her throat at the revelation, her eyes searching Tarinne's for any sign of deceit. Surely she didn't mean that. She was just drunk. Drunk people said things they didn't mean. Right?

Tarinne pushed herself off the wall and shuffled to the door. She stared at the wood for a few seconds before turning back to Jade.

"I think I know one thing that I want," she admitted.

Just when Jade finally caught her breath, she lost it again. "Yeah, what's that?" Jade's voice was a whisper, which she'd claim it was to not draw any attention to them because it was so late. But in truth, her nerves were so great, they wouldn't allow her to speak any louder.

Tarinne said nothing, instead, she gently cupped Jade's face and pulled her into a kiss. Jade, though surprised, kissed her back. Jade had spent many nights wondering what it would be like to kiss Tarinne. She wondered how it would happen. She wondered if Tarinne's lips would be soft; they were. She wondered who would initiate it with the hope that it would be Tarinne but never truly thought she ever would.

The kiss ended quicker than the redhead would have liked. And when Tarinne pulled away, the redhead found herself chasing Tarinne's lips with her own. But Tarinne was too far from her now and Jade was too stunned to attempt to reclose the distance between them. And then Jade remembered that Tarinne was very drunk and that she definitely should not try to kiss her again. Not like this.

Jade took a big step back just as the wooden door was pulled open and Raia Alinac came into view. "Where have you been?" The woman practically yelled.

"Uh, I was..." Tarinne looked at Jade for assistance and the redhead quickly butted in.

"She was helping me with something after the party and we lost track of time," Jade interrupted.

"Yeah," Tarinne nodded before hiccuping. Jade closed her eyes, refraining from facepalming.

"You're drunk," Raia realized, the distinct smell of alcohol filling her nostrils. She shook her head, taking Tarinne's hands and pulling her through the entrance. She looked back at Jade, "Thank you, Jade, for bringing her home."

"You're welcome Mrs. Alinac," Jade replied.

"Do get home safely," Raia said and Jade nodded before turning on her heel and walking away. Raia closed the door and looked at her daughter. "What am I going to do with you?"

••••

It's been a while, I know but as they say, better late than never, right? I know a lot happened in this first chapter and things are moving quickly but things in the show move very fast so I'm just trying to keep up lol. It may seem like a lot is happening but just know that I know what I'm doing (kind of). I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! Be sure to vote and comment, but please do not comment for me to update!