THESE HIDDEN WINGS

[38.1] THE RENDEZVOUS

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"Gravis."

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I CLOSED THE door behind me, leaning against it for a second. Well, Claire was right about one thing, Daya was not around.

Sighing, I took out my two rubber bands that held my hair up allowing it to fall to my shoulders in a fuzzy wave. Running my hands through their tangled roots I trudged to my wardrobe, moving to take off my jacket as I opened the door.

A piece of paper glided to the floor, and I went down to pick it up, realizing it was folded in half. Opening it, I scanned over the message written in delicate cursive golden letters, a place and the time printed in short phrases.

KINGS COURT,
BY THE SEA.

MIDNIGHT.
G.H

My breathing lowered my heart rate increased slightly as I looked back around the room, afraid that someone would see, no matter how impossible that would be with the door closed. This message could only be from Gravis. Those were his initials, Gravis Herc.

I glanced down at my watch, checking the time. I had at least 2 good hours before midnight. Sitting down on my bed, I felt like today had gone by in a blur. From the Inter Colors match to the Shadow wolves to the whole hierarchy system Lira had been 'schooling us about.'

I had several theories why both Lucas Bowne and Harvest-Adams I believe, would become rivals over Daya. I mean it would be easy to explain Lucas.

My mind flashed back to how close they had been during the matches, to when we met in the library- I could have sworn he wanted to ask something about Daya. He distinctively said only some people call him Luca, and well, it's a proven fact Daya does. She's the only one I've heard of who calls him Luca, even Lira calls him Lucas- going the extra mile and stating the surname too.

Lucas Bowne. Pfft, this wasn't game of thrones. There was some connection on a personal level that those two had. I took a deep breath out, laying back on my bed, closing my eyes for a second, trying to block out that thought.

And Harvest?

My eyes shot open at this staring up at the ceiling. It just didn't seem that a boy that dark, no matter how attractive he may be, could ever really care about something or even someone. Every time I spotted him, he always looks so detached from the world. Cold, distant, and irritated from who knows what- no he was not the type to fight over a girl.

For goodness' sake, the boy kisses fish!

Deadly fish women that seemed mesmerized at the very sight of him when their very extinct is to lure and kill men.

I breathed out trying to calm myself, I know I was just a little bit shaken by the whole 'I see you' moment.

It made me feel like he was constantly watching.

Maybe that was one of the reasons why I was trying to block out anything livid from my head. My thoughts shifted homewards, missing Barotse so very much that I couldn't believe I used to dream of getting out and just being normal.

Normal isn't working out for me as much as I thought it would.

I had no idea how Mom was doing and I dreaded the fact she would probably wake up alone in that white room they put her in. I turned my head staring blankly at the white roses in the vase, a small smile forming on my face as another memory dawned on me, this time of Dad and I, picking white roses from the garden I had tended with my own two hands. I had that garden since I was eight, and I could see the years pass by in little moments as I stared at the roses in the vase.

Just like that, I felt darkness overtaking me, questions that had bothered me had suddenly set me free for a few moments, my eyelids falling heavily as I yawned- just a few minutes.

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I woke up with a shiver, my body's warning to the sudden cold that had formed around me. Moving further onto the bed, I huddled in my sheets, yawning as my eyes felt drowsy once more, almost succumbing to the temptation of sleep before a reminder came tumbling into my mind-

Gravis.

Scrambling to my feet I checked the time on the watch, 3 minutes till midnight. I dreaded that look I would have to receive from Gravis for coming late. I had seen that look all my life and goodness me, I didn't need to see it again.

Whenever I did something naughty at home, maybe walk into dinner with my blouse dirty from gardening, Dad, Zali, Lance, Mom and Gravis, all had that look.

A judgy look that I completely despised.

Slipping into warmer socks I quickly grabbed my coat, rushing towards the door. I froze, turning back around, grabbing a plastic and my roses before locking the door and dashing out into the middle of the night. Once again, the halls were quiet but this time I busted into the clean fresh nightly breeze. I followed the path to the King's courts, very much on the edge as I looked around. The random bushes around made the place seem scary, with shadows gliding in with the moonlight.

I broke out into the Courts, moving slower this time, spotting the place Claire, Lira, and I had been earlier as we watched the elementals get busted by Rangi and Lwangi.

Walking past it, I moved further into the king's Courts drawing closer and closer to the edge of the island. I could hear the sound of the waves against the sand as they sailed to and fro, and could almost taste the salt in the air.

Pausing, I spotted the silhouette of a man, standing at the outermost part of the king's courts, by the cliffs. I knew that was Gravis from the moment I laid eyes on him.

It was simply impossible for me to not be able to identify a man that I had practically grown up with. Sighing softly at the journey I would have to make uphill; I began moving.

Slowly approaching him, his voice was the one who was first to break the silence, not looking my way at any moment since the time I had arrived her, '10 minutes late, princess," he stated.

I grunted at this, nothing had changed,

Still, my dad's timekeeper I see.