CHAPTER 25: 25-THE ONCE CARING BEST FRIEND.

Clementine:

The faun was unlike anything I had seen in real life, something I must have heard from my stepmother during storytimes. Her storytimes used to be diabolic, at least for me. It was her way of trying to scare me, but it angered her when I ended up liking those stories even more. I was always the type to adapt instead of getting scared away.

Or maybe that was the only way I could survive in a world full of people who didn’t like me.

"Don’t make a noise," he whispered right into my ear, and I knew exactly who it was.

I just did not expect Troy to save me and stop me from getting into trouble. The faun walked on its goat-like legs, playing the flute while tearing up.

That little companion Ian had mentioned turned out to be a chameleon sleeping on his shoulder.

He played the flute and walked steadily while Troy quickly covered my ears after removing his hand from my lips.

So I couldn’t really make out the melody. The right thing would have been for me to cover my own ears so that Troy could cover his. But like I said, I was so stunned I hadn’t even moved a muscle or blinked during the entire time the faun was in view. And then it disappeared behind the tree. Troy removed his hand from my ears, and I began to hear the insects again. The trees were alive again, and so was I.

I let go of the breath I had been holding and turned around to look at Troy. That’s when another shock struck me.

"Troy," I gasped, pointing at his nose. He gently touched the blood under his nose, but I noticed his movements were a little stiff. I grabbed my own handkerchief from my pocket and offered it to him.

However, instead of taking it from me, he leaned forward, almost like offering me his face. I didn’t want to be a bitch because I was honestly concerned for him. Even when so much had broken down between us, I still couldn’t stand seeing this asshole in pain. At least the first mission made me realize that I still cared.

So I dabbed the cloth under his nose to clean the blood, avoiding meeting his eyes.

"Ugh," he finally broke free from the stance and stepped back, shaking his head and softly hitting his ears. I expected him to immediately start bickering with me over it, but he didn’t.

"Are you okay?" he asked, not making eye contact with me.

"I’m fine. Are you okay though?" I questioned, moving around, looking at the trees and everywhere to be certain we were really okay and not getting ambushed by some other monster.

"I am great," he replied.

"Why did you leave on your own? You shouldn’t. I know you’re a big person with a big personality and a big bad she-wolf, but this place is not for loners. It can get to you, you know," he uttered softly, using the same tone he used back when we were friends.

"This place isn’t for the weak, Troy. If I have to be here, I better learn to be alone," I replied, my eyes still wandering around until something struck me. "Isn’t it weird that they recruit young wolves every batch whenever the previous one retires, when they could send their warriors here to slay the monsters and free the North?" I commented in confusion.

"That will always remain a mystery, Tin Tin." Troy must have bit down on his tongue when he accidentally called me the nickname he had given me a long time ago.

"I meant Clementine."

"I get it. Trust me, one slip-up changes nothing," I reassured him that him calling me Tin Tin thousands of times wouldn’t matter anymore.

"We should stick together. At least for the night, until we get used to being around here," Troy suggested, and I couldn’t agree more.

Since it was getting darker, this place was giving me the heebie-jeebies.

"We should collect some wood for the night. The weather here seems unpredictable," Troy added as I followed him, still keeping my eyes on my surroundings.

"What if it rains?" I asked, and he turned to look at me. I had my hands in my pants pockets, but my elbows were sticking out.

"Then we should look for shelter. It’s the North, where once the biggest packs used to live. I’m sure there will still be some homes around," While he was talking, I noticed him eyeing me from head to toe, but then he’d look away like a master pretending he wasn’t checking me out.

"Why did you all suddenly change your behavior toward me? Not specifically all, but you and Yorick?" I pressed, because it had been eating me alive.

"Let me guess, you think we’re fascinated with your body and face?" When I raised my brow, reminding him how I caught him not even long ago checking me out, he realized he had been caught in a lie. "Because now you look like a girl, and bullying a girl—it’s just iffy. It was better before. At least we felt like we were picking on a dude just like–ugh! Now it’s so annoying," Troy grunted uncomfortably, the agitation in his voice supporting his discomfort. He was truly annoyed, it was evident.

"Well, when I go back I’ll toss on my old clothes so you can bully me all you want then," I taunted, stepping ahead of him to find a place for the night.

"Hey, don’t act like we bully you for fun," he made me stop and turn to challenge him.

"Really? Then what else did you bully me for?" I hissed back. This was the first time we were one-on-one talking to each other after our big fight.

"As if you don’t know, Clementine. I’m here today because you chose to betray me that day. So just because you’re all glam now doesn’t change the fact that you have the blackest heart ever."

I was taken aback by the anger and hurt in his eyes. His jaw clenched while he maintained that eye contact with me.