Chapter 7 Teammates

Aelin.

The sound of a glass shattering nearby forcefully jolted me out of my dreams where I was helping Chelsea prepare a unique batch of cinnamon rolls for the cafe.

I looked around to be sure the noise hadn’t come from inside my room. That was when I took in how dark the room was. It was already late in the evening and the only source of illumination in my space was the light peeking in from the little space between my door leading to the living room and the floor.

“You dimwit. You’d crash this entire building before our second month.” A female voice yelled out. It had also sounded like she was coming closer.

Her shadow passed right in front of my door and so did a strawberry scent.

“Skye… be nice to him.” A male voice remarked.

“Be nice to me? Btch fck you!” Another male, who I presume did not want to receive niceness spat back.

“I can’t believe Kael made us work together. He sincerely had your death mapped out before the games begun. Are you sure he still considers you a friend?” The voice I tagged to be Skye, said.

“You talk a lot.” Said the male who did not want to receive niceness. I heard some sweeping going on and gentle movements of glass shards. What had broken was outside my room and it seems like they were cleaning it up.

“Only a filled drum can give water. Blame yourself for not having anything useful upstairs that’s speakable.” Skye this time.

“Or…” the voice of the male who did not want to receive niceness started, “have you heard of the saying, empty barrels make the loudest noise? You should consider a certain stillness if indeed you have anything upstairs.”

The sound of another glass shattering met with my ears with a unique exclamation. “Sweet lunarite! Skye are you mad? That piece missed his head barely by an inch!” The initial guy who had asked Skye to be nice, finally decided to speak again.

I guess she threw a piece of glass at…. I’m yet to know his name, but the guy who does not want to receive niceness.

“The aim was his eyes. I swear to not miss it next time.” Skye was quite unremorseful.

“Next time? B*tch if you…”

The speech was cut off by a door being flung open so loudly, it shook the walls when it made impact with it. 

“What… the… actual… hell… is… wrong… with… the… two… of… you!?” I recognized that unique voice. The one that it’s baritone sounded like a caress.

“You should ask Cassian.” Skye responded.

“Well, she was about to kill me with a broken plate piece. What do you expect?” Cassian, his name was Cassian.

“Why did you have to break a plate? You’re barely twenty four hours in and you’re diminishing our resources. Kael, I want a change of teammate.” Skye’s voice sounded like she had a hand up. Like when a teacher asked a question and you have a suggestion or the answer.

“Why did you do this to me Kael? How did you plan to survive this?” The first guy whined. Seems like he is aware of their bantering before now.

“Skye? To your room. Cassian? Do the same. Lucan and I would finish the clean up.” Kael commanded and the room went silent with shuffling sounds. They were obeying his orders.

Dare I admit, I had not realized when I sat erect at the sound of his voice. So what Betis had said was true? The voice of the Alpha was as compelling as his appearance?

In another hand, I learned the name of the third person. Lucan.

So my teammates were; Skye, Cassian, Lucan and the next alpha, Kael. Who would obviously be the leader of our group.

Two doors went shut. One of them particularly next to mine. 

The sound of sweeping resumed.

“Those two would kill themselves before we have a chance to compete.” Lucan said exhaustively. I could imagine being in the same space with such bickering as well. It would be draining.

“Good for us. We’d have the exact number for a winning team.” Replied Kael. He also seemed acquainted with the manner of conversation between the two.

“With your little omega?”

Omega? 

Me. Lucan was talking about me.

Now my ears were perked up and in full eavesdrop mode. Maybe I could catch why he chose me to join his team.

“Do you wish to go to your room as well?”

Lucan only laughed to Kael’s reply and they stayed silent for a while before he spoke up again. “We should start preparing dinner.”

“Sure. You could go through the groceries we were able to get to see if we can whip up something for tonight. Tomorrow I’d send a word to my father for more food.”

“Meat. Especially meat.”

Of course they’d prefer meat. Wild animals.

But, Kael’s statement made me wonder if we were allowed to contact our families from in here or if he just had that privilege as the Alpha’s son.

A quick insight to these games. The descendants of the Alphas, have always emerged top three since these games began. Especially as number one.

So one family has consistently ruled over Frostville. Their children only entered the tournament for posterity sake. They had the unfair advantage of all skills. They were always certain to win.

I did not know how long I sat there in the darkness of my room. Keeping myself busy with the occasional eavesdropping into the conversation between Kael and Lucan.

But when the smell of cooking soup wafted all the way into my nostril. I had to force myself to fall asleep again. As my stomach had betrayed me with a loud growl.

Later on…

I waited till all the lights were off and I heard the last door shut before coating myself in some scent masking oil again. 

I was sure it took about forty minutes to an hour for me to set my plans into motion. Slipping on a light robe over my gown, then heading out of my room to find something to eat.

My head was starting to feel light and if I tried to fall asleep once again without eating anything, I might join the floating figures in the sky that we call spirits.

Gently, I clicked my door shut behind me and tiptoed to the kitchen area. Praying in my heart that no one would step foot outside of their rooms for anything at this hour. I went to the fridge.

There was a pack of butter, a can of stew, fruit punch in a jug, raw fish etcetera.

All raw materials and nothing to actually eat.

I groaned in frustration and began thinking of how I could prepare something quickly and silently. I looked to the dining to know if I could find some bread or crackers but there was a a covered plate resting there.

I moved away the cover and it was a plate of untouched spaghetti. I know they had had spaghetti this night. The final smell of the meal told me so.

But I was sure I heard four voices during their dinner and four doors closing shut after their dinner. I assumed everyone had eaten. Why was there an untouched plate?

Turning to the dirty dishes in the sink, I counted the plates and spoons. Four plates and five spoons.

I know the fifth spoon came from Skye because Cassian had mistakenly touched the edge of her spoon while trying to grab something from across the table and she tossed it aside immediately for another one.

I stayed, staring at the plates. Trying to replay their conversations and sounds they made. To know if I was missing something.

Someone else had joined me in the kitchen and I had not noticed.

“Finally decided to come out of your room?” He asked.

Hearing his voice from afar was entirely different from hearing it up close. He sounded just about four to five feet away from me.

It was finally time to face the man who had put me in his team for no just cause. 

I turned.

At this distance, he was deviously breathtaking. He wore a black tank top and track pants of a similar shade. Earlier, I did not have a view of his hand.

But now? I could see the tattoo sleeve on his left hand that ran from his shoulder to his wrist. The wavy pattern of flames that hugged his muscled arm.

It took me a moment to get that I was staring at his body and when I finally made contact with his eyes, he had a little smirk on his lips.

His presence… no… his beauty, had an impact on me that I couldn’t hide and he saw it.

Somehow, that made me angry.

I did not come to the academy to ogle at the next alpha. I came to win. To actually work with him at his cabinet when we win.

“Yes. I did.” I replied his initial question. His brows scrunched slightly, like he had not anticipated my reply.

“You know, Only roaches frolic around in the kitchen at midnight.”

No he did not!

“Are you admitting you have roaches in your home?” Two can play in that game.

I saw him smile in the dimly lit room. He was enjoying this. “Quite. Many of them are human sized.”

“Then they must have lived there long enough to have grown that big. Sincerely hoping you make them pay rent at this point?”

He stayed still for a while before deciding to answer a question I never asked. “The food is for you. We figured you’d be hungry but not show up for dinner. Try to go to bed early Grimm. We have another assembly tomorrow and all teams must be present.” After which, he walked back into his room. 

The first door, and shut it behind him with a click. 

I didn’t know which to focus on. The fact they had considered keeping a meal for me.

Or the fact he had just referred to me by my alley and not my name.