《Arena - Book 1 : Soulmates》Chapter TWENTY THREE
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Mia hadn't said a word on her way to the library. Her neck hurt, gnawed by her nervousness. Ethan was right behind her, impassive. She really wanted to go and join her friends. The prospect of wandering around outside with the offer of a distraction from her conflicting thoughts sounded particularly enticing. If it weren't for the fact that she would have preferred to go without the Vila accompanying her. Which was obviously not an option.
Arriving in front of the library doors, Mia turned to the young man who was smirking and about to speak before he beat her to it.
"No."
"You don't even know what I was going to say!" groaned the blonde.
"Oh yes," he chuckled. "You were planning on trying to bamboozle me with "everything will be fine with my friends, you don't have to come with me, they can protect me too" or something like that."
"Tss," she hissed, gritting her teeth in annoyance.
Ethan quietly giggled as Mia pushed open the library doors and entered the sacred place. She didn't appreciate being so predictable, especially when the Vila took pleasure in making fun of her in the process. All to ask for something she knew he was going to refuse.
She ignored him, sulky, as she scanned the shelves for a book to read. Ethnology, magic, architecture, history, herbology... Nothing found favor in her eyes. Even researching information about human genocide seemed boring to her. Of course, she was curious, but the idea of locking herself in the infirmary while her friends went to have fun outside seemed to her terribly bland.
"Fine," she sighed, you won.
A victorious smile was born on the lips of the Vila, which made Mia want to kill him.
Don't get used to it, she thought, glaring at the young man.
They headed for the infirmary, still having about thirty minutes to kill. Since Lily was joining the party, Mia had decided to join her early and help her complete her morning chores if she hadn't finished them yet. At least that would keep her busy.
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Lily called out to her friend as soon as they walked through the door, not the least bit concerned about the Vila's presence. Fairies rarely took sides.
"Oh, Mia! she exclaimed happily.
She greeted Ethan with a simple nod of the head devoid of hostility which he returned calmly and returned immediately his attention to the young woman.
"We thought you might need some help before we go," Mia explained.
"I was just about to go to the canteen to pick up our packed lunch. You're free to come with me, then we'll wait for Arry and Andrei together," she offered, winking at Mia.
She frowned, perplexed by the fairy's gesture. She quickly forgot about it, however, as they headed for the canteen. Lily told her two or three anecdotes about her morning that she carefully listened to during the trip. Her friend's enthusiasm was contagious, and it didn't take long for Mia's sullen mood to dissipate. She even managed to completely conceal Ethan's presence two meters behind them, leaving them a semblance of privacy.
Lily entered the kitchens and came back a few seconds later with the packed lunch which she shoved into Ethan's hands without warning. By reflex, he grabs the object so that it would not land on the ground, but he immediately gave the fairy a pointed and displeased look, as if to say "Do you think I am a slave?". She chuckled, quickly accompanied in her laughter by Mia, as they left the canteen to join the entrance of the castle.
Arry and Andrei were already waiting for them, ten minutes ahead of the established time. They were focused on a heated discussion but turned to each other with smiles on their faces when they saw their friends. Arry's smile turned into a discreet grimace when she saw the Vila which she quickly erased so as not to show anything. It was obvious that she was not very comfortable in his presence, and that pained Mia. Oz himself kept his distance from Ethan, preferring to watch them from a few feet behind.
"Don't worry, she'll get used to it," Lily whispered before joining them.
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I wish she didn't have to get used to it, but hey.
Ethan was true to himself: unfazed and silent, following them with his hands in his pockets. This time Mia saw with relief that he stuck with the group. At least she could almost tell herself that the situation was normal. In a large group of friends, there was always that person with whom we have the least affinity, even whom we do not appreciate, but whom we support since he was friends with the others. Ethan was that person. You just needed to ignore him, which she had been trying to do since early morning.
They chatted cheerfully during the thirty-minute walk that separated them from their destination. Mia had no idea where they were headed, but she trusted her friends for choosing a beautiful location. They crossed a few hundred meters of forest, zigzagged right and left, then finally arrived at the edge of the forest.
"It's a bit far, but we shouldn't run into any other students here," Arry explained to Mia. Indeed, the young human was beginning to feel a slight fatigue in her legs and her pulse had accelerated under the effort. She had never been a great athlete, and it had to be said that it had not improved when arriving at the Arena, but the view that paraded in front of her was undoubtedly worth the two and a half kilometers that they had traveled.
The landscape was composed of a wide flowery meadow surrounding a small lake, itself surrounded by a beach mixing sand and small pebbles. It didn't feel as comfortable as the sandy tourist beaches of her world, but it was authentic and natural. The blue sky, the gentle caress of the sun, and the cries of the birds gave a magical look to the place. Mia immediately felt soothed and light as cotton as she crossed the meadow to get closer to the lake.
Oz, who had accompanied them on the way, hurried back to the forest again after exchanging a look with his mistress. Mia watched the fur of the animal disappear at the edge of the wood, curious. The pair did not separate often.
"He's going hunting," Arry said.
Intrigued, Mia carefully observed Andrei who hastened to clean a corner of the beach using a spell. He had simply placed his hand on the ground, breathed a few words, and the pebbles sank deep into the sand, leaving the area clean and ready for their installation.
"I usually use it to create quicksand, but it's also useful in those cases," Andrei explained to the young human with a wink.
Mia smiled with a nod. She preferred to see that kind of constructive magic: harmless, used simply to help someone or to make her life easier. The experience of the tournament had somewhat put her off offensive magic, or at least when she witnessed it firsthand. Ethan, whose presence she had forgotten, put the packed lunch on the area prepared for this purpose and sat down, observing the lake, visibly bored. The blonde's three friends took off their sandals and put them down a few yards away, stirring up the sand around the Vila which got into his closed shoes. He swore quietly as he pulled them off, causing both Mia and Lily to giggle.
Mia got rid of hers in stride, wishing to join her friends who were already taking a dip by the lake. The warm water tickled her toes, and she could feel her body reinvigorate with the feeling of well-being that filled her with the contact of the water. She wouldn't have called it hot, but the gentle rays of the sun more than heated the temperature of the liquid.
"Watch where you step," Lily warned her, her nurturing nature taking over. "Some stones are slippery."
"I'm not made of glass you know," laughed Mia sinking to her knees in the water of the lake, wetting the bottom of her beige dress.
If she had turned and seen the look Ethan had given her after her statement, she would surely have ended up choking him right here.
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Medusa and the blind woman
Update: * Volume 1 & 2 of the novelization of Medusa and the blind woman are available on Amazon Kindle under the name Bryn D. Estelle. * All chapters from Volume 1 & 2 on RoyalRoad have been cleaned up and tweaked. New Interlude was added to Volume 3. * Three new chapters have been added to RoyalRoad that are marked 21.1, 21.2 and 21.3 which are original content from Volume 2 of the novelisation. Volume summaries: Volume 1: The legendary Gorgon, Medusa, spends a solitary life on her island Sarpedon. The only interruptions to her monotonous life are the occasional expeditions of foolish humans that try to slay her for fame and riches. This story begins on the day that just another of these expeditions brings along an unusual woman. A priestess of Athena that was born blind and is not afraid of the Gorgon. Soon those two are forced into an unexpected coexistence on the small island. Will those two unlikely life partners learn to get along? Volume 2: The great goddess of wisdom and war, Athena, realizes that her priestess is prisoner to the Gorgon and makes a bet with the monster. The human expedition returns to slay the Gorgon and Eugenia is caught between the front lines. Typhos reveals his true goal and his machinations corner Medusa. What choices will the dissimilar duo make? Who will come out victorious? Volume 3: After Eugenia awakens in the city of rowers, Eretria, she finds herself separated from Medusa who is receiving punishment for leaving her exile. Still recovering from her injuries and desperate, the priestess sets off on a journey to make a return to Sarpedon. On her way she meets many strange new people as well as some familiar faces. On top of that the messenger of the gods, Hermes, tells her of a trial that awaits her on this uncertain path. Where will her trial take her? Volume 4: Reunion. After Eugenia's long trial comes to an end, she returns to the side of Medusa who had suffered her punishment at the hands of Athena. As they try to find a new balance in their shared company on Sarpedon they are faced with many tumultuous emotions that wind down to the very cores of their souls. Secrets are uncovered, pasts revealed and Eugenia's feelings are put to the ultimate test. And amidst all this, a new intruder chooses to trespass onto the secluded isle to cause even more trouble. Aphrodite has set her sights on the Gorgon now.
8 121Regis and Charlotte
Regis knows it's an illusion. He's only ever seen Princess Charlotte from afar; only heard her voice when she spoke to a crowd. Sure he's good at reading people, but he knows she of all people will be wearing a perfect mask. The problem is he's in love with the illusion, and it's not going away. So he strikes out on a quest: win the fighting tournament held every year, where she gives out the prize, and hypothetically—just hypothetically—he can forfeit the monetary winnings and instead ask for a week to be close to her, to get to know the real her, and break the illusion once and for all.
8 128Mr. Ceo & I
Highest Ranking: # 15 in Romance on August, 5, 2018Highest Ranking: #1 in CEO on December, 15,2018Highest Ranking#1 in Interracial January,10,2020Asher, is the cocky, arrogant, rude, and closed off Ceo of The National Elect Industries. He works hard for what he wants. He has everything he needs except one thing... A personal assistant until Natalia fulfills the position. Unfortunately they loathe each other. She puts him in his place, while he pushes her buttons. However Natalia's young daughter clenches at Asher's heart and possibly ties Natalia and Asher together.Natalia, is a sarcastic, independent, opinionated, and strong willed women. Recently having a baby who is 3 years of age. Natalia fulfills the position of a personal assistant of the CEO of The National Elect Industries. She accepts the job to make a successful living for her and her daughter. However she can't stand him, let alone working for him. However, Natalia's little daughter warms up to Asher. She sees a side of him that draws her to him and possibly take interest in.
8 198Romeo, India’s: Where was his Juliet?
"Drops of rain running from your hair to your eyes to your lips and to your breasts. I am jealous of those raindrops.""I am giving you my word that you will be the princess of my heart, until my last breath. People may come and go in and out of heart, but only some leaves the footprints. Your footprints are spread all over my heart. The fragrance you left in my mind is something I will cherish forever. For now, you are the greatest thing I have achieved in this life. I love you, very much, more than you think. Now give me the promise that you won't forget me..."Print out emails were written from the years 1999 to 2000 by one side. Romantic stories connected with an India software engineer and the woman were known by Getfriends.com. What happened in between and where is/was the woman? How to pursuit a girl through emails? Did the long-distance love keep their romantic, fresh forever? At 23 years old Indian young man sent those sincere emails to show his love to a woman he loves, even though he knows their love is not allowed. Can we look for Juliet by email and find out where she is/was?
8 207Fairytale: The Punishers Mate
Highest ranking: #1 for what's Hot in Dominate books Highest ranking: #1 in the Gods category Highest ranking: #2 in what's hot in Mythological booksHighest ranking: #9 in what's hot paranormal booksTHIS BOOK HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MARVEL'S PUNISHER! THIS IS NOT A FANFIC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~You've all read Fairytales growing up but what do you do when you're in one?What do you do when 500 years ago a myth was created about a Human baby girl who would be born for The Punisher Himself?A girl who was created as an offering; a sacrifice from the Gods to try and appease the Demon who caused havoc upon earth.What do you do when you're that baby?Meet Blue Sutherland , the 17 year old Girl who had the fate of the earth resting upon her shoulders long before she was even born.Meet The Punishers Mate.WARNING:18+ CONTENT ! !Cover made by the talented @geminigraphics 😻😻😻
8 184[C] Putera Kayangan
"eeeey!! tengoklah kejap lagi selipar jepun kau terputus pastu kau terpeleot jatuh longkang!" - Anayra ZaaraGarang? itulah dia insan bernama Anayra Zaara. Ada saja ayatnya untuk menyumpah orang. Sudahlah menyumpah orang, mulut masin pulak. Tak ke kesian orang tu jatuh longkang?"Sayang, are you okay?" - AyanYang ni pulak, bekas buaya jadian. Semua orang dia panggil sayang. Entah siapa sayang dia pun tak tahulah. Ada saja ayat manis yang mahu diberikan kepada gadis yang menarik perhatiannya.Sorang mulut manis.Sorang mulut masin.bagus betul !"Ya Allah, kasihanlah kepada hamba-Mu yang single ini, turunkanlah Putera Kayangan dari SyurgaMu Ya Allah" - Anayra ZaaraAkibat mulut masinnya, 'putera kanyangan' nya tiba. Jatuh dari langit? tidaklah. Sebetulnya bergolek."Pura-pura jadi kekasih aku, sampai kau lupa yang kau sedang berpura-pura." - AyanTanpa berfikir panjang, Anayra Zaara menerimanya dengan hati terbuka. Sejujurnya, hatinya sudah dicuri oleh lelaki itu."Kalau one day saya cakap saya dah tak cintakan awak? Awak akan percaya jugak? bila ayat tu keluar dari mulut saya, buang kepercayaan awak kepada saya, jangan percayakan saya lagi." - AyanApa maksudnya?"Aku benci! Aku jijik!" - Ayan"Enough! Kita over!" - Anayra Zaara.Ayan tersenyum puas. Akhirnya, dia melepaskan gadis itu. Dia dah boleh bebas!Anayra membawa diri. Namun, setelah semuanya terbongkar. Dia bergegas pulang.Dia ingatkan boleh mendapatkan hati lelaki itu dengan mudah. Tapi siapa sangka. Dia mendapat lelaki itu dengan cara yang terlalu mudah!Namun semua tu hanyalah satu salah faham."aku bagi kau masa tiga hari. Fikir nak kawin dengan Anayra atau nak kena sebat 100 kali dengan aku." - Zafran AlthafApakah pilihan Ayan?×× Cerita ni akan campur-campur POV mengikut kesuaian. But apa yang saya boleh simpulkan ialah 80% Pov Heroin5% Pov Hero15% Pov 3 Enjoy 〆start: 28 September 2021end:Update: Sabtu dan Ahad.#1 in Manis#1 in Malay+ Follow for Followbac
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