Chronicles of Eden - Act III (53 page)

Alyssa looked at Squeak for a moment then to Daniel again while remaining silent, then held her hand out and summoned her staff over into her grip. She lightly tapped Squeak on the head a few times with the skull ornament, the ant girl squeaking quietly before slowly opening her eyes.

“It’s morning, Squeak,” Triska said with a slight smile. “Your turn is over.”

Squeak sat up with a yawn as she stretched her arms out then looked to seeing Daniel still sleeping while snoring next to her. The ant girl looked to the others curiously as they just watched her inquisitively.

“So, how was it for you last night?” Triska asked.

“What did you two talk about?” Specca inquired.

Squeak looked back to her abdomen then shrugged with an innocent smile, a slight blush forming on her cheeks as she remained silent. Alyssa eyed her carefully then glanced to Daniel.

“You didn’t kiss him did you?”

Squeak turned to her with a dull smile then pointed to Daniel.

“Daniel?” Triska guessed.

Squeak nodded then pointed to her own lips. Specca blinked then showed a nervous expression.

“He kissed
you
?” she asked carefully.

Squeak nodded and looked to Daniel with a warm smile as the other girls all showed surprise to that.

“He kissed you? But,
why
?” Triska asked with disbelief. Squeak looked to her with a huff and discontent, with Triska then showing a nervous smile and shaking her head. “I mean… I didn’t mean to sound condescending, it’s just…”

Alyssa drummed her fingers on her staff then looked to Daniel with a distant gaze, her eyes fixating on the boy’s face as he slept peacefully on the floor. Squeak sat up with an arrogant huff then grabbed her boots and gloves before heading past the girls towards the doorway, avoiding eye contact with them before Triska spoke up.

“Wait,” Triska called out remorsefully. Squeak stopped at the entryway while looking ahead, waiting for the girl to continue. “He chose to kiss you, right?”

Squeak glanced back to her with narrowed eyes and nodded with a squeak. Triska breathed out then nodded with a worried smile.

“Then… you deserved it. It’s okay.”

Squeak looked at her curiously while Specca’s eye twitched as she stared at Triska with disbelief.

“It’s
okay
?” Specca repeated. “What are you saying? You do realize that her kisses make ours look horrible by comparison, right?”

Triska shook her head and glanced back to Daniel who was still asleep and snoring.

“Whatever happens during our turns happens. You know that as well as I do,” she reminded solemnly, then looked to Squeak with a dull smirk. “If he wanted to give you that kiss, then that’s fine, that was his choice. I don’t have any right to be angry at you for that. Just don’t go thinking you’ve won him away from us that easily.”

Squeak smiled a bit and nodded while Specca looked to Daniel with worried eyes.

“I suppose you’re right,” Specca reluctantly agreed. “We did agree that whatever happens during our turns is up to Daniel. Still, I don’t like thinking about her saliva being used to entice him like that.”

“Squeak’s got her tricks,” Triska said crossing her arms. “And we’ve got ours. This isn’t over yet.”

Squeak smirked and shrugged to that before looking at Alyssa curiously, with Triska and Specca noticing that Alyssa was just staring at Daniel still.

“Alyssa?” Specca asked.

“You’ve been quiet this whole time, what’s up?” Triska asked.

Alyssa slowly glanced to her then looked back to Daniel.

“Just thinking about my turn with him tonight.”

“Yes, your turn is with him tonight,” Specca remembered while watching the witch carefully. Triska nodded while watching Alyssa with a stern smile then pointed to her accusingly.

“Yeah, that’s right. Just remember, Alyssa, no-”

“No magic, no potions, no trickery,” Alyssa snapped. “You think I’m like those other witches out there in Eden?” The other girls watched her curiously as the witch looked at Triska with frustration.

“I’m going to win his heart, fair and square. You can be damned sure of that.”

“Oh really?” Triska challenged with a raised eyebrow. “And what’s your plan for doing that?”

Alyssa looked back to Daniel with a distant gaze, remaining silent as the other girls watched her and waited for an answer. At that moment Daniel snorted a bit then slowly started to wake up, his eyes opening while he stretched out on the floor with a yawn.

“Alyssa?” Triska asked.

Alyssa looked down to her staff then glanced to Triska with a sly smile.

“You’d better hurry up and get our breakfast ready. We have a lot of ground to cover today.”

“Now you’re ordering me to make breakfast?” Triska questioned. “Since when do you ask me to make food us, I thought my cooking skills weren’t up to par with your high standards.”

Daniel slowly sat up while Specca and Squeak looked to him with small smiles, with Alyssa turning to him with a giddy smile of her own as she started to form her plan of winning the boy’s heart that night.

“They’re not,” she agreed with a shrug. “But I’m going to save up my magic today for a real treat for Daniel tonight, so we’ll have to settle for your cooking the best we can.”

Daniel yawned again then looked to seeing the girls already up for the day.

“Hey, good morning, everyone.”

“Alyssa!” Triska yelled as she lunged over and tackled Alyssa to the floor, the two rolling around in a struggle while shouting at each other, the others just watching them with blank expressions. Specca then turned to Daniel with a smile and waved to him.

“Good morning, Daniel,” she said while Triska and Alyssa rolled over behind her. Squeak squeaked at Daniel with a bashful smile and waved to him, with the boy glancing to them then back to the two bickering girls with a raised eyebrow.

“Um, what are they fighting about this time?”

“Does it even matter?” Specca asked tiredly as the three watched Alyssa and Triska rolling around on the floor, with Triska pulling on Alyssa’s hair and Alyssa biting Triska’s arm.

*****

Outside on the grass seated around the fire pit the group was eating sandwiches of sliced ham, cheese, and lettuce while having an apple and cup of water each, all being served on small tin plates with napkins and a small piece of chocolate as well. Everyone was sitting on small red cushions as the magical vines and roots used last time were not being resummoned by Alyssa, the witch saying she wasn’t going to use any magic during the day if she could avoid it. Even Falla was allowed to sit with the group after having been released from her magical vine, the butterfly girl reluctantly eating while maintaining a dull expression on her face. Jovian and Jacqueline however were not eating, both having declined any food or water from the group and both still wearing their masks out of personal preference.

“Why don’t you two want anything to eat?” Daniel asked. “We have plenty. It’s no problem sharing with you.”

“I believe a more prominent question to be answered is how in the world did Triska pull all of that out of her duffel bag?” Jovian asked while looking to the duffel bag that Triska was sitting on. Triska glanced down to it with puzzlement then to Jovian.

“What are you talking about?”

Jacqueline tilted her head with a puzzled expression while staring at the bag.

“You just kept reaching into that thing and pulled out all sorts of containers of food and water, not to mention these cushions for us which, although are very comfortable compared to sitting on the ground, should have taken up even more space in there.”

Again Triska merely looked to her duffel bag with confusion before around at everyone else.

“I don’t see what they’re getting at, do you?”

Specca opened her mouth to speak, looked around at all the cushions, then to their food, then to Triska’s duffel bag, and then just glanced to Triska with a raised eyebrow.

“We do, however we’re having the utmost difficulty getting you to see it.”

Triska just looked at her with puzzlement while Daniel smiled weakly with a small laugh. He then looked to seeing Alyssa sitting next to him eating her sandwich while watching him with a curious eye.

“Alyssa? What did you mean you don’t want to use any magic today if you can avoid it?” he asked, with the group then looking to Alyssa as she smiled playfully at the boy.

“Because I want to be able to use as much magic as I need to for our night tonight, Daniel.”

“What?” Triska barked out. “Hold on, you can’t use your magic to charm Daniel into loving you, that’s cheating!”

“I always thought all was fair in love and war,” Jovian mentioned.

“Yes, isn’t that right, Squeak?” Jacqueline added with a giggle while looking to the ant girl. Everyone turned to Squeak as she smiled bashfully and shrugged while glancing to Daniel with a blush. Triska looked between the two carefully then at Squeak with an accusing stare.

“What’s she talking about, Squeak?”

Squeak shrugged again before eating her apple with closed eyes, with Specca and Alyssa watching her carefully.

“Daniel?” Specca inquired. “She said that you two kissed last night. That was intentional on your part, correct?”

Daniel jumped a bit then smiled nervously at her as all the girls watched him curiously.

“What? Oh… well, yeah, we… did kiss, but that shouldn’t be a problem with any of you. I thought anything was allowed on our nights like that. Right?”

“Yes, its okay,” Specca reassured. “You can relax, we’re not mad at you. We just wanted to make sure she didn’t do anything against our rules last night.”

Triska glanced to Jovian and Jacqueline with a raised eyebrow.

“What did she say to him last night anyway? What did they talk about with you two?”

“Sorry, that’s none of your business,” the sisters replied while shaking their heads in sync.

Falla glanced to them again as something poked her mind about the two girls, however after a moment she shook her head and resumed eating again. Triska started to open her mouth to yell at the girls before Daniel quickly raised his hand up.

“Okay,” he called out. “Before any of you start another fight, let’s acknowledge that what happened last night, whatever that may be, was within the rules that you girls set forth, and is supposed to be a private matter between me and Squeak, alright?”

Triska and Specca slowly nodded while Squeak smiled in content as she ate her sandwich. Alyssa rolled her eyes then looked to Triska with a harsh stare.

“Anyway,” she continued. “I’m not going to be hexing or charming Daniel into loving me with my magic, and I’m a bit hurt that you’d suspect I would do such a thing.”

Triska gave one more dull glance at Squeak before looking at Alyssa with a careful eye.

“Then what’s this about you saving all your magic for him tonight?”

“That’s something which is a private matter between me and Daniel,” Alyssa replied with a sneer. Daniel looked at her curiously as the witch winked at him with an innocent smile.

“I promise tonight will be magical for you,” she said sincerely.

Daniel smiled and nodded as he wondered what the witch had planned for that night.

‘I still need to think of what to do or say with her tonight as well. Although it is good to know she has something in mind already.’

Triska held in her grumble as she gave the witch a dull glare before she resumed eating again. Specca dipped her hands in her cup of water then started to rub the moisture over her hands and scales while glancing to Alyssa with a careful eye.

“If you use one charm or hex on him in any way, Alyssa, then you’re finished.”

“Are you saying I’m just like those other witches we came across?” Alyssa snapped at her. “You think I’m going to try to win Daniel’s heart with some sneaky, underhanded scheme? You think I’m going to put a spell over him so that he’ll choose me no matter what?”

“Well, you
are
a witch,” Falla mentioned flatly.

Alyssa growled and grabbed her staff from the ground, glaring at Falla as the butterfly girl glanced to her nervously. Falla blinked then smiled weakly and shook her head.

“But there’s nothing wrong with that, right?”

Alyssa’s hand trembled as it held her staff, the witch holding in her growl as the group watched her curiously. Triska glanced between the two then smiled amusedly.

“So,” she innocently mentioned. “No magic means you can’t throw anyone around anymore, huh? What are you going to do now if someone upsets you?”

Specca rubbed some of her water on her neck while looking at Alyssa curiously.

“That means no levitation or manipulation spells for you, correct? What if we run into trouble and you need to use your magic then?”

“If it’s an emergency I won’t hesitate to use my magic to help Daniel,” Alyssa reasoned. “Still, since Triska is always insisting that she can protect us from any danger, now’s her chance to prove it.”

“Gosh,” Triska dryly said. “I’m honored for the chance to finally prove myself to you.”

“I figured you would be, just try not to screw it up,” Alyssa replied before she pointed her staff at Falla, the butterfly girl watching her carefully as the witch narrowed her eyes at her. “And as for you, watch your tongue or else you and Lucky are going to get to know each other a lot better, get me?”

Falla blinked, looked over to the horse that was grazing leisurely nearby, then back to Alyssa with a disturbed expression.

“You’re going to have your horse fuck me?”

Everyone spat out their food from hearing that then looked at the butterfly girl with disgusted faces while Alyssa growled loudly at the girl.

“No!” Alyssa yelled out. “I’ll have him trample you to death or something! What is wrong with you?”

“Well, we
were
considering eating with you people just now,” Jovian said dryly as she and Jacqueline stood up together.

“But now our appetites are completely ruined by that girl, so we’ll just take a little walk while you finish up,” Jacqueline added before the two sisters walked off towards the hill near the campsite.

“You are
sick
, you know that?” Triska yelled out at Falla.