I wasn't sure why I went back to my dorm. I guess I felt safe there, away from everyone. I had enough attention today, and I was overwhelmed. My plan was to get back to my dorm and heal myself and get into the comforts of my bed. I could do it.

But the moment I closed the door, my legs turned into noodles and a faintness sent me sliding to the floor. I held my pounding head, unable to catch my breath.

Shoot! I thought I felt a tiny bit better.

I tried to get up, but moving an inch would make my head spin. I slumped back, leaned my head against the side of the cabinet.

I think I'll sit here... take a nap...

I didn't know how long I slept but it was short, and I desperately wished it was longer. I woke in a haze, feeling feverish. There was a sound...

A shadow covered the dim lights in the room. It was a lazy afternoon. Usually, I would have finished my classes and lunch, and be heading to a nearby garden to chill with a book. Except, I was here; the air was suffocatingly still.

"Hey..."

My eyes opened in an instant, unable to believe that I was hearing his voice and that he was here. I didn't want him to see me like this.

"Jaxton?" I couldn't help but blurt; an embarrassed shade crossing my features. He always saw me at my best; my confident and strong image I'd shown everyone. Even when Lambert defeated me on day one, I still held some pride, except now... I was a mess. I was wheezing, I couldn't control my tears, and my face was dry and red.

"Hi..." he said, kneeling in front of me, brows furrowed. "How are you feeling?"

"I... I don't know," I breathed.

Jaxton's expression was a labyrinth and I didn't understand what I was seeing. What was on his face was unfamiliar.

Suddenly, he reached out his hand. I twitched back.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, and from looking at his eyes I knew he told the truth.

His hand hung in the air for a short moment before he moved again, slowly and carefully, until his cold palm was cupping my flaming neck.

I saw the subtle change on his face. "Let's get you to a healer."

"No..." I protested faintly. "I can do it myself. You know I can! I just... I just need a nap.... just wait."

His thumb traced my jawline as though pleading. "I'm not going to take a risk with you, Cass."

My eyes fluttered, just so I could look at him clearly. His green gaze was soft and he was close to me; this intimacy felt different... it was different. I leaned into his cold palm, giving a subtle nod.

Slowly, he came forward, grabbing me by the arm to pull me up. I let him. I honestly didn't care anymore. As long as he eventually throws me in some sort of bed so I can sleep off the pain.

Jaxton dragged me down the stairs, my arm thrown over his shoulder as we staggered to the exit of the camp.

"Whoa, whoa, hold it there!" It was Ted's voice. "I've never seen you before."

Will's voice came next. "Cassie! Why are you abducting Cassie?"

"I'm not abducting her, I'm taking her to a healer."

"Cassie! What happened?" Ted shot the question at me.

"Long story," I revealed a weak smile.

"Who are you?" Will shot the next question at Jaxton.

"Jaxton," he said simply. "I'm in Phoenix. Cass and I were in the same Defence class. Once."

Will raised his brows and gave me a glance. "Cassie?"

"Will, Ted, I know him," I quickly explained. "He's telling the truth. I'm not feeling too good..."

Jaxton sensed that I was slipping. He grabbed me before I crashed to the ground.

"Love the talk, but we gotta go," Jaxton heaved me up again. I shuffled a few steps before Jaxton gave up. He hugged my legs from the ground and cradled me like a baby.

I peered over his shoulder, a drunken look as I waved at Ted and Will.

"Feel better soon, Cassie!"

"Let us know if you need any help!"

"Will do..." I muttered. They probably didn't hear me.

I leaned my head into the crook of his neck, my arms wrapped around his shoulder.

"Thanks..." I breathed, a sudden shyness in my voice.

He cleared his throat, "don't mention it."

I closed my fingers on the back of his clothes, eyes widening in alarm. "I'm falling, Jaxton."

"Oh shoot, sorry," he gave a panicked upward heave and held me tighter. I did the same, feeling oddly like a koala.

An awkward silence settled over us as we made our way to the nearest medical station. Memories of our argument looming over our heads like a thunderstorm.

"You've been visiting us quite a lot these days, Miss Williams." A healer said with a soft smile. "You gotta learn to be more careful."

"Unavoidable, sometimes..." I managed a weak chuckle.

"Come now..." she waved for Jaxton to place me on a bed. "Sign here and we'll see what we can do."

She shoved a clipboard into Jaxton's hands. "Fill this in too."

When the healer left, Jaxton picked up the pen gingerly. "I think the patient form's for you."

I placed a head on my burning forehead. I could hear my heartbeat in all the wrong places. "Could you do it, please?"

"Sure," I watched his lips thin, his face scrunching in concentration. "Name?"

I shot him a glare, and I watched his smirk bloom.

"Birthday?"

"October 15, xxxx."

"Are you allergic to anything?"

"Fake people."

He didn't resist his laugh. He gave me a look of amusement, "same, honestly."

He was about to move to the next question but I frantically gestured, "no, wait! I have... I have hay fever."

"Oh, right." He scribbled it down.

Soon, the healer came back with my blood tests, a crease in her brow. "This is the highest white blood cell count I've ever encountered!"

"Will she be okay?"

"I believe she will be," the healer flipped some pages on the clipboard, "once the healers are back on duty we'll try and heal her. For now, I'll put the drip here."

Once they stuck the needle into my skin and left with Jaxton's clipboard, all that was left was the two of us, beeping machines and the smell of antiseptics. Jaxton sat close to me, his face right by mine. My bed was set up in the hallway, the place was full and I was an "extra" patient. Every so often, there would be a healer walking past me.

Jaxton pulled the bed covers over me and shot me a flat look. I rolled my eyes, but my grin didn't leave my face, "yes, you're right, you saved my life..."

"Of course," he said, a playful spark in his eyes. Soon, his smile faltered and he watched me with a strange look.

I shied my eyes away, clearing my throat. "Why did you come – you know – to my dorm?"

"I needed to see you," he admitted. A pause and a silent breath, he added, "I was there..."

The surprise must be written all over my face, "so... you saw everything?" I imagined him, watching from the side, as Professory May whacked her katana at the back of my legs. He saw all that? Does that mean...

I held my tongue as another healer passed us. It wasn't safe to talk about it here. If Jaxton was the one behind the incidents at the assembly hall, then no doubt, he came to talk to me about that.

"Yes," he replied. "I got called as a witness to be there."

My lips thinned. "It was unpleasant business."

We stayed silent, watching two healers pad past us. He slanted a grin, "I don't think you'll get any rest in a hallway like this."

"I think so too," I stifled a chuckle. "It'll be over soon. I'm sorry you had to be here."

"You don't have to say sorry for that," he said softly, emerald eyes not meeting mine. "Look, I'm sorry for arguing with you."

My blue eyes rounded. Nowadays, it's rare for anyone to apologise with sincerity.

"I jumped to the conclusion. I wrongly accused you. If it weren't for you, I would still be in the dark with Velvet..." his sentence trailed off, and he looked ashamed. "I was taught to believe in things but, just because I was taught that way, it doesn't make them right."

I placed my hand on his arm. I was uncertain why I did it, I felt the need to. The touch was unfamiliar, but a part of me felt like I was growing... more familiar to it. More familiar to his words, his gaze, his... everything.

"I'm sorry too," I admitted, a faint blush on my face. "What I said was harsh."

"I probably deserved it."

"Maybe," I added, and we both grinned, "but I knew part of my anger was for myself."

He shuffled forward when a healer wheeled a trolley into his back. I almost chuckled at his misery and shed a tiny bit of sympathy for his long legs. The trolley was gone, and his focus was back on me.

"My parents wanted me to go to a university near home for reasons," my glance met his, and I knew from his expression that he understood what I meant, "they could look out for me. But I didn't want to go there. I didn't want to study what they taught there. For once, I wanted to do something I wanted. Something that was my choice." I stifled a weak chuckle, "my mum always says I should survive first. Only when you're alive, you can do things."

Jaxton nodded, "in a way, she's right."

"Yeah, she is," I shifted my head to stare at the ceiling. "Sometimes I wonder if I'm asking for too much. I don't just want to survive, I want to live." I lowered my voice. "So I left them a note and ran away."

"To here," Jaxton mentioned.

I turned my head, gazed into his emerald eyes, "yes, to here."

"I can't say it's a good choice," he said, eyes narrowing upon his teasing smile.

I chuckled faintly. "It's top-five and... they were pretty impressed with my grades."

At that, he blew out a breath, joking with me. For a moment, I saw the boy hiding inside the walls, looking through the cracks. I also realised, to my horror, that he's an orphan. My experience compared to his was a direct contrast.

"I sound... ungrateful, right?" I faltered.

"What? Why?"

"My parents just want me to be safe and I... I felt like I betrayed them."

He paused. "You should text them. Do what you told me to do."

"You think I should?" My eyes shifted uneasily. "'Sorry' sounds so pointless right now."

"'Sorry' is a pretty useless word but it shows them how you feel," he leaned on the railing of the bed, "it shows them you care."

My creased brows broke apart and I felt a small hope ignite inside me. I could do it... I could do it!

"It's better than nothing at all," Jaxton added. "That's what I did to Vel."

I nodded, "did you go and see her?"

"I did..." I expected to see his eyes lit up, but something was concerning him. "I don't know, Cass, something feels wrong."

I tensed, shifting my head closer to him on my pillow. "What is it?"

"I did the balcony thing," and he chuckled at my expression, "I know, I could use the door but hear me out – Vel looked nervous to see me there. She was both relieved and... reluctant."

"Huh, strange," I muttered, "it's almost like she's hiding something."

"Exactly!" I saw Jaxton's emotion on his face, and I don't think I've ever seen that before. "I asked her if anything was wrong, she won't tell me, just muttered something about being tired."

I recalled Vel looking nervous on the first day at our troop and while sitting with me during lunchtimes... I hardly see her outside class. It was mostly class and back to the dorm. What does she even do in her dorm all day? I get the whole introvert thing – I'm an introvert too – but maybe this was something else, and I didn't have a single clue on what it was.

***

When we were back in my dorm, it was past dinnertime. As I stumbled inside, I accidentally kicked my feet into a stack of textbooks.

"I'll clean this up," Jaxton said, guiding me to the bed.

I flopped down, silently scanned my room. I hadn't noticed it was trashed, or perhaps I was too unwell to notice anything. Now that the door was closed and we were alone, I asked the burning question, "Jaxton..."

He turned his gaze over his shoulder, "yes?"

"Was it you?"

We were silent for a while, so I added in a quiet breath, "the fire alarm and-" I scanned at the hiding spot for my molten crystals "-my crystals."

A clench of his jaw and then a small nod. "It's safe. I'll bring it back... some time."

If it weren't for Jaxton, no doubt they would have found that box of crystal polish, and I would be a goner. I watched him push some boxes to the side, pick up pieces of my assignment and notebooks...

"It's okay, just leave it, I'll clean it when I get better." I stopped him just when he bent down to pick up my water bottle.

"How cruel can you be to ask me to stay in this bent position," he joked, a smirk blooming on his lips. He straightened, feinting slowness and pain, with a hand on his lower back, "now I have a back strain. I can't leave until you give me a back massage."

I rolled my eyes, but a grin slipped onto my face. "I know you're tired. You've been with me for almost the whole day."

"Don't worry!" He placed the papers neatly on my desk, "I'm not that good. I'll just pile your mess on the table so I can walk."

I stifled a laugh, watching him buzz around the room. I pulled off my hair-tie, letting my hair fall to my shoulders; the strain and tension seemed to loosen. "I want to thank you."

A shift of a gaze and a tense in his shoulder, but he didn't turn to look at me, "just saying, everything I do comes at a price."

"And what is that, fae? What do I have to exchange for this?"

"I want you to talk to Vel for me," he came to me on the bed with a cup of green tea, "I want to know what she's been doing."

"That, I can do."

The light outside was fading, retreating like the tide against the foamy clouds. Jaxton flicked on a nearby lamp, and watched me curiously as I took out my phone to type a quick text.

"Who are you texting?"

I spared him a fleeting glance, "Marty. I want him to pass a message to Spark."

"Spark?"

"Yeah, do you know him?" I kept typing, "he saved me from getting attacked by some crazy twin..."

"Wow, sounds like I missed a whole ton of drama," he held a face of seriousness, but from that playful glint in his eyes, I knew it was momentary. I wanted to chuckle and shake my head at the Jaxton I was seeing. One part of me was still wary of him, but the other side wanted to... get close. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea; flying too close to the sun can end with warmth or flames.

I placed down the phone, "yeah, you did kind of miss out on stuff."

"I'll do a background check on Spark."

"What!" I exclaimed, surprised, "firstly, how do you do that? Secondly, no one is asking for a background check! He's just someone I teamed up with during Physical Training."

Jaxton got up from his seat and I grabbed him by his sleeve. "Where are you going?"

He revealed a sly smirk and I internally cursed at myself for doing that. I only had the intention to let him hear the rest of my sentence. "Don't worry, dear," he added, patting the top of my hand, "not going anywhere, just grabbing a drink."

I huffed. "Whatever."

He came back with a cup of tea himself. "Then, background check on Will."

"No," I said sternly.

His expression faltered, "you should be careful of Will, though."

I furrowed, "why?"

"As I said, who just goes and checks your room?" He half-shrugged, "I mean, sure, friends do that. Yoan and I – we're not exactly friends friends – but we're closer than you and Will I bet. Yoan never even checks my room. He only knocks."

"Look, that day, I didn't lock my door-"

"Fine," he gave a wave, "but I get a weird vibe from this guy."

I wouldn't admit in front of Jaxton that I was going to listen to him, so I just let out playful breath and a cursory wave. Except, deep down, I knew I had grown wary. I thought through everything Will had done so far. Nothing out of place – he was just a good guy, that's all! Should I even be suspicious of Will's kindness? And what about Ted?

"What about Ted?" I shot him the question, leaning close to him with a teasing gaze. "Any weird vibes?"

Jaxton sipped his tea, shrugging, "they always stick together, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, makes them double dodgy."

I laughed and Jaxton mimicked.

"You should go home," I urged, looking out the window. "Get some sleep."

"Uh, sorry, someone broke my back so I can't."

"Jaxton."

"Fine! Fine..." he stifled another laugh, eyes narrowing, "let me finish my tea and let me chill here for a sec, I got enough bruises on my back from that hospital trolley."

I placed my tea on the bedside table and slipped under the bed covers with a smile, "suit yourself. I'm going to sleep."

"Sweet dreams," he rumbled, "I'm sure you'll dream of me."

"Not," I shot back and flipped to the other side so I wouldn't see him. Yes, I did say never turn your back on your enemy (or a lion, whatever, I had goldfish brains), so why was I doing it now? Well, I didn't die from any poison in the drink so... if I wake up alive in the morning, it means it's fine! Everything is cool... right? (haha?)

"Do you sleep with your eyes open?"

I quickly shut my eyes, blocking out that typical chuckle of his.

***

A/N

I'm allergic to fake people too, Cass. Relate!

L