𝒞𝓊𝓉𝓉𝒽𝓇ℴ𝒶𝓉 ✧ forth wing

𝒫𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝒾𝒸ℯ 8

I suck in a shaky breath as I look up at the gauntlet only now realising how sweaty my palms have become. "getting cold feet lory?" xaden asks me with a mocking grin on his face I roll my eyes at him and cross my arms as I turn to face him.

"am not" I say and he chuckles at me before nodding at me.

"mhm sure" xaden then pulls out a stopwatch from his pocket.

I started sneaking out at night to try and best the gauntlet I happen to be quite good at popping joints back into place and stitching up cuts so the only problem was my ribs and back but if anything really bad happens then I was sure that I could find a second year who's signet was healing and persuade them into to helping me.

But on my third night of trying to make it up the chimney xaden caught me before I got a chance to start and said that I'm not fully healed and there for not allowed to me doing any physical activity and that I was unsupervised and out passed curfew.

He practically recited the entire codex to me and now he's forcing me up at the ass crack of dawn to 'find a different way up'  
Personally I think he's got a thing for me there is no other reason—I don't think this might just be for his enjoyment to see me fail time after time at the chimney.

Stupid chimney who's idea even was it who ever designed this thing was probably drunk while doing it and thought it would be funny to watch kids die or maybe they just had something against short people what's wrong with being short the tall ones are the weird ones.

I sigh and ready my self and wait for xaden to say go all the obstacles leading up to the chimney are mainly a breeze I look up at the chimney and waste no time before I bolt forward and jump up to grab the rope on the side and get a foot hold on the bricks.

I follow the same pattern I have the last couple of time's moving my feet and using the rope to help balance me as the rope becomes to far for me to reach I drop it and as fast as possible I grab the next one and continue to pull my self up.

Once I can see nearly see over the chimney I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding but I quickly suck it back in when I see that the rope that was once the last one to help my atop the chimney is now just a few pieces of string that would snap under my body weight

I look for anything that might help but my arms are to short to reach the top from where I am now and the bricks are nearly completely smoothed over from years of other cadets actually being able to make it up the gauntlet.

I take in a sharp breath as my feet begin to slip and my arms cramp from the awkward position then my ankle gives out and I fall backwards stupid ankles and before I know it I'm back at the beginning next to xaden being dropped to my feet my his shadows.

"What happened" he asks turning to me while sliding the stop watch into his pocket.

I huff annoyed with my self for letting my self fall "there was no rope at the top and it was all smoothed over so I couldn't get a foot hold" I say and bell rings signalling for everyone to wake up and get breakfast I grab my bag and sling it into my shoulder.

"You need to find a different way up" he says as we walk together to the dining hall i deadpan him.

"Yeah no shit sherlock" I say and he glares at me.

"Watch it cadet" he says as we step in line to get out food.

"What did I bruise your ego squad leader?" I ask laughing he glares at me once again I think he just really loves staring at me that's what's going on.

I look over the options for breakfast and decide that and apple will suffice instead of what ever that grey prison food is.

"Is that all your having" xaden asks me I nod taking a bite and he rolls his eyes and grabs another tray filling it up with food just as he did with his.

"What are you doing?" I say swallowing my apple.

"Making sure me dragging you out of bed every morning and haylin nearly ripping out my neck for it isn't for nothing" he says practically forcing the tray into my hands and when I go to drop it he catches it.

And places it infront of me when we sit down i lodge my self between haylin and bodhi liam no where to be seen.

Xaden sits across from me and after ten minutes of everyone talking i feel eyes burning into my head to turn to look infront of me to see xaden glare at me.

"You have five minutes left to eat hurry up" he says crossing his arms over his chest.

"The apple filled me up" I say shrugging my shoulders and I continue my conversation with haylin I can hear xaden mumble something before he speaks again.

"Am I going to have to feed you lory?" He asks in a mocking tone and I roll my eyes.

"You wish" I say and before I know it with a flick of his wrist shadow flick grey porridge onto my face. 

I wipe it off and glare and xaden who is smirking as his shadows threaten to flick more onto my face.

The bell rings and as I walk past xaden to give back my tray still full of food i empty the contents of the small bowl of porridge onto xadens head it covers his hair and goes all over his face I give back my tray when I walk past again I can hear xadens friends laughing making me smile to myself I almost face plant on my way out i look to see what I tripped over to see shadows slithering away back beneath the tables.

Xadens eyes find mine and he's giving me a stupid grin that I do not return instead I flip him off as I head to battle brief.

A/N

Hiiiiii lovely people sorry I haven't been updating much recently but I'm hoping to get another chapter out tonight or maybe in the afternoon also next chapter will be more on track with the book with the gauntlet and everything.

With Alora and how she isn't able to get up the chimney I didn't want to make it exactly like violet so I thought the ropes? But she can't use them to get her self to the the top oh no whatever will she do.

It's like three am so sorry if this isn't great but I hope you enjoyed nonetheless

Byeeeeee

-XXXXXXO

-pretty girl

-1203