The Tracker Hive Academy Year One - Avery Song Page 0,58

my attempt to release the annoying knot. I'd take a bath when I got home and hope the relaxing waters would aid it.

"You said you don't follow either." His smirk was to die for, and if it weren’t for the little restraint I'd gathered up to tackle this entire week, I would have jumped into his arms and enjoyed those lips and their taunts.

"I don't. I overheard the girls in the change room after class," I explained.

All of this week was Tracker Simulation. We'd conduct different assignments, the simulation created within the walls of our gym. It was easy enough for Zeke and me, making this week breeze by.

We'd also been very flirty this week. I was prepared for it, but damn. Zeke was that favorite snack you hid in the cabinet for those emergency days.

Our connection was so strong, Alaric, Bianca, and Tanner said Shadow Jade would have to stay home.

Not like that was a bad thing for Shadow Jade.

She'd been spoiled all week, having gone with Bianca on a class trip.

Lucky darkness.

It turned out that having two individuals with enormously strong dark elements in the same room heightened the power atmosphere. We didn’t feel it during our sessions in the gym because the gym was so large, but for the brief moments we were all in a small room? At least five people passed out this week because there was a lack of oxygen.

Who knew darkness stole oxygen for fun?

Today was the big day of the party, and Shadow Jade wasn't up for it. She’d decided to spend the evening with Bianca painting her nails black and watching horror movies. I also figured she'd be reorganizing her collections of dolls again, since Bianca bought her another one for being cooperative all week.

"Is Shadow Jade coming along tonight?" Zeke asked.

"Physically? No," I replied. "She had a crying fit earlier before I left."

"Crying fit?" Zeke looked surprised. "She has those?"

"Sometimes. She used to have tantrums, or she'd become curious and wonder what a room would look like completely destroyed," I explained. "Just the usual stuff the dark element is known for. She did have a valid reason this time."

"What was that?" Zeke asked.

"She has a horror marathon to watch later tonight. She's obsessed with them. Also, Bianca gave her a new doll for her collection. She'll be sorting that first, which will take her a few hours, and the marathon starts at nine tonight."

"She's reorganizing the entire thing? Why doesn't she put it in the spot where it fits?" Zeke genuinely asked. He wasn't judging her. I felt he wanted to know her process.

"It doesn't feel new to her unless she takes everything down and organizes it so it reflects the true change of the new addition to the collection. Shadow Jade organizes everything by color, before the type of doll, its rarity, and value. It's really complicated and hard to follow. It keeps her entertained and at least it's better than her destroying everything."

"Intriguing." He grinned. "Easier to maintain."

"I've always wondered. Are you able to make your darkness or light element into a physical entity?" I asked. "Or is that another 'Jade is weird' thing?"

"I like weird Jade." He winked.

"Your brother told me that," I replied.

He arched an eyebrow at me. "Who?"

"Zeus."

"Remind me to kick his balls later," he concluded. "To answer your question, yes. I actually can make my darkness and light into a person the way you do with Shadow Jade."

"How long did it take you to realize Shadow Jade wasn’t my twin?" I asked, keeping my voice a tad lower.

He slipped his hand into mine, and the two of us began to walk down the hall toward the exit of the main campus building.

"The whole time," he replied. "I just like going along with things."

"Why haven't I seen either of them?" I asked. We weren't close yet, but this wasn't an opportunity I wanted to miss.

"One is cocky and the other makes me cringe," he answered.

"Cringe as in eww, you’re too holy for me?"

"Cringe as in I don't want to be near him when he goes on a purification raid."

"Purification. Isn't that supposed to heal people?"

"My light side has other plans with that."

"Kills?"

"Yup."

"How?" I asked.

"Purification as in cleansing the sins out of one body. The problem with that? We are all born out of sin."

"That..." Pausing to think about it, I decided he did have a point. "That makes sense."

"Thus, the reason why I keep them both on the down low," he summarized. "They're bigger flirts