Days had passed since that unforgettable night for the girls.
The girls were all gathered round Cleo's locker chatting away on the latest pop idol. They just finished their first two periods and had a ten minutes break to get ready for the third period.
"Guys I flunked my pop quiz", Hannah whined bouncing over to her friends and showing them her test results.
"It's a C+", Liv said and Hannah nodded, then threw her hands over Cleo and buried her face on her shoulder.
"Am sad, I failed", Hannah wailed.
"You don't seem upset at all, kind of the other way round", Cleo mused.
"Uh huh", Hannah said squeezing the paper into a ball and throwing it into the nearest bin. "score!", She yelled gaining stares from people around.
"Ahem, also is not like I need it, plus all that matters is if I pass the witches coven exam to go to sorcery school", she added with a bright smile.
As her friends chatted away for the the next ten minutes before the bell rung, Mari was so lost in thought she kept on thinking back to that night, she still can't believe she saw an actual royal. They even look more god like than what the mercreatures had described to them and what she had imagined, she thought.
But there was an eerie feeling lingering over that she couldn't shake off, she didn't know what, but it was there at the back of her mind longing to come out.
"Earth to Mari are you there, earth to Mari", Cleo said snapping her fingers at Mari's face.
Blinking "huh what happened..is there fire", Mari said frantically looking everywhere.
"Chill!, the bell rung and also were a minute late cause someone was in lala land", said Hannah.
"Oh am so sor..
"No worries is calculus anyways", said Hannah with a dismissive wave.
"You have been out of it lately, why don't you come over to my house to train with my family...release some stress take your mind off things", Cleo said then thought for a moment "you know you guys should come over too is so long we trained"
"Sure"
"Why not"
"Cool I will text my mum you guys are coming over", said Cleo typing away "your ok with this right", she asked looking at Mari.
"Yeah I am", Mari whispered.
They all went to their respective classes, Mari entered her AP chemistry class and spotted Alex at the back of the class and a vacant seat too beside her.
"Hey", she whispered to Alex on reaching her to which Alex responded.
It's been so long since she saw Alex, she felt like they were drifting apart with all this mystery findings they have been up to. She badly wanted to tell her but she's scared Alex won't want to be friends with her anymore and take her as a freak. Who knows she might even tell the whole school her secret.
But her subconscious kept on telling her Alex isn't like that that she wouldn't do such. She knew she should trust her guts and just go for it but didn't want to take any risk, she has watched so many movies and read novels that things don't always go according to plan.
She didn't want to loose her friend over a measly secret.
"Something is on your mind", Alex said, it wasn't a question but a statement.
Alex was the only person who could read her in and out even when she keeps a neutral expression or try to play it cool Alex still knows. Sometimes she has this feeling that Alex knows she's lying and hiding something from her, something big. There was even a time when they were little she felt that Alex knew who she was but didn't push it.
"Nothin is..you know you've been scarce lately"
"Am not a product", Alex replied jotting down what the teacher was saying, 'that's a first', Mari thought, Alex was slouching on her chair and from anybody perspective she looked as if she didn't give a care in the world and that actually is true. Mari had doubt she was actually jotting but drawing on her notebook. She still couldn't believe she's the smartest person in school.
Rolling her eyes Mari said "what I meant was that, I hardly see you anymore and you don't come to school"
"I came today didn't I", Alex said not looking up. Mari gave her a pointed look, sighing Alex added "I just have a lot of things to deal with"
Mari felt guilty, it seems like that what she's been feeling lately "Is there anything I can help you with"
"It's personal" Alex said brushing it off.
"You don't have to put on the ice mask when you're with me you know", Mari said with a smirk causing Alex to scoff.
"As if", Alex muttered. This brought a smile to Mari face shaking her head she mused I guess things never change she thought.
Looking over at Alex desk she saw she was actually jotting down what the teacher and gasped.
"What"
"Your actually writing like writing writing"
"Stop being dramatic", Alex rolled her eyes "am only doing this cause my mum seized my phone", she said with a heavy sigh.
"Am sure it was about time, your too addicted"
"I am not"
"Eh yes you are"
"No am not"
"Miss Thompson... Miss Anderson", the teacher, Seth was his name called out with a pointed look.
'Pretty sure he has been hearing us since the beginning of our conversation since his a werewolf', thought Mari
"Are we excused from the class", asked Alex with hope
"No your not", he replied sternly making Alex to groan loudly and drop her head to the table, this made the class erupt into laughter, it quieted down after gaining a glare from him.
"Please your attention is needed miss Anderson", he said but Mari just gave a thumbs not making an effort to lift her head up.
Seth rolled his eyes and returned back to writing on the board.
"Sit up will yea", Mari said with a soft chuckle tapping her best friend.
"Am so tired", Alex whined not bothering too.
Mari shook her head and let her be.
~~~~~~~~~~
Cleo's house
"Hi mom, hi dad", Cleo said removing her shoes at the side of the door. Her and Mari came back an hour early together, the rest said they would come later at four but had things to care of as always.
"Cleo dear", her mum said removing her oven knit and coming to give her daughter a kiss, her father was lounging on the couch watching a game and aknowledge her with a nod.
Matt Hildrige was once a gamma but decided to retire early because his family wanted to experience life outside of pack life.
"Mari sweet heart your here too, I expected you all to come later on"
"Hi Mr and Mrs hildrige I just felt bored and decided to come over now"
"Good, don't you think is been long since you paid us a visit", she scolded with a smile. The last time she was at the Hildrige home was for a school project on English and that was last semester.
"Sorry I've just been busy with school and couldn't make out time to swing by"
"Don't be am just joking I know how hectic senior year can be, this one can't stop whining about going to school every morning", she said pointedly at Cleo.
"Mum", Cleo groaned making Mari chuckle.
"You girls must be starving come on", she said gesturing to the kitchen as they followed her.
"Gosh I missed your mum's pie", said Mari inhaling the sweet fresh aroma of homemade baked pie.
They fell into a comfortable silence each on there phone. Cleo looked up and saw Mari just staring blankly at her phone.
"Something has definitely been bothering you lately"
"Is nothing am just having this weird feeling of what happened that night"
"What kind of feeling "
"I dunno, I can't place a finger on it, but that day just felt off to me you know", Mari said then looked at Cleo who raised an eyebrow for her to continue.
"Like...I know she's a royal but we put on an invisibility spell, the strongest one for that matter but yet she sensed us"
"That's why she. Is. A. Royal", Cleo stressed out.
"No you don't get it, I feel like she knew we would be there and just decided to give us a show to satisfy our curiosity", she said "come on what's the probability that we go looking for her for the first time and also see her, that's a really slim chance and unlikely possible you know"
"I see what you're on about, like she's trying to get us off her rader"
"Doesn't want us to interfere with things, just want us to see that royals are real and be done with", Mari concluded and Cleo nodded in agreement.
"Ok girls is time", Mr hildrige said standing up from the couch and stretching. "That was such a good game", he added.
"It's already four", Cleo asked checking the time on her phone "wow time flies"
"Let's wait a bit the rest aren't here yet", Mari said and was immediately greeted with the door bell.
Mr. Hildrige gave a smirk to the girls and went to open the door.
"Please please please let it be a delivery guy", said Mari crossing her fingers with her eyes closed.
"Hi Mr hildrige!", Liv and Hannah's voice rang out.
"No", Mari groaned face palming herself.
"Didn't know you hated training so much", Cleo chuckled.
"Oh you have no idea", Mari sighed.
"Hi guys", Liv said hopping over to her friends with Hannah towing behind.
"Oooh pie", Liv gushed already putting a spoon in it.
"That's mine", Cleo said smacking her hands away .
"Ouch, your such a meanie", said Liv with a pout rubbing her knuckles "whatever, am still eating anyways", she added sticking her tongue out and picked up the spoon to eat again causing everyone to laugh.
"Come on girls, your training is been long over due", said Mr Hildrige leading the way to the training ground at the backyard making Mari groan loudly.
Nudging her friend Cleo said "come on it won't be hard"
To put it simply it was hard.. very...very hard.