Typhon's Revenge

Chapter Thirty-One

EARTH

It had been 4 months of surprising peacefulness, at least between us. Aileen and Kalani had seemed to make amends since they seemed friendlier to one another as the days passed. Andrew and I had only shared a look of uncertainty, but we never did talk about it and I never asked Kalani and Aileen what had changed. Maybe Andrew did know because he was the closest to Kalani, but in my case, I preferred not to get involved. 

What I did know was that Andrew and Aileen had talked about their argument. Andrew told me that everything had happened smoothly. Aileen accepted his apology and said she would try to be a better teacher for us and she kept her word. She was still the strict person we knew with rigorous schedules, but at least more comprehensive, she even gave us a day off. 

And as the months passed, we used those free days to spend some time together and get to know each other. I think we all trusted each other more than ever. 

Alex and I would also find time for us alone and we'd talk about everything, from old memories, to what had happened in our days. That's how I found out about what had happened between Aileen and Noah.

A month earlier...

"There's something I probably shouldn't say but I need to tell someone because a part of me thinks that this could lead to something bad," Alex began one morning while we were walking along the dirt trail in the backyard.

"What do you mean? What happened?" I asked, clearly confused.

Alex hesitated and bit her lip as if wondering if she still had a chance to back down, but in the end, she sighed and turned to me. "Aileen told me something last night before we went to bed. She told me that the day Noah and she had left to find the Oneiroi, he tried to kiss her."

My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to say something but she beat me to it. "No, they didn't kiss. Aileen stopped it before he could even get a chance. But she did say that she felt strange after that. He had tried to kiss her and he'd been upfront about his feelings for her. Obviously, Aileen didn't say she felt the same way but it worries me that Noah might have developed an obsessive behavior with her since he follows her around like a lost puppy."

"And does she? Feel the same way, I mean," I asked before could continue. It was weird she had brought that up because, after that day, Aileen was very careful with our connection. She would block our thoughts and only reach out if it was truly necessary. She had also started to avoid being in the same room with Noah alone. I had thought it had something to do with Andrew and her trying to make peace, but maybe it had been more than that.

"I don't know. She says she doesn't, but for some reason, I'm not all that convinced. There's something that I don't like about Noah. I mean, I like him as a person and as a friend, but there's something that tells me he isn't good for Aileen. That he could become... obsessive. And I told her that, that she should keep her distance, but she didn't try to. It's as if Noah has her under his thumb in some way. I don't know. But I thought I should tell you since you're her cousin and she listens to you. Really, she does. I have already tried to warn her but she didn't take my advice," she said as her eyes bore into mine desperately.

I gulped and shook my head. "But, she didn't tell me. How am I supposed to talk to her if I shouldn't even know about this?"

Alex sighed and shook her head, "say it's the bond. That you saw a glimpse of what happened that day. I think that should be enough."

I pursed my lips unsure, but the worry in my girlfriend's eyes was what convinced me. It couldn't be a coincidence two of the people in our group thought Noah wasn't as good as he claimed. 

With a sigh, I nodded my head and made up my mind.

The next day, I asked Aileen to meet me in the backyard, I told her there was something I needed to say. Without a doubt, she showed up and smiled at me as we sat on a bench, looking out into the clearing. "So, what happened? Did you have some sort of fight with Alex?" She asked slowly as she turned to me, and I shook my head.

"No, it's something else," I whispered and she raised an eyebrow. She didn't say anything as she waited for me to speak.

I gulped and slowly turned my body to face her and I said, "I know about Noah and you. I saw it in one of your memories."

Aileen instantly stiffened and turned away. "That's not possible. I have kept that very guarded. Alex must have told you," she said with a tight look on her face and I shook my head.

"No, Aileen. That's not it. But you should know this, Alex and Andrew don't seem to like him very much. I don't know why, but maybe we should listen to them. They're our friends, after all. They have no reason to lie to us," I began and she looked at me with a small smile on her face that took me aback.

"I know. And believe me, since that attempt to kiss me and after he told me how he felt, he has been acting a bit strange. The reason why I keep him close to me. I want to find out if there's anything else going on," she said with a shrug and my eyes widened.

"Are you sure that's all there is to it?" I asked slowly and she rolled her eyes.

"What are you trying to say? That I like him? No, Mason. That's far from the truth," she said quickly and I raised my hands in defeat.

"Okay, okay. It just seems odd to me that you'd go through all this trouble when you used to defend this guy," I murmured and she chuckled.

"Believe me, I know what I'm doing, but thank you for reaching out to me. Oh, and, please don't tell Andrew anything about this, the last thing I want is for a big drama scene to unfold and for Noah to become distant. To figure out what's going on and if Andrew is right, I need to be careful," she said as she turned away and I nodded my head.

"I'll keep your secret. But, don't shut me out. It's best if we learn how to use our bond properly just in case anything happens," I said and she chuckled. 

"I know. I'll keep you posted, okay?" She said as she began to get to her feet and I followed her lead. 

"We should probably get back to the others before they think we're up to something," she said with a smile as she started to make her way back into the castle and I trailed after her.