Chapter 2: Astrid's POV
2003 Words
"Hey! Wait up!" Adrineh called out as I walked to my third period.
I didn't turn around; it was best if she forgot I ever existed. I'm not sure what she found so interesting about me, but she should drop it.
"Astrid, please!" She begged, making me sigh.
I stopped walking but didn’t turn around. The last thing I needed was Adrineh getting dragged into my mess.
She caught up to me, slightly out of breath, her dark curls bouncing as she came to a halt. "Why do you keep ignoring me?" she demanded, hands on her hips.
I kept my voice flat. "Because you should ignore me."
Adrineh rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. You think I care what Lars and his little group of idiots think?"
I finally turned to face her, my jaw tight. "You should care. It is not only them, in case you haven't noticed. It is the whole school. You don’t want to end up like me—target practice for the whole village."
She crossed her arms. "I can handle myself."
I scoffed. "Yeah? And what happens when you decide I'm not worth the trouble anymore? You have no idea how bad their bullying can get. What will you do when they turn on you because you're associated with the freak? When you are left without any friends? When they destroy your things and shove them down the school's toilet?" I hummed.
Her expression faltered; she hadn't thought it through, and now that I brought it up, I'd hit a nerve. Adrineh wasn't exactly bullied; she was the daughter of the second-richest family in the village. She could be part of the popular group, but she decided to act as a hero.
With everyone else, it could work, but not with me. I'm going to drag her down, and one day she will regret it and even hate me for making her life hell.
I thought she was finally going to let this go, but instead, she squared her shoulders and gave me a defiant but determined look.
"Then I’ll deal with it. But I’m not going to pretend you don’t exist just because they want me to. I can see the good in you, Astrid, you are not fake like the rest, and I actually want to be your friend."
I stared at her. She was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid.
Maybe both.
Before I could respond, a sharp whistle cut through the air.
"Well, well," Lars drawled from behind us. "Looks like the freak found herself a friend."
Melissa giggled, clinging to his arm like a trophy. "Aww, how sweet. Two losers sticking together."
Adrineh spun around, glaring. "Don’t you two have anything better to do than harass people? Painting your nails, perhaps?"
Lars smirked. "Nope."
My fingers twitched. The heat under my skin flared, begging to be released. One spark. That’s all it would take.
But then Adrineh stepped in front of me.
"Back off, Lars," she snapped.
His smirk faded. "Or what?"
"Hey Melissa," she called. "Did you know your boyfriend here slept with three different girls last summer? You know, when he told you he was training."
Silence.
Melissa’s grip on Lars’s arm tightened. "What?"
Lars’s face darkened. "You’re lying."
Adrineh shrugged. "Am I? Because I have proof."
For the first time, Lars looked genuinely unsettled.
Melissa whirled on him. "Is that true?!"
Lars hesitated—just for a second—but it was enough.
Melissa’s face twisted in fury. "You pig!" She shoved him hard before storming off, her heels clicking furiously against the stone path.
Lars shot Adrineh a venomous look. "You’re dead."
Then he turned and stalked after Melissa, leaving us standing there in stunned silence.
I blinked. "Did you just… blackmail Lars?"
Adrineh grinned. "Yep."
I stared at her. "You realize he’s going to make your life hell now, right?"
She shrugged. "Worth it."
I didn’t know whether to laugh or shake her. "You’re insane."
She nudged me with her elbow. "And you’re welcome."
For the first time in years, the corner of my mouth twitched—almost like a smile.
Almost.
But then I remembered the ashes on my desk. The fire in my veins. The way Lars had looked at me like he knew.
This wasn’t over.
———————————————————————
"Astrid! Where are you?" Adrineh called my name.
I have tried, at least a thousand times, to get her to leave me alone, but she has stuck to me like a flea.
I ducked behind the thick trunk of an oak tree, pressing my back against the bark as I heard Adrineh’s footsteps crunch through the fallen leaves.
Persistent little pest.
For weeks now, she’d been following me like a shadow, refusing to take the hint. Even after Lars had made good on his threat—spreading rumors about her being a slut and throwing herself at him, even getting his lackeys to trip her in the hallways—she still didn’t back down.
And it was infuriating.
"Astrid, I know you’re out here!" Her voice was closer now.
I clenched my jaw. This was my only escape, and now Adrineh had discovered it. The cold breeze and the scent of the trees helped calm my phoenix down. It was the only way I could finally mediate and make sure he didn't escape my control.
And now, I had an intruder in my peaceful escape.
A twig snapped to my left. I turned my head just in time to see Adrineh step into the clearing, her cheeks flushed from searching.
"Found you," she said triumphantly.
I exhaled sharply through my nose. "Congratulations. Now go away."
She ignored me, plopping down on the grass like she owned the place. "You’re really hard to find, you know that?"
I didn’t answer.
She tilted her head, studying me. "Why do you hide out here anyway?"
Because here, I don't feel like murdering everyone.
But I couldn’t tell her that.
So I shrugged. "It’s quiet."
Adrineh snorted. "Yeah, right. You’re training, aren’t you?"
My muscles tensed.
She leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "I knew it. You do have the phoenix spirit."
A spark flickered in my palm before I could stop it.
Adrineh’s eyes widened—but not in fear. In awe.
"Whoa," she whispered.
I snapped my fist shut, smothering the flame. "You can’t tell anyone."
She held up her hands. "I won’t. But… why are you hiding it?"
I looked away. "You know why."
"Because of Lars and his family?" She scoffed. "Who cares what they think? You could stop them all!"
I turned on her, my voice low and dangerous. "Everyone cares. And the second they know for sure, they’ll—"
They’ll come for me.
They’ll try to take it.
They'll kill my family.
Adrineh’s expression softened. "Astrid…"
I stood abruptly. "Just leave me alone."
"But—"
I let part of the spirit out, enough to make the wind around me howl like a ferocious beast. "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you," I warned.
Adrineh's eyes widened, and she understood I was not kidding.
She quickly turned around and left me there. I meditated once again, but I couldn't focus anymore.
Adrineh might be the only person in this place who wanted to befriend me, and I crushed that opportunity to dust.
I had to remind myself it was for the better. If I indulged in her request, it would be worse for both of us.
———————————————————————
The whispers slithered through the school corridors like poisonous snakes, their words sharp enough to draw blood.
"Look, the freak is alone again."
"No surprise there. Even Adrineh finally ditched her."
"Probably realized what a mistake it was to be seen with—"
I clenched my jaw and kept walking, my boots thudding against the stone floor.
Good.
This was better.
Adrineh hadn’t spoken to me in days—not since I’d threatened her in the forest. I should’ve been relieved. This was what I wanted.
So why did my chest ache like I’d swallowed a burning coal?
A shadow fell across my path.
I didn’t even need to look up to know who it was.
Lars.
His golden hair caught the torchlight as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed, smirking. "No little hero to protect you today, firebird?"
I kept walking.
He pushed off the wall, falling into step beside me. "What’s wrong? Did she finally realize you’re not worth the trouble?"
My fingers twitched.
Control it.
Breathe.
But then—
"Or did you scare her off?" His voice dropped, mocking. "Show her the monster you really are?"
The fire in my veins roared.
A spark flickered at my fingertips—
"Lars."
A sharp voice cut through the tension.
Adrineh stood at the end of the hall, her arms crossed, her dark eyes blazing.
Lars stiffened. "What do you want?"
She didn’t even glance at him. Her gaze was locked on me.
"Astrid," she said, firm. "We need to talk."
I stared at her.
After everything—after my threat, after days of silence—she was still here?
Lars scoffed. "Pathetic."
Adrineh finally turned to him, her voice icy. "Your father told you to stay away from her."
"And your father said the same," he countered.
"And I've kept my word, but you haven't," she sneered.
"I didn't do anything to little firebird here," he stated.
They glared at each other as if they wanted to rip their heads off. I don't understand why Adrineh is adamant about protecting me, though. She went to the chief and informed him of Lars's bullying, but that also meant...
Did she tell her father about my phoenix?
"And yet I have it all on video, so unless you want me to show this to your father, you should turn around and leave us alone," she threatened.
For a heartbeat, he hesitated—then, with a sneer, he shoved past her, muttering something under his breath.
The moment he was gone, Adrineh marched up to me.
"You i***t," she hissed.
I blinked.
She grabbed my wrist, dragging me into an empty classroom before slamming the door shut.
"I can't be your friend because that asshole told my parents, but I want you to know that your secret is safe with me."
I opened my mouth—
"No." She jabbed a finger at my chest. "I don't want you to ask anything. You are going to stay here and wait for three minutes, and after that, you are going to leave the closet. Trust me, nobody will know you have the spirit, and once you are ready to escape this place, I will be there."
My breath caught.
I couldn't reply, my brain was still trying to process what the f**k just happened.
I wasn't sure if I could trust Adrineh, but if she had told her father, then the chief would have already made his move.
What should I do? I already planned to leave this place, but my mother didn't want to go. I still don't understand why. She knows this place hates us, but for some reason, she believes they can protect us.
My poor mother.
Anyway, I waited for ten minutes before leaving the room. My mind was chaotic, trying to figure everything out, when I heard someone talking just outside the classroom.
"We can't tell her," I heard someone whispering. "She is already a menace."
"We can lie to her," A male voice suggested.
Was that the principal?
"And what if she finds out?" I heard the female voice ask.
"Let's hope we already have everything under control when she finds out. Now, where is that phoenix?"
They were talking about me...
What can't I find out? What happened?
- Writer
