The Banished Prince

Chapter 15

Cassia

     Cassia was in her washroom. It was a small washroom with merely a shower and a toilet, and a mirror above a sink. Everything was stained with rust and the colour of dulled out white; signs of the camps aging.

     Cassia ignored the smell of bitter lemon soap and fastened her eyes on the mirror in front of her. A light above her blinked and Cassia twisted around, wondering if the dress she wore brought out her features. It was a sky blue dress that hugged her curves, emphasizing how small her waist was and how much bigger her hips were. Their next contest was in half an hour and Hunter would be there.

     She flushed. She hated having such thoughts. She hated the way she started caring about her appearance. And she hated how she was hoping that Hunter would notice the way she curled her hair.

     These thoughts had been creeping into her mind day after day and after their last contest, where Hunter had smiled and said he couldn't have expected a better rival, the chain to Cassia's heart disintegrated. It was as if Hunter had jammed a key into her heart and unlocked it, and everything she didn't want to feel was gushing out, making Hunter the main focus of her whirlwind of thoughts.

     And she hated it. She hated caring for someone because she learned the hard way that the people you cared for never really loved you back.

     "Cassia."

     Cassia turned to face Astra who stood in the doorway. Her eyes were gentle on Cassia.

     "You look beautiful," Astra said. "Blue is your colour."

     Cassia flushed. She clasped her hands together and wrung them, feeling nervous.

     "Let's go." Astra waved her over. "We must go to the next contest."

     Cassia nodded and together they left their cabin.

*****

     They were in the forest beside the river. Canoes lay along the shore and trees above them shielded them from the burning sun. Everyone was gathered there as Dawson pushed canoes around to set them in place. Cassia stood with Astra and she hugged herself as the roar of the river brought a chill to the air.

     "Are you okay?"

     Cassia jolted as Hunter appeared to smile at her, his eyes amiable. He almost seemed shy as his eyes fastened on hers and she went still at the way he leaned closer, his hazel eyes sparkling.

     "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Cassia asked.

     "Do you want my coat? You're shivering."

     Cassia blushed as Hunter pulled off the coat he wore and handed it to her, his eyes still locked on hers. She shivered, but not because it was cold.

     "No, it's fine," Cassia said. Her eyes narrowed at him. "I don't need a man to swoop in and save me."

     Hunter put his hands up. "I wasn't implying you needed help. Just in that dress of yours, you're going to be cold when we're out canoeing."

     Hunter's eyes were gentle. There was no teasing - no banter. Just genuine worry and her heart began to pound. She could feel her cheeks heating up and she hated it. She hated it so much.

     Her eyes then flew wide as Hunter tugged her towards him. He did it swiftly - confidently and he tucked her into his coat. His hands were nimble and his eyes were still on hers. It was as if she was the sunset he couldn't look away from.