• India’s POV

    Desthoyer smirked at me and his eyes gleamed teasingly. I gritted my teeth and pushed my legs forward, forcing myself to make longer strides. I would not be bested by him on the track. This was my forte. There was no way in the Keeper’s lifetimes that I would let that happen.
    After four straight hours of attacking drills, the commander of the army had sent us to the track to run ten miles. It was here that Desthoyer had started gently taunting my physical abilities. Obviously, I’d take the bait and challenged him. Now, I was stuck in a bet of who could finish the laps faster.
    I sprinted to Desthoyer’s side. His mouth fell partly open in shock and I couldn’t help feeling a bit smug.
    “So,” I began conversationally, “What lap are you on?”
    His left eyebrow rose, “My thirty-sixth. How about you?”
    I knew that he was telling the truth as his eyebrows didn’t twitch. During the four hours spent in the gym observing and working with him, I had learned a lot about his personality and random habits. Why the hell I was so pre-occupied by him was a mystery to me.
    Ha, I thought, I’m ahead of him. Only by one lap, but still. “I’m on my thirty-fifth,” the glumness in my voice made it more believable, “I guess I’ll have to run faster to keep up with you,” I sighed with fake disappointment
    Not to my surprise he took the bait, “Maybe we could call this entire thing off. I don’t mind.”
    I rolled my eyes at his chivalry. “No, that’s not going to happen. I will beat you,” I snapped at him. I pushed my body past his, “See you later,” I called over my shoulder, forcing my legs to move faster despite the screaming protesting of my lungs and every other cell in my body begging to stop. Only three more laps to go, I promised myself.
    I had pushed my body harder today than I ever had, determined to beat Desthoyer so badly that he wouldn’t ever dare to challenge me again. Plus, I needed to win this bet. His constant I’m-so-sweet attitude that hid a jerk-faced snake, being honest too much and dry sense of humor irritated me to the depths of Hades. And I was not falling for him. My hormones just needed a good session of looking at posters of hot male elves.
    Less than half a minute later, it was me smirking at Desthoyer as I passed him.
    I bit my lip hard to keep myself from laughing. He was tripping over his feet in shock.
    I counted five beats and then the sound of someone else’s feet pounding on the concrete and sharp breath swallowed up most of the air around me. I smiled, Desthoyer was so predictable. “How did…you,” he puffed out, “do a lap...that fast?”
    “Determination competitiveness, strength… and a little bit of luck…is all it takes for me…to win this bet,” I panted out.
    He opened his mouth to speak “You honestly”-
    I cut him off quickly, “Got to run. When you lose don’t cry or I’ll laugh at you,” I mocked before starting to sprint.
    Two minutes and thirty seconds later, I was rounding the last bend, and lucky for me Desthoyer was in hearing distance. “Good job,” the Commander who was dressed in red cameo congratulated me as I approached him, “You did all ten miles in fifty-nine minutes and eleven seconds.”
    I skidded to a stop and shifted all of my weight to my right leg into my normal slouch, smirking at Desthoyer’s angry face while he tripped over a hurdler. I couldn’t help but laugh at him even as my body burned in pain. I staggered over to the lush grass and protective shading of the tree that was adjacent to the track, letting myself fully feel the pain of the workout. I let the heat of the invisible fire take over my senses and let me know that I was still alive.
    I slowly laid down. The dewy grass felt good and the mixture of it and the fire fit well with the setting and my mood. All three were burning with intensity yet also soft and cool. I sighed, only in upper Pennsylvania could you get a day that was scorching and cooling at the exact same time. I lived for days like these. I let my mind drift to my family. My sister and dad were still alive, but they were the exception. My mom had died of cancer, and all three of my brothers had been killed by fairies; Two in the front line of war and one during an invasion in which the fairies had destroyed almost our entire village.
    “How the Hysteria did you get around the track so fast?” A sudden voice asked.
    I jerked up, “Don’t be vulgar around a lady Desthoyer,” I teased.
    “I’m sorry,” he apologized, “but you still haven’t answered my question.” I shrugged, “I lied to you earlier. I was actually a lap ahead of you.”
    “You should not lie Ms.India It’s unvirtueous.”
    I smiled, enjoying the playful banter. “You’re one to speak. You lie all the time.”
    “Ahh, but that doesn’t count my dear lady.”
    I sat up intrigued “Really? Why not?”
    “Because you don’t believe me when I do. It’s proven that if the lied to doesn’t believe the liar than the lie doesn’t count as a lie.”
    I stumbled to my feet, “Do you think I actually believe you?’ I sashayed away before he got a chance to answer.