Butterflies in my tummy

Chapter 6

 'You make my heart skip whenever I see you'

 The memory of Tavon killing that man, replayed in her head, over and over again.

 Faced with a shocked Garrick and a nonchalant Tavon, who looked away like he had not seen anyone, Mia looked at Garrick, with a small smile.

"I will speak to him now" she told him, as Garrick nodded, flustered with a thought.

 'Of all people?'

 Mia walked towards Tavon, counting her steps, he did not look like he was angry or pleased, he just had a neutral expression that somehow scared her but she was determined to get this over with, she must see his father today, she cannot wait any longer.

 When she got to him, she faked a cough but he never spared a glance at her, but then again, he would not be Tavon without his attitude.

"What are you doing here, again?" He asked, finally breaking the silence as he looked at her.

"I'm getting pretty tired of repeating myself"

"I am not here for that, I want to see your father" 

 Garrick just watched calmly as Mia walked towards Tavon and they started exchanging words which were inaudible to him. 

 He wondered what they were saying and kept seeing Tavon glancing at him, giving him a glare, every now and then.

 How fast the night changes, the memory of them running around, chasing each other, came to mind. 

 Garrick could not believe that they would be like this, when they grew up.

 It could really be called a tragedy but he caused it, Tavon caused the drift between them, he just woke up one day and started hating him for no reason, he became colder by the day.

 Now that he thinks about it, it all started when his powers started manifesting, they were changing but Tavon was not just changing, he was advancing! And it was not a problem for him, he was actually happy for him but he still left, he gave up on them. 

 The sound of Tavon's sword, slashing through the air, made him look up to see what was happening, Tavon stopped as he splitted his sword into two and threw one to a confused Mia, it landed on the floor. 

 Meanwhile, Mia looked at Tavon confused as he spoke

"Fight me and I will take you to him" 

 She saw Garrick walk towards them saying "What is going on here?"

 Mia gulped looking at Tavon

'What's wrong with him, is he going mad? She is powerless, how can she fight a high leveled mage, the best in the whole centre?!'

"I cannot do it," she said, seething.

 Not only will she embarrass herself in front of him but also Garrick.

Tavon looked at her and chuckled

"You are not interested?" 

"No one is fighting anyone, Mia cannot hold your sword" Garrick stated, looking at Tavon.

Tavon sighed and faced him.

"This is not your business, it is concerning a master and his disciple"

 When Mia heard him mention "his disciple" her heart leapt for joy as she quickly picked up the split sword.

"Do not worry Garrick, it is a test for me" she said happily as both Garrick and Tavon looked at her shocked. 

 Not because of what she said but because she was able to hold his sword! A family sword passed down for generations.

"How did you…?" Garrick stood there dumbfounded and Tavon quickly recollected himself.

"My subordinate is better than you imagine" he said, giving a smirk that looked evil to Mia.

 He held the hilt in a fighting stance, facing her and she gulped, holding the slightly heavy sword in her hand awkwardly, towards him. 

 Luckily, his sword was not blazing with magic, at least not yet. 

 Tavon turned around swiftly, lunging forward with his sword, as she held the one in her hand, tightly. Their swords made a slashing sound, she was very afraid but could not back down now. 

 She looked at the sword in her hands as it vibrated a little after the contact and faced him, seeing him doing a magic spell and immediately a gush of water flowed out, blasting her to a tree, when he sent it.

"Ahh!" She yelled in pain, at the way her back bombarded the tree.

"Enough! Try me instead" Garrick yelled pointing his sword at Tavon. He had had enough of watching Tavon almost killing Mia.

'Why could she not swing the sword that she was able to hold?' or maybe that was the effect because she was not supposed to hold it, at all.

"Garrick, just let it be" she pleaded but he was not hearing any of it.

 Tavon, on the other hand, was looking at him, amusingly.

"Of course but are you not trying too much?" He asked, smiling cunningly and Garrick tried to stay calm.

"Let's do it" Garrick said, as he flew higher and Mia immediately knew he was a 6th grade scholar, he went towards Tavon's direction to strike him but Tavon was quick to disarm his sword and he fell, thereafter

"Garrick!" She shouted, trying to stand up.

 What made her ever think, Tavon was in a good mood? 

 Now, Garrick is stuck in the process of trying to fight for her.

 Garrick quickly picked up his sword and they got into a sword fight, she could hear the hot clashing sounds which almost hurt her ears. Tavon kept lunging forward and binding while Garrick had no choice but to keep parrying and riposteing. 

 She saw Garrick lunging forward this time, attacking Tavon as he fell over a wood but got up abruptly, jumped over it and knocked down Garrick's head with one of his legs and Garrick fell heavily on the floor.

'Oh goodness, everything he does is too aggressive' she thought.

 Garrick held his head in pain and managed to get up, wanting to manipulate wind with his sword but Tavon in a flying position was quick to beat him at his own game, as he flew and landed on a tree beside Mia. 

"Garrick! Stop! Tavon!" She yelled but none seemed to be listening to her as Garrick got up again and Tavon intended to strike his left shoulder but it ended stabbing Mia's shoulder because she quickly stood between them, facing Tavon and he dropped the sword.

"Mia!" Garrick shouted, in panic, as he went to stand in front of them but Mia was covering her shoulders with her right hand, so he wouldn't see it.

"Are you hurt?" He asked, worriedly.

 Tavon just stared at her blankly while she stared right back at him.

"I am fine, Garrick. Thank you" she said, still looking at Tavon.

"I need to speak with him, please" 

 Garrick thought he had heard wrong.

"He almost killed you" he shouted, to remind her of her ordeal a few moments earlier, he did not want to think of what could have happened if he did not intervene. 

'Tavon could have killed her, maybe?'

"I can handle it, I promise," she assured him

 Garrick scoffed, picking his sword, gave one final glance at Tavon and walked out of sight.

 The staring contest between Mia and Tavon was actually won by him because her brown eyes fluttered away to a tree.

'Was he never going to say sorry to her?'

 He walked close to her and she could basically feel him still looking at her, his ocean eyes must be boring towards her soul, she wondered what he was thinking, she wished she could hear it but no, she could not but he could hear… oh goodness! He can hear her! She should just stop thinking.

"Remove your hands" he said like he was a commander giving an order and she almost rolled her eyes.

 Why would she do that? If she removes her hands right now, he is going to see her bloodbathed shoulder and she does not want that, for some reasons known to her head.

 He scoffed, as he forcefully removed her hands and she gasped.

 He stood silent as he looked at it, without a word before his eyes darted surprisingly to hers and then back to the wound on her shoulder and he placed his fingers there, she glanced at it, trying to know what he was doing. 

 The next thing she felt was a soothing feeling and the pain was gone, the minute he also removed his hard hands.

'He healed her?!'

"My healing spell is not that good yet. So, you still have to see the healing mage" he said, as he went towards the splitted sword he had given her and picked it up, examining it, still surprised that she had wedged his own sword, it should have rejected her, right there but it did not.

'how did she do it?'

"I cannot believe you actually wanted to kill me" she interrupted his thoughts, as she scoffed, folding her hands.

"Just so you know, my back still aches"

"I could not have killed you" he said and Mia arched a brow, surprised at his words before she sighed.

"Yes, I get it, I am not even worth, killing" 

"No, you do not get it" he said, as he fused his sword back and walked up to her, very closely.

 He suddenly grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him

"Ta…von" she stressed, her heart making some loud drums, she has never been close to any man and never thought she would hear her heart beat so loud, it was all new and exciting, it was a different kind of feeling.

 Feeling him hold her so close, she looked at his broad chest, she felt like hugging him, something she had never felt for any man before. 

 This is l… life. It should be life, she is surely changing, as she remembered Carina had said:

'There is every phase of our lives that we just cannot understand ourselves anymore but that is it, we have to stop and brood over, we have to begin again, we have to spend time with ourselves to understand better'

"It is because you are beautiful" Tavon dropped and her eyes almost bulged out, if she thought her heart was beating a moment ago, then this was chaotic.

 Inside her was more disarray, than her wardrobe was.

 It was not the first time she had heard a man tell her that she was beautiful but the way and manner he said it made her chest want to explode. 

 It was like waiting for her favorite fruit cake to be cut and eventually given to her, she could savor it in every delight.

"You think I am beautiful?" She asked in happiness mixed with some tease as Tavon looked back at her, blankly like he had not just said it.

"Close your eyes" he replied, instead and she looked at him, a little surprised but obliged, saying an "okay"

"Open it" she heard almost simultaneously and she did.

 She looked at him and he was still staring at her, her eyes went to the surroundings.

 They were no more in the forest, it was a different surrounding and she noticed they were in front of a house.

"Where are we?" She asked, and jumped when she heard a cow moo by the left. She glanced at it, seeing a cattle barn.

"Now that I look at you, closely. I think I was wrong," Tavon said, taking her focus back to him and she widened her eyes.

'No, no, he did not just take back, the only sweet words he had ever told her'

"What?!" She asked, alarmed.

"This is my father's house, I am sure you still want to see him" he said and started walking towards the huge house direction and she scoffed, following him like a child following her father.

 The door was opend by Tavon, like he owned the house and they both got inside the house.

 One thing though, it was still, as waters, the way Mia hated things.

"Bad timing, I do not think my father is around" he said facing her and then… the lights went out

"Huh?! Tavon?!" Mia called but there was no answer.

 Suddenly, the many things her housemates had told her about his father came flooding to her mind.

"Tavon, I know you hate me but at least give me an answer, I will be honest, I am scared of the dark" she said but there was no response. 

 Of course, what did she expect from him, he might have even vanished back.

 She moved forward and found her way into a solid rock.

"What are you doing?" She heard Tavon's voice and she hugged him immediately.

"Tavon" she called happily, that he did not leave her.

"Do you not think that I am the wrong person to run to?" he asked and for some reason or because she was very scared a moment ago, his voice seemed to be deeper than before, like… like the night he killed someone!