Chapter 29 Petty Olympics
The Fifth Element 🔥🌊🌪️⛰️🌀
Cassie's POV
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“Why? Do you have an air element magic inside of you or something that you’ll use to magically lift the rock up?” Sage said to me, standing now. Dust on her knees. Looking down at me even though we’re the same height. Eyes glacial.
“You know what? Sorry I offered to help. Please, by all means, the rock is all yours,” I said to her and rolled my eyes. So hard I almost saw my brain. Petty? Yes. Satisfying? Also yes.
What a bitch!
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” she said and rolled her eyes back at me. Olympic level.
When she finally succeeded in moving the rock, nothing was under it. Just dirt. Dry, disappointing dirt.
She sighed heavily and went onto the next one her hands got to, wiping her palms on her pants. No “thanks for the offer.” No nothing.
I myself checked out my surroundings for any hidden artifact or treasure or whatever. Grass. More grass. A tree root that looked like a snake.
I hated this. The sun, the silence, the Sage.
We kept looking for some minutes but didn’t succeed in finding any one yet. Hourglass sand whispering you’re failing.
When we passed by a pond of water, I stopped to dip my hands in it. It looked so clean and inviting. Cool against my skin. Clear to the bottom — algae, smooth stones, minnows darting.
I smiled as I ran my hand through the water, but something under the water from the sun’s reflection caught my eye. A glint. Blue-black. I looked closer to the object and smiled. Actually smiled.
“Sage!! I think I found a treasure!” I said excitedly. My voice bounced off the water.
Sage quickly came over to where I was, crouching. No splash. Of course.
“Do you see it? There! I almost missed it but the sun reflected it,” I said to her while trying to show her the treasure. Pointed. Finger shaking. Not from cold.
“Yeah, I see it. I’m not blind,” Sage said to me and my mood suddenly changed back. Snapped like a rubber band.
“Gosh, could you just stop being a bitch for one minute,” I said to her and shook my head and went straight ahead to reach out for the treasure. Water up to my elbow. Cold now.
“I can’t reach it. It’s too far from land,” I said and stood back up, dripping. My sleeve soaked.
I thought Sage would say something but she didn’t. She just stood there staring at the treasure. No expression.
“Well, aren’t you going to do something? You have water powers, right?” I asked her.
“Right,” she replied, still staring at the treasure. At the water. Not at me.Okay. Then I guess you could maybe do some magic trick and move the treasure closer to land. How does that sound?”
“Bad,” she said to me flatly.
“Bad? Bad? Seriously… How exactly is it BAD for you to use your magic? I don’t get it,” I said and was getting really fed up with her. My wet sleeve was sticking to my arm. I was cold and annoyed.
“I’m not using any magic. We should find something else to move the treasure over to us,” Sage said to me and walked away. No discussion. Just… decree. She looked around for a stick or something while I sat down on the ground, giving her a death glare. If looks could drown.
She successfully found a long stick and came back to the pond edge. No word. No look. Just stabbed the water with it.
She used the stick to drag the treasure over to her and onto the dry ground. Scrape. Scrape. Plop. It landed at her feet.
“There. Your treasure,” she said to me and threw the stick almost at me. It clattered by my shoe.
“What the hell! You could have hit me with that,” I said to her and stood up from where I was sitting.
“I know. But unfortunately for me, it didn’t touch you, did it?” she said to me and raised her eyebrows. One. Villain eyebrow.
I didn’t respond to her and she nodded and turned the other way to leave. Like the conversation was done. Like I was dismissed.
“Hey! Aren’t you gonna pick up the treasure?” I asked her and she turned to look at me and the treasure lying on the ground. Dripping. Glaring.
“No. I’ll leave you to do the honors. And besides, it’s still wet,” she said and continued walking. Shoulders back. Head high.
“What an irony. Water girl doesn’t want to touch water,” I said to myself and shook my head. But loud enough she could hear. Petty again. Still satisfying.
I decided to pick up the treasure. It was a necklace with a bluish-black pendant. Cold. Heavy. Beautiful. The stone was cut weird, like it caught light and kept it.
After picking it up, i Pocketed it. It thumped against my thigh with every step.
☯️
After some minutes passed with us still scouting the area, I decided to break the silence. The quiet was worse than her talking.
“So… how’s your brother?” I asked her. Dumb. I know.
“You’re asking me about my brother? Are you being serious?” Sage asked and gave me a look. Are-you-stupid look.
“Sorry, I just wanted to make conversation. You just seem so chatty and friendly,” I said with sarcasm. Dripping.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m none of those things. Thanks for noticing,” she replied with her own sarcasm.
“I just don’t get it. Why so mean all the time? I’m literally trying to be at least nice to you despite your mean attitude but you keep looking for ways to be even meaner,” I said to her.
“Good! See? You got one thing right. I like being mean. Why trade something I like for peace?” Sage said and gave me a fake smile and rolled her eyes at the same time. Talent.
“Urgh! You are so annoying!” I said to her and threw my hands in the air. Gave up. For five seconds.
“You think I’m annoying? Then I guess you haven’t looked in the mirror before,” Sage said and started walking fast. Power walking. Away from me.
I gasped in frustration before running to catch up with her. Petty olympics, round two.
I almost collided with her back when she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She gave me a stink eye again and I just rolled my eyes. We were gonna get stuck like this.
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