Chapter Text
Theresa brandished her shield and her finger glowed gold.
Amber swallowed and took a breath.
She finally found her voice as Theresa neared.
"Do you have my mice?"
Theresa was still smirking.
"Mice... hmmm..." Theresa put her finger on the edge of her lip and tapped as if in thought.
Amber tried not to stare at where her finger touched.
"Oh! Those mice. Must have slipped my mind."
Amber broke her eyes away from where Theresa tapped and stared into her pristine blue eyes.
A bit of her frizzled hair hung in her face, but Theresa Either didn't notice or didn't care.
Theresa suddenly moved her shield so that Amber could see where her arm hooked into the shield to hold it.
She hadn't noticed how the shield appeared before.
It bore the seal of Camelot on the front, its lions and eagles staring back at her.
But that was the front of the shield and now Amber was looking at the back of it.
It was a deep, thick shield with small straps that hooked around Theresa's forearm and wrist, which she held to with her hand.
Right above Theresa's hand and arm (had Amber never seen how strong those arms were before? What was wrong with her?!), there were several small holes within it.
Amber had no idea what those could be used for, but before she could wonder, she saw three small firms huddled in them.
Her mice.
Theresa was still grinning and Amber's mice didn't seem too upset with their location.
"I didn't want them to get all wet, so I thought I'd keep them there."
Amber felt her face burning and thought it was a wonder she wasn't somehow on fire.
Amber felt her finger glow and raised it, the orange color looking somehow a lighter color than before.
"Give them back."
Her tone was menacing and had all the cold she had been taught in her time spent at the School for Evil.
Though her masterful tone had won praise from her teachers, Theresa didn't seem to notice any difference.
The Ever just grinned at her.
"You want them back?" Theresa took another step forward and the two stood only a few feet apart now.
Theresa closed the distance until they were only a few inches away.
Amber felt frozen.
If she had been in her normal state, she would have cursed Theresa and stolen her mice back.
But right now she couldn't seem to do anything but stare at Theresa.
The princess leaned forward, her face dipping down so that she was at about the same height as Amber, which was saying something considering the height difference.
"Then take them," she whispered.
As the last word left her lips, the Ever bounced backwards and grinned broadly, holding her shield aloft slightly and locking eyes with Amber.
She suddenly regained the ability to think and her face turned red with anger (of course with anger. Why else would her face turn red?!).
Theresa took a few steps backwards and sunk into the depths of the 'battle'.
Amber stalked after her with a vengeful light in her jet black eyes.
~
"You're really good at spells!" Dede said with a grin.
Serenity glanced at Dede.
Her finger glowed brighter.
The witch put her hand on Serenity's arm and squeezed with a bright grin and then turned to look at the other side.
She was still the only one that hadn't chosen a side and was just commenting to her friend.
"I, uh," Serenity cleared her throat, "thanks."
Dede gave her a quick grin before she hurried off to the sideline before she got hit by a spell.
Did... she come over just to tell me that? Serenity thought.
Her eyes followed after Dede.
Dede stopped and stared at the tree that Axel was still stuck in while Nathan tried to help him, but Dede just giggled and continued to watch all of them.
Serenity almost tripped when Dede flashed her a giant grin.
Her heart was beating a bit quicker and she was distracted enough that Hilda was able to summon a cloud above Serenity and soak her.
It was the first time she'd gotten wet, she really was good at these spells, and she gasped.
She could hear familiar laughing and Serenity looked up.
Dede was laughing and staring at her.
Serenity moved her hair out of her face and blushed.
She found herself laughing despite her hair being in her face and how wet she was.
Seeing Dede laughing just made her... insides melt.
~
Amber chases Theresa thought their 'battlefield'.
What was wrong with her?
Why was she feeling so weird?!
She pushed those thoughts aside and paid more attention to the mice she was supposed to be saving.
Her mice.
That stupid Ever had stolen them.
Theresa turned and faced her, her golden finger pointing at her.
A storm cloud appeared over her head and soaked Amber thoroughly.
She gasped and wiped her face.
She glared at Theresa and suddenly went insane.
She was cold, wet, missing her mice, and didn't understand her feelings.
And so, in a moment of temporary insanity, she tackled her.
She just went into a flying leap and threw herself against the other girl.
Theresa's eyes widened and the grin slipped slightly.
Amber felt a grim sort of satisfaction at the thought.
Finally she wasn't so cool and composed.
How was she always like that?
Theresa grunted and the two fell to the ground.
Amber heard her mice shriek and smirked.
Her hands were holding Theresa's wrists down on the ground so that the other girl couldn't get up.
But that smirk fell when she saw that Theresa was smirking yet again.
Theresa, although lying flat on her back, grinned and reached her hands up.
Her Camelot shield was discarded and she didn't seem to notice as the mice scurried about.
Theresa lifted her head up until her mouth was almost touching Amber's ear.
"Maybe you should remember who you're fighting against."
Theresa then lifted her wrists, pushing Amber's hands off of her.
She put her hands on Amber's waist and the Never's eyes bulged as the Ever lifted her up, still grinning.
Then, in one fluid motion, Theresa flipped her over.
Theresa smirked widely before she stood up.
She had only been there for a moment, but Amber was still just laying there on her back, her face bright red and she just laid on the ground for a long moment.
At least it felt like a long moment, but she guessed that it wasn't because Theresa was still standing there, holding her hand out for Amber.
She reached out and took her hand, allowing the Ever to pull her to her feet.
Amber was still somewhat distracted and she stumbled.
Theresa didn't seem to mind and steadied Amber.
The Never couldn't breathe and Theresa just grinned at her.
"I think I owe you something," Theresa said.
She leaned down and Amber found her eyes drifting closed slowly for unknown reasons.
Theresa grabbed onto her shield and held out her hands, gently cupping something in them.
In her hand, three mice lay.
Two of them were even asleep.
Theresa suddenly looked slightly... nervous? Embarrassed?
Amber wasn't sure, but she found it oddly endearing.
"Don't worry, I took good care of them."
Amber found her face heating up and she reached out, scooping the mice into her hands with a sense of relief.
Even as the mice scampered into her hand and onto her shoulders, she could still feel where her hands had touched Theresa's
Just then, a loud voice yelled from the corner of the clearing.
"What is going on here?!" Yuba bellowed.
All of them flinched, even the older students that were just now getting back to their feet.
Hester took a quick breath and put her greatest skill to use.
Not her demon, not her spells, but her ability to lie with a perfectly straight face.
"Just a few accidents. These first years really aren't good with spells," she said.
Amber smirked and wished she was that good at lying.
Yuba glared at them all and grumbled about their bad group.
Amber shivered and glared at Theresa.
She couldn't believe that immature Ever had started all this.
Theresa glanced at her and grabbed her cloak, which she'd set down at the start of their lesson.
She threw it over Amber's shoulders and the girl jumped.
She looked at the jacket.
It was soft and made of satin. It had blue lace with a red trim along the bottom with golden yellow buttons that matched the two lions on each side along the chest.
Amber moved to take the jacket off, and perhaps throw it on the ground, but Theresa put a hand on her shoulder to still her.
"I know you're cold. Sorry I splashed you so many times," Theresa said with a small smile.
Amber felt her face heat up and looked over at the Camelot princess.
"Whatever."
She grabbed onto the edge of the jacket and pulled it around her shoulders.
The jacket was surprisingly warm and had a light, minty scent that she recognized.
It was Theresa's scent.
She didn't know how she knew that and she didn't want to think about it.
The wolves howled and the Ever bell rang.
"See you, Amb!" Theresa said with a grin.
Amber didn't even have the chance to give her back her jacket back.
That's when Amber was intercepted by Hilda.
"Is that Theresa's jacket?"
Dede frowned and stared at it.
"No. Yes. Whatever!" Amber pushed past her friends and pulled the jacket closer to her shoulders.
~
Hester glanced at Anadil.
Both of them were soaked to the core.
Hester's finger glowed and a sudden wind overtook them.
Anadil shivered and suddenly grabbed onto Hester's arm in surprise.
The tattooed girl suddenly blushed.
The wind died done and the two were dry thanks to the spell.
Anadil's hands stayed on Hester's arm for a long moment.
Neither of them seemed to want to let the other go.
Hester stared at the albino for a long moment and the other girl slowly let go.
Hester immediately missed the feeling of her friend's hands on her arm.
~
Dot helped Kiko to her feet and gave her a small grin.
"I'll, um, see you tomorrow," Dot said awkwardly.
Kiko gave her a small smile.
"Yeah... can't wait."
She was just as awkward, but that was alright.
Dot was about to go, but suddenly Kiko grabbed onto her and pulled her in for a hug.
Kiko never needed an excuse for a hug, but this one seemed even more sudden than usual.
Dot just stood there for a second, but then she suddenly grinned and hugged her back.
~
Axel frowned in confusion.
Did Amber steal Theresa's jacket?
He put his hand on her arm to pull her back.
Just then, emotions exploded out of her and his eyes widened.
Her sorted through them, but soon came to a very surprising one.
He gasped, a strangled sound coming from his throat.
"You-you have a crush!" he hissed.
Theresa didn't break her stride and just grinned.
"Yeah, I know," she said simply.
He gaped at her.
"What?! Oh who?!"
Theresa glanced over her shoulder and watched Amber's retreating form.
His eyes bulged.
"You like AMBER?!"
Theresa nodded, not looking at him.
"Of course I do. I'm not subtle," Theresa said with a grin.
Axel gaped.
"Wait, that's why you wouldn't let me touch you?!"
Theresa nodded.
"But if you're not being subtle, then why didn't you let me?" he asked, clearly trying to catch her in a lie.
"Because I knew you'd shout about it in front of her and that would be awkward," Theresa said with a laugh.
Axel didn't say how true that was.
"Soooo... how long has this been going on?" Axel asked with over the top subtleness that was clearly faked.
"Ax, don't do this."
He sighed and shook his head.
"I'd tell you if I liked someone!"
Theresa snorted.
"Yeah, sure you would."
He frowned at her receding form before hurrying to catch up.