(Amaia)
With my breath stuck in my throat as I battle emotions, pain and sanity, I stare into Alnitak's swirling golden eyes with a honeyed touch to them. There are specs of olive green shade which form the outer rings of his irises.
Hypnotically magnetic is the phrase that jumps into my mind as I stare at him like some love-sick girl.
His half-moon-shaped lips twitch and curl up from the side in a teasing smirk.
Gently, he lowers me so I can stand on my feet.
"Don't ogle like that, I am reserving myself for my mate," he playfully says, and the reality crashes on me like the meteorite which had struck our world millions of years ago, killing all those giant lizards.
"You fought like a pro though," he winks.
I stagger back, my heart aches as if it had been stabbed by spears multiple times. I turn my head to watch the octopus/cactus type monster and find it slowly sinking into the sand. Its eyes were closed as if it were dead.
"Is…it dead?" I ask and Mintaka's pained voice comes from behind me.
"Better be, because those stingers hurt like hell." Instantly, I rotate myself and find both Mintaka and Kacir on the ground, holding their arm and legs and trying not to scream from the pain.
Alnitak rushes towards his brother and helps him up.
"Let's get you to the infirmary before the poison spreads."
My legs shake but I move and help Kacir up. His uncovered eye is half closed and his skin is turning blue.
"Hold on!" I frantically tell him and follow behind Alnitak.
"You were amazing," Kacir painfully whispers and I just nod.
We find our way blocked by Alnilam. He stands tall, moon-kissed tresses grazing his stern face because of the gentle breeze. The silvery crescent tattoo shines under the sun's light and that halo gives him an angelic feel.
The blue cape flies sideways as he crosses his arms over his buffed chest.
My throat goes dry like sandpaper. There is something sadly beautiful about this man. A gut-wrenching story that I know would break my heart.
A feeling, an emotion dangles between him and me, the one I can't ignore. That ignites this fire inside me.
"Head over to the infirmary and get treated. Once all the trials have been held, we will announce the list of the chosen ones, in about two days," he calmly says.
"We will make it," Alnitak says with a smug surety.
Jamina ambles towards Alnilam with a flirtatious smile on her face and effortlessly takes his right arm, standing beside him as if she belongs there.
Who was she to him?
She couldn't be his mate.
Was she his girlfriend? Chosen mate? His fiancée? His wife?
The endless possibilities make my head spin and my heart ache in ways I wasn't aware could be possible.
My eyes can't stop focusing on their linked arms. My feet refuse to move. Only Kacir's painful wince has me moving again.
I follow the twins back to the academy, passing beside Alnilam. His critical gaze remains on me as I try to breathe past the pain in my chest.
Jamina is now whispering to him but his gaze wouldn't budge from me.
"Stay away from the twins," he warns in a low voice. It's not the kind of warning that says 'they are dangerous,' it's more like 'I don't trust you.'
The venom in his voice shows he is wary of me after what he saw. He believes I am promiscuous, someone who likes to use her body to get her way with men.
But why, particularly, the twins?
"Come on, Alni. Let the new recruits be," Jamina intervenes, but his jaw doesn't slacken and I can tell how serious he is.
Her beautiful eyes find me, and she smiles, "You fought well. Glad to see another girl with such skills," she openly praises me, and it appears genuine.
"Thanks," I mumble, speaking through the pain.
She then pulls at Alnilam's arm and whispers but I can hear it crystal clear. "You always get so tense with recruits." Her hand is now sliding along his muscular arm. "I know just the way to relax you tonight."
My heart drops into a bottomless pit of despair. They are lovers for sure, maybe more. The pain that pulses in my gut momentarily has me pausing, but Alnitak's assuring voice from the front has me walking again.
"Come lassie, we will take you along."
Pushing my emotions down I balance Kacir and follow the twins. Kacir's breathing is getting rougher so I pick up my pace.
Alnitak and Mintaka lead us through the different corridors until we arrive outside what appears like 'The Infirmary.'
Without even knocking Alnitak kicks the door open with his right foot and just walks inside like a king who owns the place.
Bewildered, I watch his nonchalant attitude but nonetheless follow him.
The strong smell of herbs brewing and chemicals hits my nose. An old man and a young woman come into view. Both are wearing aprons and gloves.
"Here, bring them here," the old man's voice sounds as he staggers forward with crinkles decorating his whole skin. He points to the single beds on the right side of the spacious room.
"Trying to kill the youngsters. The very future of Orion. Where are their brains at?" He mutters to himself. The young girl quickly helps me, and we lay a very blue-skinned Kacir down on the bed. He appears like the blue-skinned alien from that popular movie.
Alnitak does the same with Mintaka, who is less blue and humorously says, "Stay alive, brother, we still need to find our mates."
"Larisa, fetch the vials." The old man shouts, picking up the closed eyelid of Kacir's left eye and inspecting it.
Larisa runs over to the table where several vials have been lined up, and she picks up two with clear purple liquid inside them. They seem like antidotes, it means they were already informed about the monster we were going to battle.
She hands one to the old man and takes the other towards a half-conscious Mintaka.
Opening the mouths of both boys, they pour the contents of the vials into their mouths.
With a hitched breath, I watch them both writhe on the bed for a while before they stop moving at all and their eyes close.
Old man and Larisa remain on edge, but once their bodies stop writhing, they relax.
They turn to face Alnitak and me. "Both of them need to sleep this out for a day to get the poison out of their system. Let them rest."
"They are going to be alright?" I ask, slightly concerned. Seeing Mintaka just lying there has my heart aching.
The old man's eyes flicker towards me and Alnitak. "They will be. Neither of you is hurt. Are you?"
Although my shoulder aches from my previous battle, I don't want my secret to leak. I just shake my head.
Suddenly, the pain in my shoulder intensifies, and it shoots to all my limbs. One second I am standing and the other I am falling towards the floor with darkness surrounding me.
Before I faint completely or hit the wooden floor, someone catches me, and then all goes dark.