Abigail's POV
I couldn’t feel my legs. Not after playing three games in a row. My whole body ached, and every breath felt like I was swallowing fire. I was exhausted. Sitting on the bench, I let my head fall back and stared at the ceiling. Why was I doing this to myself? Why didn’t I just throw that stupid Black token at Emery or Finn and tell them I didn’t want any part of this Elite thing? 
But then again... if I did that, where would I go? Back home? No. I was in too deep now.
“Abigail!”
I snapped out of my thoughts at the sound of my name. I looked up, and there was Lucas, walking toward me with something hidden behind his back. I could barely keep my eyes open, and I gave him a tired look that practically screamed, I want to collapse on my bed and forget today ever happened.
Lucas kept walking toward me, his eyes filled with something that almost looked like... worry? Weird.
“How are you holding up?” he asked, stopping right in front of me.
I didn’t have the energy to answer properly, so I just gave him a thumbs up, my hand wobbling from the effort. Lucas chuckled—a small laugh, but still. Wait, Lucas can laugh? I stared at him, completely shocked. I thought he was a robot or something, no emotions at all.
“Congrats,” he said with a small smile. “Three games in a row? That’s impressive.”
I blinked at him, barely processing his words. My brain felt like mush, but then Lucas said something that made me snort.
“If your dad found out you died in the Aurorium Academy, he’d probably kill me.” He chuckled again, this time a bit louder. “Uncle Ethan would lose it.”
I chuckled too, though it took all my strength to do it. Before I could say anything, Lucas pulled out a bottle of water from behind his back, just as Finn showed up beside him, holding another bottle of water.
“Here, take this,” Finn said, thrusting his bottle toward me.
“Take a break,” Lucas added, holding out his bottle at the same time.
I stared at the two of them, both standing there with water bottles like idiots. For a second, I didn’t know whether to laugh or be confused. They locked eyes, glaring at each other, and the tension between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Lucas smirked, his eyes narrowing. Finn raised an eyebrow, not backing down. It was like they were having some weird silent fight with their eyes, both refusing to drop their hands. 
I squinted at them, completely baffled. ‘What are these stupid boys doing right now?’ I thought to myself.
Just as I was about to say something, Nathalie walked in out of nowhere and snatched both bottles of water from them.
“Thanks for the water,” she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she handed me one of the bottles. She smiled bitterly at both of them, clearly enjoying the moment.
“You know,” Nathalie continued, crossing her arms. “I watched this movie once. Two guys fighting over one gorgeous girl, but in the end, the two boys ended up falling for each other.” She smirked, eyeing them both with a teasing grin.
Lucas’s face twisted in disgust, and he immediately took a step away from Finn, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder like Finn’s mere presence had contaminated him. Finn did the same, pretending to shield himself from Lucas.
Nathalie and I couldn’t help it, we burst into laughter. The ridiculousness of the situation was too much. Nathalie handed me the bottle she took from them, and I gratefully accepted it, taking a long drink. The water felt like heaven going down my throat, but even as I drank, I couldn’t stop giggling at the two of them.
Lucas and Finn started playfully shoving each other, muttering sarcastic insults under their breath. “Stay away from me,” Lucas grumbled, giving Finn a playful shove. Finn shot back, “As if I’d want to be anywhere near you.”
The tension melted into something lighter, and for a second, it was almost fun watching them act like this. But then Nathalie gave them both a serious look, her playful tone shifting into something more pointed.
I noticed both Lucas and Finn stood infront of us with silence. But Nathalie didn't missed a thing and spoke.
“So,” she said, smirking again. “Which one of you is gonna confess your feelings to Abigail first?”
Both Lucas and Finn flicked their eyes to her, stunned. The look of pure shock on their faces made my heart skip a beat. Nathalie just smirked, enjoying every second of it before turning to me.
“How are you holding up?” she asked, her voice softer now.
I giggled again, but this time it was more out of exhaustion than anything else. Deep down, I was ready to collapse. I wanted nothing more than to find my bed and sleep for a week straight. But instead, I just nodded, giving her a tired smile. “I’ll survive,” I muttered, though it felt like I was barely holding on.
Lucas and Finn quickly got back to their schedules, both of them acting like Nathalie’s comment hadn’t rattled them. Finn smacked Lucas on the head with his clipboard as he walked past, muttering, “Stay out of my way.” 
Lucas just shot him a dirty look and mumbled something under his breath before turning back to his clipboard. The two of them disappeared into the crowd, leaving Nathalie and me alone.
I shook my head, feeling a mix of amusement and exhaustion wash over me. Nathalie just chuckled. “Boys,” she muttered, rolling her eyes.
Nathalie and I walked slowly, the weight of the night events pressing on my shoulders like a mountain. Every muscle in my body screamed for rest, but we had to get out of the event room first. I glanced at Nathalie, who seemed less affected than me, though I could see a slight weariness behind her playful grin. She was humming something under her breath, probably to distract herself from the exhaustion.
“Let’s go collapse somewhere,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck as we neared the exit.
Nathalie nodded, “Yeah, maybe a nice long nap would be perfect, with a matching movie will match this night.” I can't help but giggled. 
Yep, that's her cue, like she's not a power Elite earlier.
We were almost at the door when I saw it, Emery. She was standing in front of the exit, arms crossed, her face dead serious. The room felt like it dropped a few degrees the moment I spotted her. There was something off about her stance, something darker than usual, like Nathalie or I had done something to personally offend her.
Nathalie stopped dead in her tracks, and I followed suit, feeling the tension roll off Emery as she stared us down. Her eyes were colder than I’d ever seen them, like we’d committed a crime without even knowing it.
“Uh... what now?” I mumbled under my breath.
Emery didn’t speak right away. She just stood there, looking between the two of us like she was deciding which one she was about to murder.
“Nathalie,” Emery finally said, her voice calm but carrying a sharp edge. “A word with you. In my office.”
Nathalie stiffened beside me, her casual attitude vanishing as Emery’s command landed. My eyes darted between the two of them, feeling like something bigger was happening, something I wasn’t in on. I half expected Nathalie to crack a joke, but she didn’t. She just gave a small nod.
But before Emery left, she gave me one last look. It wasn’t her usual calculating gaze, it was colder, deeper, like I was some puzzle she hadn’t figured out yet. For a second, I thought she was going to say something to me too, but she didn’t. She just turned on her heel and walked out of the room, her footsteps echoing in the silence.
Once she was gone, I let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
“Well,” I said, shaking my head. “Good luck with the daughter of death.”
Nathalie snorted, the tension loosening just a bit. “Thanks. I’ll need it.” she muttered, rubbing her temples.
I smirked, even though the weight of the moment was still hanging over me. "Tell me if she starts summoning the dead or something, maybe I’ll take notes for next time.”
Nathalie gave me a quick smile before sighing, “Yeah, see you later.”
I watched her head toward Emery’s office, and for a second, I felt a pit of worry in my stomach. I didn’t know what Emery wanted, but it didn’t look like a casual chat. As I stood there alone, I couldn’t help but wonder what was coming next.