The Game Of Quadruplet Mates
(Bk 2) Chapter 16

Mister Wand I were certainly a sight. We had walked into the arts and crafts activity dripping wet, barefooted and smiling like i di o ts caught doing something they shouldn't be. Countless eyes were focused on us, weighing me down as we walked in. Not all were pleased to see us together, the heat of their glares was so intense I could feel it burning my skin. The whispers were loud, piercing in the quiet room. "I thought he hated her. He left here, didn't he?"

"And she was just with Mister O too." Another added.

"S lut." They murmured, rolling their eyes.

Mister W must have heard it because after shooting them his own steely glare, he took my hand, his fingers brushing against mine. "'ll see you later?"

I was taken aback by this, knowing he prefers to be alone and that he had not been seen with anyone but himself since the Games started. "Of course,"

Among the onlookers were a familiar pair of eyes that I would never forget, even if I wanted to.

0.

He was in the crowd, sitting with a few of our pack members. Mostly men. Mostly the people he usually spends time with back at home.

No one spoke from their side of the room.

But they all stared

O in particular.

I see a few of them, glance at 0, trying to read his expression, trying to see what he felt about all this when we were together just yesterday. To them, only a few hours ago in that cave, we were holding hands and could barely let go. Now, O's hands were balled up in front of him, turning white as his fists shook uncontrollably, nearly rattling the table. I could tell he wanted to stand, wanted to yell or maybe fight.

Something.

Anything.

But he stayed in his seat, his jaw clenched tight.

He didn't say anything.

I doubt he even thought about it.

But something in me could feel the words whisper in my head; 'how easily you replaced me,

I wanted to go to him and smile reassuringly and hold his hand, tell him this is nothing and that he had no reason to worry- but we were strangers now, weren't we?

He and I, we were... nothing.

We were always nothing.

1 didn't owe him an explanation.

So I turned away from him, following my words about us not knowing each other anymore and pretending like nothing happened between us.

"Over here, X" Miss A sat up, waving her hand. She was sitting at a table with Miss E and a few other people she was close with. "Sit with us."

Grateful that at least I still had her and Miss E, I plopped myself down on the only vacant chair on her table and gave her a small smile.

"Hi, thank you."

Miss A shoved everyone out of the way to lean towards me. "Did you just come in with the hottest guy in the Games? And why are you wet? Did you guys swim in the lake together? That's romantic!"

I look down at myself, feeling the soft carpeted floors with my toes. "It's not like that at all. But it is a long story."

She squeals, tugging Miss E towards me. "Two of the hottest boys are after you. Yum. Yum. Yum!"

"How to be you?" Miss E teased, smiling. "Everyone has been trying to get W's attention but only you have successfully done it! Tell us... did you sleep with him? Is he good in bed? Does he have a big dick? Come on, share with the group." My back straightened almost instantly, my cheeks heating up. "What? No. Nothing like that."

Miss A made a face. "E? Hush. She doesn't need to tell us that. X can sleep with whoever she wants. If that's what she wants. Big dick s and all."

"I didn't sleep with him." I insisted, feeling my entire face turn hot. "He just helped me with something."

"What a gentleman," E comments with a roll of her eyes." And the guys I have can't even remember my letter. It's literally a letter."

"There are like fifty or more other E's in the Games. Of course they won't remember." Miss A quickly tells her, trying to appease our friend. "And anyway, some of us don't even use our real names in the letters we use, so letters don't matter." Suddenly, baskets and baskets and more baskets are placed in front of us, successfully ending the conversation.

I peered inside to see chunks of clay, pieces of thick wood, blocks of gemstones, fresh and fake flowers, fancy paper and colorful paint and so much more.

"What's this for?" I asked, taking a piece of wire from the basket closest to me.

Miss E took some flowers out of the basket, knowing exactly what to do. "These are for making things for the boy or girl you like."

"But I don't like anyone yet." I whispered softly, my mind thinking about 0 immediately, but I banished this thought to the back of my head.

"You'll give it to someone when you finally do. It's just tradition to make something with your own hands and offer it to whoever you want to go home with. It's merely a symbol of your interest in someone." Miss A explains, already hard at work with hers. . "This is supposed to be the

replacement for dowries. Instead of money and such, all attendees will craft something and give it to each other when they've decided."

"Oh." Was all I could say as I stared at the materials in front of me.

Miss A looked up when I went quiet, her obvious worry written all over her face.

"Don't worry. You don't have to

give anyone anything until you're sure.

It has to be special

that way.""

As hard as I tried not to, I found myself looking in his direction, but just like I expected from him, he did not touch the baskets in front of him, keeping his attention on a blank wall.

That is until his eyes glanced in my direction.

We held each other's gaze for a long time... thinking, feeling, speaking without words until I broke it to look down at whatever was in front of me.

I didn't know what I was going to do but, somehow, my heart did as it reached for the molding clay and my hands moved to do my best sculpture of a wolf with beautiful ocean blue eyes- his eyes. I tried to get them just right, attempting to match whatever memory and emotion I was recreating into this small figurine. For I certainly couldn't just look up to check for myself.

"Oh, X, that's so pretty." Miss A gushes, leaning over to look at my work. "I'm sure he's going to like it."

I was going to ask her who 'him' was when I noticed she was already looking at 0 from across the room.

He happily showed that he wasn't bothering with the entire thing with his feet up on the table as he leaned back on his chair, his arms behind his head

Always the rebel.

I stared down at the wolf in my hands and flushed. "Oh, uhm, I don't know about that."

Miss A frowned, her eyebrows furrowed. "Why did your answer sound like a no?"

I tried to think of a good answer but all I could think of was the cliche; "It's complicated."

"What? But you two look so close and honestly... very happy." She says with a thoughtful look on her face. "I would have thought you two would choose each other at the end of the week."

I thought so too.

But I didn't say that.

With a shake of my head and a shrug of my shoulders, I forced a smile. "Things change is all."

"What happened?" She kept her voice low so it wouldn't carry and to keep others from listening in.

My fingers brushed against the blue eyes of the wolf I was making. "We just accepted what we had always known before."

"Which is?" She asked, concern lacing her words.

"That it would never work between us." A sharp pain pierced my chest as I said this. Like saying it out loudlt was foolish.

I knew from the start that he and I could never be together.

There were just so many things between us that kept it from becoming more.

Miss As question brought me back to the present. "And you agree with that?"

I tried to keep busy, to keep my mind away from him, but it was hard, my heart keeping me from letting go. "What do you mean I agree?"

"How it'll never work." She whispered, sounding sad.

"It's not just something that I can refuse or push away." I quietly explained to her but couldn't replace the right words that could clarify it all. "Especially when it's... it's that.

She shakes her head. "You're right. You two are very complicated."

"You don't know half of it." I mumbled under my breath, laughing a little at my own pain.

"Hey," She started, putting a flower on whatever she was making.

I looked up from my wolf figurine. It was almost done. "

Yeah?"

Miss A looks around until she pauses on something. "That guy... F,"

I didn't have to look to know it was him. He's been looking at me since I walked into the room. "I know. He's sweet. I just... just don't know."

"No I'm not here to tell you off about him." She says quickly, putting down her glue and scissors. "I'm telling you that I have been in the Games with him for three years and in those three years he always fixates on one girl every year." This makes me stop completely. "What do you mean?"

Miss A sends him a glare before facing me. "He's a bit obsessed. Last year he was caught in my room by the guards."

Suddenly, I thought about my belongings in the lake.

. "In

your room? With your things?"

"Yeah." She confirms. "So be careful. Don't trust his nice guy act."

This time, I couldn't help but look at him. True enough, through the heads and noise coming from the other attendees, he was already looking back at me as he made what looked to be some kind of lace fan.

A chill went down my spine.

And it was not the good kind.

With the way I left him last night... the way I ran away... is it possible?

Could it be that Mister F was the one that threw all my stuff in the lake?

Or was I just overthinking everything like always?