XIII

                                    

                                          
When I head back to my cabin, it's empty.  No lights, no music, and no Eden. I go up to my room to see a note left on my bed. 
Ads,
I went to breakfast with the girls. We'll be back at some point. Stop avoiding us
Lil
"Luca", I actually say out loud, but somewhere in my mind, I know I'm talking right to him. "There's a note here that says: stop avoiding us?"
"Dear God", I hear him groan. "That's all Eden talking. She's using her humanistic powers to turn all of your friends against you to get in your mind before the duel".
"What the fuck", I reply. "I'm going to call Lil".
"I wouldn't", Luca stops me. "You don't know what Eden has put in Lil's head. You don't want to throw more into the fire."
He was right. "Okay", I sigh. "I'm going to take a shower."
"Okay, I'll see you later. Let me know if you need me."
Then Luca is gone again. It always feels like he's physically leaving me, even though it's literally all in my head. 
I go into my closet and get out some super soft joggers that make my butt look amazing, a bandeau bra, and a tank top. Then, I go downstairs and shut myself into the bathroom door.
The cold shower I take washes all the sweat and moisture of the summer humidity off of my body, making me feel clean for the five minutes between the time I get out of the shower and got dressed. 
"Do you want to go get breakfast?" I ask Luca after I finish putting my hair up.
It takes him a minute to answer. "I'm on the phone with my father. You can come back here if you would like to. We can go after".
I head out of my small cabin and head down the path to Luca's cabin. Down the way a bit are the other girls we usually hang out with. Cora, Frida, and Caroline are walking right towards me on the path. "Hey girls", I smile at them as they get close to me. 
They all kind of look at me like I have three heads. "Hi", Cora says quietly. They pass me without another word or glance. 
When I get to the cabin, Carter is just leaving the front door. "I wouldn't go in there if I were you". As soon as he stops speaking, I hear Luca's yells faintly.  Garrett isn't too far behind Carter, Luca's voice is more clear to what seems like everyone in a ten-mile radius. 
"He told me to come over", I shrug. 
Garrett looks me straight in the eyes. "Good luck". 
Then, the two boys leave, leaving me on the same premises as a yelling Demon. 
I walk slowly into the house, and Luca's voice just echoes through the cabin's thin walls. Luca yells about the duel, and how stupid this whole situation is. The whole cabin is completely silent when he isn't yelling, I could probably hear a pin drop. 
"Dad, I found my mate", Luca groans. Then he goes: "Yes, her".
So, his dad knows about me. But what does he know?
I go up the stairs to Luca's room. He leans against his own door frame, facing into his room. The light from within his room flows around him, like he's sent from Heaven as an angel. Ironic, isn't it? This weird boy does so much to me. 
The last time I hugged him while he was stressed, it sent calm through him. So, I walk up behind him and wrap my little arms around him. My arms wrap around the bottom of his ribs. It startles him for just a second, but then he once again melts into my touch, a wave of calm spreading over the both of us. 
"Dad", Luca sighs. "I have to go".
I hear his father through the mini phone speaker: "Okay, Son."
"Tell Mom I love her". I almost melt, that he went out of his way to make sure his mother knew he loves her while he's away.  And then he ends the phone call. 
Luca turns around and wraps his arms around me, and I keep my arms where they were. "Hey Darling", I can hear a faint smile in his voice. "I'm sorry you had to hear that stuff".
"No, Luca, I understand. This is the most stressful thing you'll probably ever have to go through. You have every right to yell and scream, and even punch something if you need to." I squeeze him just a little tighter. "Maybe, just not me."
"Oh, Mia Cara. I would never.", he chuckles. "You would look terrible with a black eye."
Luca lets go of me, grabs my hand, and we both go over and sit on his bed. 
"So, what are we going to do until the duel?"
 "I have to train", Luca tells me. "I need to travel down to hell and work with our royal advisors to train. The duel is two weeks from tomorrow".
"But what about me?"
Luca just sort of stares at his large hands, which are in his lap. "I don't..... I don't know". His voice cracks slightly, as if he's holding back tears. 
"Hey", I put my hand on his cheek, pulling his head so he faces me. He studies my face, and I study his. "I will do anything I need to. I won't back out, I won't give up, I won't let you give up. You are going to win this duel".
He smiles a little, then clears his throat.