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"...And that's it, now you pretty much know everything about Hexide." Eda summed up the tour she gave Raine. "...Maybe even more than the other students," she added in a whisper.
Raine laughed, "wow, listen Eda you were right! Your Shortcut Room is amazing! No one would think of something like that in St. epiderm. It's awesome- huh... Eda?" They stared at her in confusion, as she opened a door in the room, a door that led to Lilith's study group.
"I don't get it," Eda said, a bit frustrated. "Lilith's study group should've been over by now... she always comes to this room after that..." She jumped off the stairs back to the ground next to Raine, since that door was in a higher location. "Well, I guess she already went back home." Eda assumed, and then turned to Raine. "Hey, wanna come over?"
"Come over to your house?" They asked in surprise and even blushed a little.
"Yes. I mean, only if you can..." She drew circles with her feet in embracement, blushing as well.
"I-I'm not sure, I'll have to ask my parents. Maybe next week?" Raine suggested nervously.
And so, a week later, after another mini tour at the shortcut room, the two of them were ready to go home.
"Race you to your house?" Raine winked and started running.
"Hey, not fair! You don't even know where my house is!!" Eda shouted and ran after them.
The skies were orange, due to the pretty sunset, as they both made it to Eda's house, huffing and panting from the race. They burst into laughter.
"Admit it, I won." Raine giggled and swept away their forehead sweat.
"It doesn't count! Half of the way I had to give you the directions," Eda inhaled deeply, trying to catch her breath as she walked to the door. "Well? Ready to see the amazing and magical house of the Clawthorne family?" She asked, ready to open the door.
"I can't wait!" Raine was hyped, as Eda made drum sounds, and...
"Ta dam! My beautiful house. Not only I gave you a tour at school, but now I'll give you one at my house. Come on." Eda said in excitement and led them in.
"Wow..." Raine was impressed. First time visiting Eda's house, and to think they only met last week.
"Hi mom, hi Lily." Eda passed them on the way upstairs to her room. "C'mon Raine!" She called.
Raine walked past them, a bit embarrassed. "H-hey Mrs. Clawthorne, hi, uhh... Lilith." They stopped for a moment to glance at Lilith, that was so deep in her studies she didn't notice Raine at all.
"You're coming or what?" Eda kept calling them from the top of the stairs.
"Y-yes, yes, I'm coming!" Raine moved their gaze from Lilith and went to Eda's room.
"Everything's fine, Raine?" Eda asked as she grabbed her grudgby ball and span it on her finger, playing with it.
"What? Yes, yes, it's just... Your sister Lilith, didn't you say she's your only friend at Hexide? That she's all you have? I thought that... Maybe I'll also try to get to know her." Raine explained,
"Wait, you want to connect with my sister?" This took Eda by surprise. The ball she was bouncing on her head fell down and hit her. "Ouch.." she rubbed her head.
"Yes, think about it: she and you are good friends, we're also good friends. Wouldn't it be nice if I and her would also be good friends?" Raine looked outside the room, downstairs to the kitchen table, where Lilith was studying.
"Hmm, well, I don't think you really know my sister and... Raine!" Eda started to explain, but Raine already walked downstairs to Lilith.
"Hey Lilith, I'm Raine, the new student in Hexide and Eda's new friend from the training camp that other weekend. What are you doing?" They tried to be as nice as possible. "Do you like grudgby as well?" They added, but instead of going along with them, Lilith just rolled her eyes and went to her room.
She probably needs some quiet so she could focus on her studies.
"Weird..." Raine mumbled as they walked back to Eda's room. "Eda, I'm starting to think that perhaps Lilith dislikes me." They suddenly said.
"What? Titan's farts, why would you think that? She barely knows you, how could she already hate you? She's just focusing on studying for the Emperor's Coven tryouts, that's all. It's her dream, after all, and mine too. We plan on trying together, it'll be awesome." Eda explained. Raine's assumption confused her as it came out of nowhere. "Anyway, c'mon, stop whining. We've got a grudgby game to play!" She called.
"What, when?"
"Now!" Eda grabbed Raine and pulled them outside to the yard, where she and Lilith used to play. "So this is the field and those are the baskets. Ready?" She winked.
"Born ready." Raine winked back at her and the game began.
Eda jumped and leaped to the ball, that was drawn to Raine with their bard magic just like mice drawn to a flute. Both of them got really invested in the game that they didn't notice the time.
"Edalyn, I've finished studying for today, so now we could..." Lilith went outside to call Eda, until she noticed Raine's presents. "...Never mind, maybe tomorrow." She went back inside.
"Wait, Lily!-" Eda failed to stop her before she disappeared behind the front door.
"Well, this was great, but I think I'll go now. It's gotten dark and pretty late." Raine fixed their hair behind their ears and broke the short silence that Lilith's action created. "See you tomorrow?" They gave Eda a bump on the shoulder.
"Yes, of course, see you tomorrow. Show me where you get that Apple Blood drink tomorrow! I mean, wow, I think I got addicted. That thing is so good!" Eda giggled, and so did Raine.
After the two parted, Eda walked back inside to Lilith. "Isn't Raine the coolest?" She asked Lilith, excitedly.
"Yes, sure... Anyway–"
"You have to get to know them! I'm sure you'd really get along with each other." She said and then added, "Well, what did you want to say earlier?"
"Huh… You know what? I think I'll go to sleep now. I'm a bit tired from all the studying... We'll talk tomorrow, okay?" Lilith organized her books and started walking to her room.
"Yeah, yes, understood. We'll talk tomorrow. Good night Lily."
"Good night Edalyn."
The next morning Raine decided they would really try to get closer to Lilith. If they befriended Eda, there's no reason they wouldn't befriend Lilith, right?
"Hey Lilith, how are you?" They tried to approach her in the hallway, but Lilith kept walking faster, reading her textbook away from them.
After that, at lunch, Raine sat next to Lilith. "So how are the classes? You probably made some dope potions and..." They couldn't finish their sentence before Lilith got up and walked away. "Hey, you didn't even finish your food!" Raine shouted after her. No comment.
"Hey, you didn't answer me yesterday if you like grudgby. I'm sure you and Eda play a lot together!" Raine tried to catch Lilith after the next class. This time Lilith glanced at them for a moment, but turned around and ignored them still.
Raine didn't give up, and later that day they even tried to impress Lilith with their violin playing in the middle of the hallway, which, of course, didn't work. They tried to show off with their grudgby moves, and that didn't work as well.
Day after day, for an entire week, they tried to come up with ways to impress Lilith and befriend her but failed every time.
'I need help' they've decided. "Eda, you know your older sister better than anyone!" They said out of nowhere and interrupted her while she wrote something on the wall outside, something that looked like 'Principle Faust, take that! Now you can't punish me, ya sucker!'.
Eda jumped from Raine's percent so the last letter was slightly smeared. "You probably know of a way for me to impress her, right?" Raine continued with their question.
"What... You... Are you trying to date Lilith?!" Their question came out of nowhere so Eda didn't understand why.
"What? No! Why would you think that? I told you, I'm just trying to bond with her so we could all be friends together!" Raine explained. "I've tried to get to know her the entire week but she kept ignoring me. Maybe you know why and can help me with this?" They asked hopefully, because if they didn't succeed on their own, a little help from someone who knows Lilith well won't hurt.
"I see this is very important to you, huh?" Until now, Eda didn't realize Raine was serious about this, and frankly, she really loved the idea of her two best friends being friends with each other. "You know what? Leave it to me, I've got an idea of how to make you two bond in no time." Eda's smirk widened mischievously as she quickly drew a map on a piece of paper. "Meet me here in exactly two hours, no questions. Byeeeeee!!!"
The scheme has built up in her head, and she hurried home to create the same map with a letter for Lilith. Since it was the end of the school day, Lilith was already at their house.
Eda told her she was heading out to meet Raine, when really it was just an excuse for her to hide after she slipped that letter underneath the front door. She knocked on the door so Lilith will notice the letter, which worked perfectly.
Lilith approached the door and picked up the letter. "A letter for me?" She murmured in confusion and opened it.
"Dear Lilith Clawthorne,
We've been watching you for a while from the Emperor's Coven and we want to inform you that you've already impressed us very much so we'd like for you to come to this address for a personal interview."
A rush of excitement went through Lilith's body. Her dream was about to come true! She didn't waste a moment and already packed her bag and ran to the given address.
"Success!" Eda, that hid behind the door the entire time, was thrilled to see her plan has come to action.
It wasn't long until Raine and Lilith had both arrived at the address - a cave located somewhere on the Knee.
"Okay, according to the map, Eda should be right... Here!"
-"Okay, according to the map, the interview should be right... Here!"
The two of them were so focused on the map, they didn't see where were they walking and so they bumped into each other. Literally.
"Ouch..." Raine rubbed their head and noticed who was in front of them. "Lilith? W-What are you doing here?" They got up and offered her a hand to help her get up.
Lilith rejected their offer and rose up by herself. Before anyone could say anything, the cave's entrance closed and a voice started to echo as a malicious laugh. "Welcome, Raine, Lilith to the Knees' cave!" The voice came from outside, but still echoed through the entire cave.
"Eda?!"
-"Eda?!"
The two of them recognized that mischievous voice with no problem.
"Yes, that's me! Do you like this scheme I've made for you? I know you two love me desperately and can't stand my charm, but what is it worth if you too can't bond with each other? So I got you here and I won't let you out until you two are friends. I've got all the time in the world."
Eda kept laughing her loud and mischievous laughs as her voice faded away.
"Edalyn, come on! You know I don't have time for this! Edalyn!" Lilith shouted to Edalyn but for nothing, Eda was already gone. "Well, seems like I'm stuck with you know. Isn't that what you wanted?" She cast a lightning spell and sat on the side of the cave.
"Is it what I wanted? Eda told me she's got a plan, but I didn't think she'd go that far!" Raine came to sit next to Lilith, and surprisingly, she didn't move away from them this time. "Can I ask you a question? Why do you always avoid me? Did I do something wrong?" Lilith stared at them, angrily. "It's none of your business." She said with a serious look on her face, and turned her face away from Raine in determination.
"Come on, Lilith, seriously. If you want to get out of here, you've got to play along."
Lilith knew she had no way to ignore them this time. She looked Raine in the eyes and sighed. "It's... It's not exactly you... It's more because of Eda... She and I used to be best friends. We did everything together and were always there for each other. We plan to join the Emperor's Coven together and we work hard for that, so we won't be separated no matter what. But lately, ever since she met you, actually, seems like she's paying less attention to all the training. She always plays with you and barely studies, and... I know she's good, even better than me, but I still have that fear that if she'll keep hanging out with you, not only she won't spend time with me but she'd also won't study and eventually won't be accepted for the Emperor's Coven and so we wouldn't be together..." She hugged her knees and sighed. "I know, I know, it's stupid. Of course she's allowed to be with you and there's no way the Emperor's Coven won't take her, she's super talented, but it just scared me that since she's spending all of her time with you, we'll never be together again..." She fixed her hair from the front to the back and felt helpless. This situation couldn't be more awkward. Opening up her heart like that to... She didn't know how to call them anymore. Eda's kidnapper? The reason why Eda's not with her anymore?
"Hey," Raine moved closer to Lilith and put their hand on her shoulder. "Eda would never do that to you, she loves you to death. From the first day she already ranted about how close you two are and how you're all she has."
Lilith didn't have the time to reply before a sudden "boom" sounded from the deepening of the cave, making the walls and ground shake.
"What was that?" Lilith stood up, ready with a fire spell. The shaking only got stronger and stronger and the noise seem to get closer to them, until they could see a shadow... The slitherbeast shadow.
"Eda didn't tell us the slitherbeast lives here..." Raine mumbled when the beast was already in front of them.
"it was probably drawn to the light I've cast. It probably ruined its sleep. Don't worry, leave that beast to me." Lilith got closer to it, already ready to attack, when a weird sound wave passed her, and before she knew it the slitherbeast was asleep.
"Wow..." She turned around to see Raine putting back their flute in its place. "How did you do that?" She wondered.
"Huh, that's easy. A few basic sleeping notes put every beast to sleep." Raine answered nonchalantly as if it was a regular thing. "I remember reading about it once!" Lilith got excited, "You play on sound waves calmly so it's tiny enough to get inside the brain... And affect the nerves so they fall asleep."
-"and affect the nerves so they'll fall asleep." Raine finished the sentence with her, despite not understanding how she knows that. "Wait, you're interested in bard magic? Everyone just thinks it's boring!" Raine got excited as well. Another decent person that actually appreciates bard magic as they do! And really show interest in all the basis of it? Amazing!
"Boring?! Bard magic is one of the most strongest and fascinating kind! I'm studying all kinds of magic and their history since I'll be in the Emperor's Coven, I'll have to know all that. Did you know that in the Construction Coven they use power glyphs to make them build faster?" Lilith began to open up.
Finally someone that listens and shows interest in the things she likes!
"No way!" Raine was impressed. "Tell me what else you know!"
The two of them kept chatting with each other, and got so invested in the conversation that none of them noticed Eda walking into the cave to let them out and check how're they doing.
"Hey nerds, how was it being stuck in... Oh wow, you bonded deeply, huh?" Despite it being the goal of that plan, Eda still couldn't believe it actually worked. Worked a bit too well even, since none of them listened to her.
"Eh... Guys?" Eda walked closer to the two until they finally noticed her.
"Edalyn!" Lilith examined. "You won't believe this! We were just melting some snow we found here and Raine just whispered and made the snow water to be tasty! And all that with changing the chemistry of the liquid with sound waves! Would you believe it? It's so fascinating, you've got to taste it!" She handed a cup of water to Eda.
"Yeah, Raine showed me that trick when we just met. It's cool." Eda approved and drank from the cup, but when she finished, Lilith and Raine were already using the fact that Eda opened the cave and walked out of it.
"Can you do it to every type of liquid?" Lilith asked Raine curiously.
"Yes, really everything! I know some more tricks, I'd be glad to show you them!"
"Dang Eda, you've done it again." Eda stood there with her arm crossed and smiled to herself proudly. Mission accomplished. Now the trio can finally get along together.
Unless...?
The day has passed, and Lilith and Eda had just arrived at school. They met Raine, that came running straight in Lilith's direction, and the two of them shared a little high five routine they came up with together at the cave yesterday.
"Wow, you're already sharing a–"
"–Lilith, you wouldn't believe what just happened in the Beast Keeping track!" Raine exclaimed enthusiastically.
"They have just..." They whispered in Lilith's ear and led her to see it by herself.
"Hey, wait! What happened there? Aren't you going to tell me? Raine?" Eda called them, but for nothing. Both Raine and Lilith were already far away from her, leaving Eda alone and confused. Well, Raine probably knows Eda well enough to know what they're showing to Lilith will probably won't interest her. At least that's what Eda told herself...
During lunch that day, Eda thought it'll be a great opportunity to test the trio. "So guys, guess what, I've discovered something today as well! And it's about principal Faust..." She came to sit next to Lilith and Raine, that were too busy to hear her. "You... You guys don't wanna hear some gossip about Fausty? It's very juicy." She moved closer to them so they'll have to notice her.
"Oh, sorry Edalyn. We just finished eating. It sounds great, maybe tell us next time?" Lilith and Raine picked up their traces and went to put them away.
"Y-Yeah, sure, whatever Lily," Eda replied, but of course, she was speaking only to the air, since the two of them were already gone.
She started to wonder what has possibly happened, but still couldn't believe anything. Maybe they were hungry so they ate faster? The trio will take a step forward real soon! At least she hoped so...
She tried to speak with them in the hallways later, but the two of them were deep in a conversation about... The history of the Abomination Coven? What's so interesting about that?
After that, when she tried to reach Lilith after class, her sister hurried to find Raine.
"Hey, Lily..." The end of the day came, and Eda tried to figure out why she and Raine didn't pay attention to her at all the entire day, but Lilith just hurried to pack her textbooks and head back home. "Sorry, Edalyn. I walked around with Raine the entire day that I didn't have my mind on studying, I have to go and recite all of my studies again, goodbye!"
If you thought it was only a matter of first-day excitement of a friendship, think again, because day after day, for an entire week, Lilith and Raine were an inseparable duo, besties even. Eda only tried to keep denying what was happening and prove to herself she just have bad timing and that is why she was being ignored by them for the entire week. But that was the moment she realized something was wrong.
"This stinks!" She thought to herself while swinging at the slayground in Bonesborough. "My bonding scheme worked too well that now they've forgotten me? Maybe things were better as they were before..." She mumbled, and at that moment a glowing light bulb lit upon her head. "...Maybe things were better as they were before." She repeated the sentence, now with a more confident and mischievous tone, as a new scheme was building up in her head.
She jumped off the swing and hurried back home to plan everything she needs.
If you want things to go back to the way they were, you must destroy them as they are now. A well-known method. So, Eda made a list of many possible plans to get Lilith and Raine to fight and separate.
Plan number 1: write a letter to Lilith, on behalf of Raine, and tell her how much they hate her and don't wish to be her friend anymore.
And so Eda has done - she picked up some rotten throne bouquet from the yard, write that letter and signed it as Raine, then placed them both in front of the house door.
Knock, knock, knocking on the Clawthorne family's door.
Gwendolyn opened it up, and saw the gift, addressed to Lilith. She hurried back inside to call her, "little sweet flea!"
"Not now, mother. I'm studying!" Lilith called back from her room.
"But someone left you a present!" Gwen insisted, and Lilith left her room eventually to take the bouquet of thorns that was left for her. "Again, seriously?" She sighed, and didn't even bother to read the letter before throwing it away, rejecting another offer, probably. Mission failed.
Plan number 2: get Raine to think Lilith lost her interest in them.
Same with Lilith, Eda wrote a letter for Raine on behalf of Lilith, telling them how much she doesn't really think they're cool. In the middle of class time, she slipped the envelope underneath the classroom door and ran.
At the end of the class, Raine packed their violin and noticed the letter. They picked it up and started reading it as they walked in the hallway, until a kid from the potion track who was probably running to fix something they did wrong with the solutions in his hand, bumped right into them. The potions stained the letter, so half of it was wet now. Raine got up and kept reading: "Raine, it was all just a show. Forget everything I've said. You're a terrible musician and a complete waste for the bard track or any other track. You're not interesting and..." At that point, the note was completely wet so they couldn't even recognize whom it was from.
"Huh, probably someone who's jealous of me." They tossed the letter to the trashcan and scored a perfect hit.
Well, if those two plans didn't work, it was time for Eda to go up a level.
The illusion plan:
At this point, Eda was willing to go as far as barbing some kid from the illusion track that if they'll create an illusion for her to look like Lilith, she'll get them an A+ on his next exam, and the deal was made.
The kid created the illusion, that made Eda's appearance look like Lilith, and she walked straight in Raine's direction. If it won't work in letters, it'll work face to face. But of course, when she approached Raine and was just a second from speaking to them, someone bumped into her and ruined the illusion. Eda ran away before Raine could notice anything and turned to her next plan.
The potion plan:
Maybe... Maybe she can brew a potion that'll make them hate each other?
Eda searched her potion textbook for something that might be resourceful, and found one!
"Okay, so a bit from that, and some from these..." She murmured as she added the required ingredients inside, but something was wrong... Boom!
The potion exploded in her face, and a small fire burned on a lock of her hair. She was covered in grey soot from the explosion. No wonder. She skipped most of the potion classes and barely listen in those she excelled in.
"Well, that certainly didn't work.." she murmured.
Maybe she should return to the first plans, the letters? Maybe... Of course! The lockers! Where else would be the perfect place to leave someone a letter but in their locker??? How did she not think of that before?
Eda wrote that same letter she wrote for Lilith on behalf of Raine before, but this time she inserted it into Lilith's locker.
"Hey Lilith," Eda called her. "I saw Raine putting something in your locker earlier, you should probably check it."
"Oh... Okay." Lilith shrugged and went to her locker to see what's it about. She noticed the letter and started reading it:
"Lilith, I'm sorry to inform you I was simply pretending to be your friend the entire time, only because Eda asked me to. I don't really find you interesting or cool, you're just a nerd to me, and I'm not interested in being your friend."
The whole thing seemed very suspicious to Lilith, so she walked toward Raine to figure it all out.
"Hey Raine, may I ask you something?" She came to them. "Sure, what's wrong?" Raine answered with a question.
"Edalyn told me she saw you sliding it to my locker," Lilith replied, and Raine took the note to their own hand to read it.
"What?!" They were surprised, "I most certainly didn't write that! Did you really think it was from me?" They asked in a doubtful tone.
"But why would Eda tell you that.." Raine didn't need to finish the question, as both of them already looked at each other with a shared realization.
"Eda…"
-"Eda…"
Eda, that was in the middle of placing a similar letter in Raine's locker, heard a cough from behind her - she was busted.
"Ehm, Eda..." Raine and Lilith stood behind her with their arms crossed. "Can you please explain to us what in the name of Titan are you doing, will you?" Lilith raised an eyebrow.
"Did you send Lilith this letter about me only pretending?" Raine asked to know.
"What??? Of course not! Why would you say that!" Eda tried to deny her act, but it didn't work since Lilith took the letter that Eda placed in Rain's locker.
"Maybe because you're doing the same thing now in Raine's locker?" She opened the letter.
"Writing a hate letter in my name? Edalyn, why would you do that? Are you trying to split us or something?" Lilith's voice sounded awfully disappointed.
Eda realized she has no way to twist it now. "Well, yes. I'm sorry. I did try to split you, but it's only because ever since you've become friends you completely abounded me! Raine, you said you wanted to bond with Lilith so we could all be an awesome trio together, and I really want it to happen, but when you two are together you never notice me! This entire week I've been trying to get your attention and nothing works." She sighed. "So I thought it would be nest if things will be back as they were before. And the best way for that to happen was to separate you two... It was foolish of me, I know."
Lilith and Raine looked at each other and then at Eda.
"Oh, wow... Well, I guess we did take it a bit too far." Lilith fixed her hair behind her ear, ashamed.
"We were so focused on our new friendship that we totally forgot the friend that set us together, and introduced us to each other." Raine agreed with Lilith.
"Yeah... That's one way of describing it." Eda agreed.
Raine and Lilith didn't respond, they glanced at each other for another moment, nodded, and then Raine walked away.
"Where are they going?" Eda asked, confused.
"Wait just a minute, Edalyn." Lilith signed her to wait patiently.
"So, as an apology for ignoring you and not paying attention to you the entire week..." Lilith began her sentence, and Raine returned just in time to complete it, "...We've got only one thing to say to you:"
"What?" Eda still didn't understand what was going on.
"Think fast!" Raine threw a grudgby ball at Eda quickly, and much to Eda's luck she has enough good instincts to catch it just in time.
"Wait, what's going on?" Now Eda was even more confused.
"Well, you were right. I really did want us all to be a united trio, and we kinda ruined it. So now we're here to fix everything we've done wrong and to officially start the Trio Against the Entire World, AKA… The TOES!" Raine exculted.
"Come on, Edalyn, are you down for a game of grudgby or what?" Lilith indicate her to come after them and the three ran together to the field outside.
"But seriously, Raine, we gotta find another name for that." Eda added while running.
And so, everyone lived their lives happily, la la la li lu yippy yay.
-The End-