Page 19 of The Scars Within (Twisted Thorn #1)

I wish I could say that once my father realized who I was, I had my shining moment that I’ve dreamt of. But, once again, he bailed. Captain Thorne said nothing when I announced my full name. He just turned and stormed off back into the college.

Looks like people never change.

My friends and I grabbed our lunch trays and quietly escaped the Bolthole. No one seemed to notice as we slipped out of the cafeteria.

Laney had definitely spruced up the place.

She’d scavenged a couple of broken benches from a utility closet–which she for sure wasn’t supposed to be browsing– and asked Cleo to wrap vines around the legs to strengthen them.

Cleo hadn’t just revived the bushes in the corners; she’d added flowers along the edges and draped hanging ivy over the open-air ceiling, transforming the space into something magical.

It really had become our cozy little hangout.

Our Bolthole.

I started laughing at the thought, and Laney asked, “And what in the elements is so funny?”

I shook my head. “Nothing. Nothing at all. It’s just been a long morning. ”

“Yeah, that class was brutal. Why would the Captain single you out like that?” Tatum asked.

I realized then that even though I had shared the story of my parentage, I hadn’t actually revealed who my father was—or that he walked the halls of this castle. But before I could speak up, Laney did it for me.

“That was Captain Thorne, Tatum. Connect the dots.”

Tatum paused, a potato stick halfway to her mouth, her eyes wide. “I didn’t think to look at his nametag. He’s your father?”

I nodded but kept my gaze fixed on my tray.

Laney’s voice was the calmest I had ever heard it. “I suspected when he chose you from the group, but I was hoping I was wrong.”

“He doesn’t know who I am,” I admitted quietly.

My friends didn’t ask any more questions on the subject, though I was sure they had plenty. We sat in peaceful silence for a moment before I decided not to let my pitiful life story dampen the mood around us.

I pinky promised.

“Cleo, how are earth-wielding classes going?” I asked.

She took the hint to change the topic. “They’re great! I’m learning so much from Yearwood. He’s a really cool teacher. You know—apparently, advanced earth wielders have a unique bond with animals.”

We all raised our brows, intrigued. She continued, “Yeah, it sounds amazing. You don’t actually communicate with animals, but you connect with them on a deeper level. Yearwood even called a family of deer to our class today, and he was able to sense their emotions and relay them to us.”

“That is literally the coolest thing ever! Cece, remind me where you’re from? My parents asked about my roommates in their latest letter, and I realized I hadn’t asked you yet,” Laney said.

Cleo paused, contemplating her answer before finally responding, “We’re from a tiny village way down south—the closest one to the edge of the continent.”

“Oh, so you’re from the coast too?” Laney inquired.

“No,” Cleo corrected her. “The southern border isn’t a line of beaches like the west; it’s just a cliff’s edge. My family packed up and moved to a town between Dorlvar and Mageia once I received my acceptance letter. I’m the first in my family to be accepted into the war college.”

“Wow, congratulations!” Laney cheered.

Since channeling her element, Cleo had truly broken out of her introverted shell. I’m proud of her. On initiation day, she barely spoke. Cleo is just extremely shy at first. Like me, but it’s not that I’m shy; I just don’t want to be conversed with.

Cleo had been talking more when we were all back in our bedchamber at night, sharing stories about her classes.

She was also starting to make friends among the first-years who channeled the earth element.

Meanwhile, Laney, Tatum, and I had yet to channel any element, with less than three weeks left until the Burn Trials.

After we returned our trays to the cafeteria staff, I decided a cold brew would be a nice treat after what happened in Intro to Air Wielding.

I told my friends I’d meet them in the hall and headed to the espresso station.

Walking through the swinging door, I looked up and caught eyes with a conflicted storm.

Rhodes was leaning back on the counter, sipping an afternoon coffee. He lowered the mug from his lips and said, “Thorne.”

“Wylder.”

“Call me Rhodes,” he said.

I paused. “But you just called me Thorne.”

“Yeah, but that’s an accurate name to call you.”

I knitted my brows and crossed my arms over my chest. “And why is that?”

“Because you’re a thorn in my side.” He drawled out his response and took another sip of his coffee .

“Yeah? Well, you’re wilder than a…” I trailed off, realizing I didn’t have a good comeback.

“Than a what?” Amusement flickered across his face.

“You’re just wild,” I stuttered.

“I think you have me confused with my brother,” he said coolly, breaking my gaze.

He lifted himself from the counter and slowly walked towards me.

The tension growing with every step he took until cashmere sandalwood and vanilla consumed me.

Rhodes lifted a hand and brushed a tendril of hair behind my ear.

We stood in silence for a moment, his expression unreadable.

He broke our gaze and looked down at my ridiculous outfit of the day. One side of his lips started to curl up until it stopped suddenly. He reached for the end of the belt tied around my waist like a rope and examined the leather.

Confused, I looked down to see a ‘W’ imprinted into the leather. That’s when it hit me. He realized I was dressed head-to-toe in his brother’s clothes. He dropped the belt.

I could see the assumption written across his face. A muscle in his jaw ticked. He looked like he was about to say something but didn’t. Rhodes walked right past me without a word, letting the swinging door almost hit me on his way out.

I poured myself a cold brew into my thermos to avoid worrying about returning the glass later. It was sweeter than my usual brew but refreshing—exactly what I needed.

The four of us made it to Intro to Earth Wielding on time, and I was surprisingly excited to see what a full class was like, as I had missed most of it last week.

Cleo had informed me that our instructor’s name was Yearwood.

It is his first year at Mageia, and he is much younger than the other professors we have met so far.

Professor Yearwood stood in a bare area to the left of the enclosed space, waving us down.

As we gathered, I could see how young he truly looked.

He was of medium height and build, with tanned skin suggesting he spent most of his time outdoors.

His brown hair was trimmed short, though not as short as Shayde’s.

The sunlight hit his features in a flattering way, highlighting his attractiveness.

He is not much older than we are. I need to stop staring.

He cleared his throat, and the cadets, especially the females, fell silent quickly. “Welcome back,” he said. “Can I have the earth elementals come forward, please?”

Cleo and four other cadets joined him at the front. The girl standing next to Cleo had googly eyes for Yearwood, the size of dragon eggs. She stood so close to him that they would brush shoulders if he stepped back an inch.

“Today, you will watch some exercises that your fellow cadets have been practicing over the past week, and then you will have the chance to try it out for yourselves.”

We watched the five elementals showcase their new skills for the next thirty minutes.

Cleo was already the most skilled among them.

They demonstrated lifting dirt and stone walls from the ground as shields and turning long weeds into thick vines strong enough to bind an opponent’s hands and feet.

Cleo did more than that; she completely lassoed another cadet, sending vines to wrap around his entire body with his arms stuck to his sides.

He was so stunned that he fell over, and Cleo sent more vines to tie his knees together.

Badass.

Once their demonstrations were done, Professor Yearwood called over another group of first-years to join us.

Each professor gave their class the opportunity to be the first to spar against each other.

Feeling like I needed to make up for the terrible morning and refusing to go back on my pinky promise with Shayde, I stepped up first .

Professor Yearwood grinned when he saw me volunteer and slowly clapped his hands. “Looks like we have a duel.”

The professors gave Hugh, my opponent, and me pointers on what to do and what was off-limits and showed us the area to stay within.

We shook hands and retreated to opposite sides of the makeshift ring.

We were allowed to run through the thin forest, but that was all.

It seemed like a fair duel since neither of us had channeled an element yet.

Yearwood counted us down, and I bolted into the trees as soon as the match began, using my swiftness against Hugh. He stands a few inches taller than me but is built very stocky, so I presume he isn’t one for running.

I wove through the trees in a zigzag pattern to throw him off my trail. My presumption was correct—he is not a runner. He let out a loud growl once he realized I was turning this duel into a cardio challenge.

With Hugh at least ten feet behind me, I tried to channel the earth element. Mimicking Cleo’s demonstration, I held my hand over a root and swung my arm back, hoping to pull it up. Nothing happened. I tried reaching up to the branches and swinging my arm toward Hugh—still nothing.

My failed attempts cost me. Hugh was gaining on me, and we were nearing the boundary of the allowed space. I took a risk, jarring myself backward towards Hugh in a sharp curve, hoping he would struggle to follow.

I succeeded.

Hugh’s face showed shock as I changed direction so quickly. I glanced back to see him bent over, hands on his knees, catching his breath. My classmates cheered for me.

A smile broke across my face. Finally, I was close to a win today .

I stopped running and faced Hugh. He had slowly caught back up, and we stood about twenty feet apart.

It was quiet, with only the soft breeze rustling the leaves.

We faced off. My lungs burned, reminding me I was out of shape.

But I was channeling the heroine’s spirit in my current read, so I hadn’t noticed the sting in my chest until now.

Hugh glared at me, his chest heaving, hands fisted by his sides. He tried the same technique I did, hovering his hand above a tree root and slinging it towards me. It didn’t work. I let out a cocky laugh under my breath.

I bolted towards Hugh. His eyes widened, probably wondering what the hell I was doing.

During our standoff, I noticed a sturdy tree limb hanging at the perfect height and distance from Hugh.

Once close enough, I leaped to grab the limb and swung my body forward, boots aimed at Hugh’s chest. Instinctively, he threw his hands up to parry my kick.

And then, the earth element sprang to life.

His double-hand movement ripped tree roots from the ground beneath me, tying them around my middle and yanking me down.

The impact knocked the remaining air from my lungs.

I gasped for breath, seeing bright lights under my eyelids.

The roots unraveled from my body, and I heard Hugh’s boots stomping toward me.

He lowered himself over me, probably asking if I was okay or apologizing.

I couldn’t be sure—my eyes were open, but everything was blurry.

I felt arms wrap under my neck and legs. The earthy pine aroma gave away who carried me back to the class. Professor Yearwood set me down on the soft grass, and my friends pushed him aside to check on me. My breath evened out, and my eyesight returned to normal.

“What an incredible duel!” proclaimed the professor of the second group. “It looks like we have ourselves a new earth elemental!” He raised one of Hugh’s arms high in the air.

Once the cheering died down and the professors dismissed class early, I laid back on the ground, soaking in the wide range of emotions I have felt today. Out of all of the bullshit that has happened today, I can only be certain of one thing.

I am tired of being knocked down.

You are meant for more.

After a few deep breaths, I stood and shook the dirt from my back. I looked up to see my friends speaking to Professor Yearwood and Hugh approaching me.

“Hey, um… I just wanted to apologize. That looked like it hurt like hell,” he said sincerely.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said.

“Truly, I didn’t mean to force you down that hard. But to be honest, you scared the shit out of me,” he laughed nervously.

“I did?”

“Yeah! I had no idea what I was going to do once the duel began, but you… you had an actual battle strategy. That was intimidating, to say the least.”

I never expected an apology and a compliment from Hugh. I guess this should teach me to never judge a book by its cover. I sensed no jealousy, no misogynistic vibes from Hugh. I reached my hand out to him.

“Congratulations on the element,” I said.

He looked puzzled, as if he expected me to lash out, but he shook my hand and grinned, respect blossoming from the gesture.

As Hugh walked away, Yearwood and my friends made their way over to me. Professor Yearwood slowly clapped his hands as a wicked smile spread across his face.

“We have a fighter among us,” he said.