My Secret, My Bully, My Mates

We walk inside to a grand entrance and I am immediately wrapped in a hug. I can't see anything around the soft material covering my whole head, burying my face in a chest.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you. I thought we were all going to go crazy not being able to check in or see you at all this summer."

Xander releases me from the stranglehold he has on me and holds me out at arms distance, giving me a once over clearly checking for lasting damage.

"Xander, I'm okay." I pat his arm awkwardly, his tight grip on my shoulders making it difficult to do anything. "I promise Doc Sylvia and Doc Ganon patched me up and cleared me for training."

and drags me off without a word to anyone around us. I guess he's my tour guide now. We traipse through the main halfway that could easily fit hundreds of people, like a banquet hall. But got no better look at it before he had me flying up the grand set of stairs to the balcony overlook. Just when I thought he was going to stop and show me something exciting he turned another corner and started down a hallway that was dimmer than the entryway. We flew past doors and I thanked the Goddess for my endurance, no mere mortal would have been able to keep up

are we going, Xander? Are you trying to rip my arm off?" I went for a joke to see if I could

to get away from someone, he dodged in and out of hallways and doorways, up stairways and

around and grabs my shoulders again. "Who hurt you, Skylar? We

I will answer to a demand like that? No friend asks a question like that. You have been hanging around Cameron, Dakota and Oliver a little too long, I think." I'm angry now. I was so excited to see my friend and the first thing he thought to ask me is who attacked me over a month ago, he's just as

and I at that moment. I don't want to do this here. I'm a new me, I'm away from all of that for just a little while. I want to pretend that the whole situation doesn't exist. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm my nerves and bring back my patience. He has been with