Tangled

Unshift 237

Unshift 237

237 Ava: Wrung Dry

By the time we exit the training room, Vanessa and Marcus have to hold me up to walk in a straight line. <

It isn't the type of exhaustion where my muscles are sore and stretched and tired after running or doing a thousand squats. It's more like the energy in my body has bled away, leaving me so weak that my muscles can no longer function properly.

When exercising, you can kind of feel good about your exertion. The pain and exhaustion comes with a sense of accomplishment.

This?

It just feels like I'm a wet dish rag wrung out one too many times.

The water's gone, and now I'm going to float away on the next strong breeze.

Ava! Where did you go?

Selene's panic is so explosive in my head that my legs buckle, even with the support of two shifters.

Long story. Training room. Magic place. My body's dead. Training sucks.

Even in my head, I can only speak in short sentences. It feels fuzzy and also like something's slamming into it with a sledgehammer, fueled by the rage of a thousand flying monkeys.

Not sure where the flying monkeys came from, but I'm just going to go with it.

Are you okay? she asks, and the warmth and care from her side of the bond also seems to infuse me with a little bit of extra energy.

Like having a parent who's panicked after they wake up in the middle of the night to see their child gone; someone who cares about me. I need food. And sleep, I tell her.

says, peering at my face. "Does it hurt to speak with your

head jerks up. "What? No.

sorry. You just

that," Vanessa says, sounding

nods, despite

years of experience, I mutter, wishing I had the strength to shove the both

comfortable making fun of me for such a lowly

had the time. I'd love to pick it apart. Especially you, Ava Grey, to have a wolf outside of your body, like the Lycans of old. And vest chefe a mere dog

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237 Ava Whung Dry

at me under a microscope, Selene says, and I can feel her internal shudder from my end of

with his line of interest, because she interrupts him to ask,

her full name? You almost always call her 'Ava

to the dining room as we talk. "It is a bit of a custom among the Fac. We don't have a first and last name as you humans do, you see. We do have a family

your identity?" I ask with a frown, as Vanessa and Marcus help settle me into a chair. With a wave of his hand, Magister Orion

of meat. I've learned since coming here that Fac food doesn't always have a particular corresponding animal to the ones we are used to in our world; for example, their steaks might be from a giant carnivorous beast that they hunt, or an herbivore similar to a cow. Some of them are even from

and-most importantly-have no magic in

I haven't told him the entire story of Sister Miriam and the Fac food. I'm still not certain on

and I give her a smile when she catches my eye. Everything on the table is food I've had before and enjoyed; I'm

Magister Orion

realizes how exhausted I

onto my plate, Magister Orion finally responds to my question. "Your identity is not defined by your family. Even when one is disowned,

talking about my family dynamics, but I still feel like I've been put on display for a moment, a spotlight aimed right at all my

question makes