Chapter 3

“Hey! You finally put on the keychain I gave you!” Alex said excitedly as he saw the keychain hanging on her zipper. Siana turned around to look at him and then realized what he was talking about once she looked at her bag. 

“Oh yeah, the other one broke so I put this one on. You gave me a gift for my 18th birthday but I never really used it. And you being you kept nagging me about it, so here you go, I’m using it now mister.” Siana said in an annoyed but joking tone which made Alex laugh again. 

“Well I’m glad, you finally learnt to use presents.”

“Okay bye now!” She said as she turned around again and waved him goodbye. 

“Bye…” His eyes focused on the keychain as he saw her walk outside and disappear into the distance. 

“Did everything go well, babe?” Chloe walked towards him and locked her arm with him. She had been waiting for him and was standing with some of her friends on the other side of the room. 

“Yes it did and she likes you a lot.” A smile took over his face as he talked to her. His arm was now wrapped around her slim waist as he looked deeply into her eyes while talking to her. 

“That’s great! And see I told you I wasn’t at fault for that whole thing. It was all Lilia’s doing. She hated how close you are to her and was annoyed more when I didn’t mind it. So she threw a fit and made a scene about such a small thing…” She looked at Alex with apologetic eyes for she knew how badly she had messed up by letting this situation get so far. 

Lilia had been friends with her for a long time and was worried for her best friend so she acted on her own. However, she wasn’t fully aware of the situation and the bond that Siana and Alex shared. 

Since, Chloe and Alex had been dating for more than a year now, she knew very well about the relationship that Alex and Siana shared. She had even met up with her a few times and both had become good friends now. She wasn’t jealous of her because Alex had told her about their past and how long they went back in the past. Over time, she understood very well about her and wanted to help and protect her as well. 

“I know baby…I was just worried and yes you really need to make Lilia understand this situation or leave a friend like that who likes to put others down…” Alex knew very well how heavy those words were and didn’t want to pressure Chloe into doing anything. 

“Yeah, I know. I was gonna have a talk with her anyways so might as well now.” Chloe replied with a smile on her face, a sad one for she didn’t want to lose a friend.

“Alright.” Alex patted her head and wrapped his arm around her again. 

“I know she’s a very important person to you baby, I would never do anything to hurt her okay.” She rested her head on his shoulder as made a pout. 

“I know, baby. I promise I’m never going to doubt you about that.” Alex held her closer. 

They both had wrapped their one arm around each other, their eyes towards the door in the direction that Siana had walked in. Mysterious energy filled their eyes as they stared into the distance. 

“So should we go on a date?” Alex asked as he pulled his eyes towards her after a long pause.

“Yes!” He got an enthusiastic reply from her. “You’re buying me cake today.” She wrapped her arms around his arm and smiled brightly as she looked at him. 

*

Siana was in her heaven for it was really peaceful in the library as always; she sat among several books. At the back of the library, she was in the middle of two bookshelves, sitting on the floor. 

A cushion in her lap where she rested the book, her eyes fixed on the book- lost in an imaginary world of her own. Her legs were reaching towards the shelf in front of her, but still some distance there because of how short she was. Her bag was kept beside her and placed against the shelf. 

Her heart felt at peace as she dived deeper into a book and escaped the realities of this cruel world. It was her favorite place to be because here she could forget her past, all the loud noises of the outer world, and all the problems that awaited her outside of those four walls. 

The book she was reading was one of her favorites and it explained the story of a girl known as the princess of silence and included a poem that told her life story. 

~A girl so happy yet so silent 

Her heart pure like the snow 

So afraid she was of people 

And yet she loved a boy 

He was as charming as a prince 

And lit up her world in diamonds 

She was the happiest she had ever been 

But a flower always dies 

Turned out he was a demon 

The princess he now held captive  

A high tower in the mountains 

Her heart closed down in darkness 

Now she hates him... 

No escape left, all went quiet 

The princess in the mountains  

They say her ghost now hates silence 

The prince that was a demon 

He was never seen in the forest.~

The book pages had some teardrops on them for, by the end of the poem, Siana’s eyes were covered in tears. Her mind was filled with questions after she finished it. She couldn’t understand how a person could get so cruel and hold a princess captive like that; how could one betray someone like that in the name of love? Siana wondered how this world could be so evil towards someone so innocent. 

Siana felt weirdly attached to that poem because of how much she could relate to it, she felt as if the poem described her life story; how she was treated so cruelly by the world, and how people had betrayed her in the name of love. The only difference was that she had not yet met a demon who would ruin her life completely and she prayed that it would never happen. 

“Excuse me…” 

Siana flinched as she heard that voice cause she never expected anyone to talk to her, let alone come near that area for it was the older and emptier section of the library. 

That voice snapped her back to the reality that she was trying so hard to escape. A panic took over her for she had never encountered any such situation, she had always been alone in the library and always hid well among the various shelves filled with books. 

Siana slowly looked up from her book, towards that voice. In front of her was a guy, blond hair falling softly onto his forehead, hiding his green eyes away from people but still visible if seen closely. He had squatted in front of Siana, a worried expression covering his face as he looked at her. 

He wore a plain white shirt with blue jeans, a book in one hand, and a handkerchief in the other; it was extended towards Siana. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, moving closer to look at her face. 

Siana flinched at the action for she had not expected him to come so close and moved away in reflex. She was unable to understand the situation and thus didn’t know how to react. The shock she was feeling was stopping her from doing anything or replying to him. 

A part of her wanted to run away and hide somewhere for she was going against her rules, she was discovered by someone and that too while crying; that was the last thing she wanted for herself. There was also a part of her that wanted to stay and see what happened. 

Siana froze and didn’t say anything, she just looked at him as he tried to talk to her with a worried expression. It was weird to see someone worry so much about her for she had never experienced that before. No one except for Alex had ever seen her cry or worried so much about her. 

His green eyes, she could see them very clearly cause of how close he was and they intrigued her as if casting a spell on her. A spell that made her want to stay there and talk to him and know what he wanted and why he was so worried…they seemed to control her mind…