For some reason, my hands keep brushing against my slightly swollen lower lip as a result of... I don't want to remember that embarrassing incident, but for some reason, my brain seems to be malfunctioning, replaying that event over and over.
Arghhh, darn it. Come on, Aurel, close your eyes and go to sleep. I roll over and try to hug the round hamster-shaped stuffed toy beside me. This stuffed toy was my last birthday gift from my father. Usually, when I'm restless, hugging this round toy helps calm me down. But something's different this time. Even though I've been counting time, minutes have passed, and Gray's memory still keeps spinning in my mind.
I try to take a deep breath and close my eyes, but the sound of the door opening makes me abandon my attempt to fall back asleep. I sit up slightly and look towards my half-open bedroom door, where Aunt Anna is gazing at me.
"Aunty thought yo
I truly couldn't believe that I was in the midst of the crowd that I had already imagined in my head."Jen, promise you won't ever leave me here," I said a bit loudly, as the annoyingly loud music seemed to be enjoyed by everyone except me."Hey, I would never leave you. Cross my heart," she replied, raising her five fingers to emphasize her point, which made me raise an eyebrow."What's with the look? You doubt that I'd risk the most precious thing in my life? My fingers, I mean. They're valuable because without them, I wouldn't be a famous violinist – that's my dream," she explained, which finally made me nod.Jeni pulled me further into the crowd, and we ended up in the backyard of Maudy's house, which I found to be quite spacious. I was sure that Maudy's family was wealthy, judging from the size of the house and the luxurious surroundings."Hey, I thought you wouldn't s
Oh God, what am I doing now? Standing in front of all these eyes focused on me, even my knees are trembling. But look at the girl standing right next to me, eagerly showing her excitement as if she's about to perform an interesting show for everyone. I scanned the faces of everyone in front of me, hoping to find Jeni, but she's still nowhere in sight."So, are you ready to lose to me?" Grace said with her confidence, giving Jace a mocking look. I could see the grin she directed at Jace, and her tongue occasionally moistened the small piece of metal that circled the corner of her bottom lip."You can shut your mouth, let's just prove it," Jace replied with determination."Alright, I guess you're ready. So, whoever loses in each gulp of the bottle will have to remove anything sticking to their body," Megan explained, making me look at her in surprise. I certainly needed an explanation—what kind of game was I getting
I'm sure that if before, people used to look at me with mocking gazes, I vividly remember how Maudy and the others stared at me with worried expressions. Now, I find myself scrutinizing the room I'm currently in. For some reason, the cold atmosphere pierces my skin, and it feels eerily quiet. I attempt to examine every object around me, and there's only me in this dark-themed room, yet I feel as if someone is watching me until the sound of the door interrupts my thoughts.I haven't even had a chance to think about anything when Rex appears concerned and rushes over to me. He reaches out his hand and sighs, looking at my face, "Are you okay?" That's the first question that comes out of Rex's mouth, and I can only nod, looking at Rex with questioning eyes. Why is he here? The answer seems to come when I see Miss Brenda entering after Rex, is this her house?"Brenda called me earlier. She said you're at her house," Rex continues, drawing my attention back to him. I don't even know how to
I can only clutch my chest tightly, feeling like I want to rip this damn heart out to stop it from pounding painfully. Seeing the woman with her trembling body in front of everyone who's mocking her... damn it. What do I really want? Wasn't embarrassing her and teaching her a lesson my own idea? But what I'm feeling right now makes me clench my jaw even harder. Especially when she returns my gaze that I haven't been able to let go of since the beginning. The look of fear and helplessness, which oddly makes me want to obliterate those people staring at her with scorn, just like they've always done to me.She jumps in surprise again as her friend loses in the game they were playing. The crowd erupts in cheers, making her appear even more trembling. Everyone's giving her intimidating looks, urging her to remove the clothes clinging to her petite body. A frail body that I could easily crush with a little effort.She looks like she's holding back tears, her trembling hands reaching for the
I had just dozed off when the ringing of my phone interrupted my sleep. Feeling extremely lazy, I stretched my hand to reach for the flat object and opened a message from Maudy."Open our swimming group chat, I just added you to it."Maudy's short message fully woke me up, and I began to sit up, checking other messages. There was a new group called "NYHS Swimmers," as Maudy had mentioned. Besides that, there were messages from Aunt Anna and Rex. First, I had to reply to Aunt Anna's message, then to Rex, before checking the announcement that Maudy had added to the group."This evening we will have our usual practice. Everyone should come without accepting any excuses for absence."Maudy's command message left me speechless. I had planned to spend the entire day in my room, but it seemed like everything would fail. I couldn't possibly miss the first meeting at my new club. I decided to clean myself up and have lunch as Aunt Anna had instructed in her message. Right now, I was alone at h
"Aren't you heading home?" His question startles me as I step out of the changing room. He's leaning against the doorway, looking at me with an unbelievably calm expression. When did he even get there, I wonder.I decide to continue walking, choosing to ignore his question. I really don't want to deal with a Grey who seems to be consistently present around me since I set foot in this school. In fact, even before that—remembering our unpleasant first encounter and his reputation as a troublemaker, it's no wonder people have nicknamed him "Grey," a name that seems to stick easily to someone with those stormy gray eyes of his. It's not just me who's coined that nickname, even Jeni refers to him as that. Especially within their circle, known for being the school's infamous mischief-makers. I don't want any part in their antics, especially not the one who leads them.I'm about to reach for my phone when suddenly Grey pulls me away, muffling my mouth so I can't protest. He guides me behind
We've just entered Gray's house when everyone inside looks at us with surprise. Miss Brenda, Mr. Lauv, and a few others I don't recognize are there. The curious stares from the five people make me uncomfortable. While I'm used to Gray's presence, I haven't interacted much with others, especially in this setting."Aurel, are you with Gray?" Miss Brenda asks, clearly intrigued by our unexpected presence together."Yeah, Miss. I mean, we accidentally ran into each other at school," I reply, still feeling uneasy under the scrutiny of the five pairs of eyes, three of which belong to unfamiliar students from my school."Is that so?" Miss Brenda glances towards Gray, who remains impassive."I was actually on my way home, but then I received a call from Rex. He told me not to come home for a while, as something is going on in our neighborhood," I explain, trying to provide a reasonable explanation without revealing too much."Ah, yes, Rex. I heard about it. That's a good reason to bring you h
I immediately descended the stairs to rejoin Brenda and the others; this was truly unexpected for me and the rest of them."Has Aurel rested?" Brenda asked as I approached."Yes, she's resting comfortably. I made sure of it. So, what happened?" I inquired, with Lauv moving closer."Something went wrong, which led the Ogres to come into the human dimension," Lauv explained, causing me to chuckle mockingly."What's wrong with those Hunters? Can't they handle protecting the Regnum?" I quipped, followed by laughter from Thunder and Simon."Did they manage to sort everything out?" I wasn't sure if the Hunters could easily recapture the escaped Ogres. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if I wasn't at the pool with Aurel; she would have been terrified seeing those rampaging monsters. I had sensed that something was amiss beforehand, which led me to search for Aura's whereabouts— that's all that crossed my mind."And unfortunately, all the Ogres have been dealt with. It seems they we