The FORBITTEN Promise

Chapter 2 - Charles

Lilith still looks the same as I remembered her ten years ago. Her pale skin, reddish-brown eyes, and her long eyelashes, that seem to cast downward. Her hair was long, to her lower back, and wavy and in a low ponytail. What surprises me is the dark circles under her eyes and that she dyed her hair black instead of keeping it dark brown. She was wearing a black sweater and despite the cold, she had it unzipped and her sleeves up to her forearms. She was wearing a black collar shirt with only three buttons, the first two were unbutton showing her pale throat and a gold chain that went around her neck twice, she was also wearing black jeans and black boots.

She looks the same but I can tell she’s different, I remembered her as a shy, small, and fragile girl that use to get picked on but now... She walks with her back straight, with confidence, there’s a look in her eyes that seems to make her fierce and scary but also very kind and caring. Her body language seems to show someone that is laid back but I can feel that under that is someone that is ready for a fight. What I see in front of me is a fighter.

“Wow.” she said walking down the one red step into the rain with my schedule in her hand. “Okay, um…” she looked at me with her reddish-brown eyes then they seem to have darkened a degree. God, her eyes… “Charles, right?” I nod my head. Her voice, just saying my name sends my heart racing and this scent that is raiding off of her makes my teeth throbbing with pain. “It looks like we’re going to be classmates for every class on your schedule.”

Lilith would be surprised at my class schedule. But why wouldn’t she? I made sure I have every class with her. I want to spend every chance with her and see how much she changed over the last ten years.

“Is that bad?” I asked. She took a deep breath through her nose and from where I was standing I can see the pulse on her neck had started to speed up. She cleared her throat.

“No, I was just stating a fact.” She said, giving me a lopsided smile that sends my heart racing faster.

The rain was falling heavily soaking her face, hair and sweater. The raindrops fell upon her face sliding down to her chin and sliding down her throat and disappearing under her collar shirt. She took her cell phone out and looked at it.

“Well, let’s go.” she said putting her cell phone away in her pocket. “Class is starting soon, so let me show you the way.”

            I walked down one small red step and followed her towards the building in the middle of the school. I was walking just behind her on her left when I found a perfect view of the back of her neck. I couldn’t help it, I kept looking at the spot where I saw a pulse beating, slow-ing I kept moving closer and closer until I was almost right behind her then I smelled her shampoo, I took a deep breath through my nose. Coconut. All I want to do is wrap my arms around her and burying my face in her hair and neck and make her mine. I took a step back when she raised her hand to her neck and started rubbing at the spot where I was staring at.

“Lilith, you okay?” I asked.

“What?” she asked and looked at me with her hand still rubbing her neck. I nodded my head towards her hand.

“You okay?” I asked again.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” She said, but I can tell she was lying then she looked at me, with a shocked look in her eyes. “How do you know my name? I didn’t tell you.”

“The teacher said you’re name when he called you over.” I said. Lilith was quiet for a second.

“Oh, yeah.” She said. “He did.” She mumbles looking a little embarrass.

I kept looking at her while we walked up the stairs to the building then my mind went to that boy named, Anthony. What’s their relationship? My body became tense and I can feel a gr-owl wanting to come out of my throat, as I remembered that they smelled alike, almost the same but different. What is their relationship?

 “So,” I began. We were in the building going up another flight of stairs when she stopped, turned around, and looked at me. Then the bell rang. But, she stood there looking at me. I stared at her confused. “Shouldn’t we get to class?” I asked. She turned her head to the side, like the way a dog would, making the raindrops slide over a beating pulse, down her neck. I swallowed hard. “Lilith?”

“You sounded angry.” She said. I stood there looking at her for a while.

“I don’t sound angry.” I said.

“Yeah, you did. When you said ‘So.’ You angry about something?”

“How do you know I was angry?” I asked and she looked a bit surprised.

“I-It was the tone you were using.” She said.

“No, I wasn’t. I just felt a bit… awkward because I wanted to know what your relationship is with that guy… Anthony?” I half lied. I want to know who that Anthony person is to you! Her cheeks seemed to turn pink. So they are together!

“Why? You’re interested in me?” she asked. I opened my mouth and nothing came out, except air. I was caught off guard by the question. “Well, if you are then stop. I know what will happen to you if you continue being into me and I know too well what will happen to me.” I felt anger and sorrow pass through her.

But the look in her eyes made my blood boil and I can feel a growl in my throat wanting to come out but I swallowed it down. Who would dare make her feel this way? This pain that’s in her eyes? I’ll kill him with my bare hands if it’s the last I’ll do! She turned and was about to continue going up the stairs when she turned around and gave me my schedule. I took it, but she didn’t let go of the paper. I looked up at her.

“My relationship with Anthony is, that, he’s my brother.” Then she let go of my paper and went up the stairs by two. She stopped at the top and looked down at me. “Well, you coming?” She asked, then turned to her right and walked down the hall.

I went up the stairs by two, feeling happy. That’s what it is, their scent, they’re siblings! She was already standing in front of a door down the hall. I quickly walked to where she was at. She opened the door and walked in, I followed.

“Miss Lopez, how nice of you to join us. You do know class started five minutes ago?” said the lady that was standing behind her desk, I looked at my paper. Aguirre.

Ms. Aguirre was short about as short as Lilith. She had wavy dark blond sandy hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a black collar button-down shirt with black pants.

“Sorry, Miss.” Lilith said smiling. “Mr. Bautista, called me to the office when I was on my way here and asked me to bring the new student to the first period.” She nodded at me and walked to a table that was put into a square by four tables in front of a window then she sat.

On her right was a colored girl, with rectangular glass, and across from her, also on her right, was also another girl. I turned towards Aguirre and gave her my paper. She signed it and looked at it then at me.

“Blackthorn. Not from around here are you?” Ms. Aguirre asked.

I shook my head. “Just moved, but I’ll probably be here for only a few weeks or a month or two.” I said.

“Well, Mr. Blackthorn hope you enjoy staying here.” Then she looked at the class. “You can sit next to –”

“Is it okay, if I sit across from Lilith?” I asked. At that moment, I felt my back tingle. I turned around and saw Lilith staring at me with a black pen hanging from her opened mouth, a book in her left hand, and in front of her was her notebook and what it seemed was that she was just about to turn a page.

“Hmm, sure.” Aguirre said, sitting in her chair, she gave me back my schedule and a book. Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. “This is the book we’ve just started reading, we’ve only gotten up chapter 5, so read to wherever you stop at, at the end of the class. If you have any questions ask the people in your group, if you have questions they don’t know then ask me.” I nodded my head and walked towards the seat across from Lilith and sat.