Kysenia

2

Daniel hadn’t been able to get Kysenia out of his head, so the next day he was determined to find her on campus. He searched the halls and faculties everywhere asking people as he went. Strange thing was when he asked anyone they all looked at him terrified and walked away.

“Geeze…what is it with this chick?” He thought to himself giving up and heading to the cafeteria to meet up with his mates from the football team.

As he rounded a corner he finally caught sight of her his breath catching in his throat.

Her rich auburn hair, like the colour of autumnal maple leaves, was tied up in a high ponytail, streaming out in the breeze, along with her robes like a beacon as she was standing in the shade under a tree. Her minders didn’t seem to be anywhere in sight. He stared at her, looking at her side profile. She was standing completely still with her eyes closed and her head bowed slightly, like she was listening to something. The long strands of hair that she had loose framing her face were blowing wildly in the gusty breeze.

His finally remembered to breathe as he unconsciously gripped his fist around his shirt over his heart, she looked so beautifully morose it made his heart hurt. Why did she look so sad? And why did she look so alone?

Well, he was the man for the job, he wasn’t known at his old high school back home as ‘Hugger’ for nothing. He set his jaw determined and walked out quickly onto the grass area, before he changed his mind. He walked straight up to her on an angle that put him just behind her right shoulder and wrapped her in a big embrace.

“Free hug.” He said hoarsely as his voice caught in his throat, surprising and embarrassing him. He coughed indelicately.

He felt her tense against him and her head snapped up, her eyes flying open. He suddenly became aware of her minders standing on either side of them.

“Oh s**t…” He muttered. Where the hell did they appear from?

“Get your filthy hands off the Master!” One minder growled. Daniel was surprised how guttural and animalistic it sounded.

Kysenia held up a hand to her minders and they stared at her in surprise as Daniel dropped his arms and stepped away suddenly ashamed and a little afraid.

Kysenia turned and regarded him intensely, her pale jade green eyes almost seemed to glow.

“Daniel, right?” She scrutinised him, she hadn’t heard or felt his approach. Now that’s intriguing…

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck nervously, his cheeks flaming. “Ah, yeah…you remembered.”

Kysenia smiled. “How could I forget…?”

This made Daniel’s eyes snap to hers with a dark intense inquiry in them.

“Why did you do that?” Kysenia asked, her eyes impaling him with their coldness.

“I saw you standing alone…you looked…” His voice faltered under the scrutiny of her minders with their death stares, their arms folded.

“Looked what?” Kysenia looked amused now, which made Daniel frown and feel self-conscious.

“Sad…you looked sad…” He blurted out. “I’ve always been a ‘free hugs’ kind of guy, you know, so just thought…” Again he faltered in his words and looked at the ground.

“You thought I looked like I needed a hug?” She said clearly amused and intrigued by him, there was something different about him…something…special.

“Yeah…look, I’m sorry if I’ve crossed some sort of line…I’m new here…”

“Not at all.” Kysenia said surprising him and her minders. He looked up and met her gaze. Her pale green eyes seemed to dance with a strange merriment.

Just then his friends came round the corner and froze. Kysenia looked over at them. “Are they your friends?”

Daniel looked over his shoulder and waved with a smile. “Yeah, my team mates.”

“Bring them over.” Kysenia said and one minder bowed his head.

“Yes, Master.” He walked off and spoke to the boys and they nervously walked back with him to about four yards away.

Kysenia regarded each of them for a moment, then turned back to Daniel. He had been staring at her unable to look away the whole time but quickly dropped his gaze when hers swept back to him.

“You interest me greatly, Daniel Hampshire. To do what you did with no thought to yourself…”

“Look, I’m sorry.” He looked back at her, a little fire in his eyes as he awkwardly just wished he could leave this was starting to get humiliating.

Kysenia beamed an amazing smile at him. He couldn’t believe this girl could be as beautiful as she was as he was once again holding his breath.

“Don’t apologise for being yourself…you’re a very rare individual, I wonder if you realise how rare…you can hug me anytime you like.”

Daniel flushed but his eyes fixed on her as he heard his friends all gasp in shock, as well as her minders.

She smiled sweetly at him then turned and walked away, her minders dropping in behind her with one last intimidating glance back at him.

.

Once it was decided that the ice queen was a safe enough distance away Daniel’s friends descended on him. “Oh my god!” “Mate!” “s**t, what the hell is going on?” They all shouted at him at once.

Daniel laughed, his confidence returning as his friends worshipped him. “I...ah...well, I just walked up and hugged her.”

“What!” “You’re mad!” “You’re lucky you weren’t killed.”

“Well, she seemed to appreciate it…” Daniel smirked, then the bell went signalling the start of the hour, meaning he was late for his next lecture. He quickly skipped backwards turning and breaking into a run. “Sorry guys…got to go!”

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