Chapter 2: Strange Feelings
1196 Words
The morning after never felt the same again.
Ariana woke up earlier than usual, but not because she wanted to. Her sleep had been restless—filled with flashes of dark eyes, shifting shadows, and that annoying smirk that refused to leave her mind.
She sat up slowly on her bed, pressing a hand to her chest.
“Why am I thinking about him again?” she muttered.
It was ridiculous. She didn’t even like him. In fact, she was pretty sure she disliked him.
Kael Draven.
Even his name sounded like trouble.
Still, something about him kept replaying in her thoughts like a broken record.
With a sigh, she got ready for school, determined to ignore everything that had happened the day before.
But St. Liora Academy was never a place where things stayed simple.
🌫️ A School That Watches Back
The moment Ariana stepped through the gates, she felt it again.
That same pressure in the air.
This time, it wasn’t just whispers. It was attention. Real, focused attention.
Students turned their heads as she passed, some quickly looking away, others staring too long.
“What is going on…” she murmured.
Then she noticed something strange.
Every conversation stopped when she got closer.
As if she was carrying something invisible.
Or being followed by it.
Ariana tightened her grip on her bag. “Okay… this school is officially weird.”
⚔️ The Second Encounter
She barely made it halfway down the hallway before it happened.
A group of students were gathered near the staircase. Laughing, talking… until they saw her.
Silence fell instantly.
And then—
They moved aside.
Not politely.
More like… clearing a path.
Ariana frowned. “Excuse me?”
No one answered.
She stepped forward anyway.
That was when she saw him.
Kael Draven.
Leaning against the wall like he owned the space itself. One hand in his pocket, the other loosely holding a book he wasn’t reading.
His gaze lifted.
And locked onto hers.
Everything else disappeared.
For a moment, the hallway felt too quiet.
Then he spoke.
“You again.”
Ariana scoffed. “Unfortunately.”
A faint smirk appeared on his lips. “You’re still alive after yesterday. Impressive.”
She crossed her arms. “Wow. You talk like I should’ve died.”
“You’re loud enough to attract trouble,” he said calmly.
Ariana stepped closer. “And you’re arrogant enough to think you are trouble.”
A pause.
Something flickered in his eyes again.
Interest.
But this time, it lingered longer.
“You don’t know anything about me,” he said.
Ariana tilted her head. “Then enlighten me.”
That caught him off guard.
Just slightly.
Behind him, the students were watching like they were witnessing something f*******n.
Kael pushed off the wall slowly.
“You don’t want that,” he said quietly.
“And why not?”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“Because people who get close to me… don’t stay normal for long.”
Ariana felt a chill run through her.
But she refused to step back.
Instead, she smiled.
“Good thing I’m not normal.”
🌑 The First Sign
The moment she said it, the air changed.
Kael went still.
Completely still.
Even the atmosphere around him seemed to pause.
Then—
A faint shadow moved behind him.
Not cast by light.
But alive.
It curled slightly before disappearing again.
Ariana noticed it.
Her eyes narrowed.
“What… was that?”
Kael’s expression tightened. “Nothing.”
But she saw it.
He was lying.
For the first time, she felt something shift inside her.
Not fear.
Curiosity.
Dangerous curiosity.
📚 Forced Together
Later that day, the school announced something unexpected:
“Due to academic pairing adjustments, students will now be assigned partners for the upcoming Arcane Research Project.”
Groans filled the room.
Ariana didn’t care.
Until—
“Kael Draven and Ariana Vale.”
Silence.
Then whispers erupted.
Ariana froze.
“…What?”
She turned slowly.
Across the room, Kael was already looking at her.
And for the first time, his expression wasn’t bored.
It was unreadable.
Perfect.
Just perfect.
🔥 Tension Begins
Their assigned workspace was the old library tower.
Dusty. Quiet. Too quiet.
Ariana dropped her bag on the table. “This is ridiculous.”
Kael sat across from her without responding.
She glared. “Say something.”
He flipped open the project file. “Start working.”
“That’s your personality? Just ‘start working’?”
He finally looked at her.
And this time, his eyes were sharper.
“You talk too much for someone who knows nothing.”
Ariana leaned forward. “And you act like someone who knows everything.”
A pause.
The tension between them thickened.
Then—
Kael suddenly reached out and placed his hand over the book.
The lights flickered.
Ariana stiffened.
The shadows in the room shifted slightly toward him.
She saw it again.
Not imagination.
Real movement.
Her breath caught.
Kael noticed.
Slowly, he withdrew his hand.
The room returned to normal.
He stood up.
“You shouldn’t stare when you don’t understand,” he said.
Ariana’s voice lowered. “Then explain it.”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he walked toward the window.
Outside, the sky had darkened slightly despite it being midday.
“I don’t belong to the same rules as everyone else,” he said finally.
Ariana frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“It doesn’t need to.”
She stepped closer. “Everything makes sense if you explain it properly.”
Kael turned slightly.
“You really don’t know fear, do you?”
Ariana hesitated for half a second.
Then shook her head.
“No. I just don’t like mysteries I can’t solve.”
Something about that made him pause.
Longer this time.
💫 Something Shifts
For the first time, Kael didn’t look away immediately.
He studied her.
Like she was something unfamiliar.
Then quietly:
“You’re going to get yourself in trouble.”
Ariana smirked. “You already said I attract trouble.”
A faint exhale left him.
Almost like a laugh.
Almost.
“I should stay away from you,” he said.
“But you’re not,” she replied instantly.
Silence.
A long one.
Then Kael looked away.
“…Unfortunately.”
🌘 Ending Scene
That night, Ariana stood by her dorm window.
The academy was quiet.
Too quiet.
But something in her chest wasn’t.
It felt restless.
Like it had been disturbed.
Down below, in the distance, she saw a shadow move across the courtyard.
Not human.
Not normal.
And standing at the center of it all—
Kael.
The shadows around him twisted slowly, circling like they recognized him.
Ariana’s breath slowed.
“So it’s real…” she whispered.
As if sensing her gaze, Kael looked up.
Even from that distance, their eyes met.
And something passed between them.
Invisible.
Unexplainable.
Dangerous.
Kael’s shadow shifted behind him—
And for the first time, it didn’t obey him completely.
Ariana stepped back from the window.
Her heart was beating faster.
Not from fear.
But from something far worse.
Interest.
And somewhere in the darkness below, Kael whispered:
“…She’s getting closer.”
- Writer
