I Fell for The Angel That Killed Me

6-the cutest freckles

Nebula stared at the one person who made her uncomfortable at the elite College, Global cyber, as he occupied her door frame.

They just stood staring at each other. Her, with eyes big as saucers and him with a twist on his lips as if this was the last place he wanted to be. His eyes... She had never looked at him directly into his face, while he stared back at her, before now. Sure she saw his face many times but she always immediately turned away as he made her uncomfortable -and in an unexplainable way too.

"Um..yea...He's my study partner tonight. I'm sorry for the short ...." she saw Jon scratching his scalp from her peripheral view.

Neb didn't hear the rest of what Jon was saying as his voice faded into the back of her mind. It was that feeling she got when she was in awe. She was speechless. This was the first time she was this close to him. Even when they did their study group classes together, she was never this close to him. Now she was this close to his face. She could see the sweat on his skin. Very smooth skin, almost marble-like. Almost baby-like flesh.

'What is wrong with me?'

When they were in close proxy she always ignored him...intentionally, she had blocked him off.

She never felt like this. This ...this...what was it? Her stomach was doing somersaults at that very moment. His black long hair was covering his eyebrows so that only his eyes were visible. Brown eyes. Warm friendly brown eyes.

'Why do his eyes feel so familiar?'

"Annyeonghi jumuseyo. Ileohge kkieo deul-eoseo mianhae," were the words that came out of the duffer's mouth as he bent his head and raised it back up to stare at her.

'Warm? Him? Friendly? Tae?’

That thought pulled her out of whatever spell that was she was in. Or maybe it was his voice that brought her back to the reality, of her not liking him. Neb mentally kicked herself just as Jon and Tae walked into her tiny kitchen with the pizza.

"Is she okay man? I knocked." Tae was asking Jon. Obviously, he was asking about her. Did she embarrass herself standing like a geek? Was her mouth open?

'He has the cutest freckles ever!'

'What?? Stop it Nebula!'

Great! Now she was debating with her mind again! 'Just peachy.'

"Can I go to the fridge?" Tae asked Jon. He didn't wait for a reply but pulled open the door and got two beers out.

'How dare you come into my place and open my fridge like you live here?'

He placed them on the counter and went into his bag pulling out a six-pack of the same beer.

'Get out!’

She watched him bend, to put the cans next to the banana milk before straightening himself back up.

'Why am I admiring the small dot on his nose? Not forgetting the one on his bottom lip on the opposite side.'

He motioned to her and pointed the beer. Neb stared. She was sure she looked stupid. But her voice was not to be found. She watched him opening the beer cans before he walked towards Jon handing him a can eyeing her.

"Hey. Sorry to barge in like this but we have a paper to finish and it's due tomorrow. Football." Tae was talking to her.

'What is he doing here? Why would Jon bring him here knowing I didn't like him?'

She pleaded with her mind to focus on his words. Then the motion he made with the beers made sense-

'Ohhh he meant the beer he brought is to replace the ones they were drinking....'

She then tried to focus on what he said seconds earlier.

'Football?'

She was again arguing within her mind.

'Football? Did he actually think one word explained what was happening? '

Both of them sat on the couch with slices of the pizza already disappearing into their mouths. Neb immediately grabbed one and gobbled it down her mind still in chaos.

'Football.'

'Ah...football he meant that because they had practice they couldn't get it done earlier.'

She smacked her forehead. 'Duh!'

She got two blank stares.

"Uh. Just remembered something..." she quickly blurted out. Still stares.

"About class tomorrow..."

Still, they stared.

"My paper...?"

Tae blinked three times and replied, "ahaha," meaning he understood what she meant before he reached into his bag and pulled out a folder. Jon just scratched his head and frowned at her before he followed Tae and dug into his bag, pizza on the other hand.

Two slices later in complete silence, except for chewing sounds, Neb got up from the couch and stretched. Still, her mind confused by her reaction to Tae. Did she not dislike him? It was frustrating to have to remind herself about that.

Neb looked down in horror at the floor where a shattered glass lay. Her eyes open wide as she froze. "I'm sorry," she sputtered.

'Sorry?'

Sorry for what? Breaking her own glass and spilling water in her apartment? What is wrong with her?

Both men reacted so fast. Both got up and one ran to the sink while another ran to the bathroom where she kept the scoop and broom.

Neb grabbed the broom from Jon and quickly scooped up the mess after Tae dried up the spilled liquid. She rushed to the bin to empty its contents just as Tae walked over to the sink to put the cloth.

"Aite. Imma head to bed now," she voiced but again was ignored.

'Aite? Imma head to bed now? What is wrong with me?'

Jon looked back at her as she was closing her bedroom door and mouthed, "What is wrong with you tonight?"

Her answer was to motion with her hands and facial expression of "I really don't know".

She drifted in and out off sleep hearing the quiet conversation just outside her bedroom door.

"...it holds the power to take everything away. Numbers are important in value? But zero is both. It is the root of power I tell you. Its adds and minuses..."

"I thought she would have kicked you out immediately."

"...she's asleep you can leave."

..."jugeullae?"

Neb felt herself writhing on the cold floor. She was screaming. Pain! She was in pain! Her stomach was moving! She screamed as she felt her entire body contorting in the excruciating pain at the same time she realised she was in labour.

She was giving birth! Where was everyone? Why was she alone? How is this even possible? Her eyes were adjusted to the darkness and she frantically looked around her.

A bed. A chair. Desk...the room was poorly furnished. Everything looked old. It smelt old too. And wet. And rusty. What was she doing in a place like this?

Her body stiffening in pain AGAIN and AGAIN. Neb would usually bring her legs up to her chest to comfort herself but she couldn't at that moment. She sobbed. And cried out again and again as the pain was almost too much to bare.

Why was she here? Why was she alone? She felt a rush of liquid coming out of her and raised herself high enough to see blood. She was bleeding out. The rusty, metal smell was her! Her own blood! She felt the disgusting thick sweat that accompanied the cold. Her entire body was soaked in it.

Neb screamed again.

'Why am I alone? '

That was when the pain got worst. She felt something tearing at her from the inside. Pushing out. Neb slightly raised herself through the pain and leaned on her elbows trying to look between her legs.

She screamed and screamed.

Suddenly the door was kicked in and a figure illuminated the doorway bringing in light.

'So it's daylight outside.'

The shadow figure slammed the door back shut and rushed in falling to her side on the floor. The place was dark once more and even though her eyes had adjusted to the darkened room, she still couldn't see a face. But it was a male. An extremely tall man.

"What did you do?" He was sobbing and screaming at her.

"Look what you did!"

And as usual, Neb was speechless. She never could answer the shadow. She was always like that in this part of the dream. She felt numb but still in pain. She just stared up at him.

"What did he do to you? What did they do!" The shadow kept screaming and screaming at her. Her body jerked up again from pain and she felt the shadow staring at her stomach.

She felt the hate. It crackled through the air. Then the shadow figure raised his hand and Neb felt something go through her neck.

She felt the flow of her blood running down her chest. She felt its warmth. Both her hands on her stomach wet. She felt the slight stickiness between her fingers as she brought her hands up in front of her face.

Unbelieving that she was being killed. She turned her hands back and forth in front of her eyes seeing the gleaming red blood while her mouth opened in horror.

'I'm dying? I'm dying. I'm really dying?'

The child in her stomach pushing against her trying to make its way out.

Then blinding pain followed by darkness as she felt herself falling, choking on her own blood.

Nebula screamed clutching her throat with both hands gasping for breath as she tumbled on the floor entangled in her sheet, waking her from her dreams.

'So this is why I end up on the floor.'