CURSED BUT FOUND

Chapter 6 ~ Hypnotized Mannequins

Okay, I might have humiliated myself in Mapping Classes with how I responded to Mr. Hubur’s question.

I didn’t respond to his question.

I had stammered to it and a million eyes had looked at me in a way I didn’t like. And trust Elsa to add to my embarrassment with her braying laughter.

“How could you stutter like that? You went on for thirty seconds straight.” She muttered over her deriding chortle.

Yeah, I might have stuttered for that long. And Elsa sounds like a f*cking horse!

“That was a very common question. Mr Hubur quizzes us with it all the time.” She mouthed after calming herself.

I didn’t reply to her. We were strolling towards the Combat Arena now and I was busy ruminating on what was about to happen.

I was about to talk to Liam Cornaro— the s*x symbol himself.

Okay, I’m not supposed to say things like that. I’m only creating more tension for myself.

“Hey.” Elsa shoulder bumped me. “Chill out. You mad because of a brief chortle of mine?”

She calls, laughing at me for almost two minutes, brief chortle?

Anyways.

“I’m not mad, Elsa.” I said, trying to concentrate as I stared at the entrance of the Arena.

Elsa looked onwards and realized what was going on. “Oh, we’re here. Yay!”

I felt my stomach tie up at her “yay”.

I really hope it goes as planned: I wave at him, he walks towards me, we talk for a few minutes, he laughs handsomely and I blush like hell! He hugs me and waves me bye.

Okay, that last part is me being weirdly fantastical.

But yeah, it couldn’t be that hard, right?

He’s a nice romantic guy.

I hope…

We walked into the Arena and our eyes splayed over countless bodies of students. I have only been in here once, and that had been because I had lost my way.

I didn’t have any reason to be here. Only shifters train and spar here and we all know how good I am with that.

Nobody noticed two beings had walked in. Everyone’s attention was still tied to whatever they had been doing. But let’s face the facts, we were nobody. We weren’t Ashley Queen, or Curry Curt— the girl that had seen me with Liam and had threatened to yank off my hair, or Daniel Rawlet— that damned Asshole… or the fairest of them all, Liam Cornaro.

Now that would claim all the attention.

Elsa and I strolled to some seats at a rear edge and sat down there. Elsa was hyped by what was about to happen and I was the opposite. Cold. I couldn’t even blink my eyes. All that energy was transferred to my heartbeat, as it was literally kicking against my rib cage.

I drove my eyes around and searched for him.

This was the easiest part. Locating a tall, handsome, godly sketch of a man wasn’t hard. Liam always stood out in a crowd.

Seconds passed by and turned to minutes, and I caught myself wishing I wasn’t eventually going to find him.

I looked over at Elsa and she looked back at me. “Where’s he at?” She looked offended.

While I looked happy. We had literally switched places.

But I didn’t show it.

“Maybe he’s at a game practice or something.” I said, faking my disappointment.

Elsa didn’t say anything but just continued searching.

I joined Elsa in gazing but I wasn’t searching for Liam anymore. If he was in the Arena, we would have caught sight of him already. I was now busy looking at a corner.

Two he-wolves were sparing each other. They were similarly handsome guys and I habitually see them around Liam. It was as if everyone Liam walked around with had to be an eye candy. You had to be a Fashion plate to be able to roll with him.

I wasn’t a fashion plate. I wasn’t even a plate. I was more like a spoon or a toothpick.

Exactly why we shouldn’t run into him anytime soon.

The black-haired he-wolf among the two he-wolves dodged a blow and threw the other one to the ground.

“YES!” I voiced loudly, shooting up to my feet in excitement.

Everyone was staring at me before I could save the moment. Even Elsa was dumbstruck looking at me, but things like this weren’t new and unexpected to her. We had only just become best friends but she already understood me like a sister.

Maybe because we were very much alike. Alive and yet so non-existent.

“Let’s get going.” She joined me in standing up to her feet. She strolled through the seating columns and I trailed quietly behind her.

She saved me.

We got outside the Arena and I finally had the chance to breathe. It was almost time for Combat classes to end and for everyone to be dismissed for the day.

One thing was certain now, I was also cursed with unintentionally drawing attention to myself.

“I’m sorry, Elsa. This.. this guy at the rear end, he—”

“It’s fine, Vii.” She horned in. “We need to find Liam.” She said and I flinched.

Find him? Okay, that’s too desperate. We didn’t have to go looking for the guy simply because I wanted to prove my point. There was definitely no way I was agreeing to her proposition.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Elsa. If anything, It’s kinda weird. I mean, he.. he’s probably busy doing his own thing and we too should be busy doing our own thing.” I was already saying too much, I know. But I needed her to understand my point. “We should leave that option out. It’s not necessary. Please tell me you understand.”

There was silence. She didn’t reply.

“Elsa?” I turned to look at her. She was facing me anymore. She had her eyes somewhere else and I traced it with my gaze.

At the end of the hallway, the crowd was scrambling to the left and right to create a way.

A pattern I had definitely seen and experienced before.

Liam Cornaro?

The movement was scattered and almost uncoordinated but everyone’s gaze was straight. Everyone had their eyes on the forming path and soon, he came into sight.

The ‘god of good looks’ himself.

My heart skipped two beats.

The once almost-peaceful hall now became bubbly as whispers and gossips were flying in the air with one name as the central theme. Liam Cornaro.

Elsa had joined the crowd in their revering and I was left alone in my uneasiness. He was finally here and he was walking towards my axis.

Holy mother of weasels!

The worst part?

I couldn’t run. I was too stunned to do so. But even if I could, a hundred other students were standing behind me like hypnotized mannequins. Running through them wasn’t a practical possibility.

I just stood there and died in my stance. He was already so close. Elsa gripped my arm. “It’s almost time, girl.”

I gulped.