The Shadow Within Me

Chapter Thirty Two - Linger

Crystal Raine Meadows

That night, I came down to eat a few cookies and descended on my bed. Ate Kathy was talking to Kuya Draven saying that Mrs. Hailey was already looking for him so he had to leave immediately.

Ate Kathy even asked what happened or did we two quarrels, but I immediately defended myself with her interrogations.

She looks highly suspicious about my answers, but I didn't mind her as I was busy thinking about what happened between us a while ago.

I wasn't with myself that whole time even right now that I'm lying peacefully on my bed. I kept on touching my lips because the sensation of us kissing together a while ago hasn't left me.

The ghost and lingering feeling of his lips were still there, even if I washed it away with some clean water.

My cheeks heated up when I remembered once more of what happened a while ago, it felt so good and it was strange.

Is it really possible that he might be my mate? I bit my lip because it is possible, from the way how I feel so nervous around him, the fast beating of my heart, the strange feeling inside of me that I feel whenever we're alone together.

Does he know it already and doesn't want to bother with me? I shook my head, that's not possible. I know that if you have found your mate, you two will always be pulled together by that bond.

Or is it also possible that I'm right? Shaking my head, I stood up and stared inside of my room. His scent of mint and woods was still there and I couldn't help but be bothered by it, it just reminded me of what happened a while ago.

Maybe I'm just overreacting because it was my first kiss? But why did he deepen the kiss? W-Why? I don't understand! This is more complicated aside from Physics!

I tried to slap my cheeks to stop myself from thinking lewd thoughts, I can't help it, I've read about it before, and boy it really made me just crave for my mate that I haven't met yet.

"Ugh, this is making me crazy, how am I going to face that human dragon tomorrow?!" I panicked and just decided to calm myself down by reading some books.

I have decided to take a bath after reading four books and rested, though I didn't doze off that quickly because my mind still can't slip off what just happened!

What happened in the University that almost traumatized me slipped off my mind and what happened between me and Calyx stayed bothering my well-being.

I don't even know if this is good or something, ugh this is making me so crazy! Why are these kinds of things happening to me!

Despite all those thoughts that kept on lingering in my mind, I slept peacefully and woke up with a small bag underneath my eyes.

I grunted when I looked at the mirror, I looked freaking horrible. I just sighed and took a bath, wore my uniform, and went downstairs.

"Good morning to the happy family," I greeted while yawning, so Kuya Draven and Ate Kathy tilted their heads at me.

"Someone had a rough night," Ate Kathy commented while smirking, "You quarreled with Calyx aren't you?" she asked, so I furrowed my eyebrows at her while shaking my head.

"Ate Kathy, we didn't quarrel, plus if we ever did, why would I be bothered about it? H-He's not my mate," I felt a pang in my heart when I mentioned those words.

But that is really the truth, I'm not sure if he's really my mate yet. Plus if he is, he should've told me ahead of time right?

Ate Kathy stared at me intently before sighing, "How can you be so sure that he's not your mate? I saw the way you too look after each other, it's not just looking after because you're friends," she claimed, so I stubbornly shook my head at her.

I don't want to hear those statements because it's just going to give me some assumptions, "I am sure, mates supposed to approach the other one and tell them, in our case, we didn't feel that yet," I grumpily stated, so Ate Kathy smirked.

"Yet huh? So are you expecting that he might approach you that way someday?" she teased, so I just scratched the back of my head.

"He won't, if he wants to, he should've done that sooner, we're training alone together," I mumbled. I don't know why the words that I'm saying we're hurting me on the inside deeply. Is this the bond? I shook my head.

I just can't assume yet until I know for sure, the kiss invaded my mind again as I closed my eyes and sat to eat some breakfast. Why can't it slip off my mind? It's starting to freaking annoy me.

"Human dragons already know their mate already once they take a whiff and will approach them because they want to barricade them to protect them from other thirsty human dragons," Kuya Draven explained this time, so I slowly nodded at him while drinking some water.

"Yes, I agree, see Ate Kathy? I told you that he's not my mate," I firmly said while bitterly munching on my breakfast.

"But some human dragons will not approach them even if they find them because they're not ready, they might be scared of something, or it is possible that they don't want to be with them," he explained, so I stopped eating for a moment before looking at him.

"You also have to be knowledgeable about these kinds of things, Crystal, feelings are different from knowledge," he smiled at me while patting my head.

"This is where your honesty is tested, if you chose to do something, make sure you wouldn't regret it," he firmly said, so I got confused for a moment.

Why are they talking to me like I'm about to do something wrong? I just shook my head and finished eating my breakfast.

I bid them goodbye and was surprised to see Flash here today so early. I wasn't expecting him to come because of what happened last night.

"Good morning Flash," I happily greeted and gave him some roasted vegetables, "Here, did you have breakfast?" I asked and put them on a bowl that I carry always with me as he purred and thanked me with his head.

"Alright, finish up quickly, I want to go to school early," I told him, so he just roared and decided to peacefully eat his breakfast.

"Your owner is so freaking weird," I sighed while squatting beside Flash who stopped eating for a moment before continuing.

"He's so freaking hard to understand and I don't know why I can't stay mad at him even though he makes your head so troubled and says a lot of mean things that are super mean," I opened up to that small red dragon.

"H-He kissed me last night and it's making me really confused, though it was an accident then why did he kiss me further while I...didn't stop him?" I didn't notice that the dragon looked surprised as he stopped eating his food.

I chuckled before looking at Flash, this small red dragon must find me so weird, "You wouldn't understand me probably because I'm not talking with dragon languages," I claimed, but the dragon shook its head at me.

"Y-You freaking understand me?!" I exclaimed, so the dragon just nodded its head at me, "You really do?" I asked one last time and he politely nodded at me.

"Oh God, please don't tell your owner," I put my hand on my forehead, so the small dragon just looked at me before looking at the bowl.

"I-I'll give you food every day, just don't tell him what I said," I pleaded, so he immediately nodded his head at me.

"Phew," I sighed in relief before I decided to mount him as he dropped me off at school. I got nervous when he immediately left.

He's probably being summoned by his master, I just shook my head and stared at the entrance of the University.

I could feel my hands shaking because of fear about what happened yesterday. Although I thought the fear had already disappeared yesterday.

"Hey," I flinched when someone tapped my shoulders, I glanced at my back and noticed it was Liam.

"L-Liam good morning, you startled me," I admitted while clutching my chest, so he just smiled at me before looking at my face.

"What happened yesterday troubled you huh? Are you alright? Let me escort you to our room," he invited, so I smiled and thanked him as we walked together.

"So, are you sure that you're really alright?" he anxiously asked as I noticed him keep on glancing at me on my peripheral view.

"Y-Yes, why do you keep asking?" I glanced at him, so he just sighed while shaking his head at me.

"Because your eyebags are telling me that you had a rough night," he pointed at my face, so I flinched and covered my eyes.

What happened to my eyebags wasn't the cause of the incident that happened to me yesterday, but it was Calyx's fault.

Him, kissing me last night really got to me that I don't know what I'll do when I see him again, I touched my cheeks because they're starting to heat up again, I could feel it.

"Crystal hey, watch out!" Liam called out, but before I could even glance at him, I bumped into someone.

"O-Ompf!" I grunted and was about to fall on the tiled ground when that familiar warmth caught my wrist, I slowly looked up and saw those red glinting eyes that I'm trying to avoid as of this moment.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm super duper sorry," I avoided his gaze and stood up while brushing off the dirt on my skirt, "I-I'll be going now, thank you for your help," I immediately bowed and excused myself.

"Woah, Calyx, did you and Crystal quarrel?" David Ronin asked from the back, I didn't realize that they were there.

"Oh come to think of it, you're so early today Calyx, did you do something?" Razer Black asked, but Calyx didn't answer either of them.

I could feel someone shooting an intense glare at me from behind and I don't want to look for me to see him, I-I just don't know how to face him yet.

Liam approached me and held on to my hand, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he worriedly asked, so I nodded my head at him.

"Y-Yes, I'm alright, thank you, Liam," I gave him a small smile as I decided to get some things in my locker.

After getting all our things, Liam and I proceeded to class. I was so nervous to enter, but with Liam on my side, I think I could manage to enter our classroom.

I exhaled a lungful of air before reaching out towards the doorknob and opened it. The door made a creaking sound and noticed how quiet it was on the inside while they're all staring at me with fear.

Liam and I slowly paced towards our chairs and seated there peacefully, I glanced on my side and saw Jenny looking at me intently.

"Good morning, Jenny, is everything alright? W-Why are they all like that?" I whispered so she roamed her eyes around our surroundings before looking at me.

"You may not believe this, but I heard Calyx announced secretly that everyone in our class should come early and they all came here," Jenny informed, so I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Calyx waited for all of them to come and he said something that made them like this," she added, so I got really confused for a moment.

"He threatened them not to mess with Crystal again or he'll not hesitate to kill them or burn something precious to them," we stopped after hearing Rowen's statement.

"Y-You were there?!" Jenny exclaimed, so Rowen just nodded at her, "T-Then why didn't you tell me!" she complained, so Rowen messed with her hair.

"Because I know you'll bug me, I don't like you asking for what other men we're doing," Rowen sounded like he's jealous, I didn't know that he has immaturity sometimes.

"You're impossible," Jenny blushed while shaking her head, "Well it is really weird for him to do that, why would he do that though? Is he interested in you?" Jenny curiously asked so I flinched while shaking my head.

"H-He's not interested in me, he wouldn't," I claimed, so Jenny just raised her eyebrows at me while looking me in the eye.

"What's up with your eyebags? Does it have to do with what happened yesterday to you?" she asked, but I shook my head at her.

"Hm, if it's not that then, the time that Calyx went home with you guys?" she asked and I almost flinched because of what she said.

"N-No, it’s completely not about that, can we just focus on class? I think I have been missing a lot lately," I insisted, so Jenny gave up on interrogating me.

"Fine, but I know that you're hiding something from me, it won't be long until you approach me about it," she claimed, so I just sighed and bit my lower lip.

To be continued...