Unbound Affection

11

Allen’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as he stared at the lonely street, his knuckles turning white. The thought of Viola never left his mind. When she looked up at him, the way she smiled made his heart skip a beat. He stopped the car and let out a weary sigh. He leaned back in his seat, remembering her words in that diary.

He knew she was not an ordinary person, and although he had seen her eyes light up that way, he was still not fully convinced until the day when he noticed the colour of her blood. Behind that beautiful smile lay many dilemmas, and reading her diary made him understand them all. She had everything she felt written down—the number of days her mother isolated her, the noises she heard at night, the nightmares, the footsteps of the creatures from the unseen world, blood, cries, and witchcraft. She hadn’t always had a peaceful sleep, and some of her symptoms were similar to Lira’s. Allen was disturbed when he read about the scene he witnessed, the day his wicked aunt cursed them. She had everything described in as many details as she could remember.

He had planned to get to know her more, to make sure she was the special one who was born against the evil craft, but now that it was confirmed, he felt guilty. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, her face flashing in his mind. The moment when she struggled to breathe made him panic for real. He wondered how she could smile and act like she had endured nothing when her life was full of dark mysteries. The creatures she had drawn in her journal were crystal clear in his mind, and he could not even get that out of his head.

Opening his eyes, he sat upright. He then opened the door and stepped out. His gaze travelled to the closed door of the single-storey house; the cute board hanging in the door made him smile.

Sweet Home

He looked around. There was no one, and even though it was still half past eight, the road was dark like it was midnight. He stretched down his regular T-shirt and wandered to the back side, where he could see the light in the room switched on through the panel door by the normal-sized balcony.

He jumped off the silver railings and ambled through the side to the door. The large curtained window on the other side prevented him from seeing the view of the inside. He held the handle of the door, but it was locked.

The sound of laughter made him pause. He took a step closer to the door and towards the translucent glass.

“Thanks a lot.” Viola’s voice came from the inside. She chuckled, clear enough to be heard by the sneaky person outside.

Allen moved closer, trying to take a look inside through the slightly opened thick curtains.

Who is she talking to? He wondered. Why doesn’t she smile that way with me?

“We will be in the same class tomorrow,” she said, still smiling.

He closed his eyes and moved closer to the door, straining his ears. His full attention was on her.

“You’re right, it would be great if we worked together on the project.” She stood from the bed and walked towards the door.

His brows furrowed as her voice faded and footsteps got closer, and before he could jump back, the curtains slid to the sides. Viola screamed at the top of her lungs, making Allen flinch back. He rubbed the back of his neck and brought his finger to his lips.

“Shhh, it’s me,” he said.

She stopped, her mouth still wide open, watching him with raised brows and wide eyes.

“Hi.” He waved, his voice barely audible.

“Viola, you alright?” Viola’s dad asked, knocking on her door.

She quickly closed the curtains and rushed to the door. She cast a glance at the curtains and opened the door.

“Are you okay?” Daniel inquired, worried.

She nodded. “Just an insect, Dad. It flew out.” She waved casually, her eyes peeping at the curtains every second. She faked a yawn and rubbed her eyes. “I’m going to bed.”

Daniel nodded, kissed her forehead, and went back.

She walked to the door and opened it. “What are you doing here?” she growled low.

“I . . .” Allen looked away, rubbing his chin. “I . . .” He peered down at her. “Am I not welcome inside?”

She stared at him in silence.

“No.” She crossed her arms, standing by the door and not allowing him to even have a view of the inside. “Why are you here?”

“Let’s get your notebook back.”

“My notebook?”

“Yes.”

“But, how?”

He arched a brow in pride. “I’ve got my ways.” He shrugged. “I’ll wait out for you.”

“Wait!”

“What now?”

“How are we going to take it?”

“If you stay here and ask more questions without coming out, then”—he leaned forward—“I will never care about that notebook again.”

With that said, he turned around and walked toward his car.

Viola sneakily walked out with her oversized T-shirt and a pair of her regular striped pants, her hair tied up in a ponytail. She shut the door gently, and not a single creak was heard. She quickly walked towards the car.

She looked at Allen through the open window of the driver’s seat.

“Are you pulling a prank on me?” she whispered.

“Hop in,” he ordered and started the engine.

She didn’t move.

“Viola, if you don’t want to take your notebook back, you can wait till the weekend is over and ask that fellow man Smith for it. I’m sure he is not going to give it back to you because . . .” He paused.

“Because?” she asked, taking a step back.

He closed his eyes and hissed silently, like he didn’t wish to admit that. He looked at her. “Because you were with me.”

“I don’t get you.” Her brows met. She walked to the other side and pulled the door open. She hopped in, buckled the seat belt, and turned to look at him. “What do you mean by I was with you?”

Allen let out a loud, dramatic sigh and shook his head—as if he just realised that she was dumb.

“I meant . . .” Realization hit him. He did not have to explain it to her again, as he never cared whether she understood it or not. He stared at her curious face for a while and gave in. “I meant if you had skipped class alone, you wouldn’t have been in trouble. He would have excused you, as it was your first time. He was mad because you were with me.” He looked away.

“Oh,” she murmured. She stared at the road ahead and nodded. “Now I get why Mr Smith did that.”

“Why?”

“Because you are a bad example.” She pursed her lips, processing her own words. She clutched her pants, and she could see the right corner of his eye in her peripheral vision.

He turned his gaze to her, and she immediately focused on the road. She cleared her throat and hunched on her side, batting her eyelashes throughout. Silence fell over them, and remained throughout the ride.

* * *

The car came to an abrupt halt a little away from the main entrance of the school. Allen unbuckled his seat belt and opened the door. Before he stepped out, he looked behind his shoulder to see Viola following his actions.

They walked to the back side of the building and entered through a broken door. Allen was in front, holding his phone in the air with the torch on. Viola faltered behind him, afraid to get in trouble for sneaking into the school at night.

They reached Mr Smith’s office easily, as the security person at the entrance had not locked the doors yet. The security man would be on duty until nine, and he stayed out by the small guard house next to the main gate. He made sure every office door in the school was locked before he had to leave.

Allen pulled a key out of his pant pocket, and Viola’s eyes bulged.

“How did you get the key?” she asked in a low voice, surprised.

He moved the key to the keyhole and said, “I stole it.”

“Stole it?” Her voice came out loud without her realizing it.

He turned around, and she lurched back in an instant. If she hadn’t, they would have crashed into each other.

He moved the flashlight towards her. “Keep your voice low, girl,” he said dryly. “If that man outside finds us, we will be suspended for a month.”

She curled her lips in and raised her brows. “I don’t care about it, and if you don’t care as well, then we can jump around and walk leisurely.”

He slightly lifted the light to her face. She squinted, blocking it with her hand. He stared at her plain features.

“Move the light away,” she hissed, maintaining a low voice.

He did as told and turned around, his lips slightly twitching. He held the knob and, so as not to create a loud noise, lifted the door a bit off the ground before slowly pushing it open.

Viola watched him, surprised. She was sure he had sneaked in already as he knew everything that should be avoided. He was like all those well-trained spies.

“Hunt for it,” he ordered and took long strides towards the shelf.

They searched for a while.

“Not there?” Viola squatted in front of the table. She looked at Allen, who was standing by the other side. “You have the key?”

He walked up to her and tossed the key to her. He sat on the floor beside her and watched her open the drawers and scanned everything inside. A wave of relaxation hit her when she saw her “notebook.” She quickly picked it up and brought it to her chest. A loud sigh of relief left her lips.

“Thank God,” she uttered to herself. “I hope Mr Smith hasn’t opened this,” she prayed.

“I know, right?” Allen’s gaze shifted away from the messy drawer to her. “Or else he will find out that you’re not an ordinary human.”

Her smile disappeared in an instant, and she turned to him immediately to see him as shocked as she was by his own words.

Shit! You’ve got to control your tongue, Allen! he cursed under his breath.