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1106 Words
“Hey.” Carl waved at her, and a spontaneous smile made its way to Viola’s lips as he walked towards her table.
She waved back and leaned forward when he stopped in front of her.
“Did you team up with anyone?” he asked.
“Not yet. What about you?”
“Seems like we are destined to work on the project together.” He winked with a charming smile, his deep dimple visible.
“Maybe.” She nodded and looked away, feeling shy.
“Perfect,” a cold voice interrupted, its tone conveying sarcasm.
Viola snapped to her right with furrowed brows. Allen stood from the chair and jumped forward beside her. He clapped, grabbing everyone’s attention in the class. He moved his eyes around before they finally landed on her. He stepped forward and hid his hands in his pockets.
“Destined to work together?” He snorted with a raised brow.
She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat as she stared up at the dark orbs peering down at her.
“It’s ridiculous.” He scowled.
“Ridiculous?” Carl repeated with creased brows, his hands forming into fists.
“Yes.” Allen nodded and shifted his gaze to Carl. “It’s funny that you both are destined when you have no idea who she is.”
The last words that left his mouth brought terror to Viola. Her lips and throat tingled with anxiety, and her heart was pounding. She looked around at all those creepy eyes fixed on her.
“What do you mean?” Carl said gritted teeth.
Viola looked at him, her hands trembling and sweat.
“She is not a human,” Allen announced aloud with his finger pointed at her. “She is a monster.”
The last word reverberated in her head, gasps and whispers filling her senses.
“She is one of those from the world unseen,” he added, looking down at her with a nasty smirk.
What did I do to him? Why is he doing this to me? Viola thought.
“What does he mean?” Carl asked her.
Their eyes met and her lips parted, but no words left her mouth. She shut her eyes tight and stood. The next second, she ran past all those noises.
“Viola.”
“Viola.”
“Viola.”
Her eyes shot open. She stared at the ceiling, which welcomed her, and her gaze scrolled down to her dad.
“It’s getting late,” her dad said. He placed the back of his hand on her forehead with furrowed brows. “Are you alright?”
She blinked once, twice, and thrice. She let out a loud breath of relief and smiled. It was just a dream—or, should she say a nightmare? She had been nervous since Allen drove her back home two days previously. Her mind was full of assumptions about what he would do next. The whole weekend felt like a split second as she wished that Monday never came back soon. The fact that he knew her secret of all other humans out there. Allen Will knew who she really was.
She shook her head. “I’m fine, Dad.”
“You sure?”
She nodded.
“Alright, I’ll get the breakfast done. Be quick because you’re late.”
She watched him leave her room, and once he was gone, she pulled the duvet off her body and sat upright.
“It’s just a dream,” she reminded herself and got off the bed.
Within thirty minutes, she had everything done and got out of her room.
“Dad, I’ve got to hurry.” She tied up her hair in a ponytail and grabbed the glass of milk. She gulped it down and picked a sandwich from her plate. “Be safe at work,” she said and hurried to the door.
“Is that enough for breakfast?” Daniel asked aloud.
She held the sandwich between her teeth and put on her shoes.
“Yes!” she shouted from the doorway. “No.” She rushed back in and grabbed a tangerine from the table, then kissed her father on the cheek before running out of the house.
She chewed the last bit of the sandwich and began peeling the tangerine, taking quick steps so that she could catch the next bus before it left, as she already missed the earlier trip.
Peep!
She stopped at the sound of the car behind her, but then she ignored it and continued to walk.
Peep! Peep! Peep!
She stopped again and turned around. Her grip on the fruit tightened when Allen put his hand out through the open window and waved.
Her body turned to face the opposite side, and she scurried. He drove behind her, honking continuously. He pulled the brake when his car matched her pace. She was on the pavement, and he was on the road.
She stopped, inhaled a deep breath, and turned to him. “What?”
“You’re late,” he said, moving his head a little out.
“I know,” she snapped.
“When I saw you walking, I thought I was early.”
She rolled her eyes and walked away. He drove slowly along, still honking, the sound reverberating in her ears.
She stopped abruptly and yelled, “Stop doing that!”
“Doing what?”
“Playing with the horn!”
“I can drop you off.”
“No, thank you!”
“You just got detention last week. If you’re late to school now . . .” He looked at her with raised brows as she was busy thinking.
How could she forget that? She would be punished again if she was late, and she had no excuse to give her father for her delay if she had to stay for detention again. She didn’t want to lie to him.
She pushed all her thoughts to the back of her head and, swallowing her pride, walked towards his car. She hopped in and buckled the seat belt, her eyes glued to her hands. She felt his gaze on her, and the suffocating silence between them made her feel awkward and nervous.
“We’re running late,” she said, managing to sound casual, and finally peeled off the rind of the tangerine and started eating.
“Yes,” Allen replied, leaning towards her.
Her brows met when he took a piece of the peeled tangerine. She followed him with her eyes till he ate it. He ignored her gaze and finally focused on the road.
- Writer
