chapter 4
1559 Words
“What are you doing here?”
Damian's voice cut through the music.
Nia turned toward him.
He stood a few feet away, staring at her with obvious anger.
“I could ask you the same thing,” she replied.
Damian looked around before focusing on her again.
“You're not supposed to be here.”
“I didn't know I needed your permission to walk around the school.”
“You're new.”
“I know.”
“You've been here for one day, and you've already decided to break the rules.”
“I didn't break any rules.”
Damian gave her a cold look.
“You walked into a place where you weren't invited.”
Nia crossed her arms.
“And?”
His expression hardened.
“And you're going to regret it.”
Nia didn't move.
“Is that a threat?”
“Take it however you want.”
She stared at him.
“You've been looking for an excuse to come after me since yesterday.”
“You embarrassed one of my friends.”
“He attacked me.”
“You should have let him.”
“That wasn't happening.”
Damian stepped closer.
“You really think you're untouchable.”
“No. I just don't scare easily.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You're going to learn.”
“Maybe you should try teaching me something useful.”
The students nearby laughed.
Damian's face changed immediately.
He looked toward them.
“Everyone out.”
The laughter stopped.
Within seconds, the students began moving away.
Nia watched them leave.
Something about the way they obeyed him bothered her.
Damian turned back to her.
“You should have stayed in your room.”
“And you should stop telling me what to do.”
He stepped closer.
“You don't understand where you are.”
“I understand perfectly.”
“No, you don't.”
He looked at the boys standing near the doorway.
“Take her.”
Nia's eyes moved to them.
“What?”
Three boys approached.
Nia immediately stepped back.
“Don't touch me.”
One of them grabbed her arm.
She reacted without thinking.
She twisted his wrist and struck him across the chest.
He stumbled.
The second boy grabbed her from behind.
Nia drove her elbow backward.
He released her for a second.
She turned and tried to run.
The third boy caught her.
Nia fought hard.
She kicked, twisted and tried to break free, but there were too many of them.
One of the boys pinned her arms.
Another held her shoulders.
Damian walked toward her.
“Let me go!”
“You should have listened.”
“I'll make sure you regret this.”
Damian looked at one of the boys.
“Give her something.”
Nia's eyes widened.
“What?”
The boy pulled out a small packet.
Nia immediately struggled harder.
“No.”
She kicked one of them.
“Don't you dare.”
They held her down.
Damian crouched in front of her.
“You wanted to see what happens when you cross people like us.”
Nia glared at him.
“You're going to pay for this.”
Damian smiled.
“We'll see.”
The boys forced the drug into her mouth before she could stop them.
Nia coughed violently.
She tried to spit it out, but they held her in place.
After a few seconds, they released her.
Nia fell to her knees.
Her head began to spin.
She placed one hand on the floor to steady herself.
“You're going to regret this,” she whispered.
Damian looked down at her.
“Get her somewhere out of sight.”
The boys walked away.
Nia tried to stand.
Her legs refused to cooperate.
The room seemed to move around her.
The music became distant.
She blinked several times.
Everything looked blurred.
She heard voices nearby.
At first, she couldn't understand them.
Then one sentence reached her.
“She won't last long here.”
Another voice laughed.
“Not if she keeps invading our privacy.”
Nia frowned.
Privacy?
She tried to focus.
Someone spoke again.
“She has a striking resemblance to Zuri.”
Nia's heart jumped.
Zuri.
She tried to turn toward the voices.
“What... did you say?”
Nobody answered.
The room seemed to stretch around her.
She heard another voice.
“If she doesn't take care, she'll end up like Zuri.”
Nia's breathing changed.
Zuri.
Her sister.
Was she imagining this?
Was the drug making her hear things?
She tried to move.
Her hand slipped against the floor.
“Zuri…”
The word barely left her mouth.
The voices became distant.
Then everything went black.
Nia opened her eyes.
For several seconds, she couldn't understand where she was.
The field was dark.
Her head felt heavy.
She tried to move.
Pain ran through her body.
Then she realized someone was standing nearby.
A man.
He stepped closer.
Nia blinked.
Her vision slowly became clearer.
It was Calder.
Her teacher.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered.
Calder looked down at her.
“Can you stand?”
She tried.
Her legs gave way immediately.
Calder caught her before she fell.
“I've got you.”
His voice was calm.
Nia looked up at him.
The drug was still affecting her.
She could barely keep her eyes open.
Calder's face came into focus.
His eyes were striking.
Blue.
Clear and intense even in the poor lighting.
Nia stared at them longer than she should have.
“You have beautiful eyes.”
Calder paused.
Nia continued looking at him as if she had just discovered something fascinating.
Then her eyes moved to his mouth.
“And your lips…”
She smiled faintly.
“They're cute.”
Calder looked at her for a moment.
A small smile appeared on his face.
“I believe that's the drugs talking.”
Nia frowned.
“No.”
Her voice was soft.
“I mean it.”
Calder shook his head slightly.
“Come on. Let's get you back to your room.”
He slipped one arm behind her back and another beneath her knees.
Then he lifted her.
Nia's eyes widened.
She felt the strength in his arms as he carried her.
Even through the fog in her mind, she noticed how solid he felt.
His suit was still neat despite the poor lighting.
His shoulders were broad.
His arms tightened slightly as he adjusted her weight.
Nia rested her head against his chest.
“You're strong.”
Calder looked down at her.
“Try to stay awake.”
“Why?”
“Because I need to know you're okay.”
Nia smiled.
“You're nice.”
“I'm doing my job.”
“You don't look like a teacher.”
Calder raised an eyebrow.
“What do I look like?”
Nia studied him for several seconds.
She was clearly struggling to keep her eyes open.
“Someone…”
Her voice faded.
“Someone very handsome.”
Calder said nothing.
He continued walking.
Nia looked at him again.
“Do you always carry students?”
“No.”
“Just me?”
“Just tonight.”
She smiled.
“That makes me special.”
Calder looked down at her.
“Tonight you're also on drugs.”
Nia frowned.
“I was forced.”
“You can barely keep your eyes open.”
“I can.”
Her eyes closed.
A few seconds later, she opened them again.
“See?”
Calder almost smiled.
“You win."
Nia rested her head against him again.
Then a thought suddenly returned to her.
The voices.
Zuri.
Her eyes opened slightly.
“Mr Calder.”
“Yes?”
She could barely remember the voices anymore. They were mixed together in her mind, some real and some distorted by the drug.
“I heard something.”
Calder looked down at her.
Nia tried to remember.
The harder she tried, the more confused she became.
“I don't even remember.”
Her eyes closed again.
Calder continued carrying her.
“You need to sleep.”
Nia didn't answer.
Her breathing had become slow and steady.
Calder looked down at her.
Even under the weak hallway lights, she was striking.
Her dark skin looked smooth against the pale color of her pyjamas. Her long hair had fallen loosely around her face, and her eyes were closed now, hiding the sharpness he had noticed when she first fought back at the school yesterday.
She looked completely different.
There was no anger in her face now.
No challenge, just exhaustion.
Calder adjusted his hold carefully.
She was lighter than he expected.
He looked at her face again.
She was beautiful.
Not in the exaggerated way people sometimes tried to appear beautiful.
There was something natural about her features that made him look twice.
Her lips were slightly parted as she breathed.
He quickly looked away.
She was his student.
Whatever impression the drug had created in her mind, he wasn't going to encourage it.
He continued toward her room.
When he reached the bed, he lowered her carefully.
The moment her body touched the mattress, her fingers suddenly caught the front of his shirt.
Calder stopped.
Nia's eyes opened halfway.
She looked up at him through the haze.
“Must you go?”
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