"Uh, I don't think this is the time to be sarcastic." He notified, chuckling nervously as he stared at the bear.
"Well you should have thought about that before saying stupid nonsense. You jinxed us." I sneered.
He shoots me a glance, "You are not blaming me for this shit, are you?"
"Well you can find that out if WE survive this."
"We will." He reassured, taking a deep steadying breath. "All we need to do is reach the finish line so at the count of three, we run, fast."
Slowly, I exhaled, giving him a nod of consent, "Whenever you are ready."
"Okay. One …Two …"
The only sound ringing in my ear was my heart beat as it pounded in my throat and as soon as he said, "Three!" I launched forward at full speed.
Simultaneously, he smashed the black stone he'd been saving into the ground and instantly, black smoke swirled into the sky, a black bear appearing within it.
So this is what the black stone does? It imitates the source of danger.
He grabbed my hand and we raced to the finish line.
The polar bear defeated our clone and chased after us.
"Jump." He yelled.
We jumped, but so did the bear. The beast was a second from grasping my leg when we crossed the finishing line while still in the air, landed back on school grounds and tumbled down. I was on top of him.
Groaning, I placed my hands against his strong chest and lifted myself slightly upwards so I could see his handsome face as I said, "WE DID IT!!" And squealed.
He thrusted his fingers into his ears as he squeezed his face with a groan, "Definitely going deaf because of you."
Screaming at the top of my lungs breathed life once again into my soul. I had never felt this engaged into anything; not since the incident at Connor's wedding. Spending an entire day without once remembering it makes me wonder if it's a good sign.
"Do you plan to sleep on me or …?"
"Oh, sorry." I sharply rolled off his body and staggered to my feet, brushing down my disheveled hair with my clammy hands. He gets up and his frame shadowed me.
"Well, I saved you again so where is my thank you?" He requested.
My eyes rolled, then my head turned to the side as if I was rejecting him but I didn't, facing him with a smile, "Thank you."
"Well done to the both of you." Prof. Sickly's voice made us look away from each other's gaze, now facing him proudly.
"You are amongst the first twenty students to make it back here, I didn't expect nothing less from you as the top student Grey. You did good." He complimented Grey, now staring at me, "And you are …?"
"Freda." I responded sharply.
"Ah, you are Eagle's distant niece? Like she said." He sounds far from convinced.
A weak smile appeared on my face, "Yes."
"Well, you did amazing for a village girl, though I doubt it was YOUR doing. But given the circumstances and also, you are probably unaware of the stakes here, I shall overlook the fact that you two broke a rule. But never again shall I turn a blind eye. I have made myself clear I believe?"
How did he know that?
"Yes, Professor. Thank you." We responded with a grateful nod.
Sickly only shot me an unreadable glance and strolled off.
Another student crossed over and it happens to be Storm.
When she saw me, her eyes went wide. She briskly inched closer, "Holy crap, how did you make it out this fast? You know, I shouldn't have taken the green gem, I turned into a freaking tree tiptoeing around this massive black mamba. It was terrifying. And then the animal just climbed one of my branches. I had to wait till it crawled away then I changed to my real self and crossed over. It was terrifying! So how did you do it?" She finally paused.
Chuckling, i gave a sigh of relief "Well, one thing led to the other and I …"
"Well done mate." I had forgotten he was standing behind me. My eyes blasted his face with a glare, "What now?"
"Do not be so rude." He teased, "I just want to say you did good, but you know what else …" Suddenly, he leaned towards me, his spicy cologne greeting my nose as I stiffened like a statue. He brings his lips an inch closer to my ear and then whispered, "I don't think I will ever forget your face as that rabbit was about to have you for lunch. That …was a priceless moment." He snickered, pulling away.
A huge lump blocked my windpipe as his face slightly brushed against mine when he pulled away. "I will see you around …Freda." He said my name slowly, shot me a wink and waddled off.
My eyes were glued to his well-molded retreating figure as he walked away.
"Holy moly SHIT!" Storm screamed, forcing me to sharply look at her. "What?"
"What do you mean by 'what'? Did I just see that happen? No, I must be dreaming."
"See what?" I asked again - flattened with confusion.
"Are you saying you have no idea who that hot guy was?" She asked me in disbelief.
Shrugged and stared at her cluelessly.
"Oh." She shuddered excitedly, "I am so jealous of you right now. That was …He is Grey."
"Yes, I heard the professor call him."
"You don't understand." She suddenly grabbed my shoulders, stern gaze piercing through my eyes, "He is THE one and only Rainever Grey. He is Rain."
"Wait …Rainever the uh" I sharply gasped - realization dawns, "Rain Grey, one of the three? The most dangerous one among the three?"
"Exactly. I can't believe this." She shook her head in disbelief.
Scoffed, "Neither do I."
The class finally ended and we all retired to our dorm rooms. After the hot shower; it has been a while since I had one, I changed into comfortable jeans and a black t-shirt and is now drying my hair with the towel on my bed when Storm returns from her shower.
"I still can't believe you met him. And, what was he like?" She settled down on her bed, staring me down with an expectant gaze.
"Well he uh …" Paused momentarily to think - remembering how we met for the first time, how agitated I felt when he tricked me and took my stone away and then when he saved me, I felt so grateful.
An endearing little smile crept up on my face as I reminisced about our little partnership during the training. "He is uh …not dangerous, I think?"
"Not dangerous? Oh that definitely he is." She walked to her closet and is now rummaging through her clothes, "Rain is really dangerous, I am serious, stay away from him. And also, you are yet to know your element of magic, are you not supposed to meet Professor Sickly now?"
"Yes. That I am." Staggered to my feet, walked to the mirror and brushed down my hair, "Don't worry, he and I can never be friends, we can never be anything. The situation led to our little brotherhood thingy but …It means nothing. I definitely do not give two shits about him."
"If you say so." She said, head still buried in her closet.
"I better get going then."
"Don't miss dinner time, okay?"
"Okay." I smiled and sail out of the room. I know that Storm cares about me but I think they might be a bit cruel on Rain. Yes, he was annoying but he wasn't dangerous. But she did say he killed his parents and burned down half his town; maybe I am reading it all wrong. What do I even care? Even if he is dangerous, he and I will never cross paths again.
Walking down the stairs with a divided attention resulted to my leg missing - I was falling back-first.
Reflexively, someone caught me by the waist.
Gently, they slowly lifted me up. My eyes darted up, fixing on his green eyes. His body feels cold, melanin skin glowing like a diamond.
When he speaks, his voice felt ethereal "Careful, love."
My insides knotted as my heart raced in my chest. I am very sure my face now looks like a tomato. This man looks like a character pulled out of a novel.
Standing properly, I pulled away from his embrace, "Thank you."
"What's going on here?" A cherry-sweet voice echoed behind me. My head turned, I find myself staring at a very pretty lady. Her porcelain skin is egg-like with shiny brown hair resting on over her shoulders. She is in a knee-length gown, exuding a powerful aura resonating around her.
"Oh, she slipped, I was just …"
"A full grown woman slipped on a wooden staircase, how innocent are you Ash?" She said, shooting daggers at me. "Now tell me who the hell you are."
I chuckled in disbelief, "I don't think I am obliged to."
My response must have triggered her, given how her face suddenly goes dark. She approached and stand an inch away from me, "I don't think you have the faintest idea who you are talking to."
My lips curved as I leaned towards her, affecting a seriousness, "I don't think you understand so let me make it clear." In a slow confident tone, I said, "I …don't …give …a fuck …who you might be."