CHAPTER SEVEN
"Are you going to sulk every time we have P.E?" Lyla said leaning against the wall of their dorm room.
She woke up this morning to find Dee once again sitting indian style on her bed with her full lips set in a pout.
To Lyla she looked comical. She had never seen a teenage girl resemble a toddler so well.
Dee flung herself backward on her bed and glued her hands on to her eyes.
"You've been going to this school for what, a month?," she hissed.
Her hair looked wild like a Lions mane, untamed and unpredictable.
Time was passing by at an accelerated rate, she had to mentally count the days since she arrived and realized Dee was right. She had been here for a little over four weeks.
Between the distance glances from Jesse, her growing friendship with Dee and her hilarious friend Miles from first period class, and not to mention Stacy's constant jeers, she hadn't had a dull moment. Each day was filled with a new surprise and a new lesson.
"Yeah, which means if anyone should be complaining it should be me. But I'm not" Lyla said, rolling her eyes.
Dee whimpered as she sat straight on her bed and scowled.
"Because your a freak of nature." she muttered with her arms crossed like a sulking child.
Lyla bit her lip to hold back a smile, and the red head glowered, screwing her face into a scowl that made her narrowed eyes look too small for her face.
"Exercise should be against the law. It's physical torture." She grumbled.
Lyla shook her head.
It was true that her and Dee had grown closer, but she had also learned that Dee was a bit over dramatic about most things.
"Okay you big baby." she teased.
"I'm going to go to the library. When I get back I better see you ready for the track field."
Dee crossed her fingers as if she swore an oath to be the image of trustworthy with a fabricated smile she molded onto her face like putty.
Lyla eyed the warping wallpaper as she entered the library. It was worn and discolored from age. It looked like it'd been weeping, splotches of water damage staining the corners of the walls.
Her gaze moved to the book cases that were covered in cracks and a thick layer of dust.
Cob webs spread in the corner of the book cases, speaking volumes of the lonely manuscripts and textbooks that hadn't been touched in what looked like centuries.
She frowned as her eyes scoured the less than impressive collection.
She had read the majority of what the library had to offer. Her desire for diving into the pages was driving her forward through the isles.
But nothing peaked her interest, nothing made her heart leap with excitement, and nothing would occupy her mind enough to force Jesse out of it.
"Can I help you find something?" A melodic voice said behind her.
She peeked over her shoulder to see a young woman with brown frizzy hair and glasses that were too large for her face. If Lyla didn't know any better she would guess the young lady had stuck her finger into a light socket.
Her eyes shifted to the name tag that clung to the woman's violet turtleneck sweater. She has seen the woman in the library before, sorting books that had been returned. She felt a prickle of guiltiness, she hadn't bothered to introduce herself before.
"Oh, thank you Ms. Priscilla, but I was just looking for something interesting to read."
Priscilla patted her frizzy bangs down as if she had heard Lyla thoughts then smiled.
"Do you like stories Ms. Daniels?" A glimmer of hope flashed across her slanted eyes.
Lyla was surprised that Priscilla knew her name. Then again she had been coming to the library nearly every day since she learned that the school has one.
"Yes, I do." Lyla simpered.
Most of her afternoons when she lived in San Francisco were spent reading.
She loved to get lost in the pages of worlds that had been created. She would submerge herself in the characters and long to be as brave or as daring as they were.
Priscilla smiled and then led her to her desk. She removed some old leather books that were falling apart at the seams.
Lyla took the seat directly across from her. Anticipation bubbling inside of her. She couldn't remember when she had fallen in love with novels. Perhaps it was because she didn't have any friends so it made up for the loneliness in her life.
"I know many stories. One of my favorites are of the Realm Walker's." Priscilla's eyes smiled as she opened a large black leather book with a strange golden tree like emblem.
"I've never heard of them." Lyla leaned closer in her seat. Her inquisitive nature took over and she was all ears.
"The tale of the Realm Walker's."
Thousands of years ago there was a great King named Braham.
He was both wise and exceedingly powerful.
He was what was known as a Realm Walker.
His species was highly advanced and gifted with extraordinary powers. Though they looked much like the human race, they were devastatingly beautiful.
He was charged with the duty of keeping the balance through out the cosmos. The third in command of the whole Universe.
His home planet was called Lyrica.
A world full of wonder and vibrant colors. A place where the animals and plants each had a hand in creating harmony between each living creature.
Each creature's vessel along with each plant, was transparent and luminous. The life force could be seen flowing and pulsing through their bodies like different colors of electricity flickering and vibrating within them.
There was no bad weather. No need for a sun or the moon. The atmosphere was always lit with various colors of purple's, red's, blue's and yellow's.
A permanent sunset set in the sky.
The stars illuminated the earth like they were trapped in translucent glass. It was as if the star's were their walkways.
For thousands of years Braham ruled and kept the peace. And Though all of his subjects had powers of their own, the Royal family was blessed beyond measure. Because they were ordered by the Creator to have the safe keeping of all living things, they were granted access to all dimensions and realms as well as more talents.
One day another King stepped forward, the King of the Ahrimans, Lord Oric.
His race longed for destruction and blood. They were heartless and as much as they were ugly on the outside, on the inside they were malicious and deviant.
The Realm Walker's worked off of love and light and everything good. The Ahriman's thrived off of fear and blood shed. They were highly skilled in the way of deception. More cunning than any breed of snakes. Maybe even cold blooded, descendents of reptiles at their best.
Lord Oric loathed Braham and all of his subject. The life and light that pulsed through their hearts and souls maddened him.
An though the race of the Realm Walker's were thought to be immortal, Lord Oric believed he could find a way to their extinction.
He dedicated his miserable existence to his cause.
Soon a prophecy was foretold and the tale reached his nefarious ears.
The occurrences that would take place was sure to put an end to his wicked ways, eradicating the blackened hearts that dwelled within him and his kingdom of Goreg. Destroying the possibility of him taking over the cosmos.
One fateful day his perseverance paid off.
He had discovered the mystery that had been concealed for thousands of years.
With this wisdom, he slayed these beings that threatened his way of life, and darkness spread throughout the galaxy.
Hailing him as the king of all.
"I'm afraid I must go. I haven't touched my work." Priscilla frowned at the pile of scattered books on her desk.
"That's alright. I have to get ready for P.E. Thank you for the stories."
"It was my pleasure Ms. Daniels." She raked up the decaying leather writings and caressed them as if they were the finest jewels.
Then she disappeared into a door behind her work area.
As Lyla got up to leave, her wrist began to itch with such fierceness she thought she might accidentally scratch her skin off.
She inspected it, but there was still only a large oval that decorated her skin.
It was unlike any irritation she had seen before.
"Alright kids gather round!" Coach Dawson said blowing his whistle.
He was a dark skinned man with a bulky frame and gentle face. He was the picture perfect image of what a coach should look like.
There had to of only been maybe two hundred students that attended this school, possibly less.
However, it was still significantly smaller in comparison to most public schools.
They lined up before the bleachers where coach Dawson stood and waited for their instructions.
Lyla scanned the faces around her. There were some she'd become familiar with and others she hadn't.
But there was one face that stood out to her among the others.
His silver eyes glowed against the black shaggy hair that curled against the hollow of his temples.
Jesse.
She wondered how he was able to draw her attention so swiftly without her even knowing it.
"How are you not wishing to die right now?" Dee whined a whisper as she pulled her hair in a bun, snapping Lyla out of her thoughts.
"Because I like exercising. It's good for you." Lyla said yanking her hair into a high pony tail.
"Are you even from this planet?." She said wide eyed, one brow arched and the other remained flat.
Lyla shook her head.
"It's hard to believe we're both seventeen. I'd think you were in your fifty's grandma." Lyla teased.
Dee glared at her.
Maybe a few weeks ago she would have taken offense to Dee's easily ignited frustration, but now she knew it blew over as easily as leaves being swayed by a soft draft.
"Alright kids!" Coach Dawson pulled their attention to him.
"Today you'll be paired for your laps. After I call out your partner, I'd like you to take a seat until everyone is paired." He walked slowly in front of them, looking at each student.
He was analyzing whom would be the best match for each other.
"First up! Claina and Todd!" He hollered their names as he scribbled on his clipboard.
The pair took a seat on the top bleacher.
Two by two he called out the names but It felt like an an eternity before the coach made it to Lyla.
"Lyla and Miles." He called out.
She heaved herself forward, dragging her feet.
She stood still as she waited on Miles to come beside her.
She could feel the white hot sensation of being watched. She let her eyes wonder around the field and stopped on Jesse whom was staring directly at her
with a blank stare, like he was fixated on something on her face.
Maybe she had a bug on her face? She mused.
Heat spread through her like netting.
Why did just the sight of him make her lose her breath each time without fail?
As the days went by she was able to pick out more and more distinctive features of his. The way he nibbled on his lower lip when he was in thought. The indents of the muscles in his back and arms.
The smooth raspy tone of his voice.
She could write a novel, describing each of his attributes, down to the number of the hairs on his head.
Would she ever get use to his unwavering perfection?
Like a child that just got caught with their hand in a cookie jar Jesse jerked his head in the other direction.
Lyla's brows furrowed.
"Hey Lyla." Miles said with a friendly smile as he approached her.
"Hey!"
"Looks like we're running partners."
"It appears so." Lyla mused.
They walked side by side to the bleachers, taking a seat on the second set.
"I'll go easy on you." Miles said breaking the wall of silence between them with a baiting smirk.
"What makes you think I need you to take it easy on me?"
"I guess I'll see what you got fresh meat." He playfully nudged her on the shoulder.
She cringed.
The students here seemed to love touching each other. It was like a never ending family reunion with aunts that liked to pinch your cheeks.
"Miles and Lyla, start your laps." Coach Dawson whistled while directing them to two lines on the field.
"Three laps and do not leave your partner behind." He cautioned them with a finger.
They started their jog at a comfortable pace.
A soothing peaceful and quiet feeling burrowed into her body.
She let herself go in the sensations.
She missed the way her muscles burned after a run. She missed the way her chest would feel like it was on fire from the cold air she breathed in.
She was in a state of bliss. That was until the last lap approached.
She didn't notice the large hole that awaited her.
"Lyla!" Miles yelled to worn her but it was too late.
Her foot buckled in the dent that was formed in the earth.
She felt herself falling and she braced herself for the impact.
Instead, her back was hovering a few inches above the ground, and she was now staring in to a pair of electrifying gray eyes.
The moment she realized who had come to her rescue she wheezed.
A fierce collection of butterflies crashed against the walls of her stomach.
She let out a deep sigh.
One of his hands cradled her head while the other was wrapped around her waist supporting her.
Her hands were clenched on his arms. She could feel the hard muscle that strained beneath her weight.
He held her so easily, as if she had the weight of a feather.
Jesse's eyes were wide and wild.
Like he wasn't expecting to catch her.
His touch made her feel like she was lying on a bed of hot coals.
His brows furrowed and he slowly stood her up without letting go of her.
They were barely inches apart.
In that moment she felt a passion rage inside of her like the clouds building up with water before it rained.
There was no denying the electricity in his touch, nor the force of his eyes.
Staring in to his eyes was like venturing out in to the unknown, it was like diving head first in to mystery.
She was on a dangerous edge. Teetering on the line of no return, dragged into the abyss of the unknown. A place she had never had the courage to walk into, a place where the heart and soul dance together in emotions and fears.
This is the first time her feelings for him were so clear. There was no falling for him, she had already fell.
She cleared her throat when she felt the stares of her class mates as they passed by on the track.
Miles stood a few feet away from them. He averted his eyes and his cheeks were flushed. He was embarrassed of her and Jesse's intimate moment.
But she had completely forgotten his existence.
Because the way Jesse was staring at her made everything else seem inconsequential.
"We seem to keep finding ourselves in this situation." Jesse said with a slight curve to his lips. His voice low and gravely, it rumbled through her.
Lyla's tongue was dumb, she was rendered speechless.
Jesse cocked his head to the side with a brow arched.
"Have you lost the ability to talk princess?"
Lyla's mouth opened but every word that she thought of disappeared as soon as it would appear in her mind.
Finally she was able to react. She set her face in a scowl and curled her hands into fists.
"Excuse me?" She hissed.
His smile broadened but it was far from friendly. It was in a daring untouchable kind of way.
He shook his head and without another word he hastily turned around and continued to jog.
Lyla chewed on her lower lip. The way he spoke to her seemed completely different than the way his eyes took her in. There was something there, she wasn't quite sure what it was, but she knew it. She could almost feel it.
"Well that was something." Miles said walking her back to the bleachers.
She blushed.
She wasn't even sure what had just happened.
As soon as they got back to the other students Dee slung her arm around Lyla's shoulder and directed them back to the campus.
"What was that about?"
"What are you talking about?" Lyla brawled against her lips that threatened to betray her.
Despite her best efforts they slowly curled in to a sheepish smile defeating her so called strong will.
"I have to say, I'm impressed. I think he might actually like you. You must have some magic tricks up your sleeves." She lowered her lashes with a mischievous grin.
"Let's go get lunch." Lyla rolled her eyes.
Jesse slung his door shut and fell face first on to his bed.
What was wrong with him? He didn't need to keep his distance any longer. But every time he got close to Lyla, his defenses went up.
Maybe it was the way her eyes seemed to search deep into his soul. The way he felt like she could see right through him as if he were nothing but a hologram.
Or maybe it was the gut wrenching pain that course through his muscles, tearing them into pieces every time he was around her, or the emotional pain. The constant feeling of being on edge. Like every time he breathed he was under a threat.
His life was now intertwined with hers. And the way it was going, didn't seem too promising.
Then again, he's never had the practice of courtship. He never had the need nor drive to actively pursue a young woman. Now he knew the reason why.
His soul was waiting for hers.
He groaned into his pillow. He needed to redeem himself, he had to ease into letting himself open up to her.
He's had so many urges that didn't make sense. The way his fingers itched to tuck her loose hair behind her ear so he could see her face. The way his body throbbed to be pressed against hers in an embrace. The way his pulse quickened when his eyes fell to her lips.
All these things were so alien to him. As much as the feelings made his spirit wake from being dormant for so many years, there was also the feeling of fury that wasn't far behind. Why did this happen?
He never wanted this. He never wanted a weakness.
Now he had one, and he couldn't protect himself from her. He couldn't protect her from him.
He heaved in a shuddering breath.
He hated himself, for the pained look that stretched across her face when he reacted in a less than favorable way. But it was his natural instinct to push away anything that made him feel even a shred of weakness.
How could he explain to her? How could he show her why this was one of the hardest things he's ever faced in his entire life. He had thought it would be a demon to kill him one day, now he knew it was a hundred pound beautiful girl that made him feel like he was dying every day because he wasn't able to touch her.
A thought entered his mind, it was like new life had been breathed in to him.
He know what he needed to do. All he needed was an opportunity.