Chapter 16 I can't sleep
Sav stayed in the shower until her skin was pale and wrinkled. Her eyes were puffy from crying and her throat was parched. When she opened the furnished closet in her room, she was surprised to see branded clothes already set for her. She put on a white shirt and ripped jeans that fit her perfectly. How did they know her size?
Shaking her head and mumbling to herself, she wandered to the living room, wondering what all the noise she's been hearing was. Her mouth hung open when she saw rows of men gluing her letters together with precision then laminating it in the end.
"Tom!" She cried, her face burning red. "You didn't have to do this!"
"Oh I insist and the Lords were quiet serious with the order."
"Where are they?"
"In the kitchen," he replied then smiled. "Trust me Ms. Sav, we're happy to do this for you. For now this is all we can do."
Sav smiled, understanding now that it was all to make her feel better, making her eyes water again. She ran to the kitchen and bolted the door open.
"Leo!" She almost shouted but upon seeing him with his hair still wet from the shower, making it darker and his eyes even more striking, she became tongue-tied. "I—I—"
"Yes?" Leo dropped the spatula and walked towards her. "Are you feeling better now?"
She nodded then suddenly felt embarrassed because of her sudden urge to embrace him. In the end she tugged the ends of his white shirt, feeling the soft fabric against her fingertips. "Thank you."
Leo took her hand and softly caressed the band aids over her knuckles—the injury she got from punching the fire alarm. "What happened?"
"It's from the club but it's almost healed don't worry."
"Be careful next time, okay?" He dropped her hand and Sav suddenly missed his touch. What was wrong with her?
"Jeez, get a room," Z commented, smirking and leaning against the counter. The man wearing glasses was on the phone speaking fluent Russian.
Sav glared at him. "Z, you were a useless—"
"I know, I know!" He raised his hands. "And I'm sorry, really sorry."
Leo sighed. "I heard about what happened from Z. He also showed me the letters." He glanced at the man wearing glasses. "This is Luke by the way. He's the president of the academy."
Luke raised a hand at her and she waved back.
"He's been deciphering the letters and he said it was definitely written by a woman."
"When did it start?" Leo asked as he covered the pot with its lid. He turned to her as she sat down at the nearest couch.
Sav narrated what happened from day 1 without leaving any details. Luke would occasionally listen until his phone rings which he'd answer; each call he spoke a different language.
"In conclusion, this person has a grudge on Z and wants you out of the academy," Leo concluded.
Sav nodded along with Z. "We just have to find the reason why."
"Anyway, so at the club," Z began his story, "this familiar girl went up to me and asked me about the girls I've been with. And if I knew that some of them had boyfriends would I have done anything different. She kissed me with this pill and then the next thing I know I'm at the mansion."
"What did this girl look like?" Sav asked.
"I thought she was Brielle at first but she came closer, I was pretty sure she wasn't her. There's just an uncanny resemblance between them."
"We'll interrogate her first thing in the morning," Leo stated.
"No, I'll talk to her alone," she said and Leo looked a little surprised with her disagreeing. He probably didn't hear that very often. "Please let me. She's my friend."
"The friend who ransacked your room, been sending you death threats and stalking you. I don't remember a friend being in that category."
"That's right Sav, this girl is crazy," Z agreed with Leo.
"Haven't you had enough of her terrorizing you?"
Sav stood her ground. "There must be a good reason why she is doing this and I want to ask her without putting a knife at her throat. Other than the threats, she has been nothing but kind to me."
They battled with their eyes for a while until Leo broke it off. "Fine but if I see or hear anything that would endanger you, don't be sorry if I accidentally kill her," he said with finality and with so much calmness in his voice, it was hard to believe it was a threat. He stood up and went back to his cooking.
After dinner and much talking, they finished planning on how to go about Brielle. Sav was given a chest with a lock which contained all the letters and pictures. She happily took them to her room and read them until the clock struck midnight. Still wide awake, she decided to go to the balcony. A familiar figure looked up at the sky filled with innumerable stars.
"Do you think stars are alive?" She asked Leo and looked up at the stars next to him.
"No but they are made by God for one who's lost all hope."
"How is looking at the stars regain their hope?"
"Amidst the darkness there is still light for one who seeks it. You just have to look hard," he said then pointed at a shooting star. "And when you find it, you'll realize this pain is only temporary. It will leave in time."
"That's beautiful." Sav couldn't help but look at him with awe. "Leo?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry for being such a burden. I mean you have other more important things to think about, you shouldn't have to worry about my problems."
"You can never be a burden to me," he said facing her.
"Why?"
Leo lifted his hand and tucked her hair behind her ear. His hand delved into her wavy locks and began to caress her temple with his thumb. Sav closed her eyes for a second and shivered from his gentle touch. She leaned her head into his hand and put her hand over his.
At that moment, instead of being enchanted by the brilliant moon and billions of stars, they were lost in each other's eyes.