Maline gently made her way to the laundry area, as she tenderly slid down the path and was now only a few metres away from the door, the lights blacked out. It was dark and only the moonless nightlight shone, but still, she slowly braved the dark and before she even made two more steps ahead, she bamped into something, it was ha rd, and warm.
Maline slowly lifted her face and carefully fixed her gaze, staring hard, examining what she had hit.
Suddenly, the figure sharply turned around, revealing a muscular built male figure causing l,,,,,,,,Maline to scream her lungs out in shock. Before she could even react again, the agile figure charged a fierce fist towards her lower abdomen region and Maline swiftly dodged it.
Aside the muscular man, another equally strong man appeared, clenching his fists and ready to teach Maline a lesson. Maline turned as if ready to run, and made a double flip heavily crushing the lower neck region of the two men with either foot.
BAM!! the two gigantic bodies landed crashing down a number of bones with such great force that they passed out. Maline descended unharmed, steadily balancing.
Before she could even enjoy her victory, she spotted someone in the blurry night. Behind the two bodies laying on the ground, a heavy well-built man coldly stood. Even in the dark night, she could still see his cold eyes. Then a sense of danger overwhelmed her, and she was panick stricken. Ready to flee away.
Like a flash of lightning, he strode to her side and tactfully wrapped his strong arm around her slender waist, with the other one, he held her chin and forced it to rise, then directly stared into her sparkling eyes.
Darm it! Maline felt her feet stuck on the ground and throat dry. Noticing she could not shout, she panicked again. Then, as she swept her eyes away from his, directly moving them to his lips, she screamed inwardly, 'I am dead and dead I mean!'
Then quickly sensing his unavoidable deadly aura, she shifted her gaze to the blank darkness.
"Aren't you going to try to escape?," his deep voice suddenly rung out, breaking the deadly silence.
'Darm, does he know how impossible that is!' Maline cursed out in her mind.
"I...I...I...you..you," she stummered and prayed inwardly for the ground to swallow her up.
"I mean, you seemed so untamed and energtic as you struck down those muscular men, but now," he paused scrupulously watching for any trace of reaction from her already timid face.
Satisfied by her reaction, he continued, "But now in my arms, you can't even free yourself from alight touch of mine. "
Maline swallowed hard. Her throat was still dry, but she forced herself, clearly resenting her weakness.
'This man will not take advantage of me,' she told herself, determined to break free.
"I...I...I...You," she stummered again.
Ahh! It happened again, she could not speak, was she dumb or something. To her surprise, she noticed the mans lips rise into a gentle smile, he looked more than amused.
'Was he enjoying this!,' she wondered.
"You---You---let---me go," Maline finally managed to say a few words.
Jubilant about her achievement, she didn't notice the towering figure moving closer to her face closing in the gap between the two. He wispered directly into her ear causing her an impulsive sensation which made her twitch,
"What is your name."
Now she was cracking, she could bearly swallow her saliva.
She mustered up her strength and stealthily responded with another stutter,"I...am...Ma...Maline."
"Maline," he called her name so sweetly that she felt she was getting the name for the first time.
"What a sweet name, I love it..," he paused, and looked directly into her eyes, his once cold eyes were now replaced with a divine calmness and a wild flame blazed in them as he slowly continued, "I love you Maline."
Then he suddenly closed in the few inches between them and smacked his soft lips against her fragile ones, passionately kissing her intensely. Butterflies filled her stomach as he gently pulled out of the kiss.
Maline was utterly breathless, weak, numb and totally depending on the arm around her waist to remain on her feet. She unconsciously fell into his chest and clung onto him like a little kid clasping her slender arms around his gigantic waist.
"I thought you wanted me to let go. Now you've stuck onto me like a termite. Hahaha," came his husky voice.
Maline quickly twinched out of his embrace realising that he had already let go, and immediately struggled before stumbling back into his warm chest.
"Gosh! Am not going to hurt you. And for now I'll go away," his calm voice rung out and soothed her tension.
Maline smiled awkwardly, feeling a strange sense of loss at the words "I'll go away". Then he let go. And walked towards the two unconscious men, squat at knee level, and easily lifted them firmly resting them on his shoulders.
As he turned to leave, Maline stuttered, "What---i--is--your name."
Impressed, his lazy voice rung out, "Call me Allan."
Allan turned after mummering, "I love you, see you soon," before disappearing into the darkness. Immediately, the lights were back.
'Forget the laundry,' Maline wispered to herself and volted back to the girls' wing, rushed into her cubicle and immediately slid into her bed covering her head which startled her roommate Rea.
"Is she hauted or something," Rea mummered under her breathe.
Under the blanket, Maline breathed a sigh of relief and soon slept off.
********************************
A pair of hazel eyes slowly flickered open and blinked a few times before adjusting to the bright light in a sky blue room which beamed in from the yellow sun.
Maline swang her feet to the side of the bed, and slid them into a pair of comfy slippers. Lazily stretching, she made her way to the bathroom at the corner of the room with drowsy eyes.
"Good morning Mal," Maline's sight fell on a beautiful girl about 19 years old tilted away from a bathroom mirror to reveal her sparkling smile. It was her roommate Rea.
"Good morning Rea," she cartly replied with a gentle smile and proceeded with her morning routine.
Once in a while, Rea expectantly shot Maline a glance through the mirror and diverted it immediately as she slowly brushed her teeth.
"Rea, anything wrong, you're behaving awkwardly," Maline asked, half concerned, half curious.
Rea carefully placed her toothbrush on the sink and sunk her head into the sink to rinse her mouth. Hesitantly, Rea started pouring her heart out,(curiously inquired)
"Mal, why did you return to the room all panicked yesterday? Is there anything wrong? A..a..are you hauted? Oh no! Did anyone try to bully you? Please answer me. " Rea looked at Maline anxiously.
Maline almost burst into laughter when she heard Rea's concern, she really isn't hauted for sure but someone did bully her but how could she she say it, a stranger harrassed her? That is unreasonable.
Thinking of him, her already formed smile grew ugly, the scene clearly replayed in her mind so freshly that it seemed to be happening at the moment. How could she let a stranger take advantage of her? Now to think of it, the whole thing was utterly unbelievable.
"Mal---Mal---," Rea's voice broke her off her train of thoughts.
"Yes?," Maline blinked a few times as if recovering from a shock.
"Nothing much, I was just afraid of the dark when the lights blacked out yesterday, That's all, " Maline lied smiling awkwardly before lifting the toothbrush to her white teeth.
******after 40 mins******
"Hey, you better hurry up or we are going to be late for Math class,"
Maline repeatedly nugged Rea as she flung her school bag on her back tightly clasping it's straps.
"Ugh!, how I wish I could dodge that darm lesson. Ms. Villa is just about the most fierce lion in that den of teachers," Rea stubbonly retorted as she buttoned up a white long sleeved shirt with a hexagonal budge reading, "PHOENIX HIGH SCHOOL".
"And she will be worse than that if we arrive late, won't she?" Maline paused as if waiting for an answer.
Then, with a smile she stubbornly teased, "Maybe like a hungry crocodile"
Rea frowned.
"Done," Rea said with alacrity,
"Let's get moving," she proudly continued as she lifted her school bag from the dressing table.
Rea and Maline stepped into class 11 exposing the crazy scene to the quiet hallway for a brief moment.
"Oh!, I can't believe we are about to do our National College Entrance Examinations," Maline said ignoring the deafening noise from her classmates as she leaned into the last chair in the room beside the window.
"I will finally be free from some teachers," Rea sighed as she sat herself into the second last seat infront of Maline's.
"What if you would have to redo the NCEE next year," a deep voice mockingly rung out over her head.
Rea lifted her head and her face darkened with anger when her sight fell on a handsome guy with perfectly craved facial features.
She immediately retorted, "You! This is none of you're business Max,"
"Oh!" Max looked shocked, "Sorry, I didn't mean to mendle in your business,"
"Well, goodluck with your NCEE, don't let me down," Max mockingly winced at Rea.
"Max!!!, You're just lucky I don't hit men," Rea almost screamed.
"Should I be glad?," Max innocently inquired.
"I'll kill you," Rea roared as she clenched her fist, stretching out of her seat.
"Calm down," Maline finally spoke holding Rea down and pushng her back into her seat.
Rea shot Max a fierce look full of daggers but didn't make another attempt to attack.
Maline threw a warning glance towards Max scanning him carefully.
"I really think you should be glad. Afterall, who wouldn't like to protect their dear life," Maline's threatning voice sunk into Max's ers sending a cold shiver throught his stiff body.
Before he could react, the door flung open and a middle aged woman with a strong cold aura gracefully walked in. The room fell silent and everyone retreated to their respective seats except Max, by the time the lady reached at the front corner of the classroom.
"I'll deal with you later," Max sneared and dashed to his locker.
"Waiting, coward," Maline sounded behind him.
Maline crossed her arms around her chest and a smile flashed across her once cold face revilimg a stunning beauty she seemed to be enjoying the wholething.
**** "Mal, I thought I was going to passout in that lesson," said a breathless Rea as quickened her step trying to keep up with Maline.
"Why, were you feeling fatigue.... or sick?" Maline worriedly inquired pausing her steps and carefully looking at Rea for a response.
"Ah!, I just really hate the woman. Her sight irritates me. Why do I even have to attend her darm lessons in the first place," Rea stubbonly complained childishly stamping her feet in anger.
"You're so good at creating a scene, aren't you? Look at all those startled faces," Max chimed in pointing at a few groups of students whispering in the hallway.
"Max!!," Maline shot Max a warning glare before Rea could respond.
"Rea, don't worry yourself. Calm down. Okay let's go eat breakfast," Maline calmly spoke to Rea. The last thing she wanted in her life is to see the two argueing, they behaved like cowife's and it was really unbearable.
"Fine," Rea replied and immediately led the way to the cafeteria keeping a safe distance from Max.
**** At the serving table, all the three lined up holding out their plates to be served.
"Oka`y, where are we going to sit. All the tables seem full. I mean the good ones," Rea expressed her worry looking at the crowded room.
"Um, there blind dwarf," Max replied ponting at an empty table in the middle of the last column beside a french window.
"Great," Rea cheered, ignoring Max's partial insult and walked towards the free table. As the others tailed behind her.
As Maline walked past the table adjuscent to the spotted table, she suddenly slid. The plate in her hands was now empty. Slowly, Maline raised her head only to find a pair of cold eyes staring directly at her, the face of their owner was masked with food and spicy sauce was splashed into his hair.
"I'm so sorry," Maline finally snapped out of her startle and apologized.