Chapter Three

I got up very late the next morning, which was not too surprising. I was never a morning person, and being on the road for six hours yesterday, then staying up late last night was enough reason for me to sleep in a little. Or maybe a lot.

Noon had already passed when I walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my head, gray shirt, and dark ripped denim shorts. Narelle was on the couch, eyes fixed on her cellphone screen as if her life depended on it.

If only she wasn't sitting under the warm golden rays beaming through the windows, I would have been sure she was a vampire. She had the palest skin I'd ever seen; paler than my own. It made me wonder whether she goes out in the sun, or just locks herself up in her room all day.

Judging by the way she had slouched herself on the couch, it was probably the latter.

"You just missed breakfast and lunch," she said, reminding me of my empty stomach.

I didn't answer her until after I took the towel off of my head, and hanged it on the little laundry hanger by the window.

"I'd prefer sleep over breakfast and lunch every time," I told her, and I meant it with every fiber of my being.

She snorted and said, "That explains your stick-like figure."

"Says the girl with an even thinner frame than mine."

"Touché." Smirking, she lifted her head and gave me a once-over. "You're going out?"

I nodded as I tamed the stubborn knots of my blonde mess of a hair. And for a split second, I felt a little jealous of Narelle's straight black one that cascaded just past her jaws, with bangs hanging only a few centimeters above her perfectly dark brows.

How I wished mine would look just as perfect.

"You know, you should go out, too. Put some color on that skin of yours."

"And sweat myself to death? Yeah, no thanks." She shook her head. "Where are you going, anyway?"

"Just around Ostport. See if I could find a job."

"A job," she repeated, monotonously. "You do know our tuition is paid by blood, right?"

"Yeah. I just paid for it after I got enrolled."

"Then why?"

I shrugged. "Because I need money for other things?"

"The academy provides us with a monthly allowance, Luna."

"Yeah, but that's not enough. Besides, I'm saving up for something," I answered, half lying and half telling the truth.

Of course, the allowance from the academy was enough for me. It was huge, actually. Compared to the money I had to stretch for three months after my mother died, the money from the academy was much easier to budget. But just like what I had said to Narelle, I needed to save up; not because I wanted to buy something, but because there would be a day when I would leave this academy and live on my own. The day when I basically had to fend for myself, full-time.

Narelle raised her brow and eyed me suspiciously. But eventually, she shrugged her slim shoulders, finally dropping the conversation to my relief.

"Suit yourself," was all that she said, before letting her eyes fall back at her cellphone screen.

Only then was I able to breathe comfortably. If Narelle had persisted, I would've ran away.

After grabbing my quite small bag pack out of the cabinet, along with my resume, I quickly slipped my favorite sneakers on. With a simple: "Hey, I'm off." I walked out of our room with my bag slung over my shoulder.

The sun was already high up when I exited the Suncrest dormitory with a few other students. The air was a little cold, since August was just around the corner, but that didn't stop the heat from crawling into my skin like tiny flames. It felt sixty shades of hell. Especially when I was in the middle of the road, without an umbrella, and with still a fourteen-minute worth of walking to endure.

I swore I was going to melt before I could even reach the main school building. What more when I got out of the academy to go job hunting?

"You look hot," said a voice that abruptly, and rudely pulled me out of my thoughts.

Because of the heat, I wasn't able to notice the guy that came up to my side.

"You know, I can't tell whether you're teasing me, or you're looking for a fight," I said, irritated by his sudden presence.

"What?" he asked, confused. But then a few seconds later, I guess realization hit him. "No, that's not what I meant!" he said, half chuckling.

I looked up at him, and was planning on glaring but ended up getting surprised, instead, because... well, he doesn't look bad.

He had this dark messy semi-curls swept to the side, brushing just above his ears. Thick lashes and well-shaped brows compliment his caramel-brown eyes that glistened against the sunlight. His teeth were frustratingly straight and white; nose swooped down right out of that arch, like a prince's in a Byzantine mosaic; and lips sharply sculpted. His skin was a perfect shade of olive, emphasized by his plain white t-shirt and black jeans, which by the way, slightly hugged his chiseled physique.

If looking good was a crime, this guy would be in jail for the rest of his life.

"I was just saying you look like you needed an umbrella," he continued, smiling. "But I guess your interpretation works, too."

I made a face, concealing the fact that I had just checked him out. "Funny. I'm guessing that's how you get girls to fall for you?"

"I honestly haven't tried it on girls. But I wasn't expecting the first girl I told that to, would want to kick me in the gut." He chuckled, then took something out of his bag. An umbrella. He opened it, and held it over my head. "Better?" he asked.

I only raised a brow.

His smile widened. "Okay, you don't talk to strangers." He then cleared his throat. "I'm Cedric, by the way. Cedric Breckan, nineteen, and single."

"I don't remember asking."

"You know, this should be the part where you tell me your name."

"Or maybe the part where I grab your umbrella and hurl it at you."

He threw his head back, laughing hard that the umbrella he was holding shook from side to side.

"You're funny. I like that," he said when his laughter finally died. "You know what, here, take this."

"Take wha—" Without letting me finish my sentence, he quickly handed me his umbrella,  shoving it in my hands as if he was handing me trash.

"I have a feeling that we'll meet again, so just give that back when that happenes," he quickly added then ran off, before I could even refuse.

For a good long minute, I just stood there, watching his back as it went further and further away from me. And then, he was gone from my line of sight.

Well... that was weird. But I guess I won't be melting anytime soon.

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