CHAPTER 22: CHAPTER 22

Why is Luke suddenly acting this way? Or is... it me?

Rhea was in her room, seated at her reading desk in cute teddy bear pyjamas, staring into space, momentarily forgetting the book before her.

I think it’s me. Because he’s still acting as his usual self.

"Am I... having feelings for Luke?"

She groaned, pressing both palms to her face, muffling the tiny giggle that escaped her lips.

Did I just laugh because I realised I’m having feelings for Luke? She chuckled again, but in disbelief.

But he’s not my style. And he’s my friend.

Rhea bit continuously on her nails.

This isn’t right. How can I be having feelings for him?

A grin tugged at her lips before she could stop it. Her mind flickered to that day at the library, when the corner of her eyes caught his abs flashing beneath his hoodie.

She hugged her pillow and groaned. Stop it, Rhea. You are not one of those girls who fall for a boy just because he has abs—

"Okay, what is going on with you?" Tia’s groggy voice cut through her thoughts. She stood at the doorway, rubbing her eyes. "You’ve been giggling like a weirdo all morning."

Rhea flinched as she turned to her book, flipping through a random page. "Nothing," she replied quickly.

Tia raised an eyebrow. "Your cheeks are saying the opposite."

"I’m serious, it’s — Um!" Rhea suddenly clasped her nose with both hands, her eyes wide.

Immediately, Tia sobered up. "Rhea!" She rushed forward, grabbing the nearest piece of cloth she could find, pressing it to Rhea’s nose. "Why is there so much blood?!"

Rhea mumbled incoherently through her hands and the cloth.

"It’s a nosebleed," she managed to say after pulling the cloth away.

"Nosebleeds don’t bleed like this!" Tia exclaimed, staring at Rhea’s blood-speckled PJs. "You are covered in blood. Look at your desk! This isn’t normal." Tia stepped closer to Rhea, tilting her head upwards, looking into her nose to see if there were any signs of injury.

She’s acting exactly as someone did.

"I’m fine. It’s probably due to stress. Maybe it’s because I’ve been going all-nighters for the exams." Rhea said quickly.

"But you had never bled before. Not even during the worst semesters," Tia shot back, opening Rhea’s mouth. "Are you sure you are not hurt anywhere?"

"No, I’m seriously fine. Nothing is wrong with me. See, it has stopped," Rhea insisted.

Tia looked at Rhea for a long time, said nothing, then sighed. "Okay. But promise you’d stop by a pharmacy to check, alright?"

"I will."

*

As the week rolled by, Rhea juggled both her studies and rehearsals.

Most times when Rhea goes to the club, Luke isn’t there. Though they share the same clubs and attend some classes together, their class schedule are different.

"I thought he would come to today’s class?" Rhea muttered under her breath as she strode down the hallway with Tia by her side.

"Are you talking to me?" Tia enquired, her book on her chest with her arms wrapped around it.

"No," Rhea replied, her voice strained. She glanced at Tia for a beat, pondering if she should ask her about Luke.

But if I should ask her, she’d start hinting at something. Ah! This is unlike me. I’ve never waited on someone before — except Zach, that is.

"Um, Tia?" Rhea called out, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Have you seen Luke lately?" she asked, hoping Tia wouldn’t get a weird idea.

"I think his department is starting exams this week. Is there a problem?" Tia asked with a blank look.

"N... nothing!" Her mind reeled for a possible answer. "I’ve not been seeing him in the rehearsals, that’s why," she answered with a bright smile.

Rhea watched Tia as she simply nodded her head and said nothing.

That explains why he hasn’t been coming. I was worried for nothing.

Rhea didn’t see Luke again that week. Not once. Every time the door opened or a crowd shifted, her eyes moved before she could stop them. She tried not to care. Tried not to wonder. But her mind wandered.

But not today.

As she made her way out of the exam hall, she was greeted by the voice she had been hoping to hear. "Hey, beautiful, done with your first paper?" Luke asked, standing almost close to the entrance of the hall where Rhea was having her exams.

Rhea’s head snapped up as she froze in her tracks for a second, then flashed him a smile, walking up to him. "Done with your oral exams already?" she answered with a question.

"Yeah, last week," he replied, taking Rhea’s bag from her. "You haven’t seen me for days, I thought you’d come running the moment I walked in today. Did you miss me that little? He said with a wide smile.

Rhea rolled her eyes, "Why will I do that? And besides, you’re not that hard to miss. I wasn’t even looking for you."

Luke walking closer to her, his tone low, "Ouch. That’s cold." He placed his hands over his body, like he was shivering. Then suddenly turned to Rhea, " But..you probably did look. But not with your eyes.

Rhea blinked once, knitted her brows, eyeing him for a brief second before asking, "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Means, I think I’ve been living somewhere else in you lately...In your head, maybe. Or—." He stared at her mouth for a little while, swallowing gently. "Maybe somewhere deeper." He added glancing back at her eyes with a smirk.

Rhea cleared her throat, looking away from him. "You’re being full of yourself."

Okay! This is different. Why is he talking like that??

Luke laughed softly, then leaned slightly closer. "Am I? But admit it, you missed me. A little maybe. But I, I missed you, and a lot." Almost backing her to a wall.

Rhea went quiet.

Okay, where is this coming from? This is not the Luke, I know.

Then said, "You should stop talking like that in the hallway." Walking off as she increased her pace.

Luke on the other hand, didn’t stop. He increased his pace, hoisting her bag on his shoulders. "Why? Afraid someone might hear what I could be doing to you if we weren’t in a hallway?"

Rhea opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out, her heart skipping beats, almost causing her a cardiac arrest.

The school festival day, two weeks after exams.

"Put it over there, yes. Are you guys prepared?" the club president asked Rhea and Luke.

"Yes," Luke nodded, glancing at Rhea.

"Okay, your cue is when the light dims," he stated.

"Understood," they both answered.

"You’re not nervous, right?" Luke turned, standing directly opposite Rhea.

"A little," she said, rubbing both her palms together.

"Don’t worry, I know you’d nail it." He moved closer to her.

Rhea swallowed hard as she held her breath, her eyes trailing up to his face, her knuckles pale. As he adjusted the collar of her dress, then used his index finger to swirl the long curls close to her bangs.

"And also, you look stunning. So smile and charm the audience out of their mind," he assured her, sliding his hand to her waist as they stepped onto the stage.

Rhea stood behind Luke, trailing her hand over Luke’s chest, leaning her head to his neck. Then ran forward as she said her line, falling like a swan.

Luke grabbed her by the waist as he scooped her into his arms. His gaze fixed on her face as it hungrily slid to her lips, then back to her eyes.

Does he like me? But how would I know if it’s not in my head? What will I do if he truly does like me? Am I ready to date again? Rhea’s mind was a puddle of questions, her eyes lingering on Luke’s face, as her heart pounded not from her performance, but from every single touch of Luke, which was sending tiny currents into her brain.

Their movements were seamless.

Rhea grabbed him by the collar as she pulled him towards her, his body slamming into her. She tilted her head to the side as an act of kissing him, but their lips didn’t touch.

Luke slowly slid his arm around her, leaning in, his lips brushing hers. Rhea froze, her eyes widened. She hesitated for a second, but parted her lips, giving him access.

He slammed his head into her as he claimed her lips for his, his tongue swirling around hers, sucking hard on her lower lip, pulling her closer.

A moan slipped out from Rhea as she crossed her arms over his neck, deepening the kiss.

Luke broke his lips, his eyes drinking in her flushed expression, then stepped back.

The audience cheered as they bowed.

But within the crowd, someone wasn’t cheering.

Zeenare wasn’t.

The chair he sat on had twisted, his eyes were bloodshot red, and his jaw clenched.

Zeenare brushed his hair back as he made his way to the school parking lot, then into his car.

He drove into the city, the sun bathing his pale skin.

He yanked off his tie as he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a tattoo on his chest that trailed up his neck. His hair was now loose, falling down his face. He slammed on the pedal, flying through the spacious asphalt, wind whipping through the car.

As Zeenare drove through the freeway, a space before him started to form dark clouds, lightning sparkling within, sucking in the air in the surroundings. Then he drove through it, appearing on an island.

The moment the car stopped, he walked hurriedly to the beach and dived into the water.

He wiggled in the ocean as his body twisted in a straight spiral, his face contorted in a painful expression. His legs joined together as they morphed into a shimmering, pure, glittering silver tail colour, with the colour of fiery blue flames on the fins. His hair extended to below his waist, turning all silver, his eyes devoid of all colours but black, with a pure golden thorn-like ring shape in them. His fingers extended into claws.

He swam deep into the ocean, and the pressure of the ocean pressed against his skin as he dove deeper, deeper, to the extent that there was no source of light but him. His body glittered as the flame rune in the fin lit up the water.

As he settled slowly, he let out a great scream.

Nothing happened for a while, except that everything became eerily quiet. Soon, the waters let out a low hum as it began to reverberate with a high frequency, letting out a coil, spiralling up, forming a small whirlpool from the earth of the ocean, like a serpent roused from slumber growing as it got to the surface of the ocean, turning into a maelstrom. The frequency of Zeenare killing every living organism within a forty-thousand-meter radius.