After Amber stepped out of Mr. Evans office with Emma, she heard her friend say to her, “Am I the only one who thinks Mr. Evans is weird?”
Amber looked at her with the same expression she had worn when she left his office and she answered, “I think so too.” She released a sigh before asking, “Is it still too obvious?”
Emma stopped walking and came to stand in front of Amber. She pushed the sides of her hair back and after taking a look at Amber’s cheek, she set her lips into a thin line before bringing her hairs back to cover the side of her face.
“It isn’t obvious but on a closer look, it is,” Emma said and received a nod from Amber before they resumed walking in the quiet corridor.
“I thought Mr. Evans saw it because he kept staring at me. He must have been wondering how my face is like this because I am not the type to fight,” she said as they walked.
“He is just weird, that’s all.” Emma shrugged it off and Amber could not agree more.
As they walked, they suddenly heard someone call, “Amber.”
They stopped walking and when Amber raised her head to look at the owner of that familiar voice, she saw Kevin standing at a distance not too far from where they stood. Her heartbeat started increasing with every step that Kevin took towards her and when he came to stand in front of her, Amber had to look behind him to be sure that Mirabel was not following him.
Kevin’s eyes lowered to fall on the side of her face and Amber had to take a step back when his hand was about to reach for her face.
Emma, who had decided to give them privacy, now went to lean on a pillar not too far from where they are and she watched them.
Dropping his hand back to his side, he looked at her with a sad expression and apologized, “I am sorry for what happened.”
You won’t do anything about it anyway, thought Amber and she scoffed inwardly. She got the mark on her face when Mirabel landed a slap on it all because she tried to defend him and she regretted the fact that he was only apologizing now after it happened four days ago which was Friday.
Despite everything, Amber found herself saying, “You don’t have to apologize to me.”
He shook his head. “I need to.” Amber could hear the seriousness in his voice. “I have hurt you in different ways so I am sorry. And there is something I have wanted to tell you for a long time.”
Amber’s face lit up secretly and she knew that now was the time she has been waiting for. She anticipated for what Kevin was about to say to her but the moment he parted his lips to speak, they heard someone clap their hands from behind and when they turned their heads, they saw Mirabel, walking towards them with the smile she always wore around.
The look on Amber’s face suddenly changed and so did Kevin’s as they watch her walk towards them.
“There you are! I was looking for you all around but I didn’t know I would find you here,” she said and her face brightened. She rolled her eyes at Emma and when she reached where Amber and Kevin stood, she went to his side and placed an arm around his shoulder. Amber moved away to create space for her at the thought that she might want to attack her in any way.
“Were you talking to her?” Mirabel directed her question to Kevin while fixing her eyes on Amber.
“No!” Kevin immediately responded and Amber looked at him with disbelieving eyes. “I-I was j-just—” Kevin stuttered and Amber looked away from him, feeling disappointed.
How could he just deny talking to her like that without thinking twice or even blinking?
“Better!” Mirabel said, “Or have you told her about it?” she asked and Kevin shook his head.
“About what?” he asked and Amber couldn’t believe how he had immediately shook his head when he clearly doesn’t even know what Mirabel was talking about.
“That you asked me to prom and I accepted,” Mirabel answered and Kevin looked at her with his mouth slightly opened.
As much as Amber knew that Mirabel was only making it up, she couldn’t help but feel her heart break at what she said and her chest tightened. It was because she knows that if Mirabel said something, she makes sure she does it.
She looked away from them and started to walk away when Mirabel’s words made her turn.
“Yeah, that is what you know best. Just walk away and be lonely for the rest of your fucking life.”
Amber smiled at her words which had Mirabel frown. She replied her, “I wasn’t walking away. I just realized there are important things I need to attend to and the only lonely person here is you. Nobody likes you with a sincere heart because of the person you are. You are the one busy forcing them to.”
Mirabel glared at her and clenched her hands. She then said, “I guess the same goes for you right? You can’t deny the fact that you’ve liked Kevin for a long time but poor guy doesn’t even look your way talk less of returning your feelings back. All you want is to make him like you back which you are wrong because Kevin is mine and mine alone,” and after saying that, she grabbed Kevin’s face and kissed him on the lips. Kevin was taken by surprise and with every force that he tried to push her away from himself, it only ended up in her kissing him hard.
Amber blinked several times and her heart wrenched at the sight of them. She found it hard to breathe properly and she knew she would break down any moment but just in time, Emma came to her side and held her hand, giving her the comfort she needed.
Mirabel disengaged and turn to look at Amber with a smirk and a look of achievement in her eyes.
Amber hid the pain that bubbled in her chest and she gathered all the energy to speak calmly without her voice breaking. “Are you done now or would you want some little privacy to yourself?”
Mirabel was taken aback at Amber’s words and her forehead crinkled. She had expected that Amber would feel jealous and moved to tears with what she had done but it was the opposite of what she had thought.
“And what do you mean?” Mirabel asked, trying to keep her normal expression which she failed.
Amber smiled and scoffed through her nose. “You obviously think you can move me with that. Well, too bad! You have hated me for so long which is unreasonable. It is true that I’ve liked Kevin for a long time but you should know that feelings do fade. There,” she stretched her arm towards Kevin direction, “you can have him to yourself because I have moved on with my feelings. And do not bother me anymore because my priority right now is my exams.”
Mirabel’s face went blank as she had not expected that from Amber while Kevin on the other hand felt his heart crumble and shatter.
Before Mirabel could say anything more, Emma added, “Amber is going to find a better person. Someone who is not controlled by a sadistic person like you and that person is going to protect and support her in every way. So when that day comes, keep your fury to yourself and let it kill you inside.”
Looking at Amber, she said to her, “Let us leave this place,” and they both walk away from their sight.
After they had gone, Mirabel came back to her senses and when Amber’s words replayed in her head, she clenched her fists together and her blood boiled in anger.
Instead of heading back to the classroom, Amber changed direction and walked to the field with Emma who followed her without questioning her on what they were doing in the field. “Amber?” Emma called when they got to the bleachers. Amber sniffed back tears and wiped her nose with the back of her palm. “I’m sorry Emma. I’m sorry for making you go through this with me. I know it’s stupid but thank you anyway.” She sniffed again before sitting on one of the benches. Emma came to sit beside her and said, “You don’t have to be sorry. I chose this. I just want to stay by your side and never let you go.” Amber looked at her and laughed sadly through her nose as she blinked, “I wish that was coming from someone who loves me.” “Well, I love you,” Emma said with seriousness and Amber looked at her for seconds before laughing out. “What?” Emma asked with a smile. “You are funny and for a moment, I took you seriously. I know you love me and I do too, but I was referring to a guy. You can’t
Getting back home that day, Amber went to her room and changed into a casual cloth before joining her mother in the dining room to eat. When they were done eating, Amber cleared the plates before going to join her mother in the living room. She took her seat on one of the chairs and called, “Mom?” When her mother turned her head to look at her, she asked, “Can we go visit Emma and her Aunt on Saturday?” “Why not? Let’s do that,” Mrs. Morgan replied her and a smile came to form on Amber’s lips. “Can we sleep over at their place too?” she asked, knowing what her mother would say. “Do you want to?” Mrs. Morgan asked and Amber nodded. “I just feel like spending these moments with Emma. I want us to revise together and make these moments count. You know she would be leaving for the States after our graduation,” Amber tried to hide the sadness in her voice and her heart ached. “Sure! Let’s do that,” Mrs. Morgan said with a smile and Amber returned it. The thought of Emma going to sta
Amber had not seen Emma staring at her that way so she asked her, “What?” Emma’s expression immediately changed and she subtly smiled. “Nothing. Let’s go.” Amber walked up to her and they both went back to the classroom, but her mind was not settled. She needed to know the reason behind the way Emma looked at her because that will be the first time she would do that, so she asked again when they sat down. “Are you really sure it’s nothing?” she stared into her brown eyes. “I mean, we are both friends and I don’t see why we need to hide anything from each other.” Emma broke into a smile and said, “Actually, there is something, but I first thought you might think I am crazy so I acted like it was nothing. It isn’t something serious though.” Amber nods her head and Emma continued, “What an anger! Such fierceness I see in you,” she demonstrated with her hand and Amber arched her brows at her. “What?” she asked and Emma dropped her hand to the side. “Okay look, I was surprised at wh
Immediately she stepped inside, the door came towards her and her eyes widen in shock before she immediately stepped away from it. She heard it let out a soft click and she held her chest, breathing out as she felt her head spin.“Seriously?” she said as she caught her breath. It was because the door came rushing to her as if the person holding it from behind suddenly pushed it in her direction and if she had not stepped away in time, it would have slam against her face. But then, there was no one behind the door and if the door were human, Amber would have said that it had a few loose screws in its head.She walked to the door and held the handle to open it and see if the door was faulty but when she tried to open it, it wouldn’t open and she furrowed her brows. She tried again and then again but it just wouldn’t open.“Ugh!” Amber groaned aloud and gave up. She turned around and called, “Hello? Anyone here?” when she got no response, it infuriated her and she said, “I know someone i
“About the door,” she paused before she continued, “...didn’t you read the notice I posted on the window?”Amber moved from her thoughts and stared at the back of the woman with a small frown on her face. “What notice?” she asked.The woman’s finger stopped trailing across the books and she pulled out a book. Turning around to walk to a table, she replied, “Mind the door.”When she noticed that Amber didn’t get what she said, she explained, “Just like the way it is posted on a glass door. Mind the glass-Mind the door.”“Oh!” Amber said when she finally got what the woman was trying to say. “I must have missed seeing that.”The woman raised her head to look at Amber properly. “What did you see then?” she asked and Amber arched her brows as she tried to recollect what she saw at the glass and she parted her lips to speak. “Let the books take you into the world of the unknown.”The woman stared at Amber and said, “If you can read that then you must be here for something. But from the loo
Hazel further explained to Amber, “There are some witches who, out of greed, decided to tap into the black magic and so, their heart has become corrupted. Most witches like that have done more evil deeds than good because it’s like trading your life for death or giving the devil a handshake. So, it’s more of like making a sacrifice to keep them in the world. The black stones can help to hide their appearance while they live among humans. So you see, you can be living among witches but you don’t know who is who,” Hazel said and added, “Black stones carry heavy energy and the energy can be manipulated by the witch according to her will. It can be used for good and for evil.”Amber felt her palms turn sweaty. She asked, “Is there any other reason they have to tap into the black magic? I mean, since they know the harm in it, do they still do it out of greed?”Hazel hummed a response and replied, “Whatever reason they might have, once they tap into the black magic, there is no going back s
When Amber neared her neighborhood, she sighed in relief that she would soon be home. She didn’t know how many minutes had passed since she started walking but she was glad that she made it to her neighborhood in time and she hastened her steps but then, she stopped and turned to look behind her because she thought she heard footsteps behind her.Seeing no one in sight, fear crept into her mind at the thought that the Vampires were out and looking for whom to prey on. She listened again and when she heard nothing, she dared to breathe a sigh of relief but as soon as she turned back to resume walking, she saw two men standing in front of her, grinning with lust in their eyes and what she perceived around them is the smell of alcohol.At first, she thought they were Vampires, but then, Vampires don’t drink alcohol, or do they? Amber thought and was in between confused and scared. Anyone can drink alcohol. Yes! Fangs! She looked down at their teeth but she could not see it. When they sta
Running was not an option for Amber because she knows that if she tried it, the men would get her in no time. Saving herself was not an option either, because she is no match for them and she doubted if they would listen to her pleas this time.“I—I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional. I did not know what I was doing,” Amber apologized as she moved to the back with every step they took towards her.“You should have agreed while we were still patiently asking. We won’t go easy on you this time,” the bald man scowled at her with a look of anger in his eyes.In no time, the other two men grabbed both her arms and no matter how hard she tried to release herself from them, it only ended up in her arms being gripped tightly and she yelled in pain.“What are you doing? Let me go!” she yelled at them when they started dragging her.Amber dread what would happen to her as she is not sure of what the men want from her. Their words were clear but she perceived their intentions to be different. Or wai