Pitch black

"Remember Harmony, you don't have to force it if you ever need someone to talk to me and your aunt is always there for you." A plump man with a bald spot said.

Harmony opened her eyes. Although those dewy moonlight blue eyes had remained closed during the duration of the ride from home to college, she was nothing but asleep. Her stomach has been twisting with nervousness, as this was her first day in college.

Harmonica Saint was a natural introvert. Since high school she had seen nothing wrong with the way she dreaded leaving her house, the anxiety she felt when she had to speak with others, or the self-consciousness she felt when she was around large crowds. Now leaving the comfort of her old town and her family, she was a mess, it felt like she could vomit from the churning anticipation settled in her gut.

Harmony blew out a breath. "Sure, Uncle Sam, you don't have to worry, I'll be fine." She said, leaning away from the car seat to face her Uncle.

Uncle Sam and his wife Aunt Miranda had supported her unconditionally since the unfortunate loss of her parents. Having no children of their own despite trying for years the couple had treated her like their child.

They were good people, and seeing them worry so much about her obvious social anxiety made her guilty.

The balding man sighed. "I don't want you to think I am over worrying but…. You haven't left so far away since you were five, I don't think I'm taking this well." There was a tremor in his voice.

Harmony's ginger eyebrows dipped down into a slight furrow. "Stop worrying so much old man, it's not like I'm going to another world! It's just college." She said with a small laugh.

She was excited. Despite the crippling anxiety that showed no sign of stoppage, she was excited. New people, a new place, and even better she was one step closer to leaving school forever!

Uncle Sam waved his hands. "Ah, you're right, now get out of my car, egghead."

Harmony threw her head back and groaned. "Uncle Sam!"

A hand reached out and ruffled her ginger mop of hair with two locks at the front bleached silver. She huffed and stepped down from the car, water droplets trickling down her hair.

"Shit, we should have brought an umbrella." Uncle Sam, craned his neck out of the car, seeing the rain showering down.

Harmony shook her head. "I'm fine, it's not like it's pouring, it's just a little rain." She glanced up at the dark skies.

The balding man breathed through his nose and nodded his head. "Fine, fine, I'll leave," he waved his hand at her, to which she waved back. "Don't do drugs, little egghead."

Then he drove off, leaving her to yell at the smoke. "Uncle Sam!" She screeched.

It turned out that even in such an emotional scene her Uncle would still tease her. She let out a breath, cold air escaping her mouth. She turned around.

Her uncle had dropped her at the gate of the school because non-students weren't allowed inside the school. As she gazed at the long road leading to the campus she was disheartened.

It should be noted that Harmonica Saint was lazy by nature. Preferring to spend her days watching heart-wrenching K-drama, or playing otome games, rather than doing anything that benefitted her health, seeing this kind of extended road, her heart suddenly felt painful.

Thankfully she spotted a tricycle bike parted at the side just inside the gate. There was a line of tricycles and students were boarding them to enter the campus.

She breathed out in relief. This was very good. Feeling a loss of cold droplets, her eyelashes fluttered. 'Has the rain suddenly stopped?' She raised her head to look up at the sky to check but her view was blocked by a pitch-black umbrella.

Raising her head like that, the rain-soaked droplets in her hair slid down from the crown of her head and dropped her eyelashes, tickling and thickening them.

Hm? She pursed her lips at the sudden smell of something so savory that she felt like she could taste it on her tongue. The sweet scent made her stomach grumble shamelessly. Her eyes bulged at the sound and instinctively she craned her neck to the side.

Indeed there was someone by her side, holding onto the black umbrella. Harmony couldn't help being startled by the mere size of the figure, as she had never seen anyone that…. Big. The person was framed with thick hard muscles and added to that height, the stature became intimidating at first glance.

In a black turtleneck long sleeve, matching black trousers, with equally pitch black sneakers, the menacing frame of the person was forged. With skin so pale anyone would have the idea of him being a corpse, the black clothing accentuated his menacing yet admirable frame.

The boy….. The boy had a mop of curly silver locks that was lazily tousled on his face. A face that had symmetrical features akin to a magazine model.

Her body was trembling. Harmony felt her body trembling, but she had a slight idea it was not from the cold. Beautiful people come and go, but she had only ever seen someone with such features in the movies. She was afraid her expression was giving away the awe she was feeling as she continued looking like a…. Creep.

So spontaneously that she didn't see it coming, the gaze of the figure left the board with several parchments of paper slapped on it and descended on her…. Yes, with the obvious height difference, his pitch-black eyes could only look down at her.

Harmony could feel the drumming of her heart in her very ears. The cold…. Why was the air getting colder? No longer only seeing him from the side of his face, Harmony was able to see every graceful line and angle that forged his aristocratic look…. Only that aristocratic look was marred by the silver hoop piercing attached to the corner of his lower lip.

Only when a droplet of rain from his equally soaked hair dropped onto hers because of the way he bent his head did she realize their proximity.

"You—" She didn't allow what sounded like a velvety and gravelly voice to continue.

It was her last straw. She felt as if her fragile heart would be unable to take the fear and exhilaration that spasmed through her from those inky black eyes looking unwavering at her, bottomless and unfathomable.

She bolted. She ran so fast she could have slipped and fallen.