Embarrassment

Lunabella's P.O.V.

It's been a week since I was attacked by the gamma, and I found out that it was the one that ran amok on the news. 

I was lucky enough because I wasn't killed by him.

But ever since that day, aside from the thought that maybe my father has something to do with the Portia School, the shadow that helped me during the fight visits my house regularly. 

Thankfully, he's not doing anything aside from standing outside our gate and looking at me whenever I'm on the veranda. 

Yes, I go out at night to see if he's still there. Or maybe, deep inside me just wanted to know who that man is. I want him to show himself. 

I want to know what it is that he truly wanted, but I'm too afraid to confront him.

How dare I confront an Alpha? 

That's the other thing, he's an alpha. It's suspicious but he's not doing anything that'll harm me and my mother so I'm not that scared of him compared to before when I first saw him outside our gate. 

"Hey?" 

Oh! 

"I'm sorry." I scan the things that Alfredo bought. I didn't realize that I'm spacing out already. 

"You look stressed." He said. Alfredo's a regular here who would always buy a condom every time he gets here. 

"Nah, I'm okay. Just thinking about this and that." 

He leaned on the counter and said, "I told you, one night with me will solve your problem with your pocket." 

I shrug. 

"No thanks." 

Alfredo's also a leader of a gang, and he would ask me to sleep with him in exchange for money. But of course, I'll reject him every time. 

"Why not? I'm handsome." 

I chuckle. Yes, he is. He has clear tan skin, masculine facial features, and a good build. He'll pass as an actor if he wants to. But I'm not down with having a relationship with anyone, as well as having s*x. 

"Oh come on." He chuckles as well.

Ah right, he comes in and out of this place so maybe he knows something about the school.

"Do you know a school named Portia?" I ask. I know it's a school because I heard about it from someone a long time ago. But I don't have any other information about it. I can't search the net as my phone's too old to even have access. 

"Yup." He said. 

My face lit up. 

"Really? May I know more about it?" 

He opens the junk food that he bought. 

"All I know is it's a school exclusively for werewolves, and it's far from here." He said as he ate. 

"How far?" 

"Maybe, if you go by plane, it'll only take a few hours, but if by land, maybe a few days?" 

It's that far? 

"Why?" He asks. 

I shook my head. 

"Nothing, I just heard that name and got curious." I can't tell him about the possible connection of that school to my father. 

He nodded his head, it looked like he didn't suspect anything. Phew. I shouldn't ask for more or else he'd suspect me because I'm asking too much.

He didn't ask anything or tease me afterward. 

"Bye." He said after giving me a wink.

"Thank you for coming, please come again." I smile at him. Thank you for the information.

As the store went empty, my body aches again. 

My second to last part-time job, which is being a waitress in a nearby town restaurant, was hectic today. 

I thought I won't be able to come here tonight but as I don't have someone who'll cover the job for me, I can't just take a day off as I want to. 

Come to think of it, I plan on going to that school, but I didn't know that it was too far from here. 

"If I proceed on going there I will be needing a huge sum of money to cover my travel and food expenses. How much would it even cost?" I've never been out of this city before, and I'm not familiar with the transport out there. 

Although I knew some things because some of the regulars here who work outside the city would tell me stories of their world out there, I can't depend on that.

And if it would take me a lot of days to get there, who would look after my mother while I'm gone? 

Hmm… 

I should think about this matter carefully. 

I went quiet.

The night's deafening. Only the sound of the analog clock was the only thing that I could hear. 1 hour left. 

I stretch my arm. I can't wait to go home and-

"Woah." 

My eyes landed outside the store. He's improved! 

The shadow that's only on our gate is now outside the store. He is where the moon's brightness doesn't reach him, again. 

Oh, how I want to see your face. 

I stare at him. He stares back. 

He was quite far away but thanks to his everyday visits, my eyesight improved as well. I can now see him even when he's far away from me. 

I glance at the clock, wondering why the night is so long.

No one's coming into the store. Should I close it and confront that man? 

The manager won't come here tonight anyway, so he wouldn't know if I close a few minutes early.

A part of me is scared of him, thinking that what if he's a bad person who's only waiting for a chance to kill me? But there's this part where I'm excited about what would come after. 

As I stare at him, the clock ticks exactly when my duty's done. 

I immediately closed the door, closed the shutters, and went to the staff room to get my things. 

After turning the lights off, I went to the back door, but before I opened it, I took a couple of deep breaths. 

I held the knife that's always with me ever since the incident happened. This is it. I'll finally be able to face that man. 

My heart beats faster as I open the door. 

When I finally locked it, I went to the main road and searched for him. 

D*mn. 

Where did he go? 

I roam my eyes around but I can't see him. 

I held the knife tightly. Is he playing with me? 

"Where are you?!" I shouted. But I still can't see him. 

"Stop playing with me!" I shouted again. 

I hate this! If he's not going to show me his face then I am not going to stop until he does! 

"Show me who you are, I won't leave this spot until you do!" 

But again, he's nowhere to be found. 

I sigh heavily. 

I know you're still here, my senses are quite sharp for some reason, so I'm sure that he's still here with me. I just can't figure out his exact location. 

"Fine!" I lay down on the road and closed my eyes. 

Urgh! The floor's freezing! 

Nevertheless, I lay there, waiting for him to show himself. And I'm not disappointed. 

I can hear heavy footsteps from a few inches away from me. 

I smiled. Got yah. I opened my eyes to see him, but my jaw dropped when the one walking towards me was the old man who was a regular at the store.

"Miss? What are you doing?" He asks curiously. There's a concern in his voice. 

"Ah! Nothing!" I said as I stood up and slapped the dust off my back. 

"Oh, Luna! It's you." His eyes widened as his eyes showed that he remembered me. But his eyes return to a concerned look as he asks me, "Are you sure?" 

I nodded. Is he the one in the shadows? 

I scan him, he's shorter than me. He definitely can't be the one who's stalking me every night because I've known him since I was a child, he has a family and I know them all. He's not a werewolf. He's far from being one. 

Even his build doesn't come near to that alpha who's only showing his shadows to me. 

"Uhm, perhaps, did you see someone here? A tall man, maybe?" 

Please tell me that you do, sir!

He shook his head. "I was the only one walking this road, Luna." 

F*ck. 

"Ah, okay, thank you, sir, I gotta go now. Be careful on your way home, sir." I bow to him.  

"You too! Hayy, kids these days." 

I just laughed awkwardly before he walked past me.

D*mnit. 

I look around, he's not there. He's playing with me. 

I am too embarrassed because I thought that my senses were right, I was even proud of myself but everything came back to me. 

Shadow man, you just wait. I'll choke you if I get a chance. 

In the end, I just decided to get home, but I got mad when a piece of paper kept on being stuck in my shoe. 

"Get away from me!" I alternately use both of my feet to remove the paper under my shoe but it's sticking solidly. 

I sigh heavily and try to calm myself down.

Luna, relax, don't let this piece of paper worsen your mood. 

As I calmed down, I decided that it was better to pick it up. 

"Just what kind of paper are you to stick like a magnet on my shoe?" I checked the paper, "Oh, I can't see it. It's dark." 

I even went to a spot where the moon's brightness reaches and checked the paper again.

Hmm? 

But my heart skipped a beat at the big letters that were written on it. 

"Portia Academy…"