CHAPTER 3

Chapter 3

Astraea's POV

My eyes were just on him, his sun-like glazing eyes. It felt like a sin to fight shyness off them. An unfathomable feeling.

The calls of the team made him came back to the real world, breaking the eye contact, he jogged back towards the group.

 The number 7 on his jersey wasn't the only thing helping me recognize him. It was his whole aura, the way he moved, the way his eyes coordinated with every move around him, the way his dominance yet an amicable control was there hovering around the whole team, following and listening to him.

Geez, stalker alert !!!!!!.

The whistle broke my drooling period over the handsome hunk. The game started but my eyes were glued to him. 

He was fast and I mean very very fast. Calculated moves and really sharp skills. One of the player with number 11 was well coordinated with our captain. Even though the whole team was doing their best, but somehow this 7-11 duo were really giving everyone a good game.

They were so in sync that it was remarkable.

"Zeus Valente."

I looked over Miranda, my eyebrow raised in question.

"The captain's name. You are quite invested in him."

Her eyebrows wiggled and I adequately avoided her.

"How do you know?. You are as old as I am in this damn university."

She laughed.

"Well unlike you, I always listen to Emily's gossips. She has practically all the knoweldge of the people around here."

My mouth formed a O, as I nodded and focused back on the game.

I could feel Miranda's eyes on me. But it was so hard, to divert my attention from him, that I let her be.

"Who's the 11 ?"

Emily gave a sly smirk.

"Interested ?". I gave a playful smack at the back of her head.

"Just curious."

"That's Roman McCall. An intelligent hunk with the most kindest nature ever, opposite to his best friend. Zeus Valente, he is like the silent killer, never speaks much and quiet. But then again, with those looks, I doubt he would need to speak."

She nodded her head which made her cheeks jiggled with all the food she has stuffed as she observed those two on the field.

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The game ended with a pretty good win on our side. 

"I think we should go, it's going to get packed in the parking lot." I screamed over all the cheers so the two beside me could hear.

They nodded as we swiftly walked to the exit. 

"Hey!..I really need to go to the washroom. Wait for me ?"

Miranda said but she ran off before even waiting for the reply.

The people were coming out of the field, so we just step back towards the side of the road near the bushes to avoid getting into hit. College students were like wild boars running around.

Too wild for my liking.

But as if all my stars were just standing upon each other's head. A hard push on my shoulder made me stumble into the bushes.

 I hissed as the branch cut the skin on my inner thigh.

So much for the day to end.

"God, Watch where you going you dimwit !!!!. You ok Rae?. Shit, you are bleeding."

I wheezed as Emily examined my thigh.

"Is everything okay ?" A rough, manly voice spoke from behind me. Soon muscular legs followed up by blue shorts came in my view. I looked up and surprisingly it was Roman.

He looked at me and I swear I saw a little shock in his brown eyes. But he masked it and gave me a small smile.

"You ok ?"

"Yeah, I --"

"Wait, are you bleeding ?" His eyes widened as he put his duffel bag and bend down to look at the cut.

"No, she is menstruating. What does it look like ?. Emily yapped at him.

He gave her a cheshire smile. 

"Sorry. I have a first aid kit in my car, ah.. it's parked there. So, you guys wait here, I'll be back in a minute."

Indeed, a minute later, I saw him running back to us. He handed the kit to Emily.

She cleaned the blood with a cotton bud. Put a cream on it and covered it nicely with the bandage.

"All set. Is it okay, Rae ?"

I nodded and my eyes went back to Roman. I thanked him.

"It's okay. I didn't get your name?."

"Ah..Right. It's Astraea. Thanks again Roman. And this is Emily."

'You know me ?" He genuinely looked surprised that it made me laugh.

"Oh my god, people like you are the reason why gene pool needs a lifeguard. Of course, everyone will know Mr. Popular over here."

The blush on his cheeks was enough to show how embarrased he was. 

Yeah, Emily has that kind of effect.

"Well, I really didn't knew I was that popular, but thanks for the compliment Puffy. I'll get going girls."

He waved at us as I watched him jog back towards his car.He knocked on the driver's window and soon Zeus's face came into the view. He had an annoyed expression on his face as he listened to Roman. It was like an instinct that his eyes, among the huge crowd, so easily found mine. 

And before I knew it, I could feel the blood running into my face. I abruptly looked away from him. 

Damn, these stupid hormones.

From the corner of my eyes, I peered at their car and it was no longer in sight.

"Did that fucker just called me Puffy. What am I, a pig ?

Emily's voice brought me back. 

Her cheeks were still stuffed with the food making her look like a chimpunk. 

I understand you Roman.

"I beg to differ." I gave her my dazzling innocent smile.

"Oh my god, the injury hampered with your brain too, didn't it ?" She took a hold of my shoulders and shook me hard that my head bobbled up and down.

"Ok, Sorry, sorry. But what about your stupid comebacks ? You really did the poor guy dirty."

I waited for her to reply but she didn't. I kept on looking at her and finally she opened her mouth to speak. Her voice so low, that if not focussed, it would have been missed for a whisper of wind.

"I-it's just that, he was too handsome for a close up, that I panicked."

Holy hell!!!!...She was blushing. Emily was blushing.

"My, my.... It's what they called 'Crush at first sight'. I chuckled as she tried so hard not to smile.

"Hey did you guys wait for long ?. Sorry the line was too long."

I saw Miranda looked over me and then my thigh.

"What- what happened ?"

"Nothing, come on girls get moving." Emily helped me by taking hold of my arm as we walked back to her car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Coming out of the shower, I dragged myself to the window seat and fell back on the cushions kept there. My window gave a beautiful view of the california forest.

Castleville, was a small town located in North of California. So we got a lot of rain, I loved it. The forest, the calm and serene nature, if you close your eyes and just looked around, it's almost feels like a land of mystical creatures.

A sigh of relief left my lips as the cool wind touched my skin which was exposed from my white satin nightdress reaching my thigh. Turns out the cut wasn't that deep, almost a scratch, so I just put a band-aid on it.

I gazed at the tall, dark forest beside my house. So many years of living here, yet I have never really explored it. Didn't have any reason to. It was enough to watch the colour of leaves change just through the window.

It was always the same. Dark tree branches, hanging limp. The moon shining through the mesh of leaves, kisses of leaves fallen on the forest bed, eerie yet peaceful calls of the cricket, golden eyes peering through those broad trunks and-

Back up ....back up. Eyes ????

I hastily looked over and yes, burning golden eyes just like the flames were staring right back at me. The rest was hidden under the deceitful canopy of the forest.

The same feeling urged inside me, like sucking every sense in me. I was desperate to reach it. So ,I ran out the back door into the forest.

The adrenaline rush subdued the fear, the urgency veiled every logical sense in me as I ran towards those eyes forgetting the frozen cold seeping in my almost naked skin.

But it was no longer there, yet it's feel was. I could almost feel it cutting throgh the forest's depth, running...from me.

No, not this time. I went after my blind instinct, running into the foreign forest. 

I ran and ran, out of breath and definitely, out of mind. Trees and only trees in sight, not even a proof of another living being near me let alone those aurous gleaming eyes.

And soon, the heart in me forced me to stop. My erratic breathing were the only thing heard alongside the cricket's rhythm. I looked around. The moon shining just above my head. The blazing stars clear in view as I found myself surrounded by tall trees.

The chilling feeling cascaded in me, awakening its presence in my logical mind. The cold was so frosty and numbing that it made my teeth clatter.

What's happening ?

The flimsy nightdress did nothing to provide warmth. Each pore in my skin felt the piercing bitter cold. 

And soon those blue waves riddled through the blacks of the forest. Surrounding me and covering me like a bubble. The icy chilled feeling increased more. I felt my body frozen.

My shaky hand touched those silvery strings and the cold buuzed in the tips. These waves were making me feel like this. I tried to tear those blue mesh, but they didn't even stirred.

I was trapped and sson I felt my limbs giving up. The cold had iced my inside. The numbing feeling, so intense, that the frosty wind was no more a bother.

I was tired and I just wanted to sleep.

At that moment my body went completely limp. My senses no longer working as I felt myself sucked into the never-ending darkness.