06. Secret Admirer

April’s POV

The next day, I woke up miserable. It was my birthday, and there was nothing to be happy about. My soul was shattered, and all I saw around me was scorn and hate.

The whole morning, I dodged and tried to stay out of sight. Dorian was out, and I sneaked out of the house to get to school. The breeze was cool, but I felt unusually hot for some reason. I looked at my skin, and it began to redden. I was getting flushed.

Pulling out my phone, I examined my face; my cheeks were a terrible blotchy color. Luckily, I had a hoodie on, and I pulled it over my head to hide my face and the bruises from the day before. The last thing I needed was all those eyes staring at me.

Walking to school with my burning skin, I tried to stay out of sight. It was challenging, and I felt paper balls hit the back of my head. I could still hear the whispers of those hateful people.

My skin burned even hotter, and it was unbearable. I couldn’t keep my hoodie up in class. I had to get to the nurse’s office. I hadn’t received any treatment for my bruises from yesterday, and I suspected that I had caught some infection.

Soon, I began to itch all over, and when I looked at my hands, I almost couldn’t recognize them. They were all reddened and swollen. I began to shake fearfully. What was going on? I hurriedly pulled my sleeves over my hands to hide them. I had to see the nurse.

Walking to her office with tears in my eyes, I felt my body was on fire, and I couldn’t figure out what it was. Was it an allergy? Or was it the infection?

Descending the stairs to the nurse’s office, I took another step but lost my footing and fell. Rolling to the bottom, I lay on the floor, screaming in pain. My legs burned, yet I could barely feel them. They felt numb and itchy. More tears ran down my cheeks; today was getting worse by the second.

Suddenly, the nurse’s door opened, and she walked up to me. “April? What happened?” She asked with concern on her face. I looked up at her, and my hoodie came off. I wanted to tell her, but she looked down at my reddened face and already understood what was going on.

“Here, let me help you. Get up.” She wrapped an arm around me, lifted me off the floor, and limped in agony into her office. A wave of shame washed over me. I was in considerable pain; my skin was red and itchy, and her proximity intensified my embarrassment. If it were a contagious rash, I could inadvertently infect her.

She placed me on the bed, immediately went to her first aid kit, and got everything she needed. She began to dress my minor wounds. I turned away from her and remained silent, letting out a painful hiss every time the spirit grazed my open flesh.

Next, she grabbed some ointment and began to apply it to the blotchy parts of my skin and face. Trying to blink away the tears, I just wanted to vaporize. I was ashamed that she was seeing me like this—a red mess.

I turned to the calendar and spotted the date circled in bold red: the sixteenth of September, my eighteenth birthday. With a dramatic sigh, I lowered my head, and a solitary tear rolled down my cheek. It was all pain and agony—no cakes or well-wishes to be found.

Despite finally reaching the age of adulthood, there was no one to share the celebration with. If Dad were here, he would have turned it into a spectacle, perhaps even thrown a party. But he was gone.

Finally, the nurse finished up, and I looked up at her, unable to maintain eye contact. “I am done. You will still need more time to rest. Your skin is very red, and you might need a doctor if it persists. It might be an infectious rash. I’ll write that you should head home and rest to avoid spreading it around.”

I nodded, carefully getting off the chair, and waited for her to pen the note. Muttering a quick thank you, I made a beeline for the office door. There was no point lingering in school; I just wanted to get home and erase this terrible day from memory. Strolling to my locker, I opened it, and as I grabbed my books, a note slipped out from one of them.

I picked it up and read it.

“Happy birthday, April. Everyone else might have forgotten, but I didn’t. I’ve always admired you, but I’ve been too shy to talk to you. If you don’t mind, we could meet and spend your birthday together. I’m in the forest. Don’t worry, I’ll find you. Just please be there.

Your Secret Admirer”

My heart did somersaults, and my fingers began to tremble. A secret admirer? Me? I felt my cheeks heat up, and my heart began to beat wildly. This was probably good news. I was eighteen, and that meant that I would find my mate soon.

Maybe this was him—finally, someone who would keep me safe from all this bullying, someone who would make me feel happy and hold my hand.

I was so excited that I walked to the door, tossing the letter in my bag and forgetting that my skin was burning and I was in slight pain. For the first time today, a genuine smile graced my face. I hobbled out of the school premises and headed towards the forest. It took a while to find the forest trail, but I followed it, eagerly looking around for my secret admirer.

Despite the pain from bruises and red patches, I didn’t care. If he truly cared for me, he wouldn’t mind my appearance; he would understand. After continuing to wander around the forest for a while, exhaustion set in, and my legs began to throb painfully. I finally settled down on a stump to rest. Was this all a joke? Was I lost? Did something happen to him…

“Hello?”

I jumped up in fright, hearing a twig break. Trembling, I realized I wasn’t alone. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

Suddenly, heads began to pop up, and figures stepped out from behind the trees. I froze in terror, and soon, I heard a familiar voice. “Happy Birthday, April…” I turned around. “Paige.” She smirked and walked up to me with a devilish smile on her face.

“Birthday wishes, April. You got my letter, didn’t you?”

My heart dropped. There was no secret admirer. “You seem disappointed. Did you really think that any reasonable person would like you?” Her eyes were filled with disgust as she took in my appearance. Shame burned through me.

I stared at Paige, unaware that someone was sneaking up on me from behind. In a split second, a huge chunk of my hair was grabbed, and I was forced down on my knees. Tears streamed from my face as I fought to free myself from the grip on my hair, but Paige’s minion held on tighter, delivering a hard slap to my cheek. I screamed in pain and continued to struggle; however, the slaps persisted, and soon, I was silenced. My cheeks were red and stinging. My eyes were burning with tears, and I was on my knees, looking up at Paige.

“Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to you?” My words choked amidst the tears I desperately tried to suppress.

Paige laughed, and in no time, her horde of girls surrounded both of us, all wearing wicked smiles. My life flashed before my eyes. I had said I wanted my life to end. I guess this was it.

“I just want to play with you, April. It’s nothing personal.” Someone opened a bag and pulled out a whip. My eyes grew wide. It was black, but I could also see that some strings of silver had been woven around it. My heart pounded with fear as I struggled to scramble away. Silver was a shifter’s nemesis. I could not let them use this on me when I didn’t even have my wolf

“No! Stop! Don’t do this to me!” I begged in horror, causing Paige to cackle. “Don’t be scared. I will be gentle. I am great at playing nicely.” She raised her arm in the air, and then a loud noise as the whip cracked on my chest. I screamed, and the person holding me let go of me, and I fell to the ground, writhing in pain. I felt a sting, and soon, warmth spread across my chest. I gasped—blood!

Before I could think, another stroke broke my back. I screamed and rolled on the floor. My back stung, and I could feel the blood oozing down. Through my teary eyes, I saw Paige smile wickedly.

“Who else wants a turn?” And so it continued. The whip passed from hand to hand, each strike finding a new target on my body. I soon lost all feeling in my body, and I barely moved when it passed over me. I could feel myself getting closer to death. My body felt so cold, and I was covered in blood.

I closed my eyes and suddenly felt something rush to the surface. A loud crackling sound rang from every part of my body. I was already in pain, but this agony seemed to be tearing every part of my body open. I could barely breathe.

I knew what was happening. I had waited for this day for so many years. When I opened my eyes again, I was towering above Paige and her minions as I got up. I looked at them icily, and when I tried to shout, a loud howl and growl erupted from my mouth. 

Fear flashed through Paige’s eyes, and she took two steps back. Her minions were no different, and soon they fled. I crashed to the ground as I felt my energy being sapped away. I was weak and unable to move. This was the end. 

Just before I closed my eyes, I saw thick, solid feet covered in brown boots moving towards me. “Dorian..?” I managed to whisper before everything went dark.