Chapter 8

I felt the smile that couldn't be removed from my lips as I looked up towards him from where I was laying. "Will you ever come back?" I whispered looking up towards him as a soft genuine smile appeared on his face for the first time.

"Of course, my princess." he laughed as I glanced away.

"What's with the my princess thing again?" I repeated feeling highly embarrassed he had never told me if he believed he was the night or my prince.

"On the night of September Second, wait for me." His voice spoke softly but I could hear every word. That was how my night had ended. I still didn't know what he thought he was the prince or the knight.

I blinked my eyes open feeling tired even though the dream that had been something exhilarating. "Careful not to fall in love with me." I pulled my blankets up curling my hands around them as I hid my blush. "How could he say such a thing to a stranger?" I smiled as it dropped. "He was only a dream, no way could someone like that exist." I mused, Elizabeth knocked on my door. "And now it's a nightmare." I whispered to myself getting out of bed. I rushed getting changed into my uniform out of what I slept in, "Perfect." I nodded moving towards the door to open it, no way was she going to ruin this even if it was a dream that I realized and couldn't control, even if she was herself she couldn't ruin it.

"What's this?" I muttered fiddling around in my hair until I pulled out a golden-seeming clip that had gems that mimicked sapphires decorated upon the butterfly. "I've never had a hairstick before...and it's so pretty..." I whispered wondering how I got it, much less how I fell asleep with this in my hair.

Youko's face flashed through my mind, "Absolutely not! Absolutely not! I can't let him win me over with pretty words and objects." I shouted shaking my head as I stared at it. A click echoed from the hallway as I glanced up towards the door.

"I got up late so breakfast as we run to school..." Elizabeth whispered she was apparently still groggy from sleeping but at least had the common decency to free me from my room. I sighed wondering what Elizabeth would choose for our breakfast.

"I should probably go downstairs now...but-" I paused turning back towards the mirror as I fought to get the hairstick in properly, my envy becoming greater especially for one who did not enjoy doing her hair, but this present was at least worth showing off.

I smiled at the sparkling hairstick in my hair, I would get better at putting in my hair the next time he visited and than I could show off how much I liked it. I shook my head that wasn't right he shouldn't of been so easy to win me over and he shouldn't of known the things I like that I pretend to not like. I shook my head it was alright he was part of my dreams. I touched my hand against the hairstick the likelihood that I had slept walked and stuffed it in my hair from the bathroom high.

I found Elizabeth rolled her eyes out at the bottom of the stairs, "What took you so long?" She grumbled towards me throwing a mint in her mouth handing me the mint gum. "We won't have time to brush our teeth but I can't have my cousin making an embarrassment of me." She muttered through her chewing as I was tempted to ask her for a fruity one, a feeling of gagging rising in my throat from some memories. "Hurry up." She tapped her foot as I threw it in my mouth as she nodded. Soon we were at the school and instantly I avoided her and spit it out in the nearest trash can.

"Oh my gosh gross, gross..." I whispered remembering the taste from the last one I had before the last time I got sick was mint.

"Are you alright? Do you need to be directed towards the nurse?" Someone asked from behind me, embarrassment did cartwheels down my neck.

"No...i'm spitting out some gum!" I turned towards the voice my face bright red.

"Oh sorry.." It was none other than Shuichi Minamino. I glanced up towards him biting my lip as my brain explained the best situation was to run from him.

"You know if you blush so much people are going to start thinking your skin is the same color as my hair." Shuichi sighed as I wondered if that was a joke as I glanced away.

I glared at him, giving a swift swirl on my heel before storming away towards class. I tried to avoid thinking about the fact that he sat behind me and get to work on my school work, struggling with the new amount of math. "You missed a detail." Shuichi sighed from behind the book he was reading. He had already completed this morning's class work.

"I hate when we have math first." I thought to myself looking at my least favorite subject. Making it even worse Shuichi seemed to be a math genius. I scribbled in some random numbers and threw a guess down for the third question.

"Do you need help?" Shuichi asked looking towards the tragic mess of my math paper that would make anyone pity me.

"No." I said I could do it, I would do it. I didn't mean it would be right. I scrutinized the window where I could see Shuichi pretending to bury his face in a book. In actuality he was asleep, likely bored out of his mind in this school.

Frustrated I ran my hand through my hair, touching the hairstick, "Was it a present?" Shuichi asked I looked towards the window he was directly staring at the hairstick that I had received earlier.

I felt my eyes become wide "he was in my room...he probably saw...no he definitely saw her." I felt myself become highly embarrassed, completely muting out Shuichi as I wondered what Youko's reaction towards it was. "Oh gosh...he probably thinks I'm such a child." I whispered to myself.

"What?" Shuichi's voice interrupted my thoughts as I was trying to figure out how Youko had reacted was about to cause me to cry. "Isabell?" Shuichi asked wondering what I was saying as I didn't even bother looking at him, stood up and ran out just in time for the bell to ring. My embarrassing math skills all over the desk right in front of the other students' eyes. But I didn't care at this moment as I ran till I found a door wondering if I was even allowed out of it but ignoring my instincts running up the stairs until I found myself upon the roof.

"What if that we the reason he left so early?" I thought to myself as my hand curled around the fencing, everything suddenly felt fuzzy. "Why am I getting so worked up over a stranger?" I whispered to myself.

Someone tapped on my back around the burn scar, I found myself hissing various incomprehensible words I gripped the fence begging the pain to disappear. I expected to find Elizabeth, smiling, because she had found a new weakness.

Instead, standing Shuichi. He was pulling his hand away realizing that he was the one that caused the situation, his eyebrows coming together, "Are you alright?" He asked for the first time the look on his face was obviously as I glanced toward him, I didn't want him to see me. Not in this state.

"Yup, fine." I growled under my breath.

"The next class starts in a few minutes, you'll be late if you stand here any longer." He explained going to leave as I glanced back wondering if I should stop him. I watched him shut the door as I sat down just outside the fence curling my arms around my legs. "You're so stupid." I whispered to myself any other teenager would be out doing teenager-like things and getting involved in teenager-like situations such as driving and dating. And here I was freaking out because a total stranger had seen possibly seen my precious treasure. I didn't know how many minutes, seconds, or hours had past until I struggled to get up wiping my eyes off wishing that burning feeling would disappear faster than the bermuda triangle takes boats. "You don't even know how he reacted to it." I whispered reaching for the door. "But...I don't want him to see me as a little kid." I whispered at this rate I was probably an even bigger attraction than a ferris wheel with my ever revolving emotions. "Come on, you only met him last night." I whispered to myself wiping away the tears that shouldn't have existed yet.

"Are you better yet?" Shuichi asked as I looked up towards him through my tear stained eyes, a smile forming on my lips. There he was holding two hot chocolates and casting a genuine smile in my direction. He had come back in the middle of class...such an irresponsible gesture caused me to smile for the first time in my life.

"Yeah, it's just an unnecessary meltdown." I whispered.

He sunk down next to me, offering the nearest drink, "Well, you thought it was important. And that's what matters."

I nodded, "What's so special that the mighty Shuichi top of the class stayed here?" I asked as he wondered behind me.

"You."