We stared at each other for what seemed years to me (but probably just seconds), and Ruby punched me, making me realize that the lecture was over. When I looked back at Regina, she was not looking at me anymore. And for the second time, it made me want to cry.

Chapter 2. Lessons.

The next hours were total chaos... We needed to take our timetables, maps, lists of groups, keys of our rooms, etc. Ruby never left my side but we lost the three others.

"Wow. Once it's all over, you come to my room, we need to talk!" Ruby said.

"Sure" I answered. I already knew what she wanted to talk about and quite honestly, I was looking forward to it.

We found out that we were living in the same building, but not the same floor. It meant that we did not share the same common places... But we never really cared or respected that. We headed to our flats. And after we moved on, I went to her room.

"What are your timetables?" She asked me right away. "Come on, sit and show me!

"Hum, I have classes with Mary on Tuesdays, and David's on Thursdays" I paused, blushing. "And Regina's on Fridays".

"Oh cool, I've Regina on Fridays too! 2pm?"

"Yep."

"Cool" she simply repeated, looking at me.

I did not really know what to answer. And I was not sure I was happy with the fact that we would be sharing that class... Regina. 6 days before I saw her again. Seemed like an eternity.

"I would never have guessed that you were into girls!" Ruby suddenly outburst.

"I could say the same thing about you" I replied.

"Well I'm into everything. Maybe it's a wolf thing."

"What do you mean a wolf thing?"

Ruby blushed and did not answer right away. And then I understood. I would have slapped myself for being so stupid.

"Oh, you're a werewolf! So cool! You're the first I actually met! When you say you're into everything ... Does that include animals?" I joked.

"Yeah sure. Especially male wolves. Very sexy creatures." She joked back.

"True, they're beautiful. But a little too hairy for me..."

We burst out laughing.

"No, I'm not into animals. You're quite a pervert for suggesting such a thing, you know? But I like men and girls, though." She said.

"Yeah, me too." I did not feel like explaining to her that what I had just felt for Regina was not a simple attraction... I had never experienced such strong feelings before her. I cannot describe it, even now. I had barely seen her and yet... Her face was all I could see. I felt like it was printed on my retina. And it was quite disturbing.

"What did you think of Belle?" Ruby asked.

"She's very pretty" I smiled.

"Yeah... What do you think her powers are?"

"No idea. Maybe we could look for her and ask her?" I suggested.

"I'll never dare to talk to her, Emma."

"How do you want her to fall for you then?" I teased her.

It took me a lot of persuasion, but Ruby eventually agreed to go for a walk. And we met many people. At the end of the day, we had talked to a wanderer called Killian (who wore too much make up for his own good, if you want my opinion), a shape-swinger named Ariel (who could change into a mermaid, which is quite awesome), and a talener called Peter (who was able to fly and control some things with his mind -he could actually move them from a place to another... In other words he was a telekinesist).

We eventually ran into Neal, Aurora and Belle. Neal told us he was also a wanderer. Aurora was a talener (she could make herself invisible). And Belle was a vampire. It really shocked Ruby. I can tell: she remained silent for a very long time.

"So... You are also a wanderer, huh?" Asked smugly Killian to Neal.

"Yeah" answered Neal.

They seemed curiously proud of themselves. And they began to talk about their performances and what they were able to do... Aurora and Peter looked at each other. And I witnessed for the first time this toxic war between wanderers and taleners. Aurora and Peter were quite despising, and Killian and Neal were just as scornful. I was a talener... I would not be honest if I said that I was completely objective on the matter... But I would never have thought about these things like they did.

Ariel, Belle, Ruby and I just watched them. And when they asked us to take a position on the subject, we simply refused. Aurora and Peter looked at me, dumbfounded. And the two others just laughed at me. It appeared to them as the strangest thing... I did not mutter a word, and they let it go.

"Anyway. When do you have Mills, guys?" Unexpectedly asked Peter.

The question took me aback, and I blushed at the mention of her name.

"Tomorrow" answered Neal

"Me too" added Ariel.

"You'll be with me, then" said Peter.

"Emma and I have her on Friday" Ruby clarified.

"Aurora and I, too!" enthusiastically shouted Belle.

It was Ruby's turn to blush. Belle seemed genuinely pleased to share the class with us. And I couldn't help but hope that the feelings Ruby had for her were mutual. By the way Belle was looking at my friend, I could not say that I was pessimistic about that.

"So what are her powers? Why everybody is so excited about her? What's the fuss?" Asked Killian.

"You're kidding, right?" Exclaimed Peter. "She's the greatest talener of the century! And the youngest additionally. Everybody talks about her, she's been contacted by the biggest magical societies. And she was only graduated last year!"

"Plus, she wrote a book about taleners..." Added Aurora.

Hum. I would have to find that book.

"No wonder why we never heard of her, then" teased Killian.

"What are her powers?" Asked Ruby.

"No one knows exactly" answered Peter. "I mean some must know, but I wonder what is true and what is not. What is sure is that she's a pyrokinesist. And a very powerful telekinesist. My powers next to her are nothing. She completely controls any objects. Some say she can teleport and change her appearance... But as I said, nobody knows for sure..."

"How comes she already teaches the most important subject matter while she only graduated last year?" Asked Ariel.

"She must sleep with Gold" laughed Killian.

I must admit... Right there, I almost hit the guy. Ruby looked at me worryingly. Which calmed me down.

"No, trust me, she doesn't", answered Neal. And I secretly exhaled, reassured. "She's very young but... Well, she's the best according to Gold... And he doesn't praise anyone easily. So she really must be incredible. And Cora –her mother- retreated, last year".

"How do you know all that?" Suspiciously asked Killian.

"I just do" frowned Neal.

"Anyway, she's not bad looking..." Added Killian.

I wanted to scream something like "understatement of the year", but I did not.

"How old is she?"

"25" answered Aurora.

"Wow! She discovered her powers when she was 20?" Outburst disbelievingly Ruby

"19 actually..."

"Wow" she repeated.

I was shocked, too. I was considered to be very young to find out that I had powers, and I was 24! But again, her mother used to be a teacher... maybe, it helped her a little.

"What were her mother's powers?" I asked.

"Teleportation, and telekinesis" answered Aurora. "And by having more than one power, she was already considered an incredible talener. It's very rare to have more than one talent".

I had not told them about mine. I did not like to talk about myself, and I had been afraid that they would think I was bragging. So I had just told them I was a cryokinesist (and they were already impressed by that, since it was not considered an ordinary gift).

"What is it like to be a vampire?" asked Ruby completely out of the blue.

Belle blushed, and Ruby – realizing what she had just said—reddened too (no pun intended).

"Well I don't think it makes any difference from being human. I love blood, but I just discovered it. My boyfriend had cut his finger, and he asked me to lick it... it's gross, saying it like that, but anyway... I almost drained him from all his blood. And I didn't even notice. I had always eaten like a normal person, I had never been afraid of the sun, or anything. The Deorums saved him, and explained to me what I was. They also told me that the moment I would embrace my true nature, I would be able to transform. I don't exactly know what they were talking about, but here I am."

"And what happened to your boyfriend?" Ruby insisted.

I almost laughed out loud at that. The only thing she would remember what the mention of her boyfriend, of course. I did not even blink, though.

"Well, as you can imagine, we're not together anymore. He was quite a jerk."

"Why did you date him, then?"

"Because he kept on insisting..." Belle said.

"I can understand why" muttered Ruby. I coughed really loud to cover her voice. I think it worked. Mostly. Belle blushed. So I guess it did not work for anyone. My friend noticed her confusion, and said:

"Well, it's getting late. Emma and I have to go, but it was really nice to meet you guys. We'll see you tomorrow and you'll explain to us every single detail of Mills?"

"Count on it, Redhead" said Killian.

"Redhead, seriously? Rubes is better" she laughed.

We waved them goodbye and left. As soon as we got away, Ruby despaired.

"Oh my god, why did I say that? You saw her face? She was completely shocked!"

"Rubes..."

"No seriously, why didn't you hit me? I suffer a severe disease of word vomit"

"Red..."

"You saw how she blushed? She must hate me, right now!"

"Ruby!"

"Hey, come on, don't call me that!"

"Listen to me, Rubes. I don't think she hates you. And if you want my opinion, I would say that she likes you. And this is the reason why she blushed. Plus, I'm sure I don't have to remind you that she didn't seem in love with her previous boyfriend!"

Ruby didn't answer anything, but her huge smile said tons. She let go, and we started gossiping about our new friends. She was not really enthused by the wanderers (who were quite smug for her), but she wasn't fond of taleners either. And I cannot say I did not agree. I felt just like her: confused by their attitude. Like it was some sort of competition. Again, it reminded me so much of high school and college. We were grown-ups now, but it did not seem to make any difference. It was even worse. And it made me sick.

"Yeah. They're like kids, looking for who will be the most talented" I said.

"Exactly! And we all know who is the most powerful..." she teased.

"Do we? And who is that supposed to be?"

"Obviously, I am!" she laughed. "Give them all to me in a full moon time, and they're all dead"

I laughed at that. I knew she was not being serious, so I played along.

"You wouldn't kill me! I would freeze you before you would even have the time to transform!"

"Oh yeah? I'm pretty sure I could unfreeze myself and run after you!"

"Please... you wouldn't be able to catch me, even if you wanted to"

And she tried to. We ran for a long time, and when we arrived in front of our building, we didn't stop, and kept on running through stairs and corridors. I love running. And Ruby was very good at it, too. So she was just behind me, laughing out loud. I was screaming, afraid that she would catch me, when I ran through a corner, and bumped hard into someone. Ruby, who was just behind me, collided with both of us, and the three of us fell loudly on the ground. When I saw who we ran into, I turned as red as Ruby's hair. It was David. And he was not alone. I'll let you guess who the two persons with him were... Ruby laughed again, and apologized. It made David grin.

"Don't worry, girls. No harm done"

"We were running, we did not see you", I added. Well, obviously. Such a witty comment... way to go, Emma. David just laughed again. I did not dare to look behind him. To look at her. I felt so stupid, and I was sweating. She was probably thinking that I was a foolish little girl, playing with her friend like a toddler. I felt so ashamed.

"It's all right. What's your names, guys?" he asked us.

"Ruby Lucas"

"Emma... Swan" I did not wish to tell them the name of my caretaker, so I just gave him the name I was repeating in my head, ever since I was 10.

"Nice to meet you, girls. If you still don't know what to do after your studies, I would advise you to become athletes... you were running pretty fast, there!" he said.

"I'm a werewolf. It's in my blood to run fast" smiled brightly Red.

"And what is your excuse, Miss Swan?" a low voice asked me.

That voice... so profound, deep and bass. And so seductive. Did she even realise how sexy it sounded? I slowly raised my eyes, and met hers. I knew I should not have looked at her. She was even more stunning than before. She was smiling at me, but I felt like she was testing me. She wanted to know if I was a werewolf, too. And I wanted to answer, but I had momentarily lost my voice. And my heart. These damn eyes. How the hell is it even possible to have eyes like that? They were so dark, they seemed to be black, and I suddenly wondered if one could have black eyes. Or if in the light, they would get lighter. A perfect eyebrow lifted, and I finally noticed that they were all waiting for my answer.

"Uh... no. No, I don't have the same excuse, Miss Mills. I just love running" I shrugged.

I could say that she wanted to ask me what my powers were, but before she could have a chance, Mary stepped in –which seemed to irritate Regina greatly. But she didn't say anything, and she did not stop looking at me.

"Well, you would be a perfect athlete then, Emma".

I barely heard her compliment, and could not avert my eyes from Regina. Tension filled the air, as we estimated each other. I do not know what she was searching for, looking at me like this, but she certainly found it. Her eyes darkened as she detailed my body –which still was sweaty by the run—and warmth spread between my legs. Un-fucking-believable. With only her gaze, Regina Mills aroused me beyond imaginable. I had never experienced such a rush of lust before. And I instantly imagined what it would be like if she actually touched me. Or kissed me. Or licked me. My mouth parted at the thought, and another pick of arousal grew in my stomach, warming up my whole body.

Ruby coughed loudly. I closed my mouth, realising I was oddly ogling her lips. I blushed furiously and averted my eyes, looking at David instead of her... but not before catching her amused grin. Shit.

David and Mary greeted us and left, followed by Regina. Passing next to me, she looked at me again –although, I knew better this time than to stare back-, and greeted me with an alluring "Miss Swan". Next thing I knew, they were out of sight, and I was barely standing up. My knees felt so weak, I leaned against the closest wall. And Ruby laughed at me. Again.

"Wow. That was something!"

I did not reply anything. I just could not talk about it, right now. Was Regina flirting with me? Or was I just imagining what I was hoping for? I really needed a cold shower... and certainly not because of the running.

"Ok, honey. You just stink sex"

"What does that mean?" I laughed disbelievingly.

"Well it means what it means. Your body is screaming for release, don't deny it" she mocked me.

I could not deny that. But I did not answer anything. I shrugged, like it was not a big deal, and told her I needed a shower.

"You sure do. Keep it cold" she said.

"Sure will", I winked at her.

"I'll see you tomorrow, honey"

"See you tomorrow, Rubes."

We parted ways, and while I was about to take the stairs, Ruby screamed to me:

"By the way, I totally would have caught you!"

I just laughed and walked away.

After a cold shower, and lying relaxingly on my bed, I finally thought it through seriously. What the hell were the teachers doing in our accommodation building? Ok, maybe that was not the most important question I needed to answer right now, but still... did they live in there? What if Regina was my neighbour...? I immediately stopped thinking about it, or I was up for another cold shower. So I just took my Ipod and listened to music. Just the way you are of Bruno Mars started to play, and it was not the most relaxing song I could have been listening to, but it just felt right. I was seeing her eyes, her hair, her face... and I could not help thinking that the song had surely been written for her.

The warmth in my stomach was not stopping, though. I needed some fresh air. It was very late now, but I decided to go for a walk anyway. While I was exiting my room, and silently closing the door, movements on my right caught my eye. I turned, and stood up watching at Regina. I tried to say something, but she walked quickly to me, and placed two fingers on my mouth, to silent me. My eyes widened, as hers darkened. She opened the door of my room, grabbed my right hand with her left one, while the other went to my waist, pushing me roughly inside my bedroom, and closing the door with her foot. She only stopped shoving me when my knees hurt the bed, and I fell hard on the sheets.

It did not bring her to a halt, though. She straddled me, and leaned over, up until our noses brushed. I could feel and smell her breath. It was intoxicating, and the arousal I had felt before was nothing compared to what I was experiencing now. I could not think anymore, far less speak. I was so thrilled, I almost did not hear what she said to me.

"Don't look at me like you did earlier in public... ever again... I won't control myself a second time..."

It made me lose it. My hands grabbed her waist, and my lips crashed hard on hers. Her hands remained on my stomach while we kissed passionately. Our mouths opened at the same time, and our tongues met each other. They danced, fought, caressed, and played. I had never been kissed like that. By the time her hands went on my breast, and mine fell on her bottom, I was so wet and so aroused that it actually hurt. She moaned in my mouth, and I almost came. She bit my lower lip, looking right into my eyes, and licked the skin remaining between her teeth. Unconsciously, I violently grasped her buttocks, and she moaned louder.

It drove me crazy. I turned her over, now on top of her, and her legs circled my waist. Kissing her, I tore her shirt up, and threw it away. My left hand grabbed her breast, and she started rubbing against my stomach to soothe her desire...

And a scream woke me up. In fact, it was my scream that woke me up. Oh God.

Having an erotic dream about my teacher, right after meeting her... I should have been in the book of world records or something... great. It was just great. I could not sleep again after that. So I just went to another cold shower. And prayed that the dreams would stop... I wouldn't survive waking up from that a second time...