Sleepover (3)

"Kyaaa," I pulled on his hair.

"Let go," Luke murmured.

Luke clenched his teeth as his face began to redden like a bright apple. His eyes looked behind my back to signal for help to his cousin, close to sighing when he realized Alex was dumbfounded beyond help. Instead, he often turned his chair back and forth, trying to get an answer from the despondent people around us. It was like he was unsure how to proceed as he chose to continue tickling my waist over losing more hair.

Meanwhile, my body leaned closer to the ground to put more effort into my pull, also coughing to calm my poor lungs bursting into laughter. My eyes teared up as my arms awkwardly positioned to cover the sides of my waist, my muscles tensing in the wrong places.

It was a battle of who could handle this situation longer now. One of us would give in soon. I crazily laughed, "you're dead. You're going to die either way."

His eyes blazed from the challenge, sending a shudder through my back. My throat suddenly couldn't find my voice anymore, my mind going blank when he abruptly stood and wiped his hair to get rid of my hands.

What did he do? A spell? Was he holding in everything until he could activate his spell? My face showed all my thoughts as I found myself unable to move, maybe too shocked or intentional by Luke. All I could do was listen, watching his lips move, "repeat after me."

'I can't, I can't move or speak,' my eyes shot.

"My spell was to separate, not to directly affect you sticking to me," he offered his hand.

I was definitely not going to take that hand, being frozen was better than getting help by the victor. Wait. It was convenient! I couldn't study if I was frozen and one of my friends could move me to Delia's place and work out something from there to unfreeze me. Ha! In the end, I was the true winner.

"It's strange, I can move your arms just fine," he raised my arm.

My arm dropped when he let go, stepping back to deeply analyze me in front of him. His hand grabbed his chin, supporting his tilting head. His long eyelashes looked up and down, slowly getting more frustrated as more time passed.

"He didn't chant to activate the spell," Cillian whispered.

His eyes glinted as he questioned everyone in the room to confirm his theory. My pupils instantly dashed to shut him up, annoyed this was the moment he turned all gossipy. Ugh! He was going to help Luke at this rate on fixing his out of whack spell.

He didn't know part of the reason Luke dragged me to his study sessions was to use me as a lab rat. It wasn't just one or twice Luke failed his spells. He was called a genius because he impressed all his teachers by failing less than their average student. Meaning, he was still in the experimental stage of all the new things Micah recently taught him.

"Just leave her alone. She doesn't look tortured being frozen," Ethan scratched his head.

"She'll probably start moving again if she needs something- ."

"I think I know now," Luke's eyes brightened.

He immediately closed his eyes and cupped my hands on top of his. The corners of his lips cheerfully lifted like all the other times he found the solution to something he worked on for a long time. I scoffed inside my head when he shamelessly spoke, "I wished she would listen to me. By listening to me, she would let go of my hair and give up on that sleepover."

"You'll be able to move again if you give up on that sleepover," his eyes gleamed while opening.

His silvery hair fluttered from the sudden breeze of air, not a single one plucked or seen on the ground. The warm sunlight showered inside the room to create a halo above his head, following the curtains swaying side to side to place a magnificent set of wings behind his back.

He appeared like a literal angel, one of those hypocrites you knew to be more evil than the devil. It was nice to be him. He had everything on his side, the whole world waiting to fulfill his wish. Time was only flowing for me to lose, feeling all the burning stares from my friends as his beautiful hands warmed mine.

"You won't?" His disappointment struck my heart.

The heck? How were we suddenly inside a shoujo manga? I was supposed to be the attacker! My cheeks puffed as I pouted, slightly looking up to check if his angelic act was gone. Although I had complete immunity, Shelly was busy dragging Sienna and Delia into the tent to conduct first aid. She shook their shoulders, "keep breathing and try to cool yourself. Forget about Luke and try thinking of your ugly partners."

"Is that how you think of me?" Alex spun to her.

"Personality-wise if looks are decent," she ignored him.

"You can save your friends," Luke lifted my hands higher.

My eyes hurt! That aura- my third eye that suddenly came into existence was stinging. A jolt ran through my spine, trying to warn me of something. I closed in on his face, revealing his smile loosening like he wasn't completely focusing on me.

It was another chantless spell! The perfect wind coming through the window, the effect from the sunlight! I wasn't going crazy! I was being used as a lab rat again. It was so obvious, but not. Usually, Luke experimented on Rika, sometimes failed or got what he wanted, got praised by Micah or his other teachers and then someone fixed Rika up if Luke couldn't figure out what he did wrong himself.

We were missing the 'get praised by Micah or his other teachers' part! Meaning, it was starting to get dangerous for me as the chance of Luke failing more spells went up. Ugh! I chose the wrong fairy to make a contract with, partly my fault to let Micah and Luke meet.

"It's my fault," I groaned.

"Your fault?" His eyelashes innocently fluttered.

I was right. The intensity of mana in the air instantly disappeared. His smile relaxed and his mind had more room for other things. I was able to smile back, "the sleepover, it was my fault for asking when you already said no."

"I'm not going to that sleepover written on that day at exactly 8pm Central First District time at the reality most people would realize," I shook his hands off.

I was leaving the school at 10:01pm Eastern First District time at the reality Rika realized in her point of view. Ha! There were loopholes to everything!

"Did you just record her using a double spell?" Ethan's mouth dropped.

"The kind where what the person says applies to terms the person activating the spell," he explained, looking at my dumbfounded face.

"...You did what?" I grabbed Luke's collar.

"You said you wouldn't go," his hands grabbed onto mine.

"You knew I wasn't actually saying I wasn't actually going to go- ."

"It doesn't matter. If I don't want you to go, you don't."

My head felt hammered as Luke pulled my hands away. My hands dropped beside my side, helplessly watching him turn and walk towards his desk again. My heart squeezed tight as my knees began to buckle, hating that line he always used lately.

"I'm a person too," I whispered.

"I have feelings, I have friends, it's not only you," I raised my voice.

'Just because I didn't come from a wealthy family that ruled over the first district didn't mean I was lesser than him,' my fingers curled into my palms.