Chapter seven

I sat at the school's pool, reading my history textbook. I didn't understand it but I was trying. Not a single soul was at the pool to my delight, I love reading in quiet places. It was just me, my book and the shimmering dancing water. I was reading about the foundation of Twilight Castle; it was originally the first vampire royal castle before the great vampire queen, Queen Rida Red, willed it to be a school for every supernaturals after her death. The present king, Dermot's father, built a much more bigger and better castle to live in, while this one became a school.

I should follow the book, believe what is written but something was missing in the history, something didn't quite click to me but I couldn't place my finger on it. I dropped the book and sighed, what is missing? Again, the incessant ringing in my ears increased, making my head pound. I massaged my temples, trying to soothe the headache, but nothing was happening. In frustration, I pushed the book into the water, groaning in pain as the ringing persisted.

That was when the ringing stopped abruptly and was replaced with a gush of wind, a gush that carried voices.

Don't do this!

The princesses are unfit for royal life.

Yes! Kill them!

Sibyl, run!

Ivy, I'm scared.

Don't worry Sibyl, I'll protect you...

Hello there Marinette... I gasped at the sharp pain in my head after my name was mentioned. Thousands of voices flooded my head, causing me more pain.

'Stop! Make it stop!' I cried, scrambling to my feet. I closed my ears and eyes, they weren't whispering again, it had become series of shouts.

They will all pay!

I fell into the pool, like someone pushed me in. The voices stopped, the pain seized but then, I couldn't swim. I screamed and fought to rise to the surface, to get to the edge but the current was too powerful. 'Help!!! Marielle!!!' I screamed. I kicked my legs, battling to stay alive. I could feel a cold breeze passing me, like someone was trying to hold and pull me out but it just couldn't get a physical hold on me. My body plunge in, I saw a panicking girl over the water before it disappeared. I swam up again, enough to see something flash away.

I lost my energy, I had drank a lot of water, my body surrendered to the powerful pull of the water. My body sank down as water ran into my it through my nostrils and mouth. I hanged on, keeping my eyes open and hoping for a miracle. A glowing form dived into the water, swimming down to me with the speed of lightning. His ginger hair floated in the water, dancing like mermaid waves and sparkling at each sway. He looked like an Angel, my beautiful guardian angel.

He carried me up and maneuvered me to his back before swimming out of the water. I momentarily blacked out, seeing myself standing in a dark place. I wandered in the darkness, seeing different faceless souls floating around and most bowing to me. My feet pulled me back, I jumped into a white light and gasped, waking up to Ace pumping my chest. The weight on my chest was hot, heating up to my throat. My vision turned black again, then to gray, cream, white, and finally, a spectrum of rainbows.

'Marinette,' Ace called. I spluttered. 'Thank goodness you are alright.' I stared back at the angel looking down at me with worry and concern, I was dazed.

'W...w...w...w...w...' I stammered.

'I don't know what happened to you, how you ended up in the pool. That is a question for you, or don't you think?' I looked around, still in shock. 'I don't know, I heard someone whisper to me to go to the pool and I did, only to find you drowning. Forget about it, I'll take you to the nurse.'

'Is everything alright?' A very tender voice asked softly. I averted my eyes to one of the most beautiful being in my entire life. All I could think about when I saw her was the moon, her beauty just describe the moonlight. Her long crystal hair flowed down to her feet, even though she braided and packed it up. Her eyes were vivid crystal blue; she was alluring.

'Oh, hi Liliane,' Ace said. She was a goddess, nothing compared to me or even Leaf. I finally found someone who could challenge Elle's beauty. 'She almost drowned.'

'You can't swim?' Ann asked as she went on her knees. 'Why enter the water if you can't swim?' She touched my chest but redrew her hand instantly. 'You feel strange, you are strange. What is she?' She asked, looking at Ace.

'I don't know, can you heal her?'

'Let me try,' she touched my chest again. I felt something run up my stomach to my chest and then my throat. She removed all the water I swallowed and spun it up circularly before lacing it into her fingers. Ew! She used those fingers to press against my forehead, silencing the headache immediately. 'There, all healed. Now all she needs is hot tea and a lot of rest, can you let her have that?'

'Yes, thank you, Liane...'

'Ann,' she corrected. 'And you are welcome.' Ace scooped me into his arms while I kept staring at her.

'Are you a goddess?' I blunted out in a whisper. She arched a brow before knitting it together and laughing. Even her laugh was glorious. She is definitely more beautiful and graceful than Elle, but Elle took all the curves and right junks.

'I'm a merprincess,'

'Merprincess, as in mermaid?'

'Yes,' she smiled. 'Princess Liliane,'

'Oh, I'm so sorry about...'

'I get that a lot, I'm not surprise.' She said with a playful eye roll.

'What are you doing on land?'

'What are cyclops doing in college?' I understood what she meant and blushed, nodding to her reasonable reply. She was escorting Ace and I out. 'Would you like to swim? I can teach you.'

'I will really love to learn, will tomorrow be okay?'

'Perfecto,' she winked. 'So, I haven't gotten the name of my new friend yet.'

'Oh, it's Marinette Karnowsky...'

'The legendary Marinette of our dear Elle?' She asked with a laughed.

I nodded sheepishly. 'Does she talk that much?'

'Almost 24/7,'

'Wow,'

'Anyways, I have to go now, father expects me home for a royal meeting with another family.'

'He is still hung up on the arrange marriage thing?' Ace asked.

'Unfortunately, it's nice meeting you Rinette, we will catch up another time.' She waved me bye and ran back to the pool direction.

'It's funny, Liliane don't befriend anyone quick, it took the others months to gain her attention.'

'Others?'

'Do you expect me to wait in line for someone's friendship? I took it by force.' He said proudly. I rolled my eyes but remembered something.

'Are you okay?'

'Pardon?'

'Fire and water aren't really best of friends...'

'Oh that, it's okay, I ain't hurt.'

'But fire...'

'I wasn't in my other form, I was in vampire. And it takes more than normal water to quench our fire. Eternal fire breed, remember?'

'Hey! People of my friendship!' Twyla shouted. I chuckled. Twyla skipped to us, she looked at me and tilted her head. 'Why is the new friend wet?'

'She almost drowned.'

'You can't swim? Twyla can but hate the water, water is wet and sticky and so uncomfortable. Water makes Twyla shudder.' She hugged herself and shivered.

'Twyla, can you find Elle and tell her what happened? That Marinette almost drowned? Please, don't add more words to terrify her, please.'

Twyla licked her fur palm and grinned innocently. 'Don't worry, Twyla will be good this time. Ace can trust her, no?'

'No,'

'Why the no? Twyla is reliable you know.'

'You might get distracted on the way,'

'I am not easily dis...' Her eyes turned big and sparkly. 'Pretty colours,' she said dazedly. I looked over Ace's shoulder and saw a half girl, half unicorn. Her rainbow tail swished as she walked to the other hall. 'Colours!' Twyla squealed and ran after her.

'I'm going to run now so you can get out of this clothes before you catch a cold,' he said, looking down at me. I nodded and rest my head on his chest so the wind won't disturb me. Soon I could feel the wind blowing against my wet skin, making me shiver. I raised my head and peeped at Ace. His golden yellow eyes were glowing like the sun as he looked ahead; lips puckered, wet hair swaying to the current of the wind, flying across his face, unable to hold the strength of the wind and lashes flapping.

I couldn't look away from him, his irresistible face, couldn't stop admiring the beautiful boy running along with the wind with me carefully pressed against his chest. My heartbeat changed pace, palpitating like it now love doing. Time slowed down as I watched him, as I listened to my heart hit against my chest. In a brief moment, his eyes glanced at me. Just three seconds of our eyes locking, my breath seized and cold ran down my spine.

He came to a stop at my room, the abrupt stop snapping me out of it. 'Here we are!' He exclaimed cheerfully. He dropped me down carefully and grinned at me. My hands still remained wrapped around his neck, I was still staring but this time, he was looking back at me the exact way I was. His eyes averted to my lips then back at my eyes and back to my lips again. I averted my eyes to his neck and furrowed a brow. The veins of his neck had popped out in lava colour, almost like his neck was intubated. 'Ignore it,' I still kept looking. 'Can you walk?'

'Uhm,' I let go of him and staggered back. He reached out for me. 'I'm fine,'

'I'll make you soup.'

'You can cook?'

'I live alone in a van, duh!' He said and ran out of my room.

I sighed and placed my hand on my chest, it was beating too fast for my liking. It made no sense or did it? I had to accept the truth whether I liked it or not, I was starting to like Ace and not just as a friend. What I feared was that he would never see me as anything other than a friend, other than his best friend's younger sister. He can't like me back, I am filled with too much imperfections and bad looks. Compared to him, he was a demigod with looks and I was well, I don't even know where to classify myself in. He would never love me back, scarcely.

As I soaked in a hot bubble bath, my mind diverted to what happened back in school, how Ace said he was called to the pool. Could it be that girl I saw? Could she be the one trying to talk to me? Why always using Ace? Why just him? Then again, why did I get burnt by Ace's tattoo? I looked at my hands and gasped, the fire vines were back and printed on the skin of my hands. The vines tightened, dragging all my veins into my forearm, my right forearm. The vines only grew bigger at my left, clinging to my hand firmly like I was planning to cut it off. My gathered veins turned lava, reflecting Ace's as it took the shape of the same sword on his back, just smaller. The sword burnt up, flames literally emanated from the sword, blazing and lighting the entire bathroom.

Fear enfolded me, did Elle bring me here to achieve something bad? I mean, she did suddenly show up after a long time of silence and no communication. Were they planning to use me for something? Sacrifice? Experiment? I cried and got out of the tub, I knew I was jumping into conclusions but I was scared. What other answers were there? I was all alone and free to think rubbish. I threw a baggy T-shirt on, one that stopped below my mid-thigh and did a serious breathing exercise.

I walked to the kitchen to get something cold to drink, but I saw Ace there. 'Right on time! Soup's ready!' He shrieked. I forced a smile and stylishly went to the cutleries to get a knife.

Sure, you are so smart Marinette, kill the vampire with a knife.

'You are going to love my soup, I created it myself, it's very very delicious. It has won best soup of the year for four years now...' He said as he washed some cups.

'That's nice,' I said absently, hiding the knife I picked behind me. He rinsed the cups and his hands and dropped them. He took a towel and dried his hands, eyes fixed on my body. He smiled and shook his head before going to dish the soups.

'Wanna know one great thing about vampires?'

'Yeah?'

'They read minds,' I froze. He chuckled and dropped the bowl. 'The cooler part about me is that I have foresight, most times, I see what is going to happen to me before it does. I saw you taking the knife before you did. What I don't understand is why? I don't want to pry.'

'I...I...'

'Sit, eat with me,' he offered, shifting my own bowl to me. 'I won't hurt you Marinette, trust me.'

'Your strange tattoo burnt me, made me go through so much pain and the next thing I know, you are avoiding me for over a week. Why would I believe you?' I asked shakily.

'And the fact that you have been hallucinating about me,' he added nonchalantly. 'Rielle didn't tell me, I read your mind. Do you really think that can kill me?' He asked, eyeing my hand which I still held behind my back. He shook his head and picked up his spoon.

'I'm scared,' I sobbed. 'Elle might be involve too, she might have brought me here to kill me. She stopped communicating with me...'

'She has her own reason, Rinette, a good one.'

'But why is all this happening to just me?' I cried. 'I am terrified.'

'Rinette, look at me in the eyes and decide if I will harm you or not, if Elle who loves you more than her own self will seek to end your life.' I looked at his face, he looked so serious which was so "unace" like.

'I don't like your serious face, smile,' I sighed, walking to join him. He giggled and grinned.

'Like this?'

'Yes, just like that,' I smiled back. Then followed our eye contact again, right before he reached forward and laced our fingers together. Heat flowed from his fingers into mine, electrifying fire. 'Something came up again.'

'What?'

'My hands, the same tattoo on your back...'

'Father said it would go away.'

'Why did it happen in the first place?'

'Your powers Rinette, your powers. I don't know what powers you have but my powers don't agree with whatever it is.'

'But the tattoo?'

'I don't know okay!' He yelled. 'I am as confuse as you are!'

'Don't shout...'

'I must shout, I have to shout. My dragon burning you might mean three things, one of them which states that in the future we may fight and one of us would kill each other or...' He looked away.

'Or...?'

'I suspect the second option because I can already feel the pull,' he muttered.

'What pull?'

'Nevermind Rinette, I promise you that I will figure it out and make sure you don't get hurt at all. Can you trust me?' He asked with dull eyes, squeezing my hand in his.

'Promise with your heart,'

'Cross my cock,'

'Ew, Ace!' I exclaimed and laughed. He wiggled his brows and winked at me. I rolled my eyes and focused on drinking my soup. 'My soup is cold Ace.'

'I'll fix that,' he said grinningly. Her peered at my bowl. I was wondering what the heck he was doing before my soup started bubbling. 'Do you want it very hot?'

'No, just the right temperature,'

'Goldilocks zone,' he chuckled and smirked.

'Don't even try it Ace! I will lock you up in a refrigerator if you dare!'

'Chill señorita, I wouldn't want to burn that pretty tongue of yours. At least not when I haven't tasted it.' I laughed and threw my spoon at him. I took his spoon and used it instead.

'Mm, this actually taste better than I pictured it,' I confessed. He grinned and nodded pompously. 'Does this soup have a name?' He shrugged. 'You didn't name it?'

'Elle calls it er... What's that Latin word for delicious soup again?'

'Are are...nevermind,' I focused on finishing the meal while he stared at me the whole time. I tried my best to hide my nervousness. Thank goodness I was a fastidious eater. After the meal, I drank two cups of teas and yawned in satisfaction. 'I'm full. Thanks for the meal Ace, and the save.'

'You're welcome,' he was still staring at my face. I touched my face. 'There is nothing on your face, you are just too beautiful.'

'Not like Elle or Liliane, those two are goddesses,' I said sadly. He squeezed my hand again, he wouldn't let it go no matter how much I pulled.

'Everyone is beautiful in their own way Rinette. You might not be as beautiful as those two, but you are beautiful in your own way, just by being you. And honestly to me, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.'

Those were the words he said that permanently sealed a new me in my heart.