Chapter 3

~Zayne Beckett~

The days went on, and I began to feel more like my old self. I wasn't guilty, wasn't feeling bothered, and was even able to focus more on my schoolwork. After all, I thought I'd have the best chance to get into anything if I had good grades.

At school, every now and then I saw Aurora walking alone in the halls. Once she was in sight, all the questions that once flooded my mind came back to me. Where did she come from? Why was no one telling her about the coloured-hair thing? The bigger question was who the hell was she to pop out of nowhere and start making people change?

Of all my theories, none were answered. Every time we passed each other, neither of us uttered a sound. She just flashed a closed-lip smile every time she walked by and I would assume it was just her way of saying a friendly 'hello'. I figured that she wouldn't be willing to answer my questions just yet.

I met up with my favourite cheesy couple during lunch, but at the wrong time. The moment my mind was clear and just getting ready to eat, they decided to talk about Aurora, who recently asked if there was an astronomy class established in the school.

There wasn't so it was weird that she specifically asked for that class.

Just as I was about to take a bite, Carter asked, "Is Aurora in any of your classes, Zayne?"

I hesitated, then looked up before giving him an annoyed look. He didn't seem bothered by it as he's seen it many times now by stopping me from eating. "Thankfully, she is not."

"That's so unfortunate. She's really nice," Nadia said with a smile.

"Yeah, she makes everyone smile. Maybe she can make you smile more often," Carter grinned.

Please.

"I'm not going to smile because of the new girl," I rolled my eyes. "That's already a waste."

"Uh, a waste of what exactly?"

"Time and facial muscles." I finally got a bite of my food.

Carter looked at me weirdly. "Okay then..."

While I enjoyed my meal in beloved silence, Nadia chose to ruin the moment. "Look, there she is."

My chest did a backflip as I looked at the wall. I could not have coordination between my mind and my body, and in this case, I was grateful for it. No one could tell that I was nervous. Or maybe they just weren't paying attention to me.

Yes, I was nervous to talk to her. I was afraid I'd say something out of the way and we'd be right back to where we were before. If I wanted to become friends with her, that would be something I should be avoiding. But maybe I was overreacting. Perhaps they wouldn't call her over.

"Aurora!"

I flinched and looked at Carter like he was crazy. And he was. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Oh come on, it's the second week of school and she's still alone. Why can't we invite her to our table?"

"Well go and invite her if you have to. Don't just sit up and shout her name for the whole school to hear." I crossed my arms on the table and leaned down at the table.

I immediately regretted saying that. He actually got up and walked over to her.

Nadia and I just sat there, wondering if Carter was in his right mind.

"You two didn't get in a fight or anything, right?" I asked Nadia.

She laughed. "What? No."

"Alright," I sighed, "I had to make sure just in case he lost his mind."

Nadia giggled. "We're okay."

Carter returned to the table with Aurora. "Hi, Nadia. Did you get through with the homework?" Aurora asked with her warm smile.

My head fell on my hands and my cheeks began heating up. Why was I like this? Was it normal to experience something like this? All I knew was that I needed to calm myself down before looking at her again.

"Yeah. Thanks for that by the way," Nadia responded.

The seat under me shifted slightly as Aurora sat next to me. As I felt better, I raised my head and looked at her. Her eyes were locked on mine. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't read her. She kept her emotions blank but kept a smile that seemed genuine.

"Oh, Aurora, Zayne. Zayne, Aurora," Carter introduced us.

"We already met," Aurora said politely before beginning to eat. I kept my eyes on her for a moment longer, taking in how elegant she looked while eating cafeteria food.

"What?" Carter asked. "And you didn't tell me, Zayne?"

I grunted and turned back to my food. "It didn't matter."

"Well, how did you meet?" Nadia questioned.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Aurora opening her mouth. "That doesn't matter either," I interrupted.

I could've felt her stern, threatening gaze on me. But when I glanced at her, Aurora was just looking at me. It was similar to the look she gave me the week before.

"It was just something with Mason," I explained briefly before taking another bite. The table was silent as they waited for me to continue. "That's all."

"I should've guessed," Carter chuckled. "That would be the only way you'd meet. Zayne hates people."

"I can tell," Aurora tightened her lips in a thin smile before proceeding to eat.

She can tell? I thought. Am I that predictable? I shot her a glance before turning back to my food.

In between bites, she answered some of Nadia and Carter's questions. Aurora said that she came from somewhere abroad. When Nadia asked where, Aurora told her that she was asked to 'not give that information'. It was odd to all of us. Why wouldn't she tell us? Was she from North Korea?

Aurora managed to answer the other questions with ease. The location question was the only one that was odd. The only downside was that their questions didn't match mine at all. I was constantly curious and confused about my own, with the incident on the first day, but I had to be patient for the right moment.

Thankfully, later that day while I was going through my locker, I spotted Aurora walking in my direction, alone. This was my chance. Without thinking straight, when she was near, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards me. I sure thought I was being a little rough, but that wasn't the problem.

"I have questions," I stated.

Aurora stared at me like I was mad. She tugged her hand to get away from me, but I kept my grip firm on her wrist. Maybe I was being a little too rough with her. Me, being stupid, didn't realize it.

"Can't it wait until later?" she asked me.

"I don't think I'll get another chance like this."

She looked around before asking, "What is it?"

I hesitated for a moment before showing her my other arm, which was supposed to have scabs on it. "What did you do to me? It healed completely by the end of the day. I thought for sure it would leave a scar or something."

Aurora stared at my forearm as her face paled. "Um..." Her eyes shook and her hand went limp. "It- its..."

The more I stared at her, the more I realized how much she wanted to answer. It was as if something was refraining her from telling the truth, just as much as she wanted to. She seemed as if she was being controlled by something.

The bell suddenly rang. I blinked and kept my gaze on her. "Well?" I urged. "I'm not gonna let go until you tell me."

Only then did I realize I was being a jerk. As I caught myself, my hand released her wrist and I stepped back. She rubbed her wrist and looked at me. "I can tell you. When... when the time is right, that is..." she muttered.

I wavered. "And when will that be? I don't like to wait."

"You barely know me," she reminded me. "I'll tell you at the right time. And... the right time is when the time is right."

Aurora nodded firmly before turning on her heels and speed-walked to class. While I momentarily stood in the empty hallway, I wondered if she was out of her mind. Who says that kind of stuff?

The right time is when the time is right, I repeated in my head. What is this, a movie? Why was she so mysterious? What in the world was she hiding?