coerced

It was past seven when she returned to the dorm, her footsteps tediously fatigued, completely devoid of the desire for any further interaction.

After the evening of bowling with the girls, she waved a tired goodbye to Isabelle and headed straight to her room. 

Despite Lilith's absence since the library incident, a simmering irritation clung to her, refusing to dissipate. She couldn't pinpoint why. The usual excitement that should have come from spending time with everyone alone by herself, left behind a nullification of restlessness.

Frustration bubbled beneath her skin, a surge of inexplicable anger intertwined with a web of dawdling paradoxes. Why was she so restless? Why couldn't she calm down? What was it that haunted her consistently? She exhaled a breath and opened the door. Her eyes fell upon the figure sitting on the edge of her bed.

Unspoken tension hung heavy in the air as she locked the door, letting her bag drop to the floor with a soft thump. The familiar environment did nothing to alleviate her unsettled state; she stared at the woman whose amber sights offered their gaze to her.

She turns wordlessly away from the woman and walks to the bathroom. Lilith follows her closely. " Why so rush, Sweet thing Don't wanna play anymore?" 

"Don't ." Eliena  slammed the door but the action did little to deter  the woman who walked through it effortlessly 

"Why? You seem quite happy to see me. Bet it was pretty boring," the woman taunted and  Eliena halted. " Must be very distressing spending time with someone you never wish to,"   her words toyed against Eliena 's earlobes, sending a shiver down her spine. Has she heard it before? 

"Distressing?" she snapped. " You know nothing about me," her tone sharped. " I liked it. I liked everything ." She refined it. 

Sardonic sneer widened across sainted features." You can't lie to me, how could you …ever lie to yourself, Darling." 

Twisting the knob on the shower, the water flowed in an attempt to drown out the phantom's words she spun to face the woman, baking with irritation. "Conceivably you're confusing your feelings with mine." She retorted.

Lilith barked out a laugh, stepping forward until she was invading Eliena 's personal space. "Denial, denial. How long are you going to do this? Admit it already."

"Admit? Admit what?" She looked deep in the golden pools. Hatred boiled to the surface. How dare this woman? Who was she? No one. She was no one and she would never be. She has no right. "That you're obsessed with me, that you tricked me so you could haunt me and project your pathetic feelings onto me? Does that boost your ego, you Sarcastic Bitch!"

Lilith's face twisted, her eyes blazed with wrath that would have frightened Eliena a few days ago. Regardless, now, she faced it fearlessly, as if she had a protuberance of strength.

More importantly, what could Lilith do except destroy her surroundings? Her belongings. Besides throwing childish tantrums, Lilith couldn't touch her—or so she believed.

A moment passed, then another. "I feel the heat of your soul. Even though your words are mordant." Lilith gritted out, almost holding herself back from lunging at Eliena. "Your little peach is still dripping shamelessly."

Searing heat spread from her chest to her bottom, and her birthmark throbbed no matter how much she despised those sensations, puzzled by how willingly her body responded to mere words. 

Memories flooded her mind—  Lilith being inside her. Biting into her. Pushing her deep.Feasting her all. Taking her.  Kneeling between her thighs. Worshipping her. Her essence ran down from the latter chin, the nectar of her sweetness devoured by the woman. And Eliena, too, tasted the flavor of her wetness in the glorious mouth.

The amber irises melted into the abyss, black pupils, chest rising, falling in synchrony with her quickened inspiration. They stand inches apart, suffocated in the small space, eyes slint, their gaze piercing though like they could glimpse every hidden need wavering in her mind, could have heard every secret thought. 

Steam pours from the shower swirling around her, filling the bathroom with a dense, humid mist, the tiled walls dripping with moistness. 

Slowly the isolated coldness of the woman's presence essayed to be swapped by a comforting heat. 

"I hate you," Eliena managed her head spinning from the overwhelming sudden warmth and …and something. What was that? She wagged her head, her nostrils prickling. A smell. What type? A flower? What kind?  Intoxicating?

"I know," came the hushed reply, almost a purr against her ear. Her lips parted for breaths. The woman took a small step, partly inside her with every heaving inhalation she swallowed.

Bloody hell! Get away. Leave. Leave. Leave.

Summoning every ounce of courage, she huffed and turned away. Ignore her. Just ignore her. Right, she'll just ignore or she could spend time with Moonyoung again, and then Lilith wouldn't show up.  She would have a quiet, peaceful fucking min—

"Don't you dare turn your back on me!"

Eliena shrank when an ice-cold hand painfully clutched her wrist, nails biting into the soft skin. Yanked back, she met Lilith's eyes, which displayed an equal level of shock before they disappeared into vicious glee.

Shit.

What happened to 'she can't touch me,' Eliena sucked in a panicked breath, preparing to pull away, but Lilith acted quickly. She slammed the student against the wall, hard enough to hurt the back of her head.

The impact sent stars exploding behind her visions and pain radiating through her skull.

Lilith clings to her, and for the first time since that fateful night, Eliena feels the entirety of their bodies flush against each other. She hears frantic, cold breath from lips measly inches away from her own and looks into those wild amber eyes, now glowing with a yellowish hue, she sees a heat so lurid it makes them appear illusive and even more bewitching.

The woman wraps a hand around her throat, not too hard, but with just enough force to make her dizzy as her head is gently shoved back against the wall.

"Nowhere to run now,"  the woman whispered joy petrifying in her tone. 

Compulsively, to her own Eliena 's hand rose of its own accord, eyes drawn irresistibly to the striking glow in those despondent eyes. 

Urbanely, she touched Lilith's cheek, which, with a gradual acceptance, the woman allowed her to, tips of her fingers resting carefully against the petal-like velvety softness. Leaning closer, she felt the grip on her throat loosen, cautious digits stroke her jaw. 

Each breath that was getting into her lungs seemed to infuse a vague rousing scent, one she couldn't quite place her thoughts clouding.

She didn't feel trapped; she wasn't captive. She felt found as if she had been unearthed after millennia of waiting. She was whole. She is complete. But surely, this couldn't be real... right?

Ridicules something wanted to dispute in her head, mock the notion, warning her not to be fooled. But she paid it no mind.

" You're so warm," curvingly breathed the latter. " Always warm for me." 

She gasped; Lilith was cold, so cold, snuggling into her. Her brain was screaming, arguing; another self was terrified, not entirely. She couldn't fathom why she wouldn't stop her hand from touching the specter. 

Why couldn't she tear her gaze away from those eyes? 

The woman nestled into the crook of her neck, nose snug against the pulsating beat, hands grasping mindlessly at every inch of the student, yearning for more of their skin contact.

"I feel your heart," Breathing deeply, the woman sighs. " I feel…I feel everything, hear everything.. every your thoughts," 

Ha! No wonder she always gives me that 'Are you serious,' look. Geez, Warner. Get a grip. Get a freaking grip!

"They're wonderful, you are fucking exquisite My Love." 

Slickness of arousal trickled down her thighs. Was that because of the curse? She never heard Lilith use such foul language before. Dammit! The growl. The woman wasn't mistaken. Her undies were drenched; lust was palpable. She couldn't stop but wondered how it would feel if the woman bit into it, taking hold of it and savoring it while Eliena straddled her face.

Lilith shuddered, overcome with fervor as if she had peeped those fantasies and was immersed in them.

"I-," Eliena  gasped. " I want to—" 

"You can. I'll do it. I'll do everything, anything, always." Desperate whispers escape trembling lips, hands quivering from the enormous desire as they glide around to hook onto the waistband of the trouser; with a deft twist of digits, the button comes undone. 

A cold hand slipped inside. Her core aches with an astounding urge; her knees buckle in anticipation. " I want to feel the mess I made," words pants into her neck mirroring the rippling fancies of her own. " I wish to savor your sweetness, My Angel,"  the fingers remain still, awaiting for an approval — A 'Yes,' perhaps. 

Eliena 's hands gently find their way to the front of Lilith's shoulders. They move lightly against the expensive fabric of the woman's dress, ascending into the soft dark waves, the thick manes entwining around her fingers as if they had been logging for her tender touch for ages now willingly embracing it.  

But in an instant, Lilith falls through her. 

It feels like Eliena 's poor, warm mortal body has been plunged into glacier waters, blood freezing to ice, bone-chilling to death; she collapses to the floor, their bodies infiltrate each other, and she hits the solid bathroom tiles with bruising force.

Agonized sobs tore out of her soul, shaken violently, whilst the woman's scream erupts into a poignant wail that renders her to cover her ears.

"C-c-col-cold—," she choked out, curling into a ball on the floor shivering ferociously. The pain in her head pounds in time with her racing beat of heart. 

Animalistic grunts are emulated and filled with excruciating agony mirroring every bit of afflict just like her. 

Cold. Why? Why is it so cold? Why? She felt like her body would never be warm again. The suffering has no end. 

She crawls to the shower using a trembling hand and pushes herself beneath the shower. Her bawls grow louder, tears coursing down her cheeks as the hot water touches her deathly cold body soaking through the clothes.

The sweltering heat from the shower clashed over her icy flesh. Each drop of water felt like molten lava against her skin. She rocked back and forth, teeth chattering, breath coming in ragged gasps. Steam rose as she struggled to reclaim the stolen warmth. 

Choked sobs mixed with the sound of rushing water, fingers gripping the shower handle tightly until her knuckles turned white. Her body fought against the numbing cold, her pulse racing.

It's the torturous eternity under the blistering cascade of water before she gathers the presence of her mind to open her eyes and look for Lilith. 

Ahead she finds the latter sitting where they fall apart in the same position as hers with knees drawn up to the chest. Looking utterly lost, feral, shaking frantically, in...in fear, wild eyes untamed, and even traumatized by what transpired as Eliena. 

As the intense cold fades into the feverish torrent she tries to make sense

Lilith touches her. 

She touched her back. 

And she had never felt anything like that before. 

What was it? Hatred? Disgust? Submission? Acceptance? No. No. Hatred must be hatred, a voice reminded her. If it was, then why did seeing the helpless woman before causing her heartache? 

Those heartening howls ensure a haunting reminder of their shared suffering only because Lilith touched her without her consent. Without her approval. They feel pain. Same pain yet others make her feel guilty. 

She opened her mouth to utter the words that were perched on the tip of her tongue as if saying them would make her feel better, 'Am sorry,' she thought, though her lips didn't move. 

Amber eyes met her own and Eliena couldn't avail to say anything at all.

During the late night hours, when the east side of the dormitory building had succumbed to a deep slumber, the atmosphere was thick in silence. 

The dormitory's pupils are lost in their dreams, peaceful and undisturbed. Though, in the embrace of this nocturnal serenity, Eliena found herself sitting alone by the fireplace, its crackling flames casting shadows that flitted upon the wooden walls and her thoughtful face warm glow of room lights doused in comfort. 

Lost in tranquility, she didn't notice the approach of footsteps, hushed echoes of heels on the hardwood floor until a gentle voice pierced the silence. "Elie," it called out, tender laced with a tinge of questions.

A hand, warm and reassuring, rested upon the young student's shoulder, coaxing her to turn away from the mesmerizing dance of the flames. Ms. Blake's gaze was filled with maternal apprehension as she meticulously scanned Eliena 's visage, one of her well-groomed eyebrows arched. "What happened to your face? Did you fight with someone?" she inquired, her voice softly conveying stern weight.

Like a small child who was about to receive a rebuke catching all the attention herself, she hesitated, eyes bore to her flickering lights of the fire reflecting in them. She glanced away, licking the small cut on her bottom lips in an attempt to craft a response. " It's…not, I-I didn't," that simple answer couldn't encapsulate the evening events that occur in the room so she tried again. " I slipped in my bathroom," 

The silence follows those words with unasked questions. 

The principal's lips curled, and she shook her head, sitting down next to her students,  gaze never flattering." Is that why you skipped dinner?  Because you 'slipped' in your bathroom,"  she asked. 

 Eliena nodded. 

Ms. Blake noticed the unease response; she sighed softly, noting the unusual flush of heat on the young student's pale face; she touched the cut on Eliena 's cheek gently, causing the latter to wince slightly. " Strange," she mused, back her fingers trailing up to the girl's forehead again, her eyebrows wrinkling confirming the uncomfortable warmth she had suspected. Her hands gently grasp the limber wrist checking the rapid pounding of pulse " Your body temperature is oddly high, you have a fever," 

In denial, she shook her head, and her eyelids slowly began to close. 

" I wasn't asking Young Lady. Did you go to visit Mrs. Grey?" In response, the girl denied." Okay … we need a doctor, get up,"  Ms. Blake said, standing up as she fetched her phone, dialing a few digits urgently, her voice resolute with command. " Yes, right now, sure, and —" 

Eliena opens her mouth to protest but strength betrays her with a sudden rush of dizziness waves over.  Heavy fog descending. The vision of the room around blurred.  Her legs give away the unsettling lightness, leaving her unnervingly weightless; the sensation of falling seems forever, awareness slipping away. 

Her limp body, almost lifeless, thudded onto the wooden floor. The loud call of name mingling with the hurried sounds of footsteps distant more than one.

Brief exchanges of intense words reached her ears, the content lost to her fading consciousness, but she guessed it was Mrs. Pots, the dormitory supervisor, who was trying to explain something to the others, but they were unwilling to listen. " No excuse, Mrs. Pots. Do as I say!" 

"Yes, Ma'am I'll inform Mrs. Grey," 

Heels clicking in haste. Something cold pressed against her temples.

"Her body is burning, she was fine this morning. Are you sure we shouldn't consider hospitalization?"

"No. It'll be troublesome for her. The doctor will understand. He knows." 

Doctors. Not that smell again. Why does it always end like this? Why is everyone so stressed? 

The last thing she felt was being lifted off the ground, the side of her face pressed on something soft, gentle thuds of someone's heart echoed in her ears as Mr. Blake's voice sweetly assured her, "You'll be fine, Sweety. Just don't be afraid."

Entirely she goes into a deep, waiting sleep, and every consequence falls into darkness, guiding her to a void to a knowing place where she belongs. 

Her memories.