MIA'S DILEMMA

Mia didn't set eyes on Karl again until a week later. It was obvious Karl was avoiding her, he guessed she was curious and she would ask questions. She had been trying to put the events of that night out of her mind, focusing on her studies and spending time with her friends. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, that there was more to Karl and the event of that day than he was letting on.

As she walked into the classroom a week after, she saw Karl already seated, his eyes fixed on a textbook in front of him. He looked up as she entered, and their eyes met for a brief moment before he looked away, his focus back on the textbook.

Karl's nonchalant attitude was really annoying.

Mia felt anger rise in her bloodstream as she took a seat next to him. She couldn't help but notice the way he seemed to be avoiding her, the way he didn't even acknowledge her presence. He was feigning ignorance of her.

The classes began, the atmosphere was tense and suffocating, with Karl barely speaking to her. Mia tried to focus on the lessons, but she couldn't help but steal glances at Karl, trying to read his expression.

As the classes drew to a close, Karl finally spoke up, his voice low and even. "I'll send you the updated project plan, Mia. Let's touch base next week."

Mia raised an eyebrow at him.

Seriously!!

Was that all he was going to say to her?

Mia felt a surge of frustration at Karl's brief and dismissive comment. She had been expecting some kind of explanation or acknowledgement of the events that had transpired the week before, but instead, he seemed to be pretending that nothing had happened.

So annoying. What was he hiding?

She opened her mouth to say something, but Karl was already packing up his things and standing up to leave. Mia felt a pang of annoyance at his clear attempt to avoid her.

"Karl, wait," she said, her voice firm but controlled.

Karl turned to her, his expression neutral. "Yes?" He looked so uninterested in what she had to say.

Mia took a deep breath and tried to choose her words carefully. "Can we talk about what happened last week?" she asked, her eyes locked on his.

Karl's expression didn't change. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, his voice smooth but Mia was not convinced, she knew he was hiding something, it was just so obvious, even a child would suspect Karl and his dismissive attitude.

Mia raised an eyebrow, her skepticism clear. "Don't play dumb, Karl," she said, her voice firm. "I know something weird happened that night, and I want to know what's going on."

Karl's eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment, Mia thought she saw a flash of warning in his gaze. But then, his expression smoothed out again, and he shrugged. "I told you, Mia, I don't know what you're talking about."

Mia's eyes flashed with annoyance at Karl's continued denial. She knew he was hiding something, and she was determined to find out what it was.

"Karl, don't lie to me," she said, her voice firm but controlled. "I saw those creatures, I saw the way they looked at me, and I saw the way you reacted. You're not going to pretend like nothing happened and expect me to just forget about it. They even called me their food, Karl."

Karl's expression remained neutral. He seemed to be sizing her up, trying to determine how much she knew and how much she was going to push him.

"I'm telling you, Mia, I don't know what you're talking about," he repeated, his voice smooth and unconvincing.

"Fine," she said, her voice cold and detached. "If you're not going to tell me the truth, then maybe I'll just have to find out for myself."

Karl's eyes narrowed slightly. But then, his expression smoothed out again, and he shrugged.

"Suit yourself," he said, his voice indifferent.

Mia felt a surge of anger at Karl's nonchalant attitude, but she refused to let him get to her. Instead, she turned and walked away, determined to uncover the truth.

As Mia walked out of the classroom, she felt a sense of frustration and determination. She was not going to let Karl's evasive behavior go unchecked. She was going to get to the bottom of things, no matter what it took.

Just as she was about to turn the corner, she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.

"Mia, hey! Wait up!"

Mia turned to see Rachel hurrying towards her.

"Hey, Rach," Mia said, slowing down to wait for her friend.

Rachel caught up to her, out of breath. "What's going on? You looked like you were ready to kill someone just now."

Mia rolled her eyes. "It's nothing really," she said, trying to downplay the situation.

Rachel nodded still panting. "We should grab lunch with Alex, Sofia and Lyra." she said.

Just as Mia was about to respond to Rachel's suggestion, she felt a sudden jolt of surprise. Out of nowhere, a hand reached out and grasped hers, sending a spark of electricity through her body.

Mia's eyes widened in shock as she turned to see who was holding her hand. Her jaw dropped as she saw Karl's calm and neutral expression staring back at her.

Rachel's eyes went wide with surprise, and she took a step back, she was completely speechless. Karl was standing in front of them and holding Mia's hand.

Rachel was about to scream from surprise but she couldn't because she never expected this encounter, this was massive. Other students in the hallway sneaked glances at them, they were all surprised.

This was the nonchalant Karl holding another girl that wasn't his girlfriend and he didn't look irritated, instead he had a neutral expression on.

Mia was even more surprised than Rachel. She had just had a confrontation with Karl in the classroom, and now he was holding her hand? It didn't make any sense.

Why was he holding her hand?

She thought she irritated him so much. Why was he holding her? What was he doing?

Karl's grip on her hand was firm but gentle, and Mia felt a shiver run down her spine as he looked into her eyes. For a moment, they just stared at each other, the tension between them palpable.

Rachel's voice cut through the silence. "Hi, Karl. Is something wrong?" She trailed off, looking confused and surprised.

Mia tried to pull her hand away, but Karl's grip held firm. She felt a surge of confusion and frustration. What was Karl doing? And why was he holding her hand? Mia stared at everyone standing at the hallway, everyone's attention were on them. She felt like disappearing, this news was going to spread all over school. She was going to be the topic of the year.

Omg!!!!

As they stood there, frozen in surprise, Mia couldn't help but wonder what Karl's motives were. She looked up at Karl, her eyes locked on his. "What's going on, Karl? What are you doing?" she asked, her voice firm but controlled, it was barely audible.

Karl's expression didn't change, but his eyes seemed to hold a hint of something more. "Let's talk," he said, his voice low and even.

Mia felt a shiver run down her spine as Karl's words hung in the air. What did he want to talk about? And why was he holding her hand? Did he forget he has a girlfriend? A venomous girlfriend.

Mia's eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to process what was happening. Karl's behavior was completely unexpected, and she couldn't help but wonder what had prompted this sudden change.

Rachel's voice cut through the silence again. "Uh, Karl, I think you're holding Mia's hand," she said, her tone hesitant.

Karl's gaze didn't waver from Mia's face. "I know," he said, his voice low, stern and even.

Mia felt a flush rise to her cheeks as she realized the implications of Karl's actions. He was holding her hand in front of Rachel, in front of the entire school. What would people think?

She tried to pull her hand away again, but Karl's grip held firm. "Karl, let go," she said, her voice firm but controlled.

Karl's expression didn't change, but he finally released her hand. Mia felt a surge of relief as she stepped back, trying to put some distance between them.

Rachel's eyes were wide with surprise. "What's going on, guys?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Mia shook her head. "I have no idea," she said, her eyes locked on Karl's.

Karl's expression was still neutral, but Mia thought she saw a hint of something more in his eyes. Something that looked almost like... nervousness.

But that was impossible. Karl didn't care about her. He had made that clear.

As they stood there, frozen in surprise, Mia couldn't help but wonder what Karl's motives were. Was he trying to distract her from the questions she had been asking? Or was there something more to his actions?

Whatever the reason, Mia was determined to get some answers. She took a deep breath and turned to Karl. "We need to talk," she said, her voice firm.

Karl's expression didn't change, but he nodded slightly. "Agreed," he said, his voice low and even.

"I'll be at the cafeteria." Rachel said and Mia nodded.

As they walked away from Rachel, Mia couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation. What was Karl hiding? And what did he want from her?

Mia's mind was racing with questions as she walked alongside Karl. What was he doing? And what did he want to talk about? Was he going to explain what happened that night to her?

As they walked, the silence between them was palpable. Mia couldn't help but sneak glances at Karl, trying to read his expression. But his face was a mask, revealing nothing.

They eventually arrived at a quiet corner of the school courtyard, away from prying eyes. Karl stopped and turned to face Mia, his eyes locked on hers.

"So, what's going on?" Mia asked, her voice firm. "What was all that about? One minute, you were irritated by my presence, and the next minute, you are holding my hand and saying we should talk."

Karl's expression didn't change, but his eyes seemed to hold a hint of something more. "I wanted to talk to you," he said, his voice low and even. "And I didn't want you to walk away."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "Why not? You've been avoiding me all week."

Karl's gaze didn't waver. "I was not avoiding you. I needed some time to think."

Mia's eyes narrowed. "Think about what?"

Karl took a deep breath before responding. It was obvious he was not the emotional or talkative kind of guy. Mia could see how he was struggling with his sentences. "Alot."

Mia's heart skipped a beat as she processed Karl's words. What did he mean? And why was he looking at her like that?

She raised a curious eyebrow at him. "What do you mean by alot?" She asked.

Karl slowly put his hands in his pocket, his palms were sweaty, though he had gloves on, he just didn't want Mia to notice he was nervous. Why was he nervous? He didn't know. "Mia, I know you are curious but I want you to forget all about that night." He said simply.

Mia's eyes widened in surprise and she almost laughed. "Forget about that night?" she repeated, her voice firm. He was asking her to forget about that night. Just like that. As if it was easy "You think I can just forget about what happened? You think I can just ignore the fact that those creatures were after me?"

Karl's expression didn't change, but his eyes seemed to hold a hint of warning. "Mia, I'm telling you to forget about it for your own good," he said, his voice low and even.

Mia felt a surge of frustration. "My own good?" she repeated. "What do you mean?"

Karl's gaze didn't waver. "I'm trying to protect you, Mia," he said. "But you're not making it easy."

Protect her? Why and from what?

Mia's eyes narrowed. "Protect me from what?" she asked, her voice firm.

Karl's expression didn't change, but his eyes seemed to hold a hint of something more. "From the unknown world," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Mia looked serious. "Karl, stop being so cryptic," she said, her voice firm but laced with frustration. "What world are you talking about? What's going on?"

Karl's expression didn't change, but his eyes seemed to hold a hint of warning. "Mia, I'm trying to protect you," he repeated. "You don't want to know what those things were or where they come from."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "Why?" she asked. "Tell me, Karl."

Karl's expression turned dark, and his eyes seemed to bore into Mia's soul. "You don't want to know what those things were," he repeated, his voice low and menacing. "They're not something you can handle. They're....monsters."

Mia felt a shiver run down her spine as Karl's words hung in the air. She had expected him to be evasive, but instead, he seemed to be trying to scare her.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice firm but laced with a hint of trepidation.

Karl's eyes seemed to gleam with a malevolent intensity. "I mean that they're not human," he said, his voice dripping with malice.

Mia felt a surge of fear as Karl's words painted a vivid picture in her mind. She tried to push the fear aside, but it lingered, making her skin crawl.

"Then what are they?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Karl's expression turned cold, and his eyes seemed to bore into her soul. "You don't want to know." He said.

Mia stared seriously at him. "Are you trying to scare me?" She asked.

"I'm telling you this because I want you to understand the danger you're in," he said, his voice low and even. "I'm telling you this because I want you to stay away from me."

Mia felt a surge of confusion. "Why?" she asked, her voice firm.

Karl's eyes seemed to gleam with a malevolent intensity. "Because I'm one of them," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "I'm a monster, Mia. And if you get too close to me...I'll hurt you."

She took a step back, trying to put some distance between them. But Karl's eyes seemed to hold her in place, his gaze piercing and intense.

"You should be careful, Mia," he said, his voice low and even. "I'm not nice."

"And if I choose not to be scared of you?" Mia asked, her voice a bit shaky and hesistant.

"Then you will regret it." Karl said and walked away.

As Karl walked away, Mia felt a chill run down her spine. She was frozen in place, her eyes fixed on Karl's retreating back. Her mind was racing with thoughts of what he had just told her. He was a monster? What did that even mean?

As the reality of the situation sunk in, Mia felt a wave of fear wash over her. Her heart was racing, and her palms were sweating. She felt like she was going to be sick.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but it didn't work. Her hands were shaking, and her legs felt like jelly. She felt like she was going to collapse.

Yes, she was scared. But will she give up like Karl warned to?

No.