Exorcist

"Ohh, it's Miss Seri!"

"She's watching us!"

Upon hearing the students' murmurs, she snaps out of her killing intention. Her consciousness returns to the huge classroom which more like a hall, filled with almost a hundred of students.

Serianne didn't realise how obvious she was into peeping that she managed to draw all eyes on her. The door is half opened and she's leaning against the frame. She feels the cold run down her veins as she slowly moves her eyes to look at Aiden.

As expected, the man shoots her a questioning gaze, either confused or displeased for disturbing his lecture. There's something unsettling when he looks at her with a raised eyebrow. She doesn't know why but she feels her legs trembling slightly. She can tell that he's scolding her through his red gaze alone. It's embarrassing even though he doesn't speak a word.

"What's bring you here, Miss Seri?" Of course, one of the girls asks. She's an extrovert student who loves to stick into other people's business. The students stare at her with interest and confusion.

"I..." Serianne is speechless. She can't think of a good excuse for her sudden arrival. But her blue eyes are locked at one place. At the back, where the demon who disguises as a female student, grinning at her, enjoying her distress.

Son of a b—!

The demon is aware that she can't do anything with everyone watching or else, her identity as an angel will be exposed. Serianne can't take the risk so she remains still for now.

Aiden let out a heavy sigh and sticks his lecture book under his muscular arm. He makes his way towards Serianne and looks down at her petite form with a frown. He closes the distance and uses his free hand to reach for her necktie.

"Seri, why are you here?" Aiden asks while his hand skillfully adjusting Serianne's messy necktie like it's his second nature.

It has become a habit for him since day one. The mess and imperfection hurt his eyes. And Serianne is the kind of lady who doesn't know how to tie a necktie properly. So whenever she's in his sight, he instinctively adjusts the necktie for her.

Before she could utter a word, a mischief student at the back shouts.

"Mr. Aiden and Miss Seri are dating!"

"?!"

Both Serianne and Aiden jolt in sync. Aiden's hand froze. How could they come up with that conclusion? Serianne feels like her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes wild, finding a certain student starting the false rumor. Never in her whole life thinking of love and romance. To her, it's just a useless human's emotion and only ruins her capability as an angel. She won't tolerate it.

As expected, the classroom becomes noisy with whispers and murmurs. How dare they!

"No. We're not dating." She states firmly. Of course she would deny it. Why wouldn't she? She came here to hunt demons. To find Lucifer. Not to indulge herself in silly human romance. It's like a slap of insult on her face.

"Don't be shy, Miss. We always see you and Mr. Aiden together."

Serianne's face turns red. Whether it's from embarrassment or anger. "He's my guide. I'm not familiar with this school yet." She tries to justify herself but no matter how much logic she throws at them, the students only keep teasing her. They love messing with her.

She sighs in exasperation before turning at Aiden's nonchalant look. "Aiden, you tell them."

Aiden only shrugs, as if the rumor doesn't affect him one bit. His hands are in his pockets. "You should know by now...the students in this school are unruly. It's difficult to keep them on track."

"..."

Seeing her annoyed look, Aiden smirks in amusement. His bloody red eyes seem to be glowing under the lighting. "The more you deny it, the more they enjoy messing with you. You should ignore them. In the end, they will get bored and stop by themselves."

He's right. The best she can do now is ignore their words. It's not like the rumor will ruin her work.

Aiden waves a hand before her eyes. "Would you mind? I was in the middle of lecture." He remarks and gazes on the book in his grasp.

"Oh, sorry..."

Serianne excuses herself and leaves hurriedly. She stands behind the door, thinking about the demon in the classroom. It was there, mocking her. That vile creature. She swears that she will deal with it after the class is over. She has memorised the face after all.

***

It's four in the evening. Aiden packs up his teaching books and heads back to his office. His colleagues greet him when he's passing by.

"Hey, dude. You just finished your class? Wanna grab a meal?" His colleague, Daniel, a sport teacher smacks his shoulder playfully, ignoring his grunt. He sticks a teasing smile on his face.

That guy is always like this. Can't he read the room? Aiden is not in the mood for leisurely talk. For some reason, he feels burnt out more than usual. His internal system feels burned. This has never happened before and he knows what the cause is.

"Just go by yourself. I'm not hungry." He brushes off Daniel's hand and dismisses him coldly. Little did he knows that Daniel was scanning his face the entire time.

"Hey, you're red. Are you having a fever?" He tilts his head and attempts to get a closer look.

Aiden snarls and shoots a glare. Fever? What's he talking about? Then, the realization comes in when he glances at his reflection on the glass window. Daniel was right. His face is red. Really red like a cherry and strawberry.

Daniel laughs at his reaction. "Must be tired from overwork. I told you to relax, man. How about having a match tonight?"

This guy. One second he suggests to relax, another second asking for an intense match of badminton which he had never won against Aiden.

"I'm going to rest." Aiden growls before opening his office door and shuts it on Daniel's face. He leans against it until he hears the footsteps fading, believing that Daniel is leaving.

He takes a deep breath and places his books on his desk, gulping on a bottle of water to stay hydrated. The mess is hurting his eyes. He quickly arranges the files and books in order on the shelf.

Aiden throws himself onto the couch, wiping the sweat off his face. A strain of black hair falls upon his forehead. His breathing is ragged. He glances at the mirror, wondering what's gotten into him. His chest feels burn. And no, it's not the type of burn when someone is looking at their crush, or having butterflies in their stomach.

He has never felt this way before. Something is wrong with him. But Aiden refuses to acknowledge. He's just too proud of himself. He shrugs off the weird feeling, assuming he was stressing from work like usual.

Eventually, he realizes that one book is missing from the shelf. The empty spot between the books just make his perfectionist instinct tingles. He must have forgotten his textbook in the classroom earlier.

With a sigh, he stands up and heads back to the classroom, which he believes is empty by now.

Who would have thought? There's actually someone in the supposed empty classroom. When he arrives at the door, he is greet by a sight of a slender figure. She is holding a weapon, a sword to be more accurate, with the sharp tip stabbing into a body of a student. Blood splattered in the 'crime' scene. But then, the red fades because she performs some kind of weird 'ritual' which Aiden can't describe.

"Who's there?!" Serianne snarls upon hearing the interruption. She freezes. Her face is as pale as snow. The cold runs down her spine upon seeing Aiden staring at her with shock and confusion plastered across his face.

'Sh*t! Did he see everything?! Am I in trouble?!'

Aiden remains silent for a few moments as he assesses his surroundings. He glances at her with his usual sharp eyes before turning toward the 'cane' in her hand.

Serianne realizes she's screwed. She grips her sword tightly. Her hand is trembling. She can't afford to take the risk of having witness. Since Aiden saw her dirty work, her identity as an angel might has been exposed too. She even considering whether to eliminate him right then and there. She must destroy every little risk and evidence at all cost.

But then, his next words surprise her. "Are you one of those people who exorcises ghost?"

"Eh?" A confusion plastered across her face but she quickly masks it with a cool smile. "You can tell?" She sheathes her sword into the cover. Does he really not know she's an angel or just pretending? For someone as intelligent as Aiden, it's a surprise that he didn't suspect her as a divine being yet.

"I know those people exist. I always saw them in the television. And I always know that the student never existed in the school system. So I just assume he's a spiritual being who just wants to learn."

Serianne feels her body relax although her soul almost detached from her just now. She breathes a sigh and relief, stepping towards Aiden. She's grateful that she doesn't need to eliminate him.

"You're right. I'm an exorcist."

'Thank you for being oblivious, Aiden. I would hate to use my sword on you.'

"Interesting..." Aiden rubs his chin and stares down at Serianne. His gaze falls upon the cane once more. "So this is your side job? No wonder you always look restless and stare at random places."

"You noticed?!" She gasps.

Aiden smirks. "I have noticed it from day one, Seri." The way he pronounces her name is something. He's so observant.

Serianne gulps before calming herself. She looks up at Aiden with hope and pleas. "Can you keep this secret between us? I can't let the other know I'm an exorcist." Knowing Aiden, she is confident that he will lock his mouth. That man is always unbothered and not causing a scene.

As expected, he nods with a nonchalant look. "Your secret is safe with me. Though I wonder why an exorcist like you would be a teacher here."

A bright smile emerges on Serianne's face and it is the biggest, the happiest smile Aiden has ever witnessed in his entire life. He's stunned and froze on his feet at the beautiful and charming sight before him.