Ella's POV.

Why was he here? What did he want from me, and why was he not leaving?

These questions were continuously roaming in my mind. All questions starting from him and ending on him and all demanding the reason to this why. All I wanted was just some time alone, and this person ruined it by invading the small haven that I had created for a few alone minutes. I wanted to ask the reason behind his presence. How did he know I was here? I wanted him to leave. I opened my mouth twice but still didn't ask. I don't know why I was being reluctant about it.

I heaved a sigh and then questioned. "Why are you here?" I asked with a bitter tune trying to give him a clear indication that his presence was not welcomed here.

"Uh... I was just passing by and heard some muffled cries. So... I just came to check if everything was fine." I looked at her skeptically and he just shrugged his shoulders like it wasn't a big deal.

It might not be a big deal for him but for me, it was. The least I wanted was to heard rumours about a lonely girl crying in the corner of a library, after getting dumped by her so-called BFFs. I couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or a lie. I had no idea whether to believe him or not. What if this was some kind of a trick of Hadley trying to get back at me? The last thing I wanted right now was more drama caused by that bitch and her sidekicks.

"I swear, I had no idea it was you." He lifted his hands as if surrendering to my deep glares. The look in his grey eyes looked sincere as if telling the truth. I nodded and again hung my head down. I encircled my arms around my knees and rested my head on them. You should tell him to leave. I knew I should but I couldn't seem to. Why?

"Did something happen between you, Jessica and Sara?" His question took me by surprise.

"How did you-"

"Just a guess. Because they are like always with you. It's a rare thing to see you alone," he quickly whispered cutting me off. I simply nodded.

"May I ask what happened?" He whispered in an unsure way and I looked at him. His eyes staring in mine while his hand rubbing the nape of his neck. His facial expressions showing as if he was nervous. "I...I mean if you won't mind," he added slightly smiling and then averted his eyes. 

"I... Sorry if I-"

"I won't mind. But I won't tell you either," I cut him off and rolled my eyes. I wasn't ashamed of my words because they were true. This was none of his business. Why would I be telling him about my problems? He shouldn't be concerning about it or even thinking about it. He shouldn't have been here in the first place.

"Ouch! That's kinda cold, but it's fine," he whispered while placing his hand on his heart like he was hurt, acting all dramatic. The expression on his face was funny like how his eyes were squeezed shut as if he was in pain, and his nose scrunching up. My lips tugged up into a slight smile. He opened his eyes after his bad acting and I quickly vanished that slight smile away.

Not knowing what to say after that, we both remained silent. This whole time my heart was racing and my mind was sending red signals, shouting at me to get away from him, to ask him to leave but something in my chest not wanting it. I knew for sure, that something was not my heart because my heart would never wish for something strange and absurd.

My mind was completely aware of myself. I had my body curled up in a corner away from him. Though this boy seemed nice, gentle and sweet yet his presence felt dangerous and strange, but at the same time, it felt a bit calming. This all was so confusing and mysterious to me. I almost forgot why I came here in the first place. He made me forget the reason I cried because now my mind was occupied by the thoughts of this strange person sitting right in front of me. Who was he? And what was he doing to me?

I didn't move from my place. I had my eyes fixated on the wall but in between, I would steal a glance at him. His head was resting against the back shelf and his eyes were closed. His chest, rising up and down slightly, showing his relaxed breathing. My eyes moved up to his masculine arms and up to his neck. As they were making their way to his perfectly sculptured jaw, the bell rang and his eyes opened. I quickly averted my eyes back to the wall at the side. The next period had started but I didn't move. I wasn't in a mood to go out in those crowded corridors or in the class. I wanted to stay here.

"We should head back," Xaiden said but I remained silent.

"Uh... El... I mean Miss Anderson! Breaks over, we should head back," he said again but I didn't reply. Only those two words registered in my mind.

Miss Anderson?

A smile took a place on my lips on hearing him call by my surname. He was calling me as if I was some noble or a senior of his, and this didn't make me mad but laugh.

"Uh! Miss Anderson?" He again called and this time I couldn't control my laughter. A bubble of laughter left my mouth.

"Please! Stop calling me that! It... It feels like I'm thirty or something." I chuckled holding back my laughter.

"Oh, sorry!" He smiled and bit his tongue. At once, my heart did a strange thing as if it dropped down in my chest and then rose up again. He looked kind of... cute.

Damn! What did I just say? Damn it!!!

My heart was beating so fast that I could hear its hammering against my eardrums. And then his warm smile, a heart-melting one, was making my body to feel what I felt the very first day when he came. My heartbeat was accelerating minute by minute just by seeing him smile and I was afraid, he might hear it in this quietness.

Why he had to smile every single time? It should be banned illegal because his smile was not good for me.

"So Ella?" He whispered my name and... damn! damn! damn! DAMN!

The way my name rolled on his tongue... It was not even the slightest good thing for me to feel this way. But why did it feel so good? Why my name felt so damn good rolling down his tongue? Damn! This was a disaster. No! A catastrophe! This was crueller than his smile. And damn! When did I start cursing this much? This boy was making me lose myself. I should stop it, I should stop myself.

My cheeks warming up and again, a feeling of that fever engulfed me. What was going on?

"El-"

Before he could say my name once again by his damned blessed tongue, I quickly grabbed my things, hurried up on my feet and make a run past him, as quickly as possible, not glancing back. Now, I wanted a place to calm myself down. Urgh! It was all his fault!

"Hey Wait!" He called but I ignored it. I hurriedly entered the class hoping that the crowded room would help me escape from him and his confusing presence.

My eyes met with Sara's, however, Jessica didn't even glance at me. All that fight and all those hurtful words came back haunting my mind, making my chest to constrict and my heart to feel the pain once again - which he made me forgot. I hung my head low and went to sit at my seat.

The remaining day went like this. After that Xaiden and I never got the chance to talk. During music class, he sat in his usual seat and as soon as the class ended, I went to my next class, not giving him the chance to talk. Sara talked to me once but then went back to Jessica. I asked Sara to talk to Jess and knock some sense in her brain but she simply replied with, "We should let her do whatever she wants. It's her life, her choice."

I knew it was her life, her choice but still, I couldn't just see my friend getting hurt. I couldn't stand back and just watch the show from behind the curtains with some popcorns in my hand. This was wrong. I knew it and she knew it too but she was still being stubborn. Although she said those hurtful words that cut deep in my soul but still I couldn't just stand back. No matter how badly she hurt my feeling, no matter how mad or angry she was at me, still I would try my best to save her.

I could never let that Mike ruin my best friend's life. I needed to think of a way to end this. I could threaten him easily with the status of mine. For me, to scare some boy away or to ruin someone's life was a piece of cake but that was not who I was. I was born to be that but still, it was hard to be like that. I could scare him away from this school with a little or no effort. I had to only tell Uncle John or my dad and the next thing would be, him staying as far as possible from me. But this didn't feel right. I shouldn't use that means to help my friend. I should just talk to Mike directly. Tell him nicely to leave my friend. Maybe he'd understand. He wouldn't be that bad to not even listen. Right?

Yes, tomorrow I would talk to him.

*******

"Uh... Dad! Seriously? It's damn hard!" I groaned as he made me do twenty push-ups. This was hard, beyond hard. To hold your whole body weight on your feet and to move up and down by the force of arms, was so difficult.

The start of today also started with him training me. Today was officially the second day of my training in this hell which we all called the gym. I was sure that the gym was becoming the most hateful place for me now.

"Princess! They are just twenty, next time they'll be forty." He chuckled like it was not a big deal. He stood there enjoying and it made me want to scream with frustration.

"OK, I'm done," I huffed.

I rolled over and lied down on the floor, facing the ceiling. I knew I didn't work great because I wasn't able to hold my weight just on my feet. I fell on my stomach almost half the time, and now I had no energy to hear him order me to re-do them. My breathing was rapid and I was panting due to all this tough exercise. I had no idea for how long this would be continuing and the pain that my body would suffer as an after-effect of this exercise.

"It's just the start. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. The start is always hard but once you get the hang of it, then you become a master in it."

As if my dad had read my mind, he answered my question. I simply nodded, agreeing with him and hoping deep down that what he said would be right. I knew the start of a new thing is always difficult but if we keep on striving, keep on trying and don't lose hope in ourselves, we do accomplish it. So I was hoping that it would happen to me too.

After half an hour of more training, I went to take a bath. I decided to wear a simple floral shirt with my ripped off jeans and my sneakers. I looked at myself in the mirror.

Hmm. Maybe I should put my hair up in a ponytail.

I took a hairband and tied my hair up in a ponytail. My eyes shifted to the reflection of my green eyes in the mirror. At once Xaiden's earlier words from yesterday's conversation came in my mind.

You have beautiful eyes.

I just stared at my own eyes while remembering his words. I was never fond of my own eyes. For me, they weren't pretty, they were just normal. Usually, evil ones had these eyes that would shine into green colour when they'd put a curse on someone, like that of Maleficent. I guess that's the reason I was born with these eyes because my whole existence was like a devil's. It made me wonder if he was even telling the truth or just a lie to make me feel better.

I don't know what it was, but whenever I would think about it... It would just put a smile on my face, unknowingly. This was strange and not good because I haven't even met him properly, and yet my lips would turn up into a smile just by remembering some words of his. I shook my head, trying to vanish his words from my mind. I looked at myself in the mirror, sternly. "Ella! Get a hold of yourself. Do not think about him, do not believe his words and avoid him," I scolded myself, giving an order to me.

"Ella! Come to your senses... You shouldn't let him charm you." I looked at my reflection which stared back at me with the same silly expression of mine. I chuckled while whispering to my own self. "You are an idiot, Ella!"

I turned around from my own reflection. I took my bag and went downstairs reminding myself about my today's mission and keeping my mind away from him. Today, I needed to have a talk with Mike about Jessica and I would stop him at all costs.

*****************************

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