The clock on her nightstand told her that it was two in the morning. She sat up, switched on the lamp, and rubbed her face with her hands. Michael had played her. The Angel Realm and her mental shields had to be a dream. He must have used some kind of trick to get her to relax long enough to drift off.

Was it a dream? She winced as a pounding headache kept knocking on her skull with a hammering force.

"Michael?" she called out, needing answers.

Helena drew in a breath and prepared to call out again when he materialised. His expression forced her to shut her mouth. Outrage glistened in his eyes. And, if whatever happened was real, he had the right to be mad. She had ignored his request to not touch anything. But, it wasn't like she had a choice. Her body moved by itself.

"Michael, I—"

"I don't have much time to sit here discussing things with you, Helena. It was a mistake bringing you along. I should have gone by myself. What you—" He paused as if searching for the right word. "—did, should have never happened."

Helena massaged her temples, hoping to soothe the ache inside. It was similar to the first hangover she got on her sixteenth birthday when Laura bet her she could drink more. Even then, her friend emerged victorious.

"I'm sorry I did that. I-I wasn't myself. It was as if—"

"No need for excuses. I must go. We will deal with the mess you've caused later." He vanished.

Helena crawled out of bed. His stinging words unsettled her heart. She knew it was her fault for what happened, yet she didn't do it on purpose.

Leaving her room in search of some aspirin, she edged down the hall. The living room's lamplight misted in from below, causing her to pause. Everyone had to go to college in the morning. It didn't make sense for someone to stay up.

Her headache forgotten, she tiptoed to the staircase and peered over the bannister. She entertained the thought it could be a vampire waiting for her. Rationalisation banished the idiotic idea of a possible intruder who by no means could locate her. The strings created an encounter. It wasn't a tracking device. Or, so she hoped.

The soles of her bare feet stung from the icy metal steps. Halfway down, she made a mental note to buy some slippers for the apartment when she got the chance. With her attention on the gleam, she cursed for thinking it could be a blood-sucking monster when Andrew came into view. He sat on the sofa with an opened book on his lap.

"You're still up?" she asked.

Andrew's head jerked in her direction. "God, don't creep up on me, Thorn. You know I have a weak heart."

Helena rolled her eyes. He was a sports freak and played on multiple teams in school. She never understood the fascination with running around a field after a ball in sweaty uniforms. As a contrast to him and Laura, she hated exercise and anything associated with it.

Andrew shut the book and deposited it on the coffee table. It wasn't what she expected. She assumed he was reading comics or something even less mentally stimulating, not a volume on finance.

He ambled over and lifted her head with a gentle touch. "You look pale, you should go back to sleep."

The earlier conversation with Laura came flooding back, and her cheeks flushed red. Without realising it, she took a step back.

Andrew scratched the back of his head and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "Ah, Laura has already talked to you about...um...that."

Helena's mind raced as she struggled to find the right words. Did she need to give him her reply now or was there a certain amount of time she had to think about the issue? Could she answer him?

"Helena, I didn't ask you myself because I didn't want to put you on the spot, or maybe it's because I am a coward. I don't know. What I do know is I like you and have liked you for quite some time."

He wasn't wearing his cheesy smile. He seemed sincere, and it made her feel something—her heart constricted as if wishing to pause in anticipation of what was to come.

"Andrew, I-I don't know."

His hair danced on his forehead as he closed the gap between them. "Take your time to think about it."

Her breath caught when she became aware of how green his eyes were and how smooth his clean-shaven face appeared. She fought the urge to touch his cheek to test her theory for herself.

"Promise me you will think about it," he said.

Her mouth went dry so, instead of saying anything, she gave him a quick nod.

With a boyish grin, Andrew patted her on her head as he often did with Laura. "Don't stay up late, Thorn."

She frowned when he left. He returned to his normal self in a split second whereas she stayed lost in her thoughts.

Helena placed her hand over her excited heart and imagined what it would be like to date him. Although he seemed laid back about his studies, seeing him reading his coursework prior to the term's beginning told her that he was anything but incompetent. He also seemed to have a serious side which never surfaced until now. And, the way he watched her tonight was not the same way he regarded other girls. He wasn't kidding, and it scared her.

For lunch, she met with Laura in an on-campus coffee shop. It was full of cheerful banter and loud conversations Helena tried her best to ignore. She closed her eyes to enjoy the scent of a freshly brewed macchiato in her hands. Ever since she woke up, a chill clung to her.

Laura sighed. "Are you even listening to me?"

Helena glanced up as her friend bit into her ham and cheese sandwich. Breadcrumbs scattered on Laura's navy voile shirt, and she brushed them away with a flick of her hand.

"I can see that talking about my day has bored you senseless, so tell me about yours."

"Nothing happened. Lectures, new lecturers, and an excess of people, that's the best way I can describe my day."

Tilting her head to one side, Laura said, "With me and Andrew as your best friends, I thought you'd have learned how to make a friend or two. What are you waiting for?"

Helena tried thinking of a good enough excuse to get Laura off her back. The arguments she could use seemed either insignificant or something her friend would immediately counter.

"See, even you can't think of a reason for not making new pals!"

Helena lifted her hands in defeat. "Alright, I will try to talk to people tomorrow."

Laura put her sandwich on her plate and stared at her. "Tomorrow?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing much other than you sound like a nicotine addict who might quit smoking after her last cigarette runs out."

With a drawn-out sigh, she scanned the crowd. College students were scattered around in their groups, sharing their first day experiences with one another. She was ready to drop her search when she spotted a girl from her class, waiting to place an order at the till. She nodded in the direction of the short-haired brunette in antique-looking clothing. "She's in two of my modules."

Laura turned in her seat to take a quick peek. An unsettling grin stretched her rosy lips. "I think we've found your target."

"Now? You want me to talk to her now?"

"No better time than the present, Thorn. Go get her." She made a shooing motion with her hands.

With much reluctance, Helena rose and checked her sweater for stains. It was clean. She straightened her posture and mentally grunted. It's going to be fine.

Chocolate-brown eyes spied her approach with weariness. Her palms started sweating, so she wiped them on her jeans. The distance was covered too quickly for her liking. Stopping two feet away, she cleared her throat. "Hey, I'm Helena Hawthorn, and we are—"

"—in the same Mythology class. I am Nadine Smidt."

They shook hands, and Helena blanked.

"Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh, right, yes!" Helena pointed to Laura. "Would you like to have lunch with us? I mean, we are almost finished, but it'd be great if you could join us, anyway."

Nadine's face lit up. "Let me get something to drink, and I will come over."

Making a beeline for the table, Helena knew what to expect. Laura already had her 'I told you so!' look plastered on her face. Things turned out better than she had anticipated. Maybe Laura was right and introducing herself to someone was enough. That thought made Helena draw back on giddiness. There remained many secrets she hid from her family and friends. This was just another person to add to the list of people who wouldn't know the real her.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy to make a new friend." Laura's concerned voice brought Helena back.

"I am. I'm sorry. I was thinking about an assignment I was given."

Laura raised a brow, saying nothing.

When Nadine reached them, Laura shot out of her seat. The sudden movement nearly knocked her chair back.

"I completely forgot!" Laura started clearing her things. "I got work to do. We'll talk at home." She winked at Helena and turned to Nadine. "It was nice meeting you."

As if her curled strawberry-blonde hair caught fire, Laura fled the room, abandoning Helena to her quest.

Nadine didn't seem to react to the situation at all. She pulled up a chair and sipped her green tea.

When Helena thought of something to say, it seemed irrelevant so she remained silent.

After a few minutes, Nadine spoke, "Why did you choose to talk to me?"

"What do you mean?"

The girl settled the cup on her platter with the elegance of a lady, something Helena hadn't seen before. "There are a couple of other people here from our course. Why pick me?"

She thought about it and shrugged. "You were the first person I recognised, and I thought we could chat, maybe become friends."

Nadine's eyes grew wary. "You wish to be friends with me?"

"I would like to, yeah."

Hiding her face behind her cup, Nadine didn't respond. In two quick gulps, she consumed her drink, gathered her things, and smiled that same pleasant smile that unnerved Helena. "I believe I have class now. I am sorry I couldn't stay longer..."

Left to stare at the space where her classmate sat mere seconds ago, Helena assumed that the chair possessed some kind of mystical power that repelled people, or she was terrible at making new friends. She was leaning towards the latter.