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"What am I going to do with you?"

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I COULDN'T MOVE.

I wanted so badly to move, to run, and yet even if he was not using this bizarre convert ability he had, I knew I wouldn't have been able to move a dang muscle when he was this close to me, eyes locking me in place.

I could feel my heart pounding within me, my lips a whisper apart, as I stared up at him.

Where had all this curiosity come from? I had never been this stupid before.

Now I was heaven knows where alone with a boy who would control my body. This was the worst place I had been in my life, I was panicking so much, and yet I couldn't show it, I could feel the blank expression on my face despite the waves of panic that tossed within me.

His eyes studied mine blankly, void of any emotion known to man, searching my face for something I didn't quite recognize.

"What are you doing out this late if you're so afraid of the dark?" he suddenly asked his tone deep.

At the sound of his voice, I could feel my heart clench, but my lips didn't move to reply, yet the feeling of panic still glazed in my eyes. His eyes narrowed down on me for a lofty second, it didn't even look like he was putting in much effort but thanks to the killer observation skills I had developed over the years, I knew he was trying to see something, and I dreaded the fact that there was a huge possibility that he could even read my mind and all the secrets that I carried in it.

What would a convert like him do with all that information?

That dark thought seemed to make me panic even more. I was stupid to not think this through.

What the heck was I thinking when I decided to follow a convert into a restricted area?! No less a MALE Convert with an ability as invasive as his was. Heck, I didn't even know who he was, and yet he remembered me.

Hallway girl, he had called me.

How ironic.

I could feel his shallow breaths grazing my skin as he loomed over me, icy-cold eyes seemed to be searching mine, "A little weird, yes, I didn't take you for a stalker," he continued his tone sharp, "and as expected you're not a very good one either."

I was the absolute worst. At this point, I didn't care that he had called me creepy basically. Heck, I would think I was creepy too if all I did was look at people the way I did.

I was no James Bond or Halle Berry.

I wished, I prayed and I hoped he would let me go, knowing the first chance I would get I would bolt out of here. And yet I couldn't as much as blink without feeling him doing it for me, still staring up at him.

I hated how close he was at the moment, I didn't do well with boys at all which is why I thought the whole world was ending when I felt him move even closer, the feeling of his fingers caressing my skin and he watched them move, a question his eyes, "I have never seen someone so dark," he muttered, his accent thick on every curve of the word, "and yet so innocent.." he trailed off seemingly lost for a second, his eyebrows furrowed as he spoke.

It was my turn to search for some kind of meaning in what he was trying to say, I mean, of course, I was dark, and I was proud, but at this point, all I cared about was our proximity and the very high chance of freezing to death in this cold water.

There was something about those eyes that made me feel like they were familiar though.

However, I knew I would have remembered seeing them if ever I had. I didn't think it was possible to forget eyes that made you feel trapped in your skin.

Thinking all this, I didn't even realize how impossibly close we had gotten as he searched my face for answers, "what's your name?" he asked.

I stared blankly back, unable to say a thing, which made his calm expression once again form into a moment of slight intrigue, a calm passing moment between us until suddenly the moment was distorted by the sirens who brought us back into the real world with their gurgle-like voices.

I so desperately wanted to look at them closer but I could only focus on one thing as I was still frozen in place and my body was not mine.

Watching him instead as he glanced momentarily at the gurgle of the sirens, I was convinced he could understand them perfectly. I wondered how. Was it a language he could understand? I must admit whatever noise they were making sounded as far from any language as I have ever heard or did, he simply read their minds?

But I quickly realized that if indeed he could read minds, why did he ask me for my name?

I watched in anticipation as he watched the sirens for a moment before turning back to me, taking a step back, his jaw hardening and his look cold, "yes," he replied to no one in particular, though I believe it may have been the sirens, jaw clenching as his hard gaze rested on me, "what am I going to do with you?" he asked with a sigh, folding his arms, so carelessly spoken as if I was a huge inconvenience at the moment, which I was truly speaking, but he seemed like he would much rather hand me over to the harsh claws of the sirens, which made the hairs on my spine rise.

It was now more than ever I wished for a voice to plead for my freedom, to tell him I was stupid to have ever followed him into this godforsaken place. That I cared nothing but being back in my room safely, never to speak of this dreaded moment ever again.

I felt myself suddenly shiver when I felt the water part around me, the slight splashing of bodies swirling beneath the water and then the feel of something sharply brushing against my legs, almost like a whip, made me panic even more than I had been, unable to look down as Hallway boy still controlled everything about me, only being able to feel slippery hands travel up my body, as Hallway boy watched my every reaction without much acknowledgment.

The siren's hands were a bit slimy and rougher than I expected. They gargled around me and I felt they were teasing me as if they could feel how uncomfortable I was at the moment but this seemed to only delight them further, suddenly feeling one of their hands wrap around my throat, pulling themselves up to my level.

I could feel the rough breathing that the siren was giving at the side of my neck and my breath quickened as my heart began to pound harshly against its chest, my ears perking up, and a dark shiver tearing down my spine at the sound of a low hissing from lips a mere inch away from my ear.

I pleaded with my eyes for some kind of mercy even if all that was looking back at me seemed to be stone-cold eyes. Sadistic and dead yet somehow still deceivingly beautiful.

"Kensara," he suddenly said, a warning in his tone-and immediately the siren looked at him, then suddenly crept her way back down my body, disappearing within the water. He turned to look as the siren backed away towards the other two sirens who almost like pure instinct also immediately backed away, purring and whispering amongst themselves in low tones, swimming back into further positions.

He moved toward me in one powerful stride, hands still folded in front of him, "If you say a word to anyone, I will find you," he plainly stated.

We held eye contact for a few more seconds and then I suddenly jutted forward as I felt my body go limp. I gasped out for air, feeling like I had been drowning for the last ten minutes without even realizing it.

My hand caressed my throat, looking at the sirens that were now swimming further away in horror. He looked back at me solemnly no life at all in his eyes, a clear indication that he did not like my intrusion, "Leave," he demanded.

I didn't have to be told twice. Backing away from him slowly as if afraid he would turn around and pounce, I made sure I was at least a foot away from the edge before I turned around and bolted out of the lake, grabbing onto roots I quickly hoisted myself up, running as my life depended on it, which in all honesty felt like it did, rushing past the bush swooping up the plastic bag with my mother's white flowers before dashing through the thicket.

I was amazed at how my body took me through the hidden pathway with perfect memory barging into the King's Gardens, catching a breath when I was finally out of the restricted area just for a second. I turned still scared so the bone to see if he had followed me, my eyes wide taking in any movement that could have happened, but when I saw nothing that still didn't stop me from turning and running through the King's Gardens.

Who knows what other convert ability he had apart from the obvious body control he possessed? Maybe he had invisibility for all I knew.

Dashing out of the King's Garden I dodged the guard's flashlight, pressing my back against a tree as he walked by. Making a break for it to the entrance of the dorms I was once again lucky to have found it open. I ignored the squeaking of my wet shoes on the mopped tiles as I hurriedly scurried down the hallways, heart still pounding, Goosebumps on my skin from the invading cold and the wind that had tackled me through my long run. The tips of my wet hair were still dripping onto my shoulders as I glanced every way for any signs of life that may be passing by.

I felt a wave of relief when I spotted my room door, gratitude when my hand wrapped around the door handle unlocking the door with the key from my wet pocket. Getting inside my room, I slipped in immediately locking and closing the door behind me. With my back against the door, I stayed there for a minute trying to catch both my breath and my sanity, breathing harshly feeling like I had just gone through the worst day of my life, which I had, utterly relieved and yet surprised my cowardly self-had survived-

"You're late," a voice said from the darkness.

I froze at this, another shiver breaking out on my spine, heart thudding mercilessly against my poor rib cage, which I felt had gone through a lot tonight. Staring blankly into the darkness, before catching the outline of a figure getting out of bed, and walking past my petrified self-switching on the light. Daya stood before me, looking at me in disgust taking a step back, "Ewe, and you're wet."

I didn't know what to do.

I had not expected her to be in as I had never seen her spend a full night in our room. But just my dried-out luck, today above all days she decided to be a decent roommate. She looked down at where I was huddled, folding her arms over her delicate pink see-through pajamas that clearly showed her undergarments. She suddenly sniffed the air, looking down at me, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

"Why the hell do you smell like a fish?" she scoffed.

My mouth opened and closed like the fish I smelled like, still not knowing what to say at all. I was a deer caught in headlights, once again frozen by a different person this time.

She looked at me for a moment longer before rolling he eyes, almost as if she decided whatever I had been up to was probably not worth getting to know which I was thankful for despite being slightly offended by it.

There was no way I was telling anyone what I saw. I had already made one fumble.

I didn't know what the hell Hallway Boy was doing in the restricted area with sirens. Some sort of sick fetish but that was his problem and I wasn't going to put myself in his bad books by telling anyone.

Hopefully, if I stayed low as I should have, this dreaded night will be put in the past.

I watched as Daya turned away from me, taking a seat in a chair by the study tables, crossing her legs and folding her arms, staring at me for a moment with what I could only describe as a disgusted look on her features, not that I blamed her. I was sure Zali and Mom would have reacted the same way had I walked into the palace all wet and smelling like a fish. It was un-ladylike and I despised myself for it. It was utter and complete folly on my part. I deserved that look.

Nervously standing up straight, I fumbled the plastic of roses in my hand, taking a step forward to place them on the desk but only came to a sharp halt when Daya narrowed her gaze at me, looking at me as if I had lost my dang mind.

"Shower," she annunciated the word like a royal command, pointing in the direction of the showers.

I looked momentarily that way, before looking down at the flowers.

Sighing, I moved to my drawer, taking my towel and placing the roses back in the drawer. I could feel Daya's eyes on me when I took off my wet clothes, rapping a towel around myself before I was completely naked. Putting wet clothes away in a proper place, I proceeded to the showers, thanking the heavens I could breathe far away from Daya's inquisitive gaze as I headed for the showers, making sure no icy eyes were waiting for me in the hallways.

It took me a few minutes, but by the time I came back from the showers, Daya was already in bed. Placing my roses in a glass of water, I prepared for bed, finally falling into my sheets, barely four hours till dawn. I stared into the darkness breathing softly, all I had to do is stay low I assured myself. All this would be over soon, he probably wouldn't even remember my face in a few days.

I shouldn't worry.

Oh, for the love of the heavens, I wish I couldn't.

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