The Secret of the Maiden (#1 Witch academy)

Chapter 18: The Witch Academy

I'm walking the blade of a dagger and picturing all of the pieces I'd shatter toIf this is the show, then I'm hoping that falling's a 'no', but it's better than this

Leather for hell - Bitter Ruin

***

Her world seemed to fall apart at the seams. She hoped that the ground would open beneath her feet and swallow her the moment the words left her lips—lips that were still tingling.

There was still one solution: running away.

So she ran as fast as she could, her legs pumping and her breath streaming out of her lungs. Away from Leonardo, away from his dreamy blue eyes, away from what had just happened—the kiss.

A kiss that had shattered her world only to rebuild it.

She stopped at the corner of the street. Her vision was pulled back toward the school, back to Leonardo, who hadn't chased after her. But why would she want him to? It wasn't fair to demand that, especially after running away from him in the first place.

She touched her lips, swollen and sensitive from the kiss. Her feet wanted her to move, her heart pulled her, pushed her, begged her to return to him.

No, she couldn't drag him into her world. What had happened made it clear: she couldn't control her emotions, and therefore not her magic, around him. It would be dangerous for him. He could get hurt, by her or by witch hunters.

Quickly, she started running again. Away from him. To forget about him. To forget about the kiss. But no matter how hard and how far she ran, the kiss kept replaying in her mind. His eyes sparkling, so close she could see the small freckles on his nose—freckles she had never noticed before. And his lips.

She could never forget those lips.

The only thing the running accomplished was the pain in her knees, the sting in her side, and the feeling of impending doom from not being able to catch her breath. She leaned against her front door as different emotions took over when she stood in front of her home: fear for Louis, but also love for her mother, love for her father. Memories flooded back—both good and bad. The smell of blood from scraping her knee when she first learned to ride a bike, and the smell of roses when her mother planted them and after her father's funeral.

She closed her eyes and stepped through the door. The hardest decision needed to be made, and even though it seemed impossible, it was the only solution left. Her mother was right.

She couldn't drag him into her world. If her father couldn't survive it, Leonardo would be doomed.

Her mother walked anxiously in the hallway, an umbrella raised over her head. Runa wasn't the only one left with nightmares.

"Runa?" Her mother let the umbrella fall and stepped toward her. Suitcases were placed beside the door.

"Mom, can I come with you? To the academy." Her voice broke. Her mother's relieved expression softened, and she took her daughter in a tight hug. Runa hid her tear-streaked face in her mother's blouse.

"What happened, honey? Did you two fight?" she asked, and Runa started sobbing loudly. It seemed she had been holding back for too long. But the only person who could make her cry like a baby was her mother.

"Worse," she mumbled into her mom's clothes.

"Oh, honey." Her mother petted Runa's silky hair the same way she had when Runa was still a small child. "I'm so sorry." Runa knew her mother meant more than just pity.

"Can I come?" she begged her. Pity crossed her mother's face as she gently brushed the hair away from Runa's wet cheeks, where it had stuck from the tears.