The Arcanum Manor

3: Who knows me - edited

This boy's hazel eyes were scanning me, his lips in a wide grin. I responded with a wide smile but couldn't help feeling a little self-conscious, as I'd always been a bit shy. This boy had dark brown hair, little overgrown and styled negligently – it somehow perfectly matched his almost baby-like face. Based on his features he seemed familiar to me for some reason. His a bit taller figure forced me to tilt my head little more to face him, even when he was now siting in fron of me – a criterion it seemed every girl sought after these days.

"Elvara, right? I'm Danny," he introduced himself, placing the second milkshake in front of me. "I want you to try this milkshake. It's really good." His voice soften when he noticed my uncertainty. "Don't worry, I'm not a rat trying to poison you," he snorted. Danny didn't waste any time, just sitting at my table and offering me a drink without hesitation – what a fearless wizard.

I gazed into his eyes for a moment and then shrugged, taking his offer, "Okay, whatever," I replied with a smile, taking a sip, and my senses fell into an euphoria. I loved it. "What flavor is it?" I asked, my eyes wide with delight.

Danny smirked leaning closer. "It's a secret. My personal recipe," he whispered, then winking at me with one of his sweet eyes. "It's the best flavor, right?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, it's amazing. But I have to correct you," I raised a finger to bring a caution but my lips betrayed me and I snickered again. "First of all, my name is Elvira, not Elvara – a common mistake by the way. And second of all, rats don't poison people; it's quite the opposite. At least, I think."

He rolled his lips and touched the bridge of his nose, "Oh, I knew something was off." We both shared a chuckle, and I took another sip of my drink before asking, "So, are you a freshman?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes, just like you, but you just arrived."

"Oh, right," I whispered and my curiosity took a turn. "So... Were you part of the adaptation week?"

"Adaptation's two weeks. Yes, I was. It's a shame you missed it." He spoke gently while winking at me again with a smirk. It was clear he was certain of how charming he could be making my knees go weak.

My eyes darted all over his features for a moment, searching for a sense of sincerity to anchor in. I wondered, was everyone at the academy as welcoming as he appeared to be? Not many students were present in the activity building at the time, but still Danny was the only one coming right to me for a talk. Only few eyes met mines but nobody was seeking my attention. Just this fearless boy.

I met his gaze before I spoke again, "Yeah, I finally moved to my grandma's place about seven weeks ago, so we wanted to spend more time together."

"That's understandable. It's honestly sweet of her, that she asked for more family time," he pointed out while playing with his drink.

I had not confirmed to him that Alvara was the one who asked for my delayed arrival. My voice was so low I just exhaled slowly, "What?"

"That your grandma asked for more time with you. You didn't attend those two weeks. That's not a big deal," he said quietly. "Important is you could be finally together."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Did you dig up some info about me?"

"You caught me," he admitted, raising his hands in defence. "To be fair they told us about you some things, then I overheard our teacher Linda and I just wanted to be the first who knows, when you would arrive." He shifted in his seat. "And as you maybe saw, it was me and my roommate who took your bags to your room."

"Oh, come on," I pleaded with an eye roll. "Yes, I did see you guys. I hope my things are not scattered all over the campus."

My warning made him chuckle and his cheerful energy continued to sparkle. "Don't worry, we are both trustworthy. Teachers love us. We've taken great care of many bags in the last two weeks."