Solasta Academy: All Hallows Eve

Chapter Nine

The next few days went by in a blur. After what happened in the boutique, Calia wasn't sure what to do anymore. What to think. Why was she seeing her dead classmates and how was it possible that they could hurt her? After all, she thought it was all over. That she could somehow move on from the events from before and graduate from Solasta Academy at the top of her class. Now she wasn't even sure she would make it to graduation. All of these troubles seized her mind as she placed her books in her locker and then closed them, not sensing the boy standing beside her with a blank stare. Calia gasped at the sight of him and the books she was carrying dropped to the ground, making a loud thud that made her fellow peers turn their heads. Once they realized it was Calia being clumsy again, they went back to their business. She sighed and kneeled on the ground, picking up her books. And the boy helped her with the rest as she muttered her thanks.

"If you're so smart, why are you so clumsy?" Malakai Riviera asked, smirking.

Once all her books were back in her arms, she stood back up again and so did he. Calia didn't seem to ponder what he said until too late when he was staring at her as if waiting for a reply. "Oh, I guess I'm too in my head to think about the importance of gracefulness." She avoided his gaze and instead went through the books she needed for class. The others were sent back into her locker.

Malakai eventually barked out a laugh. "Mind if I have lunch with you today? Believe it or not, being the new kid isn't exactly welcoming." Of course, she knew the feeling. Calia was the new kid a few months back. Finally, she glanced at him. His hazel eyes were not warm...but cold. It made the hairs on her spine stand up on end.

"Sure," she whispered. "After all, I do owe you one."

The two started walking side by side and across campus, where the dining hall was located. Calia fumbled with her bag as she tried to make sense of the tall boy in front of her, who handed her an empty tray. She hesitated for a moment before grabbing it from his hand and glancing at the many foods before her. "So, what are you craving today?" he asked.

"Coffee, mostly," she murmured. Calia longingly glanced at the coffee machine on the other side of the dining hall, but there was a line and she wanted to cry. Before she knew it, Malakai disappeared in front of her and if it weren't for her cunning Fae eyes, she wouldn't have known he zoomed to the front of the coffee machine and poured her a cup. He placed the lid on the mug and grabbed cream and sugar then zoomed back to where she was standing dumbfounded.

The Vampire boy smiled at her, but it did not reach his eyes, but that was not what unsettled her. It was his quick act of kindness. He gently placed the coffee and packets of sugar and cream on her tray. "Being my friend has its benefits, Calia."

"Thanks,"

"No problem."

Malakai kept his cold eyes on her but she avoided them entirely and focused on the plates of food again. She grabbed a turkey sandwich and a salad before heading to the drinks station, where she grabbed her favorite strawberry banana smoothie. Once she was done, she located Malakai once more as he grabbed a couple of bottles of blood and set them onto his tray. "Should I be worried about your friend eating me alive?" he asked, following her to the orphan misfit's table.

Calia shook her head. "Not unless you behave."

He laughed at that but she didn't follow. It was not a joke. Ever since she met the rebellious members, she figured out they were loyal to each other. Almost too much that she was afraid she wasn't going to be included. But that thought disappeared quickly when they kept her secret about her episodes and even stood up for her against Blackwood. And other numerous occasions where she realized they loved her as much as she did them.