Hiding The Darkness

Chapter 2

**I appreciate your patience so much, my life has been crazy in the last two weeks. Found out my stepmom has stage 3 breast cancer, so I've been in a bit of a daze. I also was blessed by the cat distribution system! I found a baby kitten in the road and couldn't find his momma, so I took him to the vet and now he's been a little monster, but we love him! Now, I hope you all like this chapter! Much love, Chart2013!

Lia headed off the school's property, in desperate need of some very unhealthy food. Being a dancer, she held to a particular diet but today was a cheat day. Entering the Chinese restaurant, she waved to the owner's son at the counter. She came in here every cheat day, so they knew her favorites. Grabbing her drink, she walked over to the counter to pay.

It didn't take long for her food to arrive, and she began to dig in enthusiastically. Lia had been so focused on the food before her that she never noticed anyone else enter. She had just shoved another mouthful of spicy lo' mein into her mouth when someone sat down across from her. Looking up, she could only glare.

"Hello Lia, how are you on this beautiful day?" Nik smirked at her.

Swallowing her food, she asked, "Are you following me?" She then continued to eat. No one came between her and her cheat day.

"Why would you think that? It could be mere coincidence that we both ended up here." Nik went to reach for a piece of chicken but was stopped by the chopsticks smacking his hand. He looked up in surprise.

"Don't touch my food." Lia growled before shoving the chicken into her mouth.

He couldn't help it, he laughed. "So protective of your food. Do they not feed you enough at Julliard?"

Her eyes narrowed on him, "It's my cheat day, the only day for two weeks that I can indulge. So you are following me, why?"

Nik smiled, "I find you interesting. Not many who meet me aren't scared of me, you seem more annoyed than anything." He gaped as she shoved more food into her mouth, she looked like a chipmunk. Shaking his head clear, he said, "Tell me about yourself."

"Why?" She was genuinely confused. "You've got to have better things to do than follow a seventeen-year-old around."

"Like I said, I find you interesting. Plus, you know what I could have done that night but were never scared. Do you not fear death like most humans?" He made sure to listen to her heartbeat as she replied.

Shrugging, she said, "We will all die eventually. I plan to not fear death when it comes for me. No matter the form it holds." Lia noticed his eyes widen slightly before he schools his features. "My parent's died, leaving me an orphan. My aunt was left as my guardian but she's barely an adult herself. My uncle, well biological dad, is there when I need but he has other priorities." 

"You're adopted?"

Nodding, "My uncle asked his brother, my dad, for help when he got a girl pregnant at sixteen. Neither wanted to be parents, so my mom and dad took me."

"I'm sorry for your loss. I was never close with my parents, so I can't imagine what you've been through." Nik replies, surprising himself. Needing to change the mood, he asks, "So, what do you attend Julliard for? I, myself, like the arts."

Lia wasn't sure why she was still talking but it felt nice for someone to ask about her. Normally, she was lumped in with Elena, but Nik didn't know about her. "I dance, well I do ballet. I've always enjoyed it and when I was at home, my mom would feed my need to dance. I don't plan to go on tour or anything, but I wouldn't mind teaching it, helping others find their passion. I was able to finish my schooling over the summer so now I'm preparing for the final production. We have a small one for charity, but we are performing the Swan Lake for our final."