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Their Kook Year
Imani Carrera had a striking presence that turned heads wherever she went. Her skin, a warm and flawless shade of deep bronze, seemed to glow under any light, while her almond-shaped eyes, dark and expressive, held a quiet intensity that could shift from warmth to distance in a heartbeat. Her full lips, always glossed or tinted with a soft hue, curled into a smile that was both inviting and elusive, as if she held secrets only a few could ever hope to uncover. Thick, dark curls cascaded down her shoulders, either left in their natural, voluminous state or styled in effortless waves that framed her face.
Eyes turned to her as soon as she entered the hallway. Her slender frame moved with a graceful confidence, and the way she dressed, a mix of casual elegance and effortless chic only added to her undeniable allure. There was a natural beauty about Imani, an effortless charm that made it impossible not to notice her, even in a crowded hallway.
Yet, some looked at her with admiration, others gave her a look of disgust. That was the life of a half Kook and half Pogue, trying into fit into both worlds.
"Hey, girls," Imani greeted her two friends as she stood at her locker.
"Klaus or Elijah?" Alice Jackson, her friend asked.
"Hm..." Imani pondered for a moment. "Klaus."
Besides her, Violet Archibald, her other friend, scoffed at Imani's comment. "He's a psycho!"
Imani shrugged, "It's the accent for me," she giggled. "Besides, he's misunderstood. And maybe I like my men to be dangerous."
Alice laughed, shaking Imani's shoulders. "Oh my God, has someone tainted our innocent Imani. Do we need to perform an exorcism?"
"She needs therapy more like," Violet shook her head. "Klaus can join you since he needs it himself."
Imani laughed, half-listening, distracted as she organised her books. The warmth of their laughter should have kept her grounded in the moment, but a strange feeling crept over her, a sensation that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
Glancing across the hall, her eyes landed on Rafe Cameron. He was there, as he often was- leaning against the wall with his friends around him, their voices animated as they joked and talked. But Rafe wasn't laughing. He wasn't even paying attention to them.
He was staring at her.
His gaze was dark, unblinking, as if she were the only person in the crowded hallway, and everything else faded into the background. Imani's breath caught for a moment. His eyes held hers, intense and unsettling, and a chill ran down her spine. His friends seemed oblivious, laughing and slapping him on the shoulder, but Rafe didn't move. It was as though he existed in another world, a world where only she mattered.
