The Winter Queen

3. Monday Mania

"When it's time, you will return to rule."

I woke up from a restless dream. The voice in my head was already fading but I'm all too familiar with it. I've been hearing these voices for a while now, ever since I turned sixteen to be exact.

"Irena. Time for school." A familiar voice called from downstairs.

I quickly got out of bed. Hurrying through the daily morning rituals, I managed to get ready in less than 30 mins. As I came down the steps, the oh-so-wonderful smell of pancakes drifted through the air.

"That smells great."

"It tastes even better." Jacob smiled and placed a plate stacked with pancakes in front of me. I could say that I devoured them.

"Easy there beast." Jacob laughed.

When you have such a great uncle, it's not surprising that you end up eating every last bite of food he makes. Without him, I have no idea where I would be. Cooking will be the death of me. I always wondered how he learned to cook so well.

"Your mother taught me."

"Huh." I snapped out the pancake's trance.

"It was your mother who taught me how to cook. Her food was even better. Fit for a King, to be exact". He must have noticed how my face changed so suddenly. "Hey." He stroked my hair. "They loved you, Irena. I know that. You must realize that they had no choice but to leave you. It was for your own safety." I looked at Jake and his expression was... regret!? He knew something about them that I didn't. When he speaks about them, it's always as if he had held them at high regard. But there's always a pang of sadness hidden in his voice. I could never figure it out. I have to know what he's hiding. And I have to make him tell me that himself. For that...

I sighed. Maybe it was time to tell Jacob everything that has been happening with me for past few weeks.

"I've been seeing her."I said quietly. For a second, Jacob looked stunned. "In my dreams." I added. "I have so much to tell you Jake." As I stepped out of the house, I heard him quietly saying to himself "So do I."

The hallways were packed with people. And just like every day, Maria was waiting for me near my locker. The usual chaos was already at full swing but then suddenly, everything quite down. Curiosity has always been trouble for me. And my bad luck had to strike again now. I turned around, out of curiosity obviously, and I immediately regret it. Standing before me, well actually all of us, was the one person one of us expected to be back here.

Let me introduce Gale. What makes this human specimen so special? Let's just say that you don't want to be anywhere near him when he's angry, which is pretty much all the time. It's just so hard to stand within a foot of him. It's weird but he has this weird aura about him. He always has a black hoodie on and his face is almost always in dark. Even the teachers are cautious around him. He rarely spoke and when he does, it's always so eerie. No one knew much about him. He kept to himself majority of time.

He walked past us and disappeared around the corner of the hallway. A sigh escaped from most of us.

"I think we better go." I said to Maria. She nodded in response but kept glancing nervously towards the direction where Gale went.

"Hey. It's fine. I know he's kind of... intimidating. But don't worry about it. I won't leave your side. Ok?" She nodded and looked relieved. She pointed towards the chemistry lab.

"Ok. Let's go." I said and we went.

The first few periods went by. But after lunch, Maria had to go for a doctor's check-up so I was pretty much alone. I walked into history and my heart stopped beating. The class was full. There was no seat empty, except one right next to... Gale!

I looked around desperate but Ms. Halls had already entered. I dragged myself to the seat and sat down next to, keeping my head low the whole time. Only after I sat down did a realization hit me. Our seats on the first day are our permanent seats. Which means, I'm stuck next to him for the whole year!!!

Ms. Halls kept talking but I couldn't pay attention to even a word. Why? Because halfway through her class, I caught Gale looking in my direction. His head was turned towards me and something about the way he was looking, was... weird. He transferred last year or so I've heard. Ever since he appeared in the school, he has caught the attention of all. His weird covered appearance and his resistance to talk.

I had to force myself to look at him because the last thing I want to look like, is weak. He kept looking and I refused to look away. I could see he was taken back. He slightly pulled back and then turned away. As if on cue, the bell rang.

"You sure have a lot of guts." I shivered. I didn't realize that Gale was just inches away from my ear and the way he said it, so silent and calm, it made it feel even more dangerous. I forced my pounding heart to relax and faced him.

"Maybe. But you sure have a lot to hide." I could swear that, I heard him gasp. But since his face was still covered, I couldn't exactly know. But something about his aura changed. Not wanting to know what comes next, I spun on my heels and walked out. I drove straight home. The rest of the day, I was like a robot. Getting the usual round of homework and stuff done, I climbed onto my bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I fell into a deep sleep. That night, I didn't dream about my past. But my dream was about him...

Somewhere outside-

'I wish I could show you the truth. But honestly, I'm afraid to trust anyone. Even you...'