ANGELICA

6. The Water Trouble

**Mariana's POV**

My eyes fluttered open as the sunlight kissed my eyes.
And Antonia's shout kissed my ears. (Believe  me that wasn't a good kiss.)
"Get up all of you" she shouted from downstairs.
Just a usual day.
I got up and went  towards my room window which provided me the beautiful view of our beautiful  garden.
I opened the window and breathed in the fresh morning air. Until something struck me in my mind as fast as lightning.
All the events of yesterday came rushing into my mind and my breath hitched  midway.
Coming home. Police officers.  Shelby.
Shelby.....
My eyes filled with tears  as I  remembered the tragic news.
I shook my mind and came back to reality and rushed  out of my door to talk to Antonia.
How could  she let us go to school today? I bet no one would be ready to go. Tears fell down  my eyes as I stormed towards  the kitchen.
I had lost my best friend  yesterday.
We had lost our best friend yesterday.

As I reached the kitchen ready to fight with Antonia, I saw Aurelia, Zoë and Michelle already fighting  and debating with her to not go to school.
When I  saw them fighting  I knew all our efforts to make up her mind of not going to school were in vain, because  she would force us to go to school anyway.
I took a deep breath and told them to stop fighting because it was of no use.  They all looked at me like I had betrayed  them.
I told them  that we didn't know the truth. I told them that it wasn't necessary that the body  they found was Shelby's.
"Well guess what?  what are the odds that after Shel hung up on us someone stole her car and also her jacket and then ended up dead? 0.1% I'd  say.  And then what  are the odds that that person in Shelby's  car with Shelby's jacket was Shelby? 99.9 % I'd  say!!" Michelle shouted at me, tears escaping her eyes.
"We don't  know shit Michelle.  Stop assuming things." I replied  as calmly as I could.
"She is right. Now go upstairs  and get ready." Antonia said.
Without  a word all of them turned and went back to their rooms.
I gave Antonia the angriest look I could muster and said "Don't for a second  think, I  was taking  your side" I snapped and turned on my heel and went back to my room wiping the tears I didn't know has escaped.
************************************

All of us were sitting on our usual table in the cafeteria, waiting for our classes to begin.
Neither  of us were interested in talking or eating.
We were just sitting, unusually quiet, just fiddling with our fingers or phones.
Today even Michelle was not talking about boys. These days were very rare. Then again what  had happened had broken  us somewhere inside. So this kind of behaviour was expected.

I couldn't take this unnerving silence anymore.
"I'm  heading to the library" I said
They just nodded and I got up and walked towards the library.
On my way in the hallway I  noticed the four brothers standing in front of their lockers.
I recognised one from mine and Michelle's class yesterday.
Cameron Gregory.
He and his brother were introduced in our class  yesterday.
The good looking genes ran in the family, I thought  and chuckled.

I checked my watch. I still had 20 minutes for my class so I could easily get a book issued and even check out the new collections.

I entered  the library.  It was dimly lit. What I  loved most about this place  were the rows of shelves and shelves mounted  with many different books. I smiled at the librarian while I passed her and she just nodded at me.
I went straight to the fiction section.
I was feeling thirsty so I took out my bottle of water and started drinking and occasionally swirling the water in the bottle while looking for a good  book for the weekend.
As I was going on to the next shelf I  noticed the shelf on my right.
The Occult Section.

I felt strangely attracted to the section. I abandoned the fiction  section and moved towards the occult section.
I took out my phone from my pocket scrolling up images in my gallery to find the image I needed.
I had saved some occult book names  that I  had wanted to read.
I started going  through the books, looking up at the books and looking down at my phone.
Suddenly I bumped into something hard and the water bottle slipped out of my hands and hit the floor.
I looked up to see that  I had not bumped into something but a certain someone.
A boy was standing in front of me, his brunette hair a tousled mess. He was looking down at his shirt, holding the part away from his body where the water had made acquaintance with his shirt.
I immediately cursed myself for being this clumsy and absent minded.
I told my mind to calm down as it was not entirely my fault.
The boy looked up and for a while I forgot everything I was thinking.
His eyes held me frozen in my place.
I could only describe his eyes in two words: Liquid Gold.
The tousled hair, Amber eyes, those eyelashes, I had seen him somewhere.
I racked my brain......
Shit. I mentally slapped myself for not remembering him.
Cassiel Gregory.
Cameron's brother.
Goddammit, we had to meet this way.  We just had to!!!
I regained my senses as he cleared his throat.
I composed myself and.......  broke into a series  of apologies.
"I'm so sorry!!  I was too busy  looking at the books! Uhh I'm  sorry"
"its fine! Thankfully its just water! " he said rather calmly.
"Yeah but uhh still I'm really sorry. I wasn't looking really" I stated again as a matter of factly.
"Hey hey its fine, really its ok Mariana. Umm that's  your name right? " he said and asked.
Holy shit!!  He knew my name!!  How?  I never told him. Okkkkkkkk......
While I battled with my conscience I  didn't  realise that I  was staring at him until he snapped his fingers  in front of me.
"umm"?? He raised his eyebrows.
"yeah,  yes, hmmm" I  replied still lost in my thoughts.

Then I  spared a look at the water on the floor.
Then back at him.
But then a movement  on the floor caught my attention and my eyes moved to the floor again.

For a moment  I thought that my eyes were deceiving me.
The water on the floor was moving, like literally, moving and forming a perfect circle in front of Cassiel's shoes.
Even the drops that  were near my sneakers. Moving towards him.
Yep yep Mariana you are going mad.

Before  I  could  react Cassiel said
"Dont worry I'll  take care of it" he pointed at the now formed circle in front of his shoes.
"Do you have a class? " he asked
"um uh yeah.  Yes" I  fumbled
"Its ok I  got the book I  wanted so I'll just issue it and tell the librarian about it".
"oh damn she's gonna kill me" I sighed.
"well that's why I'm telling you to head to your class.  I'll tell her that there is water fallen here." he said calmly.
Oh boy, this guy had high calmness levels.
"Oh ok" I  replied.
He gave me a sweet yet cute smile and turned on his heels to walk away.
Before I  realised it, words spilled out of my mouth " Do you have a spare T-shirt? To you know,  change ".
With his back to me he said "naww I  won't need one! "
He turned halfway around and smirked.
Oh that smirk!
I told my conscience to zip it and then looked at his shirt.
I thought my mind was again playing with me.
Where there had been a wet patch of water, was nothing  but the smooth and clean  fabric of the shirt.
What in the world....??

As if satisfied after seeing my expression he walked away with that smirk plastered on his face.

Without  another thought I moved towards the back exit of the library, shaking my head to clear it from the stupid thoughts!!
But I  stopped. Call it my instinct or gut feeling,  but I  just reeled back towards the same section I  had come from.
When I  reached back to the occult  section, I  could see Cassiel getting his book issued at the counter. It didn't seem like he had told the librarian anything at all.
But then I didn't think  he had to.
Because where earlier there was a puddle of water on the floor, was nothing  but the clear, smooth floor tile.
No drop of water here or there.
Nothing.
I looked back to the counter  at Cassiel and saw him walking away and out of the library.
And all I could  think  of was his smirk that I  couldn't  see but knew was still there pasted to his face like a sticker.
The bell rang signalling the start of my class.
What was happening with me?

************************************

Hiiiii !!!!! I'm  so sorry for the late update. I was hella busy with my exams. I will try and update more often now!  Hope you enjoy this chapter. And the next chapters will also involve encounters of the girls with the rest of the boys and yes also a revealed mystery.
Just a heads up!!  - Kyle😇