MY SANCTUARY: THE BEGINNING

†CHAPTER FOUR†

    "R-REALLY? " I asked, trying to cover my joy with feigned annoyance.  We sat down at the last table at the back of the class, just in front of the display cases.

It was OK.
At least I couldn't see Lexi from here .

In the meantime, I was having problems looking at my lab partner. He was looking at me. I knew it.

Finally, I summoned courage and faced him squarely. I found out his eyes were silver and looked even more beautiful than they had been last night.

They seemed to gleam as his stare turned into a mild glare.

"What?" I snapped. He shook his head.

"Then why are you staring at me like I'm from Mars?"

"Forgive me. I was a bit...amused. " He tilted his gorgeous head to one side. He had a Romanian accent.

  I tilted my head at him. I wasn't sure I liked him. Apparently, he didn't either.
Yet he looked so familiar.

A bright flash of light passed my eyes and I saw myself in a large field.
Someone was running towards me but the face was blurred.

I tried calling out but all I saw was blood.

 I jerked. The vision was gone as suddenly as it had come. I drew my attention back to the boy in front of me.

He looked kind of concerned.

"You okay?"

"You think I'm amusing?" I said with an edge to my voice.

"You are the one making it seem that way. I only meant I was amused at how you can take such harsh words from people."

His voice sounded so... faraway and old.

"Oh" was all I could say.

"I usually retaliate at everything that gets me mad."

"Oh,' I said again 'I'm sorry, I guess we not had a bad beginning.  Let's start over.

"I'm Dehlia, Dehlia Kendar."

"Dehlia,' he let it flow through his lips as if testing it. 'Dehlia. It's a beautiful name to match it's owner. "

"Thank you. 'I blushed 'You're? "

"Veiko" He stated simply.

"Veiko..." I waited for him to complete it.

"Just Veiko." he hesitated as if wanting to say something.

Then he made up his mind and pursed his lips.

He placed some of the sand on the stage of the microscope and peered through the ocular lens.

I couldn't help not sure his profile. His nose was long and perfect.  His lips looked soft. The side of his face was chiseled into hard planes.

I couldn't resist asking as he rotated the nose piece.

"Do you see anything? "

"Hand me that beaker and finger sieve."

Although I was confused, I still gave it to him and watched him skillfully extract the silicon dioxide from the sand.

"There! It's done. You'd better wash out your hands before it poisons you." He joked taking his gloves off.

I had to smile. I tried to wash the silicon off without soap for fear of setting off some kind of reaction between the two chemicals.

Bur when I found out the silion couldn't come off, I began to scrub harder.