Ludovica (#1 of the Original Sins)

Chapter 2

My head was hurting. Arina was chattering to her mindless friends. A whole day hasn't even passed yet, and I felt like stabbing someone. The smell in the cafeteria was horrible, a thick mix of testerone and too-strong perfume.

Well, at least I got his name. Raphael James.

A fitting name for an angel-like boy. From his green eyes to his brown hair, it reeks of heaven and goodness. He was like a freaking light that attracts moths, with people surrounding his every move. A pulsing lighthouse. The exact opposite of me. Arina Chastings and her friends talked about him all day. About how 'hot' he was, how good his grades are. The last time I've been topside, females were wearing those awful pom-pom dresses that made them look like Christmas fruitcakes and getting into horse-drawn carriages. Well. Just don't expect me to know what 'hot' means.

The bell rang then, signifying the end of lunch and my thought process. I picked up my bag and followed Arina and her friends to Gym. The gymnasium smelt like old socks, body mist and sweat. Not a good combination at all. I wrinkled my nose as the human males, Raphael James in the middle of all of them, set up strange looking contraptions with strings criss-crossing and picked up sticks with circular frames and a similar criss-cross pattern. Arina accepted the sticks one of the muscular, blonde guy handed over and batted her eyelashes flirtatiously. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. That behaviour resembled me when I was in the 'adolescent' stage. Whatever you called a naïve, stupid and artless Sin in her first few years of youth.

She held one out to me and I took it by the circular frame. Her doe eyes widened and she started to giggle. "Oh, Luddy, you are so hilarious! Who holds a badminton racket like that?" I bit back my growl at her ridiculous nickname. I could snap her pretty little white neck with that stick. Hmmm, speaking of which, what is that? I haven't been on the topside for so long that I had no idea what the current era was like.

I grimaced. If I wanted to know how to play this mindless human-concocted game, I had to let my pride go. "Sorry, Arina, it's just that I've lived in Alaska for so long that I think I lost track of what's human and what's not." I let out a teasing giggle, my eyes meeting her with what I hope was sheepishness and embarrassment, as well as visible admiration for her. Half truth, right there.

Her face turned from confused to smug. Huh. this girl craves admiration and adoration. I filed that knowledge away for future use. She laughed and said, "Watch and learn." I complied, moving to the side and crossing my arms. She picked up a ball with feathers attached to it(goose feather?) and tossed it in the air. As the ball came rushing down, she deftly hit it with the racket. The ball travelled quite a distance and landed at the feet of Raphael James. my eyes were glued to him. His legs bent powerfully, muscles tensing as he picked up the ball and looked for the owner. his bright green eyes darted around and immediately rested on me. His mouth turned upwards at the corner. I suddenly wondered what it felt like to kiss him. "Ludovica?" His name on my tongue was a gentle caress, his tongue rolling over the syllables. I shuddered. I was behaving like an adolescent at the moment, and I didn't give a damn. It has been so long since I found someone who stirred my body, stirred the heat inside me, just waiting to be let out...

"Is this yours?" He swung the ball around in his slender fingers and I snapped out of my stupor. "Toss it over," I ordered. He chuckled and did as I told. My hand snapped up and caught the ball. The texture of the ball was rough in my hand, still sparking with the life force Raphael James left behind. Mmmm, so delicious..

The coach, a ruddy middle-aged man, clapped his hand and said." Get into pairs!"