AZURINA

CHAPTER 2: NOT A DREAM

She walked out of her house to the road. Walking by the footpath she came to the bridge overlooking the stream, whistling with noise due to the swift movement of cold water. She happened to notice a boy, almost of her age, sitting on the edge of a big rock, trying to take his hat stuck between a bundle of tangled mess by the stream bank. He was wearing a pair of brown trousers, red high collared shirt and a black leather jacket. His messy brown hair was so gorgeously on his head. There was a red rucksack lying on the bare rock next to him. It was most probably his. He was on his knees with outstretched hands trying to get hold of the stuck hat.

But there was something else that made her stare at this unknown person with awe without even blinking. She had never felt the want to look at someone with that curiosity, intensity and some feeling that made her heart flutter inside her chest. Her heart throbbed inside her rib-cage like a bird inside a cage wanting to be let out. She was looking at him so intently. All of a sudden, he looked up to see her. His gleaming orange-amber eyes locked with her shining blue marbles. She froze.

There was something in those eyes. It called her come to it. It was only for a moment. The boy smiled at her warmly. She could not help it. A burning hot sensation came to her cheeks. The boy's smile widened. She felt the boy was probably mocking at her now for her awkward behavior. She had to be angry with the boy. But she was not even in the slightest way frustrated.

The stranger's eyes were still fixed intently on her in an appreciative way that warmed her heart. She walked over the bridge and on to bank, and slowly towards the rock on which he sat. She did it involuntarily, as though she was compelled to do so.

She was never attracted to anybody like this. Many had come forward to confess their love to her. She had refused many and rarely accepted one or two. But relationships were not her thing. They never worked out for her for more than a fortnight or so. Hence, she always was lagging behind in this subject.

She stood next to him and asked nervously, "M-May I he-help you?" her mind annoyed by her said-

"why are you acting so lame? What's the matter with you?"

She visibly tried to regain her composure and stood as though she had not been affected by his charm. He seemed to be her prince 'Charming' waiting for her.

He smiled warmly again, and stretched out his hand towards her saying, "If you please."

She shuddering took his hand. The moment she touched his hand she felt that his hand was burning hot for some reason. Although she always liked cold things normally, that in his heart was tempting, intoxicating and drug like, she did not want to let go of the hand. His warm hand tickled her hand.

The boy hand shivered at the moment she touched his hand because he felt it to be unnaturally cold and draining away all the heat from his hand. He had never touched something that cold. He liked it. He gripped his hand around it.

She felt his hand tightening around her hand. She now really did not bother about it, a stranger holding her hand. He helped her to her knees and they bent over the rocks to grab the hat from the weeds. What followed was awkward silence.

Azurina, by mistake, splashed her hand into the water it started turning to ice. She noticed that and froze for a second. He noticed her lost in some deep thought and nudged her. She just awoke then from her thoughts. She shrugged it off as though it was nothing. He continued to try and reach the hat and got hold of the hat. He tugged at the hat and suddenly he fell into the ice-cold water pulling Azurina along with him. They fell into the running water, spluttering water all around.

They felt the water turning more and more cold. The water was up to the chest level and their leg reached the bottom. They realized something was wrong. She realized at that moment something with her was wrong. He pulled himself out of the current on to the bank. She stood inside the ice-cold water with a layer of thin ice forming around her as though dumb-stricken. She did not even feel the temperature of the surrounding water dropping.

He saw her like a frozen doll. He became worried about her and his eyes started to turn fire-red. This was not a good sign. This is not natural, is it?

He dipped his hand into the water and pulled her up towards him. She was likely colder than ice and whiter than snow. He put his hands around her and hugged her tightly. Slowly he felt heat moving from his body and going into hers and slowly the pale color returning to her features. She was in his arms not knowing what happened to her. He took a glimpse of her face when she was in his arms....

She looked like an angel, rather a princess....

She slowly got the realization of the world around her.

"what's wrong? Why do these things turn to ice when I touch them? Is it a dream? I have to wake up. Wake up. Wake up."

The boy was looking over her. He was telling something. She could not clearly hear it.

"Hey, are you alright? Are you alright? What happened?", he was asking curiously.

"It wasn't a dream," she said softly rather to herself than him," It wasn't a dream."

The boy did not realize what had happened. Confused, he asked "uh? ".

She sat up and realized something was really wrong with her and she had to do something. Then it struck to her. She was late to school.

"I got to go," she said to him.

She got up on her legs, almost pushing the boyof his balance, grabbed her backpack and strode off briskly as she was late to save this world.