Love, Aurélie | REGULUS BLACK

Chapter Nineteen

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[CHAPTER NINETEEN]
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"I STARTED TO THINK THAT you weren't going to show up," said Odette the moment she heard leaves crunching behind her. She didn't need to look behind her to know that it was Black. He didn't have to speak to announce his presence, she could just sense it. She wasn't sure how, but perhaps it was the same thing that kept leading her back to him.

"I wasn't," said Black.

Odette put down the flower crown that she had been weaving with the surrounding wild flowers and turned to look at him. He wasn't looking at her. His body was facing forward and he stared at the direction of the Black Lake. Odette shifted her body to face the same direction he was, but she leaned against the willow tree while he remained standing.

"What made you change your mind then?" questioned Odette.

It was silent for a moment, "I wasn't aware you were going to interrogate me, Odette."

"If you're going to say my name like that, you might as well address me by my last name," said Odette. She didn't like the way he said her name. She wasn't sure what it was about the way he said it, but it just gave her shivers and not in a good way either.

"Address you by a fake name you mean?" said Black, "Not that I could know if you have been honest about anything you've said."

Odette forgot that she had a fake last name, she had to thank him for reminding her. She couldn't tell him the truth, but she didn't want to be labeled as a liar. However, she wasn't given a chance to defend herself as he spoke right away again.

"Get straight to the point," said Black, "What do you want?"

"Why'd you show up if you don't trust me?" said Odette.

"I don't not trust you," said Black, "but I don't trust you either. I'm not going to ask you again. You see, I wasn't lying when I said I was busy."

"I don't doubt you for a second," said Odette, "I'm sure you're a very busy person, but I also know you're one of the few people who could help me."

"You want my help? After I made it clear I was not going to help you?"

"You're the only person who doesn't care about me to treat me like a child who lost her parents."

"See," said Black, "You're not wrong, I really couldn't care less about you, but I refuse to help you. I could tell you don't know what you're really getting into. This whole thing you so desperately want help with is playing with fire and the only thing that's going to get burned in the end of the game is you."

"You don't look very burned to me," said Odette.

"I'm not you," said Black, "I don't just decide I'm bored and start to mess with unexplored territory."

His statement or accusation, whatever he intended it to be, offended Odette quite a bit, however she couldn't tell him the real reason why she was so determined to find out more. For all she knew he could have been trying to get the information out of her. She wasn't that stupid.

"So, you have a reason?" said Odette, "I have a reason too."

"Perhaps I should have expected more from the weird new girl," said Black, "Oh wait, don't tell me you don't know."

"Know what?"

"You're quite popular in the gossip these days," said Black, "Who transfers in their seventh year? Not to mention during a war."

"There's a lot of plausible explanations for that."

"I know that, but the others don't. They're quite paranoid, you know," said Black, "You're lucky to have the Xuns on your side or else everyone would have been against you."

"What are you talking about?" asked Odette.

"Perhaps you should open your eyes more towards your surroundings instead of just focusing on your death wish," said Black, "Those two work hard to make sure you fit in, which means no hanging out with Slytherins."

"I don't care about your house or even who you are," said Odette, "What I do care about is who I am."

"Clearly the only person who know who you are is you," he said, "So, tell me, why are you so interested in Prisca Magicae?"

Odette didn't respond, she couldn't tell him that his first statement was incorrect nor could she tell him why she believed that her family had something to do with Prisca Magicae.

"Unless you're searching for something," said Black. Odette's eyes widened as she looked up at him. His head was no longer facing the Black Lake, but instead it faced her.

"What is it? Justice? Truth? Closure? Whatever it is, it's for you, right?"

Odette could only manage to nod.

"That's all I need to know that our reasons are different," said Black, "I'll lend you a hand on one condition, Odette."

"What if I refuse your condition?"

"Then I'm afraid this is the last time we'll ever speak to one another," he said coolly.

Odette slowly stood up, her eyes on him the entire time. She wasn't sure if her friend's claims were true, but she did start to have an opinion on Regulus Black. He wasn't her enemy, not like Mei or Xia claimed. However, he was incredibly intelligent. He was able to pick up on things that happened around Odette when she hadn't even been able to. Not only that but he listened to her carefully. Odette could have said something she didn't think much of, but Black could have used that to find out something about her. It didn't scare her, but it certainly intrigued her.

He reminded her of Olivia Mae in the way that they both knew more than they should, but Odette didn't see any further similarities. Olivia Mae sought out the information while the information came to Regulus. Regulus certainly was intimidating, just like Olivia Mae was, but Odette didn't feel the same way she did around Olivia Mae. Perhaps it was because she didn't have Mei with her to answer for her or simply because Regulus Black and Olivia Mae were two different people that Odette simply couldn't compare.

"What is your condition?" said Odette, warily.

Regulus turned his body around towards her and Odette was left to look up to meet his gaze. Though, she had been looking up at him the entire time since she had been sitting down. Yet this was different. This time they were making eye contact.

"Our lives must not overlap at any point."