Elements : Book One

Chapter Twenty One

"Aren't you going to eat?" Kate asks me skeptically as I sit in front of her, my face blank. I blink before looking at her. Her black hair is up in a messy bun, she has dark circles underneath her eyes and looks like she hasn't been sleeping well lately.

"I am not really hungry." I shrug my shoulders and sip my black tea. My eyes wander around the table, detecting familiar looking faces. My gaze drifts back to Kate, who is playing with her cereal. She looks skinnier and paler. "Have you been eating at all?"

"Yeah." She answers almost immediately, taking a spoonful of cereal in her mouth and swallowing it. She looks up at me once again, forcing a smile on her lips. We haven't been talking ever since her brother died because of me. Even Marlee and Ellis are keeping their distance from me. And I can't blame them for that.

I nod and return to my tea, losing the appetite to even drink it. I wait for five minutes, before standing up and smiling.

"I will see you at the lesson." I mumble audibly and make my way towards the dish-collector, placing my full mug of tea in it. With forced smile and stir in my walking pace, I walk out of cafeteria.

My steps are slow, not hurrying anywhere, having plenty of time before the start of the first lesson. I don't know why I have decided to come out of the room in the first place. I prefer to be hiding away from everyone and everything.

"Where are you going?" Sebastian appears in front of me out of thin air. His long blonde hair is brushed neatly. His blue orbs are shining with coldness inside of them. I take a step back from him, opening and closing my mouth like a fish.

"I was thinking...of going back to my room." I mumble in a low voice and offer him another one of my forced smiles. Sebastian eyes me suspiciously and sighs.

"Have you at least eaten?" He asks me finally, pushing his blonde hair away from his eyes. I shake my head and he sighs again, opening his mouth to say something, but before he manages to do so, I start talking.

"I am not hungry, really." I say hurriedly and smile. "I would have eaten, but I am not hungry and I thought I would sleep a little before the lessons." I mumble the last part and grin at him. But he shakes his head once again.

"You have to eat something Cassie." Sebastian sighs and looks down at me with disappointed look. "You will need strength the whole day." He adds and looks around. "Come, you will also need to introduce one another today at the cafeteria." He gently pushes me and forces me to lead the way towards the cafeteria.

I walk slowly, trying to longer the road towards the crowded place. I look back at Sebastian, whose gaze in frozen on the horizon. He notices my stare and smiles at me, as if urging me to talk about everything that is wrong.

"What happened, Cassie?" He asks me in a low voice and smiles at passing students. "Something is bothering you." He adds and looks at me.

"It's nothing." I shrug my shoulders and smile. "I just feel uncomfortable in the crowd." I admit and look forward, fastening my pace.

Sebastian nods, but he says nothing, giving me my needed space. When I walk back into the cafeteria and slowly and awkwardly make my way towards Kate, Marlee and Ellis, I still can feel Sebastian's eyes on me.

"Got hungry?" Marlee asks me with a smirk. I shake my head and with soft smile, sit down in front of her.

"Sebastian told me that we had to meet one another in here." I whisper with gritted teeth and soft smile. Marlee nods, forced smile plastered on her face. Her eyes shift from me on something behind me. I turn back, smiling at Jacob and Luke. Jay looks as if he is about to jump and kill someone. HIs murderous gaze is frozen upon Sebastian, who is talking with some people in the corner.