Snakes and Ladders

Chapter 19: Memories

Tatum felt a stabbing ache in his right cheek, making him nearly yelp out in pain. His once unfocused eyes snapped to the tormentor in front of him.

"Did you just pinch my cheek?" He asked visible rage clouding his eyes, making his blue orbs look like a never ending storm.

He fixed the Emilia with a chilling stare, making her feel paralyzed from the waist down.

As she stood frozen, she couldn't help but think that Tatum's glare was unsettling, to put it lightly. He had this talent to be able to scare the crap out of someone and make you want to shrink into a self isolated ball.

The longer Emilia held his gaze, the more fear that leaked into her insides from his chaotic
eyes. Her stomach churned uneasily before she swallowed nerves, telling herself to stop letting him get to her.

Her eyes gleamed with fake confidence as she daringly glared back at him with imitated fury of his own, hiding the thinly concealed fear beneath.

"Yes. Got a problem Beaumont?" She snipped back in a clear cut tone.

Tatum creased his eyebrows in surprise at the girl's lack of fear. He couldn't help but notice how her cocoa brown eyes looking a stunningly hazel gold in the moonlight. His breath caught for a moment looking at her, she was gorgeous.

After stuck in a second too long trance for Tatum's liking, he promptly moved his gaze away from her, obscuring the rapid spreading of rose gold on his cheeks.

He gathered his bearings quickly, systematically hesitating for a few seconds before he finally muttered out a thanks to her.

Tatum swiftly left after expressing his poor gratitude, departing from a confused Emilia in his midst.

Emilia left behind, secretly fumed on the inside.

What was his problem? One minute he was nice and the next he blew her off.

Tatum was by far the most bipolar male she had ever met.

Emilia took one last brisk glance at his tall retreating figure, before going to join the party once more. Unbeknownst to her, at the same time, a figure swiftly slinked away from the scene, a snarl on it's lips.

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Tatum didn't spare her another glance, practically running away from Emilia once he was out of her line of sight.

He needed a small break from her, she was too enthralling for his curiosity, too kind for Queensburry Academy, too oblivious to the real world.

His feet came to a pause. Past memories came like shooting stars into his brain's memory.

His father had given him one last order.

Get close to the new student Emilia Wentz.

Tatum hadn't asked any questions or anything, he never did with his father. He just followed whatever his father wanted.

Tatum couldn't possibly imagine disobeying his father's orders and doubting his authority. It gave him shivers just to think about the prospect.

He originally was suppose to keep a close eye on her, and if possible become friends.

Hah.

Friends.

What a foreign concept.

The word felt achingly alien to him.

Despite him being one of the top Five, Tatum in truth didn't have many friends. In fact, in his opinion he had only one.

Tony Vasiliou.