บท 30: Clear Misunderstanding

"What are you thinking about?" Aditya asked when he saw Madeline lost in her thoughts, and she shook her head.

What was she thinking about? How should she put it? Madeline bit her lower lip before sighing loudly.

"It's nothing. I was just wondering about the voting poll. It's bothersome," Madeline said, and Aditya hummed.

"Right. I don't see the reason behind this fuss," Aditya said, and Madeline looked at him before humming.

It was unforgettable. The vibes she got today when Elliana stepped closer to her, even if it was just for a few seconds, weren't something she was used to seeing on her. It was as if Elliana wasn't the same person anymore.

It felt powerful and sinister. More than that, it was so cold that she had actually felt shivers run down her spine. The way Elliana looked back at her, it was as if she didn't need anyone's help to destroy whatever would bother her. This wasn't the first time she felt these vibes from Elliana.

It was the same when she had exited that torture room they had thrown her in to punish her. And then one time when she was bad-mouthing her biological mom, and Elliana had lost her temper? Though the occurrences were very low, they were there, and every time they appeared, they left her sickening mad.

There were many times when Madeline had felt Elliana wasn't normal, and probably that was the major reason she always felt inferior to her, and the urge to show her place was so prominent that - Madeline put a hold on her thoughts.

Wait. Was she seriously thinking about Elliana as a strong girl? Damn, she is the same girl who had rubbed her nose on her heels to protect herself. Madeline scoffed in her mind, shaking her head at herself.

Meanwhile, Elliana walked further into the forest before sitting on a random large rock.

She took out her phone and looked at the only saved number. It belonged to Mr. Marino. With a deep sigh, she looked ahead, unsure what to feel. There was this weird emptiness in her heart right now, and it made her feel lonely. She felt lost and didn't know who to talk to.

Should she really call him? It's just the first day of her University though. What will he think of her? What if he thought she wasn't worthy to be his wife because she whined a lot? Elliana clenched her fists around the phone before stuffing it back in her pocket.

After some time, she started walking again, stopping beside a large pond. It was beautiful. Though the water wasn't clear, the sunlight made it look ethereal. As Elliana scooted closer to the pond, the incident near the lake crossed her mind.

Will the water affect her energies again like last time? Now that she thinks about it, her hand didn't glow this time when she had gotten so annoyed and angry. Was it getting under control? She was yet to call G and let her know about the changes in her life and the sudden shift in her energies.

Should she try it? She wandered and stepped closer to the pond, about to place her hand over the water body when she heard some shuffling from behind her, and she turned, alert.

"Relax. It's just me," Daniel said, and Elliana sighed before pulling her hand back.

"Mr. Daniel, I am -"

"Let me speak," Daniel said before he walked and sat beside her, making her look at him.

"I am sorry. It's my first time to apologize to a human like this. It might come off as awkward. Please bear with my explanation. When I saw you in the morning, I only meant to tease you a little because of how lost you looked. I hadn't expected you to ask me for help. It was a little weird that you couldn't figure out I was a vampire, a little influential, I must add," Daniel looked at Elliana, and she smiled, her gaze focused on the pond.

"I just wanted directions for the department, and everyone stared at me so openly that it made me nervous. When I saw you walking towards me, I thought it was a good idea to ask you since you initiated the conversation," Elliana explained, and Daniel hummed in understanding.

Now everything was appearing clearer.

"I was actually hoping to ask you to introduce yourself, but you thanked me and left. I couldn't digest that I got played by you. That's why I came to you with my friends during lunch. I hadn't expected we would end up eating together," Daniel confessed, and Elliana smiled genuinely at his boyish smile.

"You guys gave me the vibes of the rude bullies of the University. It didn't help that I noticed how everyone was blowing to you. That's why I wanted to stay clear of you. I asked you if you wanted to join out of nervousness," Elliana smiled, and Daniel looked at her for a few seconds before both chuckled.

"It was a series of misunderstandings, I guess?" Daniel said, and Elliana nodded.

"Earlier, you looked a bit peculiar about those humans. Were they bullying you? It didn't make any sense. You are new here, right?" Daniel asked and noticed how the smile on the girl's face faltered.

Something was definitely wrong.

Elliana didn't answer his question. Rather, she looked forward to the pond as the memories of bullying surfaced.

"I know I don't exactly have the best image in your mind, and there is no reason for you to think like that, but if you want, you can share things with me. I am a good listener. You said you would repay the debt, no? How about you tell me what's going on?" Daniel asked, and Elliana's fingers clenched around her knees.

"You don't have to go into details," Daniel probed, and she looked at the sky before humming.

Maybe letting out a little bit of her frustrations might help.

"Bullying," Elliana smiled.

"This word has defined my entire childhood until a couple of days ago," Elliana paused, and Daniel looked at her.

He noticed how she fisted her dress. It was hard for her to even talk about it.

"My experience at school hasn't been great. Whenever people stare at me for long, I feel edgy. It's because whenever they stare, bullying always comes next. It wasn't just normal pranks or bullying. There were times when my bullies even went to the extent of throwing me in a dungeon with a hungry lion," Elliana smiled, and Daniel froze in his place.

"Then there was this one time when they provoked me to jump from a seven-story building because my life was worthless. I had to rub my nose on everyone's feet so they won't take my dignity and make me a public possession. Things like gaslighting and provoking were normal for me. It has always been like this," Elliana looked at her hands, the golden flow appearing back as her eyes teared a little.

"Did no one help you back then? What about your parents?" Daniel asked, and Elliana scoffed.

"Sorry about that. Parents? Do I have one? My dad, he is a puppet to my stepmom, and I don't even know if my biological mom is alive or not," Elliana said in the heat of the moment before she widened her eyes.

Damn! She wasn't supposed to say these things. What would she answer if he asked her how she got here and to which family she belonged?

"And the council head's son and that human girl Madeline was one of them?" Daniel asked, and Elliana looked at his unadulterated curiosity and hummed.

"The council's head's son wasn't involved directly, but he never intervened or helped. That's why when you approached me during Lunch and in front of Aditya, I felt you wanted to bully me in seclusion," Elliana confessed, and Daniel took a deep breath.

He didn't know this girl had such a history. Who would've believed that this beauty was once bullied to that level? How can those humans be so cruel to do that to a girl?

He turned his head to look at her and saw her looking at the pond mindlessly with a soft sad smile. She was trying to get past those memories, and probably that's why she came here to find solace.

"Stand up," Daniel suddenly said, and Elliana looked at him with scrunched brows.

"Do you want to be late for your lecture on the first day? The time is almost up," Daniel explained, and Elliana looked at her watch before widening her eyes slightly.

Shoot! She was so buried in her sad memories that she didn't even look at the time.

"I will take you there in time," Daniel said before extending his hand for her to take, and Elliana looked at him, unsure.

"Stop overthinking things. You are my friend starting today, and I am not doing it out of pity just to be clear. Let me figure out what it is about you that attracts me so much. Besides, let me make it very clear. No one bullies my friends. I will suck them dry if that happens," Daniel said, and Elliana looked at him for a few seconds before she burst out laughing.

"Oh my god, that's the cheesiest thing," Elliana chuckled, and Daniel widened his eyes for a moment when he saw her laughing so freely with tears in her eyes.

She looked otherworldly. The way faint sunlight shone on her skin, and her eyes turned a crescent moon's shape, she looked like a scenery.

Her laugh was contagious, and Daniel started smiling with her.

Elliana, who was too busy laughing, didn't even notice when her hand went over the pond's water, and a wave of shock passed through her body, making her jerk back.

She looked at her hand with wide eyes when she noticed the glowing blue light that looked like it was flowing through her veins and gulped.

"Hey, are you okay?" Daniel asked her, and she quickly clenched her hand in a fist.

"Y-yeah, let's go. We are already late," Elliana said, and Daniel looked at her suspiciously, not saying anything nonetheless.

Elliana placed her left hand in his.

"Are you okay with me touching you a bit? Like lifting you slightly?" Daniel asked, and Elliana bit her lips.

She didn't want him to touch her, but Mr. Marino had said she shouldn't be naughty and mischievous in college. What if she is late and the teacher complains about it to him? Elliana shook her head before nodding at Daniel.

The latter smiled and bent before holding her bridal style. One of his hands was under her knees while the other hand was on her back. He ensured that his hands were away from any inappropriate places.

"Close your eyes," he looked at her.

"I would rather have them open. This is my first time," Elliana talked like this was some kind of adventure ride, and Daniel didn't know how to respond.

"Whatever suits you," he sighed before he bent a little and jumped into the air, running at his vampire speed.

Elliana felt a swoosh of wind around her, making it hard for her to see anything, and she instinctively closed her eyes.

After what felt like an eternity were only five minutes, Daniel suddenly stopped, and Elliana opened her eyes slowly.

"So? Did you enjoy it?" Daniel asked, looking down at her, and she looked around, noticing she was finally in her department.

It looked like a fire exit staircase.

"I didn't want to embarrass you. You said you hate attention," Daniel reasoned before putting her down, and Elliana smiled at him thankfully.

"Let's go," Daniel held her hand before pulling her out of the emergency staircase, and as soon as they exited, Elliana's eyes met with Alcinder, who was leaning in front of her class.

Alcinder's eyes turned dark when he saw Daniel and Elliana walking together.

"Where were you guys?" He stood straight before walking to them, stepping a bit too close to Elliana for her liking.