The Shadow Within Me

Chapter Thirty Six - Heights

Crystal Raine Meadows

I could still feel my blood boiling after leaving that ramen store. I was supposed to have a happy time but that blizzard guy ruined it!

What the hell is wrong with him? Can't I just enjoy one day of break? Why does he always have to ruin my day?!

Sometimes you really just want to kill him and admire him at the same time, he's like a difficult puzzle to solve!

Why does he care about my excuse? He doesn't have anything to say to it, I don't freaking understand that human dragon being!

"Are you okay, Crystal? You look highly upset or mad about something," Liam probably noticed the expressions that I was making, so I shook my head at him.

"N-No, I'm fine just feeling a little bit full," I lied, so he just nodded his head at me before smiling.

"Don't worry, we'll rest for an hour before hiking the mountain, it'll help bring down the food," he informed, so I nodded at him because it was a great idea.

After we found Jenny and Rowen, we rested for an hour before we decided to take off and ride ferry dragons towards that mountain.

It took us a while to arrive there and the ferry dragons landed at the entrance of the mountain, we thanked them and gave them snacks before staring at the huge, high mountain before us.

The eerie mist that covers up the rest of the mountain we're everywhere. It was so cold that's why it's a little bit hard to see if we go further up the mountain.

"Wow, this looks like it's going to be fun," Rowen smiled as he looked at his mate. Jenny looks so impatient hiking this mountain already.

"Are we going to be alright? The mist looks like it's going to be worse if we reach higher ground," I claimed, so Jenny just shook her head at me.

"We'll be fine! Come on, let's go, we're wasting time!" Jenny exclaimed, so I just sighed as those two guys decided to carry some of the heavy things.

There’s nothing that could stop that woman if she gets excited, that’s also what I like about Jenny though.

I took a deep breath before looking at the huge mountain before us, "Are you ready, Crystal?" Liam asked on my side while he's starting to wear his gears, it looks like they're really prepared for this.

"Y-Yes, ready," I smiled at him, so we decided to start climbing up that mountain. At first, it was difficult since it was my first time walking on the body of the mountain.

I could hear a lot of small animals hiding whenever we reached and held onto some trunks of the trees to rest, the sun was being covered by the clouds so it's making it less hard to climb this mountain.

My nose embraced the smell of the fresh dew of the leaves, the smell of the muddy ground, and the fresh breeze of the air while my eyes were roaming around the place because I could see a lot of familiar and rare plants that couldn't be found in the markets.

It's like I'm learning biology outside of the classroom, "It's like we're already on a field trip," I hummed while clearing some bushes on my way.

"Oh yeah guys I just remembered, did you hear? We're going to have a field trip," I beamed, so they stared at me from behind.

"Field trip? What is that?" Rowen curiously asked so I explained to them what Ate Kathy told me.

"W-Wow! That sounds so exciting! I can't wait!" Jenny cheered so as these two guys that are with us right now.

"Yeah, we'll probably have exams first before the field trip, I'll start studying after I get home later," I thought about my to-do list, so Liam just laughed on my side.

"You're really an interesting woman, Crystal, who thinks of studying in the middle of hiking?" he chuckled, so I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

What's so wrong with that? "It's just her thinking those kinds of stuff, it's Crystal after all," Jenny claimed as they laughed, so I complained as we continued to climb up that mountain.

We were having a good time talking and bonding with one another until we didn't realize that we're already in the middle of the mountain, it's high enough for me not to peek from below and I don't have any plans on doing it either.

I choose to be in the middle of everyone, just in case I might fall because of my clumsiness, someone will be there to catch me on each other's sides.

"W-We're almost there guys! I can't wait to camp up!" Jenny cheered, so we just smiled at her as we continued to clear some paths and bushes towards the top of the mountain.

I don't know how many steps there were until we reached the top and the edge of the cliff. We were all catching our breaths but a smile was plastered on our lips after seeing the mists with the beautiful view before us.

"W-We made it! It's so beautiful!" Jenny ran on the edge, so Rowen happily laughed and followed her. I took off my bag and stared at them from afar. I used my arms to warm up my sides and body, it's so freaking cold!

"Hey, do you want to come and see the edge?" Liam appeared on my side, so I flinched before shaking my head at him.

"I-I'll look at it later, you guys can go see it first," I mumbled while smiling at him, so he just nodded and followed those two shouting at the edge of the cliff.

It will probably be terrifying for me to look from the edge of the cliff because we're too high up, I could feel my knees shaking just by thinking of standing on the edge.

"Maybe I'll just look at it and never step closer to the cliff, they won't find out if I told them that I already looked," I reassured myself while nodding.

"Are you afraid of heights?" I flinched after hearing that voice on my back. I slowly turned around, my eyes widened after I saw Calyx and the student council in their hiking outfits. What the?

"Hey Crystal! We decided to hike too!" Peter cheered, so I furrowed my eyebrows for a moment before smiling.

"H-Hey there," I nervously waved my hands at them while ignoring Calyx's statement, "You should've told us, we would've hiked together," I smiled, so they just laughed at me.

"Don't worry it's alright, we were at your backs the whole--" David was smacked by Calyx on the back before he could even finish his statement.

"Shut up, David, we talked about this," Calyx threatened him, so David just playfully raised his hand while sticking his tongue out at Calyx.

I don't know why I think this group gets along so well, "Crystal! We should start prepping--" Jenny stopped after noticing that we had company.

"Oh wait, it's the student council and the blizzard guy!" Jenny greeted, so those boys stopped for a moment before laughing.

"Oh my God! Why didn't we think about that title before?! It freaking suits him! You're a genius!" David laughed while hugging his stomach, he looks like he's about to die because of laughing.

"David, if you won't stop laughing, I'll start creating your grave and tomb," Calyx coldly threatened, but David just continued laughing. Calyx looks highly pissed as he starts strangling David's neck. Is David going to die?

"Sorry about them, but I hope you won't mind us hiking here too," Peter shook Jenny's hands as she shook her head at him.

"So you guys we're hiking too! This is fun! There's so many of us!" Jenny cheered as she suggested setting out some blankets.

After everyone greeted one another, we took out our food, snacks, and beverages on the blankets while watching the view in the middle of the cliff. 

Jenny and I prepared the blankets, foods, and beverages while the student council we're having fun on their own while giving us their snacks that we will all be sharing. 

Liam and Rowen can't be called out to eat as they stand on the very edge of the cliff. They look like they're talking about something so personal as they smile and stare at each other in a very solemn manner.

Amazingly, they're not scared of things like that. I wanted to do that too, but I'm too terrified to look from below and be nauseous.

"Crystal, do you want to join me on the cliff? I promise you the view from below is breathtaking," Liam jogged towards my side. I was leaning on the trunk of the tree near the blanket, so I just nervously smiled at him.

"It's alright, I can check it later, I want to eat first," I lied, so Liam just smiled before patting my head.

"She's not a freaking wolf," someone talked on our side, so I flinched after seeing Calyx standing right next to us.

"W-Woah, you scared me, dude," Liam scratched the back of his head before looking at me one last time and Calyx intently.

He looks like he's wondering about something while shaking his head like he doesn't believe that there is something. What is he thinking?

"I'll go check the view again, I'll talk to you later," Liam sweetly smiled at me, so I bid him goodbye before sighing.

"You're scared of heights," Calyx claimed, so I almost flinched while shaking my head at him nervously.

"N-No I'm not, what makes you say that?" I almost stuttered, "And do you mind? I'm having a moment here, I want to be alone," I mumbled while hugging myself.

"How can you ride Flash then if you're afraid of heights?" he sounded like he's asking himself, "Maybe if you close your eyes, you wouldn't mind," he added, so I flinched before glaring at him.

"Y-You can't just claim something like that, I just don't feel like staring at the view right now okay? Plus," I boldly moved towards his front and raised my chin, "I don't like talking to you right now because of what happened back there at the ramen store," I fumed before leaving him.

Fortunately, he didn't bother me until all of us ate some snacks and talked about our likes and dislikes.

Even before we decided to go home because the sun had set, I didn't look at the cliff. I just don't have the strength to do it.

Calyx never glanced at me after we had that intense talk, sometimes we gazed at each other for a while and would immediately avoid each other's eyes.

Luckily, no one notices how awkward we are against each other, this is getting stressful. How are we going to be able to train tomorrow?

I just sighed and decided to go along with things, it's fun to have this kind of company. I feel like I have never been bullied before in our University.

If only things were this easy, my new school year would probably be even better, but having this right now isn't bad either. I'm surviving and still smiling, that's enough for me.

I flinched when someone put their shoulders around me, I noticed that it was Liam smiling at me intently.

"Hey, Crystal, we didn't talk that much today, I really wanted to get out with you sometimes to talk, but now this happened," he chuckled, so I just smiled at him.

We're now hiking below the mountain, we already fixed up our things a while ago and we're finally going home.

"Why? Is there anything important you would like to talk about? Is this about the book?" I worriedly asked that's right...Liam wanted to go out because he wanted my opinion on some books, so why were we here when Jenny invited me about Liam?

"That's just an excuse, I really just want to be with you," he solemnly admitted, so I furrowed my eyebrows at him. He’s acting weird.

"Really huh?" I nervously laughed before tapping his arms, "You're really a joker sometimes," I bit my lower lip before looking at him from above. 

Liam is a bit tall too, but I think Calyx is the tallest among men inside of our classroom. He's just that um...whatever.

"I'm not joking, I really want to be--" we both stopped when someone grabbed our clothes from behind.

I inhaled that familiar scent, so I furrowed my eyebrows from behind, "H-Hey! D-Do you mind--" I stopped when I noticed that he took something from Liam's back. It was a small glowing snake and I'm familiar with that kind of species.

Liam almost fainted, so I immediately grabbed his waist to help him to stand up, but Calyx stole him away from me.

Jenny, Rowen, and the rest of the student council are a bit farther away from us to notice what's happening right here.

"It's the snake of desires, it makes you bold enough to do things that you're not able to do normally," he coldly said before helping Liam to stand properly, he glanced at me for a moment and I could feel his intense gazes at me.

"And how could you just let other men touch you like that? Don't you have any sense of decency?" he fumed, so I scoffed for a moment before glaring at him.

"W-What is it to you? He's my friend, he's not sexually harassing me, jeez!" I complained, so he walked past me before stopping.

"Does he even see you as a friend? I guess you're not smart enough to understand the obvious things," he firmly stated before leaving me.

To be continued...