The Shadow Within Me

Chapter Forty One - Curry

Crystal Raine Meadows

I was anxiously walking side by side with the student council towards the big library. I don't know how they can walk so naturally with numerous eyes looking at their presence.

They should be bothered by it even just a little bit right? I just sighed while scratching the back of my head.

Calyx was nowhere to be seen, he's probably going to eat lunch or something and his group seems like they know where he is without them asking him.

"Don't worry, he's going to be there later," David chimed in, which made me flinch as I stared at him on my side.

Peter Hughes and his mate, Rayleigh were talking and walking side by side, Razer Black on the other hand was wearing his black headphones while David is keeping me company right now.

"W-Who's going to be there?" I furrowed my eyebrows at him, so he pouted his lips while shaking his head.

"Oh? Am I wrong? I thought you were thinking about where Calyx is right now," he claimed while smiling, so my eyes widened.

"I-I'm not, don't make me nervous," I sighed in disbelief, so he just laughed while hugging his tummy like an i***t.

"You sounded so defensive, but usually every second bell, he sneaks out of the university just to eat at that ramen store that he likes so much," David shared, so I just scratched the back of my head.

"Well, it must be really special to him because he told me that's where he and Mrs. Hailey first had their meals together," I mumbled, so David looked at me intently.

"I didn't know about that, I'm surprised he comfortably told you that," he stared at the marbled-tiled floors.

"It's a bit weird since, shouldn't they have been eating meals together ever since they were young?" I curiously asked, so he furrowed his eyebrows at me like he’s oddly confused at what he heard from me.

"You don't know the past of those twins?" he sounded surprised, so I slowly nodded my head at him.

"W-Well, um, I haven't read stories about that in books, plus I don't get out that much, I'm pretty much always locked in our house ever since I was a kid," I shyly explained.

He looked worried for a moment before patting my head, "I think you should know something about it, you would understand why he's a complete jerk," my eyes widened at what he said to his friend, so he laughed at my reactions.

"Jeez, your reactions are always so priceless," he calmed down before looking at me intently, "If you have time, maybe you should start looking for information about it," he suggested.

I tilted my head at him and didn't question stuff further. I've always been wondering why others fear Calyx so much while they literally worship Mrs. Hailey.

Shaking my head, we just continued talking about basic stuff and didn't realize that we arrived at the Library.

Peter's mate called me, so I approached her as she clung to my arms, which made me smile. She sure looks happy right now.

Rayleigh sighed in relief, "It's great to have another woman in this group, I'm tired baby-sitting these idiots," she complained, so I just laughed when the boys reacted.

"Hey, babe! Who are you calling idiots?" Peter pouted, so Rayleigh just raised her eyebrows at him.

"You three, who else? Calyx might be rude but he's not a freaking i***t," Rayleigh firmly stated, so Peter looks like he's about to cry.

I chuckled at how poorly she treated those boys that are currently comforting each other right now, "Well it's nice to meet the boss of this group," I joked, so she just laughed before smiling at me.

"To be honest, I'm getting tired of those boys, and um, are you okay now?" she worriedly asked, so I stopped for a moment. Right, she was always there whenever I’m in trouble and the student council together with Calyx was there to save me.

"Y-Yes, thank you for always being there to help me," I sincerely thanked her, so she just shook her head at me.

"We wouldn't be there if Calyx wasn't the one who's looking for you first, we're just following him, we're afraid that people might get the wrong idea of him," she claimed, so I tilted my head at her.

"Do people always misunderstand him?" I curiously asked, so she just nodded while escorting me towards that special room of theirs.

"Yes, almost every day that's why he became like that, but we all know that he just wants to belong, so we never left his side no matter what," she happily shared, so I smiled at her.

So there are reasons why he's a jerk, acts nice sometimes, and most of the time, he's always a blizzard jerk.

"He must feel so lucky to have you guys as his friends," I claimed, so she just chuckled while shaking her head at me.

"Oh I hope he knows that too," she halted at a big door right in front of us, "We're here," she beamed and opened the door.

After the door made a creaking sound, it revealed to us an enormous looking room that's filled with many bookshelves, study tables, a living room, a kitchen, and a freaking dining room.

I peered my head at the outside before looking at the inside again. How did a room as big as a one-level house fit inside this big library?

"That reaction, it's freaking priceless," David chuckled, so I furrowed my eyebrows at him while shaking my head.

"Oh, are we going to eat lunch?" Razer Black asked as he finally took off his headphones, he looks like he's the laziest one inside this group.

That's right, I think we should eat lunch first before studying hard or else it would be all for naught. Do they have decent food here? 

"I heard Rayleigh is going to make our lunch," David claimed as he jumped on the sofa and rested over there.

"Crystal! Come here, let's make lunch!" Rayleigh invited me, so I approached her in the kitchen and was still really surprised that a room was this big inside the big library.

"What do you think we should cook?" she curiously asked while looking at the fridge, so I checked on the inside and noticed that we could make curry with the ingredients over there.

"How about some curry?" I suggested, so Rayleigh beamed before grabbing the ingredients out of the fridge.

"I'll start prepping the ingredients, you should cook," she exclaimed, so my eyes widened in disbelief.

"W-What um, you guys might not like how I cook," I nervously said, so she just shook her head before laughing.

"Relax, it's just us, plus from the looks of it, Mrs. Woods must probably have taught you a lot of things, I heard she's a great cook," she whispered, so I smiled and agreed with her. 

Ate Kathy is such a great cook, she never once failed me in every dish and pastries that she makes for us.

"Go on our beautiful chef, let's start making lunch for these starving human dragons!" she cheered, so I just shook my head and tied my hair in a ponytail.

They will let me study here later on, so I might as well give them my best shot and start washing the tools I'll need.

Calyx Nyxerian Paraiso

I've been counting the tiles ever since I started studying again inside this university. It's one of the things that keeps me distracted from the voice that's been talking in my mind.

I still don't know what's the cause of it and it keeps mentioning disasters that are about to cover this realm.

The voice is getting worse, it even visits me in my dreams, though I still can't see that image clearly. All I know is that voice isn't good news.

Despite all those worries, I also can't erase the fact that I held her intently yesterday. She felt so warm and it pained me to see and hear her cry like that.

It was like torturing me to die, she's so vulnerable and I don't know what approach I'll do to make her not be afraid.

She has to overcome that fear or it'll be more difficult for her to fight in the skies for possible disasters and troubles.

I was pacing towards the special room in the big library when an aromatic smell of curry embraced my nose in the hallway.

I've already eaten, but that smell made me want to eat another batch of rice meal and ramen bowl. I swiftly paced towards where it came from and wasn't surprised that I found it in the room where we always hang out.

Aside from that curry, I could also smell her inside of that room. She really came with those guys huh?

I reached towards the handles and opened the door, the people weren't in the living room, so when I glanced at the kitchen, my eyes witnessed how adorable she looks wearing an apron with her jet-black hair tied in a ponytail. My heart thumped inside of my chest and it isn't freaking normal. 

Why am I getting affected by the simple things that she does? It's starting to annoy me so much to the point that I want to avoid her.

All of them were just waiting for her to finish with their eyes containing cravings and starvation, they didn't even notice me enter.

"It smells so good that I can't wait to taste it," David sounded like he's about to cry, so that woman just smiled at him.

"You'll have a taste, it'll be finished soon," she beamed. I stared at her intently and aside from Hailey, she smiled so beautifully.

Her smile is different enough to make her face glow, she doesn't look like any of her parents that I saw in that disaster.

She probably felt my gaze when she glanced at me. Her eyes widened for a moment before giving me a small smile.

"Hey, do you want to join us and eat lunch too?" she politely asked, I'm still wondering why she's this nice to me despite how I always treated her.

The group glanced at me and avoided my gaze, these freaking idiots, how dare they not acknowledge my presence?

"He already ate! Let us have all your cooking Crys!" David pleaded, so I glared at him. Why the hell is he calling her that? Are they close?

"I didn't eat much, whether you like it or not, I'm going to eat here too," I fumed before pacing towards the dining table and sat over there.

"You're just saying that because you want to taste her home cooking," David teased, so I glared at him.

"I-I made plenty for everyone, don't worry too much," she reassured, so David and I glanced at each other and he stuck out his tongue to me.

I gripped my hands under the table, this guy is really testing my patience. He’s always acting like a freaking child. He's lucky that he's my friend or else I'll freaking throw him out of this freaking place.

"It's done! Let me serve it there," she exclaimed while washing and drying her hands on the dry towel next to the fridge.

"Oh let me help you," Rayleigh helped that woman to set up the table as the boys sat on their seats like they're really excited to eat.

It didn't take them a while to serve the meals on our plates and with just the aroma, I know for sure that this dish tastes much better than all of the stores I've been to in the White Market. Even the appearance looks really appealing.

"Let's eat?" she invited before giving herself a mouthful bite of her cooked meal, all of them decided to taste it and their eyes lit up probably because of how good it tasted.

"This tastes so amazing! I knew that you would be a great one!" Rayleigh cheered as she immediately finished her first serving.

That woman blushed before scratching the back of her head, "T-Thanks, I'm glad you guys liked it," she shyly replied.

The idiots were so quiet as they focused on eating their first serving quickly, I just shook my head and decided to taste her meal.

I could feel her looking at me intently as I scooped a mouthful bite of rice and that delicious-looking curry.

After swallowing it, I stopped for a moment because I have never tasted such delicious food aside from Hailey.

"It tastes good," I commented, so the idiots stopped eating and stared at me intently as I continued eating that heavenly meal.

I stared at that woman and she's just smiling at me as she happily continued eating her meal.

To be continued...