I remained frozen in place, watching her step out of the room, a grin on her face.
I tried to deceive myself; maybe it was a mistake, I was interpreting it wrong, and she probably meant something else.
Maybe.
Just maybe.
A hand tapped my shoulder suddenly, getting my head out of the clouds. It was Matthew; he seemed worried.
"What did she tell you? You look distressed", He asked, his grip on my shoulder tight.
"Nothing", I replied almost immediately. "I-I need to go somewhere. Don't tell Aaron someone was searching for him till I come back".
I grabbed the door handle and pushed it open uncertainly.
What if I'm just being an idiot, falling for a trap blindly? What if I just heard wrong?
Matthew reached out to me again, but I had to ignore him this time, so I closed the door shut, running towards the gates.
The security men stopped me, blocking the exit. "And where do you think you're going? You can't leave the school premises till it's evening".
"My brother", I cried, lying reflexively, "His medications have finished and I forgot. He needs to them live!"
A tear escaped from my eyes. "Please, Sir, he is basically bedridden; I can't lose my only family".
The man scoffed, a bit of pity in his eyes, as he opened the gate slightly and I jumped through, thanking him, now half breathless.
I rushed to the river, ignoring the stares I got from the places I passed by, the murmurs asking if I was okay, and the worried words of those who thought whatever was chasing me was coming for them too.
I stopped, gasping for breath. I was near the river; it was close enough for me to see it.
It was in a secluded area: the river, the only reason why I could come here whenever I wanted, the reason the Son of Uranus casually swam in it.
I walked closer to it, profusely sweating. I didn't know why I had ran; maybe it was the spark of fear I had in me that he could change his mind if I wasted a second.
I got closer to it, the bench almost in my view. "I-Is anyone here-
My stomach turned, words slipping through my mouth, "There you are.... Rose".
She was sitting on the bench, a red-haired man beside her. He had the same figure with the one I had met before, though I was behind them, so I couldn't be sure.
"She's here", the redhead said, confirming my suspicions; that voice, it was definitely him.
Rose looked at him as I slowly went forward, getting a view of their faces. "She's here already", Rose said, smiling. "So fast".
She ran a finger through her hair, her smile growing wider, and a cold, strange feeling filling my body.
Her hair slowly changed from ginger to black, her eyes from a striking blue to a deep sea green and her entire figure became that of a man.
That of the Son of Uranus.
"It was so exhausting to be a pretty woman." He placed his hands on the redhead's shoulder, smirking, "Next time I'll try a bald man".
He laughed, a small light of hope filling me. I wasn't concerned with the fact he had just transformed from Rose to The Son Of Uranus.
All I wanted to know about was my curse.
I bowed, enough to accord respect, "I greet you, Restorer of the Sea. It is an honor that you let me stand in your presence today".
He held his chest, laughing even more than before, playfully hitting the redhead next to him.
Unexpectedly, he got up from the bench, coming towards me, attempting to lift my face himself once he noticed I was about to look up.
"Little mortal", He said, a smirk on his face, "Do you know why I'm laughing?"
"Greetings from peasants like me is worth nothing more than laughter. It is the rule of the world and I am not offended by it".
He looked at the redhead, "Did she talk like this when you met her last time?"
"No, Master Uel, The mortal wasn't in any way formal when I met her. I do believe she's according this level of respect because she hopes for you to reverse her curse".
Uel placed a hand on my head,smiling "I don't like pretenders you know?"
I sighed, clearing my throat, "I can be a very respectful person naturally, I just sometimes...fail".
He backed up slightly, letting go of my face, "Clean your tears Mortal", He wrapped his arms around the redhead's shoulder, "My advisor here brought me some very interesting news recently, he says you wish to reverse an immortal curse".
"Yes, I-
He placed a hand on his lips, interrupting me, "You don't need to say anything, I am very much aware".
"Come", He said, tapping the spot next to him, "Come sit".
My eyes met his, unsure if what I saw was malice or something much worse, His grin grew wider the longer I stared ,and his taps grew impatient.
I walked closer, every step feeling heavy till I finally reached him, forcing myself to sit,
"I'm sat, What did you want from-
He placed his head on my shoulder, stopping me from talking as he positioned his neck in such a way that his lips were near my ear and his breathing suggested he wanted to say something.
"Dream on".
And the world went black.
It felt like forever.
I could feel my unconsciousness, a very weird feeling like a part of me was awake and aware the other part was asleep.
My body hurt immensely, like I had fallen from somewhere a bit high. I realized I could sit up, the awake part of me I assumed.
"Could it be a lucid dream?", I thought, sitting, the pain becoming slightly less as I moved.
I could feel a rough, grassy area beneath me, and the aroma of good stew in the air.
I looked down, fear gripping me once I noticed my surroundings, I was nowhere near home.
Grass, lots of it, there was a small cabin to the side and a straw hat on my head, it appeared I was in a gown the same colour as the straw hat.
"What the-
A voice rang in my ear, a high pitched sound. I covered them immediately, a cry escaping my lips as it finally came to an end.
I touched my ears slowly, checking if I would see any blood, my heart still beating fast from the incident.
"Miss Genessa", A voice whispered.
I looked around, wondering who could be calling me. In this unfamiliar place, Who would know my name?
"In your mind,Miss Genessa. I'm in your mind. Don't be scared, you mortals are such fans of that weakness", The voice laughed.
"What did you do to me?!, How in the world are you in my head?" I cried, knowing it was Uel.
"Reversing your curse", He replied. "I will bring you back home by midnight exactly. Do what is needed of you here, and I will reverse the curse".
"What are you even talking about? Where did you take me?!"
"Somewhere nice".
I gritted my teeth. "You- What is even needed of me here?!"
A chuckle escaped him. "Find out".