“FUCK!” Vero screamed and jumped back. She almost fell backward if Lev didn’t catch her swiftly. Lev grabbed Vero’s waist and pulled her, saving her from hitting a pile of sharp-cornered books.Vero’s arms folded in front of her chest, becoming a barrier between her and Lev. She lifted her face and her eyes met his. Her breath was panting and felt hot.Lev’s face was so close and, even though he always looked cold, now he became the sun in this gloomy place. Vero could breathe a sigh of relief just by looking at him. Yeah, she knew her thought was so ridiculous. As time went on, she didn’t understand her feelings for Lev.“What are you doing here?” asked Vero under her breath.Lev didn’t answer. Vero then heard a clearing from behind him and she tilted her head to the side to see who it was.“Have you found what you were looking for, Mr. Deammone?” asked Mr. Moldark. He stood in the doorway. His big fat body blocked Vero’s view towards the hallway, but Vero seemed to catch a glimpse o

The medicine that Sant gave was very effective. After Vero drank it and went to bed, she woke up feeling refreshed the next day. The social sanctions she received were, in fact, not as bad as she had imagined. And she couldn’t help thanking Lev for helping her, even though she didn’t understand what Lev’s motivation was for doing that.It felt too strange for Lev’s arrival at the Moldark residence to be called a coincidence. But Vero also doesn’t want to expect much, especially after Lev openly ordered Vero to leave Duradel.Vero took a deep breath as she remembered that. She shouldn’t have felt hurt, but that was how she felt. In fact, it still lingers to this day.When she came out of the room and locked the door, she heard the door across her room open. She turned her head and found Gothic Jia coming out of the room.“Good morning,” said Vero. She smiled slightly and, for some reason, she felt happy because Jia returned her smile lazily.“Are they bothering you again?” asked Jia af

Mr. James stood by the door, looming like shadow and terror… and also the hope for Vero.Hatice dropped the scissors from her hand, then stood up straight and turned to face Mr. James while hiding her hands behind her back. The two burly girls who held Vero release her and stood up straight beside Hatice.“Hi, Mr. James,” said Hatice. Even though she couldn’t see her face, Vero could hear the smile in her words. “What are you doing in the women’s restroom?”Mr. James didn’t answer Hatice’s question, which, of course, was not a real question and only meant to be a joke. He looked past Hatice and his gaze fell on Vero’s torn clothes.“Ms. Windward,” called Mr. James. “What happened to you?”“I—““We’re just solving a problem between girls—”“I’m asking Ms. Windward, not you, Ms. Solace.”Hatice was silent when Mr. James cut her off, and Vero saw Hatice’s hands clenched tightly behind her back. Mr. James’ treatment against her must have hurt her pride.Vero tried to stand up. Her legs fe

Clouds hung in the sky when Vero entered the library. The weather in Duradel this afternoon was gloomy as if to confirm Mr. James’ words about the storm that hit several towns around Duradel the past few days. And just as Vero suspected earlier, the incident with Mr. James could not stop Hatice from torturing her. It’s just that Hatice’s way this time was more ‘calm’. She secretly took Vero’s lecture assignment and burned it, then put it back in her bag. Vero didn’t know when and how Hatice did that, or maybe she wasn’t the culprit. But one thing was certain, Vero had to re-do the assignment because her lecturer required that assignments be handwritten, not typed. The atmosphere of the library was as gloomy as the weather outside. The somber sunlight streamed through the large windows at the top of the walls. There weren’t many visitors this afternoon, and Vero was pleased that way. The presence of many people around her was the last thing she wanted, after everything that had happ

Vero didn’t give Vincent a chance to narrow the distance between them. Before Vincent can touch her, Vero throws the plastic bag filled with books in her hand at him, hoping the books will hit him and knock him down, or at least hinder his movement. But her shaking hands, plus the books that were too heavy for her, made her throw only as far as one reach. As a result, the books fell with a loud thump between her and Vincent. “Ah….” Vero was at a loss for words and could only see the books that were thrown out of the plastic bag and fell scattered on the floor. A book slid quite far and stopped right at Vincent’s feet. He bent down and picked it up, then pressed it to his chest. “You want it?” he asked, moving the book around as if he were offering a toy to a child. His sinister grin perched on his lips. “Come and get it.” “No. You can have it!” Vero replied, shaking her head. Goosebumps all over her body because of him. He’s even more terrifying than Conner. “You can have them all