I woke in the nurse's room, to the hand caressing my forehead.
    "Agatha?" Harry's calm voice called. I didn't respond, just stared at him blankly.
"I'm sorry about that incident. I'll find out who were involved in that senseless act I promise."
      Surprise strangled me.
Why was he suddenly caring? Sure he kept an eye over the students. After all, he was the captain. But from his tone, and the glint of life in his eyes, it was more than his duties.

   When the nurse walked in, Harry stepped aside.
"She's okay. Just needs to drink a lot of water. Was a case of dehydration."
       I just stared at both of them.
Something felt utterly wrong. Either I was imagining the eerie feeling, or it was real.

I didn't need super senses to realise that there was a third eye watching me.
    "Come on, let's get you to the cafeteria for some fresh water." Harry grinned helping me get off of the slim bed.
On our way out, I glanced back. The nurse was taking her seat behind the desk facing the bed.
    Then he was there... His hair white as snow, his gray eyes piercing mine with an evil grin on his white face... The devil himself had shown up, Athaga Cruise.
   
        It could only mean one thing for his spirit to leave my body, I was with the Damned.

My eyes shifted on the male escorting me into the hallway.
  Looking for signs of the mark.
But the blazer had hidden a large scale of his neck.
        I stopped dead on my track, then grabbed my tummy in fake pain. "Aah!"
"Hey? Are you-" "It's, painful."

   Harry quickly swept me off the floor. In that contact, I pulled the back of the blazer at the neck. And it was there...a clear black loop.
     "It's you!" I breathed against his shoulder. The tears rolled out for real. Just wishing I hadn't gone ahead to check it.
        I won't tell them I've found him. I swore clutching the collar of Harry's blazer tightly.
*              *            *

   Praying for the hundredth time, I forced myself to stand before the full-length mirror. Ever since my eighteenth birthday, I had turned it away from my bed.
        But now that 'he' was out of my body, maybe I could confirm it...

  "Agatha?" A quiet voice whispered over my right shoulder. "Open your beautiful eyes. Grandpa is here."
     "No!" I cried. "Just, go away!"
A bubbly laugh erupted from the male's spirit I could feel touching my back.
  "You think I waited this long just to go away? Agatha? Open those eyes and look at me."
  Instead, I glued them even tighter, hugging myself to shield from his cold presence.

      "Huh! Stubborn just like your Grandma."
Something wet and hot trickled down both cheeks.
   "Why do you want to come back? Why can't you stay dead? Stay a memory?" I demanded in furious tears.

        "Dear? You won't understand... Just do what is necessary and Crown him. For eighteen hundred years, I've waited. It's time I come back. Time, we take over as we had. Black Hills is for the Cruises. And you my dear, you'll rule by my side."
     "No!" I snapped covering my ears with my palms before slipping to the floor in heavy sobs.

  "Just stay, dead. Just...stay, de-e-ead."
For ten minutes, I hugged my knees crying, cursing, and sobbing.
*               *           *

     The car neared the school gates, a part of my chest iced.
How was I to face everyone all over after yesterday?
A willing teardrop escaped from my right eye remembering all the hurt I had had to go through because of William. The humiliation.
        "Stop!"
I ordered all of a sudden. And Leo obeyed.
  "Any problem Ma'am?"
Before replying, I grabbed my backpack and slid out of the car.
  His dark window lowered, while a look of concern masked his handsome face. "Are you alright?"

     "Yes. Yes. And, um...I'll take a bus home today. No need to come get me." "But your-"
  "Tell her it was my wish. That I insisted. Please?"
Leo let a sigh slip off.
   "Okay. But better get home early ma'am."
I nodded as he drove off.

After series of thoughts, I decided not to proceed for school. Just trolled away to the other road in a slow pace.
     For over twenty minutes, I walked. Barely taking interest at the people peeping through the windows at either side of the road... What was wrong with people? Couldn't I take a walk without their stupid stares?
           If I were to hand over quarter my heart, would they handle its weight? Simply, no.

From a distance, I recognised the male hurrying towards my direction. The same reason I wasn't attending school for the day... I jumped behind the closest tree along the street. Held my breath while shutting my eyes.
        His pace was quick, yet made not a single sound.

   As Will walked ahead, I tiptoed round the tree at the back side so that I'd dash back on the road once he had his back at me.
   But when I was a heartbeat from success, I bumped into him. The impact had me render a shrill jerking back.

       The deep anticipated laugh from him frustrated more than his intimidating soul. By every description, had learnt that this William guy was nothing but trouble.
   "Was someone hiding from me?"
I inhaled, going cold on replying.

Not till he yanked me against him by my arms. "I'm talking to you!" Will breathed on my face. At that kind of closeness, sharing the same breaths with him, a huge lump formed deep in my throat.
   Looking down at my hands, they had gone palm-flat on his chest. I pushed them down in a blink. Causing him to chuckle.

"I have no problem with you wishing to get intimate with me at the middle of the road Angel."
    "Let go!" I hissed.
"What? You going to turn weird on me again? Throw me on top of a roof?"

"William! Please!" I broke down. "And stay far from me."
    Yet, the dare devil cupped my jaw. His thumb brushed the left corner of my lips.
"I just have one problem, don't know how to give up so easily."
   I caught the hand. "Then I'll make you."

Did I make a mistake looking in the depths of his dark eyes? Yes, a beautiful and scary mistake from how my insides melted.
     Will's eyes dropped to my lips. Just when I thought he would kiss me, he let go and walked off.
My jaw dropped.

  How could he just leave? He'd pushed me off my guard, made me yearn for a feel of his lips. Then left.
I wanted to cry... But of course, that's how everyone loved hurting me. Even my own parents. Maybe if they'd be alive, things would be a little different.