Farah's Pov

Now how long had it been since I taught Diara magic lore and practical martial arts?

20 years ?
Or did it stumble into my life right at the beginning of my teaching career?

"Farah?" she breathed my name.

Her dark brown eyes met mine.
Just like when we said goodbye, I sank into the whirlpool of their lakes.
My whole body started tingling.

This electrifying feeling, which had spread through me like an avalanche, has been with me for a very long time.

My breath caught when I realized what a beauty she had grown into.

It was an honor to count her among the best and bravest students I have ever had the privilege of teaching in my teaching career.

Because if the fairy of light hadn't sneaked into one of our trucks when we were on our way to the burnt ones, I wouldn't be alive now.

The memory of that day was briefly reflected in my inner eye:

When we defeated the Scorched in the Valley of the Giants, I felt something was wrong. However, my exhilaration at having won the first joint victory together with my best friends was stronger than the feeling of uneasiness in my stomach.

So without further ado I brushed the dust off my clothes and walked towards Ben Harvey and Saul with a big smile on my face.
They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even notice me.

Only when an approaching noise reached our ears did they look up.

They both looked past me, startled.

Everything happened so fast.

Because when I instinctively turned around, Diara's half-brother rushed the last few meters towards me, brandishing a knife and roaring: "Die!"

I panicked as I stood rooted to the spot in front of him, waiting for my end.

So that's it?
Was I born just for this moment to die at his hands?

,, WILL!! What the hell..? ", Saul spat, but he got no further, because a bright beam of light hit the oncoming specialist and caused him to crash to the ground with his eyes wide open.
The knife slipped from his fingers.
With the last of his strength he turned his head in a certain direction.

Heart pounding, I followed his example and swallowed hard when I saw her standing in the clearing.

A wave of relief washed through my limbs, easing my panic.

How come Diara saved my life?

At that point I didn't realize how much I was already in love with my protégé.

The dark-haired fairy of light dived towards her brother.
She fell to her knees, trembling, sobbing as she pulled the dead body of the specialist to her.

"I'm so sorry Will. Please..please forgive me brother.", she pleaded tearfully and snuggled closer and closer to him.
Her grief and the deep pain in her soul overwhelmed me, so that I put both hands on my stomach protectively.

Seeing her like that broke my heart.
I wanted to go and comfort her, but my body wouldn't obey.

memory end

I quickly wiped away a tear and just tried to focus on my crush.

My heart pounded wildly against my chest as her lips curled in a gentle smile.

Nobody except Saul and Ben knew about my feelings for Diara.
Maybe it was better that way.
Because that was the safest way for her.
if anything ever happened to her, there would be no reason for me to continue.
She was... my heartbeat that kept me alive.
Without her... .

"Farah, what are you doing here?" came these words, with a little emphasis on the lips of my crush.

I had to suppress the urge with all my might not to put my lips on yours.
Because there was no way I wanted to overwhelm her with my feelings.

"Diara, is there somewhere we can talk undisturbed...?" I replied as calmly as I could and straightened my shoulder.
As long as these burned ones roamed about, I must not become careless.

The fairy of light nodded slowly and motioned for me to follow her with her free hand.

So we crossed the corridor in silence and turned left once.
After that, Diara unlocked a door and let me enter first in an empty class.

She followed me and closed the door behind us.

I felt that she had questions and was confused.

But I also felt something else.
Something that seemed much stronger than the rest of her emotions.

"So why are you here Farah?"

xxx

What do you think?

Update coming soon..