The only way she knew to express herself was by art. The colors explained her moods and she felt calm as the paint settled on the canvas and color filled a blank page to make a scenery of her thoughts.

Also, it helped her with the panic attacks as her focus shifted on setting the right colors and perfecting her work or even doing a lousy sketch. 

After the snake incident, she sat whole night sketching the forest she saw just to calm herself. She did not draw the man who saved her because it didn't feel right for some reason. She hid the little drawing in her sketchbook which she kept secret. It contained her nightmares and deepest thoughts.

It was four at night when she was finally able to sleep.

~*~

Delia groaned as her alarm started beeping too loudly for her comfort. Groggily her hands moved and she pressed the dismiss button. Her eyes lids refused to open and felt heavy as lead. It took a moment for her to run through the schedule for the day.

She had barely four hours of sleep and her head felt heavy. Gathering her thoughts she flung her legs out of the bed and stood up making her way lazily to the pick out clothes for the day. She could hear the water running in the bathroom which meant that Wendy was an early riser. After pulling out a loose green knitted top and jeans, she sat down on her desk and stared outside the window waiting for Wendy to come out. 

Her first thought on gazing at the trees was the storm grey eyes of the man who saved her. He was dangerous and strange. And yet he saved her, no one in her life came to her rescue before. 

The click of the doorknob disrupted her thoughts as Wendy came out wrapped in a towel and hurriedly went over to check her cupboard not able to decide what to wear. To her, first impressions on people matter while Delia gave up on that long ago. Her every impression was bad on people.

Mumbling a good morning she went to take a shower and freshen up.

She needed caffeine to make her brain work because she lacked sleep and thankfully Wendy was the same since they didn't talk much till they reached the cafeteria for breakfast and coffee.

"I thought I will die," Wendy muttered as she took a large bite of her sandwich.

"Me too."Delia smiled slowly she coffee started doing its magic.

"What's your first class?" Wendy asked.

"I don't have classes for another three days." 

"Then why are you here early? You could have spent more time with your friends back home," She said not able to see the pain that crossed Delia's face.

"I wanted to check out the university." She partially lied.

"I have classes till twelve and then another one at two-thirty. Let's meet at five in front of the library gate." Wendy was a little too excited after the meal.

"What are we doing today?" Delia asked a little surprised.

"I need to go shopping for our freshers' bash. I have nice clothes but this one is themed so I need to look for something suitable."

"What is the theme?" Delia asked, happy seeing Wendy this excited.

"Fairy Tales." And rolled her eyes at the theme.

"What are you planning to wear?"

"I am thinking either Mulan or Elsa." Delia realized that both were strong characters.

She nodded at Wendy with admiration.

"I will meet you then."

And with that, they parted ways. Delia had to collect her transcripts from the admissions office after verification and then she planned on checking out the art studio nearby where the artwork of students was displayed. But in the back of her mind, she wanted to go back to the cafe. She wanted to thank her savior once.

~*~

The art studio was breathtakingly beautiful. It worked like therapy for her she went from one painting to another. The colors splattered on the canvas had so many meanings that she created multiple stories related to it. She noticed that each year a student won the National Art Championship and had the honor to place their work here. It was like a collection of treasures.

But when she reached the centerpiece, she froze. It was a simple black canvas with an outline of a man filled with white and red paint. Her heart clutched in pain inside and slow tears fell down her eyes. She stood there standing in front of the painting. She had no idea but it made her feel sad and guilty. She wanted to curl in her bed and cry all day and still, her regrets will never wash away.

"Are you okay, student?" Someone asked and she turned immediately wiping her tears.

"I guess so," She gave a small smile.

And with a nod, the staff left not asking anything else.

Delia turned back to the painting and noticed the artist's name mentioned below it, Devian Marcus Elainer.

~*~

After seeing the painting Delia's started feeling slightly depressed and she had no idea why.

She ideally roamed around after collecting her transcripts and sat in the library looking at art books and periodically checking the clock since it was still two hours before she could meet Wendy. As she felt uneasy after her art studio visit, she couldn't sit for two hours so she decided to gather courage and visit the cafe herself.

The climb to the mountain was a little difficult with the sun still high up in the sky as the heat made her tired easily. She spotted the old fruit selling couple who didn't respond even if they recognized her. She kept climbing and noticed a few other temporary stalls set up on her way up.

This time she noticed a few tourists and climbers and started climbing with a lighter heart. 

But higher she got, the lesser people she could spot. She had no idea why a cafe would be made this far on the mountain. But when she spotted the cafe sign, she could see several bikes and cars parked around and realized that this was the only stop for people going to the top of the hill or just trekking with friends on weekend.

Feeling less nervous she entered the path and saw it was lighted up by the sun peeking in from the tall trees and path was beautifully adorned with wooden lampposts on either side of the pathway. What she didn't notice the other day was the flowers grown around the cafe. From outside she could see the crowded place filled with customers through the glass windows. She walked in to find that no seat was vacant.

Nevertheless, she ordered herself a coffee and waited for the familiar face to appear. 

"Excuse me, there is a vacant seat you can sit now." One of the staff said but she noticed that she had only half an hour to reach back to Wendy and she can't afford to wait anymore.

"I wanted to meet the owner." She said assuming that one who was here even after the cafe was closed must be the owner.

The staff went stiff at her words and she saw his eyes waver a little.

"I am sorry, who do you want to meet?" He asked.

"Owner." This time she said slowly as if worried that she was making a mistake.

"You can meet his secretary, but we have never seen the owner." 

This surprised Delia and she felt it was kind of odd. But maybe it was the secretary that saved her the other day.

"Where can I find the secretary?" She asked.

The guy paled a bit and looked at Delia with confusion.

"In the mansion, few kilometers from here. Ask anyone about Devian Elainer's mansion and they will tell you."

"O-okay." She said and she stepped outside of the cafe slightly dazed.

He was the same man that drew the centerpiece at the art studio. She needed to meet him.

~*~

She was panting hard when she met Wendy at library gate at 5:10, she practically had to run over to meet her in case she was late and angered the only the person who talked to her nicely.

"What have you been up to?" Wendy asked surprised looking at her condition.

"Mountain climbing." At which Wendy shook her head.

"Don't go too far." She said.

"Why?" Delia asked curiously why would Wendy warn her of something like that even though she was herself new to the town.

"I have heard rumors of the beast." She said as she linked her arms with Delia's which she still found weird.

They started walking down the hill to the market on the mains street built in front of the lake.

"Rumours?"

"Yes, the day I came here for orientation, I heard all about the owner of the college who no one has ever seen. And that he is a beast residing in the mansion amidst the mountains. Someone said that one man went to deliver milk there but no one heard back from him. There are many stories about him. Some say he is in some illegal drug trafficking business.

But most people fear from going up there." She added in a dramatic tone.

"But his cafe was filled with people," Delia added not realizing the mistake she made.

"Delia! You have been up so far." Wendy looked at her with shock, "Don't ever go again." She scolded and for some rea, son Delia felt warm that she cared for her.

"Okay." She said but not entirely promising her that.

For one she was sure, he was definitely not a beast more like a regal, cold prince.

~*~

Shopping went smoothly and Wendy was not a whiner. She made quick choices and clearly had her mindset of what she wants to buy. This was until she found a shoe store. That was her weakness.

For almost half an hour she tried several pairs of shoes. Delia was almost enjoying herself when her luck came crashing on and Wendy's classmate came to her. She was with two other boys and it seemed like Wendy was good at making friends.

She already seemed comfortable with them as she laughed and smiled while Delia stood in the corner not even disappointed at the events. Wendy started making plans with them to eat and Delia assumed that this was her cue to leave. She did not want to meet other people and face the same look she had been getting over the years. It was tiring and hurting.

It was dark when she stepped out the mall. Now the wind was cold unlike the warm weather of the day. She pulled her shirt closer hugging herself as the chilly breeze made her tremble. Being a weekday, there were few people outside than it was inside the mall. She started walking up the hill knowing the path well since there were no turns on the way.

She plugged her earphones and hummed along the way to keep herself from thinking at all as she climbed up looking at the little light of house that decorated the lake in the dark. As she started getting closer to her university she saw more and more students still living their life and not afraid of the dark.

In between the university and her dorm, there was a path that confused her since she was bad with directions. She wanted to call Wendy and ask if she should turn left from the university road or walk straight. It was only her second day and she couldn't remember. She chose the straight path and kept walking realizing coming this far that she choose wrong.

When she could see no one on that path, she turned back around and decided to head the other way when she saw a jeep approaching and came to a halt right in front of her.

Her heart halted with that as well. 

"Can we give you a lift?" A drunk boy said giving her a nasty smile.

Without answering them, she started walking faster.

"Come on, it will be fun." Another one said.

She was trembling in fear cursing her luck once again.

Why? It was just her second day here. Why was this happening to her?

One of them jumped down the slow-moving jeep now and grabbed her arms.

"Loosen up a little bit." He said reeking of alcohol.

A scream built up in her throat but he placed his hand on her mouth and pulled her roughly dragging her to the jeep as she struggled to get out of his grip.

Using all her strength she pulled herself away from him and the sudden jerk caused her to fall on ground scraping her elbows.

"Bitch," One of them yelled and she flinched.

"Try and run now." He laughed at her she got up struggling since her legs were weak with fear.

But the boy grabbed her again and she screamed this time. He was about to pick her up and put her in the jeep when the sound of the car stopped them. Someone stepped out of the black SUV but when he did, all the boys paled in fear. They pushed the girl away and jumped into the jeep. The man didn't even have to walk into the light for them to see his face. They just drove away.

While Delia was left sobbing on the street. 

The man came forward and her eyes widened. He was here yet again.

"Get in the car." He said curtly.

And for some reason, she didn't refuse and did as he said. She felt like she could trust him and sat down in the car. His black hair was styled to perfection and his jaw was ticking maybe because he was angry or annoyed at something. Unlike his cold demeanor, as he pursued his lips a dimple formed next to his lips. And for some reason, Delia found it calming.

He had that raw sex appeal to him that could cause serious infatuation.

After a while, he started the car and silently drove her to the university dorm which was not even that far and she felt stupid for getting lost.

"T-Thank you again." She felt ashamed at herself for fumbling.

"It's unsafe to wander at night alone." He said in a reprimanding tone.

"I will keep that in mind," She said her hands still shaking after the incident.

Suddenly he placed his hands on hers and she looked up as the warmth cascaded over her.

His storm grey eyes stared into hers and he said, "You are okay now."

And it really felt that she was fine at the moment and she nodded slowly not breaking the gaze which made her feel wonderful. Group of girls walking inside the dorm broke the trance and she smiled at him.

"I will go back now." She said and stepped out of the car.

He revived his engine but she realized something and peeped inside the window.

"Can I know your name?" She asked.

It felt like a few seconds went by before he answered almost reluctantly, "Devian."

MAYBE, if you guys notice that each picture at the note is some kind of indication for the next chapter or what might happen next. So enjoy the clue :)

Opinions about Devian yet?

And please don't be a silent reader, I really look forward to your comments!

All the love to my readers and till the next time lovelies!

NEXT UPDATE: SATURDAY