Chapter 10

-Canta's POV-

I met Loche halfway to school after not sleeping a wink. Last night had been the worst night of my life, and I wouldn't be exaggerating one bit. I had returned home, ready to face my parents and tell them that I didn't want to be married to someone I didn't know. But as soon as I saw their stern expressions, I knew there was no getting out of it that night.

I returned to my bedroom and got the book out from under the floorboards and read the entire thing. I didn't notice when it had reached three in the morning, and by that time, it wasn't worth trying to get any sleep.

"Hello to you too," Loche said as I walked past him. "Tough date? Found out she wasn't really interested?" His words made the knife dig deeper into my chest. I hadn't told him what happened, but I knew it wouldn't be long before I spilled over. That was why I didn't call him last night, in fear that I would break down and my parents would hear.

"No," I grumbled. I still didn't turn to look at him, because then I would be reminded of the life which I would be leaving behind once I was married. '

"Then what was it?" He chuckled, but it wasn't a chuckle from laughter, it was a pleading chuckle. "Come on Canta, you look awful."

I would've usually said something sarcastic, like 'thank you'. I wasn't in the mood for sarcasm, because I knew he was right. I looked incredibly similar to a panda or a racoon. I had dark circles surrounding red eyes, pale skin, and I didn't bother putting my hair in any particular style today. I managed to leave the house before either of my parents woke up and spent about half an hour sitting on a bench.

"I don't want to talk about it," I admitted with a sigh.

"But we are going to talk about it, you've got no choice, Deary." He wrapped an arm around me casually. I knew that his words sounded harsh, but he would understand if I really didn't want to tell him what happened.

"I'm engaged." I continued walking, pretending like I hadn't said anything.

Loche's arm fell from my shoulder, and he stopped walking. "What?" he asked, struggling to catch up with me. "What did you just say?"

"I'm engaged," I repeated in the same tone.

Loche grabbed my arm and spun me around, so that I could see his worried expression. "What do you mean that you're engaged?"

"I'm engaged, due to be wed, have a husband-to-be," I rambled. "What do you think it means to be engaged? I'm not busy, am I? The only plan I have is to avoid said husband-to-be as much as I can."

His hands warmed, as did his eyes. There was a blazing fire within them. "Who is it?" he asked slowly, his teeth grinding together.

"Loche, he lives in China."

"Who is it?" he repeated, the heat rising.

I wasn't sure if I should tell him or not, because I didn't know how he would react. I knew Loche well enough to hesitate when releasing information which would cause potential anger towards others.

"Canta, tell me, who is it?" His grip tightened. It was as though he was asking about the end of the world.

"You won't know them; their name is Chang Leung." I shrugged, trying to get his grip off me, but it didn't work.

He breathed deeply; I could've sworn that smoke escaped from his nostrils. He closed his eyes, scrunching them tight, before they opened, pitch black, and he began to push me in the other direction.

"Loche, this isn't the way towards school." I gave a nervous chuckle, because I didn't know what would set him off in this state.

"I know," he said, his voice deeper than it had been a few moments before. "We're going to miss at least the first period."

I opened my mouth to argue, but I knew I wouldn't get anywhere. I was too tired to even attempt to put up a fight as he pulled me down several streets, leaving a trail of smoke behind us.

"Then where are we going?" I asked after a while of walking.

"For a walk," he replied, his voice was returning to normal.

"I could see that."

"Why did you ask then?" he snapped.

I clamped my mouth shut and looked towards the floor; the usual grey concrete had been replaced by dark tarmac. We must've been walking for around ten minutes by now.

"He lives in China?" he whispered. His grip on my arm relaxed, but he didn't let go. "Canta, you would need to go live with him. I wouldn't be able to see you ever again."

Tears began to well in my eyes, I had thought of this before, but it sounded heartbroken.

"I know," I said through a choked sob. I closed my eyes in an attempt to stop the tears from escaping. "I know."

I was embraced by the scent of sandalwood and chocolate. His hug was warm and comforting, like I was putting on a jumper which had been drying on the radiator after getting home from a cold day at school.

"I don't want you to go," he muttered, his voice was muffled by my hair. "What would I do without you?"

"You would become a hermit and then live happily in your lair as you plot revenge and how to kidnap me back." It took me far too long to say this, as sobs rocked my body and caused me to hiccup after every other word.

He hugged me tighter. "We can't let this happen; you can't go." He kept repeating those words to me. His emotions began to rise again. It got to the point where I had to pull away from him.

"People will see you," I whispered. We were in enough trouble without him exposing demons to the neighbourhood. "But we can't do anything. I've got to go,"

"You can't," he said. I knew that was his final verdict on the matter. We would both be disappointed when I had to go, I didn't want to get my hopes up.

"We have school," I said and began to pull him in the opposite direction we were walking. "I don't want them to call my parents, and I doubt you want them to call yours as well."

"I don't care," he replied with a sigh. I could believe that very well. Loche had one of the worst attendants in the entire school, because he always skipped the first two lessons, and maybe left before the last two.

"I know, but I do."

We arrived just after tutor, so we weren't too late. We had to go through the reception of the school and sign our names in the register, but our parents wouldn't be called. I kept my head down and eyes trained on the floor, avoiding anyone's eyes. I knew that I was one of the more expressive people in the school, but I didn't know how to pretend nothing happened. I didn't know how to pretend that I didn't spend the night stressing and fretting about my upcoming marriage.

"Canta!" Juniper called from down the hallway. I immediately felt my shoulders relaxing and mind clearing. She stood outside of our classroom, backpack on her back, and hair in a ponytail. I wondered why I hadn't noticed how pretty she was before, she wasn't unnaturally beautiful, but her facial features were strong and defined. She shifted from foot to foot with a nervous energy, but otherwise had a small smile on her lips.

Loche moved to the other side of the hall, as his class was only one door away from ours. He gave her a nod in greeting, which received him a wave in response.

"Hi," I greeted and pulled her in for a hug. She tensed up at first, but she hugged me back. She was hesitant, as though she was scared that she would crush my bones with the simple gesture, but the fact that it was returned, brought me comfort.

"Are you ready for this?" she asked, concern lacing her voice. "You look terrible."

I laughed. It wasn't a fake laugh, but I actually found humour in the blunt statement. "I'm going to be okay; I might sleep through it though."

Juniper sighed and shook her head. "If you do, I'll give you my notes. I'm not sure how ready I am for this class either."

It was only then did I notice that her hair was a bit messy, and she also had dark circles under her eyes. I didn't have any time to question this as we were rushed into the classroom. I decided to sit next to her, as she usually sat alone next to the window.

I received a few strange looks, and Juniper received some looks which wouldn't be considered very nice.

I felt like it was a mistake, sitting next to her would bring us both unwanted attention, but I wanted to be closer to her. I wanted to ask her why she looked as though she hadn't slept, and why she looked so nervous.

But I never got the chance to talk to her through class, because we were right in front of the teacher's desk. We received a stern stare whenever we slightly veered off-topic. Romeo and Juliet annoyed me even more than it had earlier, I was tempted to storm out of the classroom and declare to see the school counsellor. I don't think anything would be done about it, I would have a cup of tea and talk about my issues for five minutes until the end of the lesson.

The only thing stopping me from doing so was Juniper's hand which held mine throughout the class. She rubbed circles on the back of my hand with her thumb and sent me concerned glances every time my grip tightened.

After we endured a painful hour of discussing forbidden and cursed love, we headed to maths, which didn't brighten my mood much. I wasn't the smartest when it came to numbers, but I sat next to Juniper again. It gave me the opportunity to realise how smart she was, and how quickly she worked. She was finished her work five minutes into the allotted fifteen minutes.

"Do you need help?" she asked quietly. I almost hadn't heard her, since everyone else in the room were talking at once.

"I'm okay," I answered with a small smile as I bit the end of my pencil. "Thanks." I wanted her help, but I didn't want to admit to her that I couldn't figure out something as simple as a missing angle.

"Did you do any work last night?" she asked even quieter.

The angle which I was trying to work out then became a complete triangle as my pencil scraped across the paper. I coughed in surprise and quickly rubbed out my pencil mark.

"Uh-yes," I replied, not looking at her. "I didn't find anything." That was about as blunt as I could be in the situation.

"Did you talk to your parents?" The question was innocent enough, but it made me feel like she had stolen the air from my lungs.

I licked my lips. "No." I felt like I had disappointed her, I didn't know why I got the feeling. Maybe it was because it showed I wasn't serious about what happened? Maybe it was because I couldn't look at her actual reaction, so I was making assumptions. I couldn't stop thinking about how I have disappointed not only her, but myself as well. I could've stormed into my house, screaming my head off about how I wasn't going to marry a stranger. I could've shown my parents the fact that I had a soulmate. My mother would curse her mother, and the heavens for allowing this, and my father would scream at me for not telling them sooner and allowing the family to be disgraced by planning a wedding which will never happen. But deep down I knew, that wouldn't have happened.

"Are you going to mention it to them?" Her voice softened even more. "We won't be able to avoid it soon. I'm scared of what it means."

"Me too," I admitted. "I'm terrified."