ERIC_

I waited for her by her locker after classes but the Turtle was nowhere in sight. Its been twenty minutes since I was waiting but still not a glimpse of that girl to be found and my patience was running thin. It seems like I was going to be ditched once more. Humph! As if I was going to let her ditch me ever again. Once was more than enough humiliating. If she was not going to come to me on her own accord then I was going to compel her to come to me.

~•••••••••••~

SARAPHINA_

"Erm... Sara, not to pry or anything, if I am correct you are hiding from Eric Warnard here, am I right?" Lena made me jump out of my skin in fright when she suddenly came up from behind and whispered into my ears. Not that I was normally jumpy or anything but this Eric Warnard guy was really taking a toll on me. Within a mere two weeks of knowing this guy, this guy had me life turn upside down. Now, thanks to him I was always anxious, paranoid and edgy. As if he would just jump out of nowhere and 'BOO' me into oblivion. All I wanted was a quiet little life but he just came like a whirlwind and wreaked havoc in my life without breaking a sweat. And now he had me running and hiding around in libraries and empty class rooms. God, what have I ever done to deserve this!

I gave her a reluctant smile and sighed in distress. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Err.. do you think it is a good idea to hide from him?" She asked.

Of course not. That guy was dangerous. And weird. And dangerous again. There was something about him that did not feel right. And then again, there was the matter of his vanished death date. That was the whole reason why I did not want to involve myself with that guy. But that birdbrian didn't seem to get the hint and kept on perusing me. Hence now I was stuck with running and hiding just to get him off my back.

"I have no other choice." I sighed yet again.

Lena patted my shoulders softly, trying to cheer me up in her own little way, which was very nice of her. I looked at the worried look on her face and I couldn't help but smile a little. In all these years I'd survived in the human society, I never had anyone other than my family look at me like that. It was a ... refreshing look.

"Saraphina Valdez is report to the principal's office this instant. I repeat, Saraphina Valdez of class A-1 is to immediately report to the principal's office." The tinny grating announcement rang in my ears suddenly and I looked at Lena. Both of us had the faces of utter terror.

Being called to the principal's office was something very grave in Verona high. People were hardly ever called to the principal's office. If they were, it was either a suspension, or an expulsion.

Dread owned me, pushing against me like an invisible gale, attempting to reverse my steps back to my only almost friend Lena as I made my way to the principal's office. People were staring and whispering behind me as I walked amidst the crowd and I couldn't help feeling any worse with each passing moment. Very much like a goat which was on it's way to be slathered.

I said a silent prayer and after taking in a deep breath stepped into the lion's den, I mean the vile principal Headly's office.

"Ah! Miss Valdez, you're here." The man in his late forties said in a gruff voice.

"Ye-Yes sir." I mumbled back. Principal Headly had a hawkish air about him. His hair line was receding rapidly toward an ever growing patch of sparse hair at the back. His nose was curved and huge and he had eyes of palest blue that fixed you in ice should you dare disagree or talk out of turn. In short, he looked like he could screw you over and bat an eyelash over it.

I gulped in fright and decided to continue my silent prayer. You never know, it just might turn things around.

"Miss Valdez, I've heard that these days you've been cutting classes and been already sent to detention thrice since your enrollment. Is that right?" I wasn't a question. It was a statement.

I nodded in silence.

"What do you have to say for yourself Miss Valdez?" His ice cold tone chilled me to the bone but what was I suppose to say, that Eric freaking Warnard was the root of all my troubles and he was forcing me to skip classes? As if.

"I have no excuses sir," I hung my head down in shame. So much for living a quiet life.

"Do you realize the gravity of your actions Miss Valdez? Your actions call of a suspension and if even after the suspension this behavior of yours persisted on then I would have no choice but to expel you since I can't be biased about just one student." He said and my blood ran cold. Oh God, Mom. "...however, I could turn a blind eye just this once," I perked up faster than lightning at that, "If you comply with Mr. Warnard's request." He said and my heart dropped to the ground.

That bastard.

It was all his doing. He was exploiting his power over the school and was taking advantage of me and there was nothing I could do about it. Anger and frustration consumed me and all I wanted to do was smack that bastard in the face but I had no choice. I had to endure it for mom. Hence begrudging so, I held it in and nodded my head in defeat.

~•••••••••••~

ERIC_

"I Love You..."

"No!How could you? You're not supposed to." I saw shock and sadness veil over her like a tedious curtain as she heard me. 'Had I misread her? Did she not feel the same about me?' Such thoughts suddenly started hounding me. 'But no matter.' I thought, I would still make her mine.

"...I..I am not asking for a grand declaration of love. To me love is inordinate. I can't really tell you how much, but if I am obliged to then I would tally the beat of every human heart that has echoed since the dawn of our becoming. And if only you would let me say this, this is how much I love you." As she looked at me in awe at the sheer magnitude of my admission, I took her hand in mine and told her, "I am not asking for promises or tenure – I just want your hand to reach out for mine."

"No... I, No..."

"Don't say no. please don't."

"No!"

"Please, don't say it."

"No No No No Noooo!"

I woke up with a jolt, faster than a cat in ice-water, every sense urging me to claw my way to standing, every thought in high definition. My eyes took in every ray of light and without a doubt I knew I'd slept too long. Though my eyes were open I couldn't think of why; my heart was pounding, my mind empty. It's as if a hypodermic of adrenaline had been emptied into my carotid. I strained against the basking sunlight, breathing rate beginning to steady. But I still didn't seem to remember the dream that had me so riled up waking. I knew it was a piece of my forgotten memory. Only my memories of my previous life and Her could ever rile me up so bad. My mind always managed to block any of my previous memories. It was strange but I guess my body reacted on its own when it came to my past. I knew I must've gone through something very traumatic for my body to react to that extent. But today, was a bit different.

That dream...left a fleeting memory of Her in my mind. The image was blurry, like that of a desert mirage but I could tell she was pretty. And her voice, I could finally remember it, vaguely so, I could still hear the tolls to her tone. It was wonderful. I was feeling good for once after a very long time. All this time, I had tried and tried and tried...But never could I ever succeed in remembering Her, the most important being to my existence. It seemed I was finally beginning to remember. This was good. This was really very good.

I jumped off my bed and quiet jovially so, got ready for the day. Today was a big day, the day I was to take control of the reigns of my life. Or so it seemed...

I was supposed to meet Saraphina today and we were supposed to try and cure her fear of audience, but I didn't expect her to be an eager soul in this matter. I found her standing by my locker, looking very out of place and utterly pissed if I might add. Not that I was complaining but well, I was a bit taken aback. Seems like the principal card worked better than expected.

"Wow now!" I said, "Never expected you of all people to wait for me. Good morning, how do you do?"

She looked every bit annoyed at my teasing as she bit back her tongue but didn't retort back. So very like her. And I though she grew some balls after that one time she burst at me. The principal card was awesome.

"Are we doing this or not. I want to get it over with. So let's go, shall we?" She bit back and I nodded mindlessly and walked past her as she followed my lead.

We were going to the west wing on the third floor, the taboo floor of Verona high, where it all began. As we approached the red door I heard them whisper,

"Human..." "He's bringing in a human." "Is that her?" "Human..."

They were hissing in my ears and I could feel the temperature dropping. They were not happy with Saraphina's arrival, but it didn't matter. They didn't matter. I was the "IT" here. The supreme reign. As long as I didn't give them a chance to mooch on my fears they were no threats.

"What are you, a turtle? Walk faster." I turned back and barked. And I realized then, they were no threat to me but they were to her.

"But... but this place is off-limits Warnard." She squeaked back, visibly trembling in the process. "...And somehow very creepy."

I guess even humans could feel their presence if there were a huddled overpopulated crowd.

"Not for me, now come on. Be quick on those legs."

Saraphina_

This was not a good idea. In fact, coming to find Eric Warnard myself was the worst idea I could get over my last seventeen years, worst ever. And now I was reaping who I had sown. But what other choice did I have, it was either obey him or get expelled. I would never forget the smug look he had on when I, a dejected soul left the principal's office yesterday. Like he had won a million dollar lottery ticket.

Now why the hell was he dragging me through the forbidden fort? Yeah, that's what the Veronan populace liked to call this place. Weird place and weird people I tell you.

"If I get expelled Warnard, I swear I'm not letting you get away with it." I groused as I heard hissing sounds resounding the corridor.

"Yeah yeah, come at me with a shining knife or whatever if that offers you your peace of mind." He babbled back. I huffed in irritation because who would've though him to be such an ass. Suddenly I felt someone breathe into the back of my neck and silent chills ran down my spine. It was as if it poured gasoline into the spark of fear in my belly and I yelped loudly in horror.

"What happened?" Eric turned back once more.

"I...I felt someone's breath. I ... Eric. This is not a good idea, something is really wrong with this place. I think we should leave."

He gave me an ARE-YOU-KIDDING-ME expression and said, "I can't believe you're still such a little girl. Tsk tsk tsk. Do you need my arm to hold on to, to wade away your fear?"

"I'm not scared," I grumbled at his sarcasm. "I just don't get good vibes from this place, is all."

"You get vibes from places? I didn't know that you're a psychick." He snickered.

"Psychick!" I frowned at him.

"Yeah, Psychick." He snickered looking like he just cracked the most brilliant joke ever. And I gave him a straight face, as if to say his stupid humor could only be understood by people of his wavelength.

He stopped chuckling and looked at me with a REALLY? Look. And I kept my poker face on. "Psychick as in psychic chick?" He shrugged his shoulders up as if to say you seriously didn't get it?

Okay, now he was being a smart-ass and that pissed me off. "You know what, why don't you just shut up and walk." I spat in annoyance. His presence seemed to buzz around me like a fly that you can never swat. Every word, movement and breath he performed seemed to infuriate me to no end. And I could tell he knew that.

"Oh do I finally see the comeback of the saucy bitch?" He hooted derisively and I walked past him in sheer rage. Control Sara, control! No use arguing with cows and dumb boys.

I stood before the same red door that greeted my sight on my first day in Verona high and I couldn't help stare at the utter giganticness of the structure. Ever since the first time I saw this door I couldn't help thinking that this one looked like it's maker had an imagination lobotomy. Why did everything strange in Verona high gave off the mad hatter builder feel? Never the less, my curiosity was building like a cat fixated upon its prey now. What was there so forbidden behind this peculiar red door that the school had to kick out any student that trespassed it? I think Eric could feel my gnawing curiosity since he, so smugly walked to the door and waited five seconds to give it the dramatic suspense it needed before unlocking the forbidden structure. He looked back at me once and said, "Ready for the surprise?"

I swallowed hard and nodded firmly, holding my breath.

He pulled open the door wider and then I saw it.

There behind the door loomed the messiest room I had ever come across. The room wasn't just a mess, it was a danger zone. It looked like a drunken cyclone had erupted within the room and muddled up the handsome room with the Italian style from the Emperor period. When Eric pushed the door open further against the tide of objects that plagued the floor on the other side, mostly wads and wads of littered papers, I couldn't see even a square centimeter of his room carpet. He picked his way across the room on tiptoe, trying not to stand on any of his littered work.

"Welcome to my safe Heaven," he said and it seemed the host was utterly proud showing off. But what really got my attention was the black boxer mixed up with the heaps of waste pages that lay scattered on his almost invisible ormolu couch. More like Waste Heaven. I couldn't believe the forbidden fort was actually Eric Warnard's exclusive room and nothing else. And he got people expelled just because they sneaked a peak at his room! Talk about crazy.

"Did you say something?" He frowned.

"Huh? No. Nothing." I fake smiled.

"Well, are you going to stand there and stare at my handsome self forever or do you plan to come in any time soon?" He raised a brow and I glared at him, "There's no place to step in, I would've mistaken this room to be a pig sty if I didn't know better." I grumbled as I feared the kind of germs that awaited to attack me inside that room of his.

"Well excuse me for not being a clean freak, but you must understand that every object in this room has a purpose and a place to belong. This room is perfection and I would really appreciate if you didn't touch anything." His haughtiness was really getting on my nerves.

"I see your boxers have finally reached perfection then," I hid a snicker as his eyes followed my line of sight. He quickly went and grabbed his underwear and hid it behind his back.

"Ahem! you never saw anything." He glared at me as if to say if you tell a soul I will personally visit you to kill you in the most horrible way possible. I raised my hands up in a silent surrender as he went to his wardrobe to tuck his underwear somewhere underneath his messy sheaf of clothes.

My eyes then fell over the grand piano that lay untouched and bolted to the center of the room, the room was dark and I couldn't see well but I could tell the piano was old and untouched, with all that dust clouding it. I tiptoed to the thick velvet curtains that shielded the long windows across the walls, just leaving a shy peak of the woods beyond. I pulled them open, letting light and air fill up the dingy room.

"Excuse me, but could you please not act like this room belongs to you and do whatever you please?" He seethed and I rolled my eyes. Did I really have to tolerate this from now on?

"Oh excuse me for being a person but not a nocturnal creature," I couldn't help mumble under my breath.

"What was that?" He glared and I gulped slowly.

"Huh? Nothing. Nothing at all." I pulled over a tight smile and hastily changed the subject, "Now, shall we begin?" And as such, I ran over to the beautiful antique piano. His glare followed me but he didn't pursue the topic and I couldn't have been gladder to be let off the hook so easily. I should watch my mouth in the future.

Remember what I said about watching my mouth in the future? Well screw that. I could care less about that right now since I felt like hitting the guy in the head with the baseball bat lying underneath his couch. Why the hell did he have a baseball bat under his couch in the first place?

Eric Warnard was as useless as a sledgehammer in a knife fight when it came to curing my phobia.

"What are you still doing sitting around like a shy hopeless princess. Play already, won't you? I already have my back turned on you and what's more I'm even hiding from your sight. What else could be the problem?" His muffled nagy voice reverberated from his big old closet.

"And how many times do I have to tell you that turning your back to me or hiding in the closet is not going to work at all. As long as I am aware that someone is listening to me, no matter where you hide, it's not gonna calm my nerves." I sighed for the nth time.

"Don't you dare say that woman." He slammed open the closet door and rushed to me roaring like a goaded lion. "Do you even have any idea how embarrassing it was for me to go hide in that closet of mine. How much self control and will power it needed for me to literally drag myself and close myself there? Now don't you dare give me this rubbish. Do your thing or else there will be dire consequences." He looked me in the eye and spat venomously. There was that look again. That look of absolute disdain. Where his abhorance for me shone bright. To him I was less than the mud on his over-shined shoes. That look of his made me feel disgusted, and I disliked him fiercely for it.

"And who the hell told you to go and lock yourself in that closet of yours huh?" I couldn't hold myself back and hence spat back.

"Then what did you want me to do? There was no other place in this room to hide." He growled. "You did not want to see me and I had to listen to you. I couldn't have done it if I were to transfer to another room. What did you want me to do? Can't you see how far I am willing to go to cure that stupid phobia of yours?" Yeah, locking himself in his closet for my sake was going so very far for Eric Warnard.

"Yeah well, I already told you that I couldn't play even if you go and hide yourself in the deepest parts of Hell, but did you stop to listen to me? No! You just had to go and do your own thing. By the way, how did you even fit into that thing? Considering your hoards of messy clothes stuffed in there?" I wondered out loud.

He suddenly grabbed my arm tight and held me in my place. He twisted it with a force that felt like metal bars that could hold me down if I tumbled down a roller coaster. I winced in pain as he glared daggers into my sockets, it seemed like he was seconds away from blowing his fuse, "Don't try my patience you cocky girl. If you're unable to play for me by the end of this week you are doomed, you hear me?" I gulped in fear, because I knew those were not empty threats. As he so generously demonstrated his power yesterday, I'd be kicked out in a heartbeat. And I couldn't let that happen. I didn't want to burden mom anymore, and that was the sole reason I transferred to a boarding school. If I were to be kicked out now it would defeat my whole purpose of leaving home. Mom would get worried again like in middle school and everything I worked so hard for will be ruined. Not good! Not good, I really had to stop my runny mouth and wacky temper.

My choices were limited, so I tore my eyes away from him and nodded quietly.

He huffed in annoyance and said, "You may leave now, but I hope you wouldn't be so useless the next time we practice." And dismissed me with a wave of his hand.

The Evil male stepmother.

TO BE CONTINUED...