52 Winter Star (7)

"Good evening, Harrison," Alexandra said in a sarcastic way after she heard him call her an idiot. "I thought you were asleep yet I found you rolling around your bed," Harrison said and Alexandra sat up. I was about to but my sleepiness suddenly disappeared, she thought to herself. She guessed that Harrison just came back from the party at their academy because he was wearing white long-sleeved polo. He must have escaped since the party will last until midnight where the winter star will appear on the skin. She just hummed as a response, "Happy winter star, what brings you here?" Alexandra said and stared at him while she forced a smile on her lips. Although he would usually visit her during the night, this was the first time that she was awake when he visited her during the winter star.

Harrison suddenly threw something at her and Alexandra was startled as she tried to catch it, she heaved a sigh of relief when she caught it with her hands, "What's this?" Alexandra asked and looked at Harrison, her eyebrows furrowed. "A gift," Harrison simply said and Alexandra's eyes widened for a moment as she gasped and she looked excitedly. Usually, she would wake up in the morning with a gift placed beside her or on top of her bedside table, this was the first time he gave it to her personally or where she's awake.

She decided to place it on top of the table first and open it tomorrow along with the gifts. She noticed the small wrapped box on top of the bedside table after she placed down his gift and remembered who she will give this gift to. She picked it up and looked at Harrison who was watching her every action, "Here, a gift for you," Alexandra said and threw the gift at him which he caught easily. She was aiming for his face but he just caught it. Harrison's eyebrows creased and he tore the wrap, it revealed a box and inside it was white handkerchief with a design of a moon surrounded with red flowers on its edge, there were letters too which is the initials of his name, however, it was all lowercase but he didn't care about it. What was sewn on the handkerchief was: h.l. which stands for Harrison Lawrence.

Harrison looked at Alexandra confused, "Is this the one you bought at the shop and you refused to let me take a peek inside the paper bag to look at what it was?" Harrison asked and Alexandra smiled at him as she nodded as a response.

"Yes. I don't know what you like, so I bought you that," Alexandra said.

"Why a moon?" He asked next.

Alexandra shrugged, "I thought it was fascinating especially the design and you usually appear during the night, so yeah," Alexandra said. Although there was some other reason, it was already on the tip of her tongue yet she couldn't say it nor she doesn't know what it was. The red flowers resembled his eyes, it looked enchanting as it surrounded the moon as well as his eyes too. "I see, thanks," He said and placed the box inside his pocket and it fit inside perfectly.

Harrison looked behind him and looked at the clock placed on the wall, 2 hours and 15 minutes until midnight. Harrison looked back at Alexandra who was staring at him, "Are you not sleepy yet?" He asked and dragged a chair towards the side of the bed and sat on it. Alexandra shook her head, "Earlier yes but now, no," Alexandra responded and Harrison just hummed. He recalled what happened earlier, "By the way, something happened earlier," Harrison started.

"At the party?" She asked and he nodded. "And guess what, everyone thought that I was handsome," Harrison said and showed a smirk, his face showing a teasing expression. Alexandra stopped the urge to roll her eyes, "Well, that is what they thought," She mumbled and thankfully, Harrison didn't hear it. "What was that?" He asked and leaned forward.

Alexandra pushed his head away, "Nothing," she simply said and cleared her throat. Harrison stared at her before he started speaking once again, "So as I was saying, something happened earlier. You remember Elise Clarissa Greenwood?" He said as he recalled everything earlier. Alexandra nodded, that was the one who he thought was weird and called her a dragon inside a puppy's body and she was a very mysterious person, she thought to herself. "What about her?"

"She suddenly asked me to be her dance partner and to get along with her, so I agreed. While we were dancing, I decided to cast a spell on her yet nothing happened and my head hurt after that as if the spell was reflected back to me," Harrison went straight to the point. This made Alexandra think, what was the spell he cast on her? Silence surrounded them as Alexandra think.

"How did that happen?" Alexandra asked. For a spell to be reflected back or somehow doesn't affect her, she needs to cast a spell too during the time he used a spell. However, it seems like she wasn't able to cast a spell yet how did it not affect her?

Harrison shrugged. "What was the spell you used?" Alexandra asked and Harrison pondered if he should tell her, "A spell that would hypnotize a person and make him or her to do what I will say," Alexandra's eyes widened for a moment, "That's a tier 3 spell," She said and Harrison shrugged as if it was nothing although it used so much of his mana especially that he used two spells and nothing happened to her.

"I'm an amazing wizard, what do you expect?" He smirked. He was back to his shameful and arrogant side and Alexandra was used to him being like this. "This is not the time for jokes," Alexandra said and forced a smiled at him. Harrison went back to his serious expression. He changes his attitude or expression fast, she thought to herself as she witnessed his fast change of expression. The smirk on his face immediately disappeared. "What happened also left me wondering, so when I get back I will do some kind of research, maybe getting close to her will do," Harrison said and crossed his leg.

Don't get too close, a voice whispered inside her head, it was telling her that she needs to say it but she just kept her mouth shut. She once heard this before but she can't remember where or when if it was in her previous life or her current life. It felt like someone said it before too. Her head suddenly ached. She suddenly heard voices inside her head.

"It looked enchanting…" Who..?

"Get away!" A familiar voice rang inside her head. It seems like it was her voice.

"…Burned to death…" Stop.

"…Your fault…" Stop. I don't want to hear your voice.

"Alexandra!" She heard Harrison called out to her name in a worried tone of voice. Alexandra didn't realize that she was covering her ear and there were tears coming out her eyes. What was that? She thought to herself. It was a memory which she didn't recall that it happened, the hair on the back of her neck stood up, and she felt a chill went down her spine. "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Why were you covering your ears?" Harrison asked in a worried expression. It was happening once again, she experienced this before too but she would just sometimes shrug it off.

Alexandra looked at him, tears still coming out of her eyes yet she doesn't know why. There was this squeezing pain in her heart and there was a lump on her throat, she refused to speak. She doesn't want to speak. The feeling still lingering inside her, it felt painful. She was trying to remember something but her mind refuses to do so. It feels like a sword was repeatedly stabbing her heart, it was killing her. As if she did something and there was this guilt but she doesn't know what it was.

"Alexandra..?" Once again, Harrison called out to her with the use of her name and not by what he would usually call her: Idiot. Alexandra stopped the tears from falling and she slowly removed her hands which were covering her ears, she opened her mouth to speak but what came out was a whisper to the wind. "N-Nothing…" Harrison wasn't able to hear what she said but he was able to read her lips. Harrison stared at her and she just remained silent. Her suddenly crying and covering her ears was making him wonder and curious yet he didn't ask further, she might cry once again and he was afraid that he might not be able to do something.

Harrison looked back at the clock, 1 hour and 20 minutes left before midnight. Why is time so slow? He asked his self and watched Alexandra as she slowly calmed down. He decided to change the topic, "The food at the party looked delicious but I didn't eat anything," He blurted out what his mind first thought. Alexandra already calmed down and tried to forget what she thought or what happened earlier but the feeling still lingered there which she just ignored. Harrison was trying to lift her mood up but he doesn't know how to. "Are you hungry? I'm afraid that there is no food downstairs since we ate it all," Alexandra responded but Harrison just shook his head.

"Tell me what happened," Harrison said and he propped his head up with the use of the palm of his right hand while his elbow rested on top of the armchair, he stared at Alexandra with a bored expression. Alexandra recalled what happened earlier and she smiled, Harrison heaved a sigh of relief when he saw her smile and the atmosphere of the room suddenly becoming light. "Brother actually accepted my invitation and went to the celebration but before that, he went to the palace and we did so many things like reading books and running around. He actually tripped and got his clothes dirty, so he went home first before he returned at the time of the celebration," Alexandra said while smiling, her face beaming with joy but it was clear that she cried earlier.

"What's with the pile of gifts on the couch? Are you not going to open it?" Harrison asked as his eyes darted at the couch, Alexandra also looked at the couch. "Oh, those? Those were the gifts that I received and I will open it tomorrow," Alexandra responded and Harrison just hummed as his response. "By the way, did you receive any gifts at the party at the academy?" Alexandra asked while she smiled at him.

"Yeah, from Jerich and Luke. I also gave them a gift too, they forced me to do so and kept on reminding me about it," Harrison said and decided to not tell her about the gifts he received from the two girls which he just burned with the use of his magic. "So if they didn't forced you, you are not going to buy them a gift?" Alexandra asked, slightly tilted her head sideways. Harrison shrugged his shoulders and uncrossed his legs, "Who knows," He just simply said and Alexandra narrowed her eyes at his response.

"But how are you able to give me gifts without me forcing you?" She asked and he fell into silence as he thought about what he should answer. Even he doesn't know why, he shrugged once again, "Just wanted to? Probably payment for the cookies and such," What he meant was the cookies which he would usually eat when he visits. Probably because he didn't feel bored just like before ever since they met? He was confused.

Alexandra sighed after hearing his response, "Whatever, did you escaped the party? I think it lasts until midnight yet you are here," Alexandra asked and changed the topic. "After what happened with her, I immediately left the party since my head was pretty much aching and all my energy were drained out. I slept for an hour or two first before I went here," Harrison said and Alexandra's mouth shaped into an 'o' as she nodded repeatedly. Harrison looked back at the clock, 50 minutes left before midnight comes.

"You slept with those clothes on?" Alexandra asked and looked at his outfit. "I was too tired to change," Harrison simply said, she can't argue with that. She would sometimes sleep with her dress instead of her nightgown. "By the way, did I already tell you that I talked with one of my older brothers aside from brother Christian?" Alexandra said in a rather excited tone of voice. As far as he can remember, he didn't remember her telling him that. He shook his head as a response.

He was actually there at the party earlier though he looked annoyed and bored while he just sits still on one of the chairs as he watched everyone dance. He was the quietest out of all the brothers. "I actually got along with him or something like that but his personal knight called me names and insulted me but Carlos threatened him and told us what my father told him, 'If someone dared to insult the miss, don't hesitate to threaten or hurt that person. If someone decided to hurt the miss, pay that person back, 5 times the pain that she had felt. If someone tried to kill her, chase that person down and kill that person. Even if that someone is royalty, a noble, or someone with high status, do not hesitate. I gave you the permission to do so as her personal knight', that is what he told him," Alexandra imitated Carlos' voice and tried to have the same expression as he did but it was hard.

Alexandra was actually able to remember what he said since it repeated inside her head and she couldn't forget it. Harrison showed a subtle smile and Alexandra failed to notice it, "Is that so? It seems like your father is slowly starting to acknowledge you as his daughter," Harrison said.

"That's what everyone told me," Alexandra replied back and silence surrounded the two. "And? What did you feel?" Harrison asked. "I doubted them at first but Carlos kept on telling me about it and I believed in it. I was glad," Alexandra answered with a smile plastered on her face. "How old are you?" Harrison suddenly asked out of blue. His random question making her confused on why he said that.

"7, turning 8 next year," Alexandra answered his question. "You look young but you think like an old person, to be honest, how old are you really?" Harrison asked and Alexandra fell into silence as she thought what she should answer. That question would always linger inside his head, it feels like Alexandra was old but then, Christian who is a year older than he thinks like an adult too along with his brothers. Maybe it's in their genes. "Nevermind that question, I want to show you something," Harrison said.

"What is it?" Alexandra asked but then Harrison just grabbed her hand and she suddenly felt like she was being turned upside down and she couldn't help but shriek. She was turning and it feels like her insides are being turned upside down too. After what it seems like 10 minutes, they finally arrived. Harrison was unbothered and he had his usual expression on, he stared at her who looked pale and it seems like her blood was drained. Harrison actually teleported them to somewhere.

"That was just 5 seconds,"

"It seems like 10 minutes of hell," She responded and wheezed. Harrison waited for her to regain her composure and calm down first before he spoke once again. "Lift your head and look in front of you," Although Alexandra was confused, she lifted her head and the magnificent view greeted her sight. She gasped in awe.

It was the lake which was frozen and a huge wistalia tree stood in the middle, glowing along with the other wistalia trees which surrounded the place. It looked enchanting and beautiful, it seems like she was transported to another world because of the view. It took her to breathe away.