A Curious Stranger (II).

"So, what were you up to in the woods? Aren't you like...supposed to be in class right now?"

I inquired as the dark-haired boy named Vasilis led me out of the woods, and back unto the road where I had foolishly exited the car and run into the canopy of trees.

A shadow seemed to glaze over his dark eyes at my question, but it was gone before I could deduce what it was, and he gave me a guilty smile.

"I was hiding in there in the hopes of escaping morning assembly, but then I lost my ring and ended up wasting hours searching for it," he scratched his head as a light blush appeared on his cheeks.

"And now you're escorting a probable serial-killer home," I said, and he chuckled, again making my stomach feel queasy.

"Can I ask why you were running in the woods earlier? You seemed...upset," he asked cautiously after his laughter died down.

I played with the hem of my sweater as we walked along the deserted road, contemplating my words before shrugging.

"I had a small argument with my mom,"

The guy was a total stranger. It was stupid enough that I was letting him walk me home because I didn't know how to get my ass home myself. I didn't want to tell him personal stuff on top of that.

But he stayed silent, as though expecting that I still had more to say, and I turned my head to look at him.

His side profile was even more beautiful, and I shamelessly let my eyes run over the ridges of his perfect cheekbone, his jawline, his ear...and it was then I saw it.

It seemed like a spider tattoo—I couldn't quite tell because the collar of his shirt covered most of it. But I could see spindly, hairy black legs peaking out from underneath his collar, stark black against the paleness of his skin.

A tattoo on a high-schooler? Wasn't that like...illegal? Or prohibited? I wasn't really sure about the rules and I was itching to ask, but I didn't want to come off as invasive. So I just kept staring until...

He turned to look at me, and I snapped my gaze forward immediately.

"I'm sorry about that," he spoke, apologizing for a thing that wasn't his fault, and I shrugged again.

"It's just so annoying how controlling she is," I found myself saying as we walked down the road, our steps subconsciously syncing.

I'd never had a conversation like this with anyone that wasn't Mr. Edward before. Not even acquaintances from online school.

I'd never spoken about anything about myself so casually like this with someone my age, and it felt weird because I knew shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't even be letting him walk me home. But something about him seemed so...trustworthy.

And I found myself wanting to tell this stranger all of my secrets and anything else he wanted to know.

It was as if I was a dam that had been cracked open for the first time in centuries, and I so badly wanted to pour everything in my head and heart out. But I bit down hard on my lip because I knew nothing good would come off it.

"Ah," Vasilis sighed as a knowing look appeared in his eyes. "I can relate to controlling parents."

He grinned to mask the pain in his voice, but I recognized it.

I recognized something in him that I'd never recognized in anyone before, although he didn't elaborate on what he'd meant. And in that moment, it strangely felt like we were...kin.

"So, you just moved here?" He went on and I nodded in response.

"Yep,"

"But it's senior year. Did you have to leave your old school right before graduation?" He went on, a small frown on his face as though he was trying to make sense of my situation.

I let out a heavy sigh and contemplated my words before I began speaking. "I've never really been to school," I shrugged and Vasilis raised a questioning brow.

"I was homeschooled all my life." There, the cat was out of the bag. "I mostly did online school," I explained.

"Oh," He said as a look of realization dawned on him, and then he nodded in understanding before he went on. "May I ask why?"

I hesitated.

These were mostly harmless questions if you looked at it from a normal perspective. Rational curiosity. Nothing too invasive to be considered suspicious.

I was only getting iffy because of how fucked up my family was.

"My family travels around a lot. It's stressful changing schools all the time, so it's easier to just do online school, y'know?" I shrugged as if it was no big deal.

I was compressing my entire life into a few easy sentences, and trying to make it seem not as bad as it actually was, and Vasilis stared at me for a moment too long.

A weird shadow of an emotion I couldn't decipher crossed his eyes, but it vanished before I could think too deeply into it.

He nodded in understanding, glancing at me briefly for a few seconds, before he turned his gaze forward and continued speaking.

"So, how do you feel about Bloodstone Academy?" He gave me a lopsided grin and I shrugged.

"Honestly, I didn't even want to come check it out. But my mom had already enrolled me without my knowledge, so I had no choice. And if I'm being real, you're about the only thing that's been nice so far about this place,"

I'd said it before I realized what I said, and it was only when I saw a furious blush creep up on Vasilis's cheeks that I realized what I'd said.

I held back a mortified gasp as my eyes widened in shock. I cleared my throat hastily and tried to change the topic, but he spoke before I could.

"Well, if it makes it any better, I'm glad your mom enrolled you here. Even though it was without your consent." He smiled. "I hope you enjoy your first time in a regular school."

The queasy feeling in my stomach suddenly increased ten-fold, and this time, it felt as though a swarm of butterflies had been let open in my stomach.