Chaptxr 2

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Chaptxr 2

The cafeteria was its usual mess of chaos—groups of students clustered together, laughter and conversation overlapping into an incoherent symphony of teenage nonsense. In the air hung the scent of questionable cafeteria food: over-seasoned taco meat, and a disturbing amount of nacho cheese.

Levi and I sat at our usual spot near the window, a corner table slightly removed from the madness. A cloudy sky stretched outside making everything feel dimmer than it should have been.

"So, let me get this straight—" Levi said around a bite of his taco, pointing at me with a limp fry. "You have spent an entire week complaining about prom, but you're still going?"

I picked at the sad excuse for a meal in front of me. "I never said I was going." I swallowed the usual feeling of wanting to be like the girls on the television who’ve always had friends to experience girlhood.

"Uh-huh." His mouth twitched upward. "So when you got real quiet while Tanya and her minions were talking about their dresses, that was just you contemplating the deep philosophical meaning of tulle?"

I shot him a look. "Maybe I was imagining setting them on fire." Maybe if he’d put on dresses with me , I’d go window shopping properly.

"See, that's what I like about you, Risa. The unrelenting commitment to the bit."

I rolled my eyes but took one of his fries anyway. "I have better things to do than watch the senior class desperately pretend prom isn't some over-glorified mating ritual." committing to the reality that I’m far too removed from that world.

Levi nearly choked on his soda. "Mating ritual? Christ, Risa, say that any louder and Ms. Bellagio's gonna put you on some kind of watch list."

I chewed thoughtfully, watching as a group of girls a few tables over squealed over a video on someone's phone. Prom, no doubt. It wasn't like I hated the idea of it. The idea of being out with friends with the only worry on my mind being between a stiletto and a wedge heel. I just… I couldn't imagine myself there.

Levi seemed to notice the shift in my expression, his playfulness fading just slightly before he covered it up with another fry. No doubt contemplating if he went too far picking on me.

The static crackle of the PA system interrupted my string of thoughts.

“Attention students, due to recent events involving missing persons, local authorities strongly recommend a curfew of 8 PM. Stay vigilant, and avoid traveling alone after dark.”

A tense silence filled the cafeteria before uneasy whispers resumed. Levi’s eyes flickered toward the windows, then back to his tray. His usual expression was still there, but his focus was… split.

I followed where his gaze last went absently, expecting to see nothing but the dreary view of the parking lot. Instead, my attention caught on a familiar figure by one of the cars—Ms. Bellagio.

She stood at the trunk of her beat-up sedan, stacking thick, leather-bound books and small, peculiar objects into the back. A small frown tugged at my lips. I made a mental note to ask Levi about it later, when he couldn't distract me with snarky jokes and a french fry to the nose.

The sun briefly caught in her dark curls before disappearing behind another cloud. Her hair was tied up in a bun with an effortless neatness. Two loose strands framed her sharp, striking features—high cheekbones, keen eyes always looked like they were calculating something just beneath the surface. Her skin was a deep, warm brown, and though she wasn't taller than five feet eight inches, she carried herself like she could effortlessly throw a grown man twice her size across a room. Which, to be fair, I knew she could.

I had seen Ms. Bellagio work on the mats—quick as a viper, all brutal precision. She was Levi's jiu-jitsu instructor, after all.

My eyes fluttered back to her open trunk, filled with rolled-up scrolls, and what appeared to be an actual dagger, half-hidden beneath an old gym bag. I had never seen a school counselor with a collection that looked like it belonged to an exiled scholar-slash-mercenary. She wasn't exactly counselor-of-the-year material, unless the award criteria suddenly included martial arts lethal enough to hospitalize the football team.

I squinted, reading the bumper sticker with bold white letters on a black background: Jiu-Jitsu: Because Choking People Is Frowned Upon in Public. Next to it, a stick figure had another stick figure locked in a guillotine choke. A slow smirk pulled at my lips. Yeah. That checked out.

The sun broke through the clouds again, escaping the cold grip of the clouds, and my eyes were naturally drawn to where the rays blessed the ground. The warm light flickered into a little flame, and suddenly—

The world transformed again, flashes of fire danced at the edge of my vision, whispered echoes growing louder like distant chants. The cafeteria faded, replaced by the warmth of a great bonfire, its heat caressing my face.

“–Earth to Waris. You keep zoning out." Levi's words cut through my vision like a blade through fog and the cafeteria snapped back.

"Sorry," I replied quickly, forcing a dismissive smile. "Just tired, finals and all."

His gaze lingered a fraction longer, piercing through my casual facade. "Right. Finals." His hand twitched, restless.

I scoffed, shrugging off the unease creeping up my spine. "Funny. It's not like you're around to notice my sleeping habits lately anyway."

Levi's lips pressed into a thin line, but his eyes betrayed a flash of guilt. "I've been... busy."

"Clearly," I muttered, unable to stop the bitterness from seeping in.

Sunlight suddenly broke through a brief gap in the clouds again, hitting Levi's face. To my horror, he shimmered like a mirage, dissolving into an endless expanse of desert sand. Standing there in his place, so solid I thought I could touch him, was the man from my dream. My breath caught as he smiled softly, eyes dark and deep beneath a defined brow, the silver rings around his irises flickering alluringly. He was undeniably beautiful—almost heartbreakingly so.

"Waris!" Levi's voice sliced through the vision sharply, pulling me back. The desert crashed down, replaced immediately by the clattering noise of the crowded cafeteria. I blinked rapidly, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Levi was leaned in closer, his face inches from mine, his blue eyes wide with clear concern. I caught the little curve of his lips and the faint scar just above the right side of his upper lip. I could feel the warmth of his breath, and caught the scent of his aloe chapstick and the sugary trace of strawberry soda—

"Waris, talk to me—what's going on?" he asked, urgency shaking his voice.

Anger flared hot inside me, catching me by surprise. I clenched my jaw and shook my head dismissively. 'Nothing. I'm fine,' I said, leaning in until he instinctively backed away.

How dare he pretend to worry about me when he was obviously keeping secrets?

His eyes narrowed slightly, unconvinced. "And that is supposed to look 'fine'?" He quipped, concern clear in his voice.

Great, I'm losing my mind, and now he's playing ‘concerned friend’.

"Yeah, by your standards it is," I snapped aloud, my voice harsher than intended. "Perfectly fine. But maybe I'd be better if you stopped acting like I'm blind to whatever you're hiding."

Levi’s face dropped.

I frowned deeply, irritation sharpening my voice. "Levi, seriously—cut the bullshit. You've been dodging me all—"

"Really, it's nothing you need to worry your pretty little pyromaniac head about right now. I promise. I’ll tell you, I’m just…not ready yet." He cut me off, his shoulders dropping briefly in defeat.

For fuck's sake. My anger dissolved like sugar in hot water at his defeated look. How can I ever stay mad at him for long? I'd get it out of him eventually—just like the time in second grade when he'd freed Mr. Bugs, the camp rabbit, and tried to keep it a secret for weeks. Levi never could keep his secrets from me for long.

He clapped his hands together, "Anyway. Training. You, me, after school. Same time, same place." He returned to the food in his tray, finishing a bite of taco.

I groaned in exasperation. "Levi, I'm not getting jumped in the hallways anymore. You don't have to keep playing secret ninja with me."

At least I get to punch him in the throat later.

He pointed a fry at me sharply, though it quickly went limp, softening his dramatic gesture enough to dissipate what was left of my anger.

"First of all, rude. Second, that's not the point. One day, I won't be around to protect your scrawny ass, and you'll need to know how to fight for your life—or at least how to trip your enemy and run very fast."

I raised an eyebrow despite myself. "Right. And remind me, what happened last time we sparred?"

Levi's eyes twinkled mischievously.
"You mean when you landed on your ass so hard you had an out-of-body experience?"

I scowled playfully.
"No, when I knocked the wind out of you. And you got lucky."
I folded my arms.

"Uh-huh. And today, I'll be lucky again." He leaned forward, wiggling his eyebrows dramatically.
"Or, if you surprise me, there might be a snack involved."

I sighed. He knows my weaknesses.
"Fine. But if I win, you owe me a sparring session with real weapons—sharp, none of that rubber crap."

I tapped my finger on the table as he got up and leaned over me, grinning triumphantly.

"Deal. And if you lose, you have to admit I'm the superior being."

"That's not happening."

"Oh, it absolutely is." He ruffled my curls as I knocked his arm away.

I rolled my eyes, though a prickling sensation crawled up my spine when he touched my head.

As Levi walked away to the chime of the lunch bell, my pulse quickened inexplicably. The feeling intensified with every step he took away from me—as if he was stepping toward something neither of us could come back from. A chill rippled through my bones. I didn't know what he was hiding, but deep down, I knew one thing: I had this creeping feeling nothing would ever be the same.

xoxo

Until your shadow meets mine again—

Simxn
Author, Crown of Thorns: Desert Rose • Editor, The Alchemxst