Flames and Starlight
THREE

The next morning, the lockdown had lifted and everyone was able to leave whatever premises they’d been forced to stay in. Ruben and Laura said goodbye to Peter and Hannah as the four of them walked out of Peter’s apartment. Peter was taking Hannah to the shelter so Hannah could begin her life in the Eternal World and Ruben and Laura had to go to class at Raven City University.

They rode the bus to their respective homes to shower and change and then Ruben drove his uncle’s truck to pick up Laura on their way to the RCU campus. When they arrived, they parted ways to go to their classes. He gave her a quick kiss and watched her leave and join her friends as she walked down the hall to her class.

He quickly walked to his class and slid into his seat, barely making it on time. His professor gave him a deathly glare as though he committed the evilest act possible even though Ruben was on time. Ruben just smirked at him, the guy was a total jerk and he loved making him mad. The professor turned and started the lecture.

Ruben’s day flew by as he went to his classes. He was majoring to become a Supernatural Abilities Counselor, a career that helped supernaturals who struggled with their abilities. Some supernaturals needed extra help in being able to hone into their powers and he’d been one of them. As a teenager, he’d had trouble with his shapeshifting skills and a supernatural abilities counselor helped be able to work past his issues. If it wasn’t for his counselor, he wouldn’t have perfected his shapeshifting skills and he wouldn’t have been one of the top shapeshifters in his class. It’s what made him want to become a Supernatural Abilities Counselor himself, to help other sups who went through the same issues he did.

It was four o’clock when he was done with his classes for the day. Laura wouldn’t be done with her classes until five so he would wait in the RCU cafeteria until she was done. She had so many classes to take to get her nursing degree that she spent almost her whole life on this campus. He tried telling her to cut back on a few classes since she passed every class she had with her eyes closed but she wanted to get it done as soon as possible so she could begin her career as a nurse.

As he headed down to the cafeteria, he stopped by the restroom. He was washing his hands when something in the mirror caught his attention. He looked up at it and froze.

A dark, robed figure stood in the corner, its hood pulled over its face though he could feel their gaze on him. It stood frighteningly tall, almost to a giant’s size, its head nearly touching the ceiling.

It had an aura of evilness that couldn’t be mistaken. He could feel something sinister practically oozing from the being. Ruben didn’t know how to describe what he sensed other than this entity was pure evil and meant harm.

Ruben felt all the air leave his lungs. He felt like he was frozen in place. He didn’t know why he was so terrified but he was. He never felt so scared in his life.

He forced himself to turn around and confront whoever this was but the hooded figure was gone. They just. . .vanished. He blinked and scanned the restroom but it was nowhere to be found.

He looked back at the mirror but only his reflection stared back at him. He looked at the spot the figure had been again but it was like they’d never been there. He stood there staring at the spot until someone else came in.

He quickly left, trying to make sense of what he just saw. He thought for a second that it’d been some messed up prank. A lot of assholes went to RCU and he wouldn’t put it past anyone to have done something like that but something told him that it wasn’t the case. He had a feeling that whatever he saw had been real.

He rushed down to the cafeteria and sat down at the first empty seat he saw and impatiently waited for Laura. He wanted to get the hell out of there.

Peter walked Hannah to the shelter that was beside the RCU. The shelter would give her a place to stay and help her replace a new apartment, help her learn how to get a job and navigate in the Eternal World, and help her register her identity.

They walked up to the entrance and paused. For some reason, he wanted to delay their departure as much as he could. He told himself that was ridiculous, that he shouldn’t be this worked up over a girl he met only two days ago. He didn’t know why he had such strong emotions.

He cleared his throat, trying to put them to the back of his mind, and asked, “Do you want me to walk you inside?”

She shook her head and he felt a strong wave of disappointment. “No thanks. You’ve already done so much for me already. Thank you for everything.”

“It’s not a problem.”

Silence fell over them. He couldn’t explain the deep sadness he felt to see her go and he tried to shake it off. He had no idea what was coming over him and why he felt like saying goodbye to this girl that he only knew for two days was like saying goodbye to his best friend he wouldn’t ever see again.

She gave him a small smile and he felt his heart flutter. “I’ll see you around. Thanks again, Peter.”

“See you around,” he said and watched her walk inside.

He stood there for a long moment. A part of him wanted to go in after her though what he’d do, he had no idea. He knew he was being irrational about his feelings about her and for even bringing her into his life, to begin with.

He walked away before he made another irrational decision and ignored the urge to go in there after her. He reminded himself he had only known her for a few days and he needed to get a grip. He had a feeling he wasn’t going to see the last of Hannah, far from it, and she was going to play a huge role in his life.