Hearing the back door close behind her as she made her way through the school yard, Raven briefly glanced onto her phone.
Study Fox:
Adelaine: Rave, where are you?!!
Annoying Blonde: Yes, Ravvy, we are missing you :(
Huffing, Raven put her phone into her sweater’s pocket.
‘Ravvy, really?’
Clicking her tongue, Raven moved on, passing the outside sport field, feeling a light breeze pass through her prolonged way.
A way Raven didn’t really mind today. After all, Raven and the group only had classes until the fourth lesson, because the others got canceled due to construction works.
So, they had decided to do the final planning for their club idea instead.
Otherwise, Raven would’ve already left school and gone somewhere else. Preferably, somewhere she was alone.
The smell of burnt metal, laced with a faint note of oil, traveled through the air, making Raven’s eyes burn.
Flashes of loud sirens, screeching tires, and wide eyes blurred her view, causing Raven to halt in her steps, clenching her fist—nails digging into her flesh.
Pausing for a few moments, she took deep breaths—haggardly—then softly inhaling and exhaling while clenching her eyes shut.
‘One, two, three.’ Again.
‘One, two, three.’
And again and again and again, repeated Raven the same numbers.
After a while, Raven slowly opened them, till her vision had settled onto a flying black bird, sighing as it took off into the high sky.
Turning her head away, Raven noticed the numb sensation in her fist.
While trying to get some motion back, she released them, balled them into fists, and released them anew, until she felt small warm tingles all over her fingers.
Not wasting any more time, Raven clamped the two warm hands together and continued walking.
Observing her fingers, Raven thought about the raised and pointed hands at her throughout the last month—or give or take, about one and a half years.
Not that it was a matter of grave impact. It didn’t even hurt her physically.
It’s not like they would care if it did.
Sure, objectively their actions still stung, but in comparison to other pains Raven had to deal with, it was rather low on her mental list.
Nonetheless, Raven usually had a sore, tight throat when she stumbled upon them; still—breathing was a little harder.
So, even if they added no noteworthy injury in general, Raven was no fool and knew it was better to stay out of their way.
Like her mother always said, “Prevention was better than cure.”
Raven clamped her hands harder together, running her tongue over her dried lips.
In the end, her mother’s words were just as true as at that time. After all, this was a quote she nowadays lived by.
Regardless, sometimes, in quiet times, she dared to question it. She dared to still question them, even if the answer was inevitable—or rather now irrelevant.
How could they never even consider that she was just a girl? That she lost people too? That she bled too?
Yet how could they?
When they would rather mourn ghosts than the living.
But maybe this was retribution. Maybe this was just her life. Maybe she would never get the exact answer.
Either way, she was left to deal with it. And dissecting it would bring no good anyhow.
The irony weighed heavy in the air, like the pollution—dirty and destructive.
A warm breeze washed over Raven as she took a curve, carrying with it the trace of scent.
“It is what it is—who cares anyway,” muttered Raven into the empty space.
___________________
Today was rather warm, and her oversized sweater stuck to her. Sweat pooling under the fabric—she should’ve worn just a T-shirt.
But that was a no-go.
‘Boiling it was.’
Frowning, Raven thought about their impending assignment.
Raven had already checked her assignment with Adrien.
To her surprise, it wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. Everything fit; all materials were present—there was actually barely left to adjust.
Did it still make Raven’s stomach uncomfortably warm and make her finger play with the skin around her thumb? Yes.
Did it change anything at the end result? No.
The sheer fact that this wasn’t a complete disaster was a little noteworthy itself,
considering Raven wished she never had to do it in the first place, and Adrien was—well—Adrien.
It could have gone a lot worse, like some other groups in their course, where the others had done nothing.
Raven shook her head, as if trying to shake out any thoughts of the assignment or Adrien himself.
“We did our work and that’s it.” He had acted one time normal and not found the solution for her problems.
There was simply no reason for her to overanalyze it.
Scoffing, Raven finally stepped into the all-familiar path that led to their space.
‘Our place. Yeah—it still feels off.’
The silence around clung to her silhouette like an icy coat. This path was rather secluded and shadowed by big trees, which let only rays of sunshine in.
Raven yawned. She hadn’t slept much. Her body felt heavy; her eyelids barely held—seeking rest wasn’t an option yet.
Raven yawned again, stretching her arms a little. And before she knew it, she had nearly arrived—seeing them from afar.
“Hurry up, move those hot, slender model legs! We got shit to discuss!”
Adelaine’s loud, yet light, upbeat voice hailed throughout the quiet area, leading Raven’s breath to hitch slightly.
However, she didn’t answer—rolling her eyes. Her face relaxed.
After all this time, Raven had no idea why such a warm person chose to stick with her.
Adelaine was indeed a bright, yet isolated star.
Hearing some moving noises behind her inside the bushes, Raven’s step faltered midway, causing her to stand in the middle of the narrow path.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Her fingers tightened around one strap of her full-grain, black-stained leather bag. Her primary focus pulled away from Adelaine—who was still waving, signaling her to come over.
From the corner of her eyes,
Raven could see Adelaine’s expression was relaxed, as always—
Eyes soft, yet lids slightly lowered, shielding her from more than the rays that were reflecting on Raven’s contact lenses.
Nevertheless, Raven felt the air shift. It was subtle, but sharp enough. Her hard muscles tensed, shoulders straightening.
Someone was breathing down her neck. Her hair stood up—goosebumps erupting into prickly sensations.
‘Who is this?’
Thought Raven, before she slowly turned her stiff head.
The image made her hold her breath—just a second longer than usual. Something her brain didn’t seem to register at first.
It was Adrien—lightly bent forward, inches from her neck. Fingers holding a small grain of hair.
His hair was tousled, a mix of “just woke up” and “casually styled.” Blue eyes sparkling like water in sunlight. His posture effortlessly relaxed.
That usual playful smile teased his lips. A disillusion of a boy. It should make her stomach ache—it should.
Yet, when he spoke—
“Hi there, princesse,” Raven’s stomach was silent.
His voice carried its usual annoying charm with a fine darker edge.
Maybe Raven imagined it.
Maybe not.
The longer she looked, the more she noticed.
She should’ve scrunched up her nose and could have turned away—yet there was no movement at all, even though he was way too close.
Their noses almost touched. Not quite. Just a breath away.
Still, her mind honed in on one unruly strand of his hair—the one that seemed out of place.
She hadn’t even noticed she was staring until—
“Something wrong, ma Ravène?”
His tone light, amused.
Her eyes widened slightly. And she snapped back to attention.
‘What the hell was wrong with me?’
‘I’m just tired.’
Concluded Raven. That’s what it was. Tiredness. A normal human reaction. Slip-up. Nothing more.
Adrien seemed to notice her delayed response. He opened his mouth to speak again, probably to tease—
“Guys, come on! What are you doing?”
Adelaine’s voice cut in.
For a split second, his face tensed.
Then it vanished.
But Raven noticed it. He probably did too.
‘Yes. Adelaine and Aiden—the project.’
Right. That’s why she was here. That’s what was important.
Raven turned her back towards them and started moving forward again.
No words. No glance. Just steps.
But she didn’t hear any behind her. Not even after a few.
He hadn’t moved.
Abandoned. Lost. Like—
Before she could fully comprehend it, her head tilted back. Just a single glance over her shoulder—chin raised, eyes locked.
No movement. No emotion.
Just… eyes on eyes.
A fleeting moment.
Then, when she was about to move again—
She caught it—barely. Muffled. Repressed. A sharp breath. A head shake. Hair falling.
“Elle va me rendre fou, j’te jure…”
She pushed her brows together, biting her cheek for a quiet moment.
But then Raven moved. Forward. One step after another.
This time, though, she was being followed—silently.
_________________
They arrived shortly afterward, getting instantly ambushed by Adelaine’s antics.
“Glad to see you guys could make it. I mean, I could see these few feet being a stretch for you, Raven—but you too,” grinned Adelaine, her left finger pointing at Adrien.
Aiden gave them a lopsided smirk before looking down at his phone again.
Raven rolled her eyes as she settled beside Adelaine, leaving a little space between them, taking out her pen and notebook,
shooting Aiden a curt nod—which he absentmindedly returned.
Adrien offered a poorly hidden unapologetic smile as he sat opposite them on the ground next to Aiden—dapping the one hand that wasn’t currently occupied.
Adelaine opened up again, drawing them back in.
“So, today’s agenda: final planning before we officially establish our club. I asked around.
We just need at least four people, a club president, and a vice. Also, we need one teacher’s approval.”
Her hands moved as she rambled on, making her look like a hyper-aware politician.
“—someone to check in on us occasionally. Then submit everything on the form and get it approved by the headmistress.”
“So—easy peasy!”
She paused—letting them take it in. Very Adelaine.
“So you get the gist. And the overachiever I am, I already have the form from the headmistress’s office and made an appointment for her to look over it.
With a little luck, we might even get a clubroom!”
She clapped, applauding herself.
“I know, I’m amazing. No need to thank me.”
Half-bow, even while seated. Then she straightened, waiting for reactions.
To Raven’s surprise, Aiden replied first.
“So we just need a teacher, a leader, and a vice. That’s probably gonna be Adrien and you
—you guys did the most. Just… anyone but me. Also, we still need to fill out the form.”
‘So he can say more than just 1–2 sentences,’ acknowledged Raven wryly.
Adelaine nodded, warm smile on her lips, eyes wide.
“So you do care, Aiden,” Adelaine responded. “I also have no problem being vice, if that was ever a question.”
Aiden dryly huffed, his eyes darting between boredom and something else for a second.
Adrien laughed out loud, strongly patting the shoulders of Aiden.
“The lady told no lie, my friend.” He tossed Adelaine a wink, which Adelaine skillfully caught with a quiet snort.
“Also—I’m in for leader. I’ll gladly take on this heavy burden. You shall sweat not.”
He mock-saluted, dramatically leaning forward despite being in a cross-legged seating position.
Leaning back again, his tone settled.
“As for teachers—I’d say Mr. Mettvews. He’ll probably say yes with a little convincing. After all, it’s part of our project.”
Everyone nodded. He was right.
Mr. Mettvews would do it. Probably not out of goodwill—more out of necessity.
Raven still hadn’t said anything aloud. Simply going with the flow. Listening with half an ear while doodling in her notebook, still managing to engage when necessary.
“Perfect! So everything’s settled. We’re like the perfect example of teamwork makes the dream work,” Adelaine gleamed.
“For filling the form—how about the ice cream shop?”
Not awaiting a response, she continued.
“It’s hot, I’m sweating buckets, and we’re free. Let’s count this as a pre-celebration and a goodbye to the planning stage.”
As if to support her point further, Adelaine exaggeratedly fanned herself.
“The appointment’s Monday at 12. If I’m not wrong, you guys have Mr. Mettvews right before lunch? You can get his approval and signature by then.”
The blaring sun was glaring down relentlessly through the trees, shooting them despite their coverage.
Raven swallowed a yawn, suppressing the urge to close her eyes.
‘I just wanna go home.’
But Adelaine was right—filling the form indoors would be neater. And if the choice was between ice cream and the school grounds…
Ice cream it was.
“Okay,” Raven said. Voice cold—but carried by a subtle tenderness. Brief, but deliberate.
The silence that followed made her fiddle with her pen.
Was it so weird she chose a bit of comfort? Didn’t they all want to rest?
Apparently yes and no—judging by Adrien’s and Adelaine’s poorly hidden shocked glances.
The only one not bothered was Aiden, who paused his mobile game, looked up, shrugged his shoulders, and nodded.
‘At least one normal person!’
Adrien was the first to break the silence, soft chuckles slipping out. Light and short—but attention-grabbing.
He shook his head, further tousling his already-messy hair.
“Sure. Let’s do that, Corbeauette. Ice cream it is.”
‘Seriously, what a weirdo,’ whispered Raven inwardly, the tone rather mild.
___________________
Their transition from school to the ice cream parlor was rather smooth. They just walked toward the nearest one, filling the air with small talk here and there.
It had one of the best ice creams in town. Also, the customer service and prices weren’t that bad.
As they sat down at a table, a few minutes later a waiter came. His smile faltered for a second the moment he saw Raven. It was so subtle, the others surely would have missed it.
She quickly glanced over at them—they were discussing their order. More like Adrien and Adelaine.
‘Good.’
She didn’t need Adelaine making a fuss or asking any questions.
After some discussion, they finally decided and gave up their order. It was, for everyone, a simple scoop of ice cream—though Adelaine had a variety of toppings.
Raven already knew what she wanted: cheap, yet not standing out.
When the waiter left, Raven simply looked around.
The interior was the same as several months ago. A tiny place with some seating space. Walls cream-colored and couches upholstered with cushions, creating a rather homey feeling.
It was quite empty, since it was still school time.
‘Just how I like it.’
While they waited, Adelaine filled out the form like they had discussed. She handed it to them just in time to sign the application before their order came.
Aiden had cookies and cream, and Adelaine had strawberry with toppings—starting with gummy bears and ending in whipped cream. It looked like a whole circus made of sweets.
Even the evil witch out of Hansel and Gretel would’ve been jealous.
Adelaine studied Aiden’s ice cream, shaking her head slightly to the left, lips quivering.
“I swear you only took that because it was the first ice cream on the menu,” Adelaine accused. “You could at least pretend to put some effort into existing.”
Aiden shrugged, flickering his tongue, and didn’t even try to deny it, causing Adelaine to erupt into a small laugh.
“Well, if you aren’t a sunshine.”
‘This girl,’ Raven raised an eyebrow, leaning back.
‘They are like dog and cat.’
Observing them, Raven saw how he rolled his eyes and let out a deep breath.
After that, he took Adelaine’s spoon, put a little of his ice cream on it, and popped it—in a blink—into her mouth, successfully shutting her up.
Having her fill of them, Raven let her eyes roam around, the background sound full of chatter and laughter, accompanied by Adelaine’s satisfied giggle.
Then she finally noticed—the silence. The stare.
Her fingers lightly curled around her cup, the smaller scoop melting faster than the others, although they all had ordered the standard size—a medium scoop, as a matter of fact.
She tried to make it seem as natural as possible. Downplay it. They shouldn’t notice it—yet he did.
He watched her—not obvious, but the shadow of his gaze lingered a moment too long on her cup.
He didn’t say a word. Didn’t offer pity—just noticed.
His jaw momentarily tensed before the expression vanished with a soft exhale, like it had never even happened.
She swallowed hard and looked away.
‘Fuck.’
Raven didn’t know how much he knew. She didn’t care.
It wasn’t like it was a big secret anyway. However, her shoulders tensed a little.
The sounds—the conversations that had dimmed—arose again in full glory.
Minutes must’ve passed before Adelaine threw a question into the group, clearing up all the leftover tension.
“So, how do you like the school, guys?”
“Okay, I guess. I mean, I have less time for my usual games, but the others will do,” Aiden answered first.
Adrien gave her his signature smile.
“It’s definitely different. The company is better though,” he answered, tilting his lips suggestively.
Making Adelaine break out in a short, hearty lilt.
Raven just shifted a little, trying to find a way to sit that irritated her healing wounds less. Her hand brushed against her side.
Adrien’s eyes lit up.
“Stalker,” mumbled Raven under her breath.
Maybe he thought there was something on her sweatshirt.
Maybe he just wanted to mess with her.
But he had leaned in, hand lifting. Fingertips grazed her just below the elbow—not rough, but enough.
Raven couldn’t think. Couldn’t stop it.
The feeling of discomfort—of intrusion—prickled over her, starting at the place and moving toward her brain. Neither slow nor fast. Just there.
“Don’t. Don’t you ever touch me again.”
Her voice was low, dry, and sharp—automatic even.
Raven despised any kind of unexpected physical contact. Especially by males.
She probably had something close to selective haphephobia.
Nobody knew of it, and it wasn’t really diagnosed. It was a good amount of discomfort and deep Google research.
The closest to diagnosis was the little take she told the doctor at the hospital, who probably had his suspicions about her friend—but it ended there.
It was highly between the stages of mild to moderate. A simple touch could go from discomfort or irritation to visible anxiety.
Distance between her and others was usually no problem. It was just the touch. The sensation of someone else having that power over you.
To hurt you.
To trap you.
To destroy you.
A key factor here was who, where, how, why—and the state of her mind. Her consciousness. How prepared she was.
She wasn’t always like this. Yet she had almost forgotten how to be without it.
Her father left her no choice.
She let Darek.
She could accept/tolerate Rashta and Adelaine.
And Lily wasn’t part of the equation.
But Adrien?
Adrien—she didn’t know.
He touched her once, and she didn’t really feel it.
Maybe because her mind took it subconsciously in.
Maybe that’s why she hesitated this time.
Maybe her subconscious wanted to find the exception.
Quite note: There weren’t any.
It wasn’t any different.
She still tensed.
She still feared.
She still reacted.
‘Like I thought—a lapse of judgment.’
The table was silent. The air appeared to be a few degrees lower too.
Eyes were on her. Her eyes were on him.
He had paused, hand frozen in the air a centimeter away from her.
His face was blank, eyes widening when he returned his hand to his lap like a child caught stealing sweets.
He tilted his head slightly. A tiny twitch on the corner of his lips.
‘A smirk? A laugh? Or a scowl?’
Raven didn’t know—and she wasn’t sure if she actually wanted to.
“Didn’t realize you had rules about being touched… should’ve known every rose has her thorns.”
Aiden grunted.
“Man, you can’t go around touching people like that, especially girls.”
Catching Raven’s eyes, he continued.
“If that was me, you would be dead. And stop this rose nonsense.”
He slapped the back of Adrien’s head, causing him to groan and scratch the spot.
“What this idiot actually meant was sorry for not respecting your boundaries.”
Raven didn’t directly reply, but she also didn’t leave.
Instead, she simply looked away, hands clutching her spoon tight.
She’d spoken without thinking.
Raven wasn’t above threatening.
Yet this was reflexive. Too sharp. Too fast.
She picked up her spoon, licked it. Neutral face.
Leaving nothing—and everything—up to imagination.
And she said nothing else afterwards too.
Adelaine shifted, clearing her throat, her noises hollowing in the silence.
‘Always the savior, huh.’
But it was clear—something had shifted.
“So that was something. Anyways… what if we play Two Lies, One Truth? You know, to get to know each other better?”
Adelaine didn’t even wait for a response before she started.
“I have a younger sister, I wen—”
Adelaine didn’t even finish before Raven received a message:
Father: 15 minutes.
Raven didn’t even need the full sentence to understand the message.
All she needed to know was—she had to leave, or so help her God.
See you next Sunday or Monday. —(N.N)
Little Teaser:
“Monsters don’t cry — they scream and haunt. And Raven was haunted.”