Draeyer Academy (Rewrite)

Chapter 15- Areisha

I made some changes in their interactions in Chapter 14. Looking back, it was better to change it that way.

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Brother? Gael had a brother? She ran her gaze over the young man she mistook for a kidnapper a few moments ago. Alec was busy glaring at Gael in dissatisfaction, so she took it as an opportunity to examine him closely. Now that he had taken off his hood, Areisha could see his light crystal blue eyes and short black hair. She saw the faint scar running diagonally over his left brow and the one on the right side of his chin near his ear. He was also nearly as tall as Gael, just an inch over six feet. Judging from their fight earlier, he was also heavily built underneath the baggy clothes.

At first glance, Alec looked like an amenable guy who would smile at you in greeting when you meet him in the streets, even if you were a stranger. But the more Areisha looked, her instincts kicked in, screaming in her head unlike earlier.

Dangerous. Hunter. Do not provoke.

She did not realize it until she had actually come close to him during the fight. It had left her feeling like she was standing in front of a sleeping beast that could easily kill her. Her determination to protect her draeling from what she had perceived as a threat, had been the only emotion keeping her from freezing up in fear. If he had been a real enemy, Areisha would have been in great danger when she attacked him. Which was a big deal considering Areisha herself could take on a couple of grown men by herself.

Her gaze went to Gael. The guy that the Munstone family took in. She grew up playing with the man whenever she visited the twins for a playdate. She knew Gael was skilled, easily one of the best fighters in all the skies with the qualifications to prove it. She also gets the same dangerous feeling from him sometimes, like with Alec. But he was practically a puppy most of the time. He did not give off the constant feeling that he would rip out your throat once you crossed him.

And yet, her drae, Emera, seemed to be fond of Alec. Emera, who had nearly ripped a finger off a student's hand when they tried to touch her.

Areisha shot a confused gaze at the Munstone twins, who stood behind Gael. Both of their clear gray eyes mirrored her confusion.

"Gae—Professor Gael, you had a brother?" Knox asked. He scratched the back of his short black hair in confusion.

"You never mentioned him before," Solana asked, making the same gesture as her twin brother.

Gael smiled. "I did not know about him until an old acquaintance told me."

"Is that why you left urgently two months ago?" Knox asked.

"Yes."

When Areisha turned to look at Alec, she found that he was looking at Gael with a funny look. To her, it looked like he was both impressed and incredulous at the older man. Alec must have felt her gaze because he turned to her with a frown.

She frowned at him too and looked away. Her head turned to Gael when the man clapped his hands once more. But this time, he seemed to be ending the conversation.

"Look at the time," he said as he looked at his wristwatch. "Alec and I have to meet the headmaster this morning. We still have to clean up and have breakfast, so we should get going now." After he said that, he waved his hand at the three of them, before grabbing Alec by the arm. "We'll have a longer conversation about this later. See you."

"Aren't you going to ask for my opinion?" Alec asked and he dug his heels into the ground when Gael pulled him.

"Sorry Alec, but later, okay?"

"Don't use that tone on me, please. You make it sound like I'm five years old, Mr. Weirdo One."

"I'm not treating you like a child," she heard Gael protest as he continued to pull Alec. "Also, I should be Mr. Weirdo Two. Kreis is and always will be the Mr. Weirdo One. My weirdness came from him."

"But Kreis said—"

Emera's sharp chirp cut off their pointless argument. She looked down and found her draeling flapping one wing like she was saying goodbye to Alec. The young man stopped to look at her drae. To her surprise, he waved his hand and smiled. "See you too, Emera."

Areisha paused at the sight. The dangerous feeling surrounding Alec had disappeared. He looked so happy and at peace when he looked at her draeling. For a moment there, it felt like an entirely different person had replaced the cold-looking young man.

The distraction from Emera was enough for Gael to successfully drag him off though, and the two soon disappeared from their sight.

"Gael just ran away, didn't he? He didn't even introduce us," Solana asked. Areisha surfaced from her thoughts and nodded at her.

"He was also wearing his 'I don't want to talk about my past so I'll just grin' smile," Knox said. "I'm sure he'll introduce his brother in a more comfortable setting."

"You two, don't know much of Gael's past?"

The twins shook their heads at the same time. "All we know is that he lived in the streets for some time before Grandfather took him in after saving the two of us," Solana said.

Areisha's brows knit at that before she shrugged. Donovan Munstone, the twin's grandfather and headmaster of Draeyer Academy, was a thorough and wise man. If Gael Fenrin's past had been a threat, he would not have taken him in. By extension, Alec Arden who was now on the premises of Draeyer Academy, was probably deemed by the headmaster as relatively harmless.

Running a hand over her draeling, she gradually relaxed. She felt relieved that the baby had been in no particular danger the entire time she was out of her sight. In fact, the baby had been so comfortable that she even managed to sleep through their brief fight.

"Gael's brother doesn't seem to like him," she said

The twins gave her a look. She raised a brow at them.

"What's that look for?"

"It seems that you don't like Gael's brother at all," Solana said. "I don't think it's because of what happened with Emera."

Areisha had admittedly switched on her bitchy side towards Alec. In truth, she did not know why.

Don't lie. Powerful strangers upset you, as they threaten your safety. The fact that he could overpower you in an instant, scares you. You don't like that you're scared of him. You don't like that you are weak.

She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. Once again, she had allowed what that bitch did to her to affect her relationships. When will she ever escape her influence? She hugged Emera tighter. One day...maybe she will. But she could not see it happening any time soon.

"I just don't like him," she said.

The twins gave her a worried look. She ignored it and started walking in the direction of Star Dorm.

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