She had never found those three words offending, annoying or even slightly irritating. Ever. It was meant to convey concern and care. And should in fact provide a sense of comfort to the recipient.
Until today.
“Are you alright?”
Good god, would she just stop it already!
“For the tenth time today, yes! I’m fine Arie,” Hazel’s shrieking tone would have made a banshee proud. Or animals scurrying. As it was, she’d earned a few curious and irritated glares from her classmates.
Arianna had woken Hazel up with a vigorous shake and greeted her with an ‘Are you alright’, looking very much like an overly concern mother hen. She peered at her intently with a frown on her face which struck Hazel as odd – but too disoriented to make any sense of it. Hazel had groggily answered in the affirmative despite still bounded in ribbons, her wrists sore and her hands felt like a pincushion.
Then, Arianna had asked her when her mouth was full of foam and her eyes still crusty from sleep. Not ten minutes had passed before the question again assailed her ears through the sound of the shower.
By the time they went down for breakfast, Hazel was fighting the urge to silence her cousin with a bagel – and failed. Arie had ended up with a mouth forcefully stuffed with bread whilst Rory howled with laughter and Hazel had barely able to crack a smile.
They were currently sitting in class. And still Arianna was insisting on knowing whether she was alright. At the moment, Hazel would do anything to know what in devil’s name had possessed Arie today. She had woken with puffy eyes - a telling sign that she’d been crying last night over her parents separation – and proceeded to act like a broken record.
“Geez, no need to screech. I was just asking,”
“Arie, you’ve been just asking since this morning! And I’ve lost count on the number of times you did,”
Arianna had the grace to look sheepish. She fidgeted and mumbled, “I just thought something would have happened.”
“The lovesick act in the woods didn’t work remember? What did you expect? “
She stiffened when her skin prickled with an awareness of being watched. She whipped her head around just to see if anyone was staring. But no.
She was terribly skittish after the incident with the girl in white. The feeling of constantly being stalked kept looming upon her. And it terrified her. She didn’t like to be alone and her skin crawled with coldness.
However, today it was different. It wasn’t the usual feeling she had. In fact, she felt sort of safe, secure like some guardian angel was watching over her. If she had to guess, she’d say a different person had taken over the “stalking-Hazel-shift”. Which was a beyond ridiculous thought.
She was seriously going out of her mind. Gone nuts. And lost her marbles.
That could be the only logical explanation. Although she wasn’t sure what would be considered logical in her book, since magic was now on the logical side of things in her world.
“Are you alright?”
“Arianna, if you so much as ask me that bloody question again, I swear you’d end up with your tongue missing,” she burst out in frustration.
Arianna shrugged, “You’d just acted weird for a moment,”
“Speak for yourself,”
“Well pardon me for being concern over a wounded bear,” Arianna said indignantly.
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Enthralled
العاطفيةHe was new. He was handsome. He had his secrets. And he wanted her. Hazel met him once at the train station and couldn't get him out of her mind ever since. When he suddenly appeared at her school, he wouldn't stop going after her. Torn between her...
