The Alpha Academy [Lost Mates Book 1]

Runaway

>>Mael

My first instincts and feelings were fear. I had no idea what to think or how to process the information he had presented me with. It was too hard to swallow, especially because I've always been careful.

"W-what...?" I shook my head at him as my body began to tremble, "No," I kept shaking my head, "That's not possible." I froze, "I mean, that's not true. I, I'm-"

"Because you've been careful?" He replied, "Because you've guarded the truth with your life you didn't think anyone would have found out?" He looked at me pitifully, "Doesn't change the fact that I know." The room was dimly lit and the curtains were drawn but there was enough light to see each other properly.

"That's not possible!" My voice trembled, "How? Since when!?" I was scared.

"From the start," He said, "From the day you entered the Alma household." I felt my whole reality collapse. It was the feeling of doom that always loomed over me that now came and crashed on my head.

"How..." I asked him the question but I wasn't ready for the answer.

"Because I knew the real Mael." He answered softly and my eyes went wide, "It was easy to fool the public since no one knew his face, right? After all, he was away from the public eye for more than four years," I felt my stomach churn, "But I knew him, I visited him secretly a lot." His voice was calm, "No one knew that I visited him though, it was a secret between him and me." He paused, "I would climb into his room through the window and spend about twenty minutes with him before going back so no one would find out."

OH NO....

My pupils began to shake and my throat felt extremely dry. My heart trembled in fear and I felt like a sinner all over again. I felt my eyes sting but I didn't want to cry.

"He was your friend...?" I started feeling nauseating.

"Yea, a good one." He answered and dread started creeping up on me, it crawled on my back and rubbed around my chest, making me feel small. I started feeling guilty all over again. I felt suffocated and it felt like it was becoming difficult to breathe.

"Were you there?" My body began to shake more, "The day he died?" I never knew. I had no idea Eli knew the real Mael. And this newfound fact scared me, it terrified me. Especially because my history with the real Mael was dark. It was the darkest secret I had.

"No," He replied and while it made me feel a little relieved my condition only got worse, "He told me not to visit for a while." My breathing got so ragged, I started hyperventilating,

What would happen if Eli knew the truth? "And a few days later he was gon- Hey!!" He saw my condition, "Mael!" He tried to reach for me but I swatted his hand away.

"Don't touch me." I had my eyes wide open and it was hard to catch my breath. Will Eli hate me? I don't want that... What is wrong with me? Why am I even thinking about that?!

"But-" Eli was fretting over me, "I-"

"Hey!" There was another voice, "I'm back with the food." It was Calix's voice. He had entered our dorm space, "I brought the porridge you asked me to." He was coming closer, "Thanks for lending me your key-" He came into view since the bedroom door was now open.

And as soon as I saw Calix, I felt relief wash over me. He had a plastic shopper in his hand and the moment I saw him, I jumped out of bed and ran up to him. I wasn't in my right mind and wasn't even thinking straight but if there was one thing that I was sure of, I just wanted to be away from Eli. So I ran to Calix and hugged him.

"Mael?" He got confused and I saw Eli stand up, his hand subtly reaching out to me but he stopped himself. Then withdrew his hand and sat back down on the bed.