Chapter 4

Sera Calix 🌟

Day two at Virelade, and I was already considering faking my death maybe that would be the best option,I should just find a cliff and jump.

I woke up before the sun. Mostly because I couldn’t sleep. Partly because I was paranoid Kael might hear me breathing wrong and decide to report me for existing or blow my cover.

He hadn’t spoken a word since dinner,He just glared like I personally offended his entire clan.

Now came the hardest part of the day: The Shower.

Sure, the dorm had its own private bathroom, but “private” didn’t mean “safe.” Especially when you're a girl pretending to be a guy living with a guy who walks around shirtless like it’s no big deal.

I waited as I watched the door. Kael was still asleep, sprawled across his bed like some  prince,his sheets were half kicked off, hair  was a perfect mess, like some moody shampoo commercial.

Not that I was looking.

I bolted for the bathroom and locked the door. I  Double-checked then triple checked to ensure everything is good.

Okay. I had exactly twenty minutes and my operation was to shower without getting exposed was a go.

I turned on the water, as hot as I could stand it, hoping the steam would muffle or blur everything. I had a whole routine on the counter: face wash, scrub, hair up, don’t sing, don’t slip, and for the love of god, don’t forget to lock the door.

I was rinsing shampoo when I heard a knock on the door. I froze in my movements, My heart dropping into my stomach.

“Seth.” Kael’s voice cut through the steam. “You almost done? Some of us have schedules.”

I panicked my voice went high for a second before I faked a cough. “Yeah..uh..

just finishing!”

“Don’t take forever,” he snapped.

I muttered a curse and rinsed my body like a maniac, slipping out of the shower and into my clothes. I stared at my reflection in the foggy mirror and sighed.

“I cannot survive this.”

By the time I emerged from the bathroom, Kael was already sitting at his desk, glaring at something on his laptop. His hair was still wet from his own shower,I wonder where did he shower. He didn’t even glance at me.

Good because I liked it better when he ignored me.I tiptoed around him,  and dressed as fast as possible, and tried to get out of the room without triggering another snide comment but it was too late.

“Do you always take that long in the bathroom?” he asked, eyes still on his screen.

I froze. “Uh... no?”

He didn’t respond just clicked his mouse like I wasn’t worth wasting breath on.

Cool, cool, cool. I stuffed my notebook in my bag and ran out before I could embarrass myself further.

I was surprised to see the classrooms because they didn't seem like one, everything was a masterpiece. They were  fancy buildings along with fancy professors.  Even during classes, professors used fancy words like “legacy” and “board approval.” I just nodded a lot and tried not to faint from stress,I never thought fancy schools were this boring.

Theo found me at lunch.

“Hey, you survived another night with the Ice Prince. Congrats,” he grinned, handing me a carton of milk.

“I nearly died in the shower,” I muttered.

He blinked. “...Dude, what?”

“Nothing. Forget it.” crap! This is the second time I almost blew my cover and it's just my second day here.

By the time I got back to the dorm that night, Kael had already taken over the room. His side of the room looked like a hotel suite while mine looked like a refugee camp with clothes lying everywhere.

I avoided eye contact with him as I moved in silence like a ninja.

But  sometimes even ninjas get unlucky.

“Your shirt’s inside out.”

I looked down and It was. Crap!.

I yanked it off and flipped it without a word. Fortunately I had a black t-shirt underneath so he couldn't possibly see my bonded chest.

Kael didn’t even blink.

“You don’t talk much,” he finally said after a moment.

I shrugged. “Neither do you.”

He smirked. “At least I don’t act like I’m about to get caught doing something illegal.”

I almost choked. “I’m just... shy.”

“Right,” he said,  his voice laced with sarcasm. “Whatever you say, Seth.”

I turned away, biting my lip.

That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, with blanket pulled  up to my chin like a shield.

I had to be careful. One slip and this whole plan would explode in my face. Virelade didn’t exactly seem like the kind of place that would forgive a girl sneaking into an all boys elite dorm on a scholarship.

Kael was smart and suspicious too. I could feel it,one wrong move, and he’d figure everything out. So for now,  the only option I have is to avoid him.

No eye contact,no long showers,no casual conversations and absolutely no closeness.

Just pure survival.

Because if I was going to make it through Virelade and share a room with Kael freaking Ashbourne I  needed to stay invisible.

Easy, right?

Wrong.

Because the next morning when I woke up,I  found Kael standing over my bed and he was holding one of my socks.

A pink one!.