“Do you really have to stay by my side twenty-four-seven?” Dara muttered as she clutched onto her blankets, staring at Jiyong who was sitting by her window.

    It surprised her when she found him sitting on the bench near her window after she got out of the bathroom. She knew he was here to protect her but staying in her room...well, that was a little more than awkward.

    Jiyong sighed and got off from the bench to walk over to her bed. He sat at the edge, his hands resting on his lap. “Remember, just say the word and I’m gone…”

    Dara palmed her forehead and sat up. “No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just...well, you’re a guy and I’m girl...we’re in one room together...and it’s kind of---um…”

    “Is there something wrong with that? In our Realm, females and males share rooms all the time. Why is it any different here?”

    “It’s just that...I-It’s just…”

    Jiyong furrowed his brows and looked over at her, noticing the bright pink in her cheeks. He noticed the way her eyes shifted left and right, avoiding his and smirked. She was embarrassed. He took advantage of this and scooted closer to her, causing her heart to race. “Wh-what are you doing?” Dara stammered.

    “I don’t know. Why is it so wrong for us to be in the same room together?”

    “It’s...uh...it’s just weird!”

    Dara held her breath as Jiyong leaned in closer, his face just inches away from hers. The intensity in his eyes made her feel hot and unsettled. She didn’t like it. Her heart nearly lurched out of her chest when his hand came in contact with her cheek. Her skin burned and tingled with his touch, leaving her breathless. “Tell me, Dara...are you afraid of me?” His hot breath fanned her face.

    “N-no...I-I trust you.”

    “You really shouldn’t.”

    Jiyong leaned in more, his lips lightly brushing against hers. Dara shut her eyes tightly but relaxed when she felt Jiyong withdraw from her. She opened her eyes and saw him sitting on her bed, his hand covering his mouth, shaking. He was laughing! The was laughing at her! “YAH! Why are you laughing?”

    “Hahaha! Oh, my gosh, you should’ve seen your face! Oh, that was golden!” He grinned.

    “You , Kwon Jiyong!”

    “And you’re too easy.”

    Easy?! This little punk! Dara smirked deviously as Jiyong continued to . Suddenly, she lunged at him, pinning him down on the bed. Jiyong stared at her in shock for a moment, his laughter halfting completely. His heart stopped when he felt a pair of lips brush against his cheek. But all too soon, the warmth disappeared and Dara was laughing uncontrollably. He lay there paralyzed for a moment but sat up and glared at the girl before him. “What the hell?” He hissed.

“What? You’re the only one that can play games?”

He smirked. This girl was quite amusing. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you that it’s dangerous to fight fire against fire?”  

“They did but it’s just so much fun!”

Jiyong rolled his eyes and got up from the bed to go back to his original spot. He sighed and stared out the window, gazing at the clear night sky. It was never this nice in the Light Realm or at least it hasn’t been for as long as he could remember. Dara noticed how he quieted down and halted her laughter. “Hey, are you ok?” She asked.

“I’m fine. Is the night sky always like this in your world?”

Dara glanced out the window, finding nothing special. Yes, it was always like that. It wasn’t anything new to look at. Yet, Jiyong was looking at the stars and the full moon with the utmost amazement. “It’s always like that. Well, sometimes it’s cloudy. It really depends on the weather. Is the sky not like this in your world?” Jiyong just shook his head.

“The sky is always dark in my world. My parents told me it was because there was a war coming. A big one.”

“Oh...it hasn’t gotten any better?”

“No. It never gets better. In fact, things have only gotten worse. But don’t worry about it for now. We need to focus on your training. We’ll start tomorrow after you finish school.”

Dara nodded and fell back against her bed. Soon, darkness enveloped her.

                    -------------

    Jiyong groaned as he made his way through a sea of students. Dara had pointed out the office for him and then quickly disappeared amongst the crowd. He would’ve gone after her but he had to settle some things with the school first and get himself enrolled. And so, he pushed the doors of the office open and stepped inside.

    He walked over to the counter where a older woman was standing and smiled warmly at her. “Hello, dear, what can I do for you?”

    “I’m a new transfer student from Hennessy's High. My name is Kwon Jiyong. I was told to check in.”

    “Let me check…”

    As the woman opened her drawer of files, Jiyong discreetly waved his hand and conjured up a file for himself. A triumphant smile smirk appeared upon his face when the woman successfully found his file. “Ah, yes, Kwon Jiyong. Here is your class schedule and a map of the school, should you need it”

    “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

    Jiyong took the papers from the woman and exited the office. He didn’t really need to look at the schedule since he was practically linked to Dara and knew where she was at all times. So, he just followed his instincts to one of the classrooms down the hall. He saw Dara sitting in the back of the class and quickly went to take the seat next to her. “Hello.” He nodded at her.

    “Ah, of course you’d be in the same classes as me. You  really don’t have to stay by my side all the time. Especially for school. It can be rather boring, you know?”

    “True. But that’s why it’s good to have a little fun with magic.”

    Jiyong winked, leaving Dara slightly confused for a moment. But she shrugged it off and turned her attention to the front of the classroom as the teacher walked in. “So, today class, we will be learning….”

    Words were drowned out in Jiyong’s mind. He didn’t care to listen to the teacher. He already knew this stuff. Instead, he focused his attention on Dara. When she didn’t look at him, he pouted and opened his notebook. He drew simple stick figures on the page, an idea coming to mind. “Hey, hey!” He called Dara through his mind.

    “Whoa...we can communicate telepathically?”

    “Yes. Look here…”

    Dara, being curious, looked over at Jiyong. She raised a brow and tilted her head slightly. Jiyong grinned as he waved his hand over the paper. Soon, the little stick figures came to life. Her eyes widened in amazement as they stood up and waved at her. Shocked, she waved back slightly. “They’re alive?” She asked, her eyes flickering up to Jiyongs.

    “In a way, Whitelighters have the ability to animate inanimate objects. They can give them life but not a soul.”

    “That’s pretty cool.”

    “One of the perks of being a Whitelighter.”

    “Hmm….”

    Jiyong waved his hand again and the figures magically returned to the page. He winked at her before turning back to the teacher. Dara continued to stare at him in amazement. For someone who didn’t want to be a Whitelighter, sure liked using Whitelighter magic. She wondered if she could do that, too. A frown settled in on her face as she stared down at the doodles in her notebook. Should I try it? Determined, she waved her hand across the paper just as Jiyong had done.

    She waited and waited for them to come to life but they never did. Dara pursed her lips and tried again but still no luck. Dang it, how did he do that? With a sigh, she gave up on trying and rested her chin in the palm of her hand and zoned out. Her other hand twirled carelessly on the surface of her desk, drawing meaningless and abstract patterns.

    Jiyong’s eyes flickered over to Dara for a moment but were held there when he noticed something. He squinted his eyes and saw a small trail of ice slowly starting to form on the surface. His eyes widened as the ice began to spread. If this persisted, Dara would end up freezing the entire classroom. “Yah!” He called to her in his mind.

    “Jiyong?”

    “Yah, stop that. You’re going to freeze everything!’

    “Freeze? What…?” Dara frowned but as soon as she looked at her desk, a silent gasp escaped her lips and she immediately pulled her hand back. “What do I do? How do I make it go away?”

     The ice was still spreading, slowly making its way up the windows and to the ceiling. For a moment, Jiyong was impressed with the power she had but frightened that she couldn’t control it. With a sigh, he waved his hand and time stopped. Dara looked around the room and then back at him, fear evident in her eyes. This caused the ice to spread even faster. “Don’t be afraid. I just stopped time momentarily. Just calm down or else you’ll make it worse.”

    “H-how do I stop it?”

    “Shh...just relax. Concentrate...the more anxious you get, the faster it spreads. Just close your eyes and take a deep breath.”

    “But---”

    “Dara…” Jiyong flashed her a look which shut her up in an instant.

    She did as she was told and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her raging mind. After some time, she settled and her muscles relaxed. “Good. Now listen to me very closely. Keep your eyes closed and concentrate on what I’m saying.” Dara nodded.

    “This is going to take up some of your energy but it’s the only. Are you ready?”

    “Yes.”

    “Great. Now take a deep breath again. Center your chi...do you feel it?”

    Dara pouted and shook her head. Jiyong chuckled and walked closed to her. She flinched when she felt his hand on her chest but calmed down in an instant. “In order to center your chi, you need to visualize a ball of light forming in the your gut. Feel it, really feel it.”

    “O-okay…”

    Dara tried to picture that ball of light in her gut but she was feeling nothing. Her mind was still murky and it was too hard to concentrate when Jiyong was touching her. “Relax, Dara. You got this. I believe in you.” Jiyong whispered into her ear.

    Suddenly, a certain warmth began to fill her up in her core; it began to build and grow as she concentrated. Jiyong smiled softly upon feeling her energy rise and so he withdrew his hand, knowing she could do the rest herself. “Good, now let that warmth flow through every inch of your body…”

    Dara followed and soon there were no cold placed left in her body, just warmth. Jiyong watched as all the ice melted and disappeared. They could all breathe a sigh of relief now. He really needed to help the girl master her powers. “Is the ice all gone?” She asked.

    “I don’t know. Why don’t you see for yourself…open your eyes, Dara.”

    Dara’s eyes flickered open and scanned the room for any trace of ice but there was none. A smile broke out on her face, causing Jiyong’s heart to do a double take. His smile faded as he reached up to touch his chest. This erratic beating in my chest…what is it? He didn’t understand what was happening or what he was feeling but whatever it was, he was afraid of it. And so fear settled in his darkening heart.

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Hey guys! Reiya, here. Sorry for the late update. I was busy helping Yumi, Tashi, and the rest of their family with some stuff. They're recovering slowly but surely and I'm sure they will be back to updating in no time. Their hearts are deeply wounded by the loss of their grandmother but they are very strong girls and I know they will get through this. Anyway, they want to thank you all for your kindness, support, and understanding. :) Until next time...

- Reiya