"Tell me, how do you feel knowing that you had rejected someone like me?" His voice drifted through the storming wind.
She gulped at the sight of him.
He was breath-taking. The type that gets girls falling head hill for.
His white hairs swirled wildly, rocked by the wind. His white eye brows were perfectly shaped and curved to suit his well defined jaws.
His pointed nose stood against his face, bringing its features even clearer fitting his love shape thin lip perfectly.
He smirked at her gawking eyes which obviously screamed "take me" and walked over.
He stopped a step from her, his figure looming over hers. She gulped again. Her heart beating rapidly, not in fear, but in excitement.
She really hoped that he would lean over for a kiss. And he did.
"You want me, admit it." He teased, causing her stomach to explode with wild fire.
She shivered, no, not from the cool of the wind but…his voice.
There was something about it that got her legs jelly, almost melting under him.
He must have noticed her reaction, for the next seconds, he pulled back and disappeared, leaving her in the empty arena.
___
"Rum, Rum??"
"Let her be. Why are you disturbing her royal majesty." A vinegar voice said.
Rumie blink her eyes open against the peering pairs looking down at her.
"She is awake." She called out pleased.
Rumie sat up, taking in her environment. She was back in her dorm, her room.
Her roommates were already dressed up, ready for classes.
Her fingers grope over the bed, in search of her phone. Her eyes widen as she saw the time on her screen '7:56 am'
"Why didn't anyone wake me sooner?" She grumbled. She jumped down, her feet striking the floor hard.
"Is it just me? I think there is a device called 'Alarm clock' Amy snigger, walking out the room.
"You were sleeping like a baby..." Gia began
"And because you were moaning like a wolf in heat, em em" Amy said laughing at her joke.
"It does not suit you, okay?" Rumie slipped her feet into her slipper, her towel in hand, heading for the bathroom.
"I told you, you should never have woken her up. She is a spoiled brat." Rumie heard her but she didn't turn to answer her.
When she got outside the room, almost all the students were all dressed in their uniform, white shirt and black skirt.
She marched towards the bathroom, ignoring the odd stares.
In the shower, her mind kept drifting to the dream she just had. Was it another premonition or just a tired random dream?
The face of the man she dreamed about had seemed oddly familiar, like she has seen it somewhere before.
She heard footsteps coming to the bathroom she was in. Someone called her name.
At first, she thought she was just hearing things. Then it came again. She turned off the shower as her hair stood at its end.
"Rumie?"
"Who is that?" She whispered,
"Sophie. You are still inside? I heard the lecturer is already in the class."
"Alright. Thanks." She pulled the towel over her slender waist.
When she came out there was no one outside.
Strange.
She had not heard Sophie walk away, besides why had she come over? It wasn't to inform her that a lecturer was in class was it?
By the time she arrived at the corridor, there was no student in sight.
Her heart lightened. Since, she arrived at this place she was having some privacy and quiet for the first time.
She slipped into her room.
As she pulled out her uniform from the wardrobe, she thought of just staying back but what if someone noticed.
She still didn't know how strict the school rules were. The school administration had specifically warned against any students staying in the hostel during class period. And had gone as far as threatening to report to parents.
She didn't want her mom, hurrying over to give her an earful. Who knew what length she would go in making sure she learnt her lesson?
She picked some books, heading out the door.
She glanced at her wristwatch. She was late.
She arrived at the lecture room 10 minutes later. A few students were waiting outside while a lecturer was inside, a middle aged man.
He wrote on the board. Glancing over as Rumie made to open the door.
"Jack said no one could come in until he said otherwise." One of the students whispered to her, halting her from pushing further.
Stride two!
Seriously? Wait outside?
She should have just listened to the inner voice that suggested that she stayed back.
"So like I said, we are going to be doing an introduction today. I have introduced myself, the overall session curriculum and now we will be moving to..." He said.
"Hey, wow. We really have a way of getting back to each other." A voice rang in her ear.
She looked to her left then rolled her eyes on seeing who it was. Ivan. His mouth in a childish grin.
"What? You won't say good morning to me too?" He asked. There came the drama!
"Shhhhh. I'm trying to listen as you can see."
"Yeah, from outside the class."
She turned to face him again. "Again, why are you late?"
"Because you are." He smiled teasingly at her.
"So..."
"And to the love birds. Please introduce yourself and share why you are late to the first day of lecture? Really, we won't judge." The door opened with the Lecturer beside it.
Ivan's smile widens, Rumie wishes she could smack it from his face. She looked down wishing the ground opened and swallowed her. So much for wanting to keep a low profile.
"Please come in." He nodded at them.
Ivan was the first to match in, hands in his pocket. She followed the other students behind her.
"Hi everyone. I'm Ivan Lawson. I'm an easygoing kind of person." She rolled her eyes. Who asked if he was an easygoing person.
"What about you miss?" The lecturer's eyes landed on her.
"Me?" She looked over her shoulders.
"Yeah, who else?"
"I'm Rumie Jones."
"Alright, Miss Jones, what were you and your boyfriend up to? Why are you both late to class on the first day of resumption?"
She felt her cheeks heat up at the way he drew the question.
"He is not my boyfriend." As if to prove her point she moved away from Ivan's side. But his hand caught hers.
"The young man thinks otherwise." The lecturer mussed and motioned to Ivan hand on hers.
She sent a glare in his way. What was his problem?
"Let go."
She shrugged his hand off causing the class to laugh. It was not her intention to mock him and he didn't seem to react, he still stood, his lip in that polite smile.
"Alright find a seat." The lecturer dismissed them already bored with the mini drama he tried to pull.
Rumie scanned through the room filled students. She wanted to sit behind. And she did find it an empty seat. She walked to the desk, plopping onto it.
"So miss Jones, could you please stand?"
Rumie's eyes snapped to the board, and landed on the lecturer.
She slowly stood up unsure of why he told her to, of all the students. He pulled on his glasses as if to make his vision clearer.
"So why did you choose to study Law?" He asked.
Rumie's voice stopped before she sputtered out nonsense. She knew most of her colleagues were waiting to hear her speak of an all inspiration moment she saw some form of injustice and decided to be the one to stand up against it.
But she wasn't that sort of a person. As long as the injustice never really affected her, she could always turn a blind eye to it.
She cleared her voice, as if testing if her voice could come through.
"My uncle is a judge. I guess I like the way his attire clung on his body as he read through those heavy textbooks. I have always admired him as a child. I would wish to be like him too."
"Good. Because of a role model." He turned facing the class and then over to her again.
"What's your uncle's name?" Rumie thought hard about telling him the truth or not.
"Thomas Anderson." As expected there was silence in the room.
She glanced over to the lecturer and noticed the flash of uneasiness which was quickly covered in a short laugh.
"Ooh, Professor Anderson is your uncle? I used to be his student. He is a great teacher. You can have your seat now, Miss Jones." He said.
"Thank you," She said with an air of arrogance.
Though her uncle was as good as dead to her, being related to him was good for her, well a little.
At least now that the lecturer has learnt about her prestigious background, he would let her alone. But she was wrong.
After getting a few students to say why they decided to take up Law as a Course, the lecturer again turned his attention to her.
"Miss Jones, have you ever heard about Criminal Law?" He asked.
Michelle knitted her brows. She has never heard of that. Or maybe she has but her mind was already made up she didn't.
"No, I haven't." She replied.
His smile faltered but was quickly back on.
"Alright class. That will be the topic for our next class. Basics intro on Criminal Law. Make sure you read about it," He said and proceeded to pack his books.
"Sir?" Another student called on the lecturer from behind. A male.
"Yeah. Do you have any questions, perhaps a suggestion?"
"About your question, I have a rough idea on it," he said.
He was seated at the far back corner of the room. Somehow his seat partner blocked some of his features, making it impossible for Michelle to have a clear view of him.
"Great. Alright let's hear it."
"According to Wayne R. LaFave in his book, 'Criminal Law'
"Criminal law is basically about crimes, their elements and defenses, and prescribes punishments, aiming to protect society by deterring wrongs and ensuring justice," his voice answered smoothly.
Somehow it pulled an invisible string on Rumie's heart, causing her to feel a bit nostalgic.
"Excellent. Young man, what is your name again?"
"Ezra," he replied, and then turned, his eyes caught hers and smiled at her as if he knew she would be looking his way.
Her heart dropped to her stomach. As she could now see his clearer now. She had seen it before, somewhere, no, she had seen it in her dream this morning.
Only instead of the white hair and eyebrows and lashes he had in her dream, he had a black hairs, eyebrows and lashes.