Lilac
I felt hot on the inside even after showering and I kept feeling like anyone who could see me could tell what was still lingering in my mind, which was that unexpected dream that came out of nowhere.
I never used to have sexual thoughts my entire life. I knew how sex worked, but I never felt a thing whenever I looked at girls. I used to think the portion my mom fed me at birth which slowed down my physical growth, had probably affected the part of my brain that was supposed to find girls attractive. However, I never let myself look at boys either. Men being together with men back at home was forbidden so I always made sure to never let any thought relating to that cross my mind.
In that dream I had last night, I was very certain the person who had been touching me in that dream hadn't been a girl. It was a male, and those golden eyes… those familiar golden eyes.
I shuddered and wrapped my arms around myself just as Jake sauntered over to me. He clapped me on the back and I stumbled from the force of it which made him chuckle.
"My bad, I forgot how small you are." He drawled and I huffed as we began to walk down the hall, right to the hall we were supposed to have breakfast in. I was beyond starving because I didn't eat anything throughout yesterday.
"I'm not small." I pointed out but he only rolled his eyes before making a show of patting me on the head.
"I believe you, lilac."
I frowned up at him while he laughed again. Against my will, I cracked a smile, while feeling settled on the inside. This felt good, easy and comfortable. So this is how it feels to have a friend?
That moment was cut short when Henry arrived before us, a sneer across his face as he sized the two of us with his arms folded.
"Fucking fags, didn't take you two long to roll between the sheets, huh?" He bit out and I remained silent while Jake sighed like he was already done with this.
"Please move out of the way, Henry. We'd rather not stare at your face right before we eat. That might cause us indigestion. Or worse… diarrhea."
Henry's face instantly reddened and I didn't realize people were listening in till laughs rang out around us. Henry sharply glanced around and people instantly quietened down. When he glanced down at us, he stepped closer and smiled sinisterly.
"Yap all you want. I'll be waiting for you at the point whereyou'd both be assigned your duties for today. You'd always regret mouthing off to me." He bit out and I sucked in a sharp breath but Jake only rolled his eyes and shoved Henry sideways.
"Whatever, do your worst- not like you haven't already done that, and that's all you can do to us anyway. You can't lay a finger on us." Jake snickered as he walked past a fuming Henry. I swallowed emptily and wished I could apologize to Henry right now because even though Jake was with me right now, he won't be with me at all times, and If I'm caught alone by Henry, he might beat me to death. But Jake noticed my expression and assured me nothing was gonna happen to me and that no other senior would mess with me physically since they could clearly see today that I was with him.
I noticed people staring at us as we lined up to accept our food and I shifted around awkwardly. I had hoped I'd blend in without any problem, but it's just a day and everyone here seemed to know who I am. I wasn't sure I liked that.
The food was surprisingly surplus and Jake snorted when I told him that.
"Food isn't a problem here: it's beyond surplus. The issue here is everyone's freedom; that is all."
I nodded as I ate, then I paused as a thought hit me.
"How did you get captured and brought here though? Since you can compel and all." I lowered my voice at the last part. Jake's face got clouded for a moment before he shrugged a shoulder.
"I let myself get captured."
My eyes widened as I gaped at him in surprise.
"What?? Why?!" I cried out and he snorted before resuming eating.
"For a personal reason." He responded. I waited for more to come but nothing came. I swallowed emptily and resumed eating as well, taking the hint that he clearly didn't want to talk about it.
Jake was so mysterious.
When we went to the seniors office to get our jobs of the day assigned to us, I already knew what he'd give to me but it still made my heart pound extremely hard.
"You'll go serve the prince his morning tea." He read off a list while grinning. I had no strength to start crying and pleading for him to change his mind when I knew he wouldn't, and so I only nodded and stepped out of the office, then I let out a long sigh as Jake and I bid ourselves goodbye.
I followed directions once again and headed over to the kitchen where I'd receive the prince's tea from. There were a bunch of women and men working at the same time in the spacious kitchen, and one of them handed me a tray containing a white teapot and a teacup.
"It's his daily dose to help his beast. He's to take three teacups. If he doesn't take it all, you must report back." A man instructed at the doorway. He seemed to be one of the leaders here in the kitchen.
I swallowed emptily and cleared my throat. "Um, I have to stay there while he drinks?"
The man frowned at me. "Of course! Just keep a good distance because the Prince is always in a bad mood in the mornings, and that's when he can't tolerate the barest of scents. I hope you have scent blockers on?"
My eyes widened and I shook my head. "I- what? What is that?"
The man sighed and pinched his nose.
"It's to block your scent so it won't trigger the Prince's beast. Weren't you told that by the person who assigned this role to you this morning? The prince can't tolerate most scents. You might be a human, but all humans have scents… and your scent is pretty strong."
My eyes widened. Henry didn't tell me any of this!
Yesterday, I cleaned the prince's room without scent blockers. Was that why he strangled me? Did Henry hoped that the prince would kill me since I didn't use scent blockers?
That bastard…
"Um, do you have scent blockers here with you?" I asked and the man nodded. He pulled out something from his pocket. It was a pill.
"Just take one of these, it lasts for some hours."
I accepted the pill gratefully and downed one without any water, and I thanked him again. He surprisingly smiled at me and wished me good luck before I exited the kitchen and made my way to the Prince's wing.
The guards at the entrance didn't stop me, which surprised me tremendously. It was like all the harassment I faced in their hands yesterday didn't happen.
Jake's compulsion really did work.
Awe coursed through me as I walked up the stairs and down the hallways leading to the prince's room. I stopped at the doorway and exhaled shakily, then I prepared myself to knock.
Here goes nothing.