C3 Failed Connection

Helen’s POV

Being called liar makes me ashamed and anxious. I am about to tell him the stupid story but Dylan speaks first before I can confess the truth.

"No time for another lie. You’ve run out of your time. I am sorry.” he sighs dramatically and snaps his fingers like an aristocrat.

Two boys and one girl from the other row suddenly stand up and surround me in a circle. They do nothing but silently wait for Dylan’s order, like his loyal servants.

It strikes me that whatever this is, it differs from bullying. They are more organized and well-trained. These guys look like more soldiers than bullies.

Am I still dreaming? It could be a dream within a dream. Maybe when I open my eyes the nightmare will stop immediately and I can go to school on time and make some normal friends, instead of being stuck in this weird situation. Besides that, I need to test my theory…

I nerve myself and step closer to Dylan, giving him a not-very-tender pinch on the arm before everyone can act. Dylan takes a sharp inhale and knits his eyebrows angrily. His servants simultaneously send me a glare and if eyes could kill, I am already a body. The girl bares her teeth and accuses me of attacking Dylan. She tries to get closer to me but is stopped by Dylan.

“What is this about?” Dylan looks very calm, compared to the other three. It could be the reason why he is the leader.

“I…I was wondering if I am still dreaming.” I stammer, “so I, er, test my theory.”

“By attacking our Alp— awesome classmate? How dare you！Why didn’t you give yourself a pinch?! You selfish human species!” the girl shrieks yet her curse comes to an abrupt end, like a noisy alarm being canceled suddenly.

“What did you just say?” I notice the weirdness in her words and look at her curiously.

Is this girl a lunatic who deeply believes in the fantasy that she is some magical creature superior to human beings? Or why would my identity as a human would offend her so much?

“Nancy is a born anti-social. Don’t know why she is looking down at human beings.” Dylan makes a face and turns to the boys, “Off you go gentlemen. Leave us alone and escort Nancy back to her dormitory, will you?”

“Are you out of your mind? What if she attacks you again?’ Nancy crosses her arms and refuses to leave and the two boys just stand there, daring not to do anything.

“You are exaggerating! That was not an attack. It was only a pinch.”

“And who knows what will you do when we are not around. You may drug him. Poison him. Or stab him to death.”

“I’d love to but don’t know where to get poison and dagger.” I try to make a joke to ease the tension but my words seem to fuel Nancy’s anger.

She mistakes my joke for threatening and becomes furious.

“See? She just admitted that she has an intention to murder you. You should stay away from her!”

“With pleasure.” I nod eagerly, “May I leave now, your majesty?” I add sarcastically.

The way I call Dylan somehow amuses him. He suddenly yanks my arm and drags me to the doorway, leaving Nancy and his bodyguards behind.

“Free me now or I will call the police.” I struggle to get rid of his hand but he is determined to maintain the connection.

“Says someone who plans a murder yet fails due to her incapability to find a weapon.” he drawls and I hate myself for finding his devilish smile attractive.

“I didn’t mean that! It was a joke.” I roll my eyes and huff, “why did you guys treat everything so seriously?”

Dylan stops abruptly and my whole body tenses up as he gazes into my eyes. Those stormy gray eyes remind me of my dream, my fiancé, to be more specific. They both have similar eyes and even their hair color is the same distractingly light blond, but I know it for sure that this arrogant jerk is not the lovely boy on the beach.

I will never forget the moment when I picked up the gray-green stone from my fiancé and my finger accidentally touched his palm. The connection felt so strong and unbreakable, sending a shiver down my spine.

But today when I pinched Dylan with a purpose to test if he is the guy, the result was negative. No sparks, no electricity, no chemistry, nothing. To be honest, I feel a mixture of disappointment and relief. On the one hand, I wish to reunion with my fiancé despite that this is an unachievable dream. On the other hand, however, I am happy to know that Dylan is not the guy, or things would be really tricky.

How am I supposed to deal with this arrogant bully if he turns out to be my sweet, lovely fiancé? First, my heart will be shattered into pieces by seeing this unbelievable change of personality. To make it worse, I will blame myself for causing this change and won’t be able to fight against him.

“How can you zone out when someone look you like this?” Dylan asks incredibly.

“Like what?”

“Never mind. You are immune to my charisma.” He murmurs shamelessly and I smile before I can suppress it.

“I am not. I can’t be immune to something doesn’t even exist，can I?”

“Do you enjoy provoking me?” Dylan raises one of his eyebrows.

“No. I just can’t stand arrogance.”

“There is a fine line between arrogance and confidence, sometimes even the wisest cannot tell.”

“You sound like a philosopher.” Somehow his serious tone reminds me of my fiancé once again and I am frustrated.

Dylan’s expression becomes blank and unreadable. He carefully examines my face and mutters something. I can’t quite figure out what he is saying so I step closer, and what I hear next is a reluctant confession.

“My soulmate once gave the same comment.” Dylan looks very defeated as he says this. The ice in his eyes is melted, replaced by vulnerability and sorrow.

“What happened to her?” I hold my breath and ask in a soft voice. I can’t understand why I am doing this. I shouldn’t have shown concern to Dylan. If something bad happened to him, he probably deserved it. But his sadness is as contagious as an epidemic, destroying my rationality.

“She died.”