Chasing The Girl With The Ocean Eyes

Chapter Twenty-Four: That was a low blow, especially for someone like you.

A/N: Guys, please read the authors note at the end. PLEASEEE. Thanks.

Alessia's P.O.V.

"Are you sure you aren't... I don't know. You haven't been hanging out with us as often." Noah said as we sat down at the table.

"Of course not! You guys are my best friends." I said.

"Absolutely positive?" he said.

"Absolutely, definitely positive."

"You do know that friends can tell when others are lying." he replied.

"Where is this even coming from, Noah?!" I exclaimed.

"I don't know." he muttered. "But really Lessa?" He tilted his head at me. "We all know you are living off your dad's money."

"You're implying that I'm a rich kid?" I almost yelled, disbelieving. Heads turned in our direction but I ignored it.

"Well you are a daddy's girl - and you are living off his money. And as for your mom... well we know how that turned out." he said.

Someone inhaled sharply as they were about to sit down. My guess was that it was Akina.

"That was a low blow. Especially for someone like you." I said. "You are- were one of my best friends. I hope you're happy with what you've said."

A loud crash sounded as I pushed back from the cafeteria bench hard enough to push it over while I ignored everyone's glances and left Noah sitting there in shock and realisation at what he just said.

"Les-" He started, but quickly clamped his mouth shut when he realised I wasn't going to forgive him that easily.

"Hey Chandler, Why did you go off when Noah talked about your parents?" Ian said, catching up to me as I walked into the parking lot.

"I'm not telling you." I replied bluntly, continuing my path to my car. He's not the one you're mad at, Lessa, I reminded myself.

The worst thing that someone could do is take their anger out on someone else.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because I don't trust you. One lesson for you, Alessia Chandler doesn't trust anyone. Unless they're the knights." Not even my best friends, I added silently. Okay, maybe that was a lie because a small part of me really did want to trust them... and Ian.

"Who're the knights?" Ian asked, confused, though there was a hint of sadness in his voice at the fact that I didn't trust him. I had the strong urge to apologise for the harshness in my statements but something held me back and I knew exactly what it was that did.

I guess you could call it an invisible rope tied around my heart and linked to my head, pulling both make and tightening the second I tried to go against it.

But there you have it. I did trust him, honestly. Yet the thing stopping me... that rope... it's the realisation that the people I 'trust' with my secrets would end up being hurt if they knew.

Like Helen.

"My circle." I replied curtly. I wanted to scream at myself. This is Ian, the guy who actually cared about my birthday and even set up a surprise for me.

"Will I ever be a part of it?" He asked, hope shimmering in his eyes.

"No." I said before I walked away.

If he knew what he was really trying to get in when I said 'my circle', he would be disgusted. He probably wouldn't even want to speak to me ever again.

I wouldn't want to be part of my own circle in terms of what we did, but my knights are incredible friends.

After hours of training myself, I finally took a break and sat down.

"What's up, Ali?" Kai said, taking the seat next to me.

"Not much. Just that my best friend blew up at me for no reason whatsoever - or none that I know of - and brought up my parents." I said.

His arm wrapped around my shoulder and I leaned into him. I needed someone to take that place as a father for now and Kai had made it clear that he wanted to assume that position.

"You'll figure everything out. You're a strong girl, Ali." He said and I smiled.

"Thanks Kai. I'm gonna take a walk." I said, before leaving the training quarters.

The sky was dark by the time I was fully aware of my senses, and not buzzing with emotions.

Something grabbed my ankle and I instinctively kicked away from whatever it was.

"Hello." A croaky voice said. I looked down to find a man that looked around his mid-fifties.

"Hello?" I replied hesitantly.

"It has been a long time since I have spoken with someone." he said distantly.

"You live here?" I asked. "Would you like somewhere to stay?"

"You would do that for a stranger? Let alone a homeless beggar?" he asked, eyes wide with surprise. A spark lit in his eyes at a sudden realisation. "You are not running."

"I am not. The offer still stands." I replied.

"Yes. Yes please. Thank you very much." he said.

"Come walk with me, I'll buy you an apartment. Wait - I'll show you to your new home." I said, realising my father used to own one of the hotels nearby.

I hadn't been to it before, because my father left it in the hands of a family friend... who was probably Kai, so the people there would have no problem letting the man stay there.

We talked on the way there, but I didn't tell him my name... just in case.

"I hope you like it, Josiah." I said to him, when he walked into the room.

"Thank you, Alima." he said and I froze entrance of the room.

"Alima... Alima. Can you tell me what that means?" I said, masking my desperation.

"It means strong. Powerful. But caring as well." He replied and I walked out.

That's what my father called me all those times.

Powerful.

Strong.

Caring.

Not a mistake on my name, all those times I thought it was. What a naive girl I was...

No. Not a mistake at all.

A/N: I still can't believe we're at 1K reads, even if it isn't like those people whose books get 3K by chapter 10. Thanks for anyone who read my book or at least one chapter, so far. I know it's not exactly good and compared to other books, possibly terrible but I'm writing other books right now which - now that I look at them compared to this - are much better but I'm not going to post them all now, so yeah.