Indigo

Amarantha walked out of the classroom with her head low and a heavy backpack pushing her downwards. Her backpack was always heavy nowadays, always crowded with books on names and such. So far she had conducted a list of the meanings she had found out and it read something like this:

Wood meanings
Willow: Psychic awareness, related to the moon, melancholy, intuition
Oak: Strength, health, independent, sensible,
Balsa: Psychic awareness
Cedar: Healing, purification, protection, confidence
Cherry: Love
Beech : Creative

Name meanings
Amarantha: Unfading, flower. Mythical flower. immortal.

She heard a pair of feet easily catch up with her.
“Nightmares, huh?”
Bert lowered his head a bit so he could face Amarantha properly. Amarantha furrowed her brow and made a mock while placing her century-old eyes in a questioning look.
“This walls are not too thick. I heard the professor’s exasperation.”
“Oh, goody. Now the whole school knows about my nightmares...”
She replied sarcastically, stomping up the stairs. Ever since she had felt watched on the garden she had been on her guard: she didn’t like how heavy she felt lately and this feeling had been getting on her nerves.
“You’re a bit grouchy lately-“
Bert began to said, placing a hand on Amarantha’s shoulder. She slapped it away and glared at him, quickly stomping away from him and heading towards her dorm. She threw herself into the nearest armchair: an extremely puffy one for that matter. A few seconds later she heard the sound of feet approaching and the opening and closing of the dorm’s door. Amarantha turned her body to her side and sat in fetal position, trying hard to push the weariness out of her.
“Can I help you? I’m your friend I can-“
“Bert just back off okay?!”
Amarantha shrieked in exasperation, standing up from the armchair and running to her bedroom. She threw the door closed and headed to her bed, violently pushing the curtains aside, about to crawl inside – when she saw someone already lying there. She instantly placed a hand to her mouth, muffling the scream that she knew would come at any time. He stirred and turned on his side, his tail moving delicately from side to side in an obvious light slumber. Amarantha sighed, calming herself as she crawled into bed in the most soft and delicate way, trying hard not to freak out and scare him away. He looked so vulnerable: his knees flexed, bumping into his elbows, his arms where hunched forward and his hands rested near his face, his hair was down and tangled into a silver-purple mess and his face looked paler than usual.
She was on all fours, her long black hair falling down her shoulder as she tapped him lightly on the shoulder,
“Kier?”
She asked softly. His eyelids fluttered but apart from that he didn’t seem to move. She tucked the strand of hair behind her ear and tapped him again on the shoulder,
“Kier...c’mon...”
His arm moved too quickly for her to react. Before she knew it she was lying in bed facing him, his arm around her waist, pushing them near. Perhaps if Amarantha was older she might’ve understood the sexual connotation this sort of gestures would’ve meant to anyone else but quite at the moment she didn’t mind. She was an innocent eight-year old right there, as naive as one can be. She placed a hand on his face and whispered,
“Kier, wake up. Wake up, wake up, wake up.”
Kier’s eyes finally opened in a drowsy manner. He didn’t look as shocked as Amarantha would’ve thought he would be. Instead, he took his free arm and slid it underneath Amarantha’s body, pressing her against his chest firmly and placing his head on top of her head.
“I’m awake.”
He declared, not loosening the grip he had on her small body.
“What are you doing here?”
She asked him, looking up so they could face each other properly. His eyes did not look like ice anymore: they looked like melted water.He shook his head.
“I’m happy you weren’t here when I came earlier...You’re so young...it isn’t fair...I-“
He shook his head again, tears about to fall from his pale cheeks. Amarantha’s heart broke in two. She placed her free hand on his cheek and rubbed the tears that trembled down away. He looked so vulnerable and hurt...

I had never seen someone brake down in front of me. I didn’t know much about Kier, but I did know that he wouldn’t just do this to anyone. In a way I felt special, and in another completely helpless. I didn’t understand what was happening but I did comprehend he wasn’t ready to tell me. I wasn’t sure what to do...his eyes had something strong about them now...a kind of craving. I didn’t know how to please his craving, I didn’t know what he wanted. But I had to try...I couldn’t leave him like that. It was too cruel. Then I did what I had seen so many other girls do before.

Amarantha closed the small gap that was between their mouths and pressed her lips against his, slowly giving him small kisses, her hands never leaving his face. His hands lowered to the small space in her back as he responded, deepening the kiss. Amarantha acted on instinct: playing with his lips. But then something unexpected happened and he was on top of her, both of their lips parted and his fingers on the hem of her sweater. She let a muffled sigh out and shook her head,
“Don’t.”
She ordered with the little breath she had left. It was as if she had pressed the off button in him and he froze instantly. She took several quick breaths and stared at him, his hair falling on her face lightly. She couldn’t place the expression on his face: something between panic, regret and an urge to finish what he had started.
“I’m...sorry...I”
He began. She hushed him and place a tentative small hand on his broad chest, gently pushing him off. He obeyed but didn’t leave her side, nor did his eyes stopped searching her face.
“Can we start over? Be friends first? Talk?”
He asked in a hurry, passing a hand through his hair in an unconsciously seductive way. Amarantha nodded, too overwhelmed to speak yet. Her eyes flew to the door, as if afraid someone would enter. A ruffle of sheets later Kier was standing in the foot of her bed, his hair and clothes disheveled, his face showing a slightly hurt pride. There was something else about him but Amarantha couldn’t place her finger on it.
“You want me to go?”
She nodded. He sighed and then came nearer to her, kissing her head lightly.
“I’m sorry I scared you...It...It won’t happen again, okay? I promise not to scare you...”
Amarantha looked at him with her old, big puppy eyes and she looked even younger than eight years old. Kier felt a tug of guilt in his heart as he swiftly went out of the bedroom. Amarantha looked around herself, the tangled sheets where they had been, the light scent of him in the air. She pushed her knees towards her and instantly knew something was different about her now. She was no longer a kid, and she understood that now that he was gone.
There was the sound of footsteps and then the door opened. Annie popped her head through Amarantha’s drawn curtains,
“Hey!”
She greeted the girl with a big grin. Then she sniffed the air and her brow furrowed. She stared at Amarantha differently and started asking,
“Was someone else in here...?”
But then she saw the girl’s expression of panic.
“Annie...are you going to sleep now?”
Amarantha asked tentatively. Her roommate nodded. Amarantha crawled near her and tucked at her shirt,
“Could I....could I please sleep with you tonight?”
Annie looked startled at first but then smiled.
“Sure sweetie...Anne used to sleep with me all the time when she had a scary dream. Did you have a scary dream as well?”
Amarantha shrugged,
“In a way.”
She replied in a monotone.