“PUT ME DOWN!!!” Sierra bellowed with all her might and the next moment, her back hit hard on the ground.

"You..." she shot an angry look at Josh who was grinning annoyingly at her.

“That’s what you want, right? I put you down.”

You dropped me! Sierra wanted to snap at Josh but decided that it was better to remain calm and look for a way out of that beautiful yet strange place while her annoying classmate sat on the edge of the cliff and gazed at the ocean.

“You can run all you want but I don’t know if you can ever get out of this woodland,” Josh warned when Sierra got up on her feet, stepped away from the cliff, and marched towards the woods. “You can easily get lost in a vast place where everything looks the same.”

Sierra sighed in annoyance, stopped marching, and checked her phone. It was nearly ten in the morning. Josh carried her for more than an hour. He ran miles at an incredible speed, carrying fifty kilos with him, and he was showing no sign of exhaustion. His breathing was normal. He was not even sweating. Sierra could not compete with that.

How can he do that? Sierra asked herself with awe, annoyance, and curiosity. With an arrogant attitude he can possibly be a superhuman but not a superhero. Or… is being a reserve player in their basketball varsity team and other sports team the reason he can run like that?

Josh had been her classmate since first year college but she knew so little about him. She was busy enough with her life that she had no time to know other people, even her classmates. She would talk to them about their lessons and join them at group projects but she had never been interested with their personal lives. She did not want her classmates asking about her life either. She was not comfortable with that. Socializing was her weakness. She could share bits of her life but only to her closest friends.

That was the reason she barely knew Josh and even though she was curious, she could not ask.

“Sit beside me and I’ll answer all your questions,” Josh said, tapping the ground beside him.

What now? Can he also read minds?

Sierra shook her head and demanded, “Take me back to our school, Josh.”

"Sit here," he repeated and it sounded more of an order rather than a request.

Sierra refused to be intimidated and stayed where she was.

“I can’t skip other classes," she explained. "Unlike you, graduating is important to me. I’m working hard to earn enough money for my tuition. I can’t waste money and time like you do. If you want to play around, find a woman who also wants it. I hate flirting and idling around. Please, take me back to our school.”

Josh did not react to her words. He remained sitting at the edge of the cliff and gazed quietly at the magnificent view of the ocean. Sierra would have enjoyed that sight if she was not skipping classes and she was not with someone so infuriating.

“There are plenty of girls in our class,” Sierra continued, trying to be as calm and patient as she could. “Most of them like to be with you. Just ask them.”

Josh looked away from the sea and gazed seriously at her. “Stop extending hours at work and I will not bother you like this again.”

“How do you know I’m extending hours at work? And why do you care?” Sierra asked, starting to feel nervous. She was in the middle of nowhere with someone that seemed to be stalking her, someone that ran miles at an incredible speed with fifty kilos of burden and did not sweat even a bit.

How can I escape from this?

She unconsciously held the locket underneath her scarlet shirt. In her dreams, it was a powerful protection. That must be what her dreams wanted to tell her. But instead of the monster turning into a human, it was the other way around. The human becomes a monster.

Josh got up on his feet, approached Sierra within a blink of an eye, as if he teleported, and grabbed her by the shoulders.

How can he move so blindingly fast? Sierra wondered, awe and fear mixing within her.

“You need to get enough sleep!” Josh loudly commanded, tightening his grip on her already hurting shoulders.

His eyes… Is he angry or worried? But wait…

“What is it to you if I get enough sleep or not?!” Sierra asked, getting more bothered and confused.

“Just do it!” Josh yelled, looking desperate. “If you need money, I will give you money! I’ll pay for your tuition. Just get enough sleep!”

“Ooohhh… What is this, Josh? Arguing with your lover? It’s not like you,” someone from behind Sierra had spoken and Josh finally let go of her.

“You better leave,” Josh said, his voice suddenly became threatening.

“What if I don’t want to?” the man asked, sounding as arrogant as Josh a few minutes earlier.

Sierra turned around and glanced at the person talking to Josh. He was a stunning man that was probably the same age or a bit older than she and Josh was. He was taller and more muscular than Josh. He had short black hair and charming blue eyes but his arrogance was overshadowing it.

“You don’t want to?” Josh asked back and his words were sounding more dangerous.

“How can I leave when there is a beautiful lady in front of me?”

Oh please… not another playboy.

“I’ll be the one leaving,” Sierra hurriedly marched away from the two irritating men.

She thought that they would be busy bickering at each other but, unfortunately, she was wrong. Again. 

The arrogant newcomer instantly appeared in front of her and harshly grabbed her hand.

“Who told you to leave?” he maddeningly asked that Sierra finally snapped. 

With her free hand, she punched him hard in the face and it was like hitting a rock instead of muscles. Her hand was the one who got bruised and bled while the face of the arrogant man remained unscathed.

How unfair.

“How dare you hit my face?!” the arrogant man angrily bellowed and tried to return a punch at Sierra but Josh surprisingly appeared between them and caught the newcomer’s wrist.

“You will hit her?” Josh asked, sounding more menacing. Sierra could not see his face because his broad back was in front of her but his voice made her remember the fierceness of his eyes from her dream.

“Do you want another broken bone? Or maybe…” Josh tightened his grip at the wrist of the arrogant man before coldly asking, “You want to die?”

The arrogant man looked intimidated. He seemed torn between staying and leaving but after meeting eyes with Josh for a few more seconds, he finally decided to pull his wrist away, dashed towards the woods, and vanished between the tall, thick, and abundant trees.

Sierra chased the arrogant man. He will certainly leave that woodland. If she trailed him quietly, she will safely get out of that place.

But Josh grabbed her wrist before she could step into the woods.

“Let go, please,” Sierra uttered, as patiently as she could.

“I’ll take you back to our school,” his voice changed from threatening into pleading. “But you need to promise. No more overtime.”

Sierra turned to punch Josh in the face but he easily dodged it.

“Punch me all you want. I will not get hurt. You, on the other hand, cannot work with an injured hand. Do you want to further damage your hand?” Josh was looking as impatient as Sierra.

“Take me back to our school. Now,” Sierra stubbornly commanded.

“No more overtime,” Josh insisted with the same determination. “I will pay you for sleeping on time.”

“Are you crazy?” Sierra asked, getting more annoyed and confused. “Why are you doing this?”

“Please, Sierra,” Josh begged and that desperate look returned to his face.

He was maddeningly confusing.

Why was her sleep so important to him?

“Please, Sierra,” he repeatedly pleaded without providing any explanation.

“Why?” Sierra asked, wanting to hear his reason and understand his sudden craziness.

“Please, just do it,” he desperately uttered instead of explaining himself. 

In his eyes, Sierra could sense that no matter how many times she asked, Josh would never answer.

“Okay,” Sierra sighed, not wanting to waste any more time in that place. She will be missing more classes for nothing. “No more overtime,” she agreed with deep annoyance. “Lend me money if I need to,” she seriously glared at Josh. “No interest. And don’t bother me like this ever again. That’s the deal. No more word from you.”

“Deal,” Josh approved, looking grateful. “Let’s return to our school,” he easily scooped Sierra in his arms then hurried back to their school.

^####################################^