Chapter Six: Pills
Danielle didn't like even one bit of this strange attitude of his.
The way Theo's tone changed when she asked about his family. The way his shoulders stiffened, and his eyes darkened, like she'd touched a bruise that hadn't healed.
"None of your business," he'd said.
These words repeated in her head all night, circling around her thoughts. 'Why was his life off-limits when he poked into mine so freely?' She hated that double standard.
Theo wanted her to open up, cry, and confess, but when it was his turn, he shut the door pretty hard.
By midnight, Danielle had given up on sleep. The clock ticked endlessly, and the mountain wind hissed through the narrow gap in her window.
She sat at her desk, staring at the stack of orientation papers she didn't care to read. Her muscles felt pulled and pushed down from the flight, forced to feel heavy…
When morning came, Danielle hadn't even realised she had fallen asleep.
Theo knocked on her door once…then twice, but heard no answer.
"Danielle?"
There was no reply from her again.
He frowned, checking his watch. She was supposed to be up twenty minutes ago. After last night's rollercoaster, he expected her to oversleep, but not like this.
He turned the knob and pushed the door open slightly. "I'm coming in."
The sight that greeted him made him pause. Danielle was comfortable under the blanket, one arm hanging off the bed, her long hair covered half her face.
"Danielle," Theo called louder. "Wake up."
But Danielle still gave no reaction.
Theo stepped closer, biting the bottom of his lip. On the bedside table he noticed a small bottle of pills.
The label read something in German, "strong sleep medication." He picked it up, shaking it lightly. Half empty.
"Oh, for crying out loud," he muttered.
He leaned down and tapped her shoulder. "Hey. Sleeping Beauty. Rise and shine."
A muffled groan, but no signs of waking up.
Theo sighed, his patience started getting thin. "Alright. You asked for it."
He grabbed the glass of water from the nightstand and, without hesitation, poured it over her face.
Danielle shot up with a scream, coughing and sputtering. "Are you insane!?"
Theo crossed his arms, obviously unbothered by her reaction. "You wouldn't wake up."
She blinked way too many times. "So you drown me instead?"
"Worked, didn't it?"
Her glare could've melted ice. "I'm going to kill you."
"Not before breakfast," Theo spoke calmly, setting the pill bottle down. "You planning on telling me what these are for?"
Danielle snatched the bottle from his hand. "None of your business."
He raised a brow. "Funny. I said the same thing last night, remember?"
Her jaw tightened. "Get out."
"Not until you're out of bed," he checked his watch again. "You've got ten minutes before class. I'll be waiting outside."
Danielle swung her pillow at him. He dodged it with ease.
"Eight minutes now."
That was it. She got up and punched him squarely in the arm…hard enough that made him furrow his eyebrows.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"For being the most irritating man alive."
Theo rubbed his arm, pretending to wince. "You hit like a cat."
"Good! Next time I'll use my claws."
"Can't wait."
By the time Danielle finished getting ready, her mood was somewhere else.
Her hair refused to cooperate, and her eyes wanted more sleep.
'He had no right to wake me up like that…'
When she stepped outside, Theo was leaning against the wall, checking his phone. He looked disgustingly awake.
"Took you long enough."
"I should've poured that water on you instead," she grumbled, walking past him.
"You'd have to break into my room first. And trust me, the alarm system on my door is scarier than you."
Danielle glared at him, but he didn't care.
They walked together, until other students were beginning to appear, chatting in small groups, laughing.
Danielle felt like an intruder among them.
Theo led her through the main courtyard, pointing out buildings as they passed. "Library. Cafeteria. Faculty office. Oh, and that one? That's the gym. You should probably stay away unless you want people watching you trip over treadmills."
"I don't trip," Danielle rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by his stupid remarks.
"Sure. I'll make sure the medical team's ready just in case."
As they approached a tall, stone building, he stopped. "This is your classroom. Room 204. I checked the map last night."
Danielle raised an eyebrow. "You memorised the campus?"
"Part of my job," he replied simply nodding his head. "If you get lost, I get fired. And I like being employed."
"You really take this bodyguard thing seriously."
Theo shrugged. "Someone has to. You clearly don't."
Before she could reply, Mrs. Keller appeared from the doorway, smiling tightly. "Mr. Theodor, this area is for students only. You'll have to wait outside."
Theo gave a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am. Wouldn't want to ruin the academic spirit."
As he stepped aside, she moved toward the classroom. Heads turned as Danielle entered. Some hushed things followed her down the rows…starting with her name, her last name, her accent.
Everyone seemed to know who she was, but were too afraid to tell her that.
And there it was Mr. President's plan…
Danielle sat in the back row, ignoring the curious glances. A few guys exchanged looks, clearly impressed by her beauty. One even leaned toward his friend and whispered something that made them both grin.
Danielle caught the words "too perfect to talk to us."
She gave them a cold stare that instantly shut them up.
'Idiots,' she thought.
From the window, Theo watched her through the glass. He looked casual, but who knew what exactly he was thinking.
Theo noticed the way the students turned to look at her, how she folded her arms like a shield, how her jaw tightened whenever someone said something.
He didn't know why it bothered him, but it did.
When the professor entered, the class fell silent. Theo leaned against the wall, pretending not to care, but he glanced at every face that looked her way too long.
Half an hour passed. The sun shifted behind the clouds, and some chill filled the corridor. Theo crossed his arms, bored out of his mind, until his phone vibrated in his pocket.
He looked down at the screen and saw that there was a message from an Unknown number:
'You shouldn't have brought her here.'
Theo's brows furrowed.
He typed back quickly. 'Who is this?'
Another message came through seconds later.
'She's not safe here even with you.'
Theo straightened, searching the hallway instantly.
Students passed by, laughing, unaware. But he felt it…the tight pull in his gut, the same instinct that had kept him alive through worse situations in his own family.
Someone was watching them. Whoever sent the message wasn't bluffing.
"Shit! Frank was right. She's being followed after all."