Elaine
I woke up few hours ago, refreshed but still cramped and stiff. When I pulled the blinds away from the window sill, I expected to witness the soft hue of sunset. But to my surprise it was dark already. From my room I had a clear view of the main blocks of school, which was now bathed in illuminating golden lights giving the structure a futuristic effect.
After admiring the beauty of the night complimented by the modern architecture I jumped in to take a warm shower, I changed into a black tank top and some white shorts that I had carelessly shoved inside my bag when I found it hideously sitting on the forbidden section of my cupboard. Since I was alone now, I don't see the intellectuality of not using the clothing for its purpose.
But it felt weird, having much of your lower half exposed to the chill of early January.
Brownies thankfully packed by Diana served as dinner. On the onset of a satisfied yawn I was geared to hit the bed once again.
Lying on my back I stared at the peach colored ceiling, feeling homesick. Missing the pale whiteness already.
Past week was a blur, rushing away with all the strategies and plans to get here. But now when I had accomplished the first stage, like a tumbling rubble, like a post earthquake aftermath, each question and frustration slowly logged back inside me. All with loose ends and unsaid mysteries.
I was born here.
That makes it a high possibility that my parents were from the city too. It was like a hurricane of queries and theories swirling in me, with no head start or idea where to begin from.
Debating with my conscience I decided to go to the hospital where I was allegedly born the first thing I had time.
Sleep came way too late for me that night and even now in the state of willing unconsciousness I heard someone coughing.
Am I dreaming?
But why would I dream of someone coughing?
Then it fell silent, and my mind shrugs over whatever alerted it as i drifted back to my peaceful slumber, snuggling under the thick comforter.
But then something shifted beside me. The mattress, it dipped.
As if my whole body was thrown in a cold bucket of water, it froze.
My eyes snapped open and right then a large arm looped around my waist, holding me like a pillow.
And as if some sort of awareness stroked the arm like entity it went rigid.
And that's when I screamed.
I lunged out of the bed, tripping upon the duvet and falling on derriere. The silhouette in the dark shuffled rapidly around the bed and suddenly it was bright.
Using both of my hands I covered my face.
"What the hell?" a deep sleepy voice but equally confused and angry one graced my ears.
I peeked between the fingers, the lights now survivable for my sensitive retinas. I let my hands fall to my side and scanned the culprit, nose flaring and eyes glaring.
"That's right! What the hell are you doing in my room?" I asked from the floor, my behind still humming with pain from the fall as the shirtless boy on bed scowled at me.
"Your room? This is not your room" as if he daily practices the art of creases on his fore head, the distasteful look never left his face. And I am sure it mirrored mine.
"Then whose room is it?" I asked raising a brow, confident.
"This is...this is no one's room" he said, but as an after though he added "Nobody lives here"
"Oh yeah? Now you see that I do. Leave my room before I call the security"
He watched me for a while, his lips thinned and scorned. And that's when the events of the night cleared from my head as slowly the structure of his familiar face dawned on me, my eyes widened slightly.
"Do you even know who you are talking to?" protracting his powerful phrase he drawled out. But right now it sparsely effected me, I had been trained by the best of ice kings in the world and so what if he was the president guy that Riley cowered over. I was not her and this Edmund boy can shove his arrogance up his ass for all I care.
"A boy who has fetishes of sneaking into a girls dorms in the middle of the night without a shirt on?" I reasoned which snapped him to look at his naked torso, a flushed look of crimson washed over his cheeks. But soon it was replaced by a glare.
"How dare you?"
"Now stop playing the I am powerful you are the poor girl on scholarship you won't survive here a day shit on me, I've seen my fair share of such dramas with an old friend of mine to know what people like you are made of" I rambled on but he seemed to caught on something else entirely.
"Scholarship?" he frowned, I paused and nodded.
"Your assistant Riley I believe, she brought me here. Said this is my dorm from now on" I tried to keep my attention on his face when he groaned running his hands over his face as my gaze slipped back to his manly glory, unconsciously nodding as he grumbled something about an idiot girl not informing him that I was already here.
"I feel used right now"
"You do?" I ask deeply thinking over the rigorous work out that his teenage body would have endured to reward him with the packs, calculating mentally the calories intake in a day the body requires.
"Yes, you can stop drooling over my abs. It's un lady like" as if I was electrocuted right in my pupils I looked at his face, or should I say the smirking skull.
"I- I was um, thinking about your calorie intake" I bit my lips as his brows raised in question amused.
"Calorie intake? Like the amount of fat I consume?" He asks narrowing his eyes at me, to which I nod.
"It's the same thing" I scoff at his amused face.
"You are weird" he says as he got up from the bed as I felt the warmth spreading across my cheeks as he stood to his full height. He came over my side with a nonchalant look and offered his hands, and boy was he tall.
My top of my head hardly reached his shoulder blade when I stood up with his help, blushing wildly as I realized what I was wearing.
"How did you get in?" I ask as he walks out to leave.
He grabs a card from the pocket of his and mockingly shakes it. "I have the access, I usually use this room for the night when my roommate starts to sleep walk or even cook sometimes" he sighs.
"Oh, okay. But now that I am here don't you think you should return the card. It's like an invasion of privacy" I blinked trying to wipe the uneasiness as I felt him give me a once over.
It must be the sleep or the deceiving eyes as I felt him smile a little.
"I think I'll keep it" with that closing the door behind him he left.
And I went back to bed creeped out by the events of night and thinking of the official ways I could keep dramas out of my life.
***
Renewed, it was one of the term to express the level of anxiety I felt when I heard the whispers. But unlike summers high, students here don't even require the effort to change their features, to morph it into something accusing or hateful. They just had to look at me and evaluate to have my palms sweating.
Today morning as per her words Riley knocked at my room, I was ready by then. The uniform sat to my perfect measurements, the white shirt, black tie, beige skirt and the shoes, they were all on their respective sectors, doing it's best to impersonate me as one of them, but it was my skin that was unwilling to negotiate with them.
In short, I looked fine with my signature pony, but awkward when in class.
"You can't sit in there" a lanky boy with fidget spinner twirling between his fingers halted me with his words when I was about to take the last seat of the class, like I always do. The further behind the back of the bodies the more you are invisible.
"Why?" I shamelessly squeaked, the green eyed boy rolled his eyes.
"That's someone else's place that you don't want to mess with" with a bored look he resumed back to spinning.
"ca- can I sit here?" my heart beat pounded as my breathing became shorter. I wanted to cry out loud. Of all the time the attacks could've have furbished me with its relapse, it had to be my first day.
"You look like you are getting sick" he frowned at my forehead as I wiped the sweat with the back of my hand. "I don't care where you sit"
Without a second I shuffled to the seat beside him, closing my eyes counting till ten, knotting my fingers into one another under the desk to stop it from convulsing so badly.
When I was sure I was fine I opened my eyes as the whole class now turned their attention towards the door.
With each clink of their shoe heels the room fell much more silent, Increasing attention now diverted to the most beautiful blonde girl I had ever seen, her petite body made the uniform look like a apparel for runway stopper. Accompanying her was an equally breathtaking brown girl with curls you could envy for rest of your lives.
They paid no heed to anyone as they walked to the last once available seat.
I mentally thanked the spinner obsessed boy from saving me from an interaction with them.
Though they were gorgeous to compete the mythological beauty that had the world fantasizing for years, it was the toxic vibe of ruthlessness their eyes gave away. Like devils dressed as angels.
The rest of the classes were same but much more appealing and interesting, the requirement for my attention to a class was a rare occasion since I always seem to know what they teach, or in the case of Mr. Carmen, what he spoke. But here it was a different story, they were advanced, logical, beneficial and amazing.
Though I got looks from students, non of it were hostile or disgusted, or maybe they just mask it really well. So far it was not that bad as Nathan had me pictured the atmosphere of breathing hell here.
When lunch came around I expected to visit the cafeteria, But nobody informed me they call the personal branch of exclusive restaurant in upper town a cafeteria? The automatic sensor panel slides as I stepped in. The hall was divided into two parts with floor to ceiling windows, bright day light seeping in along with a prodigious view of lawn outside.
One half of the sector was raised two steps above the ground with lounge kind of interiors with bean bags and fancy tables and stools. While the level I stood on had white tables and black chairs like in a restaurant.
At the counter the three large LED screens slides over to the latest menus and when my eyes fell upon the prices I realized why I had Nathan's credit card in my wallet.
Thanks buddy for saving me from starvation.
After spending minutes on contemplating over cheapest dish, I decided on salad and vegetable sandwich without cheese or mayonnaise. Apparently a slice of cheese costs three dollars more.
With the tray of food I waited for an unsuspectable seat for my individual self when I saw a girl waving, at me?
It was Riley and she was right in the middle of cafeteria beneath a large chandelier that I presume does its job at night.
I walk over to her and take a cautious seat. A young boy was beside her who was too engrossed in mobile to notice a new member.
"How was your day?" she chirps.
"It was fine, thanks for inviting me to your table" I said unwraping my sandwich as she chews on her fries. It hadn't left my vision the way Riley acts as normal citizen would and not like the one who ritually follows the pinky on air process when they have their tea.
"Oh no worries" she waves it with her hand "By the way meet my little brother Jared rivers"
"Nice to meet you Jared" I give the boy a genuine smile as he looks up from the screen blankly at me.
"I am fifteen and my brother has a girlfriend" shocked I look at Riley who rolls her eyes.
"This is not the way to talk to some one, and she doesn't even know" she mouths me a sorry.
"You don't know?" Jared asks interested.
"Know what?"
This time Riley answers for me "It's just the thing we witness every day, people trying to befriend us because of our brother. He thinks everybody uses us till they get to him" she sighs.
"By the way my brother is Jonathan Rivers, you heard of him?" she adds.
"You don't mean The Joe Rivers do you?" My mouth gapes open when they simultaneously nod at me, Joe Rivers was the stage name he had chosen for himself, the twenty three year old pop sensation is like the religious chant of every girls dream and his last album had touched the number one billboard chart recently.
"Woah, life must be so entertaining for you guys" grinning I took the first bite and ravished it. How can someone make vegetable taste better than cheese?
"Not exactly, our parents are always busy with his concerts or pampering his diva image. That's one of the reason we are here in the first place. My brother now has enough money to send us to this school but not enough time to wish us on our birthday's" I give her a sad smile understanding where she comes from, they were like me but from different situation ended up here.
"Now enough about me, I wanted to ask you if something happened yesterday?" her demeanor changes to that of seriousness, even Jared seem to take part in it. I recalled everything as my ears turned red. But decided to play it stupid.
"No, why?"
"No reason, Edmund asked me of why I hadn't informed him about the new student. I pointed out that I had texted him. He probably forget to check them" she trails off as I gulp.
"By the way do you know who his roommate is?" I asked recalling the way he mentioned about a sleepwalker.
"yeah, it's Lee. He's Korean by birth. You'll see him around he's not that hard to miss."
As if on cue he walks in, contrary to yesterday he looked much more sophisticated in the uniform, his hairs shaped to the perfectness and eyes held the order of a leader, followed by the Asian boy and the two girls I had seen from the class. They stride in with the aura of dynastical power as students cower away to give them as much space they could.
There was also a hefty drop in the chatter around as they take the few steps to the lounge. From down here we had a clear view of them.
"It's always funny to see rich peasants bowing down to the richer, never gets old" I look at Jared as he smiles, Riley snorts. He reminded me so much of Noah.
"Who are they?" out of curiosity I ask.
"They my dear are rulers, they basically own this place right underneath their heels. You don't want to get on their bad side." She thoughtfully glances at them.
"Are they that bad?" nonchalantly I ask, to which she takes the job of a guide way too seriously as she fills me in with their life data.
"You see the Asian boy? That's Lee, he may appear harmless but he is one of the most dangerous trouble maker you could ever find. He may not be good at academics or politics like his father is, who is the senator of south korea. His field of practice lies in racing. Like professional racing. He had won so many championships that the school has lost its count. No wonder he's being called the next Hamilton of our generation under leading tabloids" finding no words to describe my surprise I nod impressed, I look at him as he said something to Edmund to which he nods not taking his eyes away from the book he read.
"The blond beauty, Hailey Howard's parents basically owns the medical chain and drug firms that hold the city's health care pivot. Breakthroughs in advancing medicine is the forte. She is highly intelligent and had already attended many of the conference to help merge the firms for their betterment. It doesn't help the she also models for fun" mesmerized by her achivement's a small light of new found respect for her bloomed in me. But the deadness in her eyes felt too cold for mortal.
"Edmund Sargent, you know him already. He Is dedicated to the cause. He majors in drama and the convention of cinematography. He had already directed few successful short films and the fact that his father's productions is in competition with Marvel is something in itself to explain." I recalled the night when he opened up to me about his friends, a dull ache erupted in my head as the memories I had buried slowly stirred up loud and clear as the day.
"Finally we have Clarissa Blakewall" at that my head snapped to her direction, the curly girl who smirked at something Edmund had said, twirling a strand of her hair in between her fingers. My heart beating at the prospect of something that I knew was possible as it stumbled out of Rileys mouth.
"Daughter of some highly reputed lawyer who married a south African model. The genes did enough justice to her face. According to the interview to a magazine she plans to follow her father's footsteps and owing to the past history of the international inter school level debates she had won, I don't see her doing anything other than fighting verbally in a court."
She was in front of me. A card that could lead me closer to something I was so desperate for.
"The students kiss the ground they walk on, it doesn't help that everyone on that table is some one. They have this individuality of their own. They are not just a group of friends, they are special and elite to even the most wealthy student. That's why we call them The clique" She sighes dreamily
I wanted to ask more about her but Riley continued, now about some certain boy that I had avoided, sinfully to think or even talk about.
The one who broke me enough to feel numb.
"Thomas Alexander White was another story enitrely, the alpha of iciness was a mystery, he was worse than Hailey at freezing a person to the ground. Most of the girls fantasised about him and boys carefully stayed off his way. The fact that he was the best range shooter of his age the country had, made him hotter than the sun for teenage hyenas. He was the sole heir to multi billion dollar fortune of his father. Togeather they had been best friends as long as we knew, but one day he suddenly disappeared. Like no sign of him in the city. It's been eight months now." She frowned as if recalling something, I on the other hand used the time to compare the boy I knew with the Alex she described. The laugh he shared, the way he cared.
And then the anger that ruined every thing.
"I heard through the stalls, some girls were talking about him. They said rumor has it that he's returning back to the academy" I choked on the capsicum as she immediately offered me her water. I chugged it down.
From the corner I felt Jared frown at me and get back to his phone.
"What are you doing?" I ask him as he scowled and then blankly stared at the screen.
"Checking the schools blogs for any news on Alexander White" my heart struggled till he scanned through the pages. When he opened his mouth I was already dizzy, holding my breath.
"He's not coming back" relaxed, I was about to take my next bite when he nonchalantly added.
"Because He's already back"
***