Act One: The Sandman's Dilemma

Ambrosia plopped down her bed, the soft cushions catching her tense body. She felt heavier than what she actually weighed, the long day a crippling burden on her shoulders. The girl twisted and turned, letting the strain in her muscle melt into the light pink sheets warming her from beneath.

Her eyelids fell and rose, mind still fighting against the threat of sleep. It wasn't the right time, not when she had so much to think about. Behind the darkness of her closed lids, Terrance's unblemished face greeted her, the pure worship in his eyes pulling at her heartstrings.

He really wasn't playing around. He was ready to wait for her and devote himself to her happiness in the meantime.

As for Rose, she couldn't deny the irresistible allure of having more with her junior. However, she was sure everyone found Terrance attractive and beyond that, entirely loveable with his dorky personality. Whatever feelings she had for him weren't that deep, nothing special, not like what she had with Hugh.

But then again, she technically knew Terrance in a deeper level—

Her eyes snapped open. There was no way she was accepting defeat to the prodigy so easily, not when she still had yet to win her darling over.

Rose sat up and groaned into her hands. When did things become so complicated? One moment she and Terrance had been doing their homework together like they had been on a daily basis, warm gazes wholly platonic... at least that was how she remembered them, and another moment, they were merely a breath away from kissing.

When did they stop doing that? The more she thought about it, the more questions started to arise. When did they stop seeing each other so frequently? Had he always been so occupied? Why could they only briefly catch a glimpse of each other in the hallways recently?

And when did her heart start to beat so loudly every time they did?

He was undeniably gorgeous. It was one of the first things Rose found out from other people in regards to the Hunton heir, other than the rumors indicating that his family had deep involvements with a gang and of Terrance having a sour personality. Despite her notable denseness, Ambrosia had reasonable eyesight. Her junior wasn't just handsome, he was pretty, his unusual gray eyes more eye-catching than the features of most modern celebrities.

To add, his athleticism and frequent training certainly showed in his body...

Not to mention, Terrance was incredibly intelligent for his age, one of the most excellent students in his year and fully capable of exceeding most of the students in Ambrosia's year.

And of course, who could forget? His emotionless expression seemed to light up only when she was near.

Ambrosia was no fool. She noticed the way he only smiled at her, the way he only whined about trivial things to her, and babbled endlessly about his interests only to her, at least up 'til recently. The point being—Terrance was an entirely different person with her, which should've indicated something early on.

At first, Rose thought it was solely because she was the only person that wasn't intimidated by him and avoided his sharp gaze. But over time, she realized it had been something deeper—he remembered all her favorite things, all her comfort movies, and all of her strangest ramblings.

And the way he smiled at her— good lord.

Terrance looked at Rose like she had singlehandedly pieced his heart back together. And in some way, the girl knew she did.

It was her intention to better the general opinion on Terrance from the beginning, but it seemed like he took a leap and fixed it on his own—out of nowhere becoming a campus crush and a frequent topic within students.

She was happy for him, happy he found friends, happy he was no longer an avoided syndicate in school, but there was a panging in her chest whenever girls threw themselves at him, which was unfortunately a frequent occurrence after his rebranding.

Ambrosia shook her head. She'd rather not ponder on that.

She straightened herself, catching the subtle glimmer of Terrance's bedroom cameras from her peripheral view. It was a bit insane that her junior installed them there in the first place, but she supposed she was much crazier for being fine with them.

The girl wondered if Terrance was looking at her at that moment and if he knew she was thinking of him or if he was still convinced that she was thinking about Hugh and all her immoral methods of showing her love.

Unbeknownst to Ambrosia who was being slowly lulled to sleep by the gentle strokes of the wind, Terrance had refrained from checking in on her, deciding that he'd approach his romance in a classier manner. It was a genuine struggle against his obsessive tendencies, but he wanted to give it a shot.

Like her father had suggested. Courtship.

When Rose was met with the sandman's majestic lair, eyes finally giving up in staying open, it was a surprise she didn't find Terrance in all his dreamy glory. Instead, she found herself in a more comfortable spot, in her memories with Hugh.

They were staying in the council room to do some work—well, he was staying to do some work, she mostly just wanted to spend time with him, a sentiment she shamelessly vocalized as Hugh encoded whatever important business he had on his laptop.

Her eyes never left his face and when they did, it was usually to watch his fingers dance along the letters on his keyboard. Hugh was graceful in many ways, he made the simplest of actions look like works of art.

It was something many strived to do and something Ambrosia strived to admire with all that she had, every scent and feeling practically engrained into her brain.

"You look quite invested." Hugh's low voice interrupted her thought process, his volume mellowed down by the exhaustion of his duties.

Although the accusation was playful, Rose couldn't stop herself from perking up in embarrassment. "Ah, yeah. I like watching you."

The spontaneous admission made the scholar's ears burn red, a minute detail that had Rose feeling incredibly accomplished. It was a stunning sight to her deflating ego, a salvaging sign to keep fighting. Despite her numerous attempts to flirt with him in the past, he'd still act as if it was his first time hearing such flattering words.

Surprising for a man who was rumored to date around and heartlessly ditch his partners.

Before she could direct attention towards his blushing, Hugh cleared his throat, steering the conversation in a different direction. "You know, your name's awfully familiar. You're from here, right? I swear I've heard Decker somewhere. Perhaps a relative of yours, have a clue?"

"A student?"

"If I remember correctly, yes."

Ambrosia contemplated on telling him, her fingers clenching around each other in an attempt to soothe her nerves. She exhaled, "It's probably my sister."

"Oh yes, I remember now. I believe I interacted with her a couple of times in competitions and such." Hugh told her with a curious tone. "She's around our age, no?"

Rose could only muster a small, "Yeah." The topic caused her great distress, cold sweat forming from her palms.

The scholar gave her a side glance, intrigued by the sudden meekness. "Adopted?"

"Obviously! I don't think either of my dads have a womb." Rose snorted, a huff of air leaving her lips.

"Oh right, my apologies." He laughed alongside the unusual girl, finding it entirely life-changing how comfortable he'd grown with her presence despite her entire existence opposing every single principle he had keeping him alive.

"What did you think of my sister?"

The sorrow in her voice was hard to miss, something that had Hugh stop entirely in his typing. He looked at her in the eyes before whipping his gaze upwards, humming in thought. "I wouldn't say she was that memorable. I'm more interested in you if I'm going to be honest."

Although the Windsor knew near nothing about his admirer's personal life, it wasn't hard to tell that there was bad blood between Ambrosia and her sister because despite his demeaning comment, the girl's previous aura only returned, smile growing wider.

"Oh," was all that left her lips before she resumed her staring, looking awfully gleeful for someone who, just moments ago, looked dishearteningly glum.

Rose was appreciative of Hugh's response, heart fluttering in maddening rates. She knew they were destined, but she believed that it was at that moment that she truly fell in love with him.

"I'm used to my sister getting all the praise and attention, so it's really touching to hear that, especially coming from you." She explained. If Ambrosia grew a tail there and then, it'd be wagging along to her rapid heartbeat.

Fo a while, Hugh said nothing, staring blankly ahead. It was concerning, but the girl tried her best to ignore—

"Iya?" A distorted voice left Hugh's frame. Said scholar's mouth started moving but completely unsynchronized to the jumbled noises that were reaching Rosia's ears.

"Why don't you get rid of her, then?"

Those words sent her down in a spiral panic, nausea invading her every organ. Memories she thought she'd repressed well began to resurface, haunting her, reminding her of how dirtied her hands had become in the pursuit of love.

No. No. Hugh was different, she reasoned.

Hugh was—

"Iya, haha. You're so silly. Like a puppy." That distorted voice again.

Then her beloved's, "Has anyone ever told you that you resemble a puppy?"

Her surroundings started shattering, invisible hands tugging at the hands covering her eyes. The air was suffocating, the girl could barely feel the thinning particles entering her nose and constantly, speedily leaving—

Rose's body jolted, hands immediately patting around to see if she was in the real world or if she was still dreaming.

Tears started to blur her vision, her entire body quaking like a brittle leaf. Hugh, that person...

No. They had nothing to do with each other.

She wasn't going to let him avoid her because of something as simple as a dream.

Because if there was anything she and Terrance could agree on, it was that love meant utmost devotion.