Scales

I jolted awake to the unwelcome sound of my alarm on yet another Monday morning, a day I had come to dread. In a blink of an eye, the weekend had gone so soon and it was now Monday. I wished that the weekend could stretch on forever, but how ridiculous would that be?

The looming confrontation with Mr. Roman, my assistant teacher, made it imperative for me to be at my 8 am class an hour early, or risk facing his wrath. With a deep sigh, I set my bedside alarm for 5 am, determined not to be late.

As I hurried through my morning routine, my mind raced with the anticipation of the day ahead. I meticulously chose a pair of black pants and a crisp shirt, rolling up the sleeves and adding a tie for a touch of formality. After getting dressed, I quickly fastened my ID card around my neck and breezed through a simple skincare routine. I touched up with a pink lip gloss, while letting my hair flow behind me because I had no time to braid it.

Finally. I grabbed my bag and made my way towards the door. Just before I stepped outside, I heard Coco's slurry voice calling out to me. "Are you going now?" She inquired with eyes half-closed.

I bobbed my head in her direction. "I'll save seats for us at the front row" I said to her and she hummed. As I watched her on the bed, I couldn't help but think how my life would have been better if I wasn't forced to be the leader of any class. I could sleep till 6 am and not worry about offending some sad ass teacher.

"Hurry now. Don't be late" She said before drifting off to sleep.

I was already out of the room when I dashed into the room again. In my rush, I nearly forgot my phone, which I had absentmindedly left behind. I got to my bedside and my gaze fell untop the locked cupboard with a PIN code.

If I wasn't heading out before the stipulated time I was to be awake, the system would have unlocked the cupboard with a click sound and we would have accessed our phones.

Now, I didn't know what to do. I hastily knocked on the cupboard and, to my surprise, a green light illuminated the panel.

I read.

Pin? What pin?

To make matters worse, the home system wasn't blaring. It just went still, dissapeared when I needed it the most.

I need not be told that time was running. Without a moment's hesitation, I entered a default pin, 1234, knowing how most systems come with this default pin. Fortunately, it clicked open and I retrieved my phone, grateful that I hadn't left it behind.

Alright. That wouldn't be needed. I just need to bolt away from here.

As I made my way through the corridor, I encountered a group of students smoking. Among them were two girls, one adorned with tattoos and the other leaning casually against the railing. I surmised that they were seniors, as only seniors would dare to flaunt such behavior openly. The unspoken hierarchy at the university was clear; freshmen knew better than to misbehave and risk being expelled. I bowed at them and then walked away.

I briskly maneuvered along the concrete pathway, I couldn't help but envy the privileged few who zipped around on hoverboards and cars. My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when a student suddenly whooshed past my head.

I had ducked my head instinctively, if not, I would have paid a visit to the infirmary.

The idiot hovered in the air, his gaze fixated upon me. "Need a ride?" He inquired.

I was about to shook my head at him. I didn't need anyone giving me a ride and can make my way around school just fine.

But his next statement caught me off-guard. "I wouldn't let you even if you want. You look better hurrying around on the ground, you know ... Like an ant stealing sugar" He finished with a mocking laugh and dashed away.

Frustrated, I cursed him inwardly. Fool.

Just because he was rich didn't mean he could look down on me. One day, I'll have more than just hoverboards. It wasn't a mere thought but a promise to myself I intended to keep.

I stuck to the side of the road to avoid the risk of someone hurling something at me from a passing vehicle. Last time was a chocolate drink, how about a pot of soup?

These elites could do anything.

Glancing at the time, I realized it was almost seven in the morning, and the lecture hall was just ahead. To my surprise, a sleek Ferrari pulled up in front of the hall, and Julian, a known figure on campus, stepped out with an air of confidence and sophistication. He began walking towards the hall after shutting the car door.

I initially thought the feelings I had was for a fleeting moment. That they would disappear as long as I kept seeing handsome men but I was wrong. My heart kept yearning for him.

I didn't know him. I do not even know his name, yet I desired him this much.

I hadn't considered a relationship until now. I didn't pay attention to any man previously and had just focused on school until now that I was here, He was making me want things.

As I walked into the hall, I noticed only a handful of students preparing for the class. Some were engrossed in their phones, while others were carefully scanning through their notes.

I suddenly realized that I still needed to retrieve the remaining notes from Mr. Roman's office. Last Wednesday, I was unable to access the notes as he had not finished reviewing them. I had hoped to return later, but to my dismay, his office was already locked. I lingered outside for a while, hoping to catch him, but he never returned.

I turned around on my heels, heading towards his office to grab the books before class started. The students need them for early preparation for the class.

After making some turns, I reached his office and knocked softly on the door. There was no response. I knocked again for a few more times before deciding to barge into the damn office.

Why wasn't he answering the door!?

Did he think I had all the time in the world to waste?

With a frown on my face, I strode into the office, my eyes landing on the wooden table made of intricate designs, thinking I was going to see him. Lo and Behold, he was there and had refused to get the door, but something was amiss... He was placing his head over the table and was clutching his throat.

"Mr Roman" I called carefully, as I took slow steps towards the choking man. Had Karma finally gotten at him? So soon? I was bewildered. I was struck with the urge to laugh in this outrageous situation but for some reasons, I wasn't able to.

But I definitely am not concerned for him. To hell with him!

I made my way towards his table, wondering what had gotten into his throat, and refused to come out, but then my jaw fell open at the sight before me.

I do not think he swallowed anything or was choking, he seemed to be struggling with something. This was so strange, I couldn't tell what it was exactly. There was some kind of red aura emanating from his body. I knew it sounded stupid, but I could see it vividly, and that wasn't all; he had scales over his exposed hands and neck, I could see it stretching over to his back. I gasped in shock, my eyes widened in horror.

The scales. They were large. He surely wasn't a fish.

Mr Roman couldn't be a Merman?

Or could he be a siren?

Thousands of questions found their way into my head and I didn't know how to answer them. He was in so much pain that the veins on his head popped. He shut his eyes and was oblivious to my presence in his space.

I would've liked to turn back and act like I didn't care because of all the trouble he caused me, but I just do not know why I couldn't go away.

"Mr Roman?" I inquired; this time I had gotten close to his table and was outstretching my hands at him.

"Do you want water? I brought some clean water with me," I said, my voice a bare whisper lest I get him angry.

But wait! Did I truly believe in Sirens and Mermaids? That was absurd! Mr Roman was human and I was just seeing things, I chanted to myself.

I finally reached for his back but what happened after, I didn't know because I had blacked out.

The force of the aura had been so intense. I was thrown away from him, so far that my back hit the door harshly before I collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

When next I opened my eyes, I was in the hall. Wait! How? What? When? I questioned myself as I frantically glanced around me to see that the hall was getting filled up by students. And the books? They were in front of the hall, each student was taking out their book as they made their way towards the seats.

But that wasn't what concerned me. What happened a while ago?

My back was hurting, what happened to me?

Coco glanced over at me with a worried look. She was even sitting by my side and I hadn't noticed. "Are you alright, Carol?" She asked.

I frantically bobbed my head at her. Y-yes, why wasn't I fine?

Coco then leaned in to whisper, "You've been acting strange for some days now, Are you sure you don't want to go to the infirmary?"

I scoffed at her words. Wondering how she was thinking I was some sort of fragile ass girl. "I'll not be heading to the infirmary. I'm good" I assured her once again.

"You know Mr. Roman has been troubling you lately, I wouldn't be surprised if your health was affected"

"I'm seriously fine," I said one more time and flashed her a smile.

After that, she stopped asking me and we turned our focus to the front. As soon as I looked ahead of me, I was taken aback when I encountered a striking figure in front of me. It was a ginger-haired girl, but not just any girl - she was the leader of the popular clique known as the "It girls" in our class.

I had noticed how quickly the students had formed various groups - the gossip mongers, the academically gifted, the class clowns, the "It girls," and the anonymous. They operated in clandestine ways unbeknownst to the rest of the class.

I didn't belong in any group and I do not even have the intention to.

Before me stood Theresa, the leader of the "It girls." As always, she was adorned in an elaborate and attention-grabbing ensemble. Her hair was fashioned into two buns adorned with an array of colorful pins, reminiscent of the styling popular among Korean girls. Theresa effortlessly emulated their look, while her entourage resembled characters akin to Gollum from "Lord of the Rings."

Yeah. Axel watches fantasy movies, I found myself getting drawn into the movies as well. They turned out to be more interesting than I expected.

Suddenly, Theresa angrily demanded, "Where is my book?" Her voice was filled with intense fury, and it was clear that her anger was directed at me.

I cautiously asked, "What do you mean?" I was careful with my words, knowing that any hint of confrontation could escalate into a fight, and I wanted to avoid that at school.

Despite the calmness of my voice, Theresa decided to choose the way of violence instead of opting for peace. Her voice didn't go lower; instead, it only went higher, drawing attention to our seat and embarrassing me.

"Can you believe this? What am I even saying? Have you forgotten how to understand simple English? Where on earth is my book?" she demanded, her eyes ablaze like wildfire.

Interrupting her, Coco chimed in, "I saw Carol placing the books in front of the hall and telling everyone to take their notes. Have you checked over there?"

Theresa shot her a withering glare. "Miss, this is none of your concern. And yes, I have checked over there; if I hadn't, I wouldn't be here!" she exclaimed loudly.

I was suddenly furious at how Theresa had dared shout at Coco when the latter had said nothing wrong.

"Watch how you speak to my friend," I interjected, rising to meet her gaze, glaring at her just as fiercely as she had glared at me.

Why did she think she could act so foolishly in front of me and get away with it?

"If you didn't find the book there, then they must be in Mr. Roman's office. Let's go look for them," I suggested as I stood up from my seat. Theresa followed me, accompanied by her group of friends. Seriously? They needed to find something better to do.

They trailed behind me as we made our way to Mr. Roman's office, and when we arrived, I politely knocked on the door.

"Come in," This time, he gestured for me to enter.

As I stepped into the room, my eyes immediately found him sitting in his chair, with his eyes closed. I was taken aback when I noticed that he no longer had scales. They had completely vanished without a trace. I stood there, completely stunned, unable to comprehend what I was seeing.

Could it be possible that I was hallucinating?

He slowly opened his eyes, and as his gaze met mine, my heart skipped a beat in my chest.

I was, however, pushed aside by the girls who had rushed into the office and straight to Mr Roman to file a complaint against me.