Chapter 4 : The change in my stars (Miette)

Today is my first day at the new school and I have never been more excited. I had a big argument with my parents last night about how the Nexus will excuse my new dress which I am wearing right now. I don't even know why they are so afraid of them. They are cruel and pathetic but I don't think they will be thrown away now.

I took my bag and set out for school.

It's 9 am, and I am getting late I guess, but they will forgive me. It's my first time after all.

I reached the gate of Abyssal Quantum Academy. If this was a normal world, this would have been the prettiest and most informative buildings of all. It was so beautiful just looking at the building. I took out my phone and took a snap of it.

While entering, the guard called out to me.

“What do you want? Guardians cannot enter during school hours.”

“Huh? No no, I am a student.”

He seemed a bit shaken by my response and the silence grew further. I was getting late so I decided to cut the crap.

“Uh, can-an I leave now?” I asked politely.

But…. maybe he had other plans.

“You think you can come this late for your school? This is already the second class going on. Come, I'll take you to the teacher. Show me your ID card.”

I guess they don't treat new students with respect.

He drove me around the school looking at a map on his watch. Maybe it also had GPS installed in it.

After some time he left me outside a lab-type area and asked me to go ahead and meet the teacher.

I turned and started to move. Honestly, this was a crazy experience I witnessed.

At some distance, I saw a young boy around my age getting dragged by two teachers, somewhere. The moment he looked up at me, I felt a chill down my spine. His eyes were so sharp it felt like a piercing arrow. The saddest part was, that they were similar to the eyes of the deceased. They were properly narrow and his skin seemed tanned but he had fair skin. I couldn’t see any other detail as I was hung up on his eyes. They were so intimidating.

I tried to look away but was again met up with the same eyes when I looked back. They weren't looking at me anymore but at the ground. Suddenly I tripped just the moment I reached in front of him. I was about to bump into him but he dodged my fall.

(Should have been careful, ouch!)

The teacher helped me get up and I thanked them for it.

I looked back at that guy and again he looked at me with nothing but vast emptiness in his eyes.

After I reached the class everyone looked at me with puzzled eyes. I thought they were my classmates so I smiled at them. The teacher was confused but the students were (mostly guys) staring at me. It felt uncomfortable.

“Your name miss?” the teacher asked me.

“Ah- Miette, Miette Frost, nice to meet you mam”

“Miette? Ah, the new student. Do you even know what time is it? And what the hell are you wearing?”

She seemed to recall me but anger took over her as soon as she pointed out my late arrival and clothes.

“Mam, it's my first day so can you forgive me?” I said so apologetically but nothing mattered to her.

“Breaking rules on the first day of school and still trying to defend it? You need punishment”

“But ma-”

Before I could say anything she pressed a button and 2 female teachers came into the class. They both grabbed me and started to take me away. I was so embarrassed to make a show in front of those students but they seemed normal except some seemed highly concerned.

They both took me to another really dark room, I couldn't see anything.

Within that darkness, they pushed me into a locker-type box.

It felt so scary, I was about to have a panic attack.

(God what is happening, is this even a punishment?)

“Is anyone here?”

I tried to bang on the door I was locked in and pleaded for help. For another 10 minutes, this went on and on. I wasn't heard.

(I-I am getting thos- those flashbacks bac-back…. God! Please save me.)

Tears rolled down my cheek, when suddenly…..

“Can’t you just shut the fuck up? Your voice is annoying me”

(WHAAT??? SO-SOME-)

Before I could even react, I got so scared by that intimidating heavy voice. I panicked and fell again, taking the locker with me.

“Oi, you okay?”

I was so scared to give any response. All the things that happened to me today hit me and tears started to roll down my cheeks.

After 10 more seconds, I heard a latch open and 2 really faint footsteps.

“Stop crying, Let me pick it up”

His words were soft but his tone was harsh. It was a bit of reassuring.

After he picked the locker up, he opened it. I saw those eyes again.

It was him the whole time!!!

Is this bad luck? Has he struck me with some kind of a bad charm? I saw that his physical appearance might be big but he was soft to his core. He can't possibly be rude.

Wait, if he was right next to me then why didn’t he respond earlier? ALSO, IF HE CAN OPEN IT FROM THE INSIDE THEN WHY DIDN’T HE HELP ME RIGHT AWAY?

“IF YOU CAN OPEN THE DOOR THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP ME EARLIER WHEN I WAS CRYING?”

I quickly covered my mouth because of this slip tongue. But ….

“Well, you can open it as well if you use your brain. But never mind, the way you were yelling makes it obvious that you are a brainless retard who doesn't even know the rules here. You forgot right ?”

His words were sharp, rude, and highly cold towards me. What an asshole he is. I was a fool thinking that he was a nice guy.

We had a little to and fro but his demeanour was always the lousy type. Until-

He seemed to notice something and quickly pushed me into the locker again. It was so overwhelming for me that I didn't know how to respond to it.

He saved me from the inspection officer, or himself, as he states.

His name?

What is it? I should ask him, but, why can’t he ask me? Isn't he feeling awkward not knowing the name of the girl whom he saw get face-slammed twice?

I asked him and got to know that he was August. Such a nice name for a jerk.

I literally waited for him to ask me my name but no response. He annoys me so much that I cannot explain. We completed our “forced introduction” and everything was silent again.

I didn’t hear from him after that. After around 30 or 40 minutes a teacher opened my locker and asked me to come with her.

I obeyed and she took me to the class I was assigned in.

Students were gathering up and my introduction went well. Far down the last row, I saw a familiar face. It was August!! I raised my hand towards him and everyone seemed to look at him with astonishment. Is he a loner or something?

*15 minutes later*

“Care to explain? A.U.G.U.S.T???”

Apparently, his real name wasn't August, it was Reo. God, I am so pissed at him.

“What's there to explain? You were annoying me and I thought you’d find me again if I gave you my correct name so I just said whatever I felt at the moment”

“WHAT ?”

This guy!!! How can he talk to me like this, fuck him. Seriously. God!!!

I looked at this supposed “August” guy fuming and getting more annoyed at the blank expression he was carrying. As I stared at him more I started noticing his physical features which I must have previously missed in the panic while he was helping me. He was taller than me, well most people were taller than me but he was a little taller around 5 '10 I guess. He had hazelnut hair which should have given him a softer approachable touch but somehow added to his antisocial personality. It was also his dead almost emotionless black eyes that brought the whole brood a “don't talk to me” look. I mean probably people could find him attractive but the way he put himself pushed people away subconsciously. Who cares about how he looks at him, I’m really annoyed with this guy so he looks like a clown to me anyway.

I decided not to talk to him and focus on others for the time being. I didn't see anything interesting in particular, rather I started looking around at other students.

(That guy is so small, and that guy is literally built like a stick. That guy has such big muscles but his face sucks. Reo is bet-

What

The

Fuck

Did

I

Just

Think

About

Did I just compare them with Reo? NO way. I mean Reo does look good but he's not that muscular, I mean, okay he is muscular but that doesn’t help with his fucked up personality right? RIGHT? Even the girls in the class seemed to look at us sitting together…. Man this is getting awkward.)

After our classes for the day were over, a new bomb was dropped on me. Cleaning duty. It's not like I have never done cleaning duties, my last school also had this rule to clean our classroom but what I am made to clean is the goddamn shoe rack.

How can I clean that space? The shoe racks are so heavy and it will be tough for so many people to do it.

I would have skipped such a duty but the thought of going back to that place just haunted me. I don't want to be in the dark anymore.

I searched for my partners and went for the duty.

(I am gonna kill it for sure. Let's go.)

*20 MINS LATER*

(I CAN'T DO THIS.)

These guys failed to lift the shoe rack. Not only that, Reo is taking them out as they both are near their limits. Why is everything going wrong here? I don't wanna be a burden on everyone around me but here I went overboard and made them do something stupid. God what a waste I am…..

I just sat there watching Reo’s back taking them out, wanting to call him out and ask for his help.

I surely am pathetic, always running away from things that cannot be achieved. Everyone has some kind of expectations from me but I can't even fulfil my expectations. What a way to start my new life at this school, this city. I just- just wanna di-.....

“Wh-what?”

A light.

I saw him returning towards me. He sat facing me and I don't know why but I felt an unknown comfort from him. His dead eyes weren’t that scary when he made that face. His emotions are still unclear but I feel like I can read them. Right now he's wondering if my tears are genuine or not. He's an asshole for sure but….

It was reassuring to have this guy next to me, even though this is the first time I have met him.

“I don't wanna go to that prison anymore. If I don't complete this, they will put me back there right ?” I said so lightly.

“Yeah”

His words were harsh.

“Can you hel-”

“No”

(Thought so….)

“B-But I alo-”

“This is a task given to us as the lesson of cleanliness, if you just want others to do your errands then you are at the wrong school sweetheart”

(Sweetheart?)

“I never did my own work, not because I couldn't but because nobody ever let me do it.”

Why am I opening up to this guy? Everything he said was true, nothing can change until I take a step. I should face it rather than sitting here and waiting for everything to go the way I don't want it to. This push was something I needed for real. I will get to work.

“There is no crying over spilled milk, right? We should think about what we can do next, firstly we need to clean the remaining area within the time given for cleaning or else that coffin will wait for you…..

.. I will help you this time but you have to learn it yourself as there will be no next time, no, there should be no next time”

How can I describe it, it was something unknown. There was a feeling of numbness, which felt nice. His eyes were still dead but there was warmth in them now.

We worked together and finished the task within the appointed time and apparently, you are not supposed to clean ‘under’ the shoe racks.

I made them do something awful.

We went outside and had a little talk after which he started to leave. I don't know why but I felt a strong push to just stop him and say thank you and I did so.

I have never been this comfortable around anyone this quick but it also doesn't change the fact that he was mean to me from the start and he even called me a baby gorilla, I mean what does that even mean? Is he trying to make me hate him? But why?

I didn’t even realize but I reached my new house where we shifted after our last localit-

No, whatever happened, has happened, there is no point in dwelling on the past.

I saw my parents standing outside waiting for me.

“Why are you guys standing outside? Don't tell me there is a curfew again?”

“We were waiting for you sweetie, the neighbors invited us for lunch today.”

(Huh? What even-)

“Hurry up Miette, let's go”

“But I gotta chan-”

“It's okay, let's just go”

After about 10 minutes the main door opened and I heard a familiar voice. That voice seemed louder as it got and suddenly there stood the man who caused me so much stress and relief at the same time, HALF NAKED.

It wasn't his fine body nor his well-defined core I saw…. Okay, I saw it but only one thing struck me about his body….

(Was that stab mark on the right side of his gut? also……

Those cheetah-printed underwear were a bit too flashy for a broody guy like him.)