Chapter 33: Lunch Introduction

By the time rolled around for lunch, Serenah's nervousness had abated. She was still shy around Romeo but having a romantic relationship with someone was not something she was experienced in. She also couldn't say anything to Alastar at school about it. She felt it prudent to let her guard and best friend know the secret about her fated mark. She would make sure to include Lael as well. They had never led her astray.

"…This is the cafeteria. You can either bring your lunch or buy it here."

Serenah looked to where Romeo was pointing. They were early to lunch since their fourth period class was really close to it.

"Sera wants to try the whole school experience, so we'll go through the line," Alastar announced.

Romeo smiled and pointed to a table near the back half of the cafeteria. "Come over there once you get your food."

"Alright." Alastar gestured for Serenah to precede him as they walked toward the doors of the lunch line.

Serenah looked about and made her choices. She was excited about tasting different food. Human food fascinated her to no end. Alastar would tease her about it, but she didn't mind. She'd always enjoyed food and even her father's and sister's mocking her penchant for food didn't faze her.

When they came out of the lunch line, Romeo was surrounded by seven guys and girls. The group was laughing and talking. She liked their energy. Meals with the royal family and nobles were tense and uncomfortable.

"I like this," she whispered to Alastar.

"I'm glad," he murmured as they reached the table.

"Al, Sera, come sit," offered Romeo as everyone at the table shuffled around to make room.

Serenah was startled to find herself next to Romeo. Her mark felt warm on her wrist. She placed her tray on the table and stared intensely at the food, too shy to glance over at Romeo.

"Everyone this is Al and Sera, two new students to our lovely school."

"Hi," Alastar said with a wave.

Serenah raised her head and shyly whispered, "Hello," her cheeks turning pink with her embarrassment at having all the eyes at the table on her.

"Nice to meet you both. I'm Liz," the blonde, blue-eyed girl stated with a grin.

The brown-haired, brown-eyed boy on her left slung his arm across Liz's shoulder before introducing himself. "Hi, I'm Drake Ramsey. Welcome to Coeburn High School."

"Yeah, what he said. By the way, I'm Karl Hardy," he interrupted, his blue eyes intense as he flipped back his sandy blond hair from his face.

"Dude, that was kind of rude," chided the boy to Liz's right as he pushed his glasses up his nose, his golden eyes focused on Serenah. "Oh, I'm Griff Peterson."

"Last, but not least, is me, the most awesome of this group," exclaimed the girl with the red curly hair. "I'm Penelope Watson. I'm the actual fun one of this group."

Serenah couldn't help but stare. Romeo's friends were really intriguing.

"Hey, don't forget us!" growled the boy to Romeo's right. "I'm George Baines and this glowering guy," he pointed to the boy on his left, "Is Danny Fells."

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Serenah sincerely replied, a small smile gracing her lips.

She spotted Romeo's grin out of the corner of her eye, and she wondered about it. She dropped her gaze and took a bite of the food before her. The lunch lady had called it shepherd's pie. It tasted great. Though she didn't recognize all the ingredients in it, it still exploded its flavors on her tongue. She had no food like it back home. "Umm, good," she hummed to herself.

Romeo's chuckle made her blush. She hadn't thought she had done anything funny.

"Do you not eat stuff like this at home?" asked Penelope.

"No. But don't worry, Sera loves food and will try anything once," Alastar assured the group.

Serenah was relieved that he spoke up. She was too busy feeling self-conscious about her lack of knowledge about human food.

"That's good to hear. We all like girls who know how to eat," added Karl.

Serenah glanced up at Liz's snort. She saw Liz and Penelope both making faces at Karl and she giggled. This group of humans was really interesting. She was looking forward to this school year with them. She felt that they could all become great friends.

Romeo leaned toward her and whispered in her ear, "Has anyone ever told you, you have a beautiful smile?"

She felt heat fill her cheeks. Her heart was racing at his nearness and his warm breath on her ear was doing funny things to her emotions. She started to respond to him, but her attention was snagged by the entrance of her twin to the cafeteria. She tensed up, her focus on her sister.

"Sera?"

She could hear Al's voice, but a curious roaring filled her ears as Amanah headed in their direction. Go away, go away, she chanted to herself. Her stomach cramped in fear at what her sister would do when she reached them.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Amanah asked, her tone grating on Serenah's ears. The two girls who had followed her openly sneered at Serenah's new friends.

She knew at that moment that things might get bad. Really bad. Her eyes tracked her sister's movement. Before she could say anything, Romeo spoke up.

"Amy, to what do we owe this pleasure?" his frigid tone not lost on everyone present.

"Oh, Romeo, I see that you already met my sister."

"Sister?"

Serenah flinched. His disbelief hammered at her nerves. Would he kick her aside in favor of her sister? She wanted to cry. She thought she had finally found a friend. Was Amanah going to take that from her, too?

"Yes, Sera HOLLAND," Amanah stressed the last name, "is my younger twin sister."

"Ah, poor girl," quipped Liz, earning her a glare from one of Amanah's flunkies.

Startled by Liz's words, Serenah looked up, her gaze landing on her twin. She nearly groaned aloud at the malicious glint in her twin's eyes. This was going to come back and bite her in the ass.

"Yes, my sister is poor in her choice of friends," countered Amanah.

"What did you just say, bitch?" growled Penelope who started to get out of her seat.

"I said, shit choice for friends," retorted Amanah with a smirk.

"Why you," Penelope snarled and started to come around the table.

"Amy, please don't be rude to my friends," Serenah requested as she came to her feet. She barely kept her legs from shaking in fear as she chastised her sister.

Amanah's surprised look at her interference made her tense. Her twin would either let it go or she'd make a big deal of it. Serenah prayed for the latter.

"Baby sister, I guess you forgot last night's warning. You'd better find some new friends or suffer the consequences," warned Amanah before she flipped off Penelope and left to eat, her two flunkies following behind her.

Serenah's legs gave way, and she sank down into her chair. She couldn't stop the trembling as she realized what she had done. She had defied her twin. If her father found out…she shuddered thinking of what he might do to her.

She gasped and jerked away from the hand that touched her, her eyes wide in fright from being startled from her raging thoughts.

"Sera, sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Romeo apologized, holding his hands up.

"No, it's not your fault. I was lost in my thoughts," she hastily assured him.

"Your sister is a class A bitch," snapped Penelope.

"She is, isn't she?" Alastar commented with a knowing grin.

Serenah gaped at him in shock at his words. He wasn't afraid to criticize Amanah at school because her authority was limited there. She felt herself calming down and gave him a grateful look.

"I'm sorry for my twin's behavior."

"Girl, please, don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong," Liz informed her with a sniff of disdain in Amanah's direction.

"Your sister was a pain in the ass last year, too," George explained. "So no surprise to us that she hasn't changed. I feel for you, though. You have to live with that every day."

Serenah felt so many emotions swell up that they choked her. She couldn't express what she was feeling and dropped her gaze to her forgotten lunch. To find acceptance when she had very little of it in her life made her feel warm inside.

"Are you sure you're alright, Sera?"

She turned to Romeo and nodded. "I am. Thanks for worrying about me. I do appreciate it more than you know. Now, I should finish eating." She took a big spoonful, and everyone laughed before resuming eating.

No matter what. She would have a good first day. She wasn't going to let her twin ruin that for her.