Beneath the surface

The rustle of bags, the creak of desks, and the quiet buzz of morning chatter filled the classroom until the door slid open with a sharp click.

And then silence.

All heads turned.

Her heels tapped softly against the tile, long silver hair catching the morning sun like threads of moonlight. Eyes like blood-red rubies scanned the room, bored but alert, as if she already knew where to go.

Selena.

The transfer student.

No one breathed.

The teacher stood with a cough, eyes wide behind thick glasses. "Ah… Class 3-B, this is Selena. She'll be joining us from today onward."

She smiled faintly, like this was the hundredth time she'd transferred.

 "Hi. Selena. Nice to meet you."

Simple. Smooth. Confident.

Eliot, sitting in the back corner, sank into his chair as if he could phase through it. Every nerve in his body lit up.

She wouldn't…

The teacher pointed. "You'll sit there, next to Eliot."

She walked straight to him, dropped her bag beside her desk, and sat down with a casual glance his way.

"Yo," she whispered.

 "You miss me?"

 "We just left the same apartment," he muttered.

 "So you did miss me."

He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Around them, the classroom had burst into a storm of whispers and stolen glances. Eliot could feel it, every pair of eyes glued to the two of them.

"Wait… she's sitting with him?"

 "Do they know each other?!"

 "No way. That's Eliot. He never even talks."

Selena leaned on one elbow, watching the teacher scribble something on the board, completely unfazed by the attention. She twirled a strand of her hair with one hand while stealing glances at Eliot, like this was a game.

The day dragged.

Eliot kept his eyes on his notes. Selena didn't seem to care about anything besides bothering him every few minutes. Poking his arm. Whispering sarcastic compliments. Once, she even passed him a doodle of herself sucking his blood with hearts around it.

He tore it and stuffed it in his bag.

He couldn't remember the last time anyone paid him this much attention, especially not someone like her.

And then the bell rang.

Break time.

As the students began to file out, a trio of boys sauntered toward their desk, clearly trying to look casual. Eliot immediately recognized the leader, Daichi, a known flirt, overconfident, and always chasing after girls he couldn't impress.

He leaned over Selena's desk with his hand casually resting on the edge.

 "Hey, Selena, right?"

She didn't even glance at him.

 "You, uh… transferred today, yeah? Big change. This school's alright. I could give you a tour."

 "I already have one," she replied flatly, eyes still on her book.

The other boys exchanged awkward looks.

Daichi tried again.

 "So... sorry if this sounds weird, but… You seem kinda close to Eliot?"

That got her attention.

She looked up, eyes narrowing slightly.

 "What about him?"

"I mean, I just didn't expect someone like you to be talking to a guy like him, y'know?"

 "What's he to you?"

Eliot tensed.

Selena tilted her head slightly.

Then smiled.

 "He's my boyfriend."

The air snapped like a wire under tension.

Eliot's heart stopped.

The boys blinked. "Huh?"

Selena met their gaze with the calmness of a predator.

 "Any other questions?"

Daichi raised his hands and backed away awkwardly. "N-nope. That answers everything. Uh… cool."

The moment they were gone, Eliot whispered, "Boyfriend?!"

 "Relax," she whispered, poking his cheek.

 "I said it to get them off my back. Besides, don't tell me you didn't like the look on their faces."

 "I'm going to die of embarrassment."

Lunch break didn't bring relief.

If anything, it made things worse.

Eliot barely stepped out of the class before the world reminded him where he stood. A group of boys he'd long since learned to avoid cornered him near the back stairs, just out of the teacher's view.

Daichi's younger cousin, Kento, the kind of guy who thought cruelty was charisma, stood arms folded in front of Eliot's path.

 "You think you're hot shit now?" Kento sneered.

Eliot didn't answer. He'd seen that look too many times. All bark, but still dangerous when surrounded.

"First, you crawl in here with your used clothes and charity shoes, now suddenly you're sitting next to the new transfer bombshell?" Kento leaned closer, voice dropping.

"Wait, are you blackmailing, loser?"

The words stung.

But Eliot didn't flinch.

That just seemed to piss them off more.

Kento grabbed his collar. "I'm talking to you."

The hand holding Eliot's shirt twisted once, then snapped away.

Kento yelped as his wrist was suddenly locked in Selena's iron grip.

She said softly, her voice sharp and ice-cold,  "You touch him again," and you'll be drinking your food through a straw."

Her red eyes glinted dangerously.

Kento recoiled, face pale, clutching his wrist. "What the hell is your problem?!"

  She said flatly. "My familiar," Doesn't need to deal with garbage like you."

Eliot's heart stuttered.

Kento backed away with a muttered curse, and his friends followed quickly.

As they disappeared around the hall corner, Eliot finally spoke.

"You didn't have to."

 "I wanted to," she interrupted.

Then she turned to him, smirking. "You okay?"

He blinked. "Yeah… thanks."

Selena tilted her head. "You're blushing."

 "I'm not."

 "You are."

He looked away, cheeks burning.

Later that day, as afternoon classes ended and the shadows of early evening spilled across the courtyard, Selena tugged Eliot's sleeve.

 "Come with me."

 "Again?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm starving."

"You just drank this morning."

She shot back."You didn't complain then," 

They sneaked off to the old maintenance shed tucked behind the gymnasium—unused, forgotten, but still unlocked thanks to Selena's... talents.

Eliot stood against the back wall as she approached him with those glowing eyes.

 "You know the drill," she murmured.

He tilted his neck slightly, sighing. "Be quick."

She bit down.

Warmth. Dizziness. A strange floating sensation. Familiar now, but still unsettling.

She pulled away, lips red and breath catching.

"God, your blood," she paused, eyes fluttering.

"It's just too good."

 "You say that every time."

 "Because it's true every time."

Unbeknownst to either of them, a figure stood on the other side of the shed, just behind the cracked boards of the storage room.

Yuki Sakamoto.

She'd followed them again.

And while she didn't see anything… she heard everything.

"You are being too rough."

"Slow down."

"You are going too fast."

Oh my god, Yuki's mind screamed. They're doing it. In the school shed?!

Her face turned beet red as she backed away like she'd witnessed a crime. Her thoughts spun with every lewd possibility except the correct one.

As the sun dipped below the rooftops, Eliot and Selena walked home together, the light gold and shadows stretching long across the street.

Selena walked with her hands behind her back, smiling to herself.

 "So," she said, "how was your first day back at school with your girlfriend?"

 "She's not my girlfriend."

"Hmm? But you didn't deny it earlier."

 "I was in shock."

"Then say it now."

 "You're not my girlfriend."

She smirked. "Not yet."

He groaned. "Why are you like this?"

 "Because it's fun watching you squirm. Also…" she paused, then smiled more softly. "You look cute when you get annoyed."

Eliot didn't respond.

But as they neared the apartment steps, he realized something.

Despite everything… he hadn't thought about dying even once today.