Chapter 4

"Princess," he murmured, and finally closed the space between them.

Lucia's eyes widened.

•••

Sebastian simply reached past her, grabbing a bottle of water from the small bench beside them. He smirked, pulling away. Lucia's eyes were still wide, her mind reeling from the near-kiss she'd imagined.

"Wait! You didn't actually expect me to kiss you?" Sebastian taunted, smirking down at her. Lucia's face flushed a deep red. She scoffed.

"Me? You wish. I'd rather kiss a bag of trash… Oh, wait… what's the difference?" she snapped, turning away from him to focus on the suddenly very interesting punching bag. She bit her lip, mentally kicking herself.

*Why would you think he'd kiss you? Thank God I didn't close my eyes!* she scolded herself inwardly.

"So that means you can still kiss me?" Sebastian pressed, the same cocky smile on his face.

"Ew, never!" Lucia declared, a look of absolute disgust twisting her features. She'd rather be homeless than kiss Sebastian.

"We'll see," he mumbled, almost imperceptibly, to himself.

"What did you say?" Lucia asked, not quite hearing him.

Sebastian ignored her question, glancing at the wall clock in the training room.

"You'll be late for school. Get moving, Princess, or do you want me to get your royal chariot to carry you to your room?" Sebastian asked sarcastically. Lucia glared.

"I am not a Princess!" she fumed, storming out. Sebastian couldn't help but stare at the beautiful curve of her backside in her tight pants. *God, he really needed to set a dress code, or he'd lose his mind one day.*

"Get a hold of yourself," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair before following her out, ready to make Lucia's second day a nightmare.

7:52 AM: The Mansion

Lucia was at the dining table, eating with her father, when Sebastian entered. He walked to Matteo and whispered something in his ear. Lucia watched her father's expression shift from peaceful to panicked, and then to anger.

"What's wrong, Dad?" she asked. Matteo finally seemed to notice her presence.

"Nothing, Darling," he said with a smile, but Lucia knew how fake that smile was. Even Sebastian looked colder, his face more stoic than usual.

"Seriously, Dad? Do you really think I'm going to believe that fake smile and your words? You were looking so calm, and then he came in, and now you're panicked." Lucia pointed out. Sebastian looked at her, wondering why she was getting so worked up.

"Mind your business, Lucia," Matteo's voice came out thick with a warning. Lucia slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

"Why do you always reject me trying to butt in? I want to know what's going on! I always want to know how the Clan's doing! I want to be a part of it! Can't you see that?! I always feel so left out in all this, and you never help, always in your office doing who knows what! I want to be part of the mafias! I want to be of help!" Lucia screamed, tears streaming down her face. Matteo gave her a blank look.

"Ombra, take her to school," he instructed, standing up and walking out. Lucia clenched her fist on the table, her knuckles slowly turning white from the pressure.

"Princess…" Sebastian began, knowing she'd hurt herself by gripping the table so hard. He tried to touch her, but she cut him off.

"Don't touch me!" Lucia snapped, storming out, wiping away tears that wouldn't stop flowing. She just wanted to be a part of something. She'd never had friends, never went out to parties, or even received invitations. Her social media was blank. She stayed in her room all day with nothing to do.

*No one understands,* she thought, and that only made her shed more tears.

She entered the car and slammed the door, her hand clenched on her bag, which lay on her lap. Sebastian got into the driver's seat and looked at her. She wasn't even trying to wipe her tears anymore; she just let them fall.

Sebastian looked away and began driving her to school. The ride was silent, except for the occasional sniffle from Lucia.

"We're here," he announced. Lucia looked out at the large school where everyone avoided her like a plague. She didn't want to go, but what choice did she have?

Lucia didn't say a word, opening the car door. But before she could get out, Sebastian pulled her back. She looked at him, then away. She was shocked when his hand gently cupped her cheek, wiping away her tears.

"For a Princess, you're really ugly when you cry," Sebastian said, and Lucia scoffed.

"You're really bad at comforting people," she retorted. Sebastian smirked.

"I wasn't trying to," he said, then licked the tears from his thumb. Lucia gasped at his action.

"Ew! That's disgusting!" she exclaimed, her face scrunching up in revulsion.

"Sweet," he countered, still smirking. Lucia raised her hand to smack his face, but he caught it before she could. She looked at her hand in his, then looked down.

"I don't wanna go to school… they hate me," she mumbled quietly to herself. Sebastian heard. He had always wondered why she never went out, or received calls or texts from anyone, and he finally knew why. Being the daughter of the Top 1 Mafia lord came with consequences, like what she was experiencing.

"Well, boo hoo, Princess," he said. Lucia snatched her hand back, grabbed her bag, and stepped out of the car.

"Fuck you," she spat, slamming the door. Sebastian smirked.

"I'd love that," he murmured. Lucia shot him another furious glare before turning and walking towards the school. Sebastian stared after her.

"I like my Princess feisty," he mused. He picked up his phone, made a call, and then zoomed off.

•••

Lucia clutched her bag strap and entered the school. It was quiet, people staring at her, but what shocked her most was that some were smiling. She was confused. Had they all been possessed by a spirit?

"Hi," she heard from behind her and flinched. She turned, but as she was about to say hi back, something was dumped on her. Her hair felt sticky; it was paint. She knew their behavior had been suspicious.

"Say cheese!" The girl who had greeted her began taking pictures. Soon, everyone had their phones out, snapping photos and videos. Lucia stood still, her fists clenched, trying to control her tears. Maybe it was reflex or a subconscious act, but all she knew was that the girl in front of her suddenly dropped to the ground, her mouth bloody.

Lucia looked at her hand and gasped; it was covered in blood. Shakily, she tried to wipe it on her clothes. People continued to take photos and videos.

"A killer just like her dad!"

"It just runs in the blood!"

"Blood is indeed thicker than water!"

Lucia ran and ran until she couldn't anymore. She found herself in a very dark alley, one she didn't recognize within the school. Confused and lost, she continued walking. Then she heard a noise. Hiding behind a pillar, she peeked.

"Oh my God!"

she gasped at the sight before her: a student was killing another. They were literally peeling the skin off the other student, who was still alive, their screams echoing. Lucia's hand flew to her mouth, trembling as she watched the horrifying scene

This was blasphemy in the school; no one was allowed to kill another, or they would be killed themselves.

She turned to run but kicked a can. She froze. She turned back to see the psycho killer staring at her

Boy or girl, she couldn't tell due to the hoodie covering half their face, but she knew the person was looking at her, and soon a psychotic smirk appeared. She ran away from there until she finally reached the hallway again.

Her heart pounded with fear, the paint still clinging to her.

*The person wouldn't recognize me, right? I mean, I'm covered in paint,* she thought fearfully. Then, a touch on her shoulder. She screamed, spinning around, ready to strike, but she was knocked to the ground by a kick to her leg.

"I'm so sorry about that, but you were about to punch me," the girl who had kicked her said. Lucia looked at her suspiciously, then her eyes fell on the girl's badge: Grade D.

"I saw what happened earlier, and I figured you needed help," the girl explained. Lucia stood up.

"The name's Alisha," she said, and Lucia nodded. She noticed Alisha was holding a spare uniform.

"You don't have to worry about me; I have a spare uniform," Lucia told Alisha, who chuckled.

"I'm sure they planned their prank well. That spare uniform is gone," Alisha said. Lucia bit her lip.

Locker Room

"Told you," Alisha said to Lucia, who was staring at her locker.

It was wide open, all her belongings scattered on the ground. The only thing missing was her uniform.

"Here," Alisha offered, and Lucia gratefully took the uniform.

"Thank you," she said. Alisha shrugged.

"Why are you helping me?" Lucia asked, pulling on the uniform. She had already cleaned off the paint before coming to the locker room.

"More like helping myself. In case you didn't notice, I'm a Grade D, and I get bullied a lot," Alisha said bluntly. Lucia then noticed the faint, almost imperceptible bruises on Alisha from the bullying.

"I figured if I move around with you, the bullying would stop," Alisha explained. Lucia nodded, disappointed that Alisha wasn't seeking friendship but merely protection.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. We can be friends," Alisha quickly added. Lucia beamed at her.

"Really?!" she exclaimed. Alisha nodded. Lucia threw her arms around her.

"Thank you for not being scared," Lucia said. Alisha coughed awkwardly.

"Not a hugger," Alisha mumbled, and Lucia released her, still beaming.

"But those skills earlier, you predicted my moves! How did you do it?" Lucia asked. Alisha looked away.

"My father made me learn martial arts for protection," Alisha replied.

"But you get bullied?" Lucia pressed. Alisha looked around before leaning closer.

"You haven't heard the rumors? Grade D and F ranks are being killed around the school. No one knows who's behind it. I allow myself to get bullied so I won't become a victim," Alisha whispered. Lucia's eyes widened as she remembered what had happened just moments ago.

"Rumor has it that you're behind it," Alisha whispered again, and Lucia gasped.

"Me?!" Lucia whispered back, shocked. Alisha nodded.

"Why do you then come to me as a friend?" Lucia whispered back.

"Because I know you aren't the one, and I also need your help to find out who it really is," Alisha whispered. Lucia's eyes widened again. She wanted to tell Alisha what she had witnessed, but kept quiet. Soon, a beeping sound was heard.

Lucia and Alisha looked at Lucia's watch, which began flashing bright red beams, illuminating the entire room.

EMERGENCY ALERT

She read, and gasped

"Oh no!"