'Who is this person?'
Normally people would ask that question before getting into a stranger's car, but as Gray froze at the friendly interaction with that blonde girl, she entered the car next to Sakura as if it was a normal thing to do.
Right now Gray was sitting next to Sakura with her shoulders shrugged and hiding in her hood as she usually does.
Inside her cloak, Add just thought this was getting interesting. So, he kept quiet for now to listen to whatever that mysterious blonde lady would say.
"You didn't need to come pick me up. I can go to school by myself."
Sakura voiced her stance on such a situation, but Reines just smiled boasting about always being there for her sister.
"I'll do anything for my little sister. Even if it bothers you."
Perhaps one of the reasons why Reines is so insistent with Sakura is because she has no friends and, in fact, possibly also because in her is the obsession of causing suffering to others.
"Sister?"
Gray asked, showing her face a little.
"Indeed. And I already know who you are, no need to introduce yourself, for my adored brother told me about you. It is a pleasure to meet you, Gray."
"Yes. This is Reines El-Melloi Archisorte, my father's half-sister. Which, in a way, makes her my aunt. Even if I am a year older than her..."
Such looks like they are both the same age. Sakura is 16 and Gray is 16, which leaves Reines as the youngest of the three at 15. Still, Reines insists on being treated as an "older sister" by Sakura.
This was a strange thing for Gray, but in the end she came to the conclusion that it doesn't matter if they have no blood ties, people can be family even if they have no such kinship.
Deep in the back of her mind, Gray wondered what it would feel like to be a part of that.
"Well, we are family now. You have no choice, my dear little sister. Life put you in front of me and I jumped at the chance."
"Huh..."
Sakura looked out the window ignoring Reines' words. This left Gray a bit confused, for, ever since she arrived in London, she didn't know that Sakura's attitude could change like this. Maybe it's only with Reines that she acts that way, but it was still surprising.
But even if Sakura ignored Reines, she was trying to get her attention in a slightly childish way.
With this, Gray smiled a little.
"You two get along really well..."
That's how she saw these two girls.
Reines, of course, admitted this right away with much pride.
"We obviously get along well. We've known each other for a long time and of course we know each other quite well."
"Unfortunately, it's that way."
Sakura said after Reines.
Gray looked up a little and Reines could see her face better.
"What's life like in the country?"
Reines asked. For anyone, life in the countryside would be relaxed, peaceful in many situations, but for Gray it was a lonely and cruel life, where everyone in her village wanted to manipulate her like she was a puppet. She didn't like that, it made her feel lonely and miserable, but she still answered her by saying:
"The countryside doesn't have as many comforts as the city, but I guess I've lived a peaceful life so far."
It wasn't a lie at all. The country if it was a peaceful place, but circumstances meant that Gray didn't see it that way. Still, she decided to hide that fact, as if a lump in her throat prevented her from saying how she truly felt.
"How I grew up there, I got used to the camp environment. Now I'll have to get used to the city environment, I guess."
Sakura interjected.
"I went through something similar in the past. I had gotten so used to the comfortable life in Fuyuki that when I went with my father for a few months to Iraq, I felt that everything was too different and dangerous. I was really scared at that time."
"But you came back to London, didn't you? And thanks to me, my older brother adopted you and you became part of my family."
Again, proud of her feat, Reines folded her arms and nodded her head repeatedly.
'This is all too lively...'
Gray thought. Watching Sakura and Reines interact as if they really were a real family, she wondered what her life would have been like had she met these people earlier.
She's only been in this town for a day, but everyone has been so kind to her. It feels surreal, like something that should never have happened, but yet here she is, in one of those famous cars so modern next to the princess of a family and the adopted daughter of a famous Lord of the Clock Tower.
All this...
'Is it a dream?'
She wasn't sure. She thought that before going to sleep she surely read a novel where some character goes to the big city and meets some people who become her inseparable friends. All this, like a cheerful novel from the nineties....
All this just for her...
She...
Who is she?
Who is at this moment accompanying Sakura? The owner of this face or the real Gray?
How eternal spirals, dark and full of death, her mind filled with heavy thoughts that led her to hide in the darkness of her hood. She shrank back in her own seat, trying not to listen to her own negative thoughts, but then....
"We're here."
Reines suddenly ordered the chauffeur to stop. When the car stopped, it caused a slight movement that brought Gray back to reality.
She blinked a couple of times to realize where she was and then saw Sakura and Reines getting out of the vehicle. She followed them as well so as not to be left behind.
"From now on we will have to walk. Vehicles are no longer allowed in there."
Gray looked at the surroundings. They were now near two intersections, where slightly dark streets led to different places. Reines, holding a black briefcase, walked ahead on the right-hand path, where a large Bounded Field stretched out to keep ordinary people out.
"We are close."
Sakura said. There really wasn't much to say at that point. Both Sakura and Reines wanted to let Gray see this for herself so they moved forward without hearing more than their own footsteps echoing on the ground.
As they exited that dark street, a large building rose up with brown brick walls, its large door at the entrance in front showing behind wide stairs. Large transparent windows reflected the sunlight, and around the building, students arriving for classes from the great Lord El-Melloi II approached the large door.
Gray looked at the building as if it were some kind of great monster, she was amazed. In some parts of the brown bricks it looked like a bit of vegetation was about to eat the whole place. It looked great to the eyes of this girl who could occasionally see remnants of ruined castles near her village.
Unlike the buildings in her village, this place was filled with what magus know as "prana", a perfect place to study the very magecraft that uses this energy from the World.
"My father should be about to arrive in the classroom. So let's not keep him waiting and hurry."
Taking Gray's hand, Sakura took a step closer, but Gray stopped her with a strength that could only be considered monstrous in a human being.
"Should I go too?"
Even though she herself had previously decided to accompany Sakura, that somehow slipped her mind as she saw the imposing building in front of her. That's why she let that question out.
"A student of Lord El-Melloi II should not miss any of his classes."
Reines stepped forward and looked at the two girls holding hands.
"It seems you two have no shame."
With a look of hidden intentions, Reines smiled at them and continued on her way leaving these two girls who somehow caught the attention of everyone around them.
Gray noticed everyone's stares and immediately let go of Sakura's hand. She soon realized that being inside the building seemed to be more comfortable and safer than out here with all these strange people looking at her judging her. So, she shrugged her shoulders and went inside leaving Sakura a little confused, but in the end she followed her too.
Climbing the wide stairs shown at the entrance, they passed through the door, where a few meters away, a new elegant staircase with a spiral design was shown as two ways up.
As soon as they entered, someone's joyful shout was heard. A split second later, a sleek blond boy came sliding down the stairs shouting and raising his arms.
That boy, Flat Escardos, well known in this school, realized that there were people ahead so he panicked and immediately tried to use magecraft to slow himself down, but it looked like he wouldn't succeed. Reines frowned and was about to snap her fingers to call Trimmau, who was hiding inside her briefcase, but Sakura stepped forward and jumped in front of everyone, something Gray saw as if the world was in slow motion.
Sakura appeared rather quickly in front of Reines and took Flat in her arms as if he was a princess.
"Oh, Sakura. hi and thanks for helping me!"
The boy, as cheerful as ever, still in Sakura's arms, waved and thanked as expected, but Reines immediately interrupted him.
"What excuse do you have for today, Flat?"
His blue eyes full of confusion, Flat thought carefully and answered confidently.
"Well, we have some spiral stairs. It would be disrespectful not to slide down a little."
But the moment Flat said those words, a voice echoed coming down the stairs.
Everyone looked to where the voice came from, and there they saw him. A boy with curly blond hair, shining like candy in the afternoon light, walking with elegance and distinction from all those present. His body was slender and "refined", a handsome guy in every sense of the word. Perhaps his appearance could even make a fool of the sculptures of ancient Greece.
"You've repeated that same excuse the last 38 times. You annoy people, silly."
"Ehhhh? I don't. I don't bother anyone. It's just that you're too serious. You should smile more, Le Chien."
"Stop calling me that! I've told you more times than I can remember! I have a name and it's Svin Glascheit!"
That was the name of this handsome guy with a more serious attitude than usual for guys his age. Flat calls Svin by the nickname "Le Chien" because his attitude and magecraft reminds Flat of dogs of that breed.
After that exchange of words, Flat and Svin started arguing without paying attention to the people in front of them. In fact, Sakura is still carrying Flat in her arms, but these two were so engrossed in their discussion that neither of them noticed that.
Well, they must have been, but Svin suddenly stopped when he smelled something strange in the air. His magecraft was very much related to that powerful sense of smell he has, so he scanned the place with his eyes until he saw the others present.
"Uh- I'm sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused. Likewise, good morning, Reines, Sakura, and..."
The smell intensified and he instinctively approached the person hiding behind Sakura.
Behind Sakura, Gray had been hiding so that these perky blonde guys wouldn't notice his presence, but the cuter of the two was approaching and Gray panicked, immediately hiding behind Sakura.
"Who is this lady?"
Svin's gaze landed on Gray's eyes. The question was meant for Sakura, but she felt uncomfortable the moment Svin knelt down in front of Gray to get a better look at her.
This is something Svin has never done and it puzzled everyone, even Flat, who stared silently wondering what this "Le Chien" is doing.
Gray, for her part, was petrified the moment Svin suddenly grabbed her hand.
"What's your name?"
She had no choice but to answer.
"Gray..."
"Gray, uh... Gray..."
Svin repeated it over and over again, as if it was impregnated in his mind. Thus, he stood up and bowed.
"My name is Svin Glascheit, it is a pleasure to meet you. You are very beautiful..."
Out of nowhere...
Reines just shook her head. This moron is scaring Gray and Sakura could see that too. She then let Flat go and approached Gray, who by this time already thought that, who just a while ago held her hand, hates her to death.
Telling her that she was beautiful is something Gray doesn't take seriously and to some extent offends her. This face, this appearance does not belong to her, so she thought that what this boy wants to do is to offend her.
Thus, in her mind, she came to the wrong conclusion that, who she just met as Svin Glascheit, feels hatred towards her.
"Aren't you guys forgetting why we're here?"
Reines interrupted. Time is passing quickly and it is something not to be wasted. Being late for Lord El-Melloi II's classes ensured a few seconds of humiliation. Although she wasn't coming for classes specifically, she was coming to talk about some things with her beloved older brother. Coming here to annoy him was only a bonus in this situation.
"Let's not wait around."
Sakura said and everyone understood what she meant, so they all went up the stairs and advanced down a long and wide hallway in the direction of the famous Lord's classroom.
As they walked, with the sunlight streaming through the large windows to illuminate the scene, Gray looked at these four people. Svin and Flat arguing, Reines and Sakura conversing in such an everyday way. All this...
'Am I part of this?'
She thought. Walking in the middle of these people, being part of this group. Svin walking beside her, looking at her strangely and mumbling words that to her were disturbing.
Then Sakura put her hand on his shoulder.
"Get ready. If you don't understand something about the class you can ask me, I'll help you."
Sakura will help her..
Gray then nodded her head and looked at the road.
If this will become an everyday thing for her life, surrounded by these people who are still strangers to her, this wasn't so bad.
She still searched for an answer to her questions, a way to save herself from her Fate. If the path was in this place, despite the suicidal thoughts and everything negative in her mind, this path has appeared in her life.
'Should I keep moving forward?'
One step at a time...
To be continued...