Here they go again, Shalei grumbled. Didn't they have anything better to do than gossiping about other people behind their back? Well, technically, they weren't gossiping behind her back because they were literally sitting in front of her but could they have some decency? Please? Shalei turned up the volume of the music, hoping that the melody blasting her eardrums would be able to drown out the sounds. She looked down at the notebook filled with dense writing in front of her and smoothly glided the pen across the practice paper to finish two multiple choice questions.
But no. Even without listening, she could already imagine what they were talking about.
"Unbelievable. She's still studying even during break time?"
"Does she ever take a break? And what? The teacher told us to get along with her? Why didn't he tell HER to get along with us instead?"
"Sheesh, look at how arrogant she is. She must have thought that we're all beneath her. Why does Teach like her so much? Honestly, she freaks me out. You know, with her—"
"Hush, don't be so loud. What if she hears us?"
"Hahaha, how can it be? She is always listening to music anyway."
The loud screech of the chair being dragged back reverberated across the classroom and everyone's eyes turned to Shalei. Without lifting her head, she closed the textbook with a bang and walked to the front where four girls were huddling together looking at her with wary gazes as if she was some kind of exotic animal. Taking the left earpiece off, Shalei talked with a cordial tone — she swore it wasn't loud but somehow, the quiet classroom caused her voice to echo all around — all the while giving the most sincere (fake) smile she could muster. "It's because my parents donated a lot of money to the school."
"H—Huh…?"
"You're asking why the teachers like me. It's because they are paid to do so." Shalei blinked. Her face was the epitome of oblivion veiled with hidden sarcasm with a sweet smile as the icing. "Now you know the reason. And one more thing, I was born this way." Without waiting for a response, Shalei turned her heels and stalked out of the classroom.
Behind her, the atmosphere exploded into a huge ruckus. The corner of Shalei's lips ticked upward before it swiftly disappeared. They must have been cursing her thirteen ancestors to the moon and back. Well, not that she cared.
Was it her fault that she was born into a wealthy family and people prejudiced about her, assuming her arrogant, pretentious and cocky? And was it her fault that she was born with this weird, bizarre pure silver hair that made her look like a witch from some western fantasy series?
The doctor had assured her parents that it was merely a gene mutation when they couldn't find the same symptoms after going through the family records; they called it Griscelli syndrome or something. But it became all weird when she wasn't affected by the other symptoms like weak muscle tone, eye and vision abnormalities and intellectual disability.
Shalei grew up perfectly healthy, except for this eye-catching silver hair that resembled a waterfall of moonlight. She used to be upset, questioning why she was different from other people but over the years, she had learned to not give a fuck. She could even joke that she had dyed it—as most of the students in the school might assume. But it was getting annoying when people stared at her wherever she went. Shalei clicked her tongue and licked her gum.
Ah, she really wanted to smoke.
***
Curls of white smoke billowed out of Shalei's lips, puffing up and up until it merged with the air and disappeared. Shalei inhaled the cigarette deeply and let the tobacco feel her lungs. She flicked the ash off the cigarette, eyes half-lidded in relief.
This was one of the most comfortable times in her life — sneaking out to the desolate back of the building to steal a few minutes of alone time. Back at home, she had to act as the good girl she was, always obeying whatever her parents told her to do and even in school, she had to maintain the good student persona.
If the teachers saw her smoking like this, would they still take her as a good girl? Would they be enraged and call her parents to discipline her? And then, would she get another harsh lesson from her mother on how to act like a decent human being?
Her fingers twitched and she entertained the idea inside her mind. Only inside her mind, though. Otherwise, wouldn't her effort for the entire seventeen years of life go to naught? However she couldn't deny that there was a rush of adrenaline coursing through her blood with the idea of rebelling.
Her mother would lose the perfect puppet she molded since day one. Not only that, she would also lose her standing and poise she had always shown when she went around to show her off like a trophy to her fellow acquaintances. Shalei could almost imagine how humiliated she would feel when she received the phone call from the homeroom teacher complaining that her daughter — her beloved, obedient and smart daughter — was caught smoking in the back of the school. Shalei couldn't help chuckling.
A rustle sounded from the bushes around and Shalei whipped her head around to find the familiar scrawny black puppy whose tails wagged like crazy as soon as it spotted her. "Woo~" A pair of glassy golden slit pupils stared unblinkingly at her. Shalei hastily snuff out her cigarette and buried it under her usual spot where hundreds of cigarette butts were.
"Hey." She cleared her throat when the puppy rushed to her feet, excitedly jumping around with tongue rolling out. "No, you can't." She pushed the puppy away with her foot as gently as possible when it almost climbed up her calf, earning her another confused whine.
She chuckled, crouched down then reached out to pat the pure black puppy's head. Pleased, the puppy licked her palm all over and rolled onto its belly. Shalei was going to die from the sheer cuteness. "I am wearing white socks today. If my mother finds out that there's black fur sticking there, she won't let the matter go. Understand?"
"Woo~"
"Why are you so skinny? Are you eating well?"
The puppy's throat rumbled loudly when Shalei scratched the back of its ears. A smile made its way to her lips. One thing she couldn't resist the most was furry creatures, especially dogs. They were soft and adorable and this one was especially so. As soon as Shalei landed a sight on its pure black fur — contrasted with her pale silver hair — she immediately fell in love. Unfortunately her self-opinionated mother thought that pets were only a waste of time and Shalei had learned in a hard way not to try to change her mind.
"Here." Shalei took out the snack in her pocket and held it under the puppy's nose. "If you want."
The puppy sniffed tentatively before giving another soft wolf-like howl. Shalei raised her brow. "What's wrong? You always like to eat this—" The black puppy's fur suddenly bristled and its tail stood up straight. It growled and bared its teeth threateningly, taking Shalei off guard.
She had only wanted to calm it down when she realized that it wasn't looking at her but something behind her. The crunch of a broken twig shattered the tranquil atmosphere and Shalei snapped her head back.
Alas, it was too late.
The snack dropped to the ground and the puppy's growls fell into deaf ears as Shalei's mouth was clamped shut by a rough palm from the person behind. Her eyes sharpened. Years of combat lessons prompted her to elbow the person right on their ribs and a grunt of pain followed thereafter — a man, Shalei noticed. Tall, muscular and very tough.
She could already feel numbness spreading along her arm with that one move. This was certainly not looking very good. Shalei swiveled around and was ready to attack again when all of a sudden, a strange odor wafted to her nose. Just like that, her limbs went numb and her vision blurred. Damn it, she hadn't even got a chance to take a good look at the attacker.
It must be some kind of anesthetic because when Shalei regained her senses a while later, she found herself bound in the back seat of a large car with two men in front of her, sitting in the driver seat and passenger seat respectively. The school building was drifting further and further away until it completely disappeared when the car turned into a corner and merged into the stream of the busy road.
She sighed. It seemed like she was kidnapped again. Well, there was one thing Shalei regretted though. Why didn't they wait until she had properly fed the puppy? And they didn't do anything to it, did they? Sheesh, their timing couldn't be any better. They'd better pray that they hadn't hurt the puppy otherwise Shalei was going to make them regret it.
"Hello? Misters?" Shalei rolled her shoulders and sat up straight. Fortunately, she wasn't injured anywhere. Just that her tongue was slightly numbed and her wrists were sore from the tight binding. "Where are we going?"
The man in the passenger seat turned halfway to give her a glance before looking ahead again. He was wearing an all black sweater and slacks with a black mask covering his face, rendering Shalei unable to discern his features except for a pair of pitch black pupils. The same went to the man in the driver seat.
Shalei pressed her tongue on the inside of her cheek. Quite a temperament, are we? She looked out of the window and saw that the car was heading straight into the express railway. Raising a brow, she continued asking. "Shouldn't you two cover my eyes so I can't see where we're heading to? Is this your first time?"
Still no answer.
Shalei hummed a random tune. A minute passed and she couldn't help asking again. "Do you have my parents' number? Shall I spell it out for you? You know, just to make everything quicker. I have three practice papers to complete today, for your information."
Only the buzz of the air conditioner accompanied the silence.
Boring, Shalei tutted. She leaned forward to request. "Mister, can you please turn on the radio? Or the music? Isn't it too dreary here—" What happened next totally caught her off guard. The man in the passenger seat moved so fast that he became a blur. Shalei had always considered herself nimble and agile but she couldn't even react when a syringe was promptly stabbed into the side of her neck. The cold liquid spread into her system, followed by a zap of mind-blowing numbness. "Fuck. I was asking...politely…" Her body slumped into the back seat and her eyes swarmed with black dots spreading in the corner.
How insolent, the thought flashed through her mind one second before her consciousness faded away.
A static was heard and a gruff voice sounded from the other side of the line. "Have you got her?"
The man in the passenger seat lifted the walkie talkie. He gave Shalei another glance through the windshield mirror. All of a sudden, his black pupils glowed in an intense color of red and his pupils dilated into slits. If Shalei was awake, she would definitely marvel at it and ask the man to teach her how to do it.
When the man spoke, his voice trembled with a hint of excitement. "Yes, we have confirmed it. It's indeed her. We are taking her there now. Over."