Minerva's POV:
My heart skipped a beat as I heard those heavy footsteps toward my room. Who else could it be if it wasn't him? His glaring made me cower and I looked down at my feet.
'When was the last time you saw her?' I knew he was talking about Diane. It was on Tuesday she waved at me as she left the house -as usual, I followed her to the gate that morning. She had a backpack on her and she carried another bag in her right hand. Diane was a neat freak so even though she was going to stay in town for just two days at most she ends up with bags enough for months. I complained and murmured every time but Mother had always been supportive of her personality. ' There wasn't anything odd about her?' he raised his brows curiously.
'No' I muttered in a small voice. Diane wasn't always full of life but she had this smile that never seem to disappear. She wouldn't talk much and she always had her hair in a ponytail. She wore a dress-her favorite at that. It had bead embroidery and was colorful and she had her favorite earrings -probably her only because she never seemed to wear another. It was ruby. I recalled all these details carefully.
I wasn't surprised Father was inquisitive, of course, we saw her last and we're her family. He must be doing his work as a policeman-a detective.
'Anything you think might be of help?' now he was standing with hands akimbo. He looked disappointed when I nodded negatively. He let out a sigh. ' We'll have dinner tonight' he announced and closed the door behind him and his footsteps echoed in the empty passageway. I glanced at the ticking clock-it was dinnertime. But certainly, no one would eat tonight even though we sit at the table.
Liam's POV:
I felt bad as I walked towards the fashion school car park. This was because I didn't think about some circumstances while I was being nice to Athena but immediately Juno Lucas appeared, those circumstances took a wave on me and it dawned on me that she wasn't someone I should like-not even as a friend.
Another part of me wanted to forget those circumstances and continue to be there for her. She looked like she needed help. I bit my lower lip hard as her face appeared again. How could she cry like that? but then I couldn't help it, immediately Juno Lucas appeared I knew it was time to break the friendship that was about to start.
Those memories came again...how I tried to claim my innocence and how much pain it cost me. How would Father forgive my foolishness and forget how much pain it caused him and how would Mother ever forget everything it caused her? I would be stupid to ever get closer to another one. I hated myself for the embrace from earlier and I regret following her from the hall.
I hate how I had to worry about her and I promised myself to never do that again.
'Liam!' he called and waved.
That was Arthur O'Marshall, yeah-the king's son and a very good friend of mine. He was standing with Kai Parker-my another good friend. The duo was the only friends that truly existed in my life. Others were just acquaintances. But they had a life better than mine, they had the world to themselves and the fact that they were VIP schoolers made our friendship waver but we couldn't allow ourselves to drift apart. Kai was the son of the Minister of Academy-he supervises and oversees everything that goes on in every school.
'Hey buddies' I greeted softly trying to forget Athena.
'We saw you earlier. You were the man of the moment Kai said enthusiastically and Arthur chuckled.
' Earlier?' I asked confused.
'Yeah. Some schoolers said she's the new girl in Fashion school.' Arthur said as he embraced Kai for two seconds and they both laugh as they let go of each other. Then I understood what they meant- they saw me with Athena earlier.
'Who else saw me?' I said scratching my head.
'Probably the whole Academy. You'll be popular by twenty percent again starting tomorrow.' Arthur said. ' So.....aren't you going to tell us anything?' he added with curiosity all over his face.
I gave him no audience, I wasn't ready for a story. 'See you tomorrow.'
'I told you we had something to tell you!' Kai called after me as I walked towards my car on the other side of the carpark. 'You're leaving?'
'We'll talk tomorrow' I said and zoomed off.
Athena's POV:
Liam! Liam! Liam!
The name kept coming and the beautiful face of a young man was the only image formed in my head. Somehow I felt uneasy about the look on his face when he saw Juno. He was scared and he didn't say much until he left.
Stupid me muttered. I cried on the first day at the Academy because I almost got hit by a car. I wondered what the other schoolers thought of me. Probably I was a drama queen trying to gain fans and attention from others.
The door to my room opened and Juno came in.
'You okay?' he asked with his hands on my chair. I smiled and nodded. 'Papa told me....' he went silent and watched me; my countenance had fallen. Many incidents have happened since we left the town and I don't have a reason to be happy.' You don't have to do it.'
'I know .....but I don't want to go against him' I said smiling. He understood what I meant. He knows how much Papa has done for us and how we vowed to always be good and obedient.
'The guy.....'
'Liam?' I frowned at him.
'Yes, Liam. He's nice' he said and left. Truly many things bother me but that statement made it seem like my life was in perfect bliss.
Liam's POV:
I walked into the house and there Father sat in a chair. He heard me walk in and he rose from the chair immediately and walked up to me.
Without a word, he slapped me across the face. My head ached for a moment and it seemed like I couldn't see anything for a few minutes. 'It was a fault.' I managed to say.
' Jack!' Mother cried as soon as he raised his hand the second time.' Please...' she pleaded quietly.
He was full of anger breathing shakily, aggression in his eyes as he retreated. I understood why it was like that and I blamed myself for getting involved with Athena like that.
' You haven't learned your lesson. You won't ruin this family while I am still alive.' he shouted and left the room.
' I'm sorry Mother' I apologized as she approached me.
'It's fine she embraced me. But it wasn't fine deep inside her. I could see the pain in her eyes as she said it. Father wasn't always like that, the last time he was this aggressive was that night the incident happened. How he looked me in the face when the witnesses gave their statement to the Minister of Justice. It wasn't fine. It wasn't.