"Shouldn't we get out of the woods now?" Flora asked her friend when she was done fixing the blanket around her body.
"Sophia!" Flora had to call out again before she could gain the attention of her friend who had been carried away by her thoughts.
Sophia jolted back to reality, swallowing hard.
"Sorry, what was that?" Sophia inquired.
"Let's go back to the dorm." Flora responded, narrowing her eyes at the other girl who was suddenly behaving strangely.
"Yeah, we should. I will lead the way." Sophia said and quickly stepped forward, Flora trailed behind her.
"What is wrong? You look like you are doing some serious thinking." Flora pointed out.
"Well, I have actually been thinking about what you are going to face from Vivian now." Sophia said. That wasn't entirely a lie.
"They are coming back for me? Didn't it end last night?" Flora snapped in surprise.
"Oh, my dear friend, nobody disrespects Vivian like you did and go scot-free. The girls are saying you were on drugs and they are coming back for you whenever you are sober so they can deal with you." Sophia informed her.
Flora scoffed in annoyance.
"Those girls don't know when to give up, do they? Now tell me, should I be scared?" She asked her friend who was looking at her with pitiful eyes.
"Oh, honey, you should be. If you had allowed them do their thing yesterday, you definitely wouldn't be in this mess. But don't worry, this too shall pass." Sophia told her and gave her a small, reassuring smile.
"What kind of a school is this?" Flora mumbled and they started walking out of the woods.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Flora took a deep breath as she approached the classroom door.
The hallway buzzed with activity, students milling about and chattering excitedly. She glanced at Sophia, who gave her a reassuring nod.
"Ready for your first class?" Sophia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Flora nodded, trying to muster a confident smile.
"As ready as I will ever be." She responded.
As they walked, Flora couldn't help but notice the curious glances and hushed whispers that followed them. Her enhanced hearing picked up snippets of conversation that made her stomach churn.
"Is that the new girl?"
"I heard she caused quite a scene last night."
"Vivian is gonna eat her alive."
"She doesn't look like much. What is so special about her?"
"I heard she is on drugs!"
"What? That is crazy! No wonder her eyes are like that..." The comments went on.
Flora clenched her jaw, fighting the urge to respond. Sophia, noticing her friend's discomfort, leaned in close.
"Just ignore them. They will find something else to gossip about soon enough." She whispered to Flora.
As they reached the classroom door, a familiar voice cut through the noise of the hallway.
"Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up for class."
Flora turned to see Vivian standing there, with her four loyal subordinates.
The group formed a semicircle, effectively blocking the classroom entrance.
Vivian stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she looked Flora up and down.
"I have to say, I'm impressed you had the guts to show your face after last night's little... performance." She snapped.
Flora straightened her posture, meeting Vivian's gaze.
"I'm here to learn, Vivian. Nothing more, nothing less. So why won't I show up?" Flora deadpanned.
"Learn? Or cause more trouble?" One of Vivian's friends, a tall girl with fiery red hair, snickered.
"So, what kind of drugs were you on last night, anyway? Must've been some pretty strong stuff to make you think you could challenge Vivian." Another one chimed in, narrowing her eyes at Flora.
Flora's cheeks burned with anger and embarrassment.
"I wasn't on any-" She wanted to protest but got interrupted before she could finish.
"Oh, come on. You can tell us. We're all friends here, right? Was it moonflower or something stronger?" Vivian asked, her voice laced with sarcasm.
The group laughed, drawing more attention from passing students. Flora felt her hands begin to shake in embarrassment.
"Leave her alone, Vivian. She already told you-" Sophia stepped forward, placing a hand on Flora's arm.
"I wasn't talking to you, was I?" Vivian snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously.
Just as the tension reached its breaking point, a hush fell over the hallway. Flora turned to see what had caught everyone's attention.
Striding down the corridor was the tall, dark-haired boy with piercing blue eyes that had caught Flora from falling the other day.
His presence seemed to command respect, and Flora couldn't help but notice the way several female students sighed dreamily as he passed.
"Liam." Sophia whispered, a mix of relief and worry in her voice.
Liam approached the group, his gaze sweeping over the scene before settling on Vivian.
"What is going on here?" He asked, his voice calm but authoritative.
Vivian's demeanor changed instantly, a sweet smile replacing her earlier sneer.
"Liam! We were just welcoming the new student. The initiation didn't go as planned so we are trying to schedule another time. Right, girls?" Vivian maintained.
Her friends nodded enthusiastically, but Liam didn't seem convinced.
He turned to Flora, his intense gaze making her heart skip a beat.
"Is that true?" He asked softly.
Flora hesitated, caught between the urge to tell the truth and the fear of escalating the situation. Before she could respond, Liam spoke again.
"Because from where I'm standing, it looked like you were harassing her." Liam pointed out.
Vivian's smile faltered.
"We were just asking her a few questions, that is all. After last night's incident..." Vivian was saying but Liam cut her short.
"Last night's incident is in the past, Vivian." Liam maintained firmly.
A tense silence fell over the group. Flora could feel the waves of jealousy and resentment radiating from Vivian and her friends.
"I apologize for the welcome you have received. That is not how we usually treat new students here." Liam turned back to Flora, his expression softening.
"It's... it's okay." Flora stammered, suddenly aware of how close he was standing to her.
Liam shook his head.
"No, it's not." He paused, seeming to consider something. Then, to everyone's surprise, he reached out and took Flora's hand.
"I've been instructed to take you somewhere. Would you mind coming with me?" He asked her.