I step into the hallway, my shoes tapping lightly against the polished floor as I head towards the reception. Behind the desk sits a woman, probably in her early 30s, flipping through some paperwork. Her eyes flick up when I approach, scanning me up and down in a way that makes my stomach twist.
"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the head office?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady. She barely spares me a second glance, her focus already back on the papers.
"Are you one of the scholarship students?" she asks.
"Yeah," I answer, though I'm starting to regret asking.
"All scholarship students are expected in the conference room," she says bluntly, handing me a map without looking up again.
I take the map, glancing at her one last time. Clearly, I'm not getting more out of her, so I head off, trying to make sense of the maze that's supposed to be the school layout trying to understand the map and its twists and turns, hoping I'm not going in circles.
"Why is this map so conf-"
I slam into something hard, the impact knocking the air from my lungs. Or rather, someone. I look up-way up-into a pair of icy blue eyes, colder than the winter chill. Him with his built, muscled body looks like a fitness trainer but his uniform confirms that he goes here. His eyes scan me slowly, lingering at my legs and then pausing, ever so briefly, on my chest. I can practically feel the frostbite creeping over me.
"Uh, sorry," I mumble, taking a step back.
His face is a mask, unreadable, as he glances away and brushes past me without a word. I stand there, watching him disappear down the hallway, feeling the weight of something strange settle on my chest.
"This school is weird," I mutter, shaking my head as I turn back to the map. But another figure strides towards me, a tall boy, with messy blonde hair and an easy smile.
"Hey, new here?" he asks, his tone light and casual.
"Yeah, I am. You too?" I respond, relieved to see someone who doesn't look like they're about to freeze me with a glare.
He grins. "Yep, heading to the conference room, actually." He glances down in my hand, "And I assume you couldn't figure that out?"
I let out a sigh. "Can you blame me? Who makes a map this complicated for students?"
He laughs. "Right. I'm Richard, by the way." He offers his hand, his smile is genuine.
I take it, "Liessa." I give him my real name because I don't need to be afraid of some random scholarship student and I wasn't so famous enough that people will recognize me just by my name. Only hiding it from the main documents of school was necessary in case, They come here to search for me.
"Well, Liessa," Richard says, flashing me another grin, "if you want, we can walk together. I think I've got this place figured out."
"Thank God. You're a lifesaver." I smile back, feeling a little lighter now that I've found someone to navigate this maze with.
We walk together, chatting about random things as we head towards the conference room. Turns out it wasn't that far-just straight ahead, a left turn, then a right. As we enter the room, we're greeted by the sound of the principal's voice echoing through the space, though the noise of chatting students drowns out most of what he's saying.
Richard and I slip into the back, and he leans over to whisper, "Why even give a speech if no one's listening? Feels like a warm-up for nap time."
Just then, the room goes unnervingly silent. A hush sweeps across the students, and I feel a shift in the atmosphere. Three figures stroll in, and the energy in the room changes, like all the oxygen just got sucked out.
"Uh, why did everything just get so quiet?" I whisper to Richard, trying to get a better view of who entered.
"No clue," he mutters, craning his neck, but we can only see their backs from where we're sitting. Whoever they are, they've got the kind of presence that silences rooms.
After what feels like forever, the conference finally ends, and students start streaming out.
Richard stretches, yawning dramatically. "That speech was so boring. If that chair had been any comfier, I'd have fallen asleep right there."
I laugh, shaking my head as we make our way towards the cafeteria.
But before we get far, a girl suddenly blocks our path, standing directly in front of us with her arms crossed. She doesn't look amused.
"Come with me," she says then she just turns on her heel and starts walking without waiting for a reply.
Richard and I exchange a glance. "Should we...?" he asks.
"I don't know but let's see." I mutter, already feeling like things are about to get a whole lot weirder.
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She leads us to an abandoned stadium behind the school, a place that hasn't seen a proper game in years, judging by its decrepit state.
A final scowl crosses her face as she heads toward the stage.
I glance around, realizing we-the ten of us scholarship students-are now standing in the middle of a makeshift arena, surrounded by the regular students of Milestone High. Their murmurs are echoing in the air. I can feel their gazes burning on us. It is feeling like we are some sort of exotic animals on display.
I look in front, where on the stage stands three girls, including the one that brought us here. I look at the girl in the middle with waist-length black hair and the way the other two are flapping around her like she's royalty, it's obvious she's the queen bee here and.....this scene isn't unfamiliar, though. I've seen girls like her before. They don't speak, just glance around as if they're waiting for something or someone.
"What do you think this is about?" Richard whispers beside me, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"No clue," I say, though my gut tells me this is no welcome party.
Then, the whispers fade into a heavy silence as three boys make their entrance. Tall, confident, and walking with the arrogance of those who know the world bends for them. My eyes lock on the one in the center-the boy with icy blue eyes. The same one I bumped into earlier. He's flanked by two others. One with an air of chaos, shirt half unbuttoned, rings glinting on his finger he has deep green eyes and a smirk is playing on his lips. The other one has brown hairs and deep brown eyes and his expression is calm ... but as calm as the weather before a storm comes.
They move like predators stalking their prey, and when they reach the stage, all eyes are on them. The blue-eyed one steps forward his eyes flickers to mine for a brief moment before his voice cuts through the silence like a blade.
"Welcome to Milestone High." his deep voice loud and commanding, "I am sure you all have worked really hard to get your scholarships and study here. And I am sure none of you want to lose your scholarships. You can study here comfortably and enjoy your time, as well as the luxury. But there are certain rules. For you all, I will make it as simple as possible" he paused for a moment before speaking.
"Heads down, mouths shut, and eyes closed."
He continues, "Follow this simple rule, and you can live here happily and stay out of trouble. But if any of you break this rule...." he studies all of us with a cold, calculative gaze.
"We will make sure you learn a very good lesson about obedience. Mistakes aren't forgiven here, and your life can become worse than a living hell if you make one. Here, the strong rule, and the weak are ruled. You all are charity cases, so do not forget that. Mind your own business and stay out of our way."
His voice hangs heavily in the silence. Something whispers in my mind, Troubles, they are troubles. But despite those whispers I feel a surge of anger rise within me. The audacity, the sheer arrogance dripping from his words. Who the hell do they think they are? Some kind of gods?
But unfortunately I know how this works. Power, wealth, status-they rule everything, even back at my old school in Las Vegas those with power, money, status are always worshipped, and those who were inferior to them were the ones worshipping them, boosting their egos. But this? This is on another level. I've never had to bow to anyone since I didn't belong to ....just any family. I've never played by their rules and I am not planning to start now.
Liessa, calm the fuck down, I mutter in my mind. I know I can't afford to get on their bad side, despite how much I just want to go up there and defy them. I can't afford to lose this scholarship. And most importantly, I can't afford to get... caught.
My eyes go again to the blue-eyed one, and I just want to glare, but tear my gaze off to look at the chaotic one, who has a smirk on his lips like an arrogant prince as he studies us. Then, I glance at the calm one, who is still as expressionless as ever. His expression is unreadable, but there's something in his stare that sends a shiver down my spine.
I don't wait for them to dismiss us. I turn on my heel leaving the stage and their ridiculous power play behind.
They think they rule this place? Maybe they do.
But not me. Never me.