The courtyard was alive. The golden sun above melted the frost just enough for steam to lift off the cobblestone ground, creating a hazy, dreamlike backdrop. Students milled about in clusters, wrapped in muted greys, blues, and browns, but all their movements seemed to spiral back toward one point — toward her.
August stood at the center of it all, her figure bathed in soft sunlight, as if the world itself conspired to crown her. She wasn't loud. She wasn't trying. She simply was.
A delicate smile played on her lips as she helped a younger student gather a pile of papers they'd clumsily dropped. "Here you go," she said, her voice a quiet melody that somehow carried through the cold air. The boy looked up at her with wide eyes and stammered a "Thank you, August," before scurrying away, clutching his papers like a holy relic.
Juliette Renoir, ever sharp-tongued and observant, leaned against a stone pillar at the edge of the courtyard, watching the spectacle unfold. "Look at them," she muttered to Marceline, her friend and ever-faithful shadow. "It's like she's cast some sort of spell."
Marceline adjusted the lace cuff of her sleeve, barely looking up. "Not a spell. A talent. She knows exactly how to make them fall for her."
And fall, they did. As August laughed softly at something a senior boy said, students within earshot turned their heads, desperate to catch the warmth of that laughter. Her movements were natural, unpracticed, yet effortless in their grace. When she waved hello to a group across the way, it wasn't an empty gesture; it was as though she saw them, truly saw them.
"She's like some kind of angel," one girl whispered, clasping her hands together.
"Or the heroine of an old book," sighed another, pressing a hand to her chest.
Even Chloe and Izzy, always two steps behind August, found themselves observing the crowd more than her. Chloe smirked knowingly, whispering to Izzy, "They don't even realize they're being pulled in."
But none of that mattered to August. She turned, and her eyes met Autumn's — distant and cold, like the glassy surface of a frozen lake. For a single moment, the golden aura surrounding August seemed to falter.
Autumn raised an eyebrow from her perch on the balcony above, arms crossed, as if trying to see through the illusion that no one else noticed. "Charming, isn't she?" Juliette called out from below, her voice dripping with sarcasm that didn't quite hide her fascination.
August tilted her head up toward Autumn, holding that gaze — defiant in its softness. She smiled, the kind of smile that broke down walls and left no room for weapons. And then she spoke, her voice carrying like wind over water.
"Good morning, Autumn."
The courtyard paused, as if the very air froze in place to listen.
Autumn didn't reply. She turned on her heel, disappearing back inside, the soft echo of her steps swallowed by the murmur of students resuming their awe-filled chatter.
August's expression remained serene, though her shoulders dropped a fraction, the weight of that single gaze lingering far longer than it should have.
The crowd around her swelled again, drawn to her light like moths to a flame. She wasn't just winning them over — she was already their sun.
She was something Autumn never was - She was some kind of a saint, while Autumn was the devil.
The Cafeteria – Lunchtime
The cafeteria was bustling, as usual. The noise of students mixed with the clatter of trays and the scraping of chairs. The usual friends sat at the most coveted tables, but today, it was August's table that seemed to occupy the center of attention.
In the middle of the table sat August, calm amidst the surrounding chaos, her smile warm as she spoke in soft tones. Every word she uttered seemed carefully measured, like a sweet melody designed to lure everyone in.
On the other side of the cafeteria, Autumn sat alone, her features frozen as she watched the scene. Her usual friends seemed to slowly drift away, turning their attention toward August, as if an invisible force was pulling them in her direction.
"Look at them," Juliette said, pushing her fork through her meal with frustration. "Adams too? Are you kidding me?"
Autumn quickly raised her eyes, her gaze falling on Adams, the boy who had always sat next to her, now standing beside August's table. August lifted her gaze toward him with a faint smile, saying something that no one could hear, and then she laughed—a short, sweet laugh that made the whole room stop and take notice.
Autumn felt a fire ignite inside her. Adams was one of her "social assets," one of those who always sat by her side, loyal and unwavering. She was supposed to be the one laughing at his jokes, not August. at least for the public he was like a "social assets," but for her, for them, he was to be something more.
"How could this happen?" Autumn muttered to herself, before suddenly standing up from her seat, causing Juliette and Marceline's conversation to momentarily stop.
"Where are you going?" Juliette asked, but received no reply.
Autumn walked directly toward August's table. Her steps were quick and sharp, as though she were trying to reach there before everything fell apart. With every step, the noise seemed to fade away, as if everyone had realized she was entering the battlefield.
"Adams," she called, her voice calm but commanding. Adams turned slowly, his expression uneasy as if he had only just realized what he was doing. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"
August raised her eyes to Autumn, her expression calm, saying nothing, but her gaze was enough to speak volumes. It was a look full of innocence and transparency—like she wasn't doing anything wrong at all.
"Ah… Autumn, we're just..." Adams began, his voice hesitant.
"Just what?" Autumn cut him off sharply, before turning toward August. "Do you have a habit of gathering people around you, or do you just enjoy taking things that don't belong to you?"
The entire cafeteria fell silent. Everyone stared. Yet August did not seem fazed. She only smiled softly and said, "I haven't taken anything from you, Autumn."
"Oh, of course. Because you're not doing anything, right?" Autumn replied sarcastically, her voice trembling in the end. She didn't want her weakness to be seen.
Adams stood between them, finally speaking up: "Enough. I don't want problems."
"Problems?" Autumn repeated in disbelief, staring at him. "You'd rather sit here? Instead of..." She suddenly stopped. The words failed her as she realized, for the first time, she was losing control.
"Autumn, stop this," August's voice was quiet, soft, yet filled with a strange power. As if she had been waiting for this moment.
Autumn didn't reply. She could see the students whispering amongst themselves. She felt their eyes digging into her back, judging her, gloating over her downfall. For the first time, she felt the ground beneath her start to crack.
She took a step back, then another, before turning away and walking off. Her footsteps echoed loudly in the now-silent cafeteria, which had been consumed by tension.
August remained seated, watching her leave without saying a word. But she knew—this was just the beginning.
Autumn walked, and walked, through the library, through the classrooms, through the bathrooms, she walked and didn't look around, it was as if she had surrounded the whole world even though she had never been outside the city - her world was just like this city, everyone wanting to leave and go away, and forget their homeland, not knowing that no homeland would embrace them like their homeland, and Autumn felt this for the first time deeply, how weak she was, if August had stolen her soul she would not have sunk in grief like now, it wasn't that what she loved had been stolen, it was that:
she had meant nothing in the end.
The autumn of her life was over, no
it had never begun..
Suddenly, a hand pulled her so forcefully that she found herself in someone's arms. She raised her head and looked with her wide, shining eyes. Her eyes that still did not dare to cry. She said in a shaky voice, "Theo?"
In the scene, where the sky was blue and cloudy, a young man in a black leather jacket, with dark black hair, very handsome, smiled at her as he wrapped his arms around her, "It's so cold, dear. But with everything you're wearing now, it looks like I'm hugging a stuffed animal."
She buried her head in his chest, and did not ask anything. He was a safe place that had come, and she welcomed him with open arms.
Adams who had run after her, and August who had gone with him, were now watching the scene from afar. Adams was shocked and upset, while August seemed to be watching the scene silently from afar. With innocent eyes that pretended to be untainted.
Snowfall Chambers - Glacierwood High dorm
Autumn knocked on one of the doors of the student residence, room number 444.
Marceline opened the door without expectations, her features normal then she smiled, "Theo?"
Theo smiled, "I hear my name a lot today."
Suddenly Juliette ran and pushed Marceline aside, "Dear Theooo, I missed you so much."
Theo put his hands on Juliette face to stop her from hugging him, "I didn't really miss your loud voice, but hello."
Marceline and Autumn looked at each other and smiled. "I didn't even hug my brother," Marceline said.
"But I need tenderness," said Juliette.
They all laughed at her cuteness.
Juliette suddenly jumped, "Oh, Theo you don't like people like me, right?"
Theo nodded at her.
Juliette laughed loudly, "Then that's good, just fall in love with Autumn, don't fall for that witch."
Theo, who hadn't argued with Juliette, looked at Autumn, "Do you have a witch here?"
"A witch," Marceline said sharply.