{Let’s get the plot going, yeah? Also, don’t be afraid to ask me anything in the comments <3}
I roamed the school for a few hours, practicing my sneaking. Even though the halls had students in them, none of them noticed me. I only went back into the dorm around one a.m, and boy, was I surprised. Alex flicked the light switch on.
“So, where have you been, Aeryn?”
“Uh, just here and there…you know what? I’m really tired, so I think I’ll just go to bed…” I tried to walk past the red haired asshole, but Alex pulled me pack and sat me on the sofa. Cassian and Christopher came out too.
“Alright smart guy. You said you would be able to guess their gender just from looking at them. So? Are they a girl or a boy?” Cassian asked Christopher in an accusing tone.
“After seeing them in class, I can confirm my answer. Aeryn is androgynous,” Christopher nodded wisely.
“YOU SAID THAT-” Alex was yelling at Christopher, boring me to death. I flipped Cassian off before going straight to bed. But of course, it was never that easy for me. The minute I laid down, a dream started unfolding.
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“Come here ____!” A faceless male called me over. My feet moved toward him without hesitation, but my mind was screaming for me to run away.
“Good job, love. You know that I would chase you until the ends of the earth, right? That’s just how much I truly care about you.”
I nod and take the male’s hand obediently. He drags me along somewhere dark. An expensive car was parked at the side of the curb. I got in the passenger seat while the faceless man got in the driver’s seat.
After we had been driving for a while, he started talking again. This time, his voice was…off. I wasn’t sure where we were going, but my mind wanted to leave the vehicle asap!
“Love, I realized something a couple days ago. I realized that I love you so much, that I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else looking at you.”
The car sped up, going well over the speed limit.
“And lust is one of the seven deadly sins. So I decided, if I’m going to hell, I’ll take you with me so we could be together for eternity!”
The edge of the road came up and the car drove right over it. I could finally speak, but now I could do nothing but scream. I saw a wooden pencil floating and in a split second, I jabbed it where the male’s eye would be.
Not even a second later, the car hit the ground.
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“...Ryn! Aer…yn…Aeryn! Wake up!”
Someone touched my arm. I grabbed the hand and pulled it down, pinning the person in seconds due to the panic I was in.
“Aeryn! It’s just me! Cassian!”
Cassian? Oh! “S-sorry. What time is it?” I asked after I let go of his arm.
“It’s four in the morning.” Cassian rubbed his arm grumpily.
“Why’d you wake me up then?” I asked irritably.
“I went to get a drink of water and heard you talking in your sleep. Who’s Roman?” Cassian asked. “You’re crying.” He gently touched my cheeks.
I wiped my cheeks, not even realizing that they were wet. “Huh, I guess I am?”
“You sound confused,” Cassian said quietly.
“I don’t know why I would be crying over something that happened years ago…” I looked out my window into the dark sky.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Cassian asked suddenly, catching me off guard. He had his head down and was blushing slightly. Normally this behavior would be reserved for the female lead…
“No. I-I’ll be fine. Could you…not tell anyone?” I asked shyly.
“Why would I?” Cassian snorted.
I got up and started stretching. There’s no way I’m going back to sleep.
Y’know, they call me a dream eater. If you let me into your consciousness, I could really help out with those nightmares of yours; Daemion offered.
No thanks. Go back to whatever part of my mind you all reside in.
Rude; I could feel Daemion roll his eyes.
“Are you getting up for the day?” Cassian asked curiously.
“Yup. I won’t be able to fall asleep now. Don’t worry about me,” I sent him a halfhearted smile.
“I- why would I worry about a criminal?” Cassian turned his nose up. That was the version I knew. “And anyway, you didn’t answer my question. Who’s Roman?”
I faltered in my steps. “...That… that’s none of your concern. He’s not around anymore anyway, so it doesn’t matter.” My eyes darkened. “And if he was, I would fucking slit his throat.”
Cassian seemed taken aback at my violence, since he’s only ever seen me either defend myself or argue with words. Then he smirked. “Crappy ex?”
“The worst,” I confirmed.
“Well, if you’re up, I guess I should get ready for the day too. Can’t have you running off and falling asleep in weird places again,” Cassian chuckled.
“Good luck,” I laughed lightly, this time genuine. Cassian left me room, leaving me with my thoughts.
Didn’t he kill you in one of your lives? Calen asked.
Well, yeah, but from his point of view, I was trying to kill someone I ‘just met.’ So he reacted accordingly. Alex killed me in my ninth life and Cassian killed me in my tenth. Alex thought I harmed the female lead, so of course he killed me. And I went after the bitch in my tenth life, so Cassian came after me. I can’t exactly blame them.
Why do you call this person the ‘female lead?’ Calen asked.
Because she was blessed by the gods, so of course this world revolves around her. I didn’t lie, technically. I forgot that this was six months before the main plot started, meaning that it was three months before the female lead transfers in. She transfers in during the end of winter, when spring was just starting. It was autumn now, and the weather was slowly chilling.
I got dressed in my uniform, this time going for the women’s one. I got both a woman’s uniform and a men’s one because they could figure out which one to give me. And I wouldn’t tell them which gender I am. I fixed my hair, adjusted my thigh highs and walked out of the room, where Cassian was waiting for me.
“You- uh, wow, are you a woman? Because that uniform fits, er, really well…” Cassian looked over my figure before getting ahold of himself. I smirked and walked out the door.
“Where are you going?” Cassian asked, still blushing an embarrassed shade of pink.
“I don’t know. I’m just going to wander around-” I sniffed the air as a delicious scent wafted through the halls. “Actually, scratch that. I’m gonna get some food!” I ran off, following the wonderful scent.
“Hey- wait for me!” Cassian ran after me. After he had been following me for a while, his own nose twitched. “What are you, a dog? How the heck did you smell the kitchens all the way from the dorms?”
“It’s ‘cause my senses are much stronger than an average human,” I answered and walked through the double doors of the kitchen.
“I never asked, but are you human? I actually don’t know.” Cassian narrowed his eyes at me.
“Uh, I think so?”
“You don’t sound too sure,” Cassian noticed.
“So it’s perfectly human to use water magic, but it’s not human to have a strong sense of smell?” I shot back, sneaking my way into the pantry.
“...Touche.”
“What are you two doing here?”
Cassian and I whirled around to see an old lady. She swung her hands at us and we dodged it, running out of the kitchen and panting once we reached the end of the corridor.
“Why is she so mean?” I panted.
“Gertrude…is always mean… I don’t know why she…gasp…she works in a school if she…hates us all,” Cassian wheezed back.
“Well, at least I got a snack,” I grinned.
Cassian gasped at me. “What? How? Literally, how? I was watching you the whole time!”
“Not the whole time. Shhh, do you want a cookie or not?” I asked bossily.
“I don’t believe I ever said no,” Cassian laughed and reached for the snickerdoodle.
We walked along the halls, sharing the cookies I nabbed and happily munching on them. But something was bothering me. Why was he being so nice? This type of behavior was supposed to be reserved for the female lead. Normally, Cassian comes off as stiff and cold with a major stick up his ass.
“...What?” Cassian asked after noticing that I was staring at him with a suspicious gaze.
“You’re being too nice. I saw how you acted around that orange haired woman. What was her name again? Charlie something? Dumbass?” I put a finger to my chin, thinking.
“C-Charlotte D-Dubon!” Cassian doubled over in laughter, breathy giggles echoing through the halls of the first years.
“Oooohhh, I see. Well, you were downright rude to her when she wanted to say hello in the hallway, but here you are being nice to me when I’ve literally flipped you off before,” I said accusingly.
Cassian stopped walking. After a moment in thought, he started speaking slowly, as if unsure of his answer. “I’m not really sure, to be honest. Something about you feels…different. I’m not sure how to explain it. It’s like I knew you once. And somehow, it feels like I did you wrong. But that’s ridiculous, isn’t it? Aeryn? Hey, what’s wrong?!” Cassian stood over me, a panicked look on his face.
I didn’t even realize that there were tears running down my face. I cried for the second time today within an hour. I let out a breathy laugh and smiled at the, normally stoic, boy in front of me.
“Nothing’s wrong. I-I don’t know why my face is leaking. I guess I was just taken aback. A lot of shit has happened to me in my life, and hearing you feel guilty about something you never did is just…” I trailed off, unsure how to explain the warm feeling in my chest.
Cassian took out a handkerchief and wiped my tears. “You’re such a crybaby.”
“Not usually,” I turned my head away in mock hurt.
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Today I was heading into Basic Combat. After that I had Language Arts. But first, Homeroom with Professor John. Celeste was still giving me a dirty look, but River waved at me cheerfully. Christopher and Alex walked over to where Cassian and I were sitting.
“Where were you two this morning?” Christopher asked, sporting a bruise on his cheek.
“Got scared and ran away?” Alex smirked. He had a small cut on his lip.
“You couldn’t throw a fist to save your life,” I fired back.
Alex bristled. “What the hell do you know?”
“More than you!” I shot back fiercely. “You need to use magic to fight well, whereas I can defend myself without magic! I use it out of convenience, not necessity!”
“Y-you-!” Alex was at a loss for words.
“HAHAHA!!! YOUR ASS GOT ROASTED SO DAMN HARD!” Jacob howled in laughter, falling out of his chair due to how much he was shaking.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP JAKE! YOU TOO CHRIS!” Alex snarled. He turned toward me, only to find Cassian leaning on my shoulder, unable to keep himself up with silent chuckles.
Professor John clapped his hands. “Alright class, we only have an hour. You can use this time to socialize, do homework or other classwork, or you can utilize this time to work on studying PMU. You could even use this time to take a nap.”
A soft knock sounded at the door. A pretty boy in his third year walked into the classroom.
“Hello, I’m looking for Aeryn Luna?” He smiled sweetly.
I glared at him, not trusting that fake ass, sugary sweet persona. “That would be me. Why?”
“Headmaster Callidus wants to see you in his office,” he replied with a blinding smile. The girls in my class swooned. All except Celeste, who was looking at him in extreme distaste.
“Why does Remus want to see me? Actually, I don’t care.” I got up and put my hands in my pocket, following the boy out of the classroom and waving a two finger salute to Professor John, who looked worried.
As soon as we had walked a good distance, I tapped the boy on his shoulder. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Nikushimi Warui, but you can call me Shimi,” the boy said in a cheerful tone.
“Oh, you can drop the act now, pretty boy,” I said with a knowing smile.
“Ha! You’re the first person to see through me who didn’t already know me. I guess you know what this is about then?” Shimi glanced over his shoulder, but I was already gone. “Shit!”
Shimi was a male lead. Of course I knew him. It was all I could do not to run away when I first saw him. The only ones I hadn’t met yet were Emmet Lamonte and Theodore Trebax. It was those three that scared me the most. There were a couple others, one of them being the female lead herself, that I was wary of, but Nikushimi, Emmet, and Theodore were the big three. And of fucking course, I run head first into one of them.
“Woah, be careful shortstuff. Wouldn’t want you to get a concussion from my rock hard abs.” Emmet flexed his already tight shirt.
“I-I, sorry, I need to go!” I duck my head and continue on my way back to my classroom. If I could find it, that is…
“Need some help?” Emmet offered. I shook my head and continued down the confusing passage ways. The third year didn’t seem to take the cold shoulder memo.
“What do you want?” I snapped.
“You’re the new kid, right? The one that got arrested?” Emmet dropped the bomb.
“What about it?” I growled.
Emmet’s eyes widened. “So it’s true? Holy shit, what’d you do? Rob a candy store?”
“My crimes have nothing to do with you. What do you want?” I snarled.
“Calm down, sunshine, it was just a question. I’m curious about you. Theo said that there wasn’t a whole lot of info about you aside from your name and age, not even a birthday. So I obviously needed to see you for myself. I didn’t think you would run into me though, ha ha!” Emmet smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I knew that I needed to escape the situation now. Emmet wouldn’t hurt me unless he deemed it necessary, but ‘necessary’ is whatever he wants.
“Well, I don’t know a lot about myself, so I mean, I can’t exactly answer the birthday question,” I played it with an eye roll. “Look, unless you can show me to class D-4, can you screw off?”
“You mean Professor John’s class? Yeah, I know the way. But you have to give me one thing first,” Emmet said with a smug look. “Your-”
“No.”
“You didn’t even let me say what I wanted-”
“And I don’t care. Fuck off already.”
“Damn, okay. If that’s how you feel, I guess I won’t bother you anymore.” Emmet rolled his eyes.
“That would be great, thanks,” I beamed at Emmet.
He looked pretty ticked off that I was so happy to see him go.
“Tch, whatever.” Emmet was going to say something else, but seemed like he remembered something and placed a shit eating grin on his face. “You’ll see me again in the future. See ya’ around, sunshine.”
I flipped him off and took a deep breath, trying to find my way back by scent. I followed the jasmine scent of Nikushimi back to my classroom. Why didn’t I go to the principal’s office? Because he never sent for me. Nikushimi was lying through his teeth.
River immediately engulfed me in a hug. “So what did Headmaster Callidus say?”
“Nothing much. Why did you do that?” I asked, trying to pry the light blue haired woman off.
“Because we’re friends now!” She beamed at me.
“No, no we are not. I literally showed you, like, two things. Uh, stop this- this, whatever you’re doing at once!” I struggle with River for a few more moments before succumbing to her embrace.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never been hugged before?” River said worriedly.
“Does strangling count? Because I think that’s the closest thing to a ‘hug’ that I’ve ever come across,” I said in a flat tone.
Vivian choked on the water she was drinking and started coughing. When she could speak, she started bombarding me with questions. And she wasn’t the only one. It took me a while before the class calmed down. The bell rang, meaning that it was time for Basic Combat with Professor Cerius Trebax, Theodore’s father.
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“I’m sorry, Aurora, but the boy you wanted to see ran off. I’m not sure what inclined him to run, but he disappeared suddenly as we were walking.” Nikushimi was apologizing to a beautiful strawberry blonde woman.
She giggled softly. “That’s alright, Shimi. I’ll go visit him later myself.” The woman looked out of the window. She saw him walking along the hallways with Cassian Swift. The same guy who rejected her older sister, Charlotte, in the most rude way possible. Yet, he was sweet to the boy with the black hair that covered his eyes. At least, she thought he was a male. It was hard to tell, but she would assume that for now. Something about him screamed ‘danger’ to her. Not that he looked particularly deadly. It was something about his existence that seemed off. As if he was a threat to her position. Which was ridiculous, since Aurora knew she was the most beautiful person in the school.
“Shimi, can you keep an eye on him? Something about him seems wrong…” Aurora whispered ‘fearfully.’
“Of course!” Nikushimi was quick to agree to the beauty’s demands.
Aurora wanted everyone in the school to love her. She wanted everyone wrapped around her finger. And if someone acted out of place, or rudely, well, she has three powerful males at her disposal. Aurora grinned. No interference is going to ruin her plans. She swore to become the apple of everyone’s eyes.
ns 15.158.61.54da2
