“WHY do the Powerless do this?”
Twelve-year-old Eun looked up from her paper to face Athena who’d spoken. “Do what?”
“Fantasize about living a prosperous life that they clearly do not deserve,” Athena said, sitting up from the mattress and setting her own paper aside. Not much of it was done, which wasn’t surprising seeing as she had zero concerns for her education. But why would she when she had the power as one of the king’s favorites to make the lecturers pass her, regardless of her scores? “Yesterday, I witnessed a man get dragged out of his home and executed in front of his family. I don’t know what he did but he was a Powerless and that’s enough for me. Yet the wife kept on screaming about how unfair it was.”
Eun glanced away from her then, pretending to go over the school questions on the paper. She did not do well as a liar when looking straight at the person she was lying to.
“That’s just how they all are,” Jade half-attentively said, staring at the pair of earrings Athena had just gifted her. The earrings, a spectacular shade of light blue, were glamorous and exorbitant—so, so exorbitant. She loved high-priced things. And yet, a small frown rested on her face.
Eun understood without even having to inquire that the cause for her hesitance was the fact the gift came from Athena herself. Over the months of being in this friend group, she’d come to notice Jade’s consistent expressions of annoyance whenever Athena opened her mouth to boast about anything, as well as the frequent taunts Athena would throw her way, which Jade repeatedly claimed she was alright with despite how chagrined she always appeared to be. Jade loved gifts but not when they came from the same girl she was so envious of.
“I just find it so absurd,” Athena carried on. “They came into our world with no Amulet and expect to be treated equally, as though we’re all the same. How foolish is that?”
Eun paused, soaking in her friend’s words. “So, you believe the man deserved the execution?”
“I believe the Powerless should just stop behaving as if they deserve better. They really don’t.” Athena got up from the mattress and skipped over to where her chiffonier sat, picking up the diamond bracelet that rested on its flat surface. “This,” she pointed to the jewelry with a small chuckle, “is worth more than all of them combined. We Holders were kind enough to let them stay in our world. That should be enough for them considering how meritless they all are.” When she finally took notice of the saddened expression etched onto the younger’s face, she frowned. “What? You don’t agree, Eun?”
Eun opened her mouth to speak but the words stayed stuck at the back of her throat. She was aware that what she was currently doing was improper. She shouldn’t have been here in Athena’s room, sitting on Athena’s bed, eating Athena’s food, gossiping with Athena’s friends. She knew the day of truth would come one day and Eun could already picture just how enraged Athena was going to be once she found out.
But she was enraged. Anytime Athena opened her mouth and talked about her people in such a harsh manner, Eun couldn’t help but allow the irritation to prick at her, to allow despair to ravage her face. Although she was frequently around Athena and her friends, who were all Holders, laughing or eating with them, dressing up or studying with them, rarely did she like any of them. But in order to ensure that her body would continue to be free from all the physical torture, she needed them.
Yes, she was using them all, toying with their minds, deluding them into thinking she was one of them. No, she did not feel guilty for it. They were far worse than her, the way they behaved was far worse than what she was doing. She wasn’t certain who the voice belonged to but a faceless woman in her dreams frequently told her that it wasn’t wrong to try to save herself from the Holders’ claws—to write herself a different story.
Maybe, this wasn’t the best way to do it, but it was all she had at the moment.
Silence. Complete silence.
Students turn to each other, loud whisperings arising. Judgment fills their eyes but not a single being is as captious as Athena herself.
Then, it is silent again.
Ivy.
Ivy.
Ivy Pearls?
Aside from Athena, Jade, and Clover who remembers her clearly, confusion engulfs their minds. While the three girls ponder over how Ivy made it back to Arya alive and why the sudden change of name, the rest of the class tries to recall where they’ve seen her face before.
With a surprising number of nine-hundred-and-fifty-million citizens, Arya is no doubt the largest kingdom in the continent, so needless to say, having to recall a face that was last seen three years ago is not so easy. On the other hand, from being Athena’s friend to her attention-seeking adoptive parents working for the Royals themselves, Ivy can’t exactly deny the bit of popularity she had before she fled. It was something, albeit possibly not of the positive kind. Over the years, attention became one of the many things she dreaded. It still is.
“It’s you! Angelo Calinao’s daughter,” Mr. Abalos recalls, a dazed look of bewilderment crossing his stubbled face. “You’re back? How. . . How are you still alive?”
With legs crossed, Ivy leans back, a proud smile playing on her lips. Only after she steals a quick peek at Athena, taking notice of her former friend’s abrasive expression, does she finally understand the girl’s objective. So, this is why Athena wanted her in the same classroom. Not just to keep an eye on her but to be present during her downfall. Ivy can already tell what the arrogant girl is thinking. “I don’t know why or how she’s back but I’ll show her that choice was a grave mistake.” She can already picture Athena running about and filling every ear with a retelling of how this moment went down. She can already hear the gossip.
Mr. Abalos’ baleful tone when he begins to speak again draws Ivy’s focus back to him. “Miss. Calinao, you can no longer be a student at this academy. I don’t know how you thought you could get away with lying your way inside.” His face scrunches, undoubtedly revolted at the fact a Powerless is sitting right in front of him.
The corners of Athena’s eyes crinkles in a smile. “I think I’ve figured it out,” she says while their lecturer starts his way towards the door. “You were never gone, were you, Eun? You fled from your home but you stayed in the kingdom, you stayed hidden.” She raises a brow when Ivy does not respond, “I’m right, aren’t I?” and gives a lopsided grin. “Oh, Eun. You should have just stayed hidden.”
“Perhaps, she missed us.” Jade cackles, her dark-red painted lips forming a disparaging smile.
“Perhaps, she did.” Athena half-shrugs. “After all, she left the only place that fed, clothed, and sheltered her. All for what? Freedom? Please! There’s nothing nice in this world you pigs deserve!”
“Hey, Athena!” Eventually, a fourth student cuts in, her big doe eyes staring at Athena with a look of disapproval. “That’s not very nice.” Yet upon taking in her altercating classmates’ ridiculing reactions, the displeasure is quick to fade into regret. Ivy scoffs lightly at the sight of this.
A Holder is either vain or a coward.
Even after every mocking word that left their twisted mouths, the smile on Ivy’s face remains. They expect her to quiver, to break. They expect her to fall to her knees and plead for mercy. But the days of listening to Ivy Pearls weep are over, the days of watching terror flare across her face, of watching her writhe on the ground, of watching her inhale and exhale shallow breaths, rigid with agony. Perhaps, the woman from her dreams wasn’t so wrong, after all.
Just after Mr. Abalos finished ordering a guard to call the headmaster to discuss Ivy’s expulsion, the room erupts in clamorous gasps. The sudden noise brings the man’s attention away from the door straight away, and when he too comes across the item that caused the confoundment, his perplexed eyes expand.
“What in the world?!” he thunders. Ivy can imagine the beating of his heart picking up pace, threatening to rip through his chest, after all, around her neck is an Amulet she just pulled out and put on. However, it isn’t simply any Amulet. It does not take anyone long to recall where they’ve seen the necklace before. The priceless golden oval-shaped diamond pendant is hard to forget.
“That looks exactly like the Amulet the queen possesses!” Jade points out in a flash, abruptly rising from her seat. “So, that’s why she was so afraid to show it before. She stole it!”
Ivy postures forward, resting her arms on her desk. She doesn’t fidget, her feet don’t shuffle, and her smile does not falter. From the looks in her foes’ eyes, she can see it’s all beginning to aggravate them; her phlegmatic demeanor, those taunting responses, her unwavering self-assurance, unlike Eun Calinao, unlike the little girl that was so easy to manipulate three years ago. “Is that really what you believe?” Her eyebrows raise, feigning surprise. “That I somehow managed to find my way inside the palace, a place that is so heavily guarded, without being caught and seized the Golden Amulet from the—”
She isn’t given a chance to finish because the next thing she knows, a hand grabs her hair and yanks her out of her seat. Ivy’s body meets the floor in a loud and painful thud! and when she looks up, Mr. Abalos’ enraged round face is glaring back at her. This time, she stays silent, does not bother getting up, does not bother fighting back. Adora did teach her how to but she sees no point in wasting her energy now.
“I don’t understand your objective here, Eun, but you’ve dug yourself a big grave,” he shouts. “I won’t allow you to disrespect Queen Matilda like this. Enough is enough!”
A dozen responses run through her mind but Ivy holds her tongue. She needs to let them think they’re in control, underestimate her. Mock them, just as they mocked her people.
Then comes the familiar bitter taste of blood, along with a jab of pain where Mr. Abalos struck her cheek with his palm. The strike almost doesn’t hurt, and whether that may be because of the prolonged agony she had to endure or the brutal training Adora put her through, Ivy isn’t certain. Did she anticipate the attack? Of course, she did. She’d be a fool not to. Holders tend to strike first and deal with consequences later.
The man turns to the students that have encircled themselves around the two of them and orders in a barbed tone, “Get Headmaster Huang in here now!” Holding both of Ivy’s arms together with one strong hand, he hastily reaches for the Amulet around her neck with the other but Ivy doesn’t allow him. Once the opportunity presents itself, she brings her head forward with her mouth wide open, sharp teeth targeting the desperate man’s fingers and not missing. A loud yelp slips past his lips.
Headmaster Huang steps inside the classroom just in time to witness him striking another blow to her jaw. “And what is the meaning of this?” With a darkened expression, he rushes over, still yet to notice the pendant that started the commotion. “Mr. Abalos, would you like to tell me why you’re attacking a student?”
“Headmaster Huang, Eun is the real villain here!” Athena quickly butts in. “Mr. Abalos was only trying to get back something she stole. Call Queen Matilda now. Let her know her Amulet has been seized.”
Puzzled, Headmaster Huang slightly sways his hand back and forth, motioning for the man to step away from the girl. He obeys and, in an instant, the headmaster’s short, large body takes his place in front of Ivy who’s got a hand over her bleeding lips. “Just what have you gotten yourself into, young lady?”
“Call your queen,” ignoring the several death glares and bewildered looks, Ivy responds with disdain. “I am being terribly accused of something I did not do.”
Jade scowls. “You still dare to act all arrogant?”
“Why not?” Ivy throws her head back in an exuberant laugh. “I haven’t been caught committing a crime of any sorts. You do understand that you can be punished for such horrid accusations, correct?”
“Only if they turn out not to be true.” The small chuckle that leaves Athena’s mouth next is mirthless. “Oh, give it up, Eun. Everyone here knows you seized Queen Matilda’s Amulet.”
“Hand over the pendant,” the headmaster’s demanding voice follows, his small chubby palm taken out. “Or else, I’ll have it taken from you by force. Do not start unnecessary drama.”
Ivy pauses. Despite the sharp pain the cut on her bleeding lips brings, her grin is the biggest they’ve ever seen. As she gradually makes her way up from the floor, she holds up a finger. “Rule number ten, if more than one being claims an Amulet belongs to them, solid proof from each must be shown before action is taken.”
Purloining another being’s Amulet is just as big of an offense in this kingdom as attempted murder. If found guilty, the crime gets you years behind bars. Yet when it comes to the queen’s golden pendant, it’s instant execution. Ivy knows this. She knew what she was getting herself into even before she stepped inside Arya.
It was established as a key regulation that if any Holder ever loses their necklace, they are to notify the Royals right away, and nobody ever fails to do so. Years ago, however, the Powerless devised a tiny little ploy regarding this rule. Some of them would march up to those in charge and protest the loss of their pendants. They always made sure to be especially vocal about it, always made sure that, at least, everyone who lived in their area was aware of their issue. This way, if anyone were to ever question them about where their Amulets were, they could sulk about how they lost them and how the Royals never managed to find them again.
But once the Royals eventually discovered this strategy, they added a condition that anyone reporting their missing necklace must have at least three other Holders affirm that they indeed had an Amulet, to begin with. These Holders were to be seen donning their own pendants for the sake of verification.
“We already know the Golden Amulet belongs to Queen Matilda!” Isagani insists.
Ivy ignores him and turns to Mr. Abalos, instead. “You said you wanted to learn about our powers, did you not? Well, we’re wasting precious time. Why don’t we have a little. . . presentation before Queen Matilda arrives?”
They want to snag her by the neck and strangle her to death. Yet, at the same time, they also want to see her make a fool of herself, just as her people have previously done during their own attempts to take down the Royals. They know what presentation means. And Ivy knows Holders are unflappable in the face of opposition.
When she sees them hesitating, her smile broadens. “Rule number eleven,” she says, “you cannot stop a being from proving that an Amulet belongs to them.”
“Unless it’s clear that it belongs to a Royal!” Athena urges.
“Nowhere does it mention that bit,” Ivy informs matter-of-factly, then turns to the men again. “Well?”
There’s another small pause before Headmaster Huang finally exhales and his shoulders drop, as though in utter defeat. “Take your seats, students.”
Athena gasps. “You can’t be serious.”
She, Jade, and Ivy are the only students left standing as the rest of the class sit, some a little more enlivened than others, especially Isagani who’s shaking in his seat with such thrill as though he’s finally gotten the gift he’s been begging for. As their lecturer carries on with his glaring, Headmaster Huang exits the room. With the door wide open, they can all overhear the man ordering a guard to have Queen Matilda brought to the academy straight away. Now, Ivy’s the one shaking with thrill. Internally, of course.
“Y-You can’t be serious!” Athena repeats, slamming a foot against the floor like a child, a helpless anger simmering in her, nearly consuming her. “Can’t you see how strange this situation is? Eun is a Powerless. Everyone knows that. Who in their right mind would pass their Amulet over to her, especially one that looks so similar to Queen Matilda’s golden pendant? Can’t you see she’s just wasting everyone’s time?”
“Well then, explain how she got the Golden Amulet in her hands, to begin with,” the same doe-eyed girl from before responds, as though she’s gathered some newfound courage to speak again.
Athena’s face contorts. “It’s fake.”
“Who in their right mind would bring a fake to an academy?” another student pipes in with a scoff. “Or, even worse, order a presentation with it?”
Athena’s mouth stays open, at first, surprised that they even considered giving Ivy a chance despite everything they know about her. “She’s a Powerless,” she insists again. “I know because she posed as a Holder when we were younger, tried so hard to fit in where she didn’t belong.”
“Let us see it for ourselves, Athena,” a third student responds. “A Powerless can become a Holder, you know. Things could have changed.”
Athena scoffs, gives a bitter laugh, and though still tensed, though her glare has yet to leave her face, she replies, “Alright then.”
Ivy fixes her gaze on Athena’s deep gray eyes. If she was still as wide-eyed as her younger self, she would hope to spot the same altruism Athena had for her before news of her Powerless status got disclosed. The troubles truly began when one of Athena’s friends from back then asked her to show off a magic or two. Of course, this was at the time Ivy was still falsely claiming to be a Holder. Athena came to her aid right away, although only for a little while. She told the girl Ivy was simply too shy to comply with the request yet went on to inform everyone that Ivy would be taking part in the Talent Show the following week.
When the day of the Talent Show arrived, Ivy had no other choice but to fabricate a sickness but she’d already reached her limits and the lie was insufficient to alley Athena’s suspicion.
“You befriended a Powerless,” people would tell Athena mockingly. “Are you that blind?” And Athena did not take the insults well.
More than half of Arya is sightless to what is in front of them. The Royals lie to Holders everyday in an effort to increase their loyalty but Holders are too stubborn and dim-witted to accept this. Ivy may loathe the Royals but she has to confess it is quite impressive how they have the entire kingdom wrapped around their fingers—Holders are duped into carrying out their wicked biddings and the Powerless coerced.
“Why don’t we get this presentation started already?” Headmaster Huang says once he enters the room again. “Queen Matilda is on her way. This is your last chance, young lady.”
Ivy shrugs. “I’m ready.”
Mr. Abalos hesitantly steps to the side as Ivy begins to make her way to the front. She runs a thumb across her lower lip, wiping off the blood that’s still smudged on it. The conniver halts in front of their teacher’s desk and looks up to face her classmates. The same look of interest can be seen in their eyes, all of them waiting for her to either humiliate herself or disprove their claims regarding her purported Amulet.
Athena shouts, “Just hurry it up already.”
My pleasure.
“First, I will select a target for my presentation,” she explains. Ivy looks to the left and then to the right before choosing to approach the boy who is seated next to her. She knows nothing about him, thus unaware of what his abilities are. But that just makes this all far more electrifying. Disregarding the boy’s apparent turmoil, Ivy places a hand on his broad shoulders. She can already feel her Amulet begin to glimmer its bright, golden light as soon as her palm comes into physical contact with the boy, and so can she clearly visualize everyone’s faces of bewilderment. Glowing, after all, is a feature of Amulets that indicates the functioning of a power.
A fake Amulet is not supposed to glow.
Ivy redirects her attention to her hand, which is still resting on her target’s shoulder. Golden rays of light radiate around her palm as though it’s become the sun itself. The power she is utilizing tells her that the boy endows Invulnerability. When the gleaming finally dies down, Ivy knows she’s ready.
Phase three.
She takes her hand off the boy’s shoulder and looks around again. When her eyes settle on the glass vase sitting beautifully in a corner of the classroom near Mr. Abalos’ desk, Ivy scrambles towards it. She picks up the fragile item from the floor and, with as much force as her arms can bear, brings it towards her head. The raucous sound of the vase shattering into a thousand glittering fragments pierces through their ears, each sharp silver jabbing into the schemer’s skin and falling to the floor. But afterwards, when all the pieces have fallen with a loud, grating clang! not a single indication of damage appears anywhere on her face.
“Invulnerability?” Ivy's target gasps. “That’s my power. Invulnerability. Did she—?”
The class is left in a trance as Ivy takes a little bow of contentment.
“Power Absorption,” Mr. Abalos chokes out.
“Actually,” Ivy immediately corrects, pleased with their expressions, “the ability I just performed is called Power Replication. You see, when I made physical contact with my mark, a replication of his power was sent to my body, therefore, I was automatically able to do what he could do.”
“You thief! You liar! You wretched little thing!” Mr. Abalos proceeds in an accusing tone, pointing a stubby finger her way. “You did steal the queen's Golden Amulet.”
Ivy can’t miss the chance to deride him for his ridiculous response then by, of course, stating a fact that everyone is already aware of. “Only the Holder of a certain Amulet can access the powers of that Amulet. Please, Mr. Abalos, if you’re going to argue with me, at least make sense.” She knows the man merely ranted nonsense as a result of his brain struggling to make sense of what she just performed. Everyone else in the room is most certainly feeling the same way, as evidenced by the fact that their mouths are wide open and their eyes have expanded. “Or. . . Are you suggesting that perhaps, you Holders got the facts all wrong?”
“Don’t put words into my mouth, Eun!” Mr. Abalos yells. He turns to face the headmaster, his eyebrows furrowed with concern. “Please, deal with this senseless brat.”
A small amused scoff leaves Ivy’s mouth. Her? Senseless? For simply proving them wrong?
Not even the elderly man knows what to say. He rubs his short beard as he continues to stare at the girl, puzzled, curious, impressed, and embittered all at the same time. “Where did you get that Amulet from? Are you suggesting that our queen is not who she says she is? That is a bold claim.”
“I am not obliged to answer any of your questions, Mr. Huang. If none of you still cannot see the truth even after what I just performed, then I worry for Arya. Clearly, none of you are smart enough to protect this kingdom.”
Before the headmaster can enunciate a reply, the door opens and a guard’s head pokes inside.
“Queen Matilda is here.211Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUlLP2I3gQ
