Young Elite - Chapter #6 - by itsvlada

Don't believe everything you see.

Even salt looks like sugar. (c)

Alex’s POV

I didn’t mean to stand in the corridor. I didn’t mean to listen to Ella and her friends, who couldn’t decide on glitter for something or other. I was supposed to go with Rob to the stable and then to the football field.

But this coincidence pissed me off. She irritated me.

I saw her. She was walking with David, my former classmate, smiling like an idiot. But it’s clear with her; what else to expect from a disaster. But him… That jerk was never like that. He hung around with who knows who. It’s no surprise they found each other. And the way he looked at the orphan was just laughably dumb. As if she were special, interesting. As if there was something in this monstrosity.

I watched as she crouched down before a schoolboy who probably belonged there as much as she did, and I started feeling nauseous. Glitter and the orphan in one place is too much. And Rob was taking his time, which annoyed me so much I wanted to remind this Aurora of who she was.

I followed her movements, the stubborn expression on her face, her head held high. She looks at me as if she’s equal. Her green eyes burn a hole in me. Yes, burn. Burn. There’s nothing left in me.

The sting from her slap still burns on my cheek. It’s like an itch under my skin, irritating, reminding me who did it.

"Don’t tell me what to do," she hisses.

I just need to get used to it. Soon I won’t even notice her. Soon I’ll forget that there are people like her here.

The orphan trembles. Her body literally shakes before my eyes.

"Do you already have someone controlling you? Do you pay him for a dose?" I ask, mocking her.

Her face turns red. She clutches herself tighter, giving me a hateful stare, as if she wants to kill me with her gaze. Not going to happen.

I'd have killed myself a long time ago if I were her. I've thought about it.

"Shut up," she hisses, her body tense, shaking even more, which I didn't think was possible.

"Did I guess?" I smirk, being sarcastic. "Is someone still taking advantage of you?"

I take a step back, examining her body critically, making sure she can see and feel my gaze. Thin legs, arms, and a fragile appearance, as if the wind could blow her away. Small breasts barely noticeable under her jacket. Too pale. Too unappealing. Nothing special about her. Except for her deep, green eyes - they're bright and juicy. The rest is just nothingness.

"If you don't want another slap, Bass, shut up and close your mouth," she hisses.

"Just give me the key, that's all."

The orphan pulls out the key I need from her pocket and practically shoves it into my chest.

"Choke on it!"

After that, she pushes me away and disappears down the corridor, leaving me alone. My mood is ruined. I don't feel relieved. I can't even breathe. Instead, it gets worse. Frustration, anger, and a desire to strangle someone are burning under my skin, buzzing in my head.

I step out of the nook and run into Rob. He gives me a nod, asking nothing. He knows I'll tell him if I want to. Then, we head downstairs and go to the football field.

***

Aurora ‘s POV

Closing myself off and disappearing is all I want. I want to vanish, to scatter like ash over the ocean. That’s all I want.

I rush into my room as if demons are chasing me. Maybe they are. One has definitely entered this world, determined to drive me mad with burning hatred. There are four beds in the room, two of them occupied. Two girls sit on them, looking at me with curiosity. One is my classmate, the other is from the parallel group.

"Hi," I say abruptly, stopping in my tracks.

My bag is under one of the free beds, so I head there and fall onto the mattress.

"Hi," the girls greet me simultaneously.

I expect them to attack me, but they silently examine me and shyly smile.

"I'm Amy Reid, and this is Dasha Knight," the girl with reddish hair says, pointing to herself and then to her neighbor with dark brown hair.

"Aurora."

"Nice to meet you."

"Same," I try to sound friendly; at first glance, my neighbors seem normal.

I look around the room. It's large and spacious, with beds along the walls and wardrobes between them. Everything is made of dark wood in a loft style. The walls resemble aged concrete, and there are metal shelves on them. There's also a mini-fridge, a coffee table, and two wide desks by the window with four chairs on either side; the windows have dark gray curtains that barely let in sunlight.

"Listen," Amy, my classmate, starts hesitantly, looking at Dasha. "I know you're an orphan, but I want to say that it's okay. We're not like... Alex."

I look at the girl in surprise. She seems sincere. Dasha nods, confirming her words.

"We have to live here for a year together. I wouldn't want you to think we..." She makes a gesture with her hand as if cutting her throat.

"Okay," I laugh. "I wasn't thinking that."

"It's just a pity that... things run like this here," Amy says, clearly feeling uncomfortable.

"It's all right. I'm used to it."

The girls nod. We start unpacking my things. After a while, when I stop trembling from my encounter with Alexander, I've practically laid everything out. By dinner, I go downstairs with my neighbors, tired but satisfied. We find common ground from the first word. I thought everyone here was like Alexander, but there are also people like David, and they are normal.

The cafeteria is impressive. Modernity combined with stucco, comfort. There are round tables with metal legs and dark wood everywhere. To the left, a food distribution point is hidden behind a wall, creating a corridor. Nearby, there are machines dispensing plain water.

Students are already sitting at the tables, creating a crazy noise, but there's a charm to it – their faces. Some are happy here. They may hate studying, but their eyes shine with satisfaction and curiosity.

We line up, take trays. Each of us serves what we want. Used to simple food, I get a bit confused at first. Amy happily helps.

"This is shrimp pasta, it's delicious. And this is cheese roll. Oh, stuffed fish, do you like it?"

"I don't know," I shrug.

"Then you should take the fish." Dasha is already placing a piece on my plate from behind me.

"And the roll," Amy echoes her.

"And this..."

.

“And that.

In the end, I couldn't refuse them, so I go to the tables with a full plate of various dishes. The girls don’t seem to differ much, having tried to grab nearly everything. I stop and scan the room. David asked me to sit with him, which is fine, but I need to find him first.

David spots me first. He gets up from the table and waves. Two other boys are sitting with him.

"Aurora!"

I wave back and turn to my neighbors.

"Will you sit with me?"

"Yes," they reply in unison.

"Let's go."

I lead the way, feeling calmer with each step. No one looks at me like I'm sick. The looks are curious, since being an orphan here is no secret, but at least no one is laughing, teasing, or mocking.

I glance over the students, smiling at David, but in the next instant, I crash to the floor. Food goes flying in all directions, landing on the shoulders and arms of those who stood nearby.

I get up, examining my dirty clothes. Tears well up in my eyes, but I hold on. Amy snaps at someone, and I'm grateful to her since I can't even turn my head to look at who did this. Yet I have the feeling that if I turn around, I wouldn't be surprised.

David rushes over to me, offering napkins.

"It's okay," he says, standing across from me and making me look into his eyes. "Are you okay?"

I nod.

My cheeks flush. I'm so embarrassed. This was an intentional humiliation, meant to be seen by everyone. To show who I am here.

Is it like this with the other orphans too?

Slowly, I turn around and look at the one who tripped me. I thought it was Alexander, I was so sure it was him. But another boy is sitting there. He laughs loudly at Amy and Dasha's outrage and sneers at me.

He's a blond, with snow-white skin. His face is turning red from his own laughter. The other boys sitting with him are laughing just as much.

Then I watch in astonishment as David yanks him by the collar of his jacket, forces him to stand up, and hisses at him:

"Try that again, and I'll break your nose."