Koruna

Caught between both worlds

Chapter Ten
Caught between both worlds.

Betsy uncrossed her legs and smiled wryly at Koruna.

“Come, sit.” Betsy tapped at the space beside her.
Koruna eyed her suspiciously and chose another chair far from Betsy but close enough that she could hear Betsy.

Betsy sighed… “I understand that this might be a difficult switch for you. You have to understand this, you are no longer part of them, you are one of us and the sooner you settle into this life, the better it is for everyone involved. It has only been a little over 24 hours and you have already gone back to the flames. This is not a behavior I would encourage. There is no going back and you would be fooling yourself if you think you can have both worlds.”

Betsy looked at what Koruna was wearing and shook her head… “I don’t even want to know where you have been and what you have done tonight. This is me giving you a chance to get rid of that bad habit of getting into trouble and build a life for yourself. As a way to comfort you, I will allow only Flora to come in and out of this castle, she is also welcome to stay if it would stop you from going back there. Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?”

Koruna shifted uncomfortably “Why?”

Betsy frowned in confusion.

“Why do I have to be either one or the other? It is no one’s fault that they were born into a lower class, every single person who had something to do with our current reality is dead. Is it so bad? That I want to be able to see my friends? I went to school today and apart from the fancy building and facilities, everyone is pretty much the same. Flawed, deeply flawed. I was going to say trash but that would be insulting to you and everyone else who is obsessed with keeping up a good family name.”

Koruna removed her gloves
“I wanted to understand, what was so great about the elites that they looked down on the flames. It is just privilege and at the core is just greed and delusion of grandeur for the elites and the flames, it is the same greed and desperation to make something out of their lives.”

Betsy tightened her robe “Koruna, I do not think that you are that ignorant to believe it is that plain. The people you refer to as dead are the ones who laid the foundation for Nige today. That history is the reason for the families and the same reason why there is the flames. I don’t expect you to grasp all that comes with being a Ballan, it means you are from the lines of warriors and champions that cemented their place in this world.”

“History lie Matriarch, As long as it was written by humans, there is a large possibility that it is biased to achieve a particular narrative that encourages the perception that some people are just simply superior to others. How come there is no middle ground? You are either an elite or a low class that just shows how deeply perverted history is. I have come to the conclusion that there is little or nothing I can do to change the situation but I can determine how I want to live my life. Just because you ignore the problem doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

Betsy nodded her head. “I haven’t come here for a history lesson. I need you to make a choice, be a Ballan or be a street brat.”

Betsy stood up to leave but was blocked by Koruna.

“Is there really a choice especially when I am both? You are asking me to completely ignore my past like it never happened and build my identity on your false impression? Do you realize how crazy it sounds?”
Betsy raised her chin.

“Sweetheart, you cannot have your cake and eat it as well.”

“What cake?” Koruna smiled mischieviously.

Betsy ignored her and left her room.
…

Koruna sat alone in school during lunch but was being stared at while she ate. She ignored the looks and focused on her meal. A boy with a youthful face and stride sat beside her and gave her an amused smile.