For The Sake Of Hearts

04. Tartarus Reincarnated

-[]-

"All students to the main hall." 

The automated announcement shrilled over the chaos for the umpteenth time. Another sharp elbow jabbed me from the side, I winced in pain.

The entire student body of MSH pushed their way through the cramped hallway. All of them came in the same mould; green blazers, white button-up shirts, striped ties and black shoes. Save from the girls who wore skirts and the boys who bore trousers, it was virtually impossible to tell who was who. 

I continued following the larger wave of students to their destination, after all, I hadn't a clue where the 'main hall' was. The suffocating crowd seemed to thin as we reached a set of doors propped open. A sea of benches was the first thing I saw, followed by a stage with velvet curtains spread apart.

It wasn't till we moved closer to stage that I remembered the pressing issue of my skirt, after ensuring that I was, in fact, decent I plopped into one of the seats. The room was filled at a steady pace. 

The strong smell of perfume filled the air, within a flash, a girl appeared in the seat beside me.

Everything about her demanded attention, from her sunset hair to the perfection of her posture. I found myself straightening my spine subconsciously. The minuscule action caused her chestnut eyes to flicker to me. Despite the fact that her face remained as stony it had a moment ago, I could have sworn the hint of a smirk shadowed her lips, she looked away, "I like the skirt,"

It was impossible to tell whether her tone was mocking or genuine. I cursed myself for choosing to become homeschooled in New Zealand, maybe mom had been right. There was no way I was going to survive high school when my social skills were zero to none.

Giving her a tight-lipped smile in response, I turned my attention to the stage in front of me. I, of course, thought that my lack of speech and closed off body language had conveyed the message that I had no interest in carrying on our conversation. But she, it seemed, had either chosen to ignore that obvious fact or remained oblivious completely. It was then I started questioning her social skills too.

She swivelled around, leaning towards me, "You're new," she observed.

I raised my eyebrows, "Yup." I replied, popping the 'p' awkwardly

She studied me momentarily before turning around completely. Her eyes latched onto something on the stage. She stared intently at it, her eyes briefly clouding with emotions I couldn't decipher, save for the determined gleam shining there.

I followed her gaze, a boy stood there, my line of sight was quickly ruined by the silver-haired man that strode onto the stage, "Welcome to a new year at MSH!"

The hall was filled with roaring applause, I joined in, clapping my hands together as all thoughts of the dark-haired boy were wiped from my mind.