Beguile

Chapter 3: Part 1

1

2

3

4

5.....

"25.... 29"

The morning sun rays through the window, like a light of fire yet something that won't burn. It's at most 7 am, and the morning mist that dances on my skin is enough to make me shiver.

29 of 30......It's the first time that a student got late.

"Attendance huh?" The voice made me jump, by the time I got hold of myself, the pen had already formed a check across the paper.

"Don't ever do that again" I tried to sound angry, but how can I, to  this gorgeous yet humble being.

"Well, aren't you quite jumpy in the morning" Lucas took a chair to sit in front of me, he took the pen in my hand and started copying on the time and list of students written on the ruined paper. "I don't understand why you're even told to do this every day. No one should be brave enough to come in late. Besides, we're the best class"

I didn't respond- finding comfort of the sound of pen on paper.

"Tired? I swear you only sat on those logs the entire night, or did you do other fun things that I wasn't aware of?"

His words cut me off from my thinking. Reminiscing the Friday night of just listening and watching others have fun, but those mud fights which forced the quiet ones to join- though I'm one of them, the nervous and wary of parties.

But why am I tired?

I awoke on Saturday at over 9am with mud all over my clothes and skin. Not something I should be alarmed of, however, I don't remember returning to the dorm, nor did I made any excessive move to get bad sores all over my body. Especially my palms, with another new calluses.

That night, what did I do?

It constantly bugged me. As if forgetting my entire existence wasn't enough, and now, I couldn't remember bits of my remaining memories. I was so worried that I tried to find clues of what had happened during the weekends, but it only ended with me not getting enough sleep.

The soft flick on my forehead made me look at Lucas, it was only soft but with my sensitive skin, I already felt the spot forming red.

"Why did you do that for?" I wondered, as I dramatically patted my forehead.

"Well, since you're so tired, I brought you coffee"

"But I don't drink coffe-"

"I know, that's why I got you this" He held up a tiny rectangle in which somewhat wrapped with a dark metallic foil. He gently reached for my hands, opened my palms and put at least 3 of those tiny packets.

Upon closer look, I realized that they are coffee candies- dark ones, similar to the color when I had tried to taste his usual drink the last time. But it's candy, it shouldn't be bitter. "Candy? Why?"

"You will always be sleepy with your body lacking in caffeine. So, you can always depend on me, I'll carry lots of these whenever and wherever, for you."

Thanks, is what I wanted to say, like a normal person.

But how can it be?

How can my mouth won't move, and my heart beats frantically. How can I be this weak when it comes to him?

Ahhhh... I'm hopeless

"Kennedy. Lucas." A loud feminine voice appeared behind me. I saw Lucas facepalmed, and I can already tell who it is with his reaction.

"Elise, is something wrong?" I asked, aware of the grumpy Kurt behind her.

"It's up! The ranking is up!" She blurted, jumping up and down to show her excitement. "You promised right? A promise is a promise, never break a promise Ken."

"Of course, I could never forget when you make the weirdest request. Besides, where do you even use stomach-ache medicines? And twenty of them, that's a lot."

She giggled, "Just with things"

"But what if you didn't move a rank up? What will I get then?"

Elise gasped, eyes wide, then frantically looks around the room. Then she stops, and as if a puppy who is easy to read, her ears drop low. After a moment, her eyes found the coffee candies in my hand. "Then... What if I force Kurt to also give me gifts?"

Silence immediately descended onto our little circle. Her confusing remark made us stare, and Lucas who was already face palming, face palmed even more.

I decided to be the first to ask, "But how does that benefit m-"

"I don't do gifts." Kurt calmly said, for a moment, I caught his discreet gazes to the candies, then he continued, "And there won't be any requests that'll be granted today. It'll be this afternoon that we officially become perfect."

We were surprised by his words. With such classified information of which students can be allowed to enter the Hall of Perfection, in which, only the geniuses and the perfect. Even Elise utters nothing, and as if our mind are linked, we walked briskly towards the hall where the ranking is up.

I was ready to squish myself into the crowd, but tan hands poke out. Her movements were quick, before I know it I'm already out in front.

Strands of wavy black hair told me on who's the hand belongs to. Too familiar to missed. "Again! The rankings are always the same!" Elise words were true. Predictable even. Still, I wouldn't care. After all, their lives are theirs, and mine's mine. However, there are times when shadows lingers in my ear. They whisper but they cease to exist. They are better. They outshine and left us as just blurry silhouettes to pose as backgrounds. They are greater. They are above us. But the other shadow contradicts the other. Its' words that stains with fear for some abilities are light and some blotted with darkness. There are those that are silent but deadly.

The ranking is displayed in a clean and neat paper, no signs of scratch or stains to indicate the old. Not that we're too reckless to cause much damage but just little hints of the old unaltered order. How convincing it is, the school is never indigent for just pieces of paper.

I raised my head up to clearly see the ranking. I search for my name, but instead of looking at the middle I find myself staring at the top. As expected, the top is unmoved, consistent.

1st Christine

2nd Eron

3rd Natalie

Christine placing the top is indubitable. The way she speaks with clarity, her action decisive as what a true leader should be. In my own, her image reflects of a person that is not threatened with gender. Then Eron, popular, quiet, always composed as if he has no faults. He has the ability that I cannot question.

Natalie however, the darling of the class, that one girl that has too much. Blessed with everything wealth with interactive family and friends. But she is blinding, for she is also that one girl that posed femininity unduly, as I see fit, she is one of those stereotypical basic white girl and blonde. Like a princess...

Yes, and a princess have the ability to change the system.
But I don't dare. She may be girly, childly but we have too few interactions with each other. I am not one to judge, I try to be... talking just attracts ghastly eyes that lurks in the shadows. As always I chose to keep silent.