Fated

Chapter 3

Artemis

I saw pictures of the place, but it's even bigger in person. My eyes bulge out of their sockets, and my mouth hit the floor. I am in shock; this place is enormous. I can easily see myself getting lost here. By the look on Elli's face, I believe she's thinking the same as me.

"This place is huge." I look towards Elli; her eyes still open wide, and I chuckle to myself.

I hear someone call out our names. Turning around I see Andre, Elli's boyfriend. He adores Elli and respects her, so, he has mine. He treats me like I am his sister, but he can be a pain in the ass sometimes, especially about my love life.

"Hey, babe. I missed you." Elli says after recovering from her initial shock. She jumps and kisses him. They are so adorable, they are meant for each other, practically soulmates.

I clear my throat; I'm happy for them, but I am also jealous, why can't I have that? Why my ex was such a psychopath. I want what they have, and it pangs me that I don't have it.

"I see you forgot that I am right here." I do my irresistible puppy eyes, trying to get those venomous thoughts out of my head.

"Never. How can you think like that?" She gaps at me and then pouts; she looks like a baby and I can hold it any longer. I start laughing so hard I clench my stomach with my hand.

"Hey. Glad to see you, sis. And don't worry, we are here for you every step of the way." He whispers in my ear as he gives me a crushing brotherly hug. I stiffen in place, still not used to hugs. I awkwardly tap his back. He releases me once he realizes and rubs his neck.

"Sorry, I forgot that you hated to be touched." He looks at me with guilt and sadness in his eyes. "It's fine." I know that Andre is a gentle spirit; he has good motives and you can see it every time he interacts with Elli. When he talks about his family, his younger siblings. He speaks of them with nothing but love and adoration.

The bell rings breaking my line of thoughts. And so, it begins. My first day at university. I take a big breath, give myself the last pep talk before walking towards the entrance.

I walk the halls, looking left and right, trying to remember the way while admiring the halls. They are an opal shape, enhancing the beautiful cream color of the walls. Making it look like a medieval building even though he's only 100 years old.

As the oldest, I am taking over my dad's company. Therefore, I major in Business Administration and finances, but I'm also taking a History course.

We stop at a hallway that leads to Biology and Chemistry labs. We say goodbye to Andre and continue our walk. After a minute we reached the law hall. "I love you, Ari, and remember I'm one phone call away. You can do this!" I hugged her and went to the opposite hall. Luckily we are quite close to each other class, which lifts off a little of the stress.

Standing in front of the doors, I take a quick breath and open the doors. I find a seat in the row in front of the last one and put my bag on the table. I take out the necessary items for the first class. A notebook, a pen, some markers, and my laptop.

I sit down just as the professor walks in. "Everyone, please sit down. I'm professor Gino Ray, but you can address me by Gino. This is Business Administration 101. Which is dedicated to supporting you in defining, articulating, and executing your career vision. But first, let's start by knowing you. When I read your name, raise your hand, and tell us why you chose this course."

"Ella Adams," he says as I look around to see who is Ella. Ella raises her hand. She has red hair with black strips at the front. She has brown eyes, full lips, and fair ashy skin. "I'm Ella Adams, and I chose this course as I want to open my own business."

He reads a few more names, and I look at each student. Recognizing two names, Avery and Baylor from the news. Their parents are politicians. "Artemis Diamond Blake, raise your hand."

I must have zoomed out since the Professor is looking all around. I raise my arm, "Umm...Hi, I'm Artemis Diamond Blake. I chose this course as I am going to take over my dad's business." As I finish, I hear some mumbling.

"Is she THE BLAKE?"

"Do you think her dad is Adam Blake?"

"I wonder if she's connected to the Blake's."

I shift uncomfortably in my seat as the professor silence the class. It went like this until something picks up my interest.

"Dean Samuel Stark and Victoria Angel Stark." Once again you could hear voices across the class. They are a big name. Stark is a household name. With branches in every country across Europe and expanding to North America. My dad has been talking about striking a deal with them. They are a production company, that generates a big percentage of household items, electronics, cars, you name it.

He says their names one more time, before moving on. For the rest of the class;, he talks of our expectations, the material, and other stuff.

The bell rang, indicating the second period is starting. He opens a PowerPoint presentation of business models and starts the lecture.

After two more lessons, it's time for lunch. I get up and pack my stuff, and exit class. I look up to see Elli exiting her class. She smiles at me, and we walk to meet Andre and continue to the cafeteria. We open the doors of the cafeteria; we get some looks but they turn around after a minute. Walking up to a table we sit down except Andre. He went to get food while Elli and I fetch out our lunch boxes.

"How did it go?" She asks softly while looking at me with adoring yet concerning eyes. "It was ok, luckily. Everything went smoothly, and no panic attack." This is my first appearance in public in a while.

The first time I was outside my house was last year. I had a panic attack in the middle of the supermarket. They had to call for an ambulance; I was taken to the hospital for an assessment.

Changing the subject, I tell her about the Starks, but she doesn't look surprised. "Yeah, well, I've known them since birth...And theyaregoingtobeourroommates."

"Woah, slow down. Repeat the last sentence as I digest that you know them." She fucking knows them? She knows the people that could be my dad and someday my biggest threat. How could I not know that?

"Uh... they are going to be our roommates."

"WHAT?!" I whisper-yell. How the fuck? Why? So many questions.