The Emperor

01

ADELINE

Grief is a weird thing.
Suffocating.
People lie straight in my eyes and tell me it'll be easier with time.
It doesn't.
It hurts every day.
Every hour.
Every minute.
Every second.
Every time I breathe, my heart aches with the void emptying it. It hurts.
And I drown it. I drown it in studies.

I never think much of anything but my success. That is what's keeping me going. Academic validation. That's all I need. It helps with the intrusive thoughts. College doesn't go easy on me with that, it's overwhelming and I love it.

I have the best grades in all my classes and congratulations from teachers, I'm the perfect student. If someone comes even close to being better than me I find a way to make sure that would not happen. I'm not a psycho. I never go too far.

I wouldn't be the worst in our school anyway. Being focused on my work helps me forget about all the crap going on around.

Like the Shadow and the Emperor. They're the leaders of two groups in our city from two different colleges, the Shades are from mine ; Franz Joseph Gall College. We're mostly science based, majority of the students are in med school here. I'm a physics major. The Albert Camus College on the other hand concentrates their studies on everything related to literature, that's the Emperor's territory. Guarded like a palace by his Bauer.

No one knows who each of their leaders are. Actually, everyone has their suspicions but they keep their identities hidden to keep people on edge and scared of any backstabbers. It works. It works even a little too well.

The Shadow is, well, a Shadow. His Shades keep themselves discreet, they don't draw attention, they do their things and never allow anyone to know what they are going to do next.

The Empire on the contrary is brutal, violent, bloodthirsty, probably most of them are suffering from mental illnesses because there is no way in hell that somebody in their right mind would behave like they do. The Emperor is here to frighten the world around him and make them bow before him.

Shadow never bowed though, that is why their little constant and never ending rivalry creates more tension than ever. They compete in sports—football, basketball, hockey, cheerleading— finals, underground fights, academic achievements. Every single thing. The once they have to put their differences aside is when our schools decide we have to share the very same balls.

I never gave it enough thoughts, I'm dealing with my actual classes for things that actually matter. I'm not mindless though, I know they don't compete in just that. In silly college fights. I know there's more but I don't see why I should put so much energy into trying to understand it all.
The finals are coming closer and closer every day, I'm nervous. I don't even need to study, I know everything that needs to be known. I know it's not the case for a lot of people in my classes. Sad for them.

I don't mind helping people, but for some reason not a lot of them dare to even talk to me. Without Dawn I wouldn't have any social life, she's one of my closest friends. She's a grumpy blondie, too hot for her own good, and her brown eyes give her a free pass anywhere. She holds my hand and runs straight into the mess.

I don't know what my problem is with chaotic friends, I seem to never learn my lessons. But deep down, I know they wouldn't all be like her, and I trust Dawn. Dawn is different.