Helheim

CHAPTER 6

-If you try to make a move on her I swear Elio I'll cut your hands off! - threaten Amelie after the blonde boy had offered to walk me back to the Institute.

-I'll like to keep my hands thank you- he answered grinning.

-Don't worry we will be fine – I assured her, as we began ascending through the side of the bridge.

I almost slipped a couple of times, but he walked behind me, and held me tight. It was already kind of illuminated outside, I had no clue of what time it was, I only knew I had spent the whole night in an underground party, and I had one of the most fun nights of my life; plus, walking back to Helheim with Elio by my side after all of that felt surreal. The forest that framed the road was not scary anymore, birds were beginning to sing, calling each other, and it was simply pleasing. People were about to wake up too, in an hour or so, everything would come back to life, however it felt like I had lived a thousand lives already. We advanced in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable, on the contrary, it was peaceful.

-Thank you for everything – I told him after a while- Without you and Amelie I probably would have had the worst night ever-

-I had fun too- he said smiling at me in a comforting and heartwarming way.

-I'm sorry you couldn't spend time with your friends because of me- I apologized ashamed.

-Hey! You are my friend too- he said giving me a little push- I don't regret anything at all-

I couldn't help but smile too.

-Let's do it another time again- he said.

-I don't think so...- I mumbled remembering Zian's face when he saw me- I don't know if you noticed but your friends hate me-

-They don't hate you- he said frowning.

-Oh then you must be blind and deaf too, or were you just way too drunk a couple of hours ago? - I joked.

-The second option is definitely a fact- he smirked- Yet I know they don't hate you-

-Well maybe is not as harsh as hatred, but they clearly don't like me-

-They don't know you Sophia, they have no reason to like you- he said finally, and that hurt me a little –They were also taken aback by the fact that you just suddenly sat at our table. People don't do that around here. The friend groups are very...closed. We value privacy, traditions, and as bad as it sounds... hierarchy-

-That's stupid- I scoffed- Why can't you just be friends with whoever you want? –

-You can- he contradicted- But what you can't do is expect everybody to love you the second you show up, and to be okay with you breaking the rules and being invasive-

-I didn't know there was a school law that said I couldn't sit at a damned table- I contradicted annoyed- I wasn't trying to be invasive I was just being friendly-

-Well it didn't come across that way –sighed the Greek boy- I know how fool it sounds to outsiders. But imagine Helheim is an ancient Nordic kingdom, where if: you leave your clan for another one betraying them, you don't comply with your duty's and traditions, you make a mistake that inevitably will affect others, or you don't bow to the leader; you will end up being executed. -

-I already knew the Institute was old when I signed up in here, what I did not know was how old schooled were the people in it- I mocked starting to get mad and frustrated.

-We are all trapped somehow between the past and the present, we all have rolls to play like in a chessboard, not only here but on the outside world too, and neither you, nor us, can change that- sighed the Greek boy and then harshly added- It's natural selection Sophia, adapt or die-