HUMAN - The Son

Chapter 17

Aili

I avoided Amaury. I didn't know what to say to him. How I should react? But I avoided Nio much more. I did this for several days. With each passing day, I felt worse. Tired, sad, dirty...

I stood in my and Candy's room, staring out the window, and didn't know what to do. I did my homework and studied non-stop so as not to have to think. Heavens, I had even cleaned up. There was just one sock on the floor, which Candy strangely ignored. I ignored the sock as well.

"Do you want me to get you some hot chocolate? I can ask in the kitchen", my roommates quietly suggested. She sat on her bed, with a thick novel on her lap, looking at me with a furrowed brow.

"No thanks!"

Candy sighed. "Something has happened, Aili! If you don't want to talk to me about it, fine! But maybe with your friends? Hm?"

I just shook my head.

My friends were worried about me, but I didn't want to talk to them about what had happened. I had already had to talk to the headmistress about it. Amaury, as he had said, had told her about the incident. I answered all the questions, but I was silent about most of what happened. Things that didn't make sense to me. Things I'd rather not remember.

Nio had been so attentive at first. When we first started dating. Why did he behave so differently? He had been warned, had to help the staff clean the cafeteria as punishment, and was not allowed to approach me. This made it easier for me to avoid his company.

Like a puppet, controlled, I made my way to class. Today Candy walked beside me. As if she wanted to protect me. Otherwise, she always left much earlier than me. She stayed until Menka and Silja joined us. In class, I hardly listened. Instead, I stared out the window. During the breaks, I listened to Maiken, Menka, and Silja talking, but I hardly contributed anything until they left me alone. Silja hugged me instead. I grimaced but allowed it. Her warmth was comforting.

At the end of the day, however, there was another unpleasant surprise for me. I was on my way to the dormitory, alone, when Oswald came towards me. Oswald von Blaugrau. My fiancé.

"Aili! Sweetheart!" He grinned with relish when he spotted me. I felt sick.

"Hello Oswald", I murmured, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"Aren't you happy? My dear, little fiancée?", he asked, arrogant as ever. I hated the way he spoke to me.

"No. What gives me the honor?" I looked around nervously. Could I run away? Should I run away? But where to? I needed an excuse... But then I heard someone calling for me. Panicked, I looked around. In the next moment, Nio, followed by Arne, approached me. That wasn't good.

Not good at all.

"Aili! Forgive me!", he shouted.

Oswald frowned and put his arm around me possessively. "Who's that?", he asked.

I flinched. "Oswald..."

"Hey!". Nio immediately grumbled. "Stay away from my girlfriend!"

"Your girlfriend? That's my fiancée, you dwarf!", hissed Oswald. "Aili? Is that true?"

"Well..." I shook my head in disbelief and tried to get away from him. Oswald looked at me confused, then he looked at Nio, and back at me.

"So?" Oswald raised his eyebrows. "This dwarf? Are you cheating on me with him?" A blush of anger rose on his face. "Or is this a silly joke? Well?"

"I said let go!" Nio grumbled, grabbing my arm to pull me away from Oswald. "Is he bothering you?", he asked me.

I shook my head again.