Snakes & Scoundrels

13: ravens & crowns

Do you know how some days you open your eyes and get confused if you've woken up in the wrong multiverse? Like: oops! nope, wrong exit door. How the hell do I get back to the options again?

That was how the first day of my second year in Ravenford felt like. 

It started when I rolled out of bed this morning and saw Carol making coffee for me. And then my shower only had hot water today. I found all the pieces of my outfit in less than five minutes and after I was done getting ready, my room didn't look like a mess at all. Carol had made the house help pack lunch for me (I KNOW!) and she wished me good luck without any tailing insults. 

I knew something was utterly wrong. That hunch grew stronger when I entered Ravenford. 

I'm never smiled at, but I got a lot of them. Unknown humans waved at me, said 'hi' and 'good morning' to me, and told me my hair looked gorgeous, someone appreciated my hairband--every girl in Ravenford wore the same green hairband--and because someone pointed out, I learned today that my black loafers had a really cute golden buckle detail, which I hadn't noticed in the last three years of owning it. 

And that's when I realized this was how it felt to be the ITs!

I had switched lives with Rainer Barcross and I loved every moment of it.

Until Alex told me that my Instagram following had breached 2 million over the summer break and I was the it-girl of Ravenford now. Every man wanted to be with me, every woman wanted to be me, and everyone who I liked, was a celebrity too—which was one person and that was Alex Creed. But everyone also hated and feared me even more so the smile was to stay out of my hit-list. 

So not an IT, but in reality, they've painted me as the psycho of this university and they're afraid to even say it. 

When the morning assembly included a bunch of new rules, updations, scheduling, itinerary for this year, and a list of things I dozed in between, the opening for the new Ravens woke me up. I expected there to be a full week campaign, confetti in the air, posters glued on walls, I even planned to vandalize some opponent posters--I'd written down wonderful insults in the back of my scrapbook. 

Archer had walked me through the process of being elected as a Raven and I was fully prepared to bag the crown this time. The Raven election was an unsaid festival. It was supposed to be loud and extravagant. 

Only, this time, they made it a one-day process. No, not a festival. A fucking computerized process. And we all know how much the Ravenford computers adore me!

Students were supposed to submit their names after the morning assembly, there would be a secret ballot of voting on a computer after the second period till lunch break where class after class would be summoned to click a vote, and by the end of the day the new Ravens would be announced. 

The nominees' speeches, the confetti, the vandalism, the wars, the revolution--everything was cut off for some unknown reasons. I've never had luck with fate so I knew something was wrong when I woke up today morning. If my morning alone went so well, I knew I was in for a treat, and boy was it bitter. 

I join the convoked crowd and no later than a second, I spot Alex Wing-ing the assembled audience. He stopped being a Raven as of this morning but he was still a vital part of the student body (Wings) and hence the supervising came hand in hand. 

"Seriously, this is worse than the reaping of tributes in the Hunger Games." Alex comments after judging the crowd of the afternoon assembly. He accompanies me as I walk to my second-year line now. "It's so dull. There used to be so much color, sound, and energy. This year's the worst." 

"Thanks, man." I appreciate his zeal. 

I expect Alex to escort me to my position and head back to his Wing friends at the back of the crowd but shockingly, he sits right beside me. His face brightens when he sees me noticing his continued presence but that gesture is quickly drowned when every person around us gives us a smiley glance as well.