Westwood High[HS][ON HOLD]

❀ 5: Hold my finger❀

Augustus entered his sis's room upon noticing the lights on. Pushing the wooden door open, he found his sister weeping silently. Astraea looked up at him and fell into a tight embrace, but not before pushing Harry's shirt under the bed hastily. She was in his shirt when she left the Styles Manoir this evening.

"What's the matter, bug? Is something bothering you?" His voice was filled with concern for his baby sister.

She nodded her head to his chest and replied meekly, "I miss Mum." Her words broke his heart, for he knew the little girl had never seen her mum. She had only heard tales from her pop and her brother and also that she was just like her.

She had a terrible day today and the pen belonged to her mother. Harry, taking away the pen, was like someone was separating her from her mother. It was painful that she could not get it back, but she was unable to tell this to her brother as well.

"We all miss her," Augustus gently caressed her head, "and she is so proud of you."

"Really?" She looked up at her brother, who had now rubbed off her tears, "Yes, she loved you a lot, bug. In fact, she used to say that you are a little bug in her stomach."

She felt awful that she had lost the pen. The pen was given by her mother to her brother when he was two, and when Astraea was five, Augustus gifted it to her on her birthday, saying that he has his mother's memories to cherish while she can have her pen. And now it's gone. The only thing that connected the motherless child to her mother was gone, but she had no guts to let it out to her brother.

The next day when Astraea was talking to Percy in the school's corridor about the last day's incident, Percy could only say how heartless and monster of a kind these Elites are, especially Harry. Then their conversation shifted to her secret admirer when Percy noticed that painting in her locker.

"Did you find the person?" He said while fixing his round specs to his nose.

"Not yet; I am really caught up with my problems lately," she let out a sigh and took another look at her painting. Just when she was lost in her thoughts, a cracking Irish accent filled up her ears, "Hey, lil Red Riding Hood!"

She looked behind and spotted Niall grinning at her. She recognized Niall, the blonde Irish best friend who is like Harry's shadow, but more than that, he has his own identity as the very famous Elite Jordan Nicks' grandson from his son's side. Jordan Nick's father was a nobleman of the king's court once upon a time. Now their heirs get all undeserving privileges. Astraea licked her lips nervously when Niall approached her with his phone in his hand, "I have to say that you sway like a hot chick, princess."
She knew he was talking about the video, and her lips quivered, but she was too afraid to make eye contact.

"Wanna look?" Niall played the video but she kept her head low in humiliation. She could hear their laugh through the video, and hot tears made their way down her eyes. Percy held her hand to calm her down, shocked and disgusted by how they were treating her.