Academy of Meanness

Chapter 2: Leave the House

Three strangers entered the spacious apartment without asking for permission, their massive figures instantly dominating the space. Their presence filled the room with an unusual energy that charged the air and made my heart race. It wasn't just their incredible physical strength—there was also a musty smell clinging to them, as though they belonged to a different world entirely. It was clear they lived in a reality unknown to us, mere mortals.

I retreated to the wall, trying to hide in the shadows. They didn't say a word, but each of their steps was louder than any scream. Their black cloaks with deep hoods concealed their faces, which remained shrouded in darkness. My parents stood to the side, pale as sheets. My father held my mother by the shoulders, as if trying to protect her, though it was clear he was barely holding himself together.

The strangers slowly scanned the apartment, as though searching for something specific. Their silence was more terrifying than any threat. We didn't know what to expect from them, but none of us dared to speak first.

Every second stretched into an eternity. The faint rustling of their cloaks, the barely audible creak of leather boots on the parquet floor—every sound gnawed at my nerves, paralyzing me with fear. It felt as though time itself had frozen in the room.

Finally, one of the strangers turned, his hooded face angling toward me. Even through the darkness, I felt his gaze pierce through me, reaching the deepest parts of my soul.

He began to move closer.

I pressed myself against the wall, my heart pounding as if it would burst out of my chest. Panic gripped my every movement, but I knew I couldn't show weakness.

Stay silent. Be brave.

He stopped just a meter away, and for a fleeting moment, I saw his eyes—dark brown, burning coldly. His gaze was heavy, stripping away layer after layer, as though exposing every secret I'd ever tried to hide, even those I didn't know I had.

— Are you Jisella Attal? — he asked, his voice deep and metallic, like the toll of a bell.

— Yes, — I managed to say, though my voice betrayed me with a slight tremor.

My mother couldn't take it anymore.

— No! — she cried out, her voice breaking into sobs. — Don't take my daughter!

She stepped toward me, but my father grabbed her arm and held her back.

— Merly, calm down,— he whispered, though his voice shook with barely contained fear.

The man turned toward my mother, his dark silhouette looming over the room, an even greater threat now.

— Madam, — he said in an icy tone, — I ask that you do not interfere. We mean no harm unless forced to act.

— She's sick! — my mother exclaimed, her voice trembling with desperation. — She won't survive this... take me instead of her!

— Your daughter is accused of murder, —the man said sternly, his tone brooking no argument. —You should be grateful she's not being tried as an adult and sent to prison. Our academy offers young people the opportunity for proper education, and we strive to make the world a better place. So don't interfere!

His words, like thunder, shattered the silence. A shiver ran through me as my mother collapsed to her knees, sobbing, while my father stood silently, his fists clenched.

The stranger turned back to me, his gaze locking onto mine once again.

— Jisella, — he said, his voice softer now, almost kind, — we don't want to hurt you. But you must come with us. This is inevitable.