The Sins of Liones Academy

Chapter One

Elizabeth struggled to keep her balance as she carefully made her way back to the living room, her arms full of drinks for her friends. She stopped suddenly as one of the drink cans wobbled and sighed in relief when it didn't fall. She was about to enter the living room when she heard her friends muffled voices and what they said made her stop.

"Where is Elizabeth?" A voice that Elizabeth recognized as Gilthunder asked.

"Getting us drinks" came a snobbish answer, who Elizabeth recognized as Vivian. "Carrying all of those bags was just exhausting"

"Bags?" questioned another voice, this one soft and kind. Which meant that it must have been Margraret's, Elizabeth's oldest sister. "Did you guys go shopping again?"

"Yep, Lizzie was so kind! She paid for everything with that shiny little credit card she got from your daddy" Vivian answered and for a moment there was only silence. Elizabeth took a step foreword mentally scolding herself for eavesdropping but really she couldn't help it.

"I swear Vivian one of these days Eli's going to realize you aren't really her friend." Margaret frowned, her tone colder than anything Elizabeth's ever heard.

"Aren't really her friend? Nonsense," Vivian mocked, and Elizabeth felt herself relaxing. Of course Vivian was really her friend Margaret was just being paranoid. "As long as her daddy keeps making the big bucks, I'll always be her friend." Elizabeth felt the cans slide out of her arms but barely registered the large clanging as they hit the floor. She felt numb inside. She'd known Vivian since they were little. Was what Vivian had said true? Was she really only her friend because of her family's money?

"Elizabeth!" Margaret exclaimed, she'd rushed out to see what the noise had been and found her little sister standing there with drink cans clattered around the floor. "Eli, are you okay? You look so pale" Margaret murmured gently taking her sister's hand. Vivian had followed Margaret out and as she stood there taking in Elizabeth's appearance and the scattered cans she knew that the girl had overheard their conversation.

"Liz, whatever you heard. I promise you it wasn't true" Vivian told her taking a step towards Elizabeth.

"Get out." Elizabeth ordered, her voice cracking as tears stung her eyes and began to overflow.

"But Lizzie-"

"I said get out!" Elizabeth shouted as tears dripped down her cheeks. A horrible emptiness invaded her chest as she glared at Vivian who still hadn't moved. Vivian met her gaze for a moment and then nodded slowly and left. The moment the door was shut, Elizabeth broke into sobs. Her chest was heaving as she clutched to her older sister. "Why?" She asked in a broken voice "why would she pretend like that?"

Margaret sighed as she held her sister close "because people will do anything for money." She answered softly as this was a lesson she herself had learned long ago. "In this world money is power. People will take advantage of that. Money means everything."

Elizabeth looked up at her sister, eyes red and puffy "but what's the point of having everything, if you have no one who truly cares to share it with?"

Margaret shook her head "I don't know Eli. But I promise you, one day you'll find someone who you'll want to share everything with," she paused and looked behind her at Gilthunder before continuing, her eyes still locked on him "and you'll find that everything doesn't seem to matter anymore, because that one person is worth so much more than everything."