A rose to grind

-11-

        I glided along the halls, breath stuck in my throat as the soles of my loafers slapped against the marble floor. The click-clack noises reverberated and rang in my ears. Somehow, I hoped Kai had gotten amnesia from the impact during our fateful encounter. I whipped around a corner and at last, reached our rendezvous place — the principal's office. I peered up at the great, dark, wooden doors that separated me from the start of the pathway to my death.

I sucked in a deep breath and pushed open the door without a warning and waltzed in. I met cloudy, turquoise eyes.

"Is Etienne here?" I inquired for some sort of confirmation, staring at the presumed principal. The man seemed to be approaching his thirties. He looked up from his papers and focused his gaze on me, sending up a shiver up my spine as some sort of a foreboding danger.

"No," the principal smiled; an amiable, widely stretched smile that I thought couldn't go any wider but was proven wrong when I advanced towards the desk with confident strides. "You're the first to arrive."

"How pleasant. The bastard's probably lost his way as well," I muttered lowly under my breath and pulled a chair, swiftly placing myself down. I tipped my head back, immediately feeling the man's stare on me. The pungent sensation didn't go away. I cleared my throat, molding my hands together as I straightened my back unconsciously. "I figured...Sir Antonio has already discussed it with you — Etienne and I are here to apply as students. And, if you don't mind, I would like to ask you whether the Veverans were here as well."

"...they were here," the principal had a moment of hesitation before replying amiably. His back was straight, and he exuded an aura of a scholar, neat and gentle but whether it was a facade, I couldn't tell. I was never a people person. "I'm the principal of this school, Ento Junta. It's a pleasure to meet such a good seedling. Kai on the other hand, didn't talk as much. He is a quiet boy from what I know."

I paused, balling my hand into a fist under the table. On my face, plastered perpetually, was an agreeable, reluctant smile. No one would have suspected me of harboring any ill intention, but if they were to crack my head open and peer into my brain, they would see all the embodiment of chaos. At that moment, there was a volcano on the verge of explosion inside my mind, and inundate my rationality. I tried to keep my cool, however, it was clear I was distracted.

"Principal Ento, Kai and I are not close," I decided to draw a line before he could concoct of any strange plans. The principal was not a man I could trust. Years of business warned me. "I do not mean to be disrespectful, but I don't see the point in you telling me about him."

"Of course, of course," helplessness flashed through Ento's eyes. He chuckled and looked at me as if I were a child first learning the multiplication tables. Though I was never a fan of maths, I knew what I had to know, such as counting. "As an elder, I should never intrude in other's business. Well, enough talking. I'll take out the forms now."

I nodded back silently like an obedient pet. The Academy was different from the schools I had attended as Seanel. Usually, there would be other people who did the forms for students since the principal was already busy doing other businesses and naturally, wouldn't give a care about the students but here, it was the opposite. Ever since I set foot into the building, it was deathly quiet, no students or teachers were out in the open hallways. It was as if the place was isolated from the outside world. It had a world of its own and I only was stepping into it. But considering the fact that this was the most prestigious school in the entire nation, I only assumed it had strict rules and disciplinary of each student.

When my nerves were starting to become frayed and I grew restless in my seat, a knock echoed from the door. The door was pushed ajar with a chilling creak and a head full of flaming, dark hair skulked forward. It was Etienne, who had managed to lose his way. He coughed, interrupting my thoughts. "Sir Ento," he greeted formerly. He seemed to know the gentle man. "I am late."