Checkmate

"Daddy please don't leave me, daddy please!" He could barely utter a word, but with his last breath he said, ...... "Lily wake up." As I responded in an almost woken state "Daddy..." "No my lily flower, it's grandpa." "Daddy.... he was right there" "It was just another bad dream sweetie, here have some water." Grandpa said.  I had an uneasy feeling that my father was about to tell me something important. But what was it? why couldn't I remember? I had nightmares every night, but my shrink always said it's probably because of some trauma I was blocking out. Maybe it was best not to remember what happened. It wouldn't bring back my parents anyway.  I accepted the glass of water and drank it. As I became wide awake I acknowledged my granddad with a smile.  "I'm fine, I promise." I did my best to reassure him.  He just smiled back and said. "I know you are, you're a Knight." He took the glass from me and gave me a concerned look "Go back to sleep, you have a big day ahead of you in a few hours." That's right, it was still early a.m. but in a few hours, I would be going to my new school for the first time after four good months of being homeschooled by my nana.  I moved in with my grandparents four months ago, I had to adapt to my new life and now I would have to get used to getting my normal school life on track. I felt ready to make friends and move on with my life. Grandpa misses dad as much as I do, he was his only child and I am his only surviving grandchild, well aside from his stepson who happens to have three kids I barely know. Grandpa says uncle Cohen chose to stay with his biological father six years after his mother died and they haven't been in touch since.  Nana is grandpa's 2nd wife, they have been married for 36 years.  I hugged the old man and whispered "Sleep well, grandpa." I heard him sigh, I just wasn't sure if it was a sign of relief or if something bothered him.  He gave me a kind look and said "Sleep well Lily flower." Sleep came as soon as my head hit the pillow but so did morning or should I say the time to wake up and get ready.  I yawned and stretched my arms as my nana's voice said "Slept well?" I nodded my head "Good morning nan." She smiled at me and continued to say "You won't have time for breakfast if you're late Lily. Hurry and come down." Skipping breakfast in this household was not taken lightly so I got up immediately, freshened up, and dressed. When I went down my grandpa was having his black coffee as usual. He looked at me and asked, "are you ready for your big day?" "I am." I took a seat as my nana brought me a bowl of oatmeal, I thanked her and took a few spoonfuls. "Nana I still don't know how you manage to make simple oatmeal taste so amazing." She took the compliment with stride "Flattery will get you a long way Lily, but finish up and get to school." As if on cue my grandpa added "I can still drop you off Lily, you don't have to walk." I knew he'd want to hold my hand through my transition, but I needed some me-time without them worrying about me. "No grandpa, I want to walk. Besides, it's just a 20-minute walk."  "In that case take a few you better get going sweetheart, don't be late on your first day." "Yes, nana." My walk was uneventful, I got to Princeton Academy on time. I knew it was a school for the elite kids but I didn't expect such luxury for a school.   When I got to the reception the receptionist gave me a pointed look. I walked over to her and introduced myself. "Good morning mam, I am Lily Knight, I was told to come to reception before going to class." She gestured towards the empty chairs "Have a seat, the headmistress will be with you in a moment." I wait for a good 5 minutes, when the headmistresses office door opens a student walks out. He acknowledges the receptionist who happens to look starstruck the tall figure walking out of the office. He says something to the receptionist which sounds like the headmistress is ready to see the new student. When the receptionist confirms by saying "You can go in now." The tall student turns to look in my direction. Just looking at him instantly makes sense why the receptionist was gushing over a school kid. He was tall, athletic with the makings of a movie star A-lister. When our eyes met I almost tripped over, he just smirked like he knew he was hot and walked away.  As I walked into the office a woman old enough to be my mother greeted me. She seemed friendly but strict at the same time.  I read the name displayed on her desk "Good morning Headmistress King." "Have a seat please, you must be Lily Knight." "Yes, mam." She briefed me about my induction and who would be responsible for it. She asked about me while showing me around the school and then walked me to my first class.  "If you need anything, my door is open." "Thank you, mam." Before I knew it I was halfway through the day, I made a 'friend' during art class. This was great because I now had someone to have lunch with.  "Daddy please don't leave me, daddy please!"He could barely utter a word, but with his last breath he said, ...... "Lily wake up."As I responded in an almost woken state "Daddy...""No my lily flower, it's grandpa." "Daddy.... he was right there" "It was just another bad dream sweetie, here have some water." I had an uneasy feeling that my father was about to tell me something important. But what was it? why couldn't I remember? I had nightmares every night, but my shrink always said it's probably because of some trauma I was blocking out. Maybe it was best not to remember what happened. It wouldn't bring back my parents anyway.  I accepted the glass of water and drank it. As I became wide awake I acknowledged my granddad with a smile.  "I'm fine, I promise." I did my best to reassure him.  He just smiled back and said. "I know you are, you're a Knight." He took the glass from me and gave me a concerned look "Go back to sleep, you have a big day ahead of you in a few hours." That's right, it was still early a.m. but in a few hours, I would be going to my new school for the first time after four good months of being homeschooled by my nana.  I moved in with my grandparents four months ago, I had to adapt to my new life and now I would have to get used to getting my normal school life on track. I felt ready to make friends and move on with my life. Grandpa misses dad as much as I do, he was his only child and I am his only surviving grandchild, well aside from his stepson who happens to have three kids I barely know. Grandpa says uncle Cohen chose to stay with his biological father six years after his mother died and they haven't been in touch since.  Nana is grandpa's 2nd wife, they have been married for 36 years.  I hugged the old man and whispered "Sleep well, grandpa." I heard him sigh, I just wasn't sure if it was a sign of relief or if something bothered him.  He gave me a kind look and said "Sleep well Lily flower." Sleep came as soon as my head hit the pillow but so did morning or should I say the time to wake up and get ready.  I yawned and stretched my arms as my nana's voice said "Slept well?" I nodded my head "Good morning nan." She smiled at me and continued to say "You won't have time for breakfast if you're late Lily. Hurry and come down." Skipping breakfast in this household was not taken lightly so I got up immediately, freshened up, and dressed. When I went down my grandpa was having his black coffee as usual. He looked at me and asked, "are you ready for your big day?" "I am." I took a seat as my nana brought me a bowl of oatmeal, I thanked her and took a few spoonfuls. "Nana I still don't know how you manage to make simple oatmeal taste so amazing." She took the compliment with stride "Flattery will get you a long way Lily, but finish up and get to school." As if on cue my grandpa added "I can still drop you off Lily, you don't have to walk." I knew he'd want to hold my hand through my transition, but I needed some me-time without them worrying about me. "No grandpa, I want to walk. Besides, it's just a 20-minute walk."  "In that case take a few you better get going sweetheart, don't be late on your first day." "Yes, nana." My walk was uneventful, I got to Princeton Academy on time. I knew it was a school for the elite kids but I didn't expect such luxury for a school.   When I got to the reception the receptionist gave me a pointed look. I walked over to her and introduced myself. "Good morning mam, I am Lily Knight, I was told to come to reception before going to class." She gestured towards the empty chairs "Have a seat, the headmistress will be with you in a moment." I wait for a good 5 minutes, when the headmistresses office door opens a student walks out. He acknowledges the receptionist who happens to look starstruck the tall figure walking out of the office. He says something to the receptionist which sounds like the headmistress is ready to see the new student. When the receptionist confirms by saying "You can go in now." The tall student turns to look in my direction. Just looking at him instantly makes sense why the receptionist was gushing over a school kid. He was tall, athletic with the makings of a movie star A-lister. When our eyes met I almost tripped over, he just smirked like he knew he was hot and walked away.  As I walked into the office a woman old enough to be my mother greeted me. She seemed friendly but strict at the same time.  I read the name displayed on her desk "Good morning Headmistress King." "Have a seat please, you must be Lily Knight." "Yes, mam." She briefed me about my induction and who would be responsible for it. She asked about me while showing me around the school and then walked me to my first class.  "If you need anything, my door is open." "Thank you, mam." Before I knew it I was halfway through the day, I made a 'friend' during art class. This was great because I now had someone to have lunch with. Liam Winters was a pleasant fellow, very talkative. He seemed outgoing. When we got to the canteen, my jaw dropped. It was the coolest canteen I've ever seen. A buffet and a huge variety of drinks to choose from.  "All this is for free?" Liam snorted "Honey, why do you think the fees are so high? " He rolled his eyes. "You are right, I guess I got so caught up in the luxury I didn't think of that." He gave me a kind smile "I get it. Come on, I want to introduce you to my friends." We got to a table with three girls seated. Liam greeted them with loads of energy I wish I had. "Hey witches!" The girls seemed used to his energy overload. One of the girls says "You're in a good mood for someone whose about to get punished." Liam rolled his eyes and snapped at her. "Oh zip it, Hailey, can I not enjoy a few minutes of no stressing about that?" Hailey just ignored him and looked at me with interest. "So who's the newbie?" Liam introduced me "This is Lily, Lily this witch is Hailey. The dirty blonde sitting next to her is Chloe and the quiet one is Rebecca but I call her Bec. Rebecca seemed nice, I just wasn't sure about the other two. Rebecca began talking to me "How is your day going so far?" "It's alright, so what is this punishment Hailey spoke of?" Chloe jumped in "This school has a hierarchy amongst the students. At the top of that is Faust." "Faust?" I asked Hailey added, "Yeah, they rule this school. If you break one of their codes then they summon you for a chess challenge. If you lose..." Chloe adds "Oh and you will lose!" Hailey continues "Then you end up like Liam here." They shared different stories that left me shocked "That sounds like this Faust is awful or just a bunch of bullies." What remained clear was that these guys from Faust had a boy band effect on these girls, well all but Rebecca. As Hailey and Chloe were chatting away a group of boys approached our table with a plate stacked with a dozen burgers. Liam was about to make a run for it when one of the guys said "you run you die." I could see Liam swallow slowly and sit down. The guy smirked and continued "Faust is going to dish you your punishment." He placed the plate of burgers in front of Liam and said "You have 7 minutes to lick the platter clean." Liam wanted to object but judging by the situation it was pointless. "That's crazy, you can't expect him to eat all of these burgers." We all looked at Rebecca, she continued. "Everyone in this school knows that Liam struggled with his weight for years, He worked hard to transition into a healthier lifestyle." The guy who threatened Liam spoke. "Don't tell me you miss me so much that you'd use this loser as an excuse to get my attention, Becca." Rebecca rolled her eyes and responded with venom. "I dumped your a** for a reason, Tyson. so you can keep lying to yourself. And Liam is my brother so I won't allow you to bully him." "Stepbrother." Rebecca froze when she heard that, we all turned to look at the guy who said that. It was none other than the office reception guy I saw this morning, the one that had the receptionist so tongue-tied. He approached our table and put his arm around Rebecca then smirked at Liam. Liam spoke, "This was your idea wasn't it Daniel?" Daniel ignored Liam and said to Rebecca, "He is your stepbrother, don't forget that. He is the kid mother chose over her own, remember that." Rebecca looked like she resigned, exhaling she removed Daniel's arm around her shoulder and said, "I can't do this with you right now brother dearest." with that she walked away. Daniel had a commanding presence about him, everything about him demanded attention without effort. Tyson instructed Liam to start eating and set the time. We had to endure 15 minutes of horror as Liam struggled with his fourth burger, he had eight more to go. When he was halfway through his fifth he looked like he was about to barf. One of the Faust guys yelled, "Don't you dare pull that stunt with us, we all know you used to eat an entire cow back in the day." Chloe spoke up, "Now that's not fair Maddox, the only reason Liam is being punished is that Knox..." Maddox didn't let her finish, instead, Maddox told Chloe to shut the F up and angrily looked at the guy who looked identical to him with a look of utter disgust. He then took Liam's halfway eaten burger and shoved it into Liam's mouth. When Liam spat it out, he locked eyes with Knox as if telekinetically pleading for him to intervene. But Knox quickly averted his gaze but that only seemed to push Maddox a little over the edge. "Calm down bro," Tyson said with a firm voice. But Maddox was already losing it. He was forcefully holding down Liam's head, with his face pressed to the burgers. Over and over her kept yelling "Eat up loser!" As Tyson tried to intervene, Daniel caught his arm to stop him. Daniel looked at Knox as if telling him to intervene instead of Tyson, but Knox didn't seem to have the guts to stand up to his twin brother. Chloe chimed in "You're a coward Knox! I'm going to get Rebecca." She ran off. The entire school was already crowding around our table watching and taking videos of Liam being humiliated. My sense of justice stirred within me, I couldn't sit and watch anymore so I did basically dug my own grave according to the Faust codes.