LEO AUREUM

Chapter 3

Without missing a beat, I walked out of class if you could call half running, half flying walking. Surviving was very easy; don't look at, talk to or breathe close to anyone else in the academy. It's not like I needed oxygen to survive or anything.

That was what I was doing, surviving. Not living but surviving.

Going through the hallway was the most dreaded part of my day. The academy hallway could make Hades jealous. The blood, sweat and tears I had gone into trying to get from one class to another. This place made me wonder if the forces of the hallway had a vendetta against me.

As I surveyed the different black on black shirts and cargo pants that milled around in the hallway, dread swept over me.

“Alexander!”

Vern.

Vern was like an itch. Ignore her and she will go away. I will keep on saying this until it becomes true.

“Where do you think you are going, Cariot?” she asked.

“ To class, Vern.”

Replying was a bad idea, ignoring her was a bad idea. My life was a plethora of a selection of bad ideas.

“ The last time I checked, traitors were not allowed into Leadership and Strategy classes,” Vern continued.

“ I have been given a pardon in all the classes that are not on the field, Vern,” I whispered.

“What was that, Cariot?”

“ A pardon, I have been given a pardon.”

Vern cackled. A full on Mother Gothel cackle.

Too bad her laugh didn't match her face. It would have been easier to dislike someone who didn't have such textbook angel-like features.

Vern was a strawberry blonde with waist-length straight hair. She had sharp blue eyes, a slender pointed nose, full lips and an athletic build.

She was a model before enlisting in the academy. Shocker! Too bad being beautiful on the outside didn't guarantee being beautiful on the inside.

“Oh yes, the pardon that Rose was able to secure before she passed. Rest her soul.” She said with a sarcastic somber expression. “Only God knows what or who she had to do to get it.”

Vern was cruel, but this was a new low even for her. I felt the anger begin to simmer.

“ Do not talk about her.”

“ Or else what? What are you going to do about it, traitor?” Vern taunted.

It was a valid question. What was I going to do about it? What could I even do about it?

Report? No one would dare chastise a Lieutenant General's daughter, especially not on the account of an orphaned traitor.

For an institution that was built on the principle of the rule of law, there were so many individuals that were above it.

Suddenly, the spacious hallway started closing in, my balance was tethering and my breaths were decreasing.

The going had gotten tough, so the tough had to get going. I ran. Ran through the hallway barely registering the laughter and crude remarks that echoed. I ran, finding where I needed to be; utilizing muscle memory, straight to the abandoned school library. Where I could have my panic attack in peace.

My legs were hurting as they pounded on the pavement. My chest was tight, and my vision was blurry. I could barely breathe.

The smell of old paper and dust engulfed my senses as I crawled in through the Victorian sash window.

Immediately, I landed on the rotting floor boards, I broke down and wept like a baby. One would think that with the way my life was a constant dumpster fire, I cried a lot. Unfortunately, life had not granted me such a privilege. The tears were a welcome escape.

I cried for what simultaneously felt like seconds and hours. I thought about everything and nothing. Thought about how many ways life sucked and how many ways it could be worse.

I was in a melancholic equilibrium. My curls were filled with cobwebs, my nose was hurting, my fingers were splintered. I feel the warning symptoms of a headache. Physically I was hurting. Mentally, I was numb and even if it was for a second, it was beautiful.

I ruffled through my knapsack and reached for my phone. If I ran, I could make it back in time for the class. This meant circumventing the restroom to freshen up.

Oh well, it wasn't like there was anyone my looks could potentially impress in the classroom anyway.

I crawled back out the window and ran to my Leadership and Strategy lecture. Thankfully, the hallway was clear. It didn't take too long for me to reach the wooden double doors.

I cringed as I caught a glimpse of my reflection on the mirror beside the door. My dark skin was ashy, my eyes were red and swollen. My lips were chapped. There was still a clump of cobwebs in my hair. I was a sight. Not a good one but a sight nonetheless.

I was too tired to care. With one last sigh, I entered the class and was greeted by the most beautiful pair of sable eyes.