Mavamwol

Chapter Three: first day of school

A week later, the morning sun spilled through the windows, bright and cheerful, but I could feel none of its warmth. My stomach was a tight knot, twisting with nerves and something else I couldn’t name.

“Why aren’t you ready yet?” Carl’s voice cut through the quiet, sharp, demanding. His eyebrows lifted, and his eyes—golden, piercing—fixed on me with a threatening intensity. I remained defiant, refusing to answer immediately.

“Ready?” I asked softly, my voice almost a whisper, betraying the turmoil inside me.

“Today, you’re going to be attending my school—Helium High.”

A school. The words should have sparked excitement, a chance for something new. Instead, my chest tightened with dread. In the orphanage, I had gone to school, yes—but it had been a place of torment. My hair, my eyes, my lips… they had always made me stand out, drawn ridicule, and whispers. Teachers turned blind eyes, and students had learned quickly to fear my gaze, to mock me when they could. I had learned to be cold, detached, isolated, because it was easier to survive that way.

And now… another school. A school for rich kids, polished uniforms, perfect manners, and sharp eyes that would undoubtedly notice my differences immediately. The thought alone made me shrink inside.

“I… I don’t want to…” The words barely left my lips before I choked back the rest.

Carl stepped closer, his movement fluid, assured. “Don’t worry,” he said, his voice softening, yet carrying the strength of someone used to getting what he wanted. “Anyone who lays a hand on you would regret it. I promise.”

He leaned even closer, and I felt the heat from his body press against mine. His gold eyes seemed to pierce straight into me, reading every doubt, every fear, every flicker of insecurity in my mind. My heart thumped wildly, a panicked drumbeat that matched the storm of emotions swirling inside me. And then—he laid a kiss on my head.

I froze. My body tingled in ways I couldn’t control. My mind screamed, He’s your brother! For goodness’ sake! Yet every instinct, every nerve in my body, seemed to respond to him. It was wrong. Completely wrong. And yet, I couldn’t move, couldn’t stop the shiver that ran through me.

The past few days had been… strange. At first, I had been cautious, keeping my distance, unsure how to interact with someone I was supposed to trust, someone who shared my blood. But as we spent time together, Carl’s charisma had a pull I didn’t expect. The way he moved, the way he looked at the world with confidence, the strength in his presence—it was intoxicating. Even as my rational mind reminded me that he was my brother, I felt something else stirring. Something forbidden and confusing.

I hated myself for it. Disgusted with the feelings that I could not name, the warmth that rose in my chest when he smiled at me or brushed against me by accident. My body betrayed me, responding to him in ways that my brain refused to allow. I wanted to push him away, to slap the warmth from my cheeks, to remind myself that this attraction was wrong, unnatural, impossible. But still, it lingered, a quiet, insistent voice in my blood.

Carl seemed oblivious—or perhaps he understood. He leaned back slightly, his eyes softening as he studied me, as if sensing my inner turmoil. “Meredith,” he said, almost gently. “I’ll protect you. Always.”

I swallowed hard, struggling to steady my pulse. I wanted to run, to flee from the intensity, but a part of me clung to him like a lifeline. He was my brother. My protector. And yet… why did my heart betray me like this?

At the school, the morning sun painted the sprawling campus in gold, reflecting off the polished windows and the neatly manicured lawns. Carl dropped me off, his tall frame leaning casually against the car, hands in his pockets, his gold eyes scanning the crowds of students with that effortless confidence he always seemed to carry. He lingered for a moment before heading to his senior section; he was a final-year student, while I was just starting my journey through high school.

The moment I stepped onto the campus grounds, I felt the weight of countless eyes staring at me. Heads turned, whispers flitted from group to group. I could feel them—the envy, the curiosity, the judgment. Students leaned closer, craning their necks to see the girl walking beside Carl. Perhaps it was my brother’s presence that drew attention, or maybe it was the unusual combination of my velvet-red hair, grey eyes, and dark lips that set me apart from everyone else. Every glance burned like fire, but I tried to remain composed, keeping my head high as Carl smiled at me reassuringly.

“I’ll pick you up by eight, okay?” he said, his voice low, steady, and confident.

I nodded, my throat tight, as I watched him walk away. Today was my first day at a brand-new school, in a world completely unknown to me. I had to make a good impression. I had to survive. My hands fidgeted with the strap of my bag as I took a deep breath and stepped into the corridors of Helium High.

The hallways of Helium High were vast, echoing with the footsteps of hundreds of students, laughter bouncing off the high ceilings. Lockers lined the walls, painted in shades of deep blue and gold, and posters for clubs and competitions plastered the walls, shouting for attention. Every corner, every corridor, felt alive, buzzing with energy I wasn’t used to. My heart pounded as I clutched the timetable in my hands, scanning it like a map to survival. Class 1B. That was where I was supposed to go.

Focused on the tiny slip of paper, I didn’t notice the shadow approaching until it was too late. I collided with someone, and the chill that ran through me was unlike anything I had felt before. Cold, unnatural—like ice had seeped into his skin and refused to leave. Pale, almost ghostly, he stood with an aura that made the sunlight around him seem dim. His eyes… his eyes were the first thing that rooted me to the spot. Sharp red, intense, but hidden behind faint blue contacts, they held a danger I could almost taste.

Before I could hit the ground, strong hands grabbed me, steadying my fall. I stumbled slightly but remained upright, heart hammering so fast it threatened to leap from my chest. I lifted my gaze to apologize, but my words froze in my throat.

He was… remarkable.

Tall, lean, broad-shouldered, with a presence that seemed impossible for someone so young, he radiated a quiet power. His dark hair shimmered under the fluorescent lights, messy yet perfect, as if the world itself bent around him. But it was his eyes that held me captive. Deep, dark, almost black, with a glint of danger that burned through me, they were unreadable, yet beneath the cold edge, there was something warm, something electric, that made my chest tighten.

His jaw was sharp, sculpted to perfection, and his lips curved into a subtle smirk—half challenge, half amusement. Every detail of him screamed confidence, arrogance, and control. The way he moved, the way he stood, the way he even breathed—it was as if the hallway belonged to him, and everyone else was merely background noise.

I opened my mouth, intending to apologize for bumping into him, for nearly falling, for disrupting his space—but the words got stuck. My cheeks flushed hot, my stomach twisted. His gaze held me in place, intense and unwavering. I felt small, exposed, aware in ways that left me dizzy.

He studied me quietly, tilting his head, eyes narrowing just slightly. The blue contacts shifted, catching the light, but I could see the red beneath them—a hint of danger, an unspoken warning. And yet… it wasn’t just menace. There was curiosity there, too. Like he could see something in me that no one else ever had. Something he recognized, something that made him pause.

“I… I’m sorry,” I whispered finally, my voice trembling.