The bullies
1197 Words
Chapter Three
Vitani's POV
Today is the day I hate the most. I have school where all monsters worst like my parents are at. Now I have to get ready....
By the time I reached Mooncrest Academy, the morning bell had not yet rung.
I had walked the entire way from the pack house, just as I did every morning. The cool air brushed against my face, but it did little to quiet the nervous feeling in my stomach.
Students streamed through the academy gates in groups, laughing with their friends. Some arrived on horseback. Others climbed out of elegant carriages.
I slipped through the crowd unnoticed, hoping today would be different.
A loud engine rumbled outside the academy.
Almost instantly, everyone's attention shifted toward the entrance.
A sleek black luxury car rolled to a stop in front of the gates.
The whispers started before the driver had even opened the door.
"She's here."
"The Alpha's daughter."
"I heard that car was imported from another kingdom."
The driver hurried around the vehicle and opened the back door.
Elena stepped out gracefully, dressed in a perfectly pressed academy uniform with a tailored coat draped over her shoulders. Gold earrings caught the morning sunlight, and confidence radiated from every step she took.
Two girls hurried toward her.
"Good morning, Elena!"
"I love your shoes!"
Elena smiled politely, accepting the compliments as though they were expected.
She didn't even glance in my direction.
She walked past me as if I were invisible.
Just another student.
Just another face.
I looked down and continued toward my classroom.
That was easier.
No one at school knew the truth.
No one knew that Elena and I shared the same father.
They believed I was simply a girl the Alpha's family had taken in years ago.
A burden.
Someone who should be grateful just to have a roof over her head.
Sometimes...
I almost believed it too.
The morning lessons passed quietly.
I answered every question the teachers asked.
I kept my eyes on my books.
I avoided speaking unless someone spoke to me first.
When the lunch bell finally rang, relief washed over me.
For a little while, I could escape the crowded classrooms.
I carried my lunch tray outside and searched for a quiet place beneath one of the large oak trees near the edge of the courtyard.
I had barely taken my first bite when a familiar shadow fell across the table.
I looked up.
Elena.
Her two closest friends stood beside her, both wearing matching smiles that never meant anything good.
"Well," one of them said, folding her arms. "Look who found herself a table."
The other girl laughed softly.
"I didn't think she knew how to sit anywhere except the servants' quarters."
They both giggled.
I lowered my eyes.
Maybe if I ignored them...
They would leave.
Elena rested one hand on the table.
"I've been looking for you."
"I... was just eating."
"I can see that."
She glanced at my simple lunch before looking back at her friends.
"Doesn't she always eat the same thing?"
One of the girls leaned forward.
"I suppose leftovers taste better when they're free."
They laughed together.
My fingers tightened around the spoon in my hand.
Around us, students slowed their steps.
Some whispered.
Others stopped altogether.
I could feel them watching.
No one came closer.
No one told Elena to stop.
One of her friends sighed dramatically.
"I almost feel sorry for her."
"Almost," the other replied with a smirk.
Elena smiled.
"Don't."
She looked directly at me.
"Pity only makes people forget their place."
The courtyard grew quieter.
More students had gathered nearby, pretending they weren't listening.
Elena knew exactly what she was doing.
She always did.
She took one slow step closer.
"You know," she said loudly enough for everyone to hear, "people keep asking why you're always around the Alpha's family."
My heartbeat quickened.
She continued before I could speak.
"I suppose rumors are hard to avoid."
Her friends exchanged amused glances.
"They think you belong with us."
A few students chuckled.
Elena laughed softly and shook her head.
"I don't know where they get these ideas."
She looked at the growing crowd with an innocent smile.
"We were simply raised under the same roof."
Her words were calm.
Carefully chosen.
Just enough to let everyone reach the conclusion she wanted.
The whispers spread through the courtyard.
"I knew it."
"So she isn't really family."
"That makes sense."
I stared at my untouched lunch.
Correcting them would change nothing.
The truth had never protected me before.
Why would it start now?
Elena leaned down until only I could hear her.
"Don't forget who everyone will believe."
Then she straightened, her smile returning as she faced the crowd.
"Isn't that right?"
Elena's laughter blended with the voices surrounding us until I could no longer tell who was speaking.
Everywhere I looked, faces stared back at me.
Some were amused.
Some whispered behind raised hands.
Others simply watched, their expressions blank, as though what was happening to me was nothing out of the ordinary.
Maybe it wasn't.
This was how my life had always been.
At home, I was the unwanted daughter.
At the academy, I was the servant girl.
No matter where I went, I was never simply Vitani.
I hugged my books tightly against my chest, hoping they would hide the trembling in my hands.
They didn't.
A memory surfaced without warning.
I was seven years old, standing in the dining hall with a tray that was too heavy for my small hands. I had tripped, spilling food across the polished floor. Mother had slapped me before I could even apologize, while Father had walked past as though I didn't exist.
Nothing had changed since then.
If anything, it had become worse.
The whispers around me grew louder.
"She looks like she's going to cry."
"Don't cry now."
"Everyone's watching."
I lowered my head, refusing to let the tears fall.
I had cried before.
It had never made anyone stop.
It had only given them something else to laugh about.
The morning sun warmed the courtyard, yet I felt cold.
Students continued arriving for class, slowing as they noticed the crowd gathered around us. Some stood on the academy steps. Others leaned against the stone pillars, curious to see what Elena would do next.
No one stepped forward.
No one told her to stop.
They simply watched.
Perhaps they were afraid of offending the Alpha's daughter.
Or perhaps... they believed I deserved it.
That thought hurt more than every insult.
Elena smiled as she looked around at the growing audience.
She enjoyed this.
She always had.
Every laugh seemed to make her stand a little taller.
Every lowered gaze made her a little bolder.
She wanted everyone to remember their places.
And mine was beneath hers.
My fingers tightened around the damp, mud-stained pages as I silently prayed for the morning to end.
I didn't want anyone to rescue me anymore.
I only wanted the humiliation to be over.
That was when a shadow fell across the scattered pages.
Then a deep, commanding voice shattered the silence.
"That's enough."
- Writer
