DARKLING

8

Unedited.

•••

"...it seems miss Ivanov, you have forgotten one of the top most important rules of the academy. It is clearly written on the rule book you were given on your first day that waterfall academy do not tolerate violence, serious consequences follows otherwise."

The student affair officer, Mark Baxter, as the name plate on his desk read, calmly explained to the red head sitting on the seat across his.

He was a man of average height with a slight accent. The round Harry Potter glasses resting on the bridge of his nose didn't make him look any less British.

Hazel blinked.

"There is something I don't understand though Mr...Baxter."

She read the name on the plate.

"Why am I the only one sitting here when there are two of us involved in this?"

"I don't think Mr Waterfall is in the right condition to be with us right now seeing as he needs to tend to his broken wrist."

He emphasized in the last part while giving her a look that clearly says 'the wrist you broke'

Ah yes. She did unintentionally break his wrist. He deserves it though. Who asked him to be a jerk?

Hazel nods at Mr Baxter.

They really could be dramatic though.

She remembered the way medical staffs had rushed into the hallway 30 seconds after his wrist had snapped. They fussed over him as if he had broken his legs and not a wrist.

°°°

"Young master Daryl, are you okay?"

He obviously isn't.

Hazel rolled her eyes.

"Mr Waterfall, try not to move your hand too much until we get to the infirmary, do you want to lay on the stretcher?"

Hazels brows shot up her head.

Stretcher?

'For f***s sake its just a broken wrist not a missing limb and Mr Waterfall?,'

She squints.

'No wonder he was being so cocky.'

"Don't touch me!"

Daryl jerked his arm from their hold only for him to groan in pain as the sudden movement had hurt his already throbbing wrist.

"Let them look at your hand baby, huh?"

Cooed his girlfriend.

Baby?

What is he?

A child?

The girl had thrown Hazel a dirty look as she and Daryl walked away from there with the medical personnels following closely behind them.

Apparently they were being watched on the CCTV the whole time.

"Miss Ivanov?"

Called the man who had remained behind. He wasn't dressed in medical uniform like the ones that just left, instead he wore similar clothes to the man who had took care of her lugage the day she had arrive at the academy.

"Come with me please."

°°°

That was how she ended up on a seat in the student affair office.

She had been handed a wipe the moment she came in to clean off the remains of the smoothie that hadn't dripped off.

"And he wouldn't be here even if he hadn't hurt his wrist."

Hazel raised her brow at this.

"Need I remind you that he's a Waterfall, they could literally get away with anything especially when it happens on their turf."

She internally scoffed.

Typical.

Mr Baxter slightly leans his upper body forward.

"Don't take this the wrong way miss Ivanov, but the waterfall's are not a family you can afford to offend. Take it as a friendly advice, be very careful."

He leans back to say.

"I'll let you off easy with just a light punishment as it is a first time offense. A few new books came in to the library earlier today, I'm sure the librarian would appreciate a helping hand in getting them on the shelves."

Hazel mouth opens in disbelief.

"Punishment? I got smoothie spilled on me without getting so little an apology-"

"Don't argue with me on this miss Ivanov."

Mr Baxter interrupts abruptly his tone though, polite.

"This is the standard academy's protocol and you've got the least of punishments considering you suffered an ounce of injustice too but you did break his wrist too afterall even if it wasn't intentional."

'Besides, Daryl Waterfall will never let you off easy'

Mr Baxter thought to himself.

He pitied the girl.

She'll be forced to learn that no matter how rich you still have to bow down to the Waterfall's.

Its just books anyway.

Hazel thought to herself.

Hazel leaned forward in her seat and gave Mr Baxter what she believes to be an innocent angel like look.

"Can you not mention this to my guardian?"

She blinked rapidly, her voice low and hopeful.

If only she knew how painfully awkward she looked at that moment.

"I'm afraid not Miss Ivanov, it is part of the rules to report every act of..."

Yeah ok.

Hazel tuned him out as she leans back on her chair her expression back to being a blank canvas.

She was going to hear it from Tony later. That much was sure.

'Keep your temper in check and please..."

He emphasized on the last word

"...do not send anyone to the hospital.'

That was one out of the many rules he had set for her before she came here.

She sighed.

If only she had remembered that before she snapped his wrist.

'Unintentionally'

★★★

Hazel closed the door behind her as she came out of the OSA.

She looked down and frowned at the obvious stain on her sweater.

"Idiot."

She mumbled.

Who on earth randomly throws a full cup of smoothie in a school hallway?

She looked left, then right.

Which way had she even come from?

Hazel stood there for a while, trying to remember.

All the halls looked the same and she had been too upset to keep track of the route they had passed when she was being led here.

Hazel felt around for the school map sticking out from her backpack pockets.

Good thing she was good at reading maps or she'd get lost everytime she leaves her dorm.

To say waterfall academy was huge is a big understatement.

And there was more than just this building for the university area alone not to talk of the other sections.

The place was like a small town with every single facilities one could ever think of.

Unlike most boarding schools, the students here don't have the liberty to leave the premises anytime they please like on weekends. That was expected though, a very large population of the students weren't American citizens. To visit home they have to fly out of the county.

So they only get to leave during vacation period unless the parents request for their ward under dire circumstances and only for a short period of time.

Hazel began her walk back to the dormitory to clean herself up before class.

She felt sticky and uncomfortable.

"Damn idiot."

She cursed under her breath again.

As she exist the hallway a group of students rushed past her.

That was strange.

She thought.

They didn't spare her a glance or stare at her like everyone else has been doing, she wasn't complaining though...not all, in fact she'd be glad if it could be the same with everyone else.

Hazel moved to continue walking when another group rushed past her.

"I heard they've just drove in through the gates..."

She faintly heard one of them say as they rounded a corner.

'They? Who are they?'

She didn't care, she really didn't but it just happened that the direction they were all rushing to happens to be one of the routes she has to pass by.

As Hazel continued walking, more and more students ran past her. It seems like they were all coming out from their various class rooms to look at this 'they'.

No one took notice of her but Hazel could hear bits of their conversations as they pass by.

"They're really here."

"They're back."

"All of them?"

One had asked.

"Four cars had droven in, white included."

The front entrance of the university was crowded.

Majority of the students had gathered there all looking at the entrance in anticipation.

They were back.

Those three words had spread around the whole of waterfall academy like wild fire.

Dots of students in uniform could be spotted among the crowd. They were the highschoolers that had somehow managed to sneak their ways in.

All the noises and shrill screams mostly from the girls quited down as four identical Ferrari's drove into view.

Black.

Red.

Orange.

and...

White.

There was a pin drop silence. Nobody dared to make a sound. Everyone watched the cars in stifling anticipation.

The doors to the cars open almost at the same time and they stepped out.

They...

Leonardo Musk.

Michael Arnault.

Seth Bezos.

And Ryder Waterfall.

The aura of superiority they emitted was stifling...overwhelming.

Men in uniform were already on standby to collect their luggage from the car.

They paid no mind to the crowd around them as they climbed the steps towards the entrance double doors.

They filed inside with Ryder being the one in front.

Their cold emotionless gaze didn't waver from the direction they were walking in. It was as if the crowd gathered on both side of them didn't exist.

To the crowd, those four were like dreams...fantasies.

They could only dream of being them, fantasize about being with them because they could never make it a foot close to their circle. The difference was too vast.

First come the four of them, before the others.

They held more power than many people could ever imagine with them being heirs to the world most richest companies people usually look up at them, treating them like gods.

Their presence always seems to instill fear and awe.

Some even held their breaths in fear of breathing too loud and offending them.

That would be a nightmare, offending one of those four, and it is common knowledge that you offend one, then you've made enemy with all four. No one could survive the wrath of one talk less of all four.

From where Hazel stood, she could faintly see the cause of all the commotion.

Her eyes darted from one member to the other until it settled on the one in white.

She didn't look for long though, she had averted her eyes almost immediately.

White...

The color brought back memories...one associated with lots of screams and terror...

Hazel moved to continue walking, further away from the scene.

White...

She hates the color white.

•••