Chapter 1 Lyra
“So we've got the test results for the quiz you all took last week.”
The teacher, Miss Sally, said. She didn't need to look at her notes. Her eyes sharp as a hulk swept through the classroom, a practised move that left no student feeling unobserved. She moved around with a stack of papers at hand, distributing the scripts at each desk.
“I must say that I'm very impressed with the performances of most of you, and for those who didn't perform well, I honestly don't know what to say.”
I sat still on my seat, rubbing my palms together in anticipation. I knew how hard I'd prepared for this particular quiz, and so I was expecting nothing short of a good result. I smiled to myself, a small private moment of hope, as I watched Ms. Sally’s progress.
She finally got to my desk, pausing momentarily as she stared into my eyes. I held my breath for a second, a tiny seed of doubt sprouting in my chest. Had I miscalculated? I thought I was wondering if my expectations were about to be cut short.
A wide smile broke across her face. “I must say that I'm really proud of you, Lyra, your result is excellent, and you had the best performance in the test. Keep it up, darling!” she said, placing my test script on the desk before she moved ahead.
I found myself grinning widely at her compliment as I picked the script and glanced at it. A solid ninety-seven per cent score, perfect! I giggled to myself as the eyes of my other classmates fell on me, some in admiration of my brilliance and a few others in contempt.
“You must really be feeling so proud of yourself right now!” the girl seated me said, sneering at me, and my smile immediately creased to a frown. “Your passing the test was nothing other than pure luck, Lyra. You're still an ordinary student. Nothing makes you special than anybody else.”
“I studied hard for this quiz, and so I disagree with what you just said,” I replied, frowning at her. My countenance dropped immediately with her sarcastic remark, and I shook my head sadly. “I don't know why you all can't just appreciate someone's success for once.”
“Appreciate your success?” the girl replied sharply, bursting into a fit of laughter. “Girl, please give me a break! What is it you just did that other students way brighter than you haven't done before? You really don't think you're a special student around here, do you?”
I said nothing as I looked away from her, her words stinging more sharply than an insect bite. Tears threatened to well down my eyes, but I quickly blinked them back. I wasn't going to let her bank on my weakness, not at all.
I tried to suppress my feelings by diverting my attention to the teacher standing before us in front of the class. She was to take us on a chemistry lesson, and I pulled my tab from my bag, placing it on the table to take notes.
“So today, we're going to be discussing the Origin and Structure of Hydrocarbons,” the teacher said, writing the topic on the whiteboard and turning back to face us. I got distracted as the girl beside me passed me a note, leaving me puzzled. I stared at the note hesitantly for a while, glancing suspiciously at her before I picked it up and unfolded it. My heart skipped a beat as I read the content, cold shivers going down my spine.
“Locker room in 30,” it read. I swallowed hard as my chest tightened in panic, and immediately I knew who the note was from. It was no other person than the guy who'd made it his primary duty to make my life miserable — Cassian.
Cassian Rowe was heir to the Rowe empire, a family known to be one of the strongest and wealthiest in the city. He was the only son of his parents and was strikingly handsome — tall, dark, and muscular — and as such, his arrogance was something he grew up with by default. He bullied me constantly, in a bid to always get my attention or force a reaction from me. And so when I read the note, I immediately knew what it was, and why — Cassian had performed poorly in the quiz, and he was going to have me locked up in the locker room and have me beaten, once again.
“Lyra Morgan?” the teacher called out, and I blinked, jolting out of my thoughts back to reality.
“Yes, ma’m?” I responded, getting up from my seat as all heads turned to me.
“What did I say Hydrocarbons are?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
I stared blankly at the board, visibly puzzled.
“I… uh…” I stuttered, racking my brains for a proper response.
“Go on,” she nodded at me, urging me to go on.
“I-I don’t know, ma’am,” I replied finally, and the whole class erupted in laughter.
“That’s what happens when you let yourself get distracted in my class,” the teacher said, shaking her head.
“She probably used all that was left of her brains for the quiz,” someone whispered from the back of the class, and the class roared in laughter once more.
“That’s enough,” the teacher, Ms Sally, said, her voice sounding firm. “Have your seat, Lyra. And make you focus on this lesson.”
I nodded curtly, glancing around as I resumed my seat, and my heart skipped a beat as my eyes locked onto Cassian’s, his gaze drilling deep into me. I quickly looked away from him as my heart pounded loudly against my chest, and I inhaled heavily, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself.
The bell soon rang for the end of the lecture, chairs began scraping loudly against the ground as the students began to scamper out hurriedly in preparation for the next lecture. I sat still, looking down at my tab on my desk, my heart beating fast with panic. Cassian was the last to leave, and he casually walked past my desk, giving me an evil smirk.
“See you soon, Einstein,” he said, walking out of the class without looking back.
