004

The day went by in a blur until the afternoon, when I was walking through the cafeteria with my lunch tray, and someone stuck out their foot. I tripped and fell hard, my tray clattering to the floor. Food splattered everywhere. The entire cafeteria went silent for a second, then erupted in laughter.

I lay there for a moment, my palms stinging and my knees aching. My face burned with humiliation, and tears blurred my vision. But I refused to cry. I would not give them the satisfaction.

Mia rushed to my side. "Elara! Are you okay?"

She helped me up, and I wiped my hands on my jeans. They were covered in mashed potatoes and spaghetti sauce. The laughter grew louder, echoing off the walls.

I looked up and saw Kael sitting at a table across the room with his teammates. He was not laughing. He was just watching me, his face unreadable. Our eyes met for a brief second, and then he looked away.

"Come on," Mia said, pulling me toward the exit. "Let's get you cleaned up."

We went to the bathroom, and Mia helped me wash the food off my clothes. The stains would not come out completely, but it was better than before.

"This is so messed up," Mia muttered. "Those jerks think they can do whatever they want."

"It is fine," I said quietly.

"It is not fine!" She turned to me, her eyes blazing. "You cannot keep letting them walk all over you, Elara. You have to fight back."

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My face was pale, and my eyes were red from holding back tears. I looked tired. I looked broken.

"How?" I asked. "They are bigger than me. Stronger than me. And Kael controls everything. If I fight back, it will only get worse."

Mia sighed and leaned against the sink. "I know. But you cannot just give up."

"I am not giving up," I said. "I am surviving. That is all I can do right now."

Mia did not argue. She just squeezed my hand and walked me to my next class. But the humiliation stayed with me for the rest of the day. Every whisper, every glance, every laugh felt like a knife in my chest.

After school, I went to the art room. It was the only place where I felt safe, the only place where I could forget about Kael and all the cruelty. I sat at a table near the window and opened my sketchbook.

I drew for hours. The sun dipped lower in the sky, and the room grew dim, but I did not stop. Drawing was the only thing that made sense anymore.

The door opened.

I looked up, expecting a teacher or maybe Mia. Instead, a boy walked in. He was tall and lean, with sandy hair and a friendly smile. I recognized him from the hockey team. His name was Derek, and he was one of the few players who did not sneer at me in the hallways.

"Hey," he said. "You are Elara, right?"

I tensed. "Why?"

He held up his hands. "Relax. I am not here to mess with you. I just saw the light on and wanted to make sure no one was locked in."

I studied him for a moment, searching for any sign of deceit. But his smile seemed genuine, and his eyes were warm.

"I am fine," I said. "Just working on a project."

Derek nodded and walked closer. He glanced at my sketchbook and raised his eyebrows. "Wow. Did you draw that?"

I closed the book quickly. "It is nothing."

"That is not nothing." He sat down across from me, his expression full of curiosity. "You have real talent. Why hide it?"

I shrugged. "I do not like attention."

"Fair enough." He leaned back in his chair. "So, how are you settling in? I know this school can be rough for new students."

I almost laughed. Rough was an understatement. But I did not want to complain, especially not to someone I barely knew.

"It is fine," I said.

Derek tilted his head. "You are a terrible liar."

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Your face gives everything away." He grinned. "You are clearly not fine. But that is okay. You do not have to pretend with me."

I did not know what to say. No one had ever called me out like that before, not even Mia. There was something disarming about Derek, something that made me want to trust him.

"Why are you being nice to me?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Because being mean is exhausting. And honestly? You seem cool. Quiet, but cool."

I smiled for the first time in days. "Thanks."

We talked for a while after that. Derek told me about his life, how he grew up in a small town and earned a hockey scholarship. He was nothing like the other players. He was humble and kind, and he actually listened when I spoke.

Then the door swung open all of a sudden.

Kael stood in the doorway, his eyes dark and his jaw tight. He looked from me to Derek, and something dangerous flickered across his face.

"What is going on here?" he asked.

Derek stood up slowly. "Just talking. Is there a problem?"

Kael ignored him as his gaze shifted to me. "You should go home, Elara. It is late."

I did not move. "I did not know you cared."

His eyes narrowed. "I do not care. But Richard will blame me if something happens to you."

"Nothing is going to happen to me," I said. "I am fine."

Kael stepped into the room, and the air changed. It felt thicker, heavier. Derek moved slightly, positioning himself between us.

"Hey, man," Derek said. "Relax. We were just chatting about art. No big deal."

Kael ignored him again. His eyes stayed locked on me. "We are leaving. Now."

I stared at him, my heart pounding. Part of me wanted to defy him, to stay just to prove I was not afraid. But another part of me, the exhausted part, just wanted to go home.

"I am not going anywhere with you," I said.

Kael's jaw tightened. He walked toward me, and Derek stepped in front of him.

"Back off, Kael," Derek said.

Kael stopped. He looked at Derek like he was nothing. "Move."

"No. She does not want to go with you."

Kael's eyes darkened. "This does not concern you."

"She is my friend," Derek said. "So it does concern me."

They stared at each other, and I could feel the violence simmering beneath the surface. My heart pounded in my chest. I did not want this to escalate. I did not want anyone to get hurt because of me.

"Stop," I said. "Both of you." Neither of them moved. I grabbed my sketchbook and stood. "I will walk home. Alone."

I moved toward the door, but Kael's hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. His grip was tight, almost painful.

"You are coming with me," he said.

I tried to pull away. "Let go of me."

"Kael, let her go," Derek said, stepping forward.

Kael did not even look at him. His eyes were fixed on me, cold and unyielding. "We are leaving. Now."

He pulled me toward the door. I stumbled, my wrist burning under his grip. Derek moved to stop him, but Kael shoved him back with his free hand.

"Stay out of this," Kael snapped.

Derek stumbled but did not fall. His face was red with anger. "You cannot just drag her out of here like that."

"Watch me."

Kael pulled me out of the room and into the empty hallway. I struggled against him, but he was too strong. His fingers were like iron around my wrist, and no matter how hard I pulled, I could not break free.

"Let me go!" I shouted.

He did not answer. He just kept walking, pulling me behind him like a disobedient child. My face burned with humiliation, and tears pricked at my eyes. I hated him. I hated him so much.

When we reached the parking lot, he opened the passenger door and pushed me inside. I fell against the seat, my breath coming in sharp gasps.

"Stay here," he said.

Then he slammed the door and walked around to the driver's side. He got in and started the engine, his hands gripping the wheel so hard his knuckles turned white.

I stared at him, my chest heaving. "You are insane."

He did not look at me. "Put on your seatbelt."

"You cannot just kidnap me from school."

He turned to me then, and his eyes were blazing. "I can do whatever I want. This is my world, Elara. You are just living in it."

The words hit me like a slap. I wanted to scream, to hit him, to do something. But I was trapped. So I did the only thing I could. I turned away and stared out the window.

The car ride home was silent.

When we pulled into the garage, Kael killed the engine and sat there for a long moment. I could feel his eyes on me, but I refused to look at him.

"Go to your room," he said quietly.

I did not move.

"Elara."

"What?" I snapped.

He paused. "Just go."

I opened the door and stepped out. My legs were shaking, and my wrist was red and sore from his grip. I walked into the house without looking back.

In my room, I locked the door and sank onto the floor. The tears came fast and hard, and I did not try to stop them. I hated him. I hated him so much it scared me.

But what scared me more was the look in his eyes when he found me with Derek. It was not just anger. It was something more than that.