The Perfect Place

Anastasia was both angry and frustrated.

The moment the bullied boy ran out of the classroom, something inside her refused to settle.

It wasn't just irritation. It was that awful feeling of knowing something was wrong and being unable to do anything about it.

She needed space. Somewhere private. Somewhere far away from the stares. Away from the whispers, away from everyone.

So she walked out of the classroom.

The moment she stepped into the corridor, she noticed it again.

The looks…

The whispers…

The sideways glances…

Students lowered their voices as she passed. Some stared openly while others pretended not to.

But she could feel it all the same. Every glance seemed to carry an expectation… Every whisper felt like it was about her.

Every pair of eyes seemed to see Lucien Kael's daughter before they saw Anastasia.

Her jaw tightened and her frustration deepened.

The encounter with the bullied boy replayed itself over and over inside Anastasia's mind. The memory stung far more than she wanted to admit.

She had only wanted to help. That was all… 

She hadn't meant to scare him. Yet somehow, the moment she walked towards him, he'd looked at her as though she was something to fear and he'd run.

The memory twisted uncomfortably inside her chest.

Her hands clenched tightly at her sides.

"I'm not scary," she muttered under her breath.

The words sounded ridiculous the moment they left her mouth. Because apparently everyone else disagreed.

Her jaw tightened and her steps quickened.

She kept walking. Further and further away from the crowded hallways. Away from the lunch crowds, away from the academy buildings.

The voices around her gradually faded until they became nothing more than distant noise behind her.

Still, the frustration remained heavy and persistent… Refusing to leave.

She didn't even know where she was going anymore. She only knew she needed to get away. 

As far away as possible from the stares and that feeling that every single person in the academy had already decided exactly who she was before she'd spoken more than a handful of words.

A bitter frustration settled heavily in her chest.

This was supposed to be exciting. Her very first day.

She was supposed to be making friends, learning new things, and enjoying herself.

Instead, she felt trapped… Trapped inside a name she hadn't chosen, beneath expectations she never asked for.

And worst of all...

She was beginning to realize that no matter where she went, people didn't seem interested in meeting Anastasia.

They wanted to meet the daughter of the Alpha God of War.

The thought only made her walk faster.

Until eventually… She found it.

A secluded area near the edge of the academy grounds.

Tall trees stood like silent guardians around the space, their branches weaving together overhead and casting cool shadows across the earth below. Large weathered rocks rested beneath them, untouched and forgotten.

The sounds of the academy felt distant here… Barely audible.

There were no whispers, no curious stares, no expectations.

The perfect place!

Anastasia's eyes lit up immediately.

"The perfect place..."

The words slipped from her lips almost absentmindedly.

Without a second thought, she headed towards it.

The deeper she went, the quieter everything became. Each step seemed to carry her further away from the academy and all the frustrations that came with it.

Until finally she stopped beside one of the larger rocks.

Silence… Complete silence.

For a moment, she simply stood there… Breathing. Trying to calm herself, trying to let the frustration leave her chest.

It didn't! If anything, it got worse.

Anastasia drew in a deep breath.

Then…

"...AAAHHHH!"

The shout never truly escaped her throat. It was more frustration than sound, more emotion than noise.

A helpless attempt to force everything she was feeling out of her system before it swallowed her whole.

For approximately two seconds… It worked.

Then the ranting began.

"I hate this!"

Her hands flew into the air.

"I hate it so much!"

A small stone near her foot went flying as she kicked it.

The pebble bounced violently across the ground before disappearing into the trees.

"I wasn't even trying to do anything!"

She spun around dramatically.

“I just wanted to help him!”

Her arms crossed so tightly against her chest that her knuckles nearly turned white.

“But nooo...”

The word dripped with pure annoyance.

“The moment I walk over, he practically runs for his life.”

She threw her head back and groaned.

“I’m ten!”

Both hands immediately flew into the air.

“Just ten!”

The trees offered no response.

The wind remained completely unhelpful.

“They should let me breathe!”

Anastasia resumed pacing… Back and forth… Back and forth.

Small angry steps carried her across the clearing as standing still somehow made her frustration worse.

Her hands moved almost as much as she did.

“They don't even know me.”

She spun around abruptly, throwing both hands outwards.

The words came out sharper this time, more personal, more wounded.

“They see my surname and suddenly everyone forgets how to act.”

She pointed accusingly at absolutely nobody. Or perhaps everybody.

“I'm not Father.”

The declaration was immediate.

Then she paused.

Her shoulders slumped slightly.

“Okay...”

She grimaced…

“I am his daughter.”

One hand lifted reluctantly.

“As in... biologically.”

Another pause…

Then both hands flew up again.

“But that's not the point!”

She groaned loudly and dragged both hands down her face.

Fingers catching in her hair as though she could physically pull the frustration out of her head.

“This is my first day.”

She jabbed a foot towards the ground.

“First.”

Another jab of her foot…

“Day.”

She stopped pacing long enough to stare at the sky.

“My first day.”

The unfairness hit her all over again.

Her mouth fell open in disbelief.

“I haven't even had enough time to learn where all the classrooms are!”

Both hands flew outwards before falling dramatically to her sides.

She stared at the trees for a moment as if expecting them to share in her outrage.

“I don't know anybody.”

The words came out in one long exhale.

Then she paused… A finger slowly lifted.

“Okay, technically I know one person.”

Her face immediately scrunched up.

“The boy who ran away from me.”

She pointed at herself so abruptly that her finger nearly poked her own chest. That somehow made her even more irritated.

“I was trying to help him!”

Her arms shot into the air.

The words echoed through the clearing.

She spun around and gestured helplessly at the empty space around her.

“Who runs away from someone trying to help them?”

One hand landed against her chest.

The other stretched outwards as though presenting evidence before an invisible jury.

“Do I look that scary?”

She squinted at a nearby tree.

The tree offered no opinion.

A moment passed… Then she folded her arms tightly.

“Don't answer that.”

The response came far too quickly.

Anastasia huffed and began pacing again… Back and forth… Back and forth.

Each step was slightly harder than the last.

A small stone found itself kicked out of her path. It bounced across the clearing and disappeared into the grass.

Another sigh escaped her. This one heavier… less angry and more tired.

She dragged both hands down her face before letting them fall.

“My first day and somehow I'm already stressed, frustrated, confused, and possibly developing a headache.”

One hand moved to her temple.

She rubbed it dramatically… Then groaned.

A long suffering groan that suggested she had personally been wronged by the entire academy.

Her eyes narrowed towards the academy buildings visible through gaps in the trees.

The distant towers stood there innocently.

Anastasia pointed at them anyway.

“That's got to be some kind of record.”

Then she sighed and dropped onto a nearby rock.

The moment she sat down, some of the tension seemed to drain from her shoulders.

Not all of it… Just enough.

For the first time since leaving the classroom, she wasn't pacing, ranting, or glaring suspiciously at innocent trees.

She simply sat there… Breathing. Letting the quiet settle around her.

For indeed a moment, silence returned.

The exact kind of silence she'd been searching for since storming out of the academy.

Anastasia closed her eyes.

Finally! Peace.

Then!

"You're really loud for someone looking for privacy."

The lazy voice drifted through the clearing.

Anastasia froze.

Every muscle in her body locked instantly. The peace she'd found shattered so completely it was almost impressive.

Her eyes snapped open.

"What?!”