Chapter Three: The School's Clown

Nyx’s POV

It had been three days since I resumed. Three days of constant isolation by my fellow students. Three days of vile ignoring and vicious death glares from my roommate and Penelope.

Of persistent eyes watching my every move. Three days of living in the fear of Otis Agni. Meeting him had only made my stay here worse.

That day at the cafeteria, he had promised to check up on me often and ensure we caught up on old times.

To any other person, that sounded like a friendly offer. But I knew it was not and I was scared to think of what he had planned out for me.

The rumours had grown even more stronger and recruited more hate for me. I wondered how stupid everyone was to believe such lies of someone that they had not even met.

Apart from the sick welcome I had received upon my arrival, school was nice. The classes were fun and the teachers were patient.

I was in Environment class, listening attentively to the wizard lecturer drone on about how important each creature was in the continuity of the Earth. It was the fourth class on my schedule for the day, just before lunch break.

“Any questions?” The man asked and as I raised my hand, the bell chimed for lunchtime.

“Maybe next time, Nyx. Have a good day class,” and the wizard vanished into thin air.

The class was a frenzy as everyone scrambled to get out of the classroom. I took my time to pack my books and tablet, waiting for everyone to leave before I did.

“Saved by the bell. Are we not lucky? No one wants to hear what the Uren princess has to say,” a group of boys mocked as they walked out.

I had gotten so many snide comments like this in the last three days that made this one look genuinely mild. I reminded myself to keep my cool, I couldn't risk my secret being exposed by being hot headed.

As I walked out of the environment class, I felt a pair of eyes watching me. Turning around, I found no one. Again. Was someone really watching me or was it me just being paranoid?

Inhaling and exhaling sharply, I pushed the double doors to the cafeteria. As usual, the attention I garnered did not wane. Ignoring everyone, I approached the counter.

Thankfully, the teachers and staff were not in on this madness. That confirmed this was not one of Aunty Gacia’s schemes. I had suspected her at first. As I felt this was her way of covering up the fact that we were related and she was not going to favour me. But with the teachers and staff treating me as normal, I knew she was not the one spreading the rumours.

“I would like this,” I pointed to one crispy chicken in the transparent server. “With some salad.” I added.

With a flick of the finger from the woman behind the counter, the chicken and salad floated out of their servers and into the dishes that she held in a tray. She pushed the tray slightly into the air and it floated into my waiting hands.

This was the way I had been served since I arrived the academy, but it never ceased to amaze me. I would always stare in awe as the fairy oozed sparkles and glitters for every action she made.

“Thank you,” I said and turned around to take my meal to the isolated table by the wall.

I had noticed there were no windows in the building. I figured it was mostly because of the vampires and their repulsion to sunlight. I felt sad I could not enjoy the view as I ate. Were we going to be cooped up in here all year? I could go insane.

I ate my chicken and salad unhurriedly. We still had twenty minutes before lunch break was over. I took a quick glance behind me, unable to shake off the anonymous eyes that spied on me. Seeing nothing unusual, I returned my gaze to my plate.

I was almost done with my meal when somebody tapped me from behind. My spine froze as I felt the familiar aura. The aura I knew all too well.

I let out a gasp when the person rounded the table and sat opposite me.

“The infamous Uren princess.” Otis’s deep baritone greeted my ears.

His chestnut hair tumbled down in curls that stopped at his nape, complementing his rich beige skin. His electric hazel eyes danced with mirth and his gorgeous lips tugged in a boyish grin.

His shirt did nothing to hide his athletic features. He was an eye candy, one I had no choice but to let go.

I had just turned eighteen and was unable to transform.

My parents had done everything in their powers to hide my reality from the public as my father was the Alpha of our pack.

They had also not failed to serenade me with the words of disappointment they felt, I was a disgrace to the strong family reputation that they had been upholding over the years.

From that point on, I had gone from being the little princess that was doted on by her father to watching him seeing me as invisible.

Not only him, even Kurt had gone on some trip that he hadn’t returned from in the last year.

"Where did we go wrong?" Mother had cried.

They had come up with an excuse to buy me some time away from the academy, considering that my aunt was the headmistress, getting a pass for my compulsory resumption at Galine academy.

One of the sacrifices I had to make was one that seared my heart. I remembered that day like yesterday.

My parents had once again reminded me how horrendous my life would turn out if anyone knew I had not transformed and how I had to protect this secret with my life.

I still felt the pain even as I sat face to face with him at the cafeteria. The pain that came with my sacrifice.

“O...Otis,” I had managed to say, my heart thumping loudly.

“Oh! Look who remembers my name.” He smiled as three boys joined our table. “She happens to know me.” He turned to tell them and they guffawed in response, as the four of them surrounded me.

One even snagged my half eaten chicken. I wanted to growl at him, but I did not want trouble. I could smell one brewing already and I did not wish to add to it.

Otis was not one to let things go easily. I knew because I had seen him take his revenge on my enemies when we were younger. And now that he hated me, heaven knows what he wanted to do with me.

“W...what d...do you want w...with me?” I stuttered, gripping the edge of my chair tightly.

He cocked a brow and his smile turned smug. “What do you think, princess Nyx?”

“Princess Nyx,” his friends hollered, laughing loudly and earning stares from the students.

I did not want this. I already had so much baggage that I was struggling with and I had no intention to add Otis and his gang to it.

“Otis, w...whatever this is, we can talk it out,” I tried to pacify him.

Then his face turned serious. “Talk about it? Chat about you almost bashing my girlfriend’s pretty face and probably laugh about it over drinks, huh?”

Girlfriend? Penelope? What? I felt a pang in my chest. I did not know which hurt more, me rejecting him or him ending up with the girl who accused me wrongly.

“You have got it all wrong. This is a huge misunderstanding. ” I tried to clarify but I felt my muscles spasm involuntarily.

What the hell was going on here? Then I saw it. Otis’s hazel eyes sparked with a golden intensity and I knew he was using his Alpha suppression hold on me.

Unwillingly, I stood, walked over to his side of the table and knelt

down, my bones cracking loudly in the process. “W...what are you doing?” I groaned painfully.

He smirked wickedly. “Teaching you a lesson.” Then he turned to one of his friend. “I think she needs some colour, Benson. She looks pale.”

Benson stepped forward, a pleasant smile on his lips. “Allow me.” Then with a snap of his fingers, I felt my dress change and l looked down to see that I was clothed in oversized multicoloured pants and some boots that looked like they were yearning for the bin.

“Ben sure has gotten better, his last clown costume certainly didn't look this nice,” someone praised from the crowd and I felt embarrassment wash over me.

He had dressed me in a clown’s costume? Almost immediately, some funny music starts playing from invisible speakers.

The hall filled with laughter and some students begun filming.

“You should dance too.” Otis chimed, his playful tone back and he nodded at another friend.

I felt the suppressive hold leave my body, replaced by a fuzzy feeling that eluded from the wand the boy directed at me. Then I was moving, dancing hysterically.

The uproar grew louder as everyone laughed hard at me. I felt my chest constrict tight, a sharp pain piercing through it.

I already figured resuming the academy a year later was going to be tough, but I had never thought it was going to be this tough.

Could I survive two years in this hell hole?