SERAPHINA'S POV
An hour passes by pretty quickly and I use that time reading of course, before the school bell rings, singling lunch break.
I pack up my things, getting up and walking all the way over to the cafeteria, feeling famished already and in the mood for what's on today's menu.
From where I am, I feel a certain pair of eyes digging right at me more intensely and mercilessly than everyone else's, and on instinct, I turn and meet Artemis staring at me from the other end of the hall.
Harsh deep blue eyes like a predator watching its prey.
I'm almost captivated by them, until I remember what type of monster they belong to. Shivers crawl down my spine as I immediately turn away, feeling a sense of panic washing over me. My heart clenches in dread.
It's been almost a week of him acting like I don't exist, why stare at me now? What if he really is plotting something like Olivia said? Chills break out goosebumps to my skin and I consider just skipping lunch in general.
However, just before I can sink into a pit of panic, a hand falls on my shoulder and I jump from fright, holding back the desire to scream.
"Sera, you okay?" Gabe's familiar voice coos at me with concern. and I look up at him, feeling immediate relief washing over me.
"Sorry, was just startled."
"Hey, calm down. Do you want some water?" He offers, brows drawn deeply.
My eyes trail back to the corner I'd spotted Artemis, but he's no longer there. That does nothing to pacify me, and instead, I desperately search through the hall for any sign of him. His presence always spells trouble, and right now, not knowing where exactly he was is putting me on the edge.
How can I fight against my enemy when said enemy can't even be found?
Gosh, when did I become this paranoid?
A finger snaps before my face, breaking my train of thoughts.
"Earth to Sera. Wow, you must be really tense. I guess it's good that I grabbed your lunch for you before you got here." He reveals a tray on his second hand, and all my fears are immediately shut away.
If I could cry tears of joy right now, I definitely would.
"Thank you." I beam, genuinely grateful.
He chuckles at my reaction, tugging me towards a table he seemed to have kept for us. His food tray is already there.
"Sorry I left you back there. The kid I had to tutor earlier is quite a handful. He insisted that I show up at that time. It was beyond my control." He apologizes almost as soon as we get settled.
I feel a bit guilty for being angry for a moment back then when it wasn't his fault.
"It's fine. You seemed to be in a hurry earlier, so I imagine whatever it was was important." I say, picking up my sandwich.
It feels warm and soft in my hands that I can't possibly wait another second before digging into it.
"Yeah."
I take a bit too much into my mouth, feeling the sudden burst of variable flavors that form this beautiful harmony in my mouth. Food never tasted this good back at the orphanage and I never thought it could.
I moan to myself, savoring the sweet and savory goodness.
"How do you like it? I picked the best one for you." Gabe asked suddenly, watching me eat even while he hasn't taken a bite out of his yet.
"Oh, I can tell it's really good." I say while my mouth is partially stuffed. "Thank you, Gabe. It might not be worth much, but you're a good friend; one I never thought I'd find in a place like this."
His expression crumbles for a second, avoiding my gaze for a millisecond before he shrugs.
"It's nothing. I mean, we're allergy buddies, right? We stick together."
I grinned. "Right back at you, nerd."
He smiles tightly, finally getting into his own meal while shifting his attention to his phone again.
"That's right, we never got a chance to finish the game, 20 questions. I only got to ask one." I say, taking another thick bite.
"Oh, that's true. What was your last question?" He asks, being a little too jumpy.
"I asked who you hated in this suck-ass school."
"Well..." He goes quiet, staring down at his meal. "Would it be weird if I said no one?"
"Oh...don't you hate your bullies? Artemis?"
He meets my eyes now and something about that name brings a spark to his eyes. "Hate Artemis? What? Never. He's the Alpha Prince, and he's so cool. I wish I could be like him...or be his friend at least."
I pause in my chewing because of all the bullshits I've heard and seen, this takes the cake. Artemis? Cool? In what up-side-down-world does being a bully make you cool?
"But he's a bully. You talked about once being a target and I know that things like that always go back to that jerk. Why would you want to be friends with a piece of shit?"
Gabe frowns now, almost glaring. "Look around you, Sera. Open your eyes and take a good look around. There are two sides in this school; those who matter, those who rule and make the law, those who command and no one dares to disobey, and there's people like us - the rejected, the hated, the stepped on and disgraced and beaten down at any chance. There's no fighting these two truths, because the more you try to be different, the more you try to push against the tide of villains, you're only begging for more trouble. The ranks are never gonna change, Sera; you'd always be the meaningless, weak and pathetic human, and they'd always be the predators, the Alphas who tear down little lambs like you. So, if you can't beat them..."
"...you join them." I complete his words, feeling a surge of negative emotions push through me. Anger at his choice of words for me, disappointment because I had high hopes for a smart guy like Gabe, and most of all, a nagging realization that danced around the edge of my mind.
What does he mean by joining them?
"Exactly. Look, there's no hard feelings, Sera. But I'm a prey and I have to survive one way or the other. Being useful has kept my head on my neck this long; I can't go back to being the guy that's used as the punching bag at every gym practice."
His words seem to make less and less sense, but they were still enough to ruin my appetite. I was wrong about Gabe; he's just another brainwashed student in this school who'd go along with the evils they committed.
"Uhm, okay."
Suddenly, I don't feel so chill sitting here eating while he's obviously not on my side. He just called me a meaningless human, and it hurt - it hurt so badly. Maybe because it came from someone that actually sort of matters to me.
I take a break from chewing, grabbing onto my juice box and downing a good portion of it for my parched throat, until the subtle feeling of my air ways suddenly being constricted interrupts my thoughts.
I try to take in deep breaths, thinking it's just my imagination but it only gets worse.
My nose slowly blocks until there's no air coming in and my throat blocks, so I can't breathe through my mouth either and suddenly, I'm choking.
Pain shoots up in every corner of my muscle and joint as I flail my hand towards Gabe, but all he does is stare at me with an emptiness that chills me to my bones. He just watches me choke. Wordlessly.
I signal for help, pointing at my neck, while hot tears sting my eyes painfully. And that is when he does the strangest thing.
A smirk pops at the corner of his lips, shocking me even while I choke.
He says something inaudible with a ringing in my ears, but I make out his words from reading his lips.
"You really wolfed down that peanut-butter salami sandwich, didn't you?"