SERAPHINA'S POV
I arrive at the cafeteria just minutes after the bell has rang, joining the line leading up to the various options of meals splayed out like a buffet, while dragging my feet on the ground.
My mood is still sour from both encounters with Lucian and Artemis.
Lucian treating me like a hopeless and helpless cause, and Artemis thinking he can dictate every part of my life, even down to who I talk to. What is even wrong with him?
Without his threat, I doubt I would have considered even talking to Lucian ever again, but he didn't have to say it that way, bossing me around, making me really feel like I am a slave.
That's what the agreement entails though; me having to answer to him even if I don't like it, or I leave school like a coward.
I angrily scoop the rice into my plate, taking three full scoops and filling a section before moving ahead again for some sauce to go with it, slamming it onto my plate roughly.
My entire day just keeps getting messier, just like this plate of food, and it's all because of the both of them putting me in a sour mood, right from the very first class that should have been relaxing.
I grab a glass cup of orange juice, maneuvering my way forward when the guy in front of me raises his hand without warning and the juice immediately spills right onto my sky blue top, staining it.
Just great.
As if it couldn't get worse than this.
I hiss at the guy that only slightly turns his head to me.
He glances at my wet top before looking all over it for a second, then returning his attention to the group he's conversing with like I don't exist.
"Excuse me. I'm sure you're not blind to see that you spilled juice all over me." I snap at him.
His obvious rudeness and unremorse annoys me more than it usually does. The last thing I need is another person treating me like dirt.
He pauses again to look at me with a raised eyebrow, this time surprised that I actually spoke to him instead of walking away.
"Apologies, I didn't notice you behind those massive melons on your chest. Actually, looking at them makes me realize that my friends and I are low on milk. Care to fill our cups?" He says while his eyes once again sizes me up before reaching for his cup.
Bile rises up my throat and his group of friends guffaw like animals, all the while staring at me like some cheap slut, adding more insult to my already sore injury.
"Wow, how tasteful of you. You speak to your mother with that mouth of yours?"
The smirk on his lips drops, and he stares at me more seriously...but with silence.
He leans closer to me, and I'm forced to step away. The look in his brown eyes twisting into something more sinister and psychotic for a moment.
"I might be in a good mood right now, but I do bite and painfully if I might add. Sinking my teeth into you won't take anything off me."
I stare at him, creeped out by the statement. My eyes briefly fall on the guy behind him, glaring at me like I wasn't the one assaulted first. There's just something about this group that sends a chill down my spine.
For once, I bite down on my lips before I can cause more problems for myself. Yes, so maybe I'm getting smarter after all.
Plus, Artemis already warned not to get myself into any kind of trouble.
I settle for sneering at the two before walking away, and they all laugh and mock from behind, chipping off a bit of my pride.
Live to fight another day, Sera.
I walk all the way to my usual table where Olivia sits, eating a turkey sandwich while reading one of her thick books again.
Half the time when she isn't on her computer, she's nose-deep in a book. It's an endearing side of her I've come to love but right now, I'm annoyed by everything.
The first thing I do is slam my tray against the table settled in front of her.
She looks up from her book the second I'm down, through her glasses, then closing the book to look at me properly.
"You look worse than you did this morning." She comments, setting her book aside and all I do is let out an exhausted heavy sigh.
I filled her in on the situation with Artemis. The slave contract and what it entails if I don't give into his demands, plus his dumb rules as well and what I gain from it.
The look of worry on her face is probably due to it but right now, the last thing I need is pity.
"Please, tell me you found something."
Earlier today, I had asked her to help me find out every possible loophole to get myself out of the agreement with Artemis.
Who in their right mind would willing strike a deal with someone like Artemis if they don't have a death wish? It might seem good now, but I might never know when he'd pull the rug beneath my feet and remind me exactly why he's the devil.
She sighs, shaking her head and my residual hope plummets to the ground.
My shoulders lump and I dig a fork into my food, stuffing my mouth full to numb the pain.
"I'm sorry, Sera."
"It's okay, you tried." I talk with my mouth full.
"What happened to your shirt?" She finally notices the huge stain on my shirt, and I sigh, feeling more frustrated, knowing I have to walk around school with it for the rest of the day.
"Some ass spilled my drink on it when I was getting food." I say, stabbing into my plate when I think about him again.
The asshole who brazenly talked about my breasts. It's disgusting.
I continue eating through my pain. Thoughts deep in every other thing until my anger slowly dissipates again.
Finally, the question I've been wanting to ask Olivia for a while pops into my mind again.
"Hey, Olive."
"Yeah?" She responds without looking up from her book now. sipping on a small juice box.
"What's the big deal with joining the school's student council board?"
She pauses to look up at me with a raised brow now.
"Well, aside from the fact that they kind of run the school and affect what happens to every rank of students in school, they have privileges that put them above a bunch of school rules. In a sense, they're untouchable."
"Wow." I nod my head as she explains.
I didn't know they were that much of a big deal. No wonder everyone was so excited when the list of nominees was released earlier today.
"Being nominated to join the council, what does it mean?"
She chuckles now, dropping her book aside again to take a long drag at her juice. She seems exited to give me the full details.
"For starters, not just anyone gets chosen to join them. You have to have a high degree of influence in school but even influence can't get you very far enough. It's almost impossible for most people to get on the list."
I nod my head while partially deep in thought. It still doesn't add up though.
"That doesn't explain why I was nominated though." I say casually while shrugging my shoulders.
Maybe it would be explained when I go to the secretary's office later today.
Olivia freezes, and her eyes immediately snap to me.
"You were nominated? What...? For what position?'
I feel a little cheeky now, letting out a small smile.
"For the omega representative."
However, Olivia's reaction is far from what I'd expected. She suddenly spits out the liquid in her mouth the other way, pulling me out of my thoughts. Her eyes are widened, staring at me with more of a mortified look, like she'd seen a ghost.
"Olive...you okay?" I ask, looking at her, confused.
Is it that shocking that I was nominated?
"W-what... That- That means y-you'd be going up against..." Her words die off, and suddenly, her entire body begins to tremble violently like she's caught a cold.
Tears pull from her eyes while she shakes her head over and over again, muttering something inaudible to herself.
My heart freezes, and I panic from her sudden shift in mood, reaching to her from the other end of the table. This seems too extreme to be just over me getting nominated.
"Olive!" I yell her name, grabbing onto both her shoulders. "What's wrong?"
She only shakes her head, shrugging my hands off her and putting more distance between the both of us.
Something is wrong, definitely. I've never seen her react so negatively like this, shaken to her core, to the point that she can't even speak to me.
I try to talk to her again just before the public addressing system clicks on, and a female voice echoes right through it.
'All nominated candidates for the school's council board are required to report to the Administrator's office with immediate effect.'
The brief announcement concludes and the connection cuts immediately, just as soon as murmuring ensues in the cafeteria, louder than usual, with students getting excited over the announcement.
I turn to Olivia again, and she seems calmer but eerily silent.
"I have to go to the office now. Do you want me to escort you to the nurse's office?"
She shakes her head vigorously, looking at me with pleading eyes that I don't understand.
What does she want?
"Well, okay..." I say, leaning away slowly but she suddenly grabs onto my arms. Her trembling lips try to say something, but she bits on them again, remaining silent.
I stare at her, worried about her state and what suddenly sprung this on her. Now, she won't even meet my eyes even while her hand grips onto mine.
I pat at her hand, holding it in mine gently.
"Hey. It's okay if you don't want to say anything yet, okay? I promise to listen to whatever it is when you're ready." I whisper to her gently, coming over to her side and engulfing her in a hug.
She hugs me back more fiercely and a bit too tightly, likes she doesn't want me to leave, but then pulls away fast.
I look at her one last time, second guessing if I should leave her like this, but she doesn't seem to want help. I sigh, getting up from my seat and walking away towards the door, all the while feeling her eyes staring down my back as I walk away from her.