Dawn was painting Apexia's glass and steel silhouette crimson when I was already on my way to the institute. My purpose was simple: to arrive at school before Luna and her shadow army, to start the day one step ahead of those fake courtesies and calculated smiles. Marcus's growing closeness with them created a cold knot in my stomach. But this was part of the plan. To find the antidote to a poison, one first had to be exposed to that poison. For Marcus to truly see Luna, he needed to orbit around her a little longer.
I had arrived at school an hour and a half earlier than usual. I would use this extra time to collect my thoughts, to find a space that belonged to me. Away from the institute's ostentatious buildings, I headed toward the wooded area adjacent to the junkyard in the back. I walked among these thick trees I had never entered before and finally found what I was looking for: a small clearing surrounded by dense vegetation, hidden from view. I could build a castle here, I thought to myself. A mental castle.
From the nearby junkyard, I found several useful, straight pieces of wood among the discarded construction materials. Taking care not to be seen by anyone, I carried these pieces to the clearing I had discovered. This would be my refuge; the place where my strategies would be born, where my thoughts would brew. I began arranging the wood I had brought over a flat rock to create a simple seating area. Physical labor was enough to calm the chaos in my mind for a while.
I hadn't realized how time had passed. When I looked at my phone, I saw there were only twenty minutes left until class. I quickly gathered myself and returned to the path leading to the main building. Just then, I saw two familiar silhouettes on the road leading to the courtyard. Ella and Felissia.
When I approached them, both were surprised. Ella's face showed that sweet, shy smile as always. "Good morning, Octavian."
The real surprise came from Felissia. "Good morning. How are you?" she said, with neither sarcasm nor coldness in her voice. It was just a simple, sincere question. For a moment I raised my guard but then gave up. I don't need to constantly build a defensive wall against this girl, I thought to myself. If she wants to run away, she'll run. If she wants to get closer, she'll try. I'll just act normal.
"I'm fine, thank you," I said. "You're both quite early too."
"Couldn't sleep," Felissia said, shrugging.
Just then, we were startled by distant laughter coming from the institute's main entrance. Luna and her group were coming with Marcus. Marcus was carrying both his own bag and Lyra and Vipsania's bags, but his face showed not fatigue but the happy expression that comes from belonging to a group. As they passed by us, they only gave me a brief nod. The invisible distance between us had now become tangible. Although this situation hurt me, I reminded myself that I shouldn't interfere. The game was continuing.
When we entered the classroom, the tension in the air had turned into electricity. Professor Aurex Cassimar's class was about to begin. The man sat at his podium, fingers interlaced, surveying the class like a spider waiting for its prey.
The lesson turned into a psychological battlefield as expected. With the questions he asked and the comments he made, Aurex found the weakest points in everyone's mental armor and struck there mercilessly. He mocked Lyra's joking, labeled Vipsania's aggressiveness as ignorance. When it was my turn, he chose a different method. He called me to the board, had me solve a complex problem, and then without saying a word, said, "Erase it." He made me repeat this exactly three times. His purpose wasn't to measure my knowledge but to test my patience and control. Each time I silently obeyed. This was his little war and I wouldn't give him the reaction he wanted.
As the lesson neared its end, Portia-Clara gathered her courage and asked that infamous question. "Professor, what will the final exam be like?"
A devilish smile appeared on Aurex's face. "Hmm, exam..." he said, rolling the word around in his mouth. "I'm thinking of giving you a chance." His eyes locked directly on me. "Octavian, tell me. For a genius, which is more challenging: a difficult exam that must be overcome alone, or organizing a group full of ordinary people and directing them toward a common goal?"
This was a trap. Whatever answer I gave would be used against me. I thought for a brief moment. "Bringing people together for a common purpose and organizing them, especially people with different goals, can often be more complex than even the most difficult equations, Professor."
Aurex's smile widened. "An excellent answer. Exactly what I wanted to hear." He turned to the class. "Then we're changing the exam system. Next week I'll divide you into groups of ten. Within two weeks, you'll prepare and present a project on the topic I give you. If you succeed in making me happy with your presentation, forty points will be added to everyone in the group's average."
A wave of joy spread through the classroom. But Aurex's second sentence instantly froze this joy.
"If you fail," he said, not hiding the pleased tone in his voice, "forty points will be deducted only from the group leader's average. The rest of you will try to pass the course with your midterm grades."
A deathly silence fell over the classroom. This wasn't teamwork; it was Russian roulette.
And then Aurex delivered the final blow.
"I'll arrange the groups, of course. But you, Octavian Corvus..." he said, pronouncing my name like a conviction. "You who don't like to get your hands dirty, who only watch and analyze from afar... You will be a group leader."
Professor Aurex Cassimar's final sentence hung in the air like a guillotine suspended from the classroom ceiling. The buzz and cries of joy in the class had given way to curious and accusatory looks fixed on me. A forty-point reward had now turned into a forty-point penalty, and I was the sole recipient of that penalty. All the calculations in my brain, all my plans had stopped. Flavia's exam, Luna's games... everything had suddenly lost its importance, left half-finished.
Even when the bell rang, I couldn't move from my seat. While the students around me gathered their things and left, I was still crushed under that invisible weight.
"Hey."
Ella's soft voice pulled me from the dark thoughts I had fallen into. When I raised my head, I saw her and Felissia standing beside my desk.
"I don't think there will be any problems in a group with you," Ella said, with sincere confidence in her voice. "You'll be amazing."
Felissia also unexpectedly agreed with her. "Ella's right. You can handle this."
Her support surprised me so much that I involuntarily asked, "Do you really think so?"
"Of course," she said, shrugging. "Who else could do it?"
Just then, two giant shadows fell over us. "What's wrong, champion?" Gaius's booming voice said. "Don't you have confidence in yourself?" Cassius was also there, arms crossed over his chest, looking at me with a mocking smile.
Their unwavering confidence, combined with Ella's warm gaze, seemed to melt the icy mass inside me a little. Without taking my eyes off Ella, I said, "Don't worry. Yes."
At this point, Vipsania and her group approached us. "Your philosophical answer caused all this trouble for us, Octavian," Vipsania said in a needling tone. "But if I won't be the leader, no problem. It's like a forty-point bonus for me."
My eyes scanned the crowd. "Where's Luna?"
"What's wrong, did you miss me, Octa?"
Luna was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed over her chest, watching us. She glided over to me with feline grace and linked arms with me without hesitation.
"Where did you go?" I asked, trying not to show that I was uncomfortable with this sudden closeness.
She winked. "To the bathroom. Did you worry about me?"
This scene caused Marcus's face to tense up a few meters away from us. Felissia had also frowned. Luna, having noticed both reactions, immediately made a new move. She let go of my arm and stepped in front of Felissia.
"Felissia, your eyes are so beautiful," she said in an admiring voice. "You don't wear contacts, do you? This color must be natural." Then she turned to me. "Octa, you like this color, don't you?"
Before I could answer, she went over to Ella and hugged her. "You're so cute today too. When I look at you, I think of a hamster. Those cute cheeks, that shy manner..." she said, getting even more clingy.
To end all this theater, I intervened. "Come on, stop being clingy and let's eat."
"Are we eating together?" Vipsania asked, wrinkling her face. "I don't like cafeteria food."
Luna immediately took the pass. "You don't like it either, do you Marcus?" When Marcus nodded in agreement, Luna turned to the group. "We'll order something from outside. Enjoy your meal," she said, taking Marcus and the other girls with her and disappearing down the corridor.
The tense atmosphere had somewhat dispersed with their departure. Only me, Gaius, Cassius, Ella, and Felissia remained.
"Thank goodness we escaped," Cassius said. "Come on, let's go to the cafeteria."
As we walked toward the cafeteria, Gaius spread his arms to both sides, imitating Marcus. "Our Marcus has become quite popular. He's carrying the girls' bags and everything."
Cassius laughed. "Leave the kid alone, he's getting attention for the first time in his life."
I listened to them silently. This deadly game that Aurex had set up had changed not only my dynamics but everyone's. And I, as the pawn at the center of this game, was carrying everyone's fate on my shoulders.
[Same Moment – The Library Entrance – Felissia's Perspective]
In the silence of the library, the words of the distance learning course reflected from my data pad screen were flowing like meaningless stains. My mind wasn't here. My mind was stuck in those moments hours ago, at Octavian's desk in Professor Cassimar's classroom.
I had started everything differently today. Sitting with Ella in the courtyard in those early morning hours, I thought about how ashamed I was of that initial meaningless competitive feeling I had toward her. She had always been kind to me, always ready to take a step forward. Her non-judgmental attitude had thrown my own mistake, my fallacy of constantly seeing people as rivals, back in my face. And Octavian... I had been unfair to him too. I had run away from him. I was afraid that the brilliance of his intelligence would reveal my inadequacy, my old ignorance.
That's why I had tried to keep him away from me with needling words or cold distance. I knew this attitude made him suspicious, but despite all these walls I had built, he was so protective toward Ella, so sincere... At that moment I made a decision. I would make up for my mistakes. I had to support him.
Because he was like a sun. His intelligence illuminated his surroundings, and I needed his light, his advice to purify myself from that old, arrogant ignorance and grow. And maybe... Maybe a part of that light, a tiny piece of that innocent, warm interest he showed Ella could touch me too. This thought stood in a corner of my heart as a desire that was difficult to confess.
When I saw the collapse on Octavian's face after Professor Cassimar's ruthless decision, I instinctively sprang into action. When Ella and I supported him together, when he asked "Do you really think so?" the surprise and gratitude in his eyes seemed to prove I was on the right path.
But then Luna came.
There was something disturbing about her presence. That sticky intimacy, those calculated compliments... Everything seemed to serve a purpose, and that purpose was never your well-being. Everything around her, all people, all events seemed forced to flow according to her will, to conform to her scenario.
Her praising the color of my eyes, then immediately connecting the topic to Octavian... This wasn't a compliment; it was a show of power. It was a way of saying, "Look, I know your weakest point and I'll use it however I want."
And then hugging Ella and calling her a "hamster"... At that moment my blood froze. This wasn't a display of affection. This was an insult. To put someone in a cage, to classify her as a "cute, harmless pet." She was belittling her. But she did it in such a sweet way that it was impossible for anyone except Ella to notice it at that moment.
And then, as if nothing had happened, she split the group in two. As she left with Marcus and the others, the strange silence she left behind was proof of what a master manipulator she was.
Walking toward the cafeteria, I listened to Gaius and Cassius's jokes, but my mind was elsewhere. Where should I stand in this complex game? Luna was the most dangerous shadow around Octavian. But on the other hand, if I wanted to be close to Octavian, to that sun, I would have to learn to somehow get along with this dark planet in his orbit.
Whatever happened, I had made my decision. I would stand by Octavian. Because a mind like his shouldn't be lost in such dark shadows. And I would do everything in my power to prevent that loss. Maybe then, a part of that sun, a crumb of that pure and selfless love he offered Ella, would reach me too.
[Same Moment – The Library Entrance]
The distance learning course continuing on my data pad screen was going in one ear and out the other. My mind was busy calculating the possibilities of that devilish trap Professor Aurex had set. I was also thinking about tomorrow. I had a meeting with Flavia. I had to collect my thoughts before this meeting. I should go to my refuge early in the morning, I thought. There, away from the institute's chaos, everything would seem clearer.
My gaze drifted from the data pad screen to the other end of the library. Ella was listening to the lesson attentively as always, occasionally taking small notes. Felissia sitting next to her was distracted, just like me. Her recent change, this unexpected closeness, was another equation I needed to solve. But for now, this equation could wait.
When the lesson ended, our small group gathered as usual. But this time there was an atmosphere of dispersal. Cassius and Gaius quickly said goodbye, saying they had training. Felissia also waved at us, saying her bus had arrived, and walked in the opposite direction.
Finally, only the two of us remained. Ella and me.
We walked silently toward the bus stop. The evening sun left an orange trail among Apexia's towers.
"That group project..." Ella began, breaking the silence. "It seems to have really scared you."
"More than scared," I confessed. "This isn't an exam; it's a death warrant."
"Don't exaggerate," she said, smiling. "If you're the leader, that group will succeed. I believe in you."
When we got on the bus, we sat side by side. After watching outside through the window for a while, Ella took out her data pad from her bag. On the screen, a video of a clumsy kitten fighting with a ball of yarn was playing. When the cat finally disappeared inside the ball, I couldn't help but laugh. Ella joined in my laughter. She showed me a few more funny cat videos.
At that moment, neither the group project nor the professors' pressure was on my mind. There was only the cheerful laughter of the girl sitting next to me and the cute animals on the screen. "I think we both love cats," Ella said as she closed the videos. "It seems so," I replied.
Her simple, unquestioning trust and the warmth from the moment we had just shared lightened that heavy burden inside me for a moment. "Thank you, Ella."
When we reached the beginning of the street leading to her house, Ella said with some sadness, "We don't have class tomorrow, so we won't see each other, will we?"
"Actually, I have to stop by school," I replied. "Professor Flavia called me."
A worried expression appeared on Ella's face. "Are you going alone? That woman is a bit... scary." Even this simple concern triggered the protective instinct inside me.
"No problem, I'll handle it," I said. When I saw the disappointment on Ella's face, another idea came to mind. "But... if you want, let's go out afterward. I've wanted to buy some books for a long time. Would you like to come with me?"
Ella's eyes lit up. "Really? I'd love to! I'd love to!"
This enthusiastic response created an involuntary smile on my face. "Okay then," I said. "I'll call you after I finish with Flavia."
After dropping her off at her house and returning to my own path, lightning began to flash in my brain. Wait a minute... We'll go out afterward. Just the two of us. To buy books...
A cramp entered my stomach. I felt my cheeks burning.
Was this... was this a date?
I didn't understand how I got home. When my mother saw me in the living room, she asked, "What's wrong with you, you look like you've seen a ghost?"
"Mom," I stammered. "I... I'm going to buy books with Ella tomorrow."
A warm smile I had never seen before, one that understood everything, appeared on my mother's face. "I'm so happy that you're growing up, my son."
Just then my sister Marcella came out of her room and teased, "Ooo, did big brother finally find someone?" I glared at her but she didn't care. "Wait, I arranged different things for you," she said, running to our parents' room and returning with hangers.
One was a bright, patterned shirt I would never have dared to wear before, the other was form-fitting, elegant trousers.
"What are these?"
"These aren't 'just going to buy books' clothes, big brother," she said, winking.
When I lay down on my bed that night, my mind was in chaos. On one side was the deadly trap Aurex had set, on the other side was the critical meeting I would have with Flavia. But the place my mind was most stuck on was that simple, ordinary event that would happen tomorrow.
I'm just going to buy books tomorrow, I tried to convince myself. This isn't a date.
But I couldn't stop my heart from racing.
And there's the battle with Flavia... That's much more important.
It was important, wasn't it?