Returning to his room, Astrape knew well how to get past the alarms meant to be triggered when exposed to those disobeying the curfew. Getting past the school guards often came easier than he would have expected. For some reason it was always easy for him to go unnoticed, especially in crowded areas. And just like Odigos had failed to notice his presence despite standing next to him the guards around the school would not feel his Essent whenever he made his way back to his dormitory. It was like he was invisible to the outside world, presence so frail and so unintimidating that it became quite a problem for him to establish authority even though he fully had the power and ability to do so. Knowing full well of this unwanted ability and how much of his pride it had cost him in the past he decided to take advantage of it for once.
However, after finally deciding to retire to bed after his frustrating training session, Astrape, to his dismay he found that the entrance he would normally use to get to his dormitory was locked.
"Oh crap", he muttered under his breath, "Looks like I stayed out too long this time", he thought. Knowing there was no way of forcing his way in, he quickly ran to the other side of the dorm, hoping to enter through the back door of his dormitory, but to no avail, as it too was locked up and even more firmly than the other. Astrape was running out of options and spending the night out was not one of them. His best and only option it seemed was to make like a thief in the night and make use of any openings he could find. Desperately he looked up and noticed that there were quite a few windows open. The dormitory had a high of seven floors with Astrape's room occupying the fifth and the open widow closest to him was on the lower fourth floor. This was however still a significant height but being in a rush it seemed to be the only way.
Luckily, due to his training, his physical strength was back to shape as compared to just a few weeks ago, a jump like this wouldn't be a problem for Astrape. Preparing to make the jump, he squatted, looked up and aimed for the balcony of the open window on the fourth floor. But then, suddenly…
"What are you doing here?", he heard a voice from the shadows, "How could you possibly be awake and outside your room at this hour? We both know that it's against school guide lines", the voice continued and hearing it for the second time, Astrape was stopped in his tracks, his body trembling as shivers went down his spine, and his knees gave out as he fell to the ground. This was not just an ordinary fear of getting caught in the act of his late-night errands, he was experiencing a fear that has built up since the start of his first year at Vex Academy.
He panted breathlessly, at a loss for words and his body still planted to the ground on his knees, too frightened to act. He slowly looked back over his shoulder and there she was, in his eyes a monster in human form, the one partially responsible for his awkward and anti-social reputation. She was the very definition of cruelty and she was walking right towards him. He thought to run but his legs were numb.
"Why? Why her of all people? Why is she the one to find me now? I'm so… screwed", he thought.
Reaching him she smiled as he trembled at her arrival, "Selene, I'm begging you, just spare me this one time. It won't happen again, I promise", Astrape begged rousingly.
She was his tormentor and the reason he almost never took the first step in approaching new people, when she sarcastically smirked at him his heart pounded with fear. Not a day goes by that he has not tried his best to avoid being in her presence. She single-handedly caused him trauma that he had still been healing from even to this day and now she was right in front of him.
She smirked as she poured her fruit juice over his head. Astrape would normally react in an instant despite who it was but the fact that it was the so-called "Queen of Vex Academy" did not help at all. In addition to the fact that she was the head-prefect of his grade, there was no way anyone would believe he was a victim of her abuse. Known for her talent and control of her water element she earned the nickname "The Ice-Queen" and Astrape not knowing the full extent of his abilities thought that he stood no chance against her.
Astrape could only endure her cruelty, after all what's one more humiliating act to endure compared to what he'd gone through in the past at her hands. His hair now filled with chunks of fruit from her bullish antics, she threw the cup at his face, "It's Selena you idiot. It's been about a month since we started sharing a class and you're forgetting my name already? Guess you're more of a dumbass than I always thought you were", she said to him. Astrape could only listen, looking down to the ground. She continued, "You look at me when I talk to you". Knowing her she would probably use this situation to take advantage of him even more.
"Pathetic as ever I see, and what could you possibly be doing out this late?", Selena asked. "You and I both know it's well past curfew, so what could it be this time, mousy wretch?", she mockingly asked as her long-term nickname for him stung his heart yet again.
Astrape hastened to reply, "I… I… I can't tell you that, I'm sorry. But please… I beg you, please do me this favor and don't speak about this to anyone, please".
Selena smirked, "You have the audacity to try and strike a deal with me? What makes you think I'd even consider it?", she replied.
"I promise it's not a deal, it's only a favour that I ask from you just this once. And if you'd like I would do something for you in return, as long as it's within my power", Astrape assured.
"That's called a deal you moron. But since you suggested it, what's in it for me?".
"I… I don't know… yet. But I promise, as long as it's within my power", pleaded Astrape.
"Well since you offered, how about your month's allowance and your lunch money for tomorrow and the next day and the day after until I say otherwise".
"But with all due respect I need that money more than you, I can't just…".
"I could get you suspended for this y'know. Plus, given the fact that you're most recent results were not even up to standard, I think it'd actually be that easy", she informed him.
Astrape could not grasp why she would even go that far and with everything that was going on in his life he just could not maintain character anymore, "WHY?! WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?! WHAT IN THE WORLD COULD I HAVE POSSIBLY DONE FOR YOU TO TREAT ME LIKE THIS?!! Like… Like I'm just some sort of garbage! day after day and time after time. ever since I arrived here!", he burst out feeling indignant. "I'm not trash Selena, I'm just me, like you are you, just human", he softly added.
"No", she calmly replied, "You are trash and that is exactly why I treat you like this. Plus, I just don't like to see you happy, I just think it's annoying when you're smiling".
Looking at her, it seemed as though she meant what she said and it stung like tiny needle to the heart. Astrape helplessly looked down and held back his tears. She already saw enough of his pitiful self; he did not need to give her more fuel to fulfill her cruel desires.
"Oh, did I go too far? Anyway, I'll expect both the lunch money and allowance tomorrow morning, should be easy for you since we're in the same class and all. I'll be waiting by the front door of your dorm when you're done soaking, Mousy-Wretch", she said, walking away to open the front entrance of his dormitory.
After forcing back tears, Astrape got back on his feet and met her by the front entrance of his dormitory. Being the head prefect of her grade Selena possessed copies of keys to every dormitory. She opened the door allowing him to pass by her. Astrape quickly walked through the door and into the dining hall of the dorm in silence, looking to the ground averting any eye contact.
As he walked away, leaving her by the entrance, she noticed the bruises he'd been trying to hide throughout their conversation. She smirked, "So that's what you'd been doing all this time", she muttered to herself. "Astrape!", she called out "There's one more thing", she said as she quickly approached him. "Your arms… you been training, haven't you?", she asked.
This stunned Astrape, was she actually showing care? "Wai,t this monster, is she actually concerned right now?" he thought.
Selena slid her fingers up his arm and suddenly…
Frost spread outward from under her arm, thin veins of white crawling over the surface of Astrape's skin. Crystals thickened, layer upon layer until the shimmer hardened into a solid block of ice incasing his right arm like it were a cast. With a cold look she said to him "That'll teach you not to miss curfew", before walking away.
"Never… Never again will I have hope that this… bitch could maybe have some good in her heart. I need to get this tournament crap over with!", he thought in rage.