On the Tuesday after school, because, according to the deal I didn't have to go to Neba today, I decided to visit Madeleine Douglass.

Maddy lived in a two-room apartment not far from Birmingham City University, the kind with an extra bed that can be unfolded from a sofa. There were two of her friends who lived with her: Margaret and Clementine. Sure, she and Rowan went to the same university, they went well as a couple, and now that it was gone, I wanted to know why. Not that it was my business or anything. I mean, I could have been at Asterion.

But I was concerned. There had to be a good reason to close my brother's heart completely.

Maddy's apartment was not close to my house, nor was it an I-can-walk-there kind of place. And, having a taxi to take me there did not seem worth it.

Not when I had Mehjazgeu — even if Crypta didn't want me using Neban oil for personal use.

I had learnt from Crypta that if you wanted to be at a particular place, you didn't necessarily have to meet the person face-to-face, as long as you think you know where exactly the person was at that moment. And because I knew, I hoped, that Madeleine was home, I sprayed the potion and thought about the front door of her apartment.

And, there, I was there. I stuck the can in my purse, took a deep breath and knocked, thrice.

"Maggie? You're here already?" I heard Madeleine's voice just as I heard footsteps from inside, approaching the door. She sounded surprised. "Did you see Clementine on your way? Did you run or something or did you not buy the—Emery Scother?"

She called out when she opened the door and figured that I was not Margaret Peterson. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?"

"Uh—why? Oh, let me guess, your brother sent you here." She threw her hands up and down. She was wearing flowered shorts and a night sleeveless top. Her golden hair was messy. I heard a chuckle, and the sound of lid against pot, which was absurd because, according to her questions, neither Clementine nor Margaret was home. "Get out!"

"Actually, no, I just wanted to see you because, well... I used to visit you before, you know, like old times." I pressed my lips and held onto my purse, trying to see who was in the kitchen.

"Come during the weekends if you want to visit like old times." She made to shut the door.

But somehow, I got so annoyed and impatient that I pushed open the door so that I could see the figure of a shirtless tattooed man. And when he turned to see me, his gunmetal grey eyes rung a bell.

"Emery?" "Sandro?" We said simultaneously.

"You know her, Ale?" Madeleine asked. Sandro was frozen to the spot, wearing only loose shorts. I could only make out his messy dark hair but I was shocked to see Sandro—Ale—in Madeleine's room. Curiously, I turned my face to the bed. Sure enough, the bed was messy too. My heart clenched, the gears in my brain turned, but once again my mouth was kept shut.

"Babe, you're asking if I know her? Rowan's feisty sister?" He moved to Madeleine and wrapped an arm around her waist then pulled her to him, giving her a light kiss on her messy golden hair. "Poor manners this girl has. I can't blame you for breaking up with Rowan."

A tear slid down my eyes. This was who she left Rowan for? A potential gangster?

I mean, who else encouraged people's brothers to waste themselves in a room, drinking beer, smoking, watching violent movies? Who else would date a girl who broke up with his friend, and so soon? Was there not anything like bro code anymore? What kind of person would care less about how a person felt?

Sandro knew the cause of Rowan's misery. And he was comfortably kissing it in front of me.

But my mouth didn't will to move. I had never felt this hurt in my entire life; I didn't know why I was feeling this.

"Listen, Emery, what did you want to talk about?" She leaned toward me and formed a mischievous smile. "Rowan? He lied to me, about you, his family, everything. He always, never wanted me to meet his parents, you see? I felt used, and, you're a girl, Em, you know we can't tolerate that."

"He was genuine," I muttered. "His feelings—"

"Save the pep talk." She rested her back on Sandro who instinctively held her. "I don't ever want to see the Scother family in my life, ever again. You all, are a bunch of losers."

I tightened my fist, Crypta was at the back of my head, telling me to own my feelings. Tevessa was telling me to never feel indebted to anyone. Josh was calling me a cry baby, pushing me to make a move, so that he could punch me and use it against me.

The thoughts made my head hot with fury, my blood boiling, but it only made me want to cry. I was crying, truly. I didn't move toward Sandro, as much as I wanted to punch him. I didn't go to Madeleine nor drag her hair and get engaged in a girl fight. I turned to walk away but bumped into a redhead holding carrier bags. They fell to the floor and the groceries came out: apples, bottles, tins, that was the much I took in before stepping over and avoiding them.

"Oh thanks, Maggie!" Madeleine said just as Margaret glanced at my eyes, right before I averted them and headed to the door.

"What's up with Emery?" I heard Margaret ask; I didn't care if she was being genuine.

"Let her. She wanted to fight for her brother, who didn't even send her. Such a fool..." She laughed. I shut the door, not wanting to hear any more of her insulting remarks, and leaned against it.

It hurt that she was right. If Rowan was here, he would scold me for trying to nose my way into his life. He would shut himself completely from me. He would begin to call me ‘Emery’ or ‘Emerald’ but never Em. Just like he had been calling dad Clark.

***

The only thing that ever took my mind off problems, besides Neba, was Mister Pat's. I made my way to the coffee shop. I walked from home because the chilly feel would help me focus less on things that hurt me.

I had wanted to go to Asterion, truly, but Crypta's words were floating around, challenging me. The words from that day he called the Mehjazgeu a thing, the day he told me I had been doing perfectly without it in previous times. That day he told me he didn't want me to feel like I needed Mehjazgeu to survive.

I wanted to show him that I could do perfectly fine without it, even though he wouldn't know if I was in Neba or not.

True to Emily's words, Mister Pat's was different today, busier and looking more professional. I could see three people in aprons moving around the coffee shop. There was a boy in an apron, holding two cups of coffee and a plate of cookies.

"Order for two cups of coffee and a plate of cookies," he called in a loud-soft voice that matched his spiky sandy hair.

A person seated at a table raised her sleeve-covered hand and the young boy headed to the table. At that table were Luan Adams and Kimberly Isnaul.

I turned away and headed to the worktop and into the kitchen. A new girl, with low reddish-brown hair, was arranging rolls on a tray. I muttered a hey and she told me to sign my name on a computer. "So Mister Jupeng knows when you come in and leave."

I nodded, slightly unsure and walked to the computer where there were already six names and the time they checked in.

Francesca Leibing,
Catherine Khan,
Alexander Britton,
Alexia McDonald,
Diego Rivas,
Joshua Remington.

I typed in my name and the time automatically appeared next to it – 4:07 p.m.

"You should join Alex now that you're ready to take in the orders now. He was covering for you. But for today, just serve."

"Oh, okay. Thank you. Where's Francesca, by the way?"

"She didn't tell me where she was going to." She pointed to the back door that led out through the back. "She was on the phone with someone and said she'd be back soon... You better go now." She finished arranging the rolls and held the tray to me.

"Ask for what table ordered this..." She told me. I put on my apron and hairnet as I accepted the tray. "I'm Alexia."

"Emery." I forced a smile. I walked out before she could try to start up a conversation.

Kimberly and Luan were still there, but I did what I had to do and called, "Order for fish rolls!" I avoided Kimberly and Luan's table, as long as I did not have to serve them.

A table of two identical boys waved a hand and I approached them and placed the tray there, not bothering to analyze their features. I only spotted, in such few seconds, their tangled butterscotch hair and oblong honey-golden faces. The one in a red shirt looked up from his phone, flashed a smile and said, ‘thank you’.

Each time my eyes met Kimberly talking to Luan, I could feel something negative seeping through me. I mean, there was Kimberly, the person who told me to do all the things I used to do before, sitting and talking to Luan, a girl who hated me.

They could be conspiring against me and I wouldn't know, so how could I trust Kimberly, truly?

I walked into the kitchen with a tray in one hand and a paper of orders fourteen-year-old Alexander gave to me in another.

***

Griffin, Emily and I were seated on one of the circular tables in the school cafeteria.

When you hear the word 'nerdy', you could imagine a boy in cargo trousers, a hoodie and thick eyeglasses, and who talks with a lisp and picks his nose.

The thing was, that was Griffin Greenwood – without the lisp and nose-picking habit.

He had ginger hair, topaz eyes and dimples whenever he spoke. Just like now when he asked me, "Have you submitted your form?"

"Uh– yeah," I replied. "Yesterday, though."

It was the last day of school for the week and Rose-Gold had granted the cheerleaders and basketball players a day off so that they could go prepare for whatever events were coming up. Like the championships for our players and the election for our cheerleaders. True to Kimberly's words, the election would be held towards the end of the term.

The twelfth graders were not here, too. They had been spending more time in their class, pretty much. Studying, probably. So, this circular yellow coverage was almost empty, and I did feel comfortable, talking to people I wasn't bothered would tell me to leave when their friends came.

"Are you ready for it, hmm?" Emily asked.

"It's in three weeks at the least. I've been practising, alone or sometimes with King, I got this, pretty much... At least I don't have to give a long perfect speech." I glanced over at Griffin.

He smiled nervously. "Lucky you," he quipped. He pushed his eyeglasses further up. "But it won't be bad, I just have to look at their foreheads, that's what Mr McMahon said."

"Hmm. It's not that easy," Emily contributed, tucking her jet-black hair behind her ear. There were freckles on her cheeks and around her nose. "But you can do it, Griffin, you're the best prospective Senior Prefect of Rose-Gold High," she encouraged, smiling.

I didn't realize Josh was behind Griffin until Griffin whimpered and I saw Josh pulling his hair. Josh dragged him up and threw him to the floor, grinning with those full lips of his. "SP Griffin Greenwood," he teased. "Go on, get up, fight me."

Griffin struggled to get up, placing his hands on the table for support. How could I have not known that Josh Watson had found a new person to pick up? I was barely there when they were around, they were tired of having to wait, of course.

And then they picked Griffin Greenwood? A person who didn't know or talk to them?

"Stop it!" I stood up and clenched my fist then walked over to Griffin and stood in front of him. Griffin had the muscles, but not the courage to fight. "You're hurting people, can't you see?"

George was seated at a table not far, enjoying the show. He pipped, "What are you going to do if he doesn't? Fight him?" He scoffed. "Don't forget how weak you are, Emery Scother."

I didn't know if it was his statement or the daring look in his azure eyes that made my breathing increase in pace. Being bullied by these people was one thing. Watching Griffin being bullied was another.

I couldn't tolerate it anymore. I couldn't tolerate watching people being hurt and not being able to do anything about it.

Like my mum who was once stuck, contemplating and making decisions that hurt her, and all I could do was think about how pained she was, without ever making a move to help her. Like when Nora was sick and all I did was give up and focus on other things. In a way, I was being self-centred, putting myself first. Tujan was accused of something I did, but all I could think of was how scared I was of getting hit by Tevessa.

Madeleine hurt Rowan and I could only cry. Every time I saw someone in a situation that needed help, I stood, I watched, and I cried.

And now that George was mentioning it, I knew he was right. I was weak, that was the problem with me. That was a problem that had to be changed.

Pushing Griffin had crossed the line, I could feel the blood from all those times I couldn't help, rushing to every part of my body, willing me to move a finger, to do something.

And I did. I punched Josh Watson right in the face.

.

A/N

Well, that is one way to end a chapter, am I right? Hehe! Raise your hand if you never thought Emery would ever punch someone 🙋🏼‍♀️

Raise your hand if you couldn't wait for her to finally get it over with. 🙋🏻‍♀️

So you see, Emerald Scother has grown up in an environment where she's beingbullied. Now, being trained by a mother who does not believe in violence is yet another major factor. Coupled with every circumstances she's had to face, it's quite normal that her body simply can't take it anymore.

Yet, even I was shocked when I wrote that very last line. I wonder what will happen next 😬

Stay tuned for more and don't forget to keep the votes coming in!!!💥💥