They were a lot of things I needed to hear from Tevessa, a lot of questions I wanted to ask. Spraying the potion, I taught about his garnet eyes and the tattoos on his arm. It made sense now. The tattoo was meant to be a reminder for him, a reminder that he had to complete the battle to be at peace.

Battle, battle, battle!

A battle didn't make sense was what I wanted to tell Tevessa. I would convince him to rethink, with a promise to provide a more peaceful solution to the problem. Then, I would tell Crypta to let the Uktamas handle the issue one last time and maybe, just maybe, they would provide a just conclusion.

Zadio Valimenati and Laiasona Domroyante were both deserving people. It was visible in the kind of descendants they had produced. All of them could lead well, it didn't have to be one leader and his wife.

I eventually got out of the portal to be greeted by the setting sun. Weird, there wasn't supposed to be a sun underground. I looked down. Sand was underneath my feet and the Nesylone Waters was gleaming an orange hue under the sun. I turned to see if Tevessa was close by, assuming he had got up to come up to get something. Pick pegrazh maybe, just like Tujan had did the day she saved me from Kulni, their pet cat-dog.

Tevessa was no where in the endless sand area so I made my way to the long bricks myself. I must have spent half an hour doing so because the moon was beginning to peak through and a first crystal had appeared in the sky, making the sands beautiful.

The bricks appeared darker in the night and almost difficult to be seen. This location an entryway the Royals could just get through, had I told them about it, and then they would attack every single person that leaved here.

Tujan had said that an entire community lived there. Her mum, dad, Tevessa and she were just one family, who had only but inherited the underground from Zadio Valimenati, the beginning of everything.

No. The beginning of everything was emotional instability. The first move was the death of Yvelcha Sirghasu by Zadio Valimenati and he had done it because he'd felt betrayed by his father and the Royals. It was a misguided perception of the Royals that prompted the war.

The Royals in return fought back because their ego had been hurt. By killing Yvelcha Sirghasu before she could bear a King, or a Queen, must have been a hard push to them. It was pride that prompted the reciprocation of a violent action.

Betrayal, hurt and pride. Three small words could do such harm. Three small words caused a feud that had been in existence for 140 years now. How could such hatred begin to die now? How could I fix this?

I brushed them aside. I would ask Tevessa when I met him. The bricks were only about two feet away. I walked to pass through the disguise but hit my head on a very hard surface. Because I had been almost-running, it was a deep hit.

"Ow!" I groaned and pressed my hand to my head. I had hit the bricks, not passed through them. With one hand caressing my forehead, I put my hands in the bricks. They were hard and real.

Suddenly, Kulni appeared from thin air. She growled and raised her forelimb, scratching the air just like her child had done before. She stepped closer just as I stepped back. Her pace increased, mine did too.

Then, she growled and began to chase me. I tore my eyes from the bricks and ran away from the dangerous animal. I didn't care if it was a herbivore or not, it had really sharp claws.

While running, I sprayed my portal and jumped into it. My heart was beating out of my chest, my breathing was erratic as I made it back to the familiar comfort of my purple room. Sitting down on the bed, I rubbed my head some more, while thinking about the bricks.

Something was definitely off.

***

Knowing everything about myself from a third-eye perspective that unfortunately had to Luan's, the last place I wanted to be in was Rose-Gold High. Of course, what she said was true. The poster in front of me was an attestation of that.

It was seven year-old me waving my medal in the air for all to see. I was in the centre of the picture. Above the picture was an inscription, "Born to be a leader." Below the picture read, "Meant to be a leader." Then somehow, scribbled around the entire poster was, "Vote Scother, Emerald for Class President!"

The incident was almost ten years ago. It was briefly after the tennis competition held during the school's break time. While the competition was going on, Griffin, Emily, Eleanor, Frederick  and I were having a science competition. I had won, with Griffin and Eleanor coming second and third place. My parents were called and mum had made it there.

She was in the background, my mum, beside Sandra who was clapping, a huge grin on her face. I could make out George who was standing beside King. George had a swollen forehead and his eyes were red. Josh's hand was around George's shoulder as a way od consoling him,  probably.

You wouldn't notice this if you weren't observing the picture. Everything,  but my figure, bold and proud, was blurred out so that I was the centre of attention in the picture.

I sighed as I turned around to be greeted by a large figure. I shrieked as I stepped back.

Josh Watson was in my presence with his thick lips pressed and slightly curved.

I turned to go but he held my hand. In anger, I flinched and pulled my hand away. "Stay away from me!" I seethed out.

"I... I... Ms Smith has sent me to call you to her office." I was taken aback. I didn't think Josh would ever stutter in his life nor would he do it while talking to me.

I nodded and my eyes, somehow, got it's way to his neck. There was a plaster over the now bandaged area. I breathed in and turned to leave. Josh cleared his throat and murmured, "Before you go, Emery, please..."

Joshua Watson was begging me. A proud smirk was forming its way to my face but I forced myself to keep it in. Adjusting the button of my new blazer, I turned to him. He was nervously holding on the the strap of his black leather briefcase. "I, uh, I wanted to... Say that I was sorry for... picking on you."

I wanted to see genuineness in your eyes. It was there, truly, but it was the ego in my heart that clouded the presence of its surrealism. I grabbed the hem of my blazer confidently. "Tell me, are you apologizing because you have been told to do it or because, now, you know that you can no longer pick on me as much as you wish you could."

"I... I—"

"Save yourself the embarrassment." I waved my hand in front of me. In Josh's left hand was a stack of the posters I had been staring at previously. "Have you made those?"

He followed the direction of my eyes until his eyes landed in the stack in his hand. Then he nodded, but slightly. "My group has. I am helping to post it around just as the others are doing." For the first time, I grimaced around the corridor. There were a bunch of students posting even more posters on the walls and some lockers.

Then, a boy who was passing by caught one of the pictures in his eyes and turned, saying, "Sleek! You're gon' win, Emerald." He raised his hand and showed me his five fingers. At first, I was confused until it became obvious that he was requesting a high-five. I pressed my lips and gave him what he needed.

A bunch more people passed and did the same, saying a slightly different comment each time.

"It's our way of raising awareness... It's my way of making it up to you," Josh continued meekly. "We want you to win, especially compared to your competitors."

My pride was hurt by the desire to be grateful. I tried to brush it off with a shake of the head. "Who are they?"

"Kingsley Isnaul, Frederick Reagan and Sandra Khaling."

"I mean, the members of your group."

"We are not so much. There's Eleanor, my brother, Emily, Jonah and some others. Griffin was among but he's left. I don't know why, though."

I nodded. Glancing at Josh's neck now, I felt bad. I had done that. Violence was never supposed to be the answer. That was what I wanted to stick into Tevessa's brain, and Crypta's too. By hurting people and feeling satisfied by doing so, I was defying my own ethics. The ethics that my mother had taught me.

I nodded again. "Right."

We stood there for a while. Josh, without shame, glanced up and down my body. I took a step back unconsciously. Suddenly, he blurted, "I was jealous."

"What?"

"I said I was jealous... Of you. You're... smart, and you know it, and you make everyone know it." Yep! I had heard that from Luan Adams. "Teachers were interested in you, offering opportunities to you, paying more attention to your questions in class than ln any other person. I was shunned for my grades, by both my parents and my teachers. I wanted to do better but when I approached you the first day, you turned me out."

"What? How?"

"My brother's friends had dared you to slap Jonah and... And you began to cry dramatically. I wasn't aware and was approaching when, suddenly, you began to shout at me and blame me because I was George's brother. You turned me down before I could say anything and everyone was laughing at me and calling me a... dullard!"

That wasn't how it happened. That wasn't how I had seen it happened. George and his friends were playing a stupid dare and had involved me in it. Josh Watson was the one who had introduced the idea in the first place. It had been entirely his fault.

"And Sandra's beginning to use it against you, too. It's her own way of getting upper hand in th election. You need to ask her what she's been saying, for real. The rumors are rising."

"I'm sorry," I muttered meekly but halfheartedly.

"For the seventh grade experience?"

I shook my head. "About your neck." Then I turned to leave, eyes focused on the two red doors that led to the halls. Chloe and her cheerleaders were practicing, I had heard, and the basketball players were there too.

Without I knock, I barged in, and with some newly found confidence, I screamed, "Sandra Khaling!"

Sandra was between two people. They were just about to flip her when her eyes glanced at me. Then with fury, she approached, and slapped me. "Look who shows up after being a whore!" Her voice was firm and hateful, like one who had come to a conclusion long, long ago.

It was daring me, her voice, challenging me to sow her that she didn't have an effect on me anymore. That her breezy look no longer proved any innocence in her. That her generosity as a way of being manipulative would not help her get her way today. "Here's what I think. You're only jealous that I have the one thing you can never have no matter how hard you try."

"And what is that?" She crossed her arms confidently and leaned back.

Kingsley Isnaul was standing at a distance with a brown ball held by his inner elbow. Confusion and curiosity was written all over his face. I was boiling with excitement and anger.

Kimberly's words were floating back into my head:  I am not trying to ruin what you have with Sandra. Yeah right, our relationship was already ruining. Why are you purposely hanging out with him, especially when Sandra's watching?" That didn't matter too! I didn't care anymore what anyone taught.

I stormed to Kingsley and grabbed the sides of his sports shirt. Pulling him down to me and standing on my tip toes, in the presence of all the cheerleaders and basketball players who have had a nerdy stereotype of me, I crashed my lips on his. He didn't return it, I could understand the shock.

I pulled away and said, loud enough for everyone to hear, especially Sandra, "Yes, King, I'll be your girlfriend."

A/N:
I'm slowly trying to fade back to Wattpad after so many months away.
Soon, I'll be officially back.
Please vote. ✨