A love Since Forgotten Part 2: The Beta Academy for Girls

The morning was slow, dull, boring. It was raining, and the sun had hid behind the gray clouds and seemed to fade away every passing hour. I watched the rain fall and land on my windows, the droplets making a ticking noise every time. Tick…..Tick….Tick…..Tick Tick Tick….Over and over the same ticking, while I just stared at the window. My pale sunken face just watching, the color no longer present in my once blue eyes.

No one had bothered to wake me that morning. Everyone was too somber to even bother each other, let alone speak. Everyone moved and worked in silence, but at the same time doing nothing but walking around like zombies. No one bothered to eat, so the chef had not cooked a thing, but only stood in the kitchen door-way and smoked a cigarette and thought about his own life. After the house was clean, the staff left off into the city to escape the lurking demon that haunted the house with nothing but hurt and tears. This house would never be the same again.

Her room was cleaned out. The drawers emptied, the mattress stripped down and brought off of the bed frame and against the wall. The little knick knacks put in a box to be stored in the attic to be forever forgotten. Everything was dismembered, the lamps put up, and the closet cleaned out, the curtains taken down. The room completely bare just like it was before.

I hadn't dared wanted to walk into that room, afraid that the plague of tears would come to me once more. I had stopped crying last night, I don't want to start again.

When I had walked by the room, I saw two of the staff talking quietly in the room. When I came into sight, they immediately quieted down and looked at me, sorrow in their eyes. The younger woman, a woman in her mid-thirties with vacant green eyes and tied up black hair. The approached me as I walked into the room slowly. She took my cheeks in her hands and kissed the both of them, like a mother would a child.

"There child." She cooed as she then held me in her arms. Despite being 10 I still was a baby to them. They loved me, they comforted me when I needed it. But never really had done so because Lin Ju was always there to take that place. But now they see this as a bit of freedom, to get a chance to raise me in her place. With her here they knew that she was taking that position, and they acted as though Lin Ju would snap their necks if they came near me.

"Mariana, please stop smothering the child. She's nearly grown." The man had scolded her. She then loosened her hold on me, but still held her gaze at me. Even though I felt a motherly aura from her, she was no Lin Ju.

I broke my own gaze and gently shooed her hands away from me. I had not come in here to be held by people who think they understand. People who think they understand what I am going through, what pain I feel. I do not want to be held by anyone, I want to be left alone.

I quickly walked out of the room. The tears still threatening to spill. I wiped them away before the first drop could fall and picked my head up, not wanting anyone else to see me the way I was.

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I eventually raced down stairs to grab my coat and head out the door. The day was musty, no sunlight showing, the rain still falling. But I hadn't cared to bring an umbrella. I pulled up my hoodie and hid my bright red locks inside. I kept my head down as I walked, watching my feet as they trailed me anywhere around the neighborhood. Some locals had greeted me, I wouldn't look up though. But I had eventually to take in the scenery, deciding not to appear that I had a lot going on to the people who I had assumed only wanted to know other's business.

The neighborhood was just as dull. The apartment buildings tall; and the plants being the only source of real color. Some shops were present next to the apartments, little coffee shops where the strong smell of coffee beans and scones invaded my nostrils. Some people sat on the nearby benches and talked in heavy fluent French. Some smoking, some just listening to the other speak while they looked on and pretended to listen on the low.

I eventually stopped by another coffee shop four blocks away from where I was at first. My legs feeling like jelly and my hands starting to feel like icicles I walked into the quiet shop and the scent of vanilla mixed with cinnamon hit my nose. I took a seat and a waiter took my order, I was thankful that I understood French.

I slowly drank my late, all the while looking out at the gloomy world beyond myself. I hadn't even noticed someone had taken a seat in front of me until they had spoken.

"You know, even though France is supposed to be a lively city, it's so dead inside. But no one truly knows, until you are dead inside yourself….." A female voice brought me out of my personal trance.

I looked up, and a girl about my age greeted me. With pale skin and raven black hair pulled up in a ponytail with a purple band. Black lip gloss adorned her lips, complimenting her hints of eyeliner and mascara. She had on a black hoodie and looked at me with the same expression I had on my face, sorrow.

I looked back down before speaking. "Very true, for a girl of my age to feel so dead inside and realize it?"

She grunted quietly, "What's so wrong with that? It just means you aren't so ignorant to the obvious. You'd be more capable of handling hurt more. You'd stop it before it happens…." She trailed off, catching a waiter and ordering an expresso.

She seemed to regain something in herself and managed a smirk, turning to me again.

"Where are my manners? You'd probably think I'm crazy for just coming up and sitting with a random person." She held out her hand for me to shake. "Johanna Arleta Lemuria…..H-heir to the Lemuria fortune" She grimaced at the last part. I smirked a bit.

"Ariel Sebastian Triton, heir to the Triton Fortune…." I scowled and she managed a small chuckle, eventually we ended up full out laughing are butts off, setting everyone who was in the small café to look at us like we were crazy.

We drunk our drinks and headed out of the café together.

"I haven't seen you here before, you must be new eh?" Johanna said to me

I nodded "Yeah, I'm not even settled into this place yet. I just found my way by walking."

She nodded before asking "Where did you originally come from then Triscon?"

"It's Triton"

"Yeah yeah Triceratops." She smirks at me humorously.

I giggle. "Came from Athens, Greece."

"I knew you had an accent to you Green bean!" She says kind of cheerfully. I could tell she was trying to lighten the both of our moods. I giggle and she giggles back but reverts back to the person she introduced herself to.

We walk down the street towards my house. We talk about things like where we came from, and what school we are attending.

"Yeah green bean. Since your new here, what school are you going to?" She asked me

"Well my father said I will be attending the Beta Academy School for girls." I tell her and she looks up at me with knowing.

"I go to that school. It's ok if you ask me, it's just you feel suffocated being around a bunch of snobby rich girls. Besides the people, the academics are good." She tells me. For a girl with an obvious dark personality, she has a spark of light to her.

"So all I'm hearing is, watch out for the mean girls." I say

"Basically, everyone." She tells me and I laugh just as we turn the corner and are in front of my front door. I unlock the door and we step in, just as Johanna walks into the room, a maid hurries in and beats a Chinese broom at her feet.

"No shoes in the house! Take them off at the door!" She scolds Johanna, but Johanna obeys and walks back into the foyer to take off her shoes. Meanwhile the maid gives me a look, I shoot one back at her and she walks off grumbling about not being paid enough to clean and take care of a kid. She is the only maid that I don't like.

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Johanna comes back and we head into the kitchen. Chef Filipe is in the kitchen, smelling of cigarettes and a shot of booze. He looks at me wearily, the narcotic already taking hold of him. I look him straight in the eye, walk to the refrigerator, and get peanut butter and jelly and go over to the pantry to retrieve bread. Filipe walks over and attempts to make the sandwiches himself but I shoo him away politely and make them myself. Johanna sits on one of the stools and waits patiently while I make our sandwiches. After I am done I hand her hers and we eat in silence. After we are done I toss our dishes in the dish washer and I make my way up to my room, Johanna behind me.

When we enter, Johanna makes herself at home and chills on my bed. I feed my fishes and make my way to the closet to show her my uniform. It is merely a dark red vest with a black skirt and I have to wear a white collar shirt underneath.

"Don't worry about anything stupid there, it's not going to be worth it. It's not worth making friends with those snakes. It's not worth fussing over a petty boy" She gagged "And it's not worth letting your grades slip. This is an all-girls school, mess with the wrong girl and you'd be eaten alive. But you shouldn't worry about that, you'll be fine green bean." She tells me and walks over to one of the windows.

"Wait." I say to her, "If it's an all-girls school, then why worry over a boy?" I ask, she sighs and turns back to me, walks over, and sits on my bed.

"Across from the Academy is a boy's school. The Boys Stagg Union Prepatory Academy. They are a bunch of jerks, but the girls in our school constantly fight over them. Don't get your hopes up on a date, those boys are all stupid." She huffed and laid down on my bed, looking up at the ceiling.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm not really into boys anyway." I tell her.

"Well alright, she says. She looks at her watch and shoots straight up with wide eyes. She hops off of my bed and rushes to the door, me in tow. I try questioning her on her sudden rush. But she just huffs as she goes and makes her way to the foyer to retrieve her boots. In an instant, she's out the door…

April 17, 1994- Paris, France- 6:00 A.M

I sat up, still half asleep and hella tired. Today was my first day of school, I groaned. I wasn't ready to face school, especially a school for girls. I hadn't heard from Johanna in 3 weeks, I had actually begun to think she would be my friend, but I guess I was wrong…..

I swing my legs out of bed and slowly make my way to the bathroom. I wash, clean my face, brush my teeth, and brush and design my red hair. I study it, it's turning darker the older I get.

I make my way downstairs, half of the staff is awake and already tending to today's chores. That's their little way of getting things done so they'd be done by noon. The staff working in the living room greet me quietly and I wave and make my way to the kitchen. The chef is still asleep, he wakes up at nine instead of seven like he was appointed to.

I grab a juice pouch out of the fridge and drink. I don't really indulge in breakfast much. I see my lunch bag already packed and waiting for me on the counter, at least he managed to make me that for today. I grab my lunch and head out, a car already waiting for me.

The drive to the school was short, but felt long enough. I wondered if this school would be like Johanna said. A bunch of snooty, stuck up rich girls. But I knew I would have to wait and see.

I finally pulled up to the school. It was large, like a campus. It was big and white stone like an average Victorian style university with a large lush green lawn sprawled with cherry blossom trees ready to bloom. The whole campus is surrounded by a grand golden gate and a few cars parked in the front. The lawn was littered with girls all dressed in uniform and talking or walking into the school.

I stepped out, nervous but excited altogether. I loved school actually, the academics and the clubs. I guess it was mainly because I was never bothered and always found school easy. But just looking at these girls, I knew that I would be picked on. I put on a straight face and walked into the school, receiving some curious looks and whispers along the way. Where in the heck is Johanna?

I enter the great school and awe at my surroundings. The inside is much grander than outside. Everything is white and pink and gold. White walls, pink floor length lockers and gold painted doors. The front stairs on the far end of the grand entrance is golden as well and leads up to the second floor, littered with girls walking up and down and greeting each other along the way. The entrance leads two ways to which I'll have to learn later and to the right of the stairs is two golden grand doors with a plaque on the left door that says 'Administrative Office'. I go over and enter.

A lady, probably middle aged with blonde/grey hair and light wrinkles around her cheeks and eyes, greets me with very kind maroon eyes. She wore a baby pink blouse with white button up shirt and her hair was done in a tight elegant bun with a ribbon styled in. She spotted me from her paperwork and offered me a smile before standing and coming over to shake my hand.

"Good morning Ms! And you are?" she asks,

I hesitate and say "Ariel Trition….I'm new here…" I tell her, still shy. She giggles at this and pats me lightly on my shoulder, gesturing me over to the golden desk she sat at. I sit in the Victorian white and gold chair in front of it and fondled with my skirt as the lady took out some paper work and mumbled under her breath. She then made a call to who I assume was the principal and I was called in.

I got up and went into the second pair of grand doors on the far left side of the Administration room. When I stepped in the lady closed the door and I was left to look around until my eyes landed on a similar woman, but she had a different air around her.

She couldn't have been no older than 60 years old, with her glamorous stark silver gray hair pulled back in a tight elegant bun. Her stern face was too sprinkled with light wrinkles in the right places but her eyes were cold steel. She wore a coal black suit from which I could see. She looked at me with an authoritative stare which urged me to sit in front of the elegant mahogany desk. The room itself was similar to the rest of the school but everything wooden was mahogany and furniture black.

When I sat down I twiddled with my fingers while the principal got up and went to a filing cabinet and retrieved what looked like my files. She looked them over while walking over back to her desk, stamped some papers, and then spoke to me.

"Ariel, Ariel Triton. Originally from Athens, Greece and attended the Athenian School for The Preforming Arts." She stated, her tone flat and emotionless. She studied me before starting up again.

"What'd you do?" She demanded from me,

"I-I- I played the violin Ma'am." I said nervously, I wished I could just fall back into the chair I was sitting in and hide. I could tell today I wouldn't do very great at making any type of friends.

She nods "Very well, you'd do great in our music program. And just our luck, we needed an extra violin player on the front row." She stated to me, there was no point in telling her I didn't want to continue my violin anymore as the way she said I would do good in the music program here wasn't a statement, it was an outright demand with no choice or say.

I went back to looking down and fumbling with my fingers before she went to swat them away. I looked at her, baffled, I didn't like being touched, end of story.

"I do not tolerate that behavior Ms. In my presence you turn all attention to me. Do you understand?" She demanded an answer from me.

I took a deep breath, trying to contain my anger with this lady for swatting my hands away. "Yes Ma'am" I managed to push out.

She nodded sharply and pressed an intercom button. "Ms. Beaver, please hand Ms. Triton her Admission papers and see her on her way." She says, and the nice lady who greeted me before is there within a second, my papers in hand. She waves to me to follow her and I shoot up and leave before saying goodbye to the principal.

The lady, Ms. Beaver, puts a gentle hand on my shoulder and looks at me. "Don't you worry about her" She tells me "She's retiring next week. Our new principal won't give you so much of a headache after this one is gone love" She reassures me with a warming smile, and I smile back.

She ushers me out back into the school and I look about my surroundings again nervously, I looked at my schedule, the bell rings in 35 minutes, and my first period I have a school made class called, projects and planning? Wait what?

I didn't realize I was walking down the hall into I bumped into someone quite roughly.

"Watch where the hell you're going shrimp!" A girl hissed at me and that's when I finally looked up

The girl must have been evil in the flesh just looking at her. She had skin so pale it nearly looked a light shade of lavender and white hair done in a high ponytail and dark red lips with a mole on the left side up. She wore the school uniform, but it instead of the normal school colors which were dark red, black and white, she wore a black vest with matching skirt and red color shirt and red stockings with black boots. She sneered at me, I could tell we wouldn't like each other.

The girl seemed to regain herself in a sarcastic way and rolled her eyes so that she looked up at the ceiling, to top it off she put her hand on her chest in a dramatic way and spoke to me.

"Oh ho ho ho goodness me! That's not how a Beta Academy young lady should speak." She says in a sultry spoken way, but I knew it was really sarcasm. She finally drops the dramatic pose and holds her red polished hand out to me in which I take but instantly regret it as she dug her sharp nails into my skin. I held back a wince and my anger altogether.

"Ursula, Ursula Arleta Brennan." She pretty much brags to me. I feel an eerie air around her, but for some reason, I'm drawn to her.

She smirks at me again and comes closer to drape her arm over me. I flinch at her touch, I seriously hate being touched.

"Since you're new to the school. How about I offer my, uh…..friendship? To you dearie." She says to me sarcastically, acting clueless on her choice of words. Instantly I push myself out of her grasp and stare at her before remembering myself.

"Uh, no thank you. I'd rather much get real friends on my own." I could tell my weak choice of words hurt her somehow, or angered her, but she regained her original face and sneered at me before stomping away.

I shook my head and looked at my orientation packet. It contained my schedule for this semester, a small map of the school. A three page introduction about the school, and a four page reminder on rules and expectations of the school. With this many rules I knew I'd be breaking half of them without even trying or even knowing.

My first class was World History on the third floor. I took the nearby staircase and walked into the class that was on the end of the hall once I reached the third floor. When I entered the room was just as elegant as the rest of the school but this room was a mix of sea blue, gold and white. Sea blue floors, white walls, and gold colored curtains with mahogany desks.

There were girls littering the room, so I was careful to pick a seat. I picked one toward the back since a lot of the girls preferred the front more. The teacher wasn't present yet so I took the time to set my books out and get myself together. No one had really bothered to talk to me or question me and I liked it like that. I took out a book I brought out with me, To Kill a Mocking Bird, and I read to myself silently until I feel a nudge at myself. I look up from my book irritably when I'm met with the face of a tired looking Johanna.

My irritability turns into happiness and I jump and hug her so tight she doubles over herself.

"Easy there green bean. Nice to see you too." She slightly nudges me off of her and I let her free, a smile still on my face to see someone I actually consider my friend being here.

I take note of her appearance slightly changing. From the pale face and stubborn look from our first meeting to a now fuller looking face and hair done neatly in a fish tail braid and her stubborn looked replaced with a solid scowl. First day here and I could tell by herself she isn't so fond of this school like I thought.

She takes a seat next to mines and brings her desk closer to mines. She started to apologize for not phoning me for a few weeks because she and her family had gone away for a final vacation. I forgive her quickly and the teacher finally walks in. A man with stark white hair and a stiff face to match his stiff black shirt with a crisp white striped tie and pressed pants. He surveyed the room as all girls quieted down and quickly found themselves a seat.

The man situated himself quickly and presented himself before the class, hands behind his back. He walks back and forth slowly, head down, thinking about what to say before snapping his head up to speak.

"Good morning young ladies. My name is Mr. Schizel, and I am your world history teacher for your semester." He states to us, the class still silent. "This semester, we will be focusing on the upcoming of Europe, particularly on the Roman empire and the fall of the great city." He informs us, I hear groans from a few of the other girls before our teacher lets out a hiss to silence them. I swear he must be a snake.

"Anyway," He continued, "Today you don't need anything since it's the first day. I don't like all of that introduce yourselves nonsense so" he waved his hands at us in a shooing motion "Do that yourselves." He waves us off and sits down at his desk and pulls some papers out. For a teacher he's pretty laid back with certain things.

Girls get up and start walking around to chat with each other while Johanna scoots back over to me. We all chat for another 45 minutes before the bell rings, a harmonious church bell sound.

Johanna gathers her bag. "Well green bean, I'm off to science. Where ya headed?" She asks me, I pull out my roster and look.

"English" I tell her, we walk out of class together and down the hall before parting ways. She turns to me.

"Okay, if you have lunch 7th period just look for me outside, they let us eat on the lawn. I'll be in the back lawn." She tells me and struts her way to her class.

I walk my way to class and down the stairs to room 203. All classes are similar in wood attire but different in color. This class is Mahogany with yellow curtains and the desks facing each other left and right. While the teachers desk was in the middle towards the front.

As usual, girls where already there and had taken their seats so I decided on sitting in the back on the left right by the window.

After the teacher came and began to speak, I tuned myself out from everything. I just kept on thinking all about nothing but a blur, because that's all that's been on my mind, just grey. That's all I've been seeing since we've moved here.

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The rest of the day went by in a blur, I had 4th period lunch and had not attempted to make any friends at all. The end of the school day had finally reached and I was relieved. I hadn't been through the said horrors and ridicule Johanna had told about, but I had a feeling it was going to come the minute everyone gets comfortable.

The car that had dropped me off was waiting for me at the front gates, the middle aged driver looking on with a blank face, ignoring the girls that dared to question who he belonged to. I smirked. The drivers name was simple, Greg, simply Greg. I remember being four and trying my hardest to get on his nerves.

He opens the door for me and I hop in and rest my head against the cushions, I just wanted to go home and get this day over with.

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I get home and instantly make my way up to my room. Once again the house was dour, no one spoke, and once again the chef was by the door smoking his cigarette. Once in my comfortable clothing I go to feed my fish, Flounder and Sebastian. And for the rest of the afternoon I read To Kill a Mockingbird.

It was dinner when I actually felt alone, and decided to do something about it. I made my way to the kitchen and upon opening the double doors a tender aroma filled my nostrils. Chef was cooking what I assumed to be one of his French dishes, Garbure.

I walk over to him and tug at his sleeve, he looks at me warily. I contemplate my decision.

"Can you manage about thirty dishes?" I ask

He wrinkles his nose at me, mean old man. But he nods, he doesn't really talk, and takes out a larger pot and more ingredients to make the dish.

I smile for the first time since I've been here and skip out of the kitchen and catch another maid, Jennette, laying out a single plate onto the dining room table. I tap her and she smiles at me.

"What can I do for you little madam?" She asks me.

I point to my dish, "I need thirty more of these set about." I say, she looks at me questionably but obligates, going to the closet to take out more dishes and setting them down accordingly.

As I made my way around the big house, I noted every maid and help I knew, everyone who helped me when I thought I had no one, everyone who I considered my true family.

"Jennette, Phillipe, Jhene, Bronan." I think to myself, counting and coming to a stop at the help wing.

The wing was set up to hold all thirty of the maids and a single but big lounge for everyone to come together during breaks and meals, not including chef who decided to take up an apartment three blocks down to smoke his cigarettes in piece and to not be bothered by anyone else.

"Prancer, Sonjae, Sunjay, Greg the driver, Nini, Sofai." I count again, coming to a stop at the lounge, everyone who was not involved in setting up dinner was here.

I open the doors and everyone looks at me with a surprised expression. Everyone is there eating their food, no one here has kids so they chat about anything gradually without worry of the young hearing.

We all are silent for a good two minutes, all confidence I once had drained once all eyes set on me. I sucked in a breath and replayed what I wanted to say in my head quickly, ready to speak I open my mouth, but what I wanted to say wasn't what had come out.

"Have dinner with me?" Is all I said, I felt pathetic.

They all looked upon each other curiously, contemplating whether to take up on my offer before another maid, Nenei, spoke up for everyone.

"Yes, madam." She says to me, and everyone stands and puts away the food they were eating to follow me to the dining room or take their own paths.

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The table is set, porcelain plates with silver forks and spoons and knives all topped off with a bowl of Garbure and a drink of water. The table is big enough to fit just about everyone, a very long mahogany table with bright white cloth adorning the table.

Everyone sits eventually and instead of taking my normal seat at the head of the table, I sit next to Nenei and Greg the driver. For the first time I see everyone laid back, in normal clothing, relaxing and without formality unless calling me 'Madam'. We all talk to each other gradually while eating our food, and for the first time, Greg actually speaks.

"Thank you madam." He says to me, my head shoots up instantly at his words, shock written on my face.

"I thought you didn't talk." I say "You never talk."

Peter the gardens keeper had heard me. And what he said had startled me further. "Of course my dad talks, he just goes by a code of formality." He gives me a cheeky grin and everyone else agrees with him while I just sit dumbfounded, having thought no one here had kids.

"Wait, what?" I say completely dumbfounded and everyone just laughs and I eventually join in.

Looking about, I remember seeing everyone so happy and together like family, and my thoughts traced to my missing father and dead mother. My thoughts then traced back, remembering that my real family was here with me right now.

To Be Continued