Thread of Fate
Chapter 2
(Chrollo)
Accidentally, a girl bumped into me on my way out of the gym. We looked at each other as she turned to apologize and in that moment our eyes met, a strange feeling swept over me.
But if we were to be reborn, I want to meet with you again... and fall in love, to the point that this tragedy will become a happy ending for the both of us.
I heard and the voice was familiar yet it isn't. Where did those words come from? The girl never opened her lips except when she apologized. An ominous wind brushed against me and before I can say anything, we were brought back to reality by the voice of a complete stranger.
"Oujo-sama! Finally!" A young man with white hair and fair complexion grabbed the girl's arm. "That crowd was tough." He smiled at her. "Shall we get going?"
And without a word, as though I was non-existent to the boy's eyes, a ghost only the girl can see, they turned away and walked a different direction from the exit. I stood there, my gaze following the two strangers as they disappeared in the crowd. Blinking and breaking away from my earlier trance, I continued walking to my classroom.
(Lilianne)
The bell rang, telling everyone it's finally lunch time. After putting my stuff away, I hurried to the cafeteria where I agreed to meet with Jonah.
"Ah! Oujo-sama!" He called and waved at me.
This apparently diverted attention to us though I approached him stoically and with a firm and very oujo-sama-like tone, I told him, "For the nth time, Jonah, don't call me 'oujo-sama', especially not in public. And you definitely didn't need to yell it for the world to hear."
"Ahaha... Right, sorry." Jonah smiled sheepishly and handed be a bento box. "Here. I've especially prepared your favorite egg rolls."
"Thanks but you didn't have to" I smiled gently at him as I took the container of Jonah's delicious cooking.
"Well, it seems the President is busy with his girlfriend." Jonah and I both faced the person and I was surprised to see it was the boy from earlier, the one I accidentally bumped into on our way out of the gym. He was alone, with an open book in his hand.
"Chrollo" Jonah almost scowled. He obviously doesn't have a good relationship with this person. "For your information, I was just about to leave. I only came here to give oujo-sama her lunch."
Again... Ugh...
Whether that word is stuck in his system or not, I don't approve of being called as such.
This guy, Chrollo, smirked. "I see... Mind introducing me to your princess then?"
I felt a vein pop. Not only is he insulting me, but he's insulting Jonah as well who has always been a good friend of mine. Insult me if you wish but I shall not stand idly by and watch you degrade my friend's dignity. Before Jonah could speak, I stepped up, my back straight, chin up, looking at him stoically, expressionlessly, yet unleashing an aura of power and nobility.
"I am Lilianne Rosette from Class 2-A, a childhood friend of Jonah's." I may not be directly financially powerful but a word to my father and I can have all the power I want and all the strings I can pull, and adding my intelligent and scheming mind, I can easily take anyone out.
"Class 2-A. Ah, I see. Impressive." I seemed to have earned his respect even a little but I can feel his own proud aura. He's someone who will never back off easily. "I am Chrollo Lucifer Morningstar from Class 3-A, the same class as the Student Council President, Jonathan. I am also the Vice President of the Student Council."
Yes, he really has a lot to brag about. In this Academy that we're attending, it's difficult to get to an A class because you should be either very smart or very diligent and dedicated in your work. I turned out to be both. Chrollo is either older than me by a year like Jonah or in the same age as me but on advanced classes, which could mean he's on a different level compared to me.
"Heh" I smiled amusingly at him. "Is that so? Quite impressive but being Vice President simply means that you're under Jonah's subordination, thus you should respect him and obey him as your superior."
Speaking in such a cool tone, I know I'm getting myself into trouble with the Vice President and I'm gaining attention even more since Chrollo's obviously a popular student, like Jonah. The cafeteria fell into a deafening silence.
(Chrollo)
This girl in front me, the one who caught my eye after the opening ceremony, is actually telling me straight on to step down and obey Jonah like a puppy. Instead of feeling insulted, I was actually amused at her cool yet sharp ferocity as she gives off this authoritative vibe.
I chuckled. "I see..." And I turned away from her, waving my free hand. "Thank you for your advice, Ms. Rosette. I look forward to our next meeting."
Arriving in front of a door with the 'Authorized Personnel Only' sign, I produced a small key from my pocket. With it, I unlocked the door and upon the 'click', I was greeted by a familiar voice.
"You seem to have encountered an interesting find." he said in his usual amused tone.
Ignoring the person, I opened the door that led to the rooftop. "Is there anything you wish to imply, Hisoka?"
I entered the rooftop and Hisoka followed. Hisoka's another one of the people in my class. He's a genius but he's also insane. He's a delinquent, a lover of bloody brawls and his fetish for it is what makes him problematic. There was a time when he nearly killed a challenger if Machi didn't stop him. The incident marked Hisoka as someone people shouldn't get too involved with.
"Nothing really." He played with a deck of cards in his hands.
"You know very well that playing cards are forbidden in this school." I faced him, the wind gently tousling my hair.
"Correction, esteemed Vice President. Gambling is what's forbidden." Hisoka pointed out, still shuffling . "I merely shuffle the deck or... slice it in half" In that instant, a card headed for me, slicing through the air, but before it could touch my bangs, it was caught between two slender fingers.
"Starting a fight with the danchou again, Hisoka?" It was Machi. As always, we didn't even notice she arrived. Machi typically glared at Hisoka and threw the card back at him.
Machi's one of the school delinquents, the first button of her uniform unbuttoned and the bow just dangling around her neck, untied, the strongest female in the whole school. She's usually a loner, in a corner gazing at the world beyond the school, but she, Hisoka and a few others work for me as some kind of underground operatives. We are the shadow of the student council, the dark side of the school. Yet, we exist as a mere rumor and no one can prove our connections to one another.
Hisoka gave her a bright smile as he caught the card in between his fingers. "Hello, Machi. I think you misinterpreted my actions. I'm simply testing danchou's abilities, to see if he's still as agile and alert."
Machi glared, knowing Hisoka like the back of her hand.
"So... want to go eat dinner later?" And he finally said it.
Machi simply ignored him and turned to me. "Are you all right, danchou?"
I nodded. "Thank you, Machi"
(Lilianne)
"Hello" sitting on my chair in the classroom, I looked at the person who greeted me. It was a girl with dark hair, big brown eyes with big glasses.
"Hi" I greeted back and smiled. This girl's the first person to approach me since the opening ceremony besides Chrollo.
"You're Lilianne, right?" She asked, her expression seeming full of wonder. If she wasn't in my class, anyone would think she's an airhead.
I nodded. "And you are?"
"Shizuku Vuoto" she replied and held out her hand.
I took it and shook hands with her. "It's nice to meet you, Shizuku."
The door at the front of the room opened and the teacher went in.
"It's a pleasure meeting you, Lilianne." And Shizuku slightly waved as she went back to her seat.
Much as I feel accomplished to have made a new friend, it's very strange because Jonah has been my only friend since we were children.
After classes, I packed up my things and slung my bag over my shoulder. I headed out of the classroom and on my way down the hallway, many people were whispering or glancing at me.
Seems like I really created a stir.
I got to my locker and upon opening it, a small bunch of letters poured out. I merely raised an eyebrow and picked one up from the floor.
Nonchalantly, I opened the letter and at the same time, looked for the person with the most obvious reaction with my eyes.
Spotted.
A girl with long wavy red hair was staring at me with obvious false worry. She has a nice figure, tall and slender, beautiful with her flaring crimson eyes and fair complexion.
My eyes wandered back to the opened letter. Hate mail. Written in big red letters like in a horror movie.
STAY AWAY FROM HIM YOU SCUM! YOU ALREADY HAVE THE PRESIDENT!
I checked the others. Hate mail. Hate mail. Hate mail. Hate mail. Hate mail. Each one in almost the same format. I have half a mind to rip them there and courteously give them back to their senders but I decided to just close my locker and walk away with the letters in hand until my phone vibrated in my bag. I took it out and I got a message from Jonah.
I'm at the student council room. Lots of stuff to do. Will you wait for me?
Sure I texted back and decided to go to the school library to kill time. Unfamiliar eyes followed me as I made my way, unaffected by the letters in horrifying red ink. Passing by a trash bin, I just casually threw them there like any regular trash. One could imagine the gasps and surprised looks from some students and glancing at the senders, they were pretty surprised... and pissed off. I internally chuckled and left for the library.
While reading a very interesting novel, I was greeted again by Shizuku.
"Oh, Lilianne"
I looked up from my book and smiled at her. "Hi, Shizuku"
"You're not going home yet?" She took a seat beside me, her big eyes staring at me like an owl's.
I shook my head. "I'm still waiting for Jonah"
"Oh, I see" and she opened her own book.
"By the way" Shizuku started after a minute of silence. "Have you heard of Scarlet Vermeil?"
I shook my head. I might be in second year high school but this is my first year in this school.
"She's one of the most popular and beautiful girls in the school. She belongs in 3-A and is rumored to have her eyes on one of the geniuses of the school."
"And that is?"
"Chrollo Lucifer Morningstar"
"Ah, I see." It confirmed my suspicions.
Shizuku nodded. "You don't seem surprised."
"Well, a few things have happened." I said vaguely.
Then my phone vibrated again. I checked it and got a message from Jonah.
I'm sorry. Everything seems to be piling up. Can you go ahead?
Ok I replied.
Once the message has been sent, I put my phone back in my bag, stood up and slung it over my shoulder.
"You're leaving?" Shizuku's gaze followed me.
I nodded. "Yeah. Jonah has too much stuff to do and asked me to go ahead."
Shizuku went back to her book. "I see. Take care"
I nodded again. "You too" and left.
As I walked down the hall way, I felt people following me. I quickened my pace and they did so too. I decided to run for it and a chase soon began.
I smirked. So the hunt has already begun?
I rounded a corner and before I can keep on running, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me to the dark corner. The person immediately covered my mouth with his hand. Holding me close to him, I can smell the vanilla scent emanating from his body. I was about to resist and push him away when I heard footsteps so I stood still until the girls pursuing me have passed and went away. My 'rescuer' released me and I instinctively backed away from him.
He chuckled and walked into the light. "You're quite the fast runner, aren't you? A troublemaker too, having Scarlet Vermeil's girls chase you on your very first day."
I glared at him then fixed my uniform and used that time to regain my composure. "That's none of your business. "
"Oh, I believe it is" Chrollo grinned mockingly. "That girl has always set her sights on me. With what you said earlier and with the amount of attention I gave you, you were bound to be hunted."
"So you knew" I said expressionlessly.
"Not quite but in a way, I expected it. Anyway," He turned away from me and, like earlier, he started walking away arrogantly and waved casually. "there's still much to do in the student council. I'll count on you to make this school year interesting for me, Ms. Rosette."
Such an attitude... It made me wonder... where did the magic go?
