"That will be all for today. Classes start fully from tomorrow, so use this time wisely," the teacher said, then walked out just as confidently as he had walked in.
"So where to from here?" I heard, and I didn't need to turn around to know it was Silver.
"The cafe," I started to say, then stopped halfway as a very obvious fact hit me.
'No points.'
"The dorms," I said, swinging my bag onto my shoulder and heading toward the exit.
"How about the cafeteria?" Silver asked, and I turned to look at him.
"It's only 10:32," I said, checking my Meta-watch, my tone flat, "I'm not in a rush to eat."
"What if I said it's on me?" he offered, and I almost said yes but managed to hold myself back.
Yeah, I was completely broke at this point, not a single point to my name, but the situation wasn't as bad as it could have been since the academy provided students with a minimum of three meals a day, at 7am, 12pm, and 6pm on the dot. If you showed up late, you forfeited your meal for that sitting, but that rule only applied to students without points. High rankers had it completely different, with no time restrictions and as much food as they wanted whenever they wanted it.
"No thanks," I said.
He shrugged, "Your loss," and I felt a small pang of bitterness at turning down a free meal like that, but I couldn't trust him, not when I had no idea who or what he actually was. There was no character named Silver anywhere in the novel, and that alone was enough to make me cautious.
"Sure," I replied, then started walking toward the exit with him beside me.
We got there and he immediately split off toward the cafeteria.
'Is it too late to change my mind?'
[Don't be a man with no integrity.]
"Says the evil entity," I replied flatly, then made my way to the elevator.
At least I didn't have a roommate to deal with, and especially not someone as irritating as Silver, because I'd probably lose my mind if I had to share a room with that guy.
I arrived at the elevator and found myself alone, which made sense since everyone else was probably heading to the cafeteria on a different floor with its own elevator, so it was logical there'd be fewer people over here.
Ping.
The chime sounded and the doors started to slide open, but they had barely opened enough for me to see inside when a hand shot out and grabbed me, yanking me in.
"What the," I started, then, "Fuck!" as I slammed into the metal wall of the elevator.
I looked up and saw a face that, for reasons I couldn't immediately explain, genuinely unsettled me.
"Selena," I muttered, but before I could move she was already on me.
Bam.
"Crap!" I yelled out in pain, and it wasn't because she attacked me, it was actually the opposite, she had embraced me, but given how weak I was and how absurdly strong she was it felt like running into a wall at full speed.
"Sniff."
Wait.
Did she just sniff me?
She did, didn't she.
What is going on right now?
"Get off me!" I tried to push her back, but that was about as effective as a child trying to move a boulder, she was completely beyond me in every way.
"Why did you leave?" she asked, pulling back just enough to look at me, her peach-colored eyes fixed on mine.
"What are you talking about, let go of me!" I tried to say, but then,
Bam.
"Damn!" I gasped as a punch landed clean on my stomach.
She just hit me.
What is wrong with this girl?
"Don't act like you don't remember me," she said with a pout that completely contradicted how much pain she had just put me in, "I might actually beat you to death if you keep playing dumb."
"I. Don't. Know. You," I said, putting emphasis on every word.
Why did I say that.
"Then let me beat the memory back into you," she said, and right then I regretted turning down that free meal more than anything else I'd done all day.