Eli
The hallway remained quiet long after Kael left, his tall figure disappearing around the corner, leaving Allstair frozen in place. The sudden push, the sharp command, and that dark, unreadable stare it all collided in Allstair's mind, leaving him unsure whether he was trembling from fear, shame, or both. Why did Kael push me? he thought frantically. And why did he look at Eli like that... and then at Emris? Nothing made sense. Each movement of his limbs felt heavy, almost foreign, as though the air itself were pressing down on him.
Slowly, reluctantly, Allstair began to walk down the hall. His steps were hesitant, uneven, unsure whether he should return to the others or simply leave Eli and Emris behind. The whispers of other students followed him like shadows, their judgment silent but palpable. Each glance at Kael's retreating figure had left a mark a reminder of the unspoken power the student body president wielded effortlessly.
Meanwhile, Eli leaned slightly against Emris, shifting his weight and wincing. He brushed a hand over his shoulder, a sharp, subtle ache pulsing beneath his skin. Emris hand immediately went to it, fingers pressing lightly, steadying, grounding. "Does it hurt?" he asked quietly, his voice low, almost cautious, his sharp blue eyes flicking to Eli's face.
Eli shook his head, forcing a small, shaky smile, trying to convince both himself and Emris. "It's... fine. It hurt, but... not that much."
Emris gaze lingered on him for a moment, intense but unreadable. He understood everything that had happened the tension, Kael's silent threat, the way Allstair had been caught completely unprepared but he said nothing. For Eli's sake, he decided to play dumb, to let him feel safe, to let him breathe without the weight of all the unspoken truths pressing down.
Eli noticed Emris lingering stare and felt a strange mix of reassurance and confusion. The warmth of Emris hand on his shoulder was grounding, but the intensity in his eyes made Eli's heart beat faster, a subtle ache in the center of his chest that had nothing to do with the push he'd just taken. "Thanks... for being here" he murmured, voice barely above the faint hum of distant students.
Emris lips curved slightly, not a smile but something softer, a quiet acknowledgment. He didn't speak, letting his presence say everything that needed saying. The silence between them stretched, comfortable but charged, each heartbeat echoing in the space around them.
At the end of the hall, Allstair's hesitant footsteps faded, leaving only the faint echo of what had just happened and the lingering tension that neither Kael nor anyone else could fully explain. The hallway seemed heavier now, charged with the aftermath of Kael's authority, and the quiet hum of the school resumed as if nothing had happened but for Eli and Emris, the moment lingered.
Eli shifted again, wincing faintly, and Emris hand tightened ever so slightly on his shoulder, protective, steady, unshaken. Though he didn't speak, Emris presence carried a clear, unspoken message..
𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬, 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐄𝐥𝐢'𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤.
And for now, that was enough.
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"Do you need to see a doctor?" Emris voice was calm but carried a firm edge, his sharp blue eyes flicking to Eli's shoulder as they walked.
Eli shook his head quickly, forcing a small smile. "No. I just... need some rest." His words were steady enough, but inside, his thoughts churned. Today was exhausting... draining. Kael, that guy in the hallway, the tension it felt like too much for one day.
Emris didn't press further, though his eyes lingered on Eli for a moment longer. Without another word, he guided him through a set of tall glass doors.
The world shifted instantly.
They stepped into a vast glasshouse garden, and Eli's breath caught. It was beautiful—grand arches of crystal panes stretching overhead, sunlight cascading in beams that scattered across the greenery. Exotic flowers bloomed in shades he'd never seen before, their petals vivid against the polished stone paths. A faint humidity clung to the air, fragrant with damp earth and fresh blossoms. The soft trickle of water echoed from a fountain at the center, its spray shimmering under the light.
Eli slowed instinctively, his steps dragging as he glanced around. Compared to the suffocating tension of the hallway minutes earlier, this place felt unreal like stepping into a dream too perfect to touch. His chest loosened slightly, the heavy pressure from earlier fading.
"You'll get used to it" Emris said, glancing back at him. His voice was quiet but certain, as though he had walked this path countless times before.
Eli hummed a faint response, unable to form proper words. He trailed after Emris, watching the way his blue hair caught the light, strands shifting like water with each step. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭? Eli wondered. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭... 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘳, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺?
They continued down the winding path, past clusters of orchids and ivy climbing toward the glass ceiling. Eventually, the garden gave way to another building sleek, modern, its glass surface reflecting the glow of the setting sun.
Emris held the door open for him without a word. Eli stepped inside, the temperature shifting cooler. They entered a quiet lobby, its polished floors echoing faintly beneath their footsteps.
When the elevator arrived, Eli hesitated, glancing at the panel of numbered buttons. He almost reached for the folded guide paper in his pocket, but Emris's hand brushed past him, pressing the button for the fifth floor without hesitation.
"Follow me" Emris muttered once they stepped inside, his tone unreadable.
Eli studied him quietly. Since the incident with Kael and his second-in-command, Emris hadn't said much. His silence wasn't empty, though it carried weight, as though he'd made a deliberate choice not to discuss what had happened. Eli wanted to ask, wanted to press for answers, but the words stuck in his throat. Maybe I don't want to know... not yet.
The elevator ride was short but tense, the silence filled only by the faint hum of the machinery. Eli caught himself staring at the reflection of Emris's profile in the mirrored walls sharp jawline, piercing blue eyes that never wavered. He looked untouchable, unreadable, yet when his gaze shifted briefly to Eli, something softer flickered there, almost too quick to catch.
The soft chime broke the moment. The doors slid open, and Emris stepped out first. Eli followed, his shoes tapping softly against the carpeted hallway.
Emris reached into his pocket, pulling out a sleek silver key. Without hesitation, he unlocked the door, the quiet click echoing faintly. He pushed it open and stepped aside, letting Eli go in first.
Eli froze.
The space before him wasn't a plain dorm room it was a furnished apartment. A living area stretched wide, complete with a couch, television, and shelves already stacked neatly with books and small décor pieces. A small but comfortable kitchen sat to one side, utensils lined in drawers, appliances gleaming, and even the faint hum of a stocked fridge and freezer filled the space with life.
"This... this can't be real" Eli whispered under his breath. His earlier worry about boredom and isolation dissolved instantly into disbelief. Every detail looked carefully chosen, as though someone had thought about what he might need before he ever arrived.
Emris didn't linger to explain. He slipped off his shoes, walking across the space with ease, as though it was nothing extraordinary. Without looking back, he headed straight toward his room.
Eli finally stepped inside, his movements hesitant. The floor was cool under his feet as he untied his shoes and placed them neatly by the door. He let his gaze wander again, trying to absorb the reality before him. Why is everything so... prepared? Who made this happen?
When he reached the door that led to his own room, he hesitated, his hand trembling slightly on the knob. Slowly, he pushed it open.
His breath caught in his throat.
The room wasn't just furnished it was identical to his bedroom at home. The same bedspread, the same familiar desk setup, even the little details he thought he had left behind. His favorite lamp sat in the corner, his books stacked in the same order as they had been on his shelves back home.
Yet here, the space was larger. The walls were painted a calmer shade, the air cooler, fresher. A small walking closet stood tucked neatly beside the bed, and another door led into a private bathroom.
Eli stepped inside, each detail pulling at something deep in his chest. His throat tightened. How is this possible? My things couldn't have been moved this fast... and no one asked me what I wanted. Who would go this far?
He set his hand against the desk, fingers brushing over its surface, grounding himself in the familiarity. Relief washed over him, though it was laced with unease. The room was perfect too perfect, almost suffocating in its precision.
Behind him, he heard Emris's door close softly, leaving Eli alone with his thoughts. The silence pressed in, thick and heavy, but strangely comforting too.
For the first time since Kael's stare... I feel like I can breathe. But why do I feel like someone is watching, even now?
The room seemed to wait for him, ready, as if someone had known he would need comfort tonight.
And for Eli, standing there with his heart still racing, that realization was both a relief and a warning.
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𝐣𝐢
The upper floor of Kingston Academy was silent, cloaked in the kind of stillness only the elites were granted. No footsteps echoed here, no idle chatter drifted through the hallways. It was a place apart, elevated just like those who lived here.
Ji reclined against the leather chair near the wide bay window, the moonlight spilling across the polished floor. His phone was in his hand, the dim glow casting sharp shadows across his face. He wasn't texting, wasn't scrolling idly. No, Ji's attention was locked on the live feed flickering across his screen.
A grainy image of a bedroom. Eli's bedroom.
The boy had just entered a short while ago, still exploring the too-perfect space that had been prepared for him. Ji's lips curved upward in a crooked, amused smile as he watched. Eli walked cautiously, like a deer who had stumbled into a clearing, alert but uncertain. His every movement seemed so deliberate, so painfully genuine, that Ji felt something coil and tighten inside his chest.
He tilted his head, whispering to himself in a hush, "Why do you look so paranoid, Eli... like someone's watching you?"
A low laugh slipped past his lips, sharp and twisted, filling the empty room around him. He pressed his thumb against the screen, zooming in on Eli's face as the boy brushed his hair back, looking around as if the walls themselves hid secrets.
Ji muttered. "I'm watching you."
His laughter rose again, softer this time, but no less unhinged. He leaned back, spinning the phone slowly in his hand, savoring the moment.
Most people, he thought, would try something ordinary if they wanted to know someone. A smile, an introduction, maybe even sitting beside them to start a simple conversation. But Ji's mind didn't work that way. He wasn't normal never had been. Where others saw a chance to connect, Ji saw a chance to control, to claim. To him, closeness wasn't built through words or gestures. It was built through secrets, through knowing someone in ways they didn't even know themselves.
His eyes flicked back to the screen, to the way Eli hesitated near the closet before opening the door. Ji's breath stilled, anticipation sparking in his chest as the camera hidden within caught the angle of Eli's surprised face. He looked inside, probably marveling at the space, at the strange comfort it mirrored from his home. Ji almost laughed again. If only he knew.
The memory came unbidden earlier that day, when the plan had first sparked in his mind.
⸻
Flashback
The hallway had still been buzzing from the transfer student's arrival when Ji first spotted him. Eli had been walking down the corridor, clutching his books as though they were armor. Something about the sight had rooted Ji to the floor. The boy wasn't extraordinary in appearance compared to the countless faces Ji had seen here at Kingston, and yet... something about him was different.
Not fragile, not weak just unaware. He moved through Kingston's halls like someone who hadn't yet grasped the currents running beneath its polished surface. A place where every glance carried weight, every step was watched, every smile held a hidden edge. Eli didn't seem to know that yet, and that ignorance set him apart more than anything else.
Ji's chest had tightened instantly. He didn't think about introducing himself, not even for a second. That wasn't who he was. Normal boys might stumble over a greeting, or contrive some excuse to speak. Ji didn't waste time pretending. He wanted more than a name, more than small talk. He wanted everything.
So when the workers finished decorating the newcomer's room, Ji saw the opportunity and seized it. He leaned against the wall, watching as the last of the staff left, leaving the polished apartment pristine and untouched.
His phone buzzed. A single message. It's done.
Ji's smile was slow, predatory.
A few minutes later, one of his underlings approached him in the quiet shadows of the stairwell, shifting uneasily under Ji's stare.
"The cameras are in place," the boy reported, voice low. "Closet, bathroom, bedroom just like you asked."
Ji stepped closer, his presence suffocating despite the silence. His hand rose, brushing casually against the boy's shoulder, though the touch was anything but friendly. His smile sharpened as he leaned closer, his voice low, velvet over steel.
"Good. Now listen carefully."
The underling swallowed hard.
"If Eli ever finds those cameras," Ji whispered, the warmth of his breath brushing his ear, "you'll be dead."
The boy stiffened, a tremor running through him. "Y-Yes, Ji. I understand."
Ji pulled back, satisfied, his eyes gleaming. "Good. Then we won't have a problem."
The boy left quickly, his footsteps uneven, and Ji chuckled under his breath, sliding his hands into his pockets as he stared at the closed door to Eli's room.
"No problems at all."
⸻
Back in the present, Ji's grin widened as he switched the camera feed from the closet to the bathroom. The empty space stared back at him, pristine and white. A perfect canvas.
He licked his lips absentmindedly, whispering, "Sooner or later, you'll realize, Eli. You're never alone. Not anymore."
And he laughed again, soft and jagged, letting the sound echo through the hollow silence of the elite floor.
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𝐄𝐥𝐢
The next day
The alarm clock on the nightstand buzzed sharply at 6:30 a.m., breaking the quiet of Eli's room. He groaned lightly, reaching over to silence it. The time was early not when classes started, but this was his habit waking early, studying for nearly an hour before starting his morning routine.
Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and glanced around the room. Everything was still familiar, though the layout and furniture brought him a strange sense of unease. He had gotten used to the soft hum of the forest outside the glass walls and the perfect, pristine order of the space.
Fifteen minutes later, he slipped into the bathroom first, taking a quick bath and brushing his teeth. Once finished, he walked into his walk-in closet, dressing with methodical precision: boxers first, then his school uniform neatly hanging on a hanger, and finally putting on his socks and shoes. He went to the door to grab his bag and calmly put on his glasses.
As he stepped out of his room, he noticed from afar that the lights in Emris's room were still off he wasn't awake yet. Eli hesitated for a moment, debating whether to wake him, but ultimately decided against it. Quietly, he began the walk toward the elevator.
Eli walked along the fifth floor toward the elevator, giving himself a moment to gather his thoughts. Mutters escaped his lips softly, barely audible. "Today's going to be a long day... should I go straight to the cafeteria or my first class first?"
He paused, thinking about the emptiness gnawing at his stomach. In reality, he knew no one could function on an empty stomach not him, at least. He sighed and pushed the decision aside. The cafeteria won.
"Keeping myself in good health matters more" he said under his breath, a quiet mantra to justify the small indulgence.
The elevator chimed as the doors slid open, and Eli stepped inside. Pressing the button to go down, he leaned against the wall, letting his mind drift as the elevator hummed. The day ahead was daunting: classes, new faces, and the constant, unspoken awareness of his unusual surroundings. Kingston Academy was far from ordinary, and every day brought a new lesson in both academics and survival.
When the doors opened, Eli stepped out into the empty hall, the morning light filtering through the tall windows, casting long shadows on the polished floor. The quiet was deceptive, as always. Elite floors were silent, but the weight of expectation and scrutiny hung heavy in the air. Students were already beginning to trickle out toward their classes, a few nodding politely or whispering amongst themselves.
Eli adjusted his bag on his shoulder and began walking, each step measured. The cafeteria wasn't far, but he kept his mind alert, eyes scanning the hallway for signs of movement, for any hint of danger or curiosity. He wasn't fully used to this world yet, and he knew instinctively that observing quietly could save him from unwanted attention or worse.
By the time he reached the cafeteria, the smell of fresh bread, coffee, and cooked eggs filled the air. Eli's stomach rumbled, reminding him why the decision had been wise. He picked up a tray and began selecting breakfast items, thinking about how today would test his patience and stamina.
As he carried his tray toward an empty table, his thoughts wandered. The morning was just beginning, but the weight of Kingston Academy and all its hidden layers already pressed against him.
And somewhere, high above, Ji's presence lingered in a way Eli couldn't yet perceive, watching silently, meticulously.