Morning in the city moved slowly as the Valleria family's black car rolled to a stop in front of the grand entrance.
The air was still cold, but the sky had already brightened.
Aria descended the stairs with calm steps, her black hair brushed simply, falling across half her face like a cold sheen of obsidian.
Helena—looking more put together than usual—stood by the door, attempting to mask her awkwardness with a gentle smile.
"Aria… I hope you have a good day," she said softly.
Aria nodded.
No smile.
No nervousness.
No excitement like any normal teenager heading to school.
Beside Helena stood Selena in her perfectly styled uniform, as elegant as a miniature model. Her blonde hair was meticulously arranged, her face glowing with a sweetness that felt painfully artificial.
"If you need anything, just tell me," Selena said softly. "I'm in the elite class. Everyone knows me."
It sounded less like an offer
and more like a queen asserting her territory.
Aria looked at her—just for a moment—
with eyes so pale and cold they left no room for pretense.
Then without replying, Aria stepped into the car.
Selena's smile stiffened.
Helena tried to hide her anxiety.
And the car drove away, leaving behind a house far too large for the amount of dishonesty inside it.
---
St. Clair Academy towered before them—
a prestigious private school with massive glass walls and immaculately manicured gardens.
It was known as the breeding ground for children of international conglomerates, corporate heirs, and young celebrities.
As the car stopped, elite students swarmed the courtyard.
Perfect uniforms, expensive perfumes, branded bags,
and an air of excessive confidence filled the atmosphere.
The moment Aria stepped out—
every head turned.
Not only because of her cold, marble-like beauty,
but because of the rumors:
"The missing Valleria daughter has returned."
"Ten years gone… she looks different."
"Her aura's scary."
Aria didn't care.
She walked straight ahead, her steps light and silent,
moving through the crowd with an almost floating grace—
untouched by the weight of hundreds of probing eyes.
Which only drew more attention.
Someone who didn't seek the spotlight
always ended up capturing it.
Selena exited the car next.
Her smile bloomed instantly—bright and dazzling.
"Oh, it's Selena!"
"Selenaaa! Good morning!"
"Selena looks so cute today!"
Selena waved gracefully, enjoying the attention like a seasoned performer.
She rushed to Aria's side, speaking loudly enough for others to hear:
"Aria, come on, I'll take you to the administration office."
Aria looked at her.
No nod.
No refusal.
She simply walked.
And Selena followed with a gentle hop in her step.
---
As they moved through the crowd, several students approached—
not to greet Aria, but to greet Selena while studying Aria from the corner of their eyes.
— Nova Laurent, female, 16, short brown hair, Selena's close friend.
— Irene Voss, female, 17, boutique heiress, always praising Selena excessively.
— Riko Tanaka, male, 16, Japanese exchange student, loves photographing Selena for the photography club.
— Hugo Davenport, male, 17, tall, arrogant basketball player.
The moment they noticed Aria, all conversation stopped.
Nova: "U-um… hi Aria. You're… very pretty."
Irene: "So different from the photos on the news…"
Hugo: "Your aura's… intense."
Aria replied quietly:
"Thank you."
And then nothing.
Conversation died instantly.
Selena stepped in quickly with a sugary laugh.
"Ahaha, Aria's really quiet. Don't take it personally!"
Aria did not correct her.
She only glanced at them once before turning away.
Nova whispered:
"She's… kinda scary, right?"
Selena suppressed a satisfied smile.
Because that was exactly what she wanted.
For others to see Aria as strange.
Distant.
Unapproachable.
Unlike Selena.
---
The first class of the day was mathematics.
When Aria entered the classroom, all students fell silent at once.
Several boys nudged each other.
"She's insanely pretty…"
"Like a porcelain doll…"
But as soon as Aria glanced their way—just half a second—
they looked away immediately, hearts pounding.
Aria's aura wasn't beauty.
It was quiet threat.
She sat at the last row—the calmest corner—without asking permission.
Two seats over sat a girl who kept stealing glances.
Claire Willis, female, 16, warm brown eyes, wavy chestnut hair.
Naive. Easily influenced.
But with instincts that were strangely honest.
Claire wanted to greet Aria…
but she hesitated.
Aria didn't look at her even once.
Teacher Morgan entered.
Male, 33.
Honest, kind, gentle—one of the few teachers Selena couldn't manipulate.
The moment he saw Aria, he froze.
Surprised.
Aria lifted her head slightly.
Morgan tightened his grip on the gradebook, masking the shock on his face.
He saw something in her eyes—
sharpness, calm, intelligence, and… distance.
"Good morning, everyone," Morgan said.
The class responded.
Aria didn't.
Not out of disrespect—
but simply because she wasn't used to participating in these rituals.
Morgan noticed.
And that was the moment
he became quietly fascinated by her.
---
During break, Aria headed to the library.
She preferred quiet places.
But as she entered the empty hallway, someone followed her.
Selena.
She checked her surroundings—ensuring no other students were near—
before speaking in a soft voice with a hidden warning.
"Aria," she said sweetly,
"you need to be careful."
Aria turned slightly.
"They're all… easy to misunderstand.
One cold word and they might start hating you."
Aria asked calmly:
"Why do you care?"
Selena smiled, stepping closer.
"Because you carry my family's name."
And then Aria understood.
Selena didn't care if Aria got into trouble.
Selena cared about her own reputation.
"I don't care about the family's image," Aria replied.
Selena's smile cracked—
a small, sharp break.
"…Aria," she whispered, "you really—"
Aria walked away before she finished her sentence.
Selena stood still, her fists tightening,
her smile frozen but her eyes losing their warmth.
"Fine," she whispered.
"If you want to play quietly…
let's see who wins."
---
The St. Clair library was enormous, with towering glass walls and dark wooden tables.
Aria chose the seat farthest from the windows and opened an advanced medical textbook.
Students around her whispered:
"Why is she reading medical stuff?"
"She's flipping so fast…"
"Does she even understand that?"
Aria read without acknowledging their existence.
To her, the world around her simply… didn't matter.
Which made people even more fascinated—and more afraid.
Claire entered the library and spotted Aria reading with intense focus.
She approached slowly, sitting two seats away.
She didn't dare greet her.
Didn't dare interrupt.
But her eyes kept drifting toward Aria.
There was something about her that made Claire curious—
not admiration, not infatuation…
but a desire to understand.
Because Claire felt Aria seemed like someone who didn't belong.
Just like her.
---
Near the end of the school day, Aria was summoned to the teacher's office.
When she entered, she saw Selena already there, seated with perfect elegance like a model student.
Teacher Morgan sat behind his desk.
"Oh, Aria," he said gently.
"We just wanted to make sure your first day went smoothly."
Selena added with a bright, practiced smile:
"I told Teacher Morgan that Aria might need help adjusting. She's new and… very quiet."
Morgan glanced at Selena, sensing her premature assumptions.
He knew Selena was quick to judge.
Aria looked at both of them.
"No need," she said.
Her voice was soft—
not harsh—
but cold and unmistakably firm.
Selena froze briefly, still smiling.
"Aria, I'm just trying to help—"
"I don't need your help."
Morgan fell silent.
Selena stiffened.
There was something in Aria's tone—final, solid, unshakable—
that made her refusal feel absolute.
Morgan nodded slowly.
"Very well. But if you change your mind, my door is always open."
Aria left the room.
Selena didn't move.
Her smile remained—
yet her fingers curled tightly around her skirt.
She was truly offended.
And frightened.
Because Aria wasn't trying to fight her.
Aria simply… didn't care.
And indifference
is far more dangerous than hostility.
---
Before going home, Aria sat alone on a bench in the courtyard.
The afternoon breeze carried the scent of leaves and the cheerful voices of other students.
Aria looked up at the sky.
The blue was pale—
almost as pale as her eyes.
She thought:
"This place is the same."
Just as cold.
Just as empty.
Just as distant as every place she had ever passed through.
She didn't hate the school.
She didn't like it either.
She simply… existed here.
From afar, Selena watched Aria with narrowed eyes.
She smiled warmly when friends approached her,
but her gaze never left Aria.
For a moment, Selena gripped her uniform so tightly
that her textbooks trembled.
Aria sat alone, unaffected by anything.
And that was what frightened Selena the most.
Because Aria wasn't trying to take anything from her.
She wasn't trying to win.
She wasn't even trying to belong.
But precisely because of that—
her presence alone
was already a threat.