The academy gates were taller than Mira expected.
Black iron. Polished stone. Security guards at the entrance as if knowledge itself needed protection.
Mira adjusted the strap of her bag and stepped out of the car.
"Don't wander," Dominic said coldly from behind the wheel. "And don't embarrass the family."
She turned to him, surprised.
"I wasn't planning to," she replied quietly.
His eyes flicked over her clothes—simple, neat, unbranded.
"People like you usually do," he said.
Mira felt the sting but didn't react.
"Yes," she said instead.
Dominic watched her walk through the gates, jaw tight.
Just like her mother, he thought.
Arrived with nothing. Now living in luxury.
He hated it.
---
Liam caught up with her near the main building.
"Hey," he said with an easy smile. "You must be Mira, right?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"I'm Liam. Sorry about… everything. If you need help finding classes, I can show you around."
Mira hesitated, then smiled faintly. "Thank you."
At least one person didn't look at her like she was stealing something.
---
The classroom fell silent the moment Mira stepped in.
Whispers spread instantly.
"That's her."
"The new one."
"Ariana's stepsister."
Ariana sat at the center of the room, surrounded by her friends. Her gaze snapped up and locked onto Mira with open dislike.
"So you actually came," Ariana said loudly.
The teacher cleared her throat. "Ariana."
"I'm just surprised," Ariana continued, smirking. "I thought she'd be too scared."
Mira took her seat quietly.
Ariana leaned closer to her friends. "Watch her. She's probably here to steal something."
Laughter followed.
Mira kept her eyes on her notebook, fingers tightening around her pen.
---
During lunch, a drink spilled onto Mira's uniform.
"Oops," one of Ariana's friends said sweetly. "Clumsy hands."
Mira stood up calmly. "Excuse me."
"Going to cry?" another girl mocked.
"No," Mira replied. "I don't waste tears on strangers."
The table went quiet.
Ariana's smile faded.
---
Dominic watched from across the courtyard.
He had come to drop off documents, not to observe teenagers—but his gaze followed Mira despite himself.
She didn't fight back.
She didn't complain.
She endured.
For a brief moment, something unfamiliar stirred.
Then he crushed it.
An act, he told himself.
Just like her mother.
---
That night, Mira returned to her room with stained sleeves and tired eyes.
She washed her uniform carefully, hands steady.
She had learned long ago—
Silence was survival.
And in this place, survival was everything.