How Far You've Fallen

"What?" Asked Alya. She had obviously heard, but she seemed to not want to have heard. Her posture faltered a little. "Well… good job." Her eyes darted around the room.

"Did you get into a good school? I mean, with all that money I assume you did." Lucus might have sounded like he was curious out of brotherly love, but anybody who was smart like Alya could still see through to him. Lucus might still be smarter, but Alya wasn't dumb either. She was, in fact, close to a genius level of intelligence. Somebody like Lucus could easily make anyone seem stupid. Both siblings could outshine a good number of people, and might have been able to go to Lucus's school, but she lived much further. She, however, didn't know that. She just assumed she couldn't get in. She still did get into a great school. One of the top ten. Very prestigious, and she didn't get in purely due to her wealth or influence. Her eye ticked and she assumed her best posture making her seem very tall. Not that this mattered to Lucus, who couldn't even see her. Any effort she made to look above him was completely useless. "You've always been smart." A backhanded compliment. His words might have seemed nice, but his tone was malicious. It was unnerving that such a genuinely nice person could be handing out insults like candy. Alya could make out the message Lucus was conveying. 'You may be smart, but I've always been, and will always be smarter.' These were the words that cut deep. Down with a cold knife to her heart. Alya played it cool.

"Of course, I got into a good school too. Second, in the country. They gifted me a scholarship too. Kind of you to compliment me as such." She spoke in a certain cultured way. You could hear the years of practice she held in them. Restless nights practicing for her debut into high society. The bountiful amounts of parties she attended and the studying she worked hard on. Each word seemed delicately put together, and placed perfectly in the most powerful place. "Top of my class, but I mustn't discount their efforts. They really are quite smart. Quite, quaint people. You would like them." She really had recovered from her shock, and easily threw out a backhanded compliment in retaliation to Lucus's. "I'm sure you have friends, you always were too kind." The way she said this was as if she thought of kindness as a liability.

"You've grown cold, Alya." Lucus said this as an insult, but you could hear a crackle of sadness behind it. Reminiscence, perhaps. It sounded like he had lost a little bit of himself. It was a small catch in his comment that gave him away. Alya opened her mouth to reply, but found herself unable to speak. She put her hand on her mouth and found herself surprisingly sad. She choked and forced some betraying tears back. She was glad Lucus couldn't see her. It was only for a moment, but she did reminisce. She bounced back quickly.

"And you've grown soft." He hadn't, and Alya knew it. She could see he had grown. He held himself much higher than before and he spoke with a new confidence. He used to hide behind Alya, but now, he didn't seem to need a protector. He even seemed taller. His bangs were shorter and didn't hide his pretty grey eyes anymore. If anything, he was much stronger. Alya's mind began to wander to her time at the orphanage. Sisters and brothers who came and left, Lucus's smiles and adventures. Even the fights they had. Alya suppressed them. Don't think about the past. Forget what she had before. Nothing from back then was important now. Just a liability. Not even names. Just footnotes in her soon to be great life. Even these words were solemn. Lyla had meant for them to be harsh and cold, yet, they didn't come out that way. It was odd. A warm sounding voice, even if it was her very own. It had been forever since she had heard one. Weren't they supposed to be weak? Something to push away? Then why did it feel so nice? Was she not told that she was to avoid it? The cold voices of the people she called her parents echoed around in her mind. Lists of rules long enough to fill a book. What had it been like to come here at first? Was she happy? What of the outside world, away from school, away from work, away from the parties? What was she missing? If only she could walk out, but the reward was greater. It would be worth it. She would never have to fight to stay ahead. It would all be in the palm of her hand. "And for that, you will never get far. You're too soft. You're just a lucky blind kid." Her sharp tongue was back. She wanted him to hurt. Why should everything come so easily to him and not her? This was her destiny. Not Lucus's.

"When did you fall so far, Layla." Lucus sounded, so, so, sad. Not really fit for a fancy gala, but it felt so heartbreaking and sad. Like everything was lost. It sounded almost like a goodbye to who used to be his sister. Alya's eyes widened.

"My name's ALYA." She said this slightly too loudly and she looked around once again in fear. A few people looked over, but not a lot. Still, Alya looked terrified. Frozen. She continued after a pause, but this time in a whisper. "You will never understand, though, because you're disabled. Blind. Even from the moment our lives began, I was always on top. I was chosen. You were left behind. Not because they wanted one, but because you're blind. A liability to us all. You weigh me down. Get out of my sight." She was breathless, but these were the words nobody could ever take back. Especially Alya.