Chapter 31 - Dimitris

With my mood lifted, I headed towards my next lesson which was Politics. I'm unsure whether it is simply because I had finally started to pay attention to lessons but it was much different than the previous ones. Rather than getting to know each other using meaningless information such as fun facts about ourselves or our favourite ice cream flavours, we had to properly get to know one another. The teacher decided that the best way would be to host a class-wide debate for varying topics. Each debate sought to help us understand what each of us thought would be considered a political issue, thereby creating our own definition of what it entails. Though interesting, I would hardly consider it the best way to get to know one another. A debate about something sensitive would only separate us further, and allow animosity to bloom. Though not intended, through asking whether each topic would be considered a political issue, individuals began sharing their stance in each case. Despite trying not to, I knew I was drawing up a list of who to avoid in my mind. Unsurprisingly all of the people I had a bad impression of were nobles.

The academy was one of the best but was mainly filled with nobles as it was costly. There were a few scholarship students but not enough to notice them if you hadn't been trying. It's easy to see how experience affects a person's views as most of those born in to money only took sides with what would be beneficial for them, not thinking of those with less privilege. On the other hand, the few scholarship students we did have in the class, sought to seek the answer which would be much more inclusive. It's difficult to understand what was going through the teachers mind when he planned this, surely it wouldn't be a good idea to divide the class from the first day. There was however very little time for me to think about that as I was far too invested in the debates. I'm not someone people would regard as loud, but today I found myself constantly at the forefront of the debates. There was too much I had to say, too firm in my beliefs to sit in silence. As long as I was here, I had to stand up for what I perceived to be equality, regardless of how right or wrong it was to others. When it came to specific topics I knew I had to speak up or I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

The hostile glances I was receiving throughout the lesson would usually result in me shutting up and hiding in the corner, but instead I felt riled up. If they hadn't heard my name before, they would definitely know it by the end of this lesson. In a way the teacher was right, this would result in us knowing each other better than any activity imaginable. Whether that would be good or bad was dependent on one's interpretation but I didn't care. My good mood was only going to push through as carelessness and impulsivity I would later regret when I'd wish I could blend back in to the crowd. Some students were bound to dislike me; no one would get out of this entirely unscathed. It was frightening how herd mentality worked as very soon a hierarchy had been established. While a few people would argue their views, the rest would regurgitate the same stance as their own, hoping to have found a place of belonging. It was irritating listening to the followers as they didn't even seem to believe in their own views, but I gritted my teeth and listened regardless.

There was one person who was constantly on my side, speaking as much as I had - Charlotte. The hopes I had for her future continued to grow as I listened to her speak. As one would expect from someone who claims to want to achieve justice, she never once swayed for materialistic gain. In the circumstantial situations we were provided with, she stood firm in her belief of what was right and wrong. She understood her privilege and never once took it for granted. While she was also at the tail end of hostile gazes, I could see a few people looking at her with admiration. The way she speaks is resolute and her passion for the topic made her glow. There's something about people who have found their purpose that's undeniably beautiful. With clear, dazzling eyes they only look forward at the future ahead of them, certain about the dreams they would forge into reality. Had it not been for her being just as outspoken and exasperated as I was, I might have left the room with no strength left in my voice. There were also others on our side however, it was obvious who had a genuine interest and who wanted to hide amongst the crowd. There is no shame in being either one of the two, each having their own merits, but the act of going against ones own morals to fit in made me feel sick. If there was one thing worse than ignorantly harming someone, it was knowingly harming them. As such, on the top of my list of people to avoid, was not the main spokesperson on the other team of the debate, but the followers who had no idea of their own.

Without my knowledge, the entire lesson had gone by. I was so invested in each debate that I hadn't registered the hours that had passed. As we began to pack up, there was a strange atmosphere floating around. All of the students were now both closer to one another, but also more distant. We knew each other in ways that shouldn't have been possible in such a short period of time, but the division caused by our views and the hierarchy that had been established was here to stay. We told each other that we would not take anything to heart and it wouldn't affect our views of one another, but deep inside we knew that they were the others. Groups had been created instantaneously, even if they were not visible to the naked eye. As the first day had finally finished, my friends and I had decided to go out and visit nearby areas. Although we had received our acceptance letters a while back, the timing would never match for us to celebrate together, so instead it was pushed to today. In commemoration of having completed the first day and finishing unpacking, we were going go out for dinner. The moment we left the room however, there was a tall figure with white hair just below the shoulders waiting for us. Who else would it be but Dimitris, May's brother and another capture target for Elina.

Dimitris was someone who was level headed and wise beyond his years, making him perfect for the role of Helios' future advisor. He wasn't as outgoing as others around him but he was always aware of what was going on around him, mindful of others. Somewhat of an introvert, Dimitris was generally on his own aside from when he was with May. Similar to Adelphos, he was a caring older brother, always chasing her around to make sure that she was okay and having a good day. It was adorable to see this side of him in person, the side that would cling to May at any opportunity, but it was difficult to ignore his original personality. He was a year older than us, though it would have been more fitting it he had been older than even Adelphos. Scoring amongst the top percentile of the academy, not just his cohort, he was the talk of the town. What had propelled him even further was his avoidance of others, leaving many regarding him as mysterious, which was for some odd reason extremely appealing to many students. Despite his generally reserved nature however, today was different.

After greeting May his eyes landed on Elina and as fate would have it, he fell in love instantly. I suppose some things would just have to run their course. It was slightly romantic, how he was destined to fall in love. It didn't make much sense given his general critical nature but love didn't have to make sense. It differed for everyone, so although I couldn't understand the concept of love at first sight myself, I found it extremely beautiful how he had suddenly been enlightened. A world had opened up to him that he was previously unaware of and he was simply revelling in it. He didn't need to say a word for us to know it to be true. The way his face turned red and how his eyes longingly followed her were enough of an indication. Every expression and action was yelling of his affection, so even in his silence we could hear the countless confessions in his mind. It was obvious that May and Charlotte had been thinking similarly but the same couldn't be said for Elina. She was oblivious, ignorant of what a gaze of romantic nature should look like. As she was the only princess, it was natural for her to have been sheltered. Thus, although she had met countless admirers, she could not distinguish them as such. I'm almost convinced that even if I had confessed to her as blatantly as humanly possible, she would respond in kind thinking of it as a friendly gesture. It was a shame, but Dimitris was bound to suffer from a one-sided love for quite some time.

After speaking to May for a brief moment, despite his attention being solely on Elina, he left us to ourselves. The dinner wasn't momentous or anything of the like, as it felt less like a celebration and more like a typical day out for us. I guess it's hard to decide what exactly makes a celebration feel celebratory, so we failed to recreate the atmosphere. Nonetheless, we had a fun time together before we had to split up and go to our respective dorms. I felt as though I had experienced every human emotion possible within the last 24 hours. A first day was supposed to be exciting, fun and full of socialising, but my day was eventful in a way that it shouldn't have been. There were more things going wrong than right and the world had it in for me, it wouldn't make sense otherwise. Putting aside my feelings I began to write a letter before getting ready to head to bed.

Dearest parents,

I wanted to write to you as soon as possible to let you know how I am doing. With everyone's help, I managed to comfortably move in to my dorm and learn my way around the area. My first day has finished today and lessons were enjoyable. Although there isn't much to say about them since they were all introductory, I wanted to let you know anyway. I was lucky to have been placed in the same class as many of my friends, including Elina. I'm sure my time here will be exciting and I'm simply happy to be reunited with brother again. Before I forget, he is also doing well. I'll be missing you all until I can finally see you again. Do send my wishes to Anna and the others.

With love,

Persephone