CHAPTER 27: Fight back

"Cause except you decide to fight back. Whatever I do is worthless and trying to protect you is even more stupid," Natal said before patiently waiting to see his reaction as Ashen stared back at him in surprise,

"Well…get up. I have to clean the chair a little but it would still do," Shella mocked, glad that Natal was no longer in the picture and even more delighted to hear the whispers around her that slowly filtered into her eyes, which he was sure Ashen could also hear,

"Dumb brat…what is he doing in the front row?"

"Bottom feeders are always to sit at the back"

"He's even the worst of the worst"

"I've never laid eyes on him until today, he looks so ordinary,"

"I'm sure he didn't even pass the exam or get a globe"

Their words filtering into Ashen's ears, as he suddenly felt an immense urge to jump up and run out of the hall, away from their demeaning eyes, unable to comprehend why he was even there in the first place,

His hands gripped either side of his chair so tightly, it would have broken if it hadn't been magically reinforced, Yet, a second was all it took for Ashen to remember how less than three hours ago, he would have died and not a single person that mocked would have cared or noticed,

A funeral would have been arranged and still, they would have mocked him even in his grave for his rank, not caring to know who the person behind it was,

"Why should I care what they think?" a single thought that shook all the beliefs and choices he had made until then, recalling how he did everything Makin asked and he almost ended up burnt to ashes by him. How he saved so hard and get a better wand just to raise his rank and make his parents proud, whose letters or reply to his letters he hadn't seen in months,

"Why should I care what they think?" he asked himself again, all these happening in a few seconds as he sank into the chair he sat down in, and began to slowly chuckle, his laugh bursting out into a wild grin with closed eyes, that shocked everyone staring at him waiting for him to get up, including Natal,

Opening his eyes, as he gently clasped his hands in front of him, leaning completely into his chair regardless of the fact that his untrained heart, pounded faster and harder than before,

"I've changed my mind," he replied with a drawl… staring right at Shella's face, as he looked past the Rank 13 that sat on her breast pocket,

"This is my seat and no one…No one can take it away from me," Ashen said in a louder tone that carried a strong aura, strong enough to shock Stella who couldn't comprehend that the guy in front of her had just spoken them,

Angry and about to lash out unwilling to lose face in front of so many people because of such a tiny bug, Shella turned to begin to address Ashen and make it a bigger deal than it already was, already constructing a plan to make everyone believe that the chair was stolen from her in the first instance when the moment she opened her to speak, she heard Natal speak,

"Leave or you'll be the one sitting at the back. Also, looking at you is just bad for one's eyesight," Natal mocked and partly ordered, getting angrier by the second as he watched her continue to stare at him, noticing the moment her eyes fell on the rank 9 on his shirt.

Shella noticed that Natal wasn't backing down and instead of drawing more unnecessary attention to herself, she puffed out air from her nose in annoyance and turned around to leave,

"Anared likes my company and you like Anared," Shella thought as she thumped her feet and left in anger,

"She looks harmless, but it's the pretty ones you need to avoid. Poisonous animals are shiny and pretty for a reason," Natal joked as he turned to his left to look at Ashen sitting right next to him, dead in the eyes, noticing a cold glint hidden there that he hadn't seen before,

Calmly, Ashen nodded in agreement, glad to see Shella finally leave but unable to wipe the smile on his face, his eyes glancing at Natal's built and muscular form, with great facial features and shiny blond hair that most girls would find difficult to ignore, which he himself couldn't help but admire,

"Yeap…the pretty ones should definitely be avoided," Ashen replied Natal, easily recalling how the mere fact that he sat beside Natal made his presence go completely unnoticed.

"Just look forward and ignore them. I'm glad you chose to stay though. Having to relocate to the back would have been a chore," Ashen unexpectedly heard Natal say, surprised to discover that Natal knew what he was trying to run away from,