Chapter 10: Day as the scholarship student.

The morning sun clawed its way through the curtains, casting a reluctant light across Olivia's cramped, disheveled room.

She stirred beneath the threadbare blanket, the cold seeping into her bones.

The thin cloth she had tossed over the soiled mattress had slipped in the night, revealing the stains beneath.

The wooden wardrobe, its door slightly ajar, revealed a pitiful collection of her clothes, many of them old and patched.

Her very few personal belongings lay scattered here and there, the plush toy her brother had presented to her, obviously bought with all the money he had, the drawing of her family by the little sister of her's, torn notebook pages, littered the dusty floor, mingling with the dirt seeping in from every corner.

All of them lay on the dirty floor, carelessly discarded, as if the world had turned a blind eye to the significance they have to her.

On the desk, a single candle sat, its wax melted down to a stub. Beside it lay her textbooks, their covers defaced and pages dog eared.

A broken quill and an ink bottle, tipped over and long dried, completed the picture of her room... One that housed no pity

The air was thick with the odour of a peasant—a mix of dampness, old paper, and a faint, lingering trace of disinfectant that never quite masked the stench.

The small window beside her bed offered a view of the academy grounds, though the glass was so grimy it barely let in any light.

A flimsy curtain, once white but now gray with dirt, lay underneath on the dirty floor.

In the corner of the room, a pile of clothes lay on the floor, though it was mingled with filth of all sorts.

Her bed, the centerpiece of her room, bore a stained and threadbare mattress, its springs groaning with every shift.

Despite its discomfort, it was the only refuge she had, a place where she could escape, if only for a few hours.

Olivia's school shoes, usually tucked neatly under the bed, were missing—a familiar trick that left her with nothing but her indoor slippers to wear.

The few trinkets she had brought from home, small reminders of happier times, were broken or missing, stolen away in petty acts of spite.

Although the marks of yesterday lingered on her heart, she forced herself to rise.

She dressed quickly, her fingers fumbling with the worn buttons of her uniform.

With the mirror reflecting a face she barely recognizes. One with tired eyes, dark circles, a weariness that seemed to aged her beyond her years.

She splashed cold water on her face, hoping to wash away the remnants of the tears last night, it however did nothing to wash away the shadows.

Mechanically, she walked to the academy, each step heavier than the last, the walk to the academy felt terribly long as yesterday.

The whispers started almost immediately from the first step outside her room, like a swarm of invisible bees, stinging her with their toxicity.

"There's the scholarship girl," one voice hissed. "Look at her, all alone."

"She probably thinks she's better than us," another sneered. "Arrogant commoner."

She hunched her shoulders, wishing, hoping and trying to make herself smaller, invisible. Her steps quickened, her heart pounding at maximum capacity, perhaps hoping to explode.

She kept her head down, her eyes fixed on the floor, hoping to make it to her classroom without incident.

But hope was a fragile thing, easily shattered. As she turned a corner, she collided with Stephanie and her entourage.

The banana haired girl sneered down at her, eyes gleaming with malice, although it felt more subdued compared to the past, olivia wasn't in the right state of mind to realize it.

"Well, if it isn't the little pet," Stephanie said, her voice dripping with a pompous sarcasm.

"Having fun playing pretend as usual?" She inquired with a masked of kindness.

Olivia's throat tightened, words failing her. She tried to step around them, but Stephanie's hand shot out, shoving her back against the wall, near the window.

The impact jarred her, pain radiating through her body.

"You're nothing but a charity case," Stephanie continued, leaning in close. "You don't belong here. You're just a burden, dragging the rest of us down, do you really believed we are the same?"

The words were a knife, twisting deep into Olivia's heart. She bit her lip, refusing to let the tears fall.

But, maybe? Just maybe, she was right.

'Maybe I should just leave.' She thought, alas the option of going back home was far long gome.

'Yeah... I can't even go back... Maybe if I told her she would understand?' She mused.

'Even if she didn't, maybe she will drop me off?' But just as olivia planned to tell her circumstances, stephanie showed a face of pure anger.

Timidly, Olivia looked up at her, though her gaze seemed to pass right through, as if she were focusing on a stranger beyond.

"Tch." She showed anger mix with annoyance.

With a final shove, Stephanie and her entourage walked away quickly, leaving Olivia crumpled on the floor.

She picked herself up slowly, her body trembling. The corridor had emptied, the students moving on to their classes, oblivious... No... Ignoring her pain.

In the classroom, she slipped into her seat at the back.

The teacher's gaze slid past her, a ghost among the living.

She was there, but not truly seen. She was the silent answer to questions unasked, her presence a tolerated inconvenience.

Under the desk, marred by the usual graffiti, she gathered the scattered pieces of her torn notes, with a trembling hands.

Lunchtime came, and the cafeteria buzzed with chatter.

She sat alone, her tray untouched. She stared at her food, the appetite long gone, the food was utterly unappetizing, the smell turning her stomach even more.

As the day dragged on, the weight on her chest grew heavier.

The afternoon classes blurred into a haze of words and numbers, none of which seemed to penetrate the fog in her mind.

She was like an empty shell, going through the motions, her spirit battered but not yet broken.

The final bell rang, and she gathered her things, moving with mechanical precision.

'Aah... they didn't come today...'

The corridors were quieter now, the students eager to leave, she was afraid.

'Why... didn't they come?'

She lingered, not wanting to leave just yet, but ultimately she moved.

Author's Note: Guys... I am at the hospital for the padt weeks.... Sorry for the late update I couldn't motivate myself lol...

Also, I'm excited to write the first arc for this fannovel... But I'm too unlucky.... pray to whatever deity you believed in for me.