[Bonus chapter]Chapter 17: Pancake
•National Academy of Science, 1st Ward•
Ana
Oh how the tables have turned. Valerian have been following her around all day like a giant puppy–he almost reminded her of Alpha. Ana shook the thought off her head how could she compare that cruel, arrogant jerk to her sweet little Alpha who was in danger because of her.
Ana stomped her way to her dorm room. She was always one to look at the bright side of things and although she hated to admit it, things seemed pretty dark.
"What am I going to do?" She whined as she let herself collapse on the soft mattress of her bed. Turns out Valerian's experiment with the neurotropic virus turns people into blood-lusting zombies. Ana scoffed. "What is this? A novel?" She wasn't sure of the details yet. But she knew there was more to this than meets the eye. 'How many people got infected so far? What happened to the other people who got infected? How did the virus enter their school? And why does her body seem immune to the virus?' She groaned as more and more questions popped up in her head.
"This isn't my problem I shouldn't get involved any further. I should just finish things up and forget about everything" She realized. An took a deep breath to calm her thoughts. She grabbed a nearby piece of chocolate on her bedside table and popped the sugary delight into her mouth. 'A chocolate a day keeps the negativity away' she thought as she shivered as the sweet taste of the chocolate melted in her mouth. "That's right! I have a job to do, I shouldn't let myself get distracted."
***
Because of Ana's desperate attempt to avoid Valerian, she had been recently spending time with the other students of Class E–except Ambrose. He was always late to class but first to rush out once class ends. During class he was fast asleep and during breaks he was nowhere to be found.
"Apparently Annika Caroline's cat went missing" Lily said as they walked out of their classroom. Their classes were done for the day.
"Hah! Serves her right" Margo laughed slapping Trois at the back in a fit of laughter.
"We're not even allowed to have pets in school" Eclarisse muttered as she shifted the wheight of the books she was carrying. Utter discrimination. That was what Ana had noticed. Unlike the regular classes with state-of-the-art facilities. Not only were they stuck in a run-down building, they were forced to use heavy hard-bound books since they didn't give Class E students access to computers.
"She thinks she's the Queen Bee just because Emily went on vacation" Margo said. Ana's ears perked up at the familiar name. "You knew Emily Stuart?" Ana asked.
"Know her? She's famous" Margo laughed.
"Emily's infamous for bullying others. Students in Class E were her favorite targets. She used to be one of the Imperial 7 but since she haven't shown up since the school year started she's been demoted by default" Eclarisse explained.
"Yup, when the cat's away the mouse will play. With Emily gone, her second in command, Annika is the one calling the shots now" Lily added.
"Isn't that immature" Ana said recalling her face-off with Annika when she first got here. Her bold statement made everyone freeze.
"I mean, The National Academy of Science is the most prestigious school in the Academy, where future generation leaders are being molded. If they're the type of who would step on people weaker than them and abuse their authority just because they're a little smarter, what kind of government will we have in the future" Ana explained. This left them speechless.
Margo was the first one to break the silence. "But that's just how it works in the Academy. It's the survival of the fittest. It's how things are done"
"Just because it's done doesn't mean it's supposed to be done" Ana mumbled as they started walking again.
"Hey, what do you think about grabbing a bite before going back" Trois suggested, rubbing his stomach. "How are you always hungry?!" Margo retorted but eventually agreed to grab a bite.
"How about you, Ana?" Margo asked her.
"No thank you. I'm done for the day" Ana said faking a yawn. "See you tomorrow" she added as they bid their goodbyes.
As Ana walked towards the dormitory building, laughter erupted from a group of girls by the door. "Hey Idiot!"
SPLAT
The girls hurled an egg at Ana, the egg cracking and it's yolk dripping down her uniform in the process. A sickening blend of sliminess and stickiness clung to the fabric, spreading its repulsive texture across her skin. "Ewww" Ana though as she removed the shells from her uniform.
Ana was patient by nature, she didn't want to do anything she would regret later so she just ignored the girls and continued walking. As she walked closer to them they started throwing flour at her then finally, as she entered the door, milk poured down on her, dousing her hair and uniform.
She gasped in shock but her gasps were muffled by the onslaught of the milk, and her attempts to shield herself from the barrage proved futile. The liquid splattered across her face, her hair, her arms, and every exposed inch of skin. As the final droplets of milk ceased, the girl's laughter echoed throughout the dormitory halls, the people inside who witnessed her humiliation joined in their laughter and started taking videos and pictures of her.
To be honest, Ana wasn't the least bit humiliated by this. She didn't care what other people thought of her. What got her blood boiling was the amount of food Annika and her cronies wasted just for this simple prank. Didn't she know that there were hundreds of people starving the the 5th Ward?!
Ana thought about all the ways she could brake her bones and make it look like an accident but her vision was suddenly blocked by a black fabric. "Don't start beating people up, sunshine" Valerian teased her as he draped his blazer over Ana's head, effectively shielding her face from the prying eyes and the cruel laughter that surrounded them. But Valerian wasn't protecting her from the people, he was protecting the people from HER. Ana shook away her violent thoughts as Valerian gently placed her large hand on her lower back and led her outside, Ana almost flinched at the contact.
"I didn't need your help" Ana hissed at him as she removed his blazer from her head and used it to vigorously wipe the milk and eggs off her face. The scent of Valerian's cologne, a hint of musk and warmth, offered a stark contrast to his cold, indifferent and arrogant attitude.
"I know. I just wanted to stop you from doing something you'll regret"
"And that means?"
"You should have seen your face! You looked like you were going to eat her alive." Valerian chuckled.
"I wasn't THAT angry" Ana pouted as she noticed that his blazer was now completely ruined.
"You had the same look in your eyes when you pointed your dagger at my neck."
"Don't worry I won't stab her just because I was mad"
"So you only do that to me? Threaten to stab me when you're" Valerian chuckled as he turned to face her. Ana felt gentle touch against the side of her lips. Which was weird because gentle and Valerian could NOT be in the same sentence. He was anything BUT gentle.
Startled, she looked up to find Valerian looking at her with amusement in his eyes. Did she see her as some sort of clown?! She wanted to throw hands at him. She had no idea what he was thinking. Valerian's thumb brushed against her skin, wiping the flour away from her skin. In an unexpected gesture, he brought his thumb to his own lips, his gaze unwavering. Ana broke eye contact only to stare at his thumb, now stained with flour as Valerian licked it.
"This tastes terrible, If they were trying to make a human pancake, they've failed miserably" Valerian joked. Ana gasped inwardly. HE KNEW HOW TO JOKE?!