Nowhere in Between

Earlier... 

All thoughts were hindered after Eirin arrived in front of Ms. Hockenbury's office. Her palms were sweaty as she kept gulping standing in front of the door, hesitant of what she must do. Just the thought of meeting the stern and stiff teacher makes Eirin not want to enter at all. 

She breathed in and knocked on the door. Her heart thumped loudly as if trying to jump out of her body, and the moment of the door opening was the moment she dreaded. 

 "Sit." 

Eirin gently closed the door behind her and sauntered into the cold room with only the sound of the air-conditioner filling her ears. Ms. Hockenbury was busy doing paperwork on her table and the clicking of Ms. Hockenbury's pen caused Eirin to flinch every time. 

 "I have heard that you were the last person in the laboratory room before the incident happened." 

Those words left Eirin in awe. It couldn't be her, those seniors and Shade Cromwell were there as she left, but she was terrified of speaking in front of her terror teacher. 

Ms. Hockenbury stared at her and raised an eyebrow. "Why can you not answer? Was it not you who caused such destruction?" 

Eirin gulped and could not keep a straight gaze. Her eyes kept wandering through the stifling white room as it was conflicting to even think of how she could create such an explosion if this teacher in front of her deemed her as someone "normal". Someone who does not bear any importance or power. Any abilities. 

 "Why do you not answer, Luxfield? Have you gone deaf?" 

Eirin bit her lower lip. "I don't understand why you called me here, Ms. Hockenbury." 

The teacher scoffed and placed her pen down. "It must be splendid to be that naive and clueless, is it not? You do resemble your tactless grandmother in that sense." 

Eirin could not keep a straight face after the mention of her grandmother. It was not something she wanted to hear, especially from this person in front of her. 

 "I wasn't the last person in the laboratory, Miss. You already knew that." 

Ms. Hockenbury scoffed. "Do you bear no shame at all, Luxfield?" She looked at Eirin up and down, as if mocking her whole appearance. "Did you not know what those seniors had said about you?" 

Eirin gulped. The memories of that traumatizing event flashed in her head like a bomb, leaving fragments of fear.

 "You and your nasty appearance had made them do it." 

Eirin trembled as she bit her lower lip till it bled. She could not comprehend why she must go through such humiliation after humiliation. When would it stop? 

 "You do not fit this realm. There is no saying how you controlled Cromwell with that appearance, but it is you who caused the explosion. If only I held the supreme power, I would immediately kick you out, this instance." 

Eirin breathed in. She did not like being bullied by an adult in a place nothing less than a stranger to her. 

 "I don't understand why you're so set on kicking me out of this place, and your hatred towards me might be rooted in your insecurities with my grandma, but please. Don't act less than an adult. I'm 16, and you're doing this to me because?" 

Eirin could feel her right cheek throbbing in pain after Ms. Hockenbury's rough and calloused hand landed on her. 

 "You really are your grandmother's flesh and blood. Did you not know? Your grandmother left this realm due to her mistake and she could not fulfill her duties. She escaped from this place because of that. She's irresponsible and a coward." 

Ms. Hockenbury raised her voice, her condescending tone makes it seem like she has been someone who's used to the power of superiority. 

 "It is astonishing how she chose to build a family in the world of the inops. How unsightly. You and your family. You are nothing but a mere inops yet you dare talk back to me? I could kick you out if I wanted to." 

Eirin's amber eyes welled up as she stood from her seat. "Then please do. I would prefer you to end my suffering from being bullied by an adult like you," she said. 

 "You will regret this, young lady. I decided to put Cromwell in that mission and I will do the same to you." 

Eirin froze before she reached her hand to the doorknob. The rumor that has been circulating through the campus turns out to be true. 

 "I shall make you learn that there is nothing I do not know in this academy. Nothing! And if you think you are protected considering the Queen's affection for you, you are awfully wrong. You are nothing but a mere rat trying to fit in this place." 

All respect towards the teacher vanished after hearing those words. 

 "If Shade Cromwell became the way he is because of a teacher like you, then it won't be a surprise to find more students like him here. If you'll excuse me, I still have homework to do." 

Eirin walked out of the room with her head high, leaving Ms. Hockenbury screaming and throwing all the things she could inside the room. But the moment Eirin got into the hallway, the tears that were welling in her eyes raced out and she fell on her knees, feeling miserable because of the things she heard. 

It was not only her, but her grandmother and her dead parents. They were condemned for the things that happened that she did not even want to happen. She wondered why everyone hated her, and why must she suffer all of these for the sake of answers. 

What happened caused Eirin to remember how Ms. Hockenbury treated Shade Cromwell. He has been living in the academy for as long as he can remember. How bad has it been for him? Being called a demon and being treated like an outcast. Eirin could somehow understand why he had become the way he was. 

On her way to the dormitory, Eirin could not look up, afraid of people seeing how puffy and red her eyes had become due to sobbing. She sneakily entered their room and sighed, seeing that there was no one there. The last thing Eirin wanted was for her roommate to see how much a mess she had become. 

A fresh cold bath was what Eirin needed to cool her head off. It was unlikely for her to talk back to someone older, but she could not bear the insult her teacher spouted regarding her family. 

She could finally feel her emotions calming down after that soothing bath. 

 "You're here," 

Her heart almost dropped after hearing her roommate's voice and seeing how she had been lying on her bed while holding what seemed to be a tub of ice cream.

 "Y-Yeah. I couldn't go back to the classroom because I was sweating a lot," she lied while wiping her hair with a new white towel from the drawer. 

 "Do you want some ice cream?" 

Eirin stared at the huge tub of ice cream Coleen was holding. Her eyes kept blinking in confusion, wondering how could Coleen finish that all up. 

 "T-They say ice cream is good i-if you're having a bad day." 

Coleen's face turned flushed after she stuttered. 

 "Does it look like I'm having a bad day?" Eirin chuckled, causing Coleen's face to turn redder than ever. 

 "I-I just assumed it! Everyone gets a bad day whenever they meet Ms. Hockenbury so I thought that was the same to you." 

 'Everyone does?' Eirin thought as she was reminded of what she mentioned to Ms. Hockenbury. 

 "By everyone, are you also referring to Shade Cromwell?" 

Silence filled the room after Coleen was struck by that question. The cold tub of ice cream caused Coleen's to be cold as she stared at Eirin who was patiently waiting for her answer. 

 "I-I don't know!" Coleen averted her gaze. "A-Accept this already. I bought too much anyway." 

Eirin accepted the tub of melting ice cream and kept quiet as she sat on her bed. She hasn't had her lunch, and she is not fond of cold food whenever her stomach's empty because it causes her tummy aches. However, seeing the silent Eirin only holding the ice cream without opening it makes Coleen misunderstand. 

 "Fine! I'll say it." 

Eirin looked at Coleen's flustered face, confused as to why she sounded forced. 

 "Ms. Hockenbury is a perfectionist. She hates oddities and minorities, and she really strives to make the academy a perfect place. At least, for her," Coleen said while opening a strawberry shortcake that she bought. "That is why Ms. Hockenbury despises Shade from the very beginning. She didn't even want to accept him here after they rescued him." 

 'Rescued?' 

Coleen took a spoonful of white icing on top of her strawberry shortcake. "She thought of him as a pest that she must get rid of." 

 "Why is that?" 

Coleen swallowed her food and sighed. Watching her made Eirin smile with how adorable she appeared. 

 "It's because Shade is from that almost extinct race. They are not humans and are also not considered as ligmas." Coleen noticed Eirin's furrowed brows. "Ligmas are mythical creatures innate with magic. We already discussed that in class, didn't we?" 

Eirin scratched her cheek. "Sorry, I'm quite forgetful." 

 "Anyway, Shade's race has a distinct name... I know it's not the real name of their race but more like a nickname the humans gave to them. They're called the demons."