THE BOY WAS LIKE a storm on a winter's day. Cold and beautiful. Bewitching grey eyes that changed shades depending on his mood, Laelia thought he was the prettiest individual she had ever seen. He never glanced or bothered to speak to her, but she always found herself admiring from afar. Such an alluring gaze, but even at the young age of ten, held bitterness within them. Coming from an extremely wealthy family, he lacked nothing but genuine friendships. He was the child everyone wanted to be or be friends with, but they all had ulterior motives. With a temper that made others wary, it didn't change the utmost respect they had.

Sitting in an overbearing cafeteria at the furthest table away from the crowds, Laelia gleamed at the lunch her mother prepared. Despite being alone, she preferred enjoying her own company. "Laelia," a ringing voice mocked in a sing-song voice. It held nothing but the loom of trouble. "Are you embarrassed to be alone?" Ophelia taunted, crossing her arms defiantly. She was notorious for being a bully and happened to set her sights on ruining Laelia's life. When Laelia grew silent, Ophelia smirked knowingly in triumph and shoved the petite female by the shoulders roughly.

Wincing from the sudden contact from the previous day, Laelia lowered her head and flinched away. Unable to find her voice, she couldn't stand up for herself when Ophelia snatched the lunch box of untouched food and purposely spilt it onto the tiles. "I didn't mean to ruin your lunch," she pouted with an expression of ridicule, laughing as she tossed the empty container at Laelia. The only thing that kept her from crying was how her older brother would tease her if she did. He would have told her to quit crying and sucker punch Ophelia.

"Three seconds, that's how long until I lose my patience," he raised his fingers, "So get out of my sight," his abrupt interruption, full of irritation and agitation. "And if I ever see you bothering her again, I'll make you regret coming to this school."

In response, Ophelia frowned in mischief, scurrying away without another word. Glancing briefly at Laelia with tight lips and a sour expression, the female was then crowded and comforted by her classmates. Lifting her eyes, Laelia envied the beautiful girl. With freckles dotting her button nose and striking emerald eyes, it wasn't a surprise how popular she was. Platinum blonde locks braided into a bun while Laelia had tied her wavy hair into two pigtails.

Growing uneasily suddenly, she realized who defended her, Dion Zephyr. Insecurities and flaws about herself began to sprew through her mind, the unsettling feeling of speaking to someone such as himself, "Laelia, right?"

Timidly, she nodded, "Thank you for helping me," murmured Laelia, hesitant to meet his gaze. She was afraid that he would also tease her for having peculiar eyes.

"Why won't you look at me?" Dion furrowed his eyebrows, taking a seat across from her as he called someone over to clean up the mess Ophelia made. Sighing, Laelia lifted her head and when noticed how his stare seemed to soften. His eyes swirled in fascination, "You have cool eyes!"

Laelia felt her face heating up. This was the first time someone had ever complimented her. Many made fun of how different they were, and she often felt like an outsider. Her mother explained that it was called heterochromia. Laelia's left eye appeared as a light shade of hazel, and the right was a sapphire blue. Giving him the stink eye, she corrected him shyly, "They're weird."

"I'm Dion," he introduced with a beaming smile. Shuffling for a moment, he searched through his designer backpack and held out a glass container with cut-up pieces of steak and salad. "Here, you can share this with me." Humming, he unfolded his silver cutlery and spread the dressing over his meal.

And suddenly, he pointed the fork by her lips full of salad. Swaying it back and forth, he pouted, "My arms are getting tired, Laelia," his whines made her anxious, and she slowly parted her lips for a bite. The corner of Dion's lips curled in satisfaction, and he continued to feed her, despite her many protests.

From that day, he arrived with a freshly packed lunch. Dion began eating, sitting, hanging out, and simply admiring her. The two had grown closer than anyone would have expected. The insufferable child who terrorized others purely for entertainment (not that anyone was complaining, though) had unexpectedly become overprotective and possessive towards Laelia. What others knew was that he had a tendency to treat people like collectables. When he got bored, he would simply discard them. And they had especially felt sorry for Laelia when Dion would grow tired of her.

Dion, one day, would simply leave, and Laelia would never see him again. It was unreasonable for a ten-year-old to be like that, but it was also just the way he had always been.