Dragging myself out of bed the next morning was almost an impossible task. Somehow I had mustered up enough willpower to actually start my day, but I sadly didn't have the power to completely erase last night from my mind. My fitful sleep definitely showed on my face thanks to the dark circles under my eyes. Since I couldn't even remember the name of the make up product used to cover those sort of things, I figured it was hopeless. What did it matter, anyway? It's not like I had any friends but Zander who'd actually care. But the small part of me that actually still had some sense was telling me No. You have to look presentable. You're in the Eligera Superiot, after all. And you can't let Raiker Denlow get to you. Maybe he's no better than his father. The thought sent a ripple of comfort through me; in the end, he was my father's enemy. What would he want to do with the daughter of his father's enemy?

Thankfully, I ended up listening to the voice and fixed myself up as best as I could. I picked up the... what was it- Concealer?- and got to work. It wasn't the best, but it was a good thing I did it though. For someone I had not expected showed up in my intelligence class first thing in the morning.

I was sitting down at my desk, head down and solving quiz questions when a beautiful storm of copper skin and black hair walked into the classroom, back straight in her perfect posture, handbag swaying as her glittering black eyes surveyed the room for empty seat. Every head in the room turned her way, some regarding her with annoyance and some staring at her in wonder. Hope swelled up in me; maybe I would finally find a friend?

Professor Antonelle looked up from his papers, peering at the girl over the frames of his glasses. "And you must be miss Fatima Ahmed," he said, almost with a sigh.

"Quite right, thank you Professor. May I please choose a seat?" She chirped, her sing songy voice echoing throughout the room. She spoke politely, but it was clear from the slight raise of her eyebrows that she was expecting a yes.

"Of course. Your classmates are working on a quiz activity right now. Please go ahead and join any group you wish. Or, if you would like to, you may work alone."

"That won't be necessary. I've already chosen my partner," she proclaimed. I could practically feel the waves of superiority radiating off of her. Her eyes travelled to the corner of the room. I suppressed a sigh as I glanced over at the small group of three stunning girls sitting elegantly there who were whispering amongst themselves, cupping their hands around their mouth as they stole glances at Fatima between their conversation. Of course she would pick them. Turning my eyes back down to my paper, I shut out the rest of the noises and got back to work. Intelligence was my favorite subject of the day, after all. Might as well make it count. It wasn't until I felt a tap on my shoulder that I looked up again. Biting back my annoyance, I glanced up at the person who had tapped me on the shoulder ready to passive-aggressively ask them to mind their own business. But the words died on my lips as soon as I saw who the person was.

Fatima stood over me, staring down at me with her dark eyes. "Is this seat taken?" She asked, pointing a perfectly manicured finger towards the chair right next to mine, cocking her head.

"Oh, no, it's not," I stuttered, taken by surprise. Out of all of the girls in this room, she chose me? That was unexpected. Very, very unexpected.

"Great," she said, plopping her handbag onto the table and settling herself into the chair. She produced a pink pencil from her bag, briefly skimming the questions on the paper, tapping her chin thoughtfully. I turned back to my work. She could surely handle herself from here on. But before I could even read the next question, I heard her hiss, "Aisa. Do you know the answer to this question?" She tapped her nail on the first question. "I seem to have forgotten the answer."

"Oh," I managed. How could she not know the answer to the first question? If she didn't, why was she even in intelligence? Hiding my astonishment, I replied calmly, "It's option B."

"Is it?" She gazed at her paper again, the wheels in her head seemingly working, although I doubted they were. Within a second her eyes widened as if she had just realized something life changing, and she let out a small giggle.

"Oh! Of course it is B! I just couldn't figure it out for a moment there. Sorry about that." Her voice was annoyingly high. It felt like needles poking my brain. I forced a smile.

"No worries," I replied shortly, and, trying to make it clear I was not interested in talking, turned my attention away from her again. Is this what it felt like to have a friend in Intelligence class? I wasn't so sure I minded the solitude anymore. It was better than having this, almost annoyingly pretty girl breathing down my neck every second. Why didn't she pick someone else to bug?

And that's when it hit me. She probably only sat next to me to copy my answers. Frustration bubbled up inside of me, and I held back the urge to snap at her. If I hadn't seen that girl and...Raiker yesterday, things would be so much easier. I might have gotten some actual sleep. Stupid Raiker and his stupid face looking down at stupidly pretty girls. I'm sure he's telling them all the stupid things that he told me. Forcing back my strangely intense emotions, I continued to concentrate on my work. No stupid boys were going to make me fail my intelligence class.

Surprisingly, the class passed with no more interruptions from Fatima. She seemed to have gotten my signal. But as soon as the bell rang, she approached me again, her tall heels clicking on the shiny floor.

"Can I help you?" I asked cautiously. At least my previous irritation had subdued quite a bit. What did she want from me though?

"Would you like to have lunch with me? I admit, I haven't found any company I find particularly interesting yet." She looked at me expectantly. What? Why would she ask me of all people? Her complete opposite! I stared into her face unbelievingly. She softly cleared her throat, bringing me back to my senses.

"Oh! Well, I usually sit with Raiker, but I'm sure it would be fine if I came along with you for today." Though she annoyed me a bit in class, I couldn't help but feeling a bit excited. Maybe I was making my first girl friend in the Superiot. I found my lips spreading into a small smile, despite myself.

She herself flashed me a smile, showing her pearly white teeth. "Thank you. You're most welcome to invite Mr. Dein to sit with us as well. And I'm sorry if I was invading your privacy in class. You must understand that I didn't mean to distract you from your work."

"Oh, that's alright. No problem," I answered, most of my mind only fixated on one word she said; Dein. So Raiker had lied to her too; it wasn't only me. Should I tell her? Or would it cause unnecessary drama?

"Shall we go, then?" She asked, breaking my thought train. "We don't want to keep the others waiting."

"Of course," I replied, pushing the thought of telling her away as I trailed with her towards the dining hall. Sometimes, it's better to keep the truth to yourself.

***

"Raiker?" I called, standing on my tiptoes to hopefully catch a glimpse of his curly brown mop of hair over the rest of the crowd. The din today was even worse than normal. I sighed.

"I can't find him," I told Fatima, who seemed to be studying her portable receiver.

Not looking up, she responded, "That's alright. I'm sure he'll find us. Come, let's go and sit. Zander just told me he found a table." In the blink of an eye, she had strode away from me, navigating the swarm of people expertly. I followed awkwardly, bumping into more than a few people and profusely apologizing. God Aisa, could you make a bigger fool of yourself.? After this lunch, Fatima probably won't even want to sit with you.

Finally reaching the table, I noticed Zander already sitting there, waiting politely for Fatima to join him. His eyes found mine and his face lit up.

"Aisa! What a pleasant surprise! I'm very delighted you could join us today," he said, beckoning for me to sit down. I smiled and sat down next to him. "What about your guide...Raiker?"

"It was Fatima's invitation. We met in intelligence class today," I explained. Zander glanced at Fatima, eyebrows raised questioningly. "As for Raiker, I could not quite find him, but I believe he'll be joining us soon."

"I wasn't aware you had intelligence during the same time as Aisa, Miss Ahmed. You must inform me about these kind of things." Though he didn't show it, I could tell he expected better from the girl he was helping out. But I hadn't seen her in any of my classes, besides today.

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry, it was a sudden change. I'll be sure to let you know next time. Aisa is wonderful company, though," she said, at an almost unnoticeable attempt to divert the topic. Zander, who had most likely opened his mouth to ask another question, closed it quickly, and plastered a smile back onto his face.

"Yes, she is. We have known each other for quite a while now. I'm very aware of it." I don't know if I was imagining it, but there was something harsh about the way Zander delivered the last line. His smile hasn't faltered though.

"That's too kind of you both to say." Lost in the scene at hand, I hardly noticed Raiker approach us until he cleared his throat.

"Aisa," he said, gazing down at me, lunch tray in his hands, hazel eyes asking tons of unspoken questions. His hair was even more adorably ruffled than normal, but despite his midnight... meeting, he looked fresh. His gaze shifted to Fatima, and as if coming to some kind of sudden realization, he continued, "I'm delighted to see you have made a new friend. Would it be alright if I joined you all?" His questioning gaze was no longer present. Interesting.

"Please do. I was going to invite you myself, but I had not been able to find you." I made sure to not look him directly in the eye; not after last night.

He set his tray down in between mine and Fatima's, settling onto the chair. Almost as if nobody else was sitting, he picked up his fork and prodded his chicken with it. I couldn't help but notice how lean and slim his fingers were, perfect for sketching, but still calloused. The way they would feel, rough but gentle at the same time.

Snap out of it, Aisa. He doesn't care even a bit about you. And neither should you care about him. Tearing my eyes away from him, I smiled at Zander and Fatima. Raiker's presence seemed to have brought an awkward air about the table, Fatima twirling a strand of hair around her finger and Zander studiously studying his food. Raiker seemed to be the only one oblivious, digging into his chicken.

"So, Aisa, have you been getting more used to the school?" Zander asked, most likely trying to break the silence. "I trust that Raiker has been aiding you with whatever you need." He looked at Raiker expectantly, as if to get some sort of confirmation that he indeed was helping me out. Raiker swallowed another bite and looked up at Zander.

"Of course. It is my duty to help Aisa whenever she requires it," he said defiantly, looking at me through the corner of his eye. I didn't know how to respond- the scene of him with that girl was still playing in my head, like an annoying recording without a pause button. Almost as if he had never diverted his attention, he added, "I hope you are doing the same for Fatima, as well? She is also here in her first year, and due to her background, it might be slightly harder for her to adjust."

"I am aware of that, thank you," said Zander. I could tell he was forcing himself to still be polite, as someone had just questioned the way he took care of his responsibilities. Fatima's eyes darted between Raiker and Zander, finally finding me. I gave her a nervous smile in return. I could tell something was happening, with Zander and Raiker looking at each other in an almost passive-aggressive way. "Fatima seems to have figured most things out on her own."

"Right, by making other friends and taking their help. I do suppose that is what happens when one's guide doesn't pay too much attention to them." He smiled at Zander sweetly. I sucked in a breath. What did Raiker think he was doing, insulting Zander like that? Especially as his dad needed as much support from the others on the election board as he could get. Didn't Raiker realize he was ruining his dad's chances? He seemed smart enough to know what he was doing, though.

Maybe he just didn't care.

Zander seemed to have been slightly taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise- then narrowing in something that looked like contempt.

Quickly regaining his composure, he said, "Please do not comment on things you know very little about. It is most unwise."

"I apologize. I am very sorry if that offended you, I was simply stating my observations. Quite a few people have noticed." Raiker went back to his food, like the conversation no longer applied to him. Zander, most likely dumbfounded, was looking at Raiker with subtle disgust, seemingly contemplating ways to politely insult him back. This was such a bad idea. Fatima, who was probably thinking along the same lines (although she looked very amused), stood up and announced, "I have had enough to eat. I will be returning to my dormitory to freshen up before afternoon lessons." She picked up her tray with mostly untouched food and started towards the sink. Zander, who had barely eaten as well, hurriedly got up.

"Is it alright if I accompany you? I need to go back to my room as well." He looked at Raiker as if proving something, although Raiker didn't seem to notice, and then said to me, "Aisa, I hope I'll see you later?"

"Yes, I hope so too." I smiled lightly, and his mouth twitched with the hint of a smile too. With that, he turned on his heel, trailing behind Fatima. It was only then I realized it was just me and Raiker now, sitting alone at the table.

Should I make conversation? He couldn't know that I saw anything last night. But I could barely look at him. I just needed some space.

"Well Raiker, I should get going now. I would like to finish some homework before class."

"I thought you would have done it last night?" He asked, finally looking at me properly.

"I was a little too tired. I retired for an early night." Did he suspect something?

"Are you sure that was it? I thought you would have been distracted looking for this." He pulled out a glinting card from his pocket with my name and picture stamped on it. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, I wasn't able to find it. But thank you so much!" I extended my arm to take it from him, but he reeled back, holding it over his head.

"Before I give it back to you, you must promise to never make such a mistake again. It could cost you dearly, and you won't always be lucky enough to have a person as kind and good as me find it for you."

"It was an honest mistake. I promise I won't repeat myself." I felt like a small child again, apologizing for speaking rudely to another person in preschool. But I needed that card. I expected him to argue more, or demand something else, but he just handed the card back to me.

"I won't hold you back any longer. See you after lessons," he told me, polishing off his plate. He let a smile soften his features before turning on his heel and leaving.

"See you then," I said, and got up. I felt a tinge of disappointment surge through me. Why, I was not sure. I was hoping he'd stay until I finished too. But miss what's-her-name popped into my head again, and I mentally scolded myself. There was no hope. He didn't care about me, and he wouldn't even pay attention to me if he wasn't my tour guide. I stared at my plate, the food on it no longer appetizing. As much as I didn't want to waste it, I had no choice. I stood up and handed the plate over to the Inferior worker instead of piling it haphazardly on the table with all of the other dirty plates, stealing a glance at Raiker, who was near the exit now, probably waiting for someone. He pushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes with slight impatience.

Aisa. Stop.

Hoping he didn't notice me, I scampered away. It was pathetic of me to spend so much time worrying about a guy who was probably as good as his father. I wasn't going to get distracted by him any longer.