AIMLESSLY WANDERING through the left-wing, the sudden realization dawned that I hadn't asked where to meet, concluding that I was lost. I had left my iPhone in my dormitory since I decided that there would be no use of it. With a sigh, I adjusted the half-ponytail and wiped the edge of my bottom lip from the thin layer of gloss.

When heavy footsteps neared, I had expected the blonde female, only to be greeted by unfamiliar oxford shoes and dark brown eyes filled with scorn. Muscular arms tightly wrapped around my torso, a towel pressing against my nose and mouth. My movements grew slow, attempting to free myself with weak arms. I felt drowsy, feeling myself surrender to oblivion. I was falling, and all I could see was darkness.

My fingers twitched, and my eyes lazily fluttered open as a violent gust of air nipped at my skin. It roused to back to reality, where I found that my wrists and ankles were bound in triple knots. Hastily blinking, my eyes adjusted to the light where I involuntarily shivered, recognizing where I exactly was. "W-What am I doing here?" my voice croaked out, searching the rooftop of the academy. When I connected eyes with Liana, she had looked anything but friendly.

"The view is gorgeous, isn't it?" she remarked casually, "You were treading on thin ice when you decided to attend, but you crossed the line when you spoke out of place."

I swallowed the anxiousness that rose in my throat, "I have learned my lesson," I assured her, suddenly regretting my decision to accept her invitation, "So, untie me,"

"You couldn't possibly think that tying you up was the only thing going to happen, did you?" she ridiculed, inching forward, tossing an egg into the air and catching it with ease. "No, Calista, this is the tip of the iceberg." Aggressively, she smashed it onto my head, the cracked shells stuck to my skin while the liquid ran down my cheek.

Another egg was aimed towards my forehead as I resisted the urge to hiss out in pain. Were these eggs made of stainless steel?! Since my skin was naturally sensitive, I didn't doubt that bruises would soon form.

I peeked a glance upward to find Daniel striding towards me with a golden bucket, lifting it above my head with a satisfied grin. Void of any hesitation, he poured the thick brown substance all over me, lowering my head to prevent it from sticking to my face. Expired food was thrown at me as my senses deceived me. I gagged out in disgust, swallowing the need to barf.

The male, who I recognized as my abductor, began to approach me calmly, tauntingly swinging the bucket he held in his hands. I closed my eyes, feeling the substance run down my cheeks, which I noticed was brown paint. It showed that I was nothing compared to them, and I always would be.

In appalling embarrassment, all I could do was endure it as I sat in the uncomfortable wooden chair. I refused to cry—I wouldn't, not in front of these people. When soft fingers roughly grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up, I glowered in the eyes of Liana, who held repulsion and apathy. In her perfected manicured hand, she twirled the permanent marker between her fingers.

Onto my tanned cheek, she began to boldly write where I could do nothing but allow her to humiliate me. "There," beamed Liana brightly, "In your place, where you belong." she flipped her blonde, strawberry hair over her shoulder, swaying her hips away. As soon as she was out of aim, wrappers, papers, and more unfinished food were all thrown over me. "With the trash."

Flashes of camera flickered, but my head remained lowered in shame. The pungent smell was nauseating. I wouldn't give her the reaction that would satisfy her, for I was better than that. "She was lying about your wealth, wasn't she Daniel?" a voice asked out of curiosity.

"Of course she was," he denied it, rather quickly, "Look at her, she craves the attention!"

Laughter echoed in all directions, and I desperately wanted to cover my ears. "Stay in your place, bitch," a familiar female voice countered, one that I vividly remembered as Evelyn.

Innumerable insults spewed, and when I showed nothing but a dull look, the large group grew bored, ultimately scattering away. They left me to wallow in my own company. The chattering of conversations grew distant, along the lines that I would be abandoning my seat very soon.

When the students gradually left, Liana and I were the only ones on the rooftop. "You have seen nothing yet, Calista," she pinched her nose in disgust, "I will make you regret ever stepping foot here,"

The clatter of her footsteps retreated until they were out sight. With the slam of the rooftop door, I was finally alone.

And then the tears slipped unconsciously, then another, then until I couldn't stop bawling. They had done this countless of times to students they deemed lower than them, and all because of the justification that they were rich.

Clouds gathered in the sky, the rain kissed my skin and soaked through my uniform. The sky was crying, perhaps out of pity, and I found myself crying along.

I was alone.

STREAKS OF WARM sunlight danced onto my skin, and my eyes flickered open to find myself still on the rooftop, tied. I had lost track of time, but it must have been at least Sunday. All my tears were gone, washed away with the rain. I shivered, sniffling often, then sneezing. I wriggled my wrist, flinching at how tightly they were tied.

No one would save me like a damsel in distress. I would rely on myself.

I inspected the knots, finding the first one as my fingers weaved through them. Despite the ache residing in my wrists from sitting in an uncomfortable angle, I begged, "Please, work," I chanted. And when it grew loose, I began settling onto the second, then the third knot. "I hate them," I clenched my teeth, wriggling my way out of the binds. I proceeded to untie my ankles, noticing the soreness at the tip of my fingers where skin peeled, to my ragged fingernails. There were fading bruises by my arms, and the small cuts around my wrist and ankles with blackening bruises forming.

I lifted myself, feeling my legs wobble. The dirt and paint were dried, mixed in with tears. I stumbled with the first few steps, adjusting to the tender wounds. Wiping the garbage away, from my uniform, I reached for the door, which was unlocked.

Treading my way down the forsaken stairs, down the left-wing, I followed the trail of chatter until I found myself in the lounge. Students stopped speaking, and they stared in absolute horror. "What happened to her?" gaped a student, which began to spread the rumor that a Royal had.

I climbed the stairs begrudgingly to the highest floor, refusing to use the elevator out of pride. Internally, I felt grateful that I was the only one living on my floor. They wouldn't hear the cries when I unlocked the door, or the curses addressed to Liana Sterling.

Heading straight to the bathroom, I peeled off the sticky, dirt-ridden clothing, throwing them into the laundry bin. Stripped of my dignity, the scorching water peeled the mud, paint, and food from my body down the drain. Hours passed, the water grew warmer, but sections of my hair were stained—stained in the mark of humiliation.

After deeming myself ready, I slowly stepped out of the cubicle, enveloped in a bathroom full of steam. Shakingly, my hands rubbed the mirror to take a glimpse of my appearance. My breathing halted, on my left cheek wrote, 'POOR' and my right, 'TRASH' in bolded, capitalized letters.

I rubbed at my skin with soap and water until it was red and burned at the touch, but the words never vanished. My skin was pale from the lack of nutrients, and the rosy color in my cheeks were gone. "I won't cry," I chastised myself, attempting to believe the lies. My reflection stared back with an exhausted expression and dark circles.

And then I cried once more with the promise that it would be my last. When I couldn't cry any longer, I wiped the stray tears with the back of my hand. Sneezing and coughing, I shut my eyes, counting to ten. I inhaled, held my breath, reopened my eyes, and smiled grimly.

I would ruin them before they ruined me.