Chapter 2- That Look
"How is school going, Elio?"
On the way, Melissa chatted happily with Elio. She didn't seem bothered by his quiet nature at all. In fact, she seemed quite delighted every time she saw him, whether that was by coincidence or when she brought him food sometimes. The two got along rather well, but Elio naturally liked to keep his distance even from her.
"It's ok."
"Hmmm, you do have friends, right? You're not alone, right?" With an innocent and concerned look, Melissa asked again. The question hit a weak spot in Elio's mind. He squinted slightly before he coughed.
"Yeah, I do. I-I have some friends. I'm not alone, don't worry."
"That's great. You're a sweet boy, Elio. If you're having any trouble, tell your aunt Melissa, I will help you as much as I can."
"... Yeah, I understand. I will keep that in mind." Elio replied, taken aback slightly. 'She's really… a nice lady.'
Even though Elio was so detached from society, he still found some comfort in talking to this nice lady. She was a pleasant part of his otherwise gloomy and dark life.
Walking through the streets of the city, the two chatted idly. Each time they passed a person, Elio would look at them, frown, and then step to the side a bit. It was almost an instinctive reaction. He didn't like being awfully close to anyone.
His paranoia didn't help him at all. Elio had questioned his own sanity more times than he could think. After all, there was not a single sign of the existence of monsters, let alone a confirmed sighting of them. He dug through the internet, searched books, past events, and anything remotely supernatural, and yet he didn't find a single thing that would lead him anywhere.
'I'm just one mentally unwell person. But, I can't come to accept the reality… I just can't…' He mused to himself, many times before. He knew it was most likely his own insecurities and lack of social life that made him think of that excuse.
Eventually, Elio and Melissa reached the point where they had to separate.
"Be careful on your way there, honey," Melissa said as she patted Elio's head with a warm smile. "And have a nice day in school."
"... Thank you."
With that, Elio turned around and walked away. Melissa watched him for a few moments before she turned around and left, too.
Continuing his path to school, Elio eventually found himself surrounded by students heading in the same direction. They were in groups, talking, laughing, and having fun. Meanwhile, he walked next to the wall, feeling a bit uncomfortable with this many people around him.
"Did you watch the episode yesterday…"
"It was so hype!"
"Hey, listen to this!"
"You're still going out later to watch the full moon?"
Everyone talked about their own interests, with smiles on their faces and a carefree attitude. They didn't care about anything aside from what mattered to them.
Elio envied that kind of life. He could never see himself being so carefree. He was constantly paranoid, constantly afraid, and constantly worried about his life, money, and what he would eat for that day.
It just ate away at his own mind like a plague. On top of that, he can't even come to trust anyone around him.
Gripping his bag tightly, he hurried his steps and rushed inside the school. Walking through the corridors, he ended up in his class, in his seat, which was in the middle, surrounded by everyone else.
There were already some students inside who gave him one glance before they forgot about him quickly. Elio was frankly glad nobody bothered him in school; they all minded their own business.
Pulling out his school material, he started revising what he studied last night. Even though Elio wasn't particularly smart, he was decent when it came to academics, simply because he had nothing else better to do in his life. He had to study and get a degree so he could get a decent job and get his grandma out of poverty.
If he doesn't graduate, then he will be in very deep trouble.
In the background, more and more students walked in, and the noise loudened. Groups started forming around several seats. These were the main groups of the class, each of which hosts people of the same nature or the same interests.
There was the video games group, the popular students' group, the books group, and some others. Each student would naturally end up joining one of these groups and making friends there.
However, the most desirable group of them all was naturally the popular students' group. Everyone in it was either rich, good-looking, good in academics, or all of the above. The boys and girls who join it are the top of the top in the school hierarchy.
Staring up at the front of the class, Elio saw them. Beautiful girls standing with tall handsome guys, chatting, flirting, laughing.
Did Elio ever wish to be like them? Naturally, they looked really cool, and their confidence was simply out of this world. They are able to garner attention wherever they go, aside from the fact that they're very good-looking.
"Sigh…" Exhaling, he shook his head and looked down. That is a far-fetched dream that he never imagined would happen. As his eyes started moving down to focus on his book again, his eyes suddenly widened as he saw something move past him. A beautiful smell of flowers filled his nose as he looked up, only to see a sea of violet.
Beautiful strands of violet hair that seemed to glisten under the rays of the sun. They fell down like a waterfall with no imperfections.
"..." For a second, Elio froze. He was completely mesmerized, and he could barely control himself from visibly reacting to it. After all, the last person he wanted to do that to was this girl.
Fiona Vaylor, the most popular girl in the entire school. She came from the Vaylor family, a prestigious business empire that controls billions of dollars of assets around the world. She was the only daughter and, naturally, the heir to this family. She was also the number 1 in the entire school in academics and even in PE. She was considered a goddess amongst people and the most perfect girl in the world.
That would've been enough to garner her attention anywhere she went. But…
"Woah… She's so pretty…"
"Miss Fiona is as gorgeous as ever."
The students whispered to one another as the entire class submerged in silence for a few moments. They all stared at the girl with mesmerization in their eyes as if they were seeing an angel walking amongst them.
Fiona was pretty… Incredibly so. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she's the prettiest girl in the entire world. Every part of her being was perfect. She had a breathtaking face, with two sharp purple eyes, a sharp yet serene look, full, plump lips, and perfect porcelain skin.
Her body would put supermodels to shame. There were even rumors that she worked as a model as a part-time job after school, but nobody could prove that.
"Good morning, Fiona!"
"Good morning," Fiona replied calmly as she sat down in her seat before everyone surrounded her quickly. She was naturally the leader of the popular students' group. In fact, the entire reason that the group gathered around that seat was that they wanted to talk to Fiona.
'I wonder what it's like to live her life. Must be really nice. Being able to eat whenever she wants, get whatever she wants, and never worry about anything else.' Elio thought to himself. 'I don't envy her. But… It does sound pretty nice… To live that kind of life.'
*GROWL*
The response he received was some painful growls from his stomach, snapping him back to reality. 'Yeah, yeah, I'm not going to dream. Just shut up.' He talked to himself.
With that, the bell rang, and the teacher walked in to start the class.
It was but another day. A rather boring, miserable day. But, for Elio, it was at least expected. There was nothing happening that he didn't already know would happen. It was his usual life, and that was… oddly comforting.
Hours slowly passed, one after the other. The first part of the day came and went, and then the second part followed suit rapidly. By the time Elio realized it, the sun was setting and the bell rang, announcing the end of the school day.
"Don't forget to revise the material we studied today, your tests are in a few weeks."
With those words echoing in the background, Elio left the classroom in a hurry. He only had 15 minutes to make it to his part-time job or his boss would chew his ear.
'Dammit, I don't even have money to get on the bus. I have to run there.' With clenched teeth, the boy rushed out of school into the street, running as fast as he could.
A few hundred meters later, he stopped, breathing heavily as he leaned on the wall. 'I hate how unathletic I am. I can't run a few hundred meters without feeling like I will throw up.'
With his weak build, Elio forgot about trying to excel in any sport; he was completely and utterly useless in that regard. But he still swallowed his pain and continued running. He would rather be exhausted than end up with no payment that day.
A few minutes later, with his feet barely still moving, Elio reached his destination, dragging himself tiredly.
The place where he worked was a warehouse where the goods being imported from nearby cities were brought to be stored and then distributed. It was a very physically taxing job that required constant movement while carrying heavy things. Something Elio didn't excel at, but the pay was decent, and they were the only ones who accepted high school boys since it was frowned upon.
"There you are, brat! Why are you 5 minutes late, huh?!"
The second he walked in, a man approached him with an angry look on his face.
"I-I'm sorry, boss."
"Get your ass inside and change quickly. We have a lot of work to do!"
"Yes!"
Without wasting more time, Elio rushed to the staff room and quickly changed his attire. Putting his bag in the locker, he left and started his work immediately. Picking up boxes, he moved them from one place to another, checking the list in his hand.
His role was mainly to carry the crates that were constantly arriving in large trucks and put them in their right place before noting it down.
There were several other workers there, most of them in their 20s or early 30s. They all looked equally miserable and exhausted. After all, no sane person would work this job unless they're poor… Or masochistic.
'Maybe a bit of both.'
For the next two hours, Elio worked hard. Moving under the yells of his boss, he pushed his already exhausted body beyond its limit. It was brutal, and on a hungry stomach, it was ten times worse.
Sweat trickled down his face as he put down the box and wiped his face.
"Fuuuh… This should be the last one for now…"
"Hey, you there?"
At that moment, he heard someone call for him. Turning around, he saw one of his coworkers approaching him. He was the oldest guy in the entire warehouse, around 35 years old, and his name was…
'What was his name again? I can't remember.'
"Yes?"
"Can I get the box cutter? I can't find mine."
"... Sure." Elio nodded as he leaned down to grab it. However, at that moment, he felt the entire world suddenly spin around as he lost focus for a second. Leaning forward a little too far, he grabbed the box cutter from the edge, slicing his finger open.
"Ouch!" He groaned in pain as he held his finger. The small cut was covered in blood, trickling down slowly. 'Goddamit.' He turned around and handed the man the box cutter as he licked his finger.
"Here, give it back to me as soon as possibl-"
Elio froze, his expression blank. Staring at the man, he felt his heart stop for a second. He didn't know why, but it felt as if the entire place went silent around him, and all he could see were those eyes.
They were staring… directly at his finger. His eyes didn't look normal. They were empty, dark, almost… greedy? A look so disgusting, the boy felt like he was being stabbed. He instinctively took a step back.
"Take it." He said.
"H-Huh? Oh yeah… Thanks." The man, seemingly snapping out of it, shook his head and took the box cutter as he turned around and left in a hurry.
'What the hell is wrong with him? What was that… look…?'