June 11th, 2023
Graystone Manor
"All my life, I have been sheltered behind these walls. Never have I ventured far. At least Dad allowed me a modicum of freedom by allowing me to leave the house, though I could never go further than the descent down Graystone Hill. Today, all of that changes, but am I truly ready for the outside world, Aunt Diana?"
Aether looked at himself in fhe full length mirror as Erica combed his hair.
'How did Alyssa do this when it was shorter?' she thought as it tangled in his hair.
"Trust me, Aether, you'll be okay," she assured.
"The other boys aren't going to bully me, take my food, push me around, all of that?"
"Would they dare touch the son of Lord Adrian Graystone?" Erica asked in return.
Aether thought for a moment, then shook his head.
" I guess not. Aunt Diana, why is Dad titled Lord? I thought noble titles weren't a thing in this age, or at least my history books say so."
Erica struggled to find the right words.
"It's..... quite complicated, Aether. Nobility isn't a thing anymore except in the United Kingdom, mostly, but around here, there are a few very exceptional families that managed to retain their titles. Ours, however, continues to hold actual power in the city. Consider us as...kind of royalty."
"So by right, I should've been titled Crown Prince?" Aether asked.
Erica nodded.
"Our family were kings and queens a very long time ago, and out of respect for our bloodline, after the First World War, and the system changed, we kept our influence and power."
"Aunt Diana, if you want to make me feel less flustered and incomplete in front of other students today, lying about me being part of an ancient royal bloodline isn't....."
"Imperial bloodline," Erica corrected.
"... whatever! It's not helping!"
Erica wondered, "What's wrong with your head? All the evidence points towards my account being true, and...oh yeah, that happened!"
"Firstly, there's nothing wrong with me, and what happened?"
Erica sighed. "The erasure of our royal status from the history books. Damn you, Grandfather."
Aether wore a mocking grin, and Erica felt her palm itching.
'He's just like his father! But at least I won't be to blame when he finds out the truth.'
Just then, the door opened, and a beautiful teenage girl waltzed into Aether's dressing room.
"Oh, so I'm told to brush my own hair but this nitwit gets a personal hairdresser?" she instantly complained.
"Good morning to you too, sister," Aether said.
The young woman was Davina Artemis Graystone, Erica's daughter, 15 years old but a spitting image of her mother's personality.
She had been born a year and five months after Aether, and her father disappeared seven months after. Erica never told her what happened to him, and so Adrian had become a father figure to her, apart from being her uncle. She and Aether had lived together in confinement for the past one and a half decades, and for some reason, their parents had decided it was time to let them be free.
"Davina, it's rude to barge into your brother's room. What if he wasn't dressed?"
"What would you be doing in here?" was the reply, leaving her mother stupefied.
Aether smiled. "Tongue-tied, Aunt Diana?"
"Shut up, both of you!" Erica said sternly. "You two are unbelievable! Comb your own hair, boy!"
With that, she left the room.
Aether and Artemis burst out laughing.
'I wish you were here to see your daughter,' Erica thought as she descended the steps.
'You'd be living in hell.'
"Ready for our big day, big brother?" Artemis asked.
"Not at all, sister," Aether replied.
"To be honest, Mikael, I'm not feeling that great either. I mean, when we were confined in this manor, it was dull and boring, but it was also safe. We knew everything about this place, we felt at peace. Now we're going out into a world we only know about from TV, and I'm a bit scared."
Aether embraced his sister...cousin??? whatever..... and stroked her hair.
"My little sister, don't be scared, trust me. There's nothing to be scared of."
Davina nodded her head, resting it on his chest.
"You should be terrified."
Instantly, she pushed him away and slapped his arm.
"Seriously? What is your problem, Mikael? What kind of comforting is that?"
"That of an equally horrified sibling," he answered.
Alyssa's voice called from downstairs, "Kids, come for breakfast!"
The two went down, bickering.
6:30
"Everybody ready? Erica and Alyssa asked in unison as the former gunned the Bentley to life.
"Yes," the Graystone children answered.
"Great!"
And so, the vehicle sped down Graystone Hill.
The two teenagers simultaneously looked back, barely able to process that they had actually left the Manor behind.
They were excited, but a casual look into their eyes would reveal the equally gripping sense of fear.
6:50
Westlake Elite Institute
More than a few gazes fixed themselves upon the Bentley as it pulled up in the parking lot.
"I wonder who's in there. Must be new."
"First shot if it's a girl."
"F*** off, man. Whoever gets to her first."
"Okay, you two. Listen to me. School is a place to study, yes, but don't forget to have fun, alright?" Alyssa assured them.
"Yes, Mom." "Yes, Aunt Alyssa."
After a few hugs and kisses, the doors opened, and the duo stepped out.
Aether took a deep breath. "Above, not below. Superior, not inferior."
His expression changed into Adrian's normal brooding look, and the two started to walk towards the giant building.
Everyone looked at them, Davina for her beauty, Aether for his handsome, yet menacing look.
One guy came close, to talk to them, but one brief glance from Aether stopped him in his tracks.
'So, this is how it feels to be a protective older brother, huh? Dad was right.'
The duo was directed to the principal's office by the janitor, whom they had met by coincidence
The Principal himself was a middle aged man with an obvious short temper, but he seemed to be doing his absolute best to be on his best behavior when the two teenagers walked in.
"Good morning, and welcome! You must be Aether and Davina Graystone, correct?"
The siblings nodded.
"I'm Principal Donaldson. Let me see to it that you're guided to your respective homerooms."
With that, he called their homeroom teachers, who rushed to the office instantly.
As they finally separated for the first time in fifteen years, the two embraced before following their teachers.
The teacher opened the door and let Aether enter first.
The class went silent, all eyes fixed on the newcomer.
"Everyone, we have a new classmate, Aether Graystone. Welcome him and make him feel at home, alright? Aether, I'm Miss Campbell, your homeroom teacher. If you encounter any problem at all, don't hesitate to tell me, okay?"
Aether nodded.
"Take any free seat."
Aether scanned the room and found an optimum seat next to the window.
As he walked over, struggling to hide how tense he was, suddenly he could hear the whispers of his classmates, in crystal clear clarity.
"He's hot! I like him." "You tend to fall for every new guy, you idiot."
"I heard there's two of them, there's a sister..." "Shut up, man, he could hear you."
"Hold on, is he going to sit....there??"
Soon as Aether had made himself comfortable, the door opened, and a girl walked in.
The whispers in the room suddenly grew louder, and Aether's head started to hurt.
'What the heck is going on with my hearing?'
"Oh damn, she's here!"
"I wonder how she's gonna react to having a deskmate!"
Aether rested his head on the desk, covering his ears.
Though the words were muffled, the volume did not diminish.
Then, his nose detected a soft, pleasant scent emanating from someone right next to him.
He looked up to see the most beautiful girl he had ever seen standing right there. For a while, he was tongue-tied.
"Hi," he whispered.
The girl didn't respond but simply let her bag down and took her seat next to him.
Aether rested his head between his arms again, facing the floor.
Then, his ears picked up an almost imperceptible "Hi" from the girl.
He smiled softly.
Just then, the door burst open violently, and a duo rushed in.
"Ha! I got in first!" "Like hell you did, blockhead! Don't flatter yourself."
The newest arrivals were both male, both tall, one slim and muscular, the other one much more buff.
"Boys! How many times must I remind you that this is an elite institution?" Miss Campbell snapped.
"Sorry, Miss," they said in unison, then went to sit down.
Their seats were in front of Aether and the other girl.
"Aya! Hey, you okay?" the lithe one asked, taking his seat.
The girl nodded and said, "Yeah, hi guys," with a smile.
"Hey man."
Aether raised his head and looked at him.
"Hi, I'm Aiden Walker. This idiot here," the lithe one said, flicking the head of his muscular deskmate, who was whispering to Aya, "is Austin Kingsman. I hope the lovely young lady sitting next to you introduced herself."
The girl looked at Aiden, then at Aether, and said, "I'm Aya Silver."
Austin finally spoke to Aether.
"So, what's your name, friend?" He flicked Aiden's head in retaliation.
"I am Aether Graystone. Pleased to make your acquaintances."
"Trust me, Aether, the pleasure is all ours," Aiden said, shaking his hand.
The three boys started to converse, and Aya took a long look at Aether before taking out a book to read.