My name is Meffi Isleton, a freshman student about to attend a school called Elite Academy.
My dad is a Navy Commander…According to my family, I apparently love him too much. Mum says I compliment him more than I compliment her. Elrith says I talk about him too much. Dad says I text him too much.
Personally? I think they're exaggerating.
My mum, on the other hand, works as a doctor… somewhere mysterious that I never really cared about — at least until she dragged me there for a medical treatment that couldn't be handled at home.
What can I say…I've hated hospitals ever since, especially those spine-chilling beeping machines.
Then there's my baby brother, Elrith… also known as 'The Good Son.'
A straight-A student, topper. The child I was constantly compared to because I usually ranked between 27th and 30th out of 50 students.
I mean… I tried, okay?
Dad says I didn't try hard enough.
Still, Elrith has been both chaos and joy in my life. Sometimes it feels like he was born specifically to exhaust me… but I love him anyway.
He's also a certified drama king.
There was this one time he was studying late at night while I wanted to play Warzone. So I simply asked him to go to bed.
You know what he did?
He went straight to Dad and told him I was trying to sabotage his educational future.
Like… who even says educational future?
Anyway…
Back to the bus.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Elrith asked suspiciously.
"Nothing, little brother," I replied, adding as much sarcasm as possible.
"Mum," Elrith said loudly, "Meffi is acting strange. Can you tell him to stay three feet away from me until we get home?"
"What?" I blurted.
Okay… I had to admit, my heart skipped when I heard 'Mum, Meffi is acting strange…' but my eyebrows shot up at the 'stay three feet away from me' part.
'You should be grateful he didn't start trash-talking you in front of everyone.'
"You're still a child, Elrith," Mum said calmly. "There's no reason for him to stay away from you."
I smirked. That morning was turning out pretty well.
…If only I had known how it would end.
If you're wondering where we were headed, we were on our way to register me at my new school.
After seeing my last result — 27th place — Dad told me to seriously think about what I wanted to become in life. He left for work shortly after and hadn't returned yet, but that was normal for him.
He's a Navy Commander.
And I decided I wanted to become one too, I just… hadn't told him yet.
My thoughts were interrupted when shouting erupted inside the bus.
Apparently, the argument involved a thin man with brown hair tied neatly into a ponytail. He wore a blue suit and carried a briefcase while casually sipping coffee. He looked like an ordinary office worker.
The "victim" was a woman wearing a pink gown, her sharp blue eyes reminding me of those creepy cat statues. Standing beside her was her boyfriend....or brother....or bodyguard. Honestly, the guy was massive enough to be all three.
From what I gathered, the brown-haired man accidentally spilled coffee on her dress and blamed her for standing in his way. She insisted he did it intentionally after she ignored him staring at her earlier.
The giant man, whose name I later learned was Chad, didn't take kindly to that.
Poor Ponytail was beaten so badly that even an elderly woman stepped in to stop it, but the lady snapped at her rudely. I don't know how, but I could tell that insult hurt the old woman deeply.
Chad raised his fist again when a very familiar voice rang out.
"Beating him won't fix your dress, will it?"
"Elrith!" I hissed. "What are you doing?"
The woman turned toward him and smiled thinly.
"Would you like me to punish someone else in his place?"
That didn't sound good.
Adrenaline surged through me as memories of promising to always protect my little brother flashed through my mind. I stepped forward, forcing confidence into my voice.
"Uh… no. Clearly not."
My face burned, but I kept my tone steady, fingers drumming nervously behind my back.
Then Elrith spoke.
"Yes, I would."
'Oh no… he's about to start talking nonsense.'
"Mum, are you seeing this…?" I didn't get the chance to finish
"According to common sense," Elrith continued confidently, "which most people have — except a few — you should punish your bodyguard for failing to guard your body properly instead of beating random passengers for spilling coffee."
The woman blinked in disbelief.
Oh man.
I didn't know whether to feel proud or terrified.
I turned toward Elrith, hoping to stop him, but one look at his face told me it was useless. It always was.
"You caused this," he continued. "You could've simply said, 'A lady of my caliber wouldn't associate with someone like you.' Also… why is someone of your caliber riding a public bus anyway?"
I forced a stiff smile. "He doesn't mean that."
"Oh, I absolutely do," Elrith said, nodding.
His words clearly struck a nerve or two, but he didn't notice. He never does. His eyes sparkled with their usual mischievous confidence.
A storm was brewing, and I was struggling to keep up.
Where was Mum during all this?
I scanned the bus until our eyes met. For a moment, my knees almost gave out. Her face was calm and unreadable… but her eyes carried both amusement and disappointment.
Before the situation could escalate further, the bus reached the woman's stop. Chad gathered her belongings, and she turned toward us.
"Well, little boy," she said coldly, "big sister will teach you a lesson when we meet again."
"I'm looking forward to it," Elrith replied cheerfully. "It'll be a big treat coming from someone who couldn't handle a little coffee spill."
Her face flushed red, but instead of replying, she spun around and stormed out.
Just as the bus doors were about to close, Mum spoke.
"Don't assume your status makes you superior. And don't think you can bully others into submission."
The woman hesitated but left without another word and the bus drove off.
Elrith turned toward Mum, smiling proudly. Meanwhile, I silently released the breath I had been holding.
"Honestly," I said, shaking my head, "where does your bravery come from?"
"When you're smart like me, you know your rights," he replied smugly.
"I know my rights Elrith," I said, frowning. "I just don't push them."
"That phrase doesn't exist in my dictionary."
"I can tell. Don't worry, someone will add it for you someday."
"You know… I'm actually ashamed of you, Meffi."
Not now… please not now…
"What?" I asked quietly.
"As old as you are, you couldn't even stand up to that lady. Yet you claim you can protect me from bullies? I doubt you'd win."
"Elrith," Mum said sharply, "show your brother some respect. He's older than you."
"Exactly, I—"
"Respect is reciprocal, Mum, and I—"
My fingers curled into fists. He cut me off… and now he was arguing with Mum?
"I give you plenty of respect," I snapped.
"How?" he asked sullenly. "By interrupting me mid-sentence?"
My voice caught in my throat before I forced the words out.
"You started it. And besides… if I didn't respect you, I would've snatched your bag and searched it already."
He looked slightly hurt — though I knew it was mostly an act. He sighed and rummaged through his bag before pulling out something.
"Here."
"My phone," I said, relieved. "So you did have it."
Excitement rushed through me. Thoughts of Warzone, Star Wars, and Combat Heroes flooded my mind… but they quickly faded as a strange cold feeling settled inside me. It felt like slow, steady adrenaline creeping through my veins.
You're scared, my brain whispered.
What? No. Why would I be scared?
You know he won't stop there, right?
I took a deep breath. There was no way I could enjoy my game now.
Just then, Mum spoke.
"We're here."
I looked out the window.
…But...
There was no school in sight.