The Monday morning air bit with a crisp chill, its sharpness threading through the schoolyard like whispers on the wind. Westdentia's winter was in full bloom, and the pale sun only just peeked through the soft cloud cover, casting a dim glow over the students trudging through the gates of Westdentia Academy.
Leina stepped lightly across the frosted stone pavement, her breath a soft mist in the air. Her long, dark hair fell down her back in smooth waves, its shine dulled only slightly by the cold. Her amethyst eyes were calm as always—quiet, observant, untouched by the ruckus around her.
Unfortunately, her peace didn't last long.
"Look who it is again," came a smug voice, slicing through the air with an all-too-familiar condescension.
Susain.
Leina didn't even look up. She knew the voice too well—the tone dipped in venom wrapped in honey. As expected, Emily and Jessica flanked Susain, her ever-present shadows clinging close like satellites to a bitter star.
"Still pretending you're better than everyone?" Emily sneered.
"She thinks she's too good to talk to people," Jessica added with a forced laugh, loud and sharp enough to turn a few nearby heads.
Leina continued walking as if she hadn't heard them. Her steps remained calm and measured. Her silence was not cowardice; it was a boundary, a shield she kept up because their words had never really touched her—not deeply.
But today, there was a twinge of something—fatigue, maybe. She didn't want to hear them. Not this early in the morning. Not after the great weekend that had just passed.
"I bet she thinks even her shadow's too common to talk to," Susain added with a snort. "What a joke."
Leina finally paused, blinking once before turning her head slowly toward them. Her voice was quiet and level. "If you're going to keep repeating yourselves, at least find better material."
The trio fell silent, surprised that she had responded at all. It wasn't much, but it was more than usual. Jessica's mouth opened as if she was ready to retort when another voice suddenly cut through the tension.
"Hey!"
Maria, bundled in a wool coat with snowflakes clinging to her shoulders, stepped up beside Leina. Her bright blue eyes narrowed as she stared down at Susain.
"You three seriously get up early to follow Leina around just to harass her?" she said, crossing her arms. "Isn't that exhausting?"
Daria was right behind her, hands in her pockets, her voice cool. "Seems to me like you're a little obsessed. Can't go one day without bothering her?"
Leina blinked again, this time in confusion.
Maria and Daria? Standing up for her?
Susain's eyes narrowed. "Why are you even here? This doesn't concern you."
Daria shrugged, stepping forward enough to position herself slightly between Leina and the others. "She's our classmate and friend. And unlike some people, we don't get our confidence by tearing others down."
Maria grinned, clearly enjoying the shocked look on Emily's face. "Besides, we like her. She's got better comebacks than you."
Susain's lip curled, but a few students nearby were already watching and murmuring under their breath. With her pride bruised and the audience turning against her, Susain scoffed. "Whatever. Not worth our time anyway. Let's go."
She spun on her heel, and her shadows quickly followed, though Jessica threw a lingering glare at Maria before disappearing around the corridor.
Silence returned like a thick mist.
Leina glanced between the twins, her expression unreadable for a long beat.
"You didn't have to do that," she finally said.
Maria beamed. "I know. We wanted to."
Daria added, her tone still calm but sincere, "You looked like you could handle them. But sometimes it's nice not to have to."
That stopped Leina.
Those words nestled into her like a warm cup of tea on a cold day. It was true—she could handle Susain, and she had for a long time. But yes, it was nice not to have to.
"I…" she hesitated, then cleared her throat. "Thanks."
Maria rocked back on her heels, grinning. "You're welcome. Want to walk with us to class?"
Leina paused. The offer hung in the air between them—not forced, not expectant, just a gentle question.
She nodded once. "Alright."
As they fell into step beside her, the air didn't seem quite as cold anymore. The walk to class was quiet at first but not awkward. Leina listened as Maria filled the silence with a story about how she had forgotten to zip her coat that morning and had to sprint across the courtyard like a windblown popsicle.
Daria chimed in now and then, quieter but observant. "You always leave the house like you're invincible."
"I am invincible," Maria declared. "Except against cold wind and cafeteria burritos."
Leina actually smiled, a small twitch of the lips that didn't go unnoticed by either twin.
"You smiled," Maria said, her eyes wide with mock astonishment. "It's a miracle!"
Leina rolled her eyes lightly, but her tone wasn't cold when she replied, "Don't get used to it."
"Oh no," Daria smirked. "We definitely will."
They reached their lockers, the morning still ahead of them, but already something had changed. Something small. Something good.
...
Susain huffed loudly as she spun on her heel, her glossy ponytail bouncing with each indignant step. Emily and Jessica scurried after her like loyal shadows, their arms folded and their glares sharp as icicles.
"I don't know what her problem is," Susain snapped, throwing a glare over her shoulder. "Walking around like she's above everyone. Just because her family's loaded doesn't mean she's special."
"She totally thinks she's better than us," Jessica chimed in, flipping her hair. "Did you see how she just stood there? Like we weren't even worth her time."
"I mean," Emily added with a smirk, "it's kind of pathetic, really. You'd think she'd at least try to defend herself."
Susain scoffed, annoyed that Leina's silence somehow felt like a win for her. "She's not even normal. Always so weird and blank—like a doll."
As they rounded the corner of the hallway, Susain's voice rose with her frustration—until she abruptly bumped into a taller figure. She stumbled back slightly and blinked up at the cool, composed face of her elder sister, Vivianne Kilner.
Vivianne, pristine in her pressed uniform with her silver prefect pin glinting in the hallway light, looked down at her sister with patient poise. Her expression was pleasant—almost saintly—but her eyes held something else. Something far too knowing. Something far too calm.
"Susain," Vivianne said smoothly, brushing an invisible speck from her sleeve, "shouldn't you be getting to class?"
"She's so annoying," Susain complained, stepping aside and gesturing wildly. "That Reinhardt girl—Leina. She just stares at me like I'm nothing. It's freaky."
Vivianne hummed thoughtfully, her eyes drifting toward the windows where students shuffled to their rooms. "Maybe she's just… tired of people who speak too much and say too little."
Susain blinked. "What does that mean?"
Vivianne placed a gentle hand on her sister's shoulder, her smile serene. "It means, perhaps, you should leave her alone."
Susain huffed, unconvinced, but nodded anyway and trudged off, with Emily and Jessica trailing behind her.
Vivianne stood still for a beat, her serene expression lingering as her eyes narrowed faintly. The moment her sister turned the corner, her smile faded—not entirely, but enough to shift from sweet to something unreadable. Beneath her pious exterior was something else. Something colder. Calculating. And not even Susain had the faintest idea.