The five teenagers walked in silence to the dining room. Darkness was everywhere, but not completely, due to the illumination from the torches along the way. The chestnut brown-haired girl was still happy because her body was as healthy as ever, so it did not interfere with her activities.
It is a good thing the orphanage has a Healer, so I will not have any trouble getting active. I do not like lying in bed all day, which is boring. I hope the other kids do not follow in Odessa and her group’s footsteps because I hate to be insulted by them all the time, thought Alexa, who continued with Sam, Aiden, Aileen, and Adaline.
“Alexa, how do you feel now?”
That question made the name’s owner turn her head, and it turned out to be Adaline’s twin sister. The short-haired, black-colored woman smiled as she looked at the other person’s face. “I feel much better already. Thank you for keeping me company from noon until now, Aileen.”
“You are welcome. Do not be afraid when you get to the dining room. You are a part of us, so that no one will bother you.” Aileen seemed to be trying to guess the Chosen One’s heart, so the daughter of Tristian Varden Writh and Lavena Isolda Keira smiled sweetly when she heard those words.
“I was bullied at the orphanage for a long time, so I always lived in fear. Thank you to you guys for being friends with me.” Alexa spoke with such sincerity that Sam, Aiden, and Adaline, who had not been paying attention to the two young girl’s conversation, were immediately intrigued, as the virgin mentioned the word ‘you guys,’ which meant they were also included in that conversation.
“Do not regret what happened. We are a little late for dinner, but it does not matter because we did not come in the middle of the night.” A red-haired young man replied to Alexa’s words, who did not like the opposite sex to be the object of torture, either in word or deed.
“Yes. I hope we can still get into the dining room.” After Alexa finished saying that, the atmosphere became quiet again. The five teenagers, who were both twelve years old, continued walking, and hunger was already dominating them. The temperature around them was warm but not to the point of overheating.
The longer Sam, Aiden, Alexa, Aileen, and Adaline walked, the more torchlight there was around them. The hazel-eyed woman began to feel awkward as she noticed the gazes of the people directed at her. However, she remembered the message of her two new friends, so the Messenger of Goddess Magia tried to act as normal as possible, even though inside, she felt otherwise.
Soon, all the orphanage’s children, including the teachers, entered a room with a big sign that read “DINING ROOM.” Sam, Alexa, Aiden, Aileen, and Adaline joined the line as they were not to be mixed up with the teachers. Apart from them, many other children were lined up and waiting for their turn to enter.
“Isn’t that the Witch?” Alexa began to hear a woman’s voice in the next line and tried to ignore it. As soon as possible, Sam, Aiden, Aileen, and Aileen turned their heads toward the person insulting their friend, making the girl uncomfortable, but she would not budge.
“Why are you looking at me? Is something funny?!” asked a girl of about thirteen, glaring.
“You are the attention whore. You must have a miserable life, having to insult people who have never wronged you, and then you invite others to slander them.” This time, it was Adaline who answered the blonde girl’s question. She also stared intently at the other person, which made her feel intimidated. Sam, Aileen, and Aiden were still watching, occasionally moving forward as the line in front had been reduced.
“What do you mean by calling me that, huh? Are you Alexa’s dog?” accused the petite girl.
“You insult Alexa all you want, and you get angry when you get the same insult. Just say so now if you want to go to the detention room. I will let Madame Aufrodine know about that.” Adaline did not flinch from the man’s insults, even though he was a year older than her.
“You dare challenge me? Aren’t you ta-”
Before she could finish her sentence, a silver-haired youth interrupted her. “Tatharea, don’t you remember what the principal said this afternoon, that she will punish anyone who insults Alexa like Odessa and her friends? If you still want to sleep in your usual room or not be sent to the underground detention room, shut your mouth!”
Tatharea fell silent, and her face immediately paled. She did not dare to say anything else and deliberately looked away from the line in front of her. The other children who had been listening to the argument. They suddenly realized the warning given by Madame Aufrodine, so they were silent and did not dare to badmouth Alexa again to avoid the punishment from The Principle, which was definitely scary and very serious.
It was quiet again, as Tatharea had kept her mouth shut. She did not dare to deal with Alexa because, in addition to the target already having many friends, The Principle did verbally announce the prohibition of harming the granddaughter of Sir Elmer Louis Writh and Madame Phoenix Lily Katira, so now they were trying to stay safe and avoid Madame Aufrodine’s punishment as much as possible.
The line at the front was cleared one by one, and Samuel, Alexa, Aiden, Aileen, and Adaline entered the dining room. They started looking around, and one of them found a suitable spot to have dinner together, which was at the front and close to the food distribution area. The skinny man’s face brightened up as no one had made their way there yet.
“I have found the right place. Follow me!” said Aiden, leading his four friends.
Without further ado, they stepped over there and sat down, dragging the chairs that were pushed onto the table. There were still a lot of people waiting in line for food, so the five teenagers looked at each other as if they were waiting for a volunteer or two who might volunteer to guard the table Aiden had gotten while the other kids went back in line to get food.
“I will keep watch here. You guys go ahead.” Alexa volunteered, as she did not want to be a burden to her friends.
“I will accompany you so that if anyone tries to bully you, I will face them.” Aiden did the same thing, which annoyed Adaline. However, the long black-haired girl could not do anything about it, knowing it wasn’t Alexa’s fault.
“Alright. Then, the three of us will get the food first. Once I, Aileen, and Adaline come back here and sit down, you and Aiden can go straight there.” Samuel agreed with what his roommate said, so Alexa and Aiden spontaneously nodded.
“Okay. Wait here. Let’s go, Ai and Line!” The red-haired man invited his two female friends to come with him. The twin sisters followed Samuel, and a few moments later, they were already in line with the other orphanage children.
The chestnut-brown-haired girl looked at her three friends who were already at the food distribution area, even though they had not yet had their turn to come forward. Meanwhile, the young man was paying attention to the opposite sex, although the virgin did not realize it. The atmosphere in the dining room was bustling as many children from the orphanage were passing by. Some had just arrived, so they were looking for a table that suited them.
“Alexa.”
The name’s owner turned around as soon as possible because she heard someone who had said her name. That wallflower girl was a little taken aback, as it turned out that the person was the one sitting in the same table area. The one-hundred-and-seventy-five-centimeter-tall young man kept his eyes on the other person with an indecipherable gaze, confusing the girl waiting for his comment. However, Alexa decided to open the conversation to him first, as the young man had yet to say anything else.
“What was wrong with you? Do you have something to say?”
“What if you turn out to be the Chosen One?”
The girl frowned, confused by the strange question. The handsome teenage boy did not laugh, which showed that he was very serious and confused with the sharp-nosed girl. “What do you mean by that question? What is the Chosen One? This is the first time I have heard that term from you.”
“Yes. What if it turns out that you are the one chosen by the Queen of Witchcraft as her special person? Would you stay in this orphanage or just leave?” Aiden clarified his question, and not a single person heard his words, as they were busy with their own business, and not even a few were chatting loudly.
“What? Aiden, if you have something to say, please be direct. Do not use figurative language because I am very confused.” The one hundred and seventy-centimeter tall girl said as she shook her head so that the young guy would no longer hesitate to say what had been in his mind right before he went to the medical room with Sam and Adaline.
“Do you remember the book we, err, you got from the library?” Aiden reminded Alexa again, so the girl was silent for a few seconds, then she nodded.
“Yes, I still remember that. Did you find any interesting information there?”
“I-”
***