Page 36 of Forbidden Deception

Medora doesn’t strike back unless provoked, and I didn’t do anything.

I also don’t remember her having any kind of ill feelings towards the two girls in front of me, so why is she standing here glaring at them?

Turning around, I head back to the comfort of my room. I can’t deal with them.

I barely talk as it is, but—

Slap.

I whip around to find the brown-haired girl holding her cheek, tears in her eyes. Medora is now standing where I was.

“Get moving,” she commands in a low voice, her back to me. I am sure she is smiling that cold creepy smile that is supposed to be sincere but just looks psycho.

The girls scramble away, whispering and whimpering.

Medora turns around and pins me with her cold, empty eyes.

I stagger back a step.

“Follow me,” she murmurs, then shoulders past me.

I have no choice but to follow her all the way to the highest floor where the towers overlook the vast forest that surrounds the school.

It also happens to be extremely windy and cloudy today. The only thing in sight are trees as far as the eye can see, not a single sign of civilization. I guess that is the point of this school, after all.

Medora stands across the open terrace, her arms crossed and looking far older than her seventeen-year-old self.

I stand next to her, holding my arms, not because I want to be like her, but because it’s freezing.

I hope she doesn’t push me off the edge.

“I love how everyone in this stupid school is unwanted, illegitimate children of powerful people, sent away to be hidden, to live and grow and die away from peering eyes.” Her voice is clear, yet the sliver of mocking is there.

She shuts her eyes, then laughs and turns to me.

“I thought girls here would try to find solace in each other, company to keep them sane, but everyone is turning on each other, abusing the weak or the not-so-social people. Crazy how the world works… Maybe they want a few moments of power over someone else when they have none over their own lives.” She leans forward and rests her arms on the gravelled balcony.

The howling of the wind sharply pierces the air. Our hair gets swept up in a frenzied ruin. There’s no chatter, no sounds from any humans up top here. It’s an open terrace so high up you may believe you could touch the sky. Sitting on the hill, this castle-like school is shrouded by the clouds on foggy mornings.

I often find myself walking through the quiet hallways during the night and afternoon when everyone is gathered in common halls, but I never stepped foot up here, not on the open terrace.

I can barely hear Medora over the wind.

“Do you have a dream?” She questions.

“I wanted to see the ocean. Live by the beach, feel it, touch it, listen to it. It’s been a big dream of mine. I read stories and live vicariously through the characters to experience my dreams. I slip between pages of books to find just a small hint of the feel of seashells, the water, and the sea life, only to blink and find myself in a boxed room once more, shattering my illusions.”

I suck in a breath, her words cutting deep inside me.

Do I have a dream?

Do I want something from life like that, too?

“Do you have hopes? Dreams? Aspirations? What is your reason to live? Your will to keep going in life and not just give up in this godforsaken school?” She turns to me, seeking answers I do not have.

I open my mouth, but no sound comes from. I just shut it and shamefully look away from her.

Fact is, I don’t have any of that.

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