7. SNIFFING

The next day being a Saturday, we were allowed to sleep in till around ten in the morning before the announcement came in that we should assemble in the great hall in the next one hour. Ali had already woken up way earlier, freshened up and was at the reading desk already. I didn’t take him to be someone academically serious since he came off as a chatterbox and foodie the very first time we met yesterday. He had always been in my class, but we never had any personal encounters until we were paired as roommates.

“Good morning, trust you had a great night?” he greeted me cheerfully, and I wondered if he hadn't thought much into how I shouted at him last night.

That was remarkable, so I had to apologize for yelling at him. Immediately, he turned it down and said that he was wrong about being pushy when we only met the first time.

The response made me relieved and burdened at the same time. It gave me the realization of being a better person.

“I should be more accommodating,” I scolded myself as I slipped into the bathroom for a shower.

I grew up this way because of Luca. He was always after my peace. Everyone thinks he’s the best brother in the world, but he was actually a pain in the ass. I used to think he was bipolar or crazy until I got to understand the meaning of pretense.

That’s his expertise. He can portray himself to several people differently without mixing them up. He successfully brainwashed everyone into thinking that he was an angel to me, whereas he was always on my neck and made his intention of stopping me from being the next Alpha obvious. He didn’t hide it from me, so I couldn’t relax.

“It’s my right. I am going to beat fate, destiny, and order. That seat is mine and as long as I am alive, you will not sit on it,” he declared to me on my tenth year's birthday.

That scared me the very first time I heard it, but it slowly became a norm. He made it obvious by how he behaved and didn’t even give me any breathing space. I was forced to mature against my will.

My guard is always up everywhere with everyone. No one was spared from strict boundaries. It felt like I was a prey to everyone.

Right there in the shower, the thought of befriending Ali, so I could obtain information about Bernard from him came to my mind. Although, that was not the sole reason for warming up to him, since he has access to a lot of information, he would definitely be the perfect person to make inquiries from.

We both went to the hall where the principal mounted the stage. She was in a purple wig today with an extremely short length like a pixie haircut. The color was so obvious that it was distracting. Whoever advised her to make the color of her lipstick the same with her hair probably harbors an unexplainable hate because she looked like a muppet-style puppet.

Her loud voice sent everyone into silence. All the incoherent murmurings and whispers evaporated immediately in order to listen to her.

“Welcome to the Sherlock dormitory! This is an official welcome speech for you because you will be spending the next hundred days here till you take the final exams. This is to aid your preparation for the external exam. While you are here, you have to abide by the school rules and regulations. The prospectus for the rules you need to keep will be shared with you after this meeting. Also, you are free to visit your parents as long as you get proper permission. We do not intend to cage you or hold you hostage, we just believe this will be an avenue for you to make proper connections and relationships before going into the real world,” she announced and took a brief break for a water sip.

“Lastly, we will not condone any form of bullying. Also, do not make unnecessary assumptions about any situation. We will not tolerate that,” she added, and her gaze strayed towards me.

She locked eyes with me briefly before continuing the rest of her speech. The assembly finished, and we went for our breakfast, where I used the opportunity to catch up with Ali.

***

“Care if I sit down here?” I asked Ali as I stood beside the empty seat in front of him with my food tray in my hand.

“Sure! Why not? It feels weird that you had to ask. I don’t own the hall, you know?” he responded, trying hard not to spill the food in his mouth.

A quick smile flashed on my face as I settled on the seat. Afterward, I didn’t waste any time before asking him about Bernard and what he was like.

“You seem really interested in him, why is that?” he chuckled, but I only pretended and matched his chuckling with mine.

“Of course, I am interested. I do not know anything about him, but he seems to be an interesting guy,” I lied through my teeth.

Immediately, his spoon connected with the table loudly, causing me to jolt back a bit in surprise.

“What do you mean by interesting? He’s the definition of dangerous, cunning, and violent. Don’t even be interested in him. Don’t get involved in his business at all. Also, stop getting curious about him, it will do you no good. The devil resides in him,” he poured out effortlessly.

I didn’t know when my mouth went ajar, the adjectives he qualified him with were so scary. It was something a human should not be associated with. How trashy, devilish, and intimidating could he be to be perceived that way?

“So aside from all that, he doesn’t have any other side? All bad?” I dug further, and he fell right into my trap.

He had to set his food aside, wipe his mouth and tap the table continuously with his fingertips. His expression was dead serious this time, it was an entirely different aura that carried a warning.

“Look here, I don’t know why you are so invested in him this much, but he’s not good for you, trust me. He is the only son of the Apex group, and you know how filthily rich they are. You cannot mess with him, he knows that, and that gives him the audacity to commit several atrocities. No one can challenge him. His father singlehandedly built the school’s dorm just last year. You can never measure up,” he advised.

Raising his right hand up in the air, he added, “He’s way above you. Right here” before grabbing his tray

“You should finish up. They might have us do something after breakfast,” he concluded with a wink, and left me there, staring into space.

I was almost done with my food when he rushed to my table, breathing heavily, “He’s also engaged to Annabel. Never go near her unless you want to shake hands with Hades.”

I couldn’t even say anything before he zoomed off and swung his arms around the necks of his two friends at the far end of the hall.

Nothing much happened aside from the reading session that came after lunch. I couldn’t concentrate well because I kept peeping at Bernard to see if there would be anything important to find out, but he was just cool and calm with his friends. Surprisingly, he was also serious about his studies. I thought he would be a book hater with his characteristics.

I decided to surf the net about Apex Group and found out about their business, influence, and finally the news of their children’s engagement.

“So gross! Why would you get such young kids engaged? More like some business trading,” I sneered, scrolling through my phone furiously.

“Hey Annabel!” I suddenly heard someone call, and she appeared in the hall in her red jacket.

Her hair was backed up in a loose bun, leaving some stray hair around her forehead and neck area. Her eyes lit up as she saw her friend waving at her from the other side of the hall. She flashed a quick smile before jumping towards her cutely with her hands tucked in the pockets of her jacket.

She seemed like a different person. I had never seen such a playful side of hers, and it struck me in another way.

“She’s so beautiful,” I found myself muttering, and a voice sounded in my head.

“She sure is”. My wolf supported me and I almost cursed out

Did my wolf just acknowledge a woman?