I have realised I haven't made you smile yet so I wanted to tell you, you look gorgeous today 🥺

On with the chapter...✨

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✨Emilia POV

Felix was sat next to me at the dining table moving the food around his plate with his fork, did he not like the food?

"So, you... friends with my sister?" Alessandro cleared his throat with water before asking Felix.

"Y-yes, Sir." I saw that Luca be Diego we're going to burst out in laughter, what's wrong with calling someone 'sir?'

"I see the boy knows his manners." Elijah chirps in, get your beak out of the conversation you pigeon.

Felix just smiles at Elijah and proceeds to feel uncomfortable, I'm not going to lie, it was pretty awkward in the room right now, the only people having a conversation was Axel, Diego and Luca.

Blade, Elijah and Alessandro were all analysing Felix, from the way he looks to the way he acts and even to the way he holds his fork which was quite strange; he held the fork between his ring finger and his pinkie finger.

I didn't want my brothers to ruin my only chance at a decent friendship, when Blade and I were talking to Alessandro he said something about breaking a rule about no boys. Maybe I can sit long enough, a magical fùck will fall from the

"Listen, son, if you ever put her in danger I won't hesitate to throttle you to death, okay!" Alessandro said sternly.

"She's in more danger with you guys than she is with me," Felix mumbled under his breath, what was that supposed to mean, my brothers would never hurt me.

I'm not sure if those three witches heard but I know Luca did, he was sat on the other side of Felix with his eyes wide and mouth agape.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask him genuinely.

"It doesn't matter." He shrugs it off like what he said wasn't important. Well, it was important, I want to know why he said what he said, but I can't pressure him into saying anything.

I saw Valentina waddle back into the room with her own plate of food, she settles down into her seat next to Diego who was was the furthest away from Alessandro.

"Umm, thank you, Miss, for the food but I should really get going, my mum is expecting me." He stands up and shakes Valentina's hand.

"I'll take you home." Axel offers politely offered, he brushes off the invisible dust from his smart, black trousers and takes his plate with him.

"You know I could have that." Luca sasses him, he'll eat week old pasta if he could.

"Well you're not having it when there are seconds on the table." I hear Axel's shoes smack against the dining room floor as he leaves.

Felix follows shortly behind, we said our goodbyes and I promised I would text him later on.

"Can I have some more fish?" Luca asks Elijah who was putting more fish onto his own plate, he nods yes and passes him the dish of fish.

**********

I was taking a shower to wash away today's events, not only was it embarrassing but it was like one big drama.

The water gushed down my back massaging my tight shoulders.

I was extremely exhausted from today, I didn't even get a chance to start on the work with Felix, I'll have to ask if I can bring him home tomorrow.

Every time I talk about bringing Felix home I either sound like the local hoe or like I'm bringing a pet dog home.

Climbing out of the shower, the cold air felt like someone was stabbing me with needles.

I dry my hair with a towel and get changed into my fluffy pyjamas, they were so soft and cosy to sleep in.

I hope that my family can get over me having Felix as a friend, he's a friend, nothing more. It's weird after my mum died I cut everyone off but now I have two friends, I'm not too sure about Rain but we'll see where it goes.

*************

"Emilia, you need to get up." I someone shake my shoulder lightly. I open my eyes and watch as Valentina places a package on the end of my bed.

Ooh, mystery, maybe it was one of those mystery parcels that you buy online or more specifically eBay and then it ends up being a scam. I wonder how much value it has, I remember watching those on YouTube two years ago.

I tear open the thin, grey plastic and throw it somewhere around my room, it was a very... how do I put this? Revealing PE kit.

I mean it wasn't that bad, but the shirt was a blue polo with the school logo on and it was extremely long. Not to mention that the bottom part of the kit were shorts.

It's not the shorts that were the problem, but it's the fact that the shirt would cover my shorts making it look like I had no pants on. They were black and had blue stripes going down the sides with strings that you could use to tighten the waist.

And my legs...they were ugly, scars and yellowish bruises remained after months. My legs looked like a pale blue most of the time and I'm scared that people are going to judge me. They will think I'm ugly.

We live in a society where your skin colour, money and looks matter to the point where no one cares about your personality anymore. It's sad really, we've forgotten how to love ourselves and each other.

What's worse is that there is a huge racial divide and I'm not here for it. Misogynistic men roam the earth, toxic women slither in the halls, the world has no good to give.

The part of me that is scared of being judged is just my insecurities speaking, but it was today's society that made those insecurities. Having a beauty standard doesn't help either, we're made to believe we aren't good enough just because people say so.

I'm tired of living in this world, it's sad to think I have roughly seventy more years on this Earth and I can't wait to get out of it too.

I just hope that someday we can all see ourselves as equal, whether if you have different sexuality, a disability and skin colour. We're all different and we should embrace it. But then there's a part of me that thinks that people hate me for the way I look.

I wasn't sure if I should bring the kit in today because I might have PE but then again it hasn't been washed yet, I was always told to wash brand new clothes.

I had completely forgotten about the time, I had spent so much time worrying about what people would think of me in this kit that it was almost time to go.

I rush into the shower after gathering my uniform and underwear, I wasn't sure if I should wash my hair because of time and I didn't want to get sick going out with wet hair. I don't want to take my chances so I tied my hair up and made sure to not get it wet. That was going to be a struggle.

When I was finished with the rest of my rushed morning routine, I put the kit in my bag just in case I needed it, I could just check my planner but I'm too lazy.

Rushing downstairs almost slipping on the carpeted steps for like the fiftieth time, I heard Alessandro complaining to Elijah about something that went missing.

"Elijah you need to find it," Alessandro told him seriously. Find what? His personality? Ha, he was more boring than watching paint dry. There were very few moments where he let loose and had fun.

"I know, Al, I think I left it somewhere in the house." I stand to the side of the kitchen doorway listening to the conversation.

"If she finds it you're-" Alessandro was cut off with hush sounds, I heard steps coming to the kitchen doorway where I stood listening.

I see Axel poke his head around the door, he turns his head left and right until he sees me. Damn it, why can't I listen to the conversations? This is twice he has caught me eavesdropping.

"How long have you been stood there?" He asks me.

"Only like a minute or something, I didn't hear anything, don't worry."

"You need to stop doing that," Axel complains to me, is he in a bad mood or something, he's not smiling like he usually does.

"Sorry." I apologise to him as he walks back into the kitchen without saying anything. Who shìt in his tea this morning?

"Emilia, eat this before you go." Elijah places a toasted bagel on the island.

"Thanks."

"Did you sleep well?" Elijah asks me, yes, I did sleep well but that was until Valentina woke me up for school. I think I got too used the idea of staying off of school.

"Yeah, it was okay." I begin to munch on the crunchy, buttery goodness.

"Is everything okay?" I take the jug of apple juice and pour some into a glass.

"Yeah, it was just a late night for all of us," Alessandro tells me. He starts pouring plain black coffee into one of those travel mugs, I love coffee and everything but without any milk it's bitter.

"Oh, you guys seem off."

"We're not off Emilia, we're tired," Axels says monotonously, I'm sorry if I've done something to hurt you guys.

What have I done? Did I hurt them? Did I do something wrong? Don't they want me living here anymore? Do they hate me?

I don't know what I did to them but I pissed them off. Damn it, I'm always a nuisance. This is why people aren't around me because I'm annoying.

"Did I do something?" I ask innocently, I didn't want to get into trouble with them when they shout it's a very deep and loud echo that could haunt you in your dreams. They were deep enough to send the bats back into their cave.

"No, Emilia." Axel huffs one an annoyed tone. It's not hard to give me an answer.

"So where you annoyed at me then, Axel?" I whined at him, he's usually a nice and welcoming man, I haven't seen him this frustrated since when I first moved in.

"Emilia I'm not mad." He combs his hand through his hair multiple times.

"But you are mad at me, what did I do to you, Axel? Did I upset you?" What if he hated me now, I couldn't go to school with this playing on my mind.

"Emilia stop pestering me, you haven't done anything." He walks out of the kitchen seeming more annoyed than before. What's wrong with me? I always have to ruin the mood.

"Don't worry about him, he gets like this when he's stressed." Alessandro comforts me.

"Did I upset him, am I the reason he's mad?" I say in a worried tone.

"Don't ever think that Bambina, no one could be mad at you." Yeah okay, I don't have enough hands to count the number of times people in this house have been angry at me. I'm sure every person in this house has been irritated with me.

"Are you ready to go?" Elijah asks me, we made a deal yesterday morning in the car that he would take me just for the first week and then I have to start going with Blade. I wasn't comfortable with Blade driving the car but I would have to get used to it at some point.

"Umm, yeah." I left the crusts to my bagel and the empty glass on the island and head for the door with Elijah.

**********

Human centipede.

I've always wanted to see that movie but apparently, it's a horror and I don't do well with those movies.

I make my way through the school gates trying to spot Rain or Felix. I hope I had some lessons with them today, it was more convenient and easy for me to get around.

"Hello!!" I heard a chirpy voice startle me. Turning around I see Rain looking happier than ever with a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Hey," I reply, she gives me a bone-crushing hug as if she hasn't seen me in a thousand years. Only Klaus Mikaelson can relate to this I guess.

"How's it going?" I ask her.

"It's going great, I had ice cream for breakfast. I don't know why I said that but yeah, I wanted you to know I had ice cream for breakfast." She starts giggling out of nowhere.

Does this explain why she's always hyper? She's more excited than a kid in a

candy shop.

"Oh, I had a bagel I guess." I hate when I always sound unsure, I always sound confused or something.

"Did you bring your kit?" She asks me, luckily I did, I wasn't too keen on the idea of using a brand new, unwashed kit.

"Yeah, I have given it this morning."

Rain and I started walking into some unknown direction down the halls, it smelled kinda like deodorant mixed with sweat. We had PE right now?

I could feel my stomach starting to churn, every thought about this morning was coming back, it made me nauseous thinking about changing in front of the girls. They were drop-dead stunning and I was...me. Disgusting is the right word to use.

I was on tenterhooks, my stomach had that feeling as though someone was dropping a ball in my stomach making me anxious. The more I thought about the more I felt sick.

"Are you okay?" Rain asks me worriedly, I nod yes and continue to follow her and the awful stench of cheap cologne.

Rain took us to line up outside a large room which I presume is the changing room, I hoped they had cubicles. I know a lot of schools don't have cubicles to change in.

That wouldn't matter anyway, I still had to deal with the confrontation of my entire class, most of them I didn't even know. I still had to reveal myself and still do PE, people were bound to stare.

A teacher in sporty clothes came to unlock the door with a bright pink tracksuit, the pink bottoms were flared and stretchy. Why can't I wear trousers?

"Okay, ladies you have to be quick." She pushed the door open and everyone started rushing in.

Rain pulled me to the farthest corner of the room which was right at the back. Everyone started to undress so I was just standing there looking stupid. I tried to undress as quick as possible because not only were there scars and fading bruises on my legs, they were everywhere, it's embarrassing.

Even my ribs, they had healed but my skin still held the yellow-green pigment of a fading bruise, the big gouged out scar ran from the top of my back almost to my hips. Arms still held the handprints of Shawn, a reminder every day.

I could feel a pair of eyes burning into my skull, turning around I see none other than Kelsey looking me once over. She might be a basic British girl but I can't deny that she was perfect. And when you look at yourself it's hard to see yourself as perfect.

I'd finished putting my entire kit on including the shoes but it didn't feel right. The shirt was very long, it made it look like I had no shorts on underneath.

I didn't want to do PE, not because I was lazy, because everything was exposed, my legs were blotchy with purple and blue because it was so cold and the very light skin from where there was a scar.

I was making a big deal over nothing, I was being stupid. I just need to stop overthinking.

**********

It was around halfway through the PE lesson and I was trying to ignore Kelsey and her group of friends, they kept on snickering. I'm not sure if it was at me but that's all that was playing through my mind.

It's all in my head, I'm making a big deal over nothing. I just need to... relax.

"Are you okay, you look nervous." Rain puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder, I tense at first but then relax.

"Yeah, I-I just feel a little sick." I stutter, a bad habit I have when I'm nervous.

"Are you going to be okay? Let me know if you need anything." Rain tells me, it's the first time I've ever seen her like this, calm.

"Did you fall over or something," Kelsey asks me while she stretches on the ground.

"Umm, yeah."

"Ew, seriously what's wrong with your legs?" She did not just ask me that, it's rude.

"Nothing, leave me alone please." I sit down on the floor next to Rain who was chatting to some random girl.

"I was just asking a question." Kelsey huffs.

"Yeah and I think you ask too many." I roll my eyes at her, I hated her the moment I first laid my eyes on her, she's so despicable.

"There's nothing wrong in asking a question, I just wanted to know why your legs look like they've been put in a shredder." This girl was playing with my last nerve, but what she was saying is true.

"Stop talking to me."

"Have you hurt yourself?!?" She raises her voice a little, a few people looked over here and then diverted their attention back to stretching.

I'm not sure what the teacher was doing but she was sat on a long, yellow bench tapping away at her phone.

"No!" She can't possibly think that I'm not going to shout from the rooftops what happened to my legs, I'd rather keep it to myself. The less people that know the better.

"What's going on?" Rain joins the conversation, not the time, I'm super angers right now and I don't want to make Miss Sunshine over here upset, she's my friend.

"We're just having a conversation about Emilia's leg-" I cut her off and throw my shoe at her, it wasn't a hard shoe I don't think it hurt her, she just glared at me with the sinister smirk she plastered on her face.

"Stop. It." I say like I'm speaking to a two year old.

"Stop what, I'm not doing anything." Kelsey acts dumb, actually she's not acting she just really is dumb.

"Okay then just leave me alone, it's not difficult but who knows, for a girl as dumb as you it'll take you four hours to process what I just said. Lacking brain cells isn't good. Take a trip to the doctors it might help with your condition. Would you like me to repeat this slowly so you can understand me better?" Whew, that was a lot to get out.

Hopefully she's been put in her place, she shouldn't be able to hold so much power over people, if you're going to let someone rule over you at least make it Zendaya.

"What did you just say?!?" She sounds shocked to say the least, she just proved my point, her brain can't comprehend what I am saying because her last two brain cells were killed off with that nasty perfume.

"Thank you for proving my point." I stand up and pat the top of her head like a dog before moving to the other side of the room.

"That's funny because we all know what happened!!" She shouts behind me, what does she mean? Shawn? No, she can't possibly know.

"What?"

"Look how quickly I can get a reaction out of you, did I... twist a nerve?" Kelsey pouts her fish lips.

She brings her face down to my ear while gripping onto my arm making sure to push her nails in, that was bound to draw blood.

"I can ruin you." She whispers her breathe smelt of smoke mixed with perfume. Does she drink that stuff?!?

She kicks me in my leg hard before moving away from me back to her group of friends. Looking at my arm, I see that there is an indentation of her sharp, long nails. A few drops of blood never hurt anyone. Me, it hurt me.

***********

Getting changed fast, I ignored the low laughs from Kelsey and her friends. I hated her so much, I'll slap the fake tan from her face the silly cow.

My attitude needs fixing, it's getting me nowhere. Me having an attitude doesn't help on my side of the case because probably fifty per cent of the time I cause the arguments.

I was probably going to be in a bad mood for the rest of the day now, I'm not a good person to be around when I'm angry. I'll roast you until you turn crispy.

"What do you have next?" Rain asks me, I haven't even checked my planner since I first got it, Felix and Rain have been guiding me around the school to get to my classes.

I pass my school planner and she frowns.

"You have English with a different teacher, I'm pretty sure Felix or someone is in the same class as you." That's one positive.

**********